A Story to Remember
Chapter 18: Sibling Understanding; Mirai's New Vision
"I-I HATE him!. Why does he always have to be so confident, so strong? I mean, does he even understand?!"
Serena sighed, stroking Rini's beautiful, black hair. She cradled her future daughter gently, stroking the smooth alabaster skin of her cheek.
'How is it that it has come to this?' Serena thought staring up at the shadowy, night sky. Never in her life would she have imagined that she would one day end up sitting on Bulma's back porch, comforting her future daughter from the harsh words of her future SON.
'How....how do I sort all this out?'
FLASHBACK
Capsule Corp.
Setsuna sat in the plush, blue velvet chair in Bulma's large living room. She faced the group before her, noting the confusion in their eyes. Rini sat on the arm of the chair to her left, tugging at the loose strands of black hair that signaled that she was in deep thought. To her left, Trunks stood brooding.
The Sailor Senshi had de-transformed and had crammed into two large couches. While the Z-Senshi stood or sat where they could. Both groups looked extremely tired. Mirai stood apart however, with Madison, their eyes hollow and empty from the ordeal they had both been through. The sparkle was gone from Madison's eyes and she leaned heavily on Mirai, keeping the grimace of pain from her face. Mirai tried to keep her attention on Setsuna...which was hard, considering Madison's blood-flecked jacket.
"I know this must be strange for you...all of you." Setsuna began, "You, the Z-Senshi, have been somewhat dragged into this while the Senshi must face an accumulation of enemies far greater than anything they've faced."
"Setsuna, please. It's so late. No riddles. Tell us why you are here." Rei said softly. Indeed it was nearly 2 a.m.
Setsuna smirked coolly, "Rini?"
Rini slid off the arm of the chair and stood straight. Her coal black eyes flashed as she took in the faces of each person. Her hand went to her hair and she played with a single strand, "We were sent here, by our mother, the Neo-Queen to help you."
The group stared at her expectantly, and she heard her brother sigh in annoyance.
She blushed and fidgeted with her skirt, rather unsure what to say. But she felt Setsuna's strong presence near her and continued, "Well...as you know, the Dark Lord has been sending his most powerful warriors to try and defeat you..."
"The Dark Lord, is that who we're up against?" Tien asked.
"Yes. He is a very powerful negative being that thrives by drinking in the hate of others, their fear and their doubt." Trunks said, a hint of dark anger edging his voice.
Rini smiled grimly at him, "In the future, the Dark Lord returns and our mother, Serenity, is forced to once again close the dimensional portals."
"We are constantly at war and there are large casualties on both sides." Trunks said.
"Our mother continues to vie for peace, while our father leads attacks on the enemy." Rini whispered, matching eyes carefully with Vegeta who scowled and looked away.
"We are here to make sure that the Dark Lord is destroyed thoroughly and completely so that he doesn't return. In doing so, we can change the future and create a better world for ourselves."
"Wait, wait, slow down. I don't get it. Dimensional portals? Neo-Queen?" Gohan said, scratching his head.
Setsuna sighed, "There is so much to explain. In the future, Serena will marry Vegeta. Of course this happens after the Dark Lord is defeated."
Serena flinched and stared down into her hands.
"Subsequently, the dimensional portals throughout the universe will be opened and the universe will be whole and complete again. The Neo-Queen and her husband travel the universe eradicating evil however, for some unknown reason, even to myself, the Dark Lord was only defeated and not destroyed in the stream of Rini and Trunk's timeline. Unknown to the rest of the universe, he has been hiding in the shrouds of the edge of the universe."
"Now he has returned in our time and has vowed to destroy our universe and take our mother for his own." Trunks said, letting the bitterness filter through his voice, his fists clenching.
"Our fighters grow weaker everyday. Our only hope is to destroy the Dark Lord completely in this time. Do you understand?" Rini asked.
The whole group seemed shocked.
"Are...Are we present in the future?" Chow-Tsu asked cautiously.
"Yes...but...some of you have...have..." Rini trembled.
Goku nodded in understanding.
Chi-Chi was shocked, "You mean that...that..."
Goku put a comforting arm around his wife.
"...Poor......Serena..." Madison whispered weakly into Mirai's ear.
Serena stared into her hands, "How can it be...that our future is so bleak?" She sighed, feeling Vegeta's presence behind her.
Rei rubbed her back gently, "Come on Serena, the future is never set in stone."
"That's right, Princess." Amara said, confidently.
"We'll just have to make sure that we destroy that bastard, the Dark lord!" Lita said, her eyes sparkling and flashing with excitement.
"Yeah!"
"You bet!"
"Of course!!"
The Z-senshi voiced their willingness.
Sestuna smiled, "You have quite a team behind you, Princess. I know you will be able to do this. Remember, anything you do can change the future. Even the seemingly most insignificant people can play a large part." She smiled in Mirai's direction, locking eyes with her brown pools.
Setsuna stood, "I must return to the Gates now. I hope Rini and Trunks will be of help to you."
She bowed to Rini and Trunks and also in Vegeta and Serena's direction and disappeared in a flash of garnet warmth.
"So...who's sleeping where?" Bulma asked, looking in Trunks and Rini's direction.
**********************************
Mirai sat on her bed, staring at Madison's sleeping form. She had asked if Madison would prefer to go to a doctor, but Hotaru had healed Madison quickly and gone to bed with a slightly dazed looking Serena.
It was nearly 3 AM, but she wasn't tired. Her eyes were blurred with constant visions. Like a fogged up window, she saw blurred visions of the past and future, but nothing of the present.
Pluto once told her she could control her visions. Make herself see what she needed. But the present was dark and shadowy. Pluto had also said once, that she future she see could be one of many possibilities, and that as the present changes her visions of the future would change too.
"I'm so scared." Mirai whispered, "Every time I close my eyes I see the blood of the future, or hear the screams of the past. And while I live torn between these two times, my eyes are blind to the present. I just want to help Serena...so I don't have these...these...blood dreams anymore."
Mirai shuddered and walked to out to the bay window. She sighed, staring at the night sky. The black was already starting to fade to blue but she felt cold, icy cold.
She shivered ran a hand through her short, ragged brown hair.
'I can't even cry for myself...'
Suddenly she felt warm arms around her, and her eyes widened. She whipped around but she couldn't see anything...or anyone. She glanced over at Madison, but she lay sleeping still, on her bed.
Mirai sighed, rubbing her temples. She felt the immense pressure on her mind from the visions.
'Great...now I'm going crazy.'
*********************************
TIME GATES
Pluto stood before the gates, gazing deep into her garnet orb. She glared at what she saw.
'Leave her be...she is my Own...'
"You cannot protect her anymore. She no longer is a part of you." Pluto said, glaring at the being with whom she spoke.
'Wheeeeen?'
"Only when the end comes will she be a part of you once more...if she succeeds."
'No!'
"Chronos has commanded this. Not only him, but all the tenshinchigi as well."
Pluto winced as Unmei screamed at her. It was so silent it stung like a smack in the face. It was a soft, mute, wail.
'We will tell Morpheus.'
Pluto nodded her head and finally tore her eyes away from the orb. She was sweating from the immense energy it took to communicate like this.
But...it was worth it...for now anyway.........
****************************************************
THE NEXT DAY
Serena yawned loudly, rubbing her eyes. She pushed the silken sheets off her body and sat up groggily. She shivered and pulled her feet out from under the covers and stood up slowly.
"Good, you're finally up." Hotaru said, smiling.
"Ugh...what time is it?" Serena mumbled, barely able to remain standing.
"Um, almost 10:15." Rini said grinning.
Serena stared at her future daughter, sitting in front of the vanity near her bed. Rini's long, silky black hair was pulled back in a ponytail so her hair reached her calves. Her coal back eyes bored into Serena's bright blue ones and reminded her of a certain Saiya-Jin prince...
"Thinking about Vegeta?" Hotaru and Rini asked simultaneously. They looked at each other and giggled and then looked eagerly back at Serena.
Serena's eyes widened, "I...umm..."
Rini grinned, "You don't change in the future, MOTHER. Whenever you're thinking abut FATHER you always get that look in your eyes...and that blush on your cheeks."
Hotaru nodded in agreement.
"W-What? N-no..." Serena covered her cheeks with her hands.
Suddenly there came the sound of knocking on their door.
"Yes?" Hotaru said, getting up.
"Hey, Hota-chan, when you guys are ready come downstairs, Bulma and Ami have a presentation for us all."
"Alright, we'll be quick."
"No need to rush, the guys are training and probably won't be done for a while. And tell Serena she should eat something since she woke up so late!" Rei said pointedly at the end.
"Heh heh," Serena grinned sheepishly. She could practically HEAR Rei rolling her eyes before she walked away from the door. "I guess I'll go take a shower now."
"Alright." Hotaru said solemnly. But, as soon as Serena was out the door, Rini and Hotaru spoke in hurried secrecy, giggling and blushing like old, childhood friends.
*************************************
2 Hours Later; Capsule Corp. Living Room
"I'm soo BORED!" Mina grumbled, "at least the guys can train, we have to sit around and protect Capsule Corp. Ugh! It's soooo UNEVENTFUL!"
"I'm sensing a distinct feeling of déjà vu..." Amara said with annoyance.
"What?" Mina asked innocently.
"Remember we had this conversation right before we went shopping." Ami said nonchalantly, typing furiously on her supercomputer, which was hooked up with a million wires to Bulma's laptop, supercomputer, and power cells stored in Bulma's lab. Bulma was working in her lab, testing and experimenting, all the while checking the connection she had with Ami.
"Oh yeah..." Mina said running a hand through her blonde hair.
Lita rolled her eyes and Michelle covered her mouth and coughed quietly in an attempt to hide her small giggles.
Rei sighed, "It is kind of boring...Though...it's funny how we always complain when we have to fight all the time and then complain when everything's peaceful."
Lita nodded yawning and stretched, "So, what are we gonna do until the guys get back?"
"We could go shopping?"
"MINA!!!!"
"What?"
Ami shook her head exasperatedly, her eyes never leaving her computer screen. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Hotaru coming enter the room, followed by Rini and Serena.
"Hey Hota-chan." Amara smiled as Hotaru sat down in between her and Michelle.
Hotaru smiled back at Amara and motioned at Serena and Rini. Serena sat down slowly near Ami, but Rini stood awkwardly, as though unsure. She flushed and pulled at her blue, juuban-like skirt.
"Hello Rini, come sit here, ok?" Mina said smiling, offering her some couch space.
Rini blushed and nodded sitting next to the blonde-haired woman.
"Sooo Rini..." Mina said slowly, an almost wicked gleam in her eyes, "Why don't you tell us about yourself...and your brother too, of course."
Rini stared at Mina, "............"
Mina sniffled and looked into Rini's dark eyes, giving her the look of a beaten puppy that needed love.
"Oh boy, what a show..." Amara whispered while Hotaru and Serena giggled.
Rini sighed rolling her eyes, and tugged at her ponytail, "There's not much to tell. I'm fourteen. Trunks is sixteen. My mother is Neo-Queen Serenity and my father, Vegeta, is the King." Rini shrugged.
Ami suddenly looked up, "You can fight like the guys."
Rini smirked the smirk that made her look like her brother and her father, "Yeah."
"So you train with Vegeta in the future?" Serena asked, speaking softly, her eyes down, thinking.
"Yes, but I'm not nearly as good as Dad and Trunks. My Lunarian powers are way stronger than my Saiya-Jin powers. With Trunks, his Saiya-Jin power is stronger. Mother says it's because I'm female." Rini lifted up her bangs, revealing the crescent moon symbol on her forehead, "Trunks' doesn't appear all the time like mine does."
"It's so strange. You look almost exactly like Serena did when we went to Juuban...but not really because you have some of Vegeta's traits." Lita remarked.
"But the apple never falls far from the tree." Rei said smirking, "So, are you as clumsy and ditzy as Serena here was?"
"HEY!"
"No way!" Rini said laughing. She stood up and spun around elegantly on her tiptoes. "Unlike my mother when she was young, I have perfect balance and am totally coordinated. I ALWAYS study as well and never get below 85% when I go to school."
"Grrrr..." Serena grumbled under her breath.
Rini smirked in her future mother's direction and put her hands on her hips and laughed pompously.
"Did I hear someone say totally coordinated?"
Rini looked over to see her sweaty, tattered clothed brother leaning against the wall of the room, smirking. "Hey Trunks! Where are the other guys?"
"Getting food...By the way... isn't totally coordinated a bit exaggerated, Rini?"
"I never lie." Rini said haughtily. She grinned, took two steps, slipped on the edge of the carpet and fell face first on the floor.
Michelle gasped, choking on peals of laughter. The others were less polite breaking completely into guffaws.
"Yep...the apple never falls far from the tree." Rei said shaking her head.
"Are you ok Rini?" Serena asked, kneeling to help the teenager.
"Owie..."
Trunks laughed at his sister, shaking his head. He sighed, 'How long has it been since we've been able to just laugh like this? How long will it be before we face the Dark Lord?' Trunks thought to himself.
He sighed and turned around to leave, took three steps, tripped on one of Ami's wires and fell face first on floor.
"OH!" Ami gasped as the others broke into laughter again, this time with Rini who sported a small red bump on her forehead.
"Looks like you both have occasions of awkwardness." Rei said incredulously.
Rini rubbed her forehead under her bangs and walked over to her brother and helped him up. His bruise was slightly large than hers. She smiled at him warmly and hugged him suddenly as though she had guessed what he had been thinking right before his embarrassingly contradictory fall. He smiled at her, his warm blue eyes laughing.
It was Serena's small intake of breath that alerted them to the dark presence behind them. Vegeta scowled at his future children, his gaze lingering especially long on Trunks with whom he had been training with earlier. Trunks
was practically shriveling from shame.
Serena felt her palms grow sweaty and she could hear her blood pounding in her head and heart. Only the reassuring pressure of Rei's hand kept her from fainting.
"The woman wants you in the lab. That girl had an important vision." Vegeta said curtly, settling his eyes on Serena's.
He smirked when she looked away to the fireplace but he felt another gaze, suddenly. Cutting him...cursing him? He wasn't sure but he looked over to meet the gaze of Hotaru, her vacant, black eyes bored into him. He blinked a few times. It was suddenly as if she was the only one in the room. Being a Saiya-jin, he could smell death on her...not like a dead body...but the dark, still, silence of oblivion.
His eyes widened as a small smile spread across her features.
'Vegeta stop...'
"Wha-What?"
"Vegeta, aren't you coming?"
"What?" Vegeta shook his head lightly and looked over. Standing in front of him was Hotaru, her small, pale hand resting on his arm. Her hands were cold as porcelain. The living room was empty.
"I asked if you were coming." Hotaru said quietly.
Vegeta stared at her, taking in the young girl next to him. From her black hair to her seemingly empty eyes, to her dark purple vest and black jeans. Her socks were silver, which startled him and stunned his eyes.
Hotaru smiled at Vegeta, "You heard me in your mind."
Vegeta stared at her in astonishment.
Hotaru sighed and smiled furtively. She took Vegeta's hand, which was considerably larger.
"Lets go Vegeta-Sama, the others will worry, especially Serena."
Vegeta blinked as Hotaru began walking to the lab, half-pulling him along.
'What is it with that girl? How is she doing this to me? Who is she really?'
He let her tug him along aware that, suddenly, her hand was very, very warm.
*************************************
Mirai stood shivering in Bulma's lab. Ever since her last clear vision, she had been feeling a deep, dark cold that seemed to crack her very bones, warning her of something. She pulled her navy, CCPC track jacket closer to her and sighed. She watched as Bulma and Ami attacked Bulma's supercomputer furiously, checking and rechecking.
All the while, Madison was next to her. Like a colorless wraith she stood, pale and hallow. She was still weak from having her heart crystal ripped out, but she had insisted on coming with Mirai. Her eyes were locked on the cold metal floor of the lab and her beret was clutched in her white hands. Her navy blue eyes were vacant. Just looking at her made hot daggers of guilt sear through Mirai's body.
As the Z-Senshi and Sailor Senshi started entering the lab and Mirai suddenly became very self-conscious. And yet, as she did, she felt a surge of confidence. There was just something about this vision that was different, besides the fact that it was the first clear vision she had had for a long time.
"Hey, are you ok?"
Mirai jumped, startled out of her brooding. She smiled at Bulma, if not a little uncertainly. Nodding, she rubbed her hands together and took a deep breath.
"Good. Everyone's here now." Bulma turned and signaled to Ami, who began typing furiously on Bulma's immense supercomputer as Vegeta and Hotaru slipped through the lab door.
Goku sat languidly, supporting himself against on wall. Chi-Chi stood over him, shaking her head while Goku ate his 6th sandwich since returning from training.
"Boy Goku...nothing gets you down, huh?" Tien said sighing, earning a laugh from the group.
"Nof ish I canfh helsh ish." Goku said grinning, chewing joyously.
Yamucha smirked, "Well, it's not like it'll hurt him. That Saiya-Jin appetite and all."
"Hey! Quiet down now!" Bulma said, looking smug and smart in her lab coat. Her eyes blazed with creational genius.
"Now! You've been called here once again for a very important reason. Coupled with Mirai's vision as a clue and Ami's experience with the physics of teleportation, we have drawn a conclusion on how to Serena and her friends may return to their dimension and us along with them."
Bulma slid her hands in her lab coat's pockets and beamed smugly.
"...I only understood the end." Krillin whispered into Gohan's ear. Gohan nodded and covered a giggle with a cough.
"So, what was this vision exactly?" Yamucha asked.
Ami smiled and walked over to Bulma, handing her a small, metal pointer. Bulma thanked Ami and directed her to start loading the files on her supercomputer.
"Bulma is gonna enjoy this." Goku said, smiling.
"What do you mean?" Serena asked, watching Bulma direct Ami while Mirai looked on a bit awkward looking.
"Bulma loves showing how smart she is, not that she isn't, but you know?" Chow-Tsu said, softly.
Serena nodded understandingly and turned back to face the front.
'Hey...wait a minute...'
Bulma pulled Mirai to stand front and center in front of the group. She gave Mirai a small shove forward and, blushing Mirai began to speak.
"Well...this morning...I had...a vision. This one was different from any I've ever had before because usually..."
Serena tuned out. Something more important had caught her eye. She stared at the two people she had not noticed come in...hadn't notice at all. They stood far behind everyone else. Hotaru...and Vegeta? Holding...hands...
Serena blinked. Vegeta had a calm, mystified look on his usually angry features, his eyes locked on the small girl next to him. Suddenly Hotaru looked away from Mirai to match eyes with Serena, smiling furtively.
Blushing Serena turned away.
'Serena what are you thinking? Are you JEALOUS?! NO! Yeeessss, they're just holding hands and you're all suspicious. No I'm not...it's just...Seeereeeeennnaaaa......what? Are you paying attention to what Mirai's saying? Umm...'
"Princess, are you listening?" Amara asked, smiling, letting her hand rest on Serena's arm.
"I...oh...I'm very sorry...it's just..." Serena smiled, embarrassed. Turning back around she faced Mirai once more.
'What's wrong with me? I'm getting suspicious over a little handholding. And of......Hotaru?'
HOTARU
'Serena, what can I do to make you trust yourself? You and Vegeta both...are like children...unsure and unwilling and yet wanting. But to me it is obvious...how much you care for one another...But Vegeta does not know how to say it...and Serena...Princess, you are to terrified of being hurt again to say it. The facts are there, your feelings are there but you still doubt yourself, Princess.'
END HOTARU'S THOUGHTS
Hotaru smiled up at Vegeta, her deep, black eyes mirroring her own, "Lets get closer."
Squeezing Vegeta's hand. She weaved through the group until she was about a hand's width away from Serena. She could hear the young woman's erratic breathing.
Turning slowly she smiled slowly at Serena, "Is something wrong Princess?"
Serena looked at Hotaru, her eyes resting on her hand and Vegeta's before answering, breathing ever few words "Yes...I'm all right...just excited...about being able...to go home...you know?"
Vegeta looked over at Serena, locking eyes with his princess. A blush crept over her cheeks and her breathing became faster.
Hotaru smiled knowingly, "Vegeta, I'm going to go talk to Amara." Slowly she slipped her small hand out of Vegeta's hand and walked further up to stand with Amara, who put an arm around her.
Serena could feel Vegeta next to her. His heat...his emotion...it sparked a fire deep within her that burned and cut, tortured and yet was so wonderfully sweet that it made her want it more.
"Are you even paying attention?" Vegeta asked, keeping his eyes on Mirai.
"What? Oh..well.." Serena looked down at her feet.
"You should at least listen, baka onna, if you ever want to get home that is."
Serena nodded, feeling as though Vegeta had just ripped her heart into tiny pieces.
'What's wrong with me? The Senshi tease me all the time about not paying attention and Vegeta makes one little remark and I'm in tears?'
Out of the corner of her eye she watched Vegeta. No matter how many times she saw him, she always felt her breath quicken and catch and her heart pound in her ears whenever she was near. Even now, she felt she might faint from his nearness.
Suddenly all eyes were on her. She looked up, flushing furiously. Bulma was staring at her questioningly.
"Uh-uh, what?" Serena asked haltingly, feeling her tongue fill up her mouth.
"Do you agree?" Ami asked.
"It's your call, Sere-chan." Mirai said, smiling apologetically.
"I...I...ummm......"
"Why don't we all take some time to think this over, Bulma?" Hotaru said quietly and completely innocently.
Bulma nodded, "That's a good idea, but we must move quickly. We'll meet back here tomorrow night. Is that alright with everyone?"
Agreements were heard around the room as the group began to disperse. Serena blushed bright, bright red, hoping that no one had noticed that she hadn't been listening and that Hotaru could fill her in.
She could feel Vegeta watching her closely and quickly hurried out the room.
Hotaru smiled cheerfully.
*******************************
EVENING(CAPSULE CORP. LIVING ROOM)
Rei sighed, wiping the sweat from her brow. Sighing, she moved away from the warmth of the fire and sat down on a couch with Rei, Ami, Lita, and Mina.
"You shouldn't work so hard, Miss Rei. You'll tire yourself out." Gohan said.
"Yeah Rei, we already have Mirai's vision as confirmation." Lita said.
"Yes I know...still...I have a feeling......Once we get home...you know we'll have to fight The Dark Lord."
"Yeah...once we get home, that's when it begins." Mina said somberly.
"Hey you guys, come on, we should be thinking positively." Ami said, smiling.
"That's right!" Yamucha said in agreement.
"Tell us about your dimension." Piccolo suddenly said.
Lita, Mina, Ami, and Rei looked at each other.
"Well, it's a lot like this dimension..." Lita started.
"Except for some small differences..." Rei added.
"Like what?" Gohan asked.
"Weeeellll......" Mina began.
********************************
"Well...basically, Mirai was talking about her recent vision. In the vision she was walking in the Suta-raito Park, when she came across something that looked almost like a rip in the air itself. It was near a large, oak or ash tree. The moon was in its 3rd quarter. Bulma believes that it could be a dimensional portal with the right amount of energy, we could force that rip open and get back to our dimension, brining everyone, the Z-Senshi and Trunks and Rini. Bulma believes that if Mirai saw it in her vision then it must be there in the park. The 3rd quarter moon will appear in two days." Hotaru said, pulling her silver brush through her hair.
Serena thought about this, "Ahh...I see now. But what did Bulma ask me?"
"Well...Serena...you'll be the main focus of the power...the hub of the wheel if you will. We will all concentrate our energy on you and you on the rip. It could be dangerous. That's why Bulma asked if you were ok with it."
Serena sighed, leaning back against the headboard of her bed.
"By the way, Serena...how come you weren't paying attention, anyway." Hotaru asked, smiling shrewdly.
Serena smiled, "I...well..."
"You know Serena...Vegeta hides his feelings well." Hotaru said, pulling off her shirt and pulling on her pajamas.
Serena flushed, "Why...were you and Vegeta...today...I mean...umm..."
"Holding hands?" Hotaru asked, laughing.
Serena nodded, embarrassed.
"Vegeta is scared, I'm just helping him out."
"Scared? Vegeta? That's a side of him I've never seen before." Serena said, laughing herself.
"Well, looks like you both have a lot to learn."
Serena laughed and took off her shirt and shorts. She rummaged though her dresser, looking for pajamas.
All of a sudden the door burst open and Rini pounded in, slamming the door behind her. Her coal black eyes blazed with anger.
Hotaru stared at her, "Rini, what's wrong."
Rini seethed, forcing the tears from her eyes, reminding herself that Saiya-Jins don't cry, "I hate Trunks so much!"
"You can't mean that." Serena said, "Calm down and tell us what's wrong."
Rini swept her long, long black hair into a ponytail and spun around to face Hotaru and Serena, "I went to look for my so-called brother, though it's hard to believe we're from the same gene pool, and he's training with Vegeta. Fine, that's well and sweet. SO I ask if I can, and what does he do? Stand up for me? Hardly. He goes on about how I might hurt myself...how I shouldn't be fighting Saiya-Jin style. He practically called me WEAK! I mean, didn't I defeat Darkflake?! Why does he always treat my like a baby!"
Rini grabbed her brush and threw it out the window, impaling it in a tree 60 feet away.
Serena sighed, shaking her head. She couldn't help but laugh. In fact she laughed until she got tears in her eyes.
"What is so funny?" Rini demanded.
"I-I'm sorry, it's just that I used to be the same way with my little brother...Sammy...it's just...he was so annoying and I used to say I hated him all the time...but..." Serena stopped laughing, "Once he was gone...I realized how much I loved him...and counted on him. Trunks just probably wants to protect his baby sister. That's all."
"Yeah, well, it's driving me crazy! And besides, he makes it seem as though I'm not a half Saiya-Jin either." Rini said pouting.
Hotaru smiled, "Well, I think Serena is right."
Rini grumbled something.
"Well...we could go talk to Trunks." Serena said thoughtfully.
"Now? Like this? Wearing THAT?" Rini asked incredulously, eyes her future mother's pink cloud shorts and tank top pajama outfit.
Serena smiled, "Why not? I mean, if he hurt your feelings that badly..."
"It's not my feelings...it's my...my..."
"Your pride?" Serena asked.
"Yes."
"Alright then, lets go." Serena said matter-of-factly.
Hotaru opened the door, rubbing her bare arms and walked out, followed by Serena and Rini.
They made their way through the darkening hallways, skirting the living room and lab. Slipping out the back door, the three young women walked to the GR room.
Rini peeked through the small glass, "Yep, they're still there."
"Lemme see." Serena whispered, pushing a little to peek through the glass.
"Hey MOM, I'm tryin' to see." Rini growled pushing back.
"Hey, come on, you're stepping on my feet." Hotaru said in exasperation.
"Well if Rini would move OVER a little."
"Hey, I was here first."
"Why don't you both move over a little so I can see?"
"Rini can move first."
"No way."
Hotaru sighed and simply moved over to the other small window.
'Like mother like daughter I suppose.' Hotaru thought, casting glances at the bickering women.
She watched Vegeta and Trunks closely. It was obvious by how hard each was fighting that each truly wanted to defeat the other. It was obvious how much Trunks admired his father, past present or future. It was in his eyes whenever he looked at him.
Hotaru momentarily looked away to glance at Serena and Rini. Their bickering had ceased and they were finally sharing window space. Even Rini, who had seen her father spar with Trunks in the future was in awe.
'Well...training like this...in 400 times earth's gravity...It's definitely something to see.'
Hotaru turned back to the scene before her, shivering in the cool air of the night. Vegeta and Trunks stood now, 8 feet apart. Each breathing heavily, their muscles bulged and Trunks slowly lifted a hand to wipe away the blood that trickled down his lip.
Vegeta smirked at his future son, and turned the gravity machine off. Flexing his muscles when the tension of the high gravity was gone.
"They're coming out." Rini whispered.
Serena blushed furiously and motioned to Hotaru.
"What now?"
"Yeah, you said you were gonna talk to Trunks." Rini said, smiling innocently.
"Yes...well..." Serena looked down at the ground, scuffing her bare feet against the grass.
Rini looked into Serena's eyes, making herself more innocent looking than humanly possible. Her eyes filled with tears and suddenly, out of nowhere, violin music began to play...sad and slow.
"How...how could you let me down? Trunks...hurt my pride...carved out my heart......You're my future mother...How will I be able to......count on you?!" Rini lamented in anguish, her eyes large and teary, shadows making stripes across her stricken face.
Grabbing a startled Hotaru, she sobbed loudly on her shoulder.
Serena watched, wide-eyed. Hotaru rolled her eyes in mock anger and started to pry Rini off her shoulder. Unable to help herself, Serena giggled loudly, momentarily forgetting the sharp, cool wind that swept through her thin pajamas and seeped into her skin.
"Rini?!"
Rini looked up, wiping the mock tears from her eyes, smirking. Reaching into the pocket of her pajama pants, she closed the small music box that had provided the slow, grave violin music.
"Hiya Trunks." Rini said, tugging at a strand of hair playfully.
"What are you doing out here? I thought you went to bed."
"You don't own me and don't you think I'll just do whatever you tell me too." Rini said, angrily.
"Hey, come on now." Serena said, putting a hand on Rini's shoulder.
"Why do you always treat me like such a little kid? I AM fourteen if you haven't noticed." Rini said, ignoring her.
Trunks smirked, "You act like a little kid."
Rini glared, her eyes flashing, "Don't you start with me."
Serena glanced anxiously at Hotaru, but the young girl gave no indication of what she was thinking. A flicker of a smile crossed her pale face though and Serena turned to see why.
Immediately Serena felt her palms get sweaty. Her heart started to race and she felt the familiar flush cross her cheeks. Hotaru walked closer to Serena and pressed her icy cool hand to Serena's neck, calming her.
Rini continued to glare at Trunks as Vegeta stepped forward. He looked from Rini to Trunks and then to Hotaru and Serena. A very, VERY faint smile played across his lips at the sight of Serena, in her pink cloud pajamas.
"It doesn't matter Rini, we've finished so you can go back to bed."
"Why do you keep doing that? Ever since we were little you're always treating me like I'll hurt myself, or I can't handle training with you and Dad!" Rini growled back, her fists clenching.
Vegeta smirked, shaking his head.
Trunks sighed, "Look Rini, you're hardly at my level, ok? I don't want to see you get hurt. Defeating Darkflake, yes, I'll give you credit for that, but you haven't trained like I have."
"That's because you never let me! You're always shutting me out and going off with Dad! I never see him because he's always away and when he does come back he's with you, always you!" Rini shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Serena gazed at her future daughter startled, she looked up at Vegeta, feeling her heart beat more slowly and felt her body relaxing. Staring into the pools of his eyes, not a single emotion was apparent. But......the heat Serena felt deep in her soul couldn't be ignored, and she sighed sadly.
"Rini..."
The dark-haired princess whipped around, anger marring her beautiful face. Anger for letting herself cry in front of her future father and anger at letting her brother taunt her.
"What?" She said slowly through clenched teeth.
"Lets go, alright? We have nothing to say to them now." Serena said. She held her head high and turned to Hotaru who nodded approvingly.
Rini breathed slowly, her chest heaving. Serena sighed and took Rini's hand, wiping the tears from her daughter's cheeks. Taking a deep breath for courage, Serena lead Rini past Trunks and Vegeta, ignoring the feelings that stabbed at her heart.
Hotaru smiled slowly and looked up at the house. She noticed Mirai looking out the window and knew she had witnessed the whole scene.
END FLASHBACK
Rini wiped at her puffy, bloodshot eyes. Already the sky was lightening to a lavender blue and the air was not nearly as frigid as it once had been. Rini blushed lightly at the sight of the large wet spots on Serena's pajama shirt.
Serena smiled at her, smoothing her black hair away from her face, "Do you feel any better now?"
Rini nodded and hugged Serena, reveling in the fact that she smelled exactly the same way in the future. She imagined her mother in the future, beautiful and sad. Her eyes dulled slightly by the tragedies of war, the loss of so many friends, and constant separation of her family. With smooth, warm alabaster skin, and her friendly personality despite everything, her mother kept her people safe at all costs.
"Rini...Rini, what's wrong? I thought you felt better." Serena asked, worry apparent in her eyes.
Rini wiped tears from her eyes again, "No, it's nothing...I'm just thinking about......"
"The future?" Serena smiled. "yes...I suppose now the future is on everyone's mind. I certainly hope......that we can defeat the Dark Lord......To live a life of fighting and to die a life of war isn't something I want."
Rini nodded and wrapped her arms around Serena's waist, "I agree."
Serena slowly extricated herself from Rini's arms and stood. She stretched and ran a hand through her long, blonde hair.
"I'm going to be dead tired today." Serena mumbled.
"Sorry..." Rini said softly, flushing.
"Hey, it's ok. I don't mind at all. You are my future daughter after all. What do you say we head back to bed and catch a few hours of sleep before Rei comes banging at the door?"
Rini nodded laughing though her throat was sore and dry.
Hand in hand, the two young women slipped back inside the house. They tiptoed carefully, the cold floor burning their bare feet. Going past the kitchen Rini stopped.
"You go on ahead, I'm going to get some water." Rini croaked.
"Alright." Serena smiled and tiptoed up the stairs.
Sighing, Rini watched her go before entering the kitchen and pouring herself a large glass of water. She sipped it slowly, thinking about the night's events. She placed the glass soundlessly in the sink and crept upstairs. She opened the door to the room and smiled at Serena, who lay sprawled on her bed, obviously having fallen asleep before even hitting her blankets.
Rini covered her future mother with a small comforter before plopping down on the small mattress that lay at the foot and between Serena and Hotaru's beds. She pulled back the covers only to find a note in a small envelope on her pillow.
Opening it, she recognized the large-ish scrawled Lunarian writing, obviously belonging to Trunks. For a moment she considered tearing the note up and going to the room Trunks shared with Vegeta and filling all his pairs of pants with bags of ice, but the heading caught her eye.
To My Dearest Sister,
I am unsure quite how to put this, because I am writing this in Lunarian (which you know is hard for me.) But, I will try. Thinking on our fight, I realize that some of what you said was right.
Rini put the note down...'SOME?!?!' She thought, but continued to read:
Rini, I have always been jealous of you. You always spend so much time with Mother and you are obviously her favorite. It startled me to find out that you felt the same way about the time I spend with Father. I guess that I was so jealous of you that I tried to keep you away from Father...joining us in training sessions and such...But, Rini, there's more to it than that. Every time I look at you I see mother...from before the war started, when we were all so happy. And now, being in the past, I see Serena and you together and I feel a deep sadness that I cannot understand. I want to keep you safe, and I don't want you to be hurt. That's why I didn't want Pluto sending you with me to the past. Please accept my apology.
Honorably yours,
Trunks; First Prince of the Golden Alliance
'Jealous...of me? I...I didn't know...'
Rini sighed, feeling tears pricking her eyes...and yet...she didn't feel nearly as bad as she had before.
Standing all alone in the ocean of my tears
Sweet dreams are lost
And I can't find my way
Will you lead me dear friend
Through the maze of ice that scorches my heart
To the Gardens of Fate where I may rest
Cold and still
Let me follow you
The pools of your eyes are my maps
Outlining the radiant night
With the fire in your hands
******Small announcement to make. I was talking to a friend of mine, I-san, who happens to be the editor of Katlin Grace's fics I believe, and we got on a rather amusing topic. She wondered what it would look like if Rini had hair like Vegeta's but it was sill pink. She drew a very, very good pic and if you'd like to see it, e-mail me at:
glaive6@nycap.rr.com
LoNe StAr in an OcEaN SkY
Chapter 18: Sibling Understanding; Mirai's New Vision
"I-I HATE him!. Why does he always have to be so confident, so strong? I mean, does he even understand?!"
Serena sighed, stroking Rini's beautiful, black hair. She cradled her future daughter gently, stroking the smooth alabaster skin of her cheek.
'How is it that it has come to this?' Serena thought staring up at the shadowy, night sky. Never in her life would she have imagined that she would one day end up sitting on Bulma's back porch, comforting her future daughter from the harsh words of her future SON.
'How....how do I sort all this out?'
FLASHBACK
Capsule Corp.
Setsuna sat in the plush, blue velvet chair in Bulma's large living room. She faced the group before her, noting the confusion in their eyes. Rini sat on the arm of the chair to her left, tugging at the loose strands of black hair that signaled that she was in deep thought. To her left, Trunks stood brooding.
The Sailor Senshi had de-transformed and had crammed into two large couches. While the Z-Senshi stood or sat where they could. Both groups looked extremely tired. Mirai stood apart however, with Madison, their eyes hollow and empty from the ordeal they had both been through. The sparkle was gone from Madison's eyes and she leaned heavily on Mirai, keeping the grimace of pain from her face. Mirai tried to keep her attention on Setsuna...which was hard, considering Madison's blood-flecked jacket.
"I know this must be strange for you...all of you." Setsuna began, "You, the Z-Senshi, have been somewhat dragged into this while the Senshi must face an accumulation of enemies far greater than anything they've faced."
"Setsuna, please. It's so late. No riddles. Tell us why you are here." Rei said softly. Indeed it was nearly 2 a.m.
Setsuna smirked coolly, "Rini?"
Rini slid off the arm of the chair and stood straight. Her coal black eyes flashed as she took in the faces of each person. Her hand went to her hair and she played with a single strand, "We were sent here, by our mother, the Neo-Queen to help you."
The group stared at her expectantly, and she heard her brother sigh in annoyance.
She blushed and fidgeted with her skirt, rather unsure what to say. But she felt Setsuna's strong presence near her and continued, "Well...as you know, the Dark Lord has been sending his most powerful warriors to try and defeat you..."
"The Dark Lord, is that who we're up against?" Tien asked.
"Yes. He is a very powerful negative being that thrives by drinking in the hate of others, their fear and their doubt." Trunks said, a hint of dark anger edging his voice.
Rini smiled grimly at him, "In the future, the Dark Lord returns and our mother, Serenity, is forced to once again close the dimensional portals."
"We are constantly at war and there are large casualties on both sides." Trunks said.
"Our mother continues to vie for peace, while our father leads attacks on the enemy." Rini whispered, matching eyes carefully with Vegeta who scowled and looked away.
"We are here to make sure that the Dark Lord is destroyed thoroughly and completely so that he doesn't return. In doing so, we can change the future and create a better world for ourselves."
"Wait, wait, slow down. I don't get it. Dimensional portals? Neo-Queen?" Gohan said, scratching his head.
Setsuna sighed, "There is so much to explain. In the future, Serena will marry Vegeta. Of course this happens after the Dark Lord is defeated."
Serena flinched and stared down into her hands.
"Subsequently, the dimensional portals throughout the universe will be opened and the universe will be whole and complete again. The Neo-Queen and her husband travel the universe eradicating evil however, for some unknown reason, even to myself, the Dark Lord was only defeated and not destroyed in the stream of Rini and Trunk's timeline. Unknown to the rest of the universe, he has been hiding in the shrouds of the edge of the universe."
"Now he has returned in our time and has vowed to destroy our universe and take our mother for his own." Trunks said, letting the bitterness filter through his voice, his fists clenching.
"Our fighters grow weaker everyday. Our only hope is to destroy the Dark Lord completely in this time. Do you understand?" Rini asked.
The whole group seemed shocked.
"Are...Are we present in the future?" Chow-Tsu asked cautiously.
"Yes...but...some of you have...have..." Rini trembled.
Goku nodded in understanding.
Chi-Chi was shocked, "You mean that...that..."
Goku put a comforting arm around his wife.
"...Poor......Serena..." Madison whispered weakly into Mirai's ear.
Serena stared into her hands, "How can it be...that our future is so bleak?" She sighed, feeling Vegeta's presence behind her.
Rei rubbed her back gently, "Come on Serena, the future is never set in stone."
"That's right, Princess." Amara said, confidently.
"We'll just have to make sure that we destroy that bastard, the Dark lord!" Lita said, her eyes sparkling and flashing with excitement.
"Yeah!"
"You bet!"
"Of course!!"
The Z-senshi voiced their willingness.
Sestuna smiled, "You have quite a team behind you, Princess. I know you will be able to do this. Remember, anything you do can change the future. Even the seemingly most insignificant people can play a large part." She smiled in Mirai's direction, locking eyes with her brown pools.
Setsuna stood, "I must return to the Gates now. I hope Rini and Trunks will be of help to you."
She bowed to Rini and Trunks and also in Vegeta and Serena's direction and disappeared in a flash of garnet warmth.
"So...who's sleeping where?" Bulma asked, looking in Trunks and Rini's direction.
**********************************
Mirai sat on her bed, staring at Madison's sleeping form. She had asked if Madison would prefer to go to a doctor, but Hotaru had healed Madison quickly and gone to bed with a slightly dazed looking Serena.
It was nearly 3 AM, but she wasn't tired. Her eyes were blurred with constant visions. Like a fogged up window, she saw blurred visions of the past and future, but nothing of the present.
Pluto once told her she could control her visions. Make herself see what she needed. But the present was dark and shadowy. Pluto had also said once, that she future she see could be one of many possibilities, and that as the present changes her visions of the future would change too.
"I'm so scared." Mirai whispered, "Every time I close my eyes I see the blood of the future, or hear the screams of the past. And while I live torn between these two times, my eyes are blind to the present. I just want to help Serena...so I don't have these...these...blood dreams anymore."
Mirai shuddered and walked to out to the bay window. She sighed, staring at the night sky. The black was already starting to fade to blue but she felt cold, icy cold.
She shivered ran a hand through her short, ragged brown hair.
'I can't even cry for myself...'
Suddenly she felt warm arms around her, and her eyes widened. She whipped around but she couldn't see anything...or anyone. She glanced over at Madison, but she lay sleeping still, on her bed.
Mirai sighed, rubbing her temples. She felt the immense pressure on her mind from the visions.
'Great...now I'm going crazy.'
*********************************
TIME GATES
Pluto stood before the gates, gazing deep into her garnet orb. She glared at what she saw.
'Leave her be...she is my Own...'
"You cannot protect her anymore. She no longer is a part of you." Pluto said, glaring at the being with whom she spoke.
'Wheeeeen?'
"Only when the end comes will she be a part of you once more...if she succeeds."
'No!'
"Chronos has commanded this. Not only him, but all the tenshinchigi as well."
Pluto winced as Unmei screamed at her. It was so silent it stung like a smack in the face. It was a soft, mute, wail.
'We will tell Morpheus.'
Pluto nodded her head and finally tore her eyes away from the orb. She was sweating from the immense energy it took to communicate like this.
But...it was worth it...for now anyway.........
****************************************************
THE NEXT DAY
Serena yawned loudly, rubbing her eyes. She pushed the silken sheets off her body and sat up groggily. She shivered and pulled her feet out from under the covers and stood up slowly.
"Good, you're finally up." Hotaru said, smiling.
"Ugh...what time is it?" Serena mumbled, barely able to remain standing.
"Um, almost 10:15." Rini said grinning.
Serena stared at her future daughter, sitting in front of the vanity near her bed. Rini's long, silky black hair was pulled back in a ponytail so her hair reached her calves. Her coal back eyes bored into Serena's bright blue ones and reminded her of a certain Saiya-Jin prince...
"Thinking about Vegeta?" Hotaru and Rini asked simultaneously. They looked at each other and giggled and then looked eagerly back at Serena.
Serena's eyes widened, "I...umm..."
Rini grinned, "You don't change in the future, MOTHER. Whenever you're thinking abut FATHER you always get that look in your eyes...and that blush on your cheeks."
Hotaru nodded in agreement.
"W-What? N-no..." Serena covered her cheeks with her hands.
Suddenly there came the sound of knocking on their door.
"Yes?" Hotaru said, getting up.
"Hey, Hota-chan, when you guys are ready come downstairs, Bulma and Ami have a presentation for us all."
"Alright, we'll be quick."
"No need to rush, the guys are training and probably won't be done for a while. And tell Serena she should eat something since she woke up so late!" Rei said pointedly at the end.
"Heh heh," Serena grinned sheepishly. She could practically HEAR Rei rolling her eyes before she walked away from the door. "I guess I'll go take a shower now."
"Alright." Hotaru said solemnly. But, as soon as Serena was out the door, Rini and Hotaru spoke in hurried secrecy, giggling and blushing like old, childhood friends.
*************************************
2 Hours Later; Capsule Corp. Living Room
"I'm soo BORED!" Mina grumbled, "at least the guys can train, we have to sit around and protect Capsule Corp. Ugh! It's soooo UNEVENTFUL!"
"I'm sensing a distinct feeling of déjà vu..." Amara said with annoyance.
"What?" Mina asked innocently.
"Remember we had this conversation right before we went shopping." Ami said nonchalantly, typing furiously on her supercomputer, which was hooked up with a million wires to Bulma's laptop, supercomputer, and power cells stored in Bulma's lab. Bulma was working in her lab, testing and experimenting, all the while checking the connection she had with Ami.
"Oh yeah..." Mina said running a hand through her blonde hair.
Lita rolled her eyes and Michelle covered her mouth and coughed quietly in an attempt to hide her small giggles.
Rei sighed, "It is kind of boring...Though...it's funny how we always complain when we have to fight all the time and then complain when everything's peaceful."
Lita nodded yawning and stretched, "So, what are we gonna do until the guys get back?"
"We could go shopping?"
"MINA!!!!"
"What?"
Ami shook her head exasperatedly, her eyes never leaving her computer screen. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Hotaru coming enter the room, followed by Rini and Serena.
"Hey Hota-chan." Amara smiled as Hotaru sat down in between her and Michelle.
Hotaru smiled back at Amara and motioned at Serena and Rini. Serena sat down slowly near Ami, but Rini stood awkwardly, as though unsure. She flushed and pulled at her blue, juuban-like skirt.
"Hello Rini, come sit here, ok?" Mina said smiling, offering her some couch space.
Rini blushed and nodded sitting next to the blonde-haired woman.
"Sooo Rini..." Mina said slowly, an almost wicked gleam in her eyes, "Why don't you tell us about yourself...and your brother too, of course."
Rini stared at Mina, "............"
Mina sniffled and looked into Rini's dark eyes, giving her the look of a beaten puppy that needed love.
"Oh boy, what a show..." Amara whispered while Hotaru and Serena giggled.
Rini sighed rolling her eyes, and tugged at her ponytail, "There's not much to tell. I'm fourteen. Trunks is sixteen. My mother is Neo-Queen Serenity and my father, Vegeta, is the King." Rini shrugged.
Ami suddenly looked up, "You can fight like the guys."
Rini smirked the smirk that made her look like her brother and her father, "Yeah."
"So you train with Vegeta in the future?" Serena asked, speaking softly, her eyes down, thinking.
"Yes, but I'm not nearly as good as Dad and Trunks. My Lunarian powers are way stronger than my Saiya-Jin powers. With Trunks, his Saiya-Jin power is stronger. Mother says it's because I'm female." Rini lifted up her bangs, revealing the crescent moon symbol on her forehead, "Trunks' doesn't appear all the time like mine does."
"It's so strange. You look almost exactly like Serena did when we went to Juuban...but not really because you have some of Vegeta's traits." Lita remarked.
"But the apple never falls far from the tree." Rei said smirking, "So, are you as clumsy and ditzy as Serena here was?"
"HEY!"
"No way!" Rini said laughing. She stood up and spun around elegantly on her tiptoes. "Unlike my mother when she was young, I have perfect balance and am totally coordinated. I ALWAYS study as well and never get below 85% when I go to school."
"Grrrr..." Serena grumbled under her breath.
Rini smirked in her future mother's direction and put her hands on her hips and laughed pompously.
"Did I hear someone say totally coordinated?"
Rini looked over to see her sweaty, tattered clothed brother leaning against the wall of the room, smirking. "Hey Trunks! Where are the other guys?"
"Getting food...By the way... isn't totally coordinated a bit exaggerated, Rini?"
"I never lie." Rini said haughtily. She grinned, took two steps, slipped on the edge of the carpet and fell face first on the floor.
Michelle gasped, choking on peals of laughter. The others were less polite breaking completely into guffaws.
"Yep...the apple never falls far from the tree." Rei said shaking her head.
"Are you ok Rini?" Serena asked, kneeling to help the teenager.
"Owie..."
Trunks laughed at his sister, shaking his head. He sighed, 'How long has it been since we've been able to just laugh like this? How long will it be before we face the Dark Lord?' Trunks thought to himself.
He sighed and turned around to leave, took three steps, tripped on one of Ami's wires and fell face first on floor.
"OH!" Ami gasped as the others broke into laughter again, this time with Rini who sported a small red bump on her forehead.
"Looks like you both have occasions of awkwardness." Rei said incredulously.
Rini rubbed her forehead under her bangs and walked over to her brother and helped him up. His bruise was slightly large than hers. She smiled at him warmly and hugged him suddenly as though she had guessed what he had been thinking right before his embarrassingly contradictory fall. He smiled at her, his warm blue eyes laughing.
It was Serena's small intake of breath that alerted them to the dark presence behind them. Vegeta scowled at his future children, his gaze lingering especially long on Trunks with whom he had been training with earlier. Trunks
was practically shriveling from shame.
Serena felt her palms grow sweaty and she could hear her blood pounding in her head and heart. Only the reassuring pressure of Rei's hand kept her from fainting.
"The woman wants you in the lab. That girl had an important vision." Vegeta said curtly, settling his eyes on Serena's.
He smirked when she looked away to the fireplace but he felt another gaze, suddenly. Cutting him...cursing him? He wasn't sure but he looked over to meet the gaze of Hotaru, her vacant, black eyes bored into him. He blinked a few times. It was suddenly as if she was the only one in the room. Being a Saiya-jin, he could smell death on her...not like a dead body...but the dark, still, silence of oblivion.
His eyes widened as a small smile spread across her features.
'Vegeta stop...'
"Wha-What?"
"Vegeta, aren't you coming?"
"What?" Vegeta shook his head lightly and looked over. Standing in front of him was Hotaru, her small, pale hand resting on his arm. Her hands were cold as porcelain. The living room was empty.
"I asked if you were coming." Hotaru said quietly.
Vegeta stared at her, taking in the young girl next to him. From her black hair to her seemingly empty eyes, to her dark purple vest and black jeans. Her socks were silver, which startled him and stunned his eyes.
Hotaru smiled at Vegeta, "You heard me in your mind."
Vegeta stared at her in astonishment.
Hotaru sighed and smiled furtively. She took Vegeta's hand, which was considerably larger.
"Lets go Vegeta-Sama, the others will worry, especially Serena."
Vegeta blinked as Hotaru began walking to the lab, half-pulling him along.
'What is it with that girl? How is she doing this to me? Who is she really?'
He let her tug him along aware that, suddenly, her hand was very, very warm.
*************************************
Mirai stood shivering in Bulma's lab. Ever since her last clear vision, she had been feeling a deep, dark cold that seemed to crack her very bones, warning her of something. She pulled her navy, CCPC track jacket closer to her and sighed. She watched as Bulma and Ami attacked Bulma's supercomputer furiously, checking and rechecking.
All the while, Madison was next to her. Like a colorless wraith she stood, pale and hallow. She was still weak from having her heart crystal ripped out, but she had insisted on coming with Mirai. Her eyes were locked on the cold metal floor of the lab and her beret was clutched in her white hands. Her navy blue eyes were vacant. Just looking at her made hot daggers of guilt sear through Mirai's body.
As the Z-Senshi and Sailor Senshi started entering the lab and Mirai suddenly became very self-conscious. And yet, as she did, she felt a surge of confidence. There was just something about this vision that was different, besides the fact that it was the first clear vision she had had for a long time.
"Hey, are you ok?"
Mirai jumped, startled out of her brooding. She smiled at Bulma, if not a little uncertainly. Nodding, she rubbed her hands together and took a deep breath.
"Good. Everyone's here now." Bulma turned and signaled to Ami, who began typing furiously on Bulma's immense supercomputer as Vegeta and Hotaru slipped through the lab door.
Goku sat languidly, supporting himself against on wall. Chi-Chi stood over him, shaking her head while Goku ate his 6th sandwich since returning from training.
"Boy Goku...nothing gets you down, huh?" Tien said sighing, earning a laugh from the group.
"Nof ish I canfh helsh ish." Goku said grinning, chewing joyously.
Yamucha smirked, "Well, it's not like it'll hurt him. That Saiya-Jin appetite and all."
"Hey! Quiet down now!" Bulma said, looking smug and smart in her lab coat. Her eyes blazed with creational genius.
"Now! You've been called here once again for a very important reason. Coupled with Mirai's vision as a clue and Ami's experience with the physics of teleportation, we have drawn a conclusion on how to Serena and her friends may return to their dimension and us along with them."
Bulma slid her hands in her lab coat's pockets and beamed smugly.
"...I only understood the end." Krillin whispered into Gohan's ear. Gohan nodded and covered a giggle with a cough.
"So, what was this vision exactly?" Yamucha asked.
Ami smiled and walked over to Bulma, handing her a small, metal pointer. Bulma thanked Ami and directed her to start loading the files on her supercomputer.
"Bulma is gonna enjoy this." Goku said, smiling.
"What do you mean?" Serena asked, watching Bulma direct Ami while Mirai looked on a bit awkward looking.
"Bulma loves showing how smart she is, not that she isn't, but you know?" Chow-Tsu said, softly.
Serena nodded understandingly and turned back to face the front.
'Hey...wait a minute...'
Bulma pulled Mirai to stand front and center in front of the group. She gave Mirai a small shove forward and, blushing Mirai began to speak.
"Well...this morning...I had...a vision. This one was different from any I've ever had before because usually..."
Serena tuned out. Something more important had caught her eye. She stared at the two people she had not noticed come in...hadn't notice at all. They stood far behind everyone else. Hotaru...and Vegeta? Holding...hands...
Serena blinked. Vegeta had a calm, mystified look on his usually angry features, his eyes locked on the small girl next to him. Suddenly Hotaru looked away from Mirai to match eyes with Serena, smiling furtively.
Blushing Serena turned away.
'Serena what are you thinking? Are you JEALOUS?! NO! Yeeessss, they're just holding hands and you're all suspicious. No I'm not...it's just...Seeereeeeennnaaaa......what? Are you paying attention to what Mirai's saying? Umm...'
"Princess, are you listening?" Amara asked, smiling, letting her hand rest on Serena's arm.
"I...oh...I'm very sorry...it's just..." Serena smiled, embarrassed. Turning back around she faced Mirai once more.
'What's wrong with me? I'm getting suspicious over a little handholding. And of......Hotaru?'
HOTARU
'Serena, what can I do to make you trust yourself? You and Vegeta both...are like children...unsure and unwilling and yet wanting. But to me it is obvious...how much you care for one another...But Vegeta does not know how to say it...and Serena...Princess, you are to terrified of being hurt again to say it. The facts are there, your feelings are there but you still doubt yourself, Princess.'
END HOTARU'S THOUGHTS
Hotaru smiled up at Vegeta, her deep, black eyes mirroring her own, "Lets get closer."
Squeezing Vegeta's hand. She weaved through the group until she was about a hand's width away from Serena. She could hear the young woman's erratic breathing.
Turning slowly she smiled slowly at Serena, "Is something wrong Princess?"
Serena looked at Hotaru, her eyes resting on her hand and Vegeta's before answering, breathing ever few words "Yes...I'm all right...just excited...about being able...to go home...you know?"
Vegeta looked over at Serena, locking eyes with his princess. A blush crept over her cheeks and her breathing became faster.
Hotaru smiled knowingly, "Vegeta, I'm going to go talk to Amara." Slowly she slipped her small hand out of Vegeta's hand and walked further up to stand with Amara, who put an arm around her.
Serena could feel Vegeta next to her. His heat...his emotion...it sparked a fire deep within her that burned and cut, tortured and yet was so wonderfully sweet that it made her want it more.
"Are you even paying attention?" Vegeta asked, keeping his eyes on Mirai.
"What? Oh..well.." Serena looked down at her feet.
"You should at least listen, baka onna, if you ever want to get home that is."
Serena nodded, feeling as though Vegeta had just ripped her heart into tiny pieces.
'What's wrong with me? The Senshi tease me all the time about not paying attention and Vegeta makes one little remark and I'm in tears?'
Out of the corner of her eye she watched Vegeta. No matter how many times she saw him, she always felt her breath quicken and catch and her heart pound in her ears whenever she was near. Even now, she felt she might faint from his nearness.
Suddenly all eyes were on her. She looked up, flushing furiously. Bulma was staring at her questioningly.
"Uh-uh, what?" Serena asked haltingly, feeling her tongue fill up her mouth.
"Do you agree?" Ami asked.
"It's your call, Sere-chan." Mirai said, smiling apologetically.
"I...I...ummm......"
"Why don't we all take some time to think this over, Bulma?" Hotaru said quietly and completely innocently.
Bulma nodded, "That's a good idea, but we must move quickly. We'll meet back here tomorrow night. Is that alright with everyone?"
Agreements were heard around the room as the group began to disperse. Serena blushed bright, bright red, hoping that no one had noticed that she hadn't been listening and that Hotaru could fill her in.
She could feel Vegeta watching her closely and quickly hurried out the room.
Hotaru smiled cheerfully.
*******************************
EVENING(CAPSULE CORP. LIVING ROOM)
Rei sighed, wiping the sweat from her brow. Sighing, she moved away from the warmth of the fire and sat down on a couch with Rei, Ami, Lita, and Mina.
"You shouldn't work so hard, Miss Rei. You'll tire yourself out." Gohan said.
"Yeah Rei, we already have Mirai's vision as confirmation." Lita said.
"Yes I know...still...I have a feeling......Once we get home...you know we'll have to fight The Dark Lord."
"Yeah...once we get home, that's when it begins." Mina said somberly.
"Hey you guys, come on, we should be thinking positively." Ami said, smiling.
"That's right!" Yamucha said in agreement.
"Tell us about your dimension." Piccolo suddenly said.
Lita, Mina, Ami, and Rei looked at each other.
"Well, it's a lot like this dimension..." Lita started.
"Except for some small differences..." Rei added.
"Like what?" Gohan asked.
"Weeeellll......" Mina began.
********************************
"Well...basically, Mirai was talking about her recent vision. In the vision she was walking in the Suta-raito Park, when she came across something that looked almost like a rip in the air itself. It was near a large, oak or ash tree. The moon was in its 3rd quarter. Bulma believes that it could be a dimensional portal with the right amount of energy, we could force that rip open and get back to our dimension, brining everyone, the Z-Senshi and Trunks and Rini. Bulma believes that if Mirai saw it in her vision then it must be there in the park. The 3rd quarter moon will appear in two days." Hotaru said, pulling her silver brush through her hair.
Serena thought about this, "Ahh...I see now. But what did Bulma ask me?"
"Well...Serena...you'll be the main focus of the power...the hub of the wheel if you will. We will all concentrate our energy on you and you on the rip. It could be dangerous. That's why Bulma asked if you were ok with it."
Serena sighed, leaning back against the headboard of her bed.
"By the way, Serena...how come you weren't paying attention, anyway." Hotaru asked, smiling shrewdly.
Serena smiled, "I...well..."
"You know Serena...Vegeta hides his feelings well." Hotaru said, pulling off her shirt and pulling on her pajamas.
Serena flushed, "Why...were you and Vegeta...today...I mean...umm..."
"Holding hands?" Hotaru asked, laughing.
Serena nodded, embarrassed.
"Vegeta is scared, I'm just helping him out."
"Scared? Vegeta? That's a side of him I've never seen before." Serena said, laughing herself.
"Well, looks like you both have a lot to learn."
Serena laughed and took off her shirt and shorts. She rummaged though her dresser, looking for pajamas.
All of a sudden the door burst open and Rini pounded in, slamming the door behind her. Her coal black eyes blazed with anger.
Hotaru stared at her, "Rini, what's wrong."
Rini seethed, forcing the tears from her eyes, reminding herself that Saiya-Jins don't cry, "I hate Trunks so much!"
"You can't mean that." Serena said, "Calm down and tell us what's wrong."
Rini swept her long, long black hair into a ponytail and spun around to face Hotaru and Serena, "I went to look for my so-called brother, though it's hard to believe we're from the same gene pool, and he's training with Vegeta. Fine, that's well and sweet. SO I ask if I can, and what does he do? Stand up for me? Hardly. He goes on about how I might hurt myself...how I shouldn't be fighting Saiya-Jin style. He practically called me WEAK! I mean, didn't I defeat Darkflake?! Why does he always treat my like a baby!"
Rini grabbed her brush and threw it out the window, impaling it in a tree 60 feet away.
Serena sighed, shaking her head. She couldn't help but laugh. In fact she laughed until she got tears in her eyes.
"What is so funny?" Rini demanded.
"I-I'm sorry, it's just that I used to be the same way with my little brother...Sammy...it's just...he was so annoying and I used to say I hated him all the time...but..." Serena stopped laughing, "Once he was gone...I realized how much I loved him...and counted on him. Trunks just probably wants to protect his baby sister. That's all."
"Yeah, well, it's driving me crazy! And besides, he makes it seem as though I'm not a half Saiya-Jin either." Rini said pouting.
Hotaru smiled, "Well, I think Serena is right."
Rini grumbled something.
"Well...we could go talk to Trunks." Serena said thoughtfully.
"Now? Like this? Wearing THAT?" Rini asked incredulously, eyes her future mother's pink cloud shorts and tank top pajama outfit.
Serena smiled, "Why not? I mean, if he hurt your feelings that badly..."
"It's not my feelings...it's my...my..."
"Your pride?" Serena asked.
"Yes."
"Alright then, lets go." Serena said matter-of-factly.
Hotaru opened the door, rubbing her bare arms and walked out, followed by Serena and Rini.
They made their way through the darkening hallways, skirting the living room and lab. Slipping out the back door, the three young women walked to the GR room.
Rini peeked through the small glass, "Yep, they're still there."
"Lemme see." Serena whispered, pushing a little to peek through the glass.
"Hey MOM, I'm tryin' to see." Rini growled pushing back.
"Hey, come on, you're stepping on my feet." Hotaru said in exasperation.
"Well if Rini would move OVER a little."
"Hey, I was here first."
"Why don't you both move over a little so I can see?"
"Rini can move first."
"No way."
Hotaru sighed and simply moved over to the other small window.
'Like mother like daughter I suppose.' Hotaru thought, casting glances at the bickering women.
She watched Vegeta and Trunks closely. It was obvious by how hard each was fighting that each truly wanted to defeat the other. It was obvious how much Trunks admired his father, past present or future. It was in his eyes whenever he looked at him.
Hotaru momentarily looked away to glance at Serena and Rini. Their bickering had ceased and they were finally sharing window space. Even Rini, who had seen her father spar with Trunks in the future was in awe.
'Well...training like this...in 400 times earth's gravity...It's definitely something to see.'
Hotaru turned back to the scene before her, shivering in the cool air of the night. Vegeta and Trunks stood now, 8 feet apart. Each breathing heavily, their muscles bulged and Trunks slowly lifted a hand to wipe away the blood that trickled down his lip.
Vegeta smirked at his future son, and turned the gravity machine off. Flexing his muscles when the tension of the high gravity was gone.
"They're coming out." Rini whispered.
Serena blushed furiously and motioned to Hotaru.
"What now?"
"Yeah, you said you were gonna talk to Trunks." Rini said, smiling innocently.
"Yes...well..." Serena looked down at the ground, scuffing her bare feet against the grass.
Rini looked into Serena's eyes, making herself more innocent looking than humanly possible. Her eyes filled with tears and suddenly, out of nowhere, violin music began to play...sad and slow.
"How...how could you let me down? Trunks...hurt my pride...carved out my heart......You're my future mother...How will I be able to......count on you?!" Rini lamented in anguish, her eyes large and teary, shadows making stripes across her stricken face.
Grabbing a startled Hotaru, she sobbed loudly on her shoulder.
Serena watched, wide-eyed. Hotaru rolled her eyes in mock anger and started to pry Rini off her shoulder. Unable to help herself, Serena giggled loudly, momentarily forgetting the sharp, cool wind that swept through her thin pajamas and seeped into her skin.
"Rini?!"
Rini looked up, wiping the mock tears from her eyes, smirking. Reaching into the pocket of her pajama pants, she closed the small music box that had provided the slow, grave violin music.
"Hiya Trunks." Rini said, tugging at a strand of hair playfully.
"What are you doing out here? I thought you went to bed."
"You don't own me and don't you think I'll just do whatever you tell me too." Rini said, angrily.
"Hey, come on now." Serena said, putting a hand on Rini's shoulder.
"Why do you always treat me like such a little kid? I AM fourteen if you haven't noticed." Rini said, ignoring her.
Trunks smirked, "You act like a little kid."
Rini glared, her eyes flashing, "Don't you start with me."
Serena glanced anxiously at Hotaru, but the young girl gave no indication of what she was thinking. A flicker of a smile crossed her pale face though and Serena turned to see why.
Immediately Serena felt her palms get sweaty. Her heart started to race and she felt the familiar flush cross her cheeks. Hotaru walked closer to Serena and pressed her icy cool hand to Serena's neck, calming her.
Rini continued to glare at Trunks as Vegeta stepped forward. He looked from Rini to Trunks and then to Hotaru and Serena. A very, VERY faint smile played across his lips at the sight of Serena, in her pink cloud pajamas.
"It doesn't matter Rini, we've finished so you can go back to bed."
"Why do you keep doing that? Ever since we were little you're always treating me like I'll hurt myself, or I can't handle training with you and Dad!" Rini growled back, her fists clenching.
Vegeta smirked, shaking his head.
Trunks sighed, "Look Rini, you're hardly at my level, ok? I don't want to see you get hurt. Defeating Darkflake, yes, I'll give you credit for that, but you haven't trained like I have."
"That's because you never let me! You're always shutting me out and going off with Dad! I never see him because he's always away and when he does come back he's with you, always you!" Rini shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Serena gazed at her future daughter startled, she looked up at Vegeta, feeling her heart beat more slowly and felt her body relaxing. Staring into the pools of his eyes, not a single emotion was apparent. But......the heat Serena felt deep in her soul couldn't be ignored, and she sighed sadly.
"Rini..."
The dark-haired princess whipped around, anger marring her beautiful face. Anger for letting herself cry in front of her future father and anger at letting her brother taunt her.
"What?" She said slowly through clenched teeth.
"Lets go, alright? We have nothing to say to them now." Serena said. She held her head high and turned to Hotaru who nodded approvingly.
Rini breathed slowly, her chest heaving. Serena sighed and took Rini's hand, wiping the tears from her daughter's cheeks. Taking a deep breath for courage, Serena lead Rini past Trunks and Vegeta, ignoring the feelings that stabbed at her heart.
Hotaru smiled slowly and looked up at the house. She noticed Mirai looking out the window and knew she had witnessed the whole scene.
END FLASHBACK
Rini wiped at her puffy, bloodshot eyes. Already the sky was lightening to a lavender blue and the air was not nearly as frigid as it once had been. Rini blushed lightly at the sight of the large wet spots on Serena's pajama shirt.
Serena smiled at her, smoothing her black hair away from her face, "Do you feel any better now?"
Rini nodded and hugged Serena, reveling in the fact that she smelled exactly the same way in the future. She imagined her mother in the future, beautiful and sad. Her eyes dulled slightly by the tragedies of war, the loss of so many friends, and constant separation of her family. With smooth, warm alabaster skin, and her friendly personality despite everything, her mother kept her people safe at all costs.
"Rini...Rini, what's wrong? I thought you felt better." Serena asked, worry apparent in her eyes.
Rini wiped tears from her eyes again, "No, it's nothing...I'm just thinking about......"
"The future?" Serena smiled. "yes...I suppose now the future is on everyone's mind. I certainly hope......that we can defeat the Dark Lord......To live a life of fighting and to die a life of war isn't something I want."
Rini nodded and wrapped her arms around Serena's waist, "I agree."
Serena slowly extricated herself from Rini's arms and stood. She stretched and ran a hand through her long, blonde hair.
"I'm going to be dead tired today." Serena mumbled.
"Sorry..." Rini said softly, flushing.
"Hey, it's ok. I don't mind at all. You are my future daughter after all. What do you say we head back to bed and catch a few hours of sleep before Rei comes banging at the door?"
Rini nodded laughing though her throat was sore and dry.
Hand in hand, the two young women slipped back inside the house. They tiptoed carefully, the cold floor burning their bare feet. Going past the kitchen Rini stopped.
"You go on ahead, I'm going to get some water." Rini croaked.
"Alright." Serena smiled and tiptoed up the stairs.
Sighing, Rini watched her go before entering the kitchen and pouring herself a large glass of water. She sipped it slowly, thinking about the night's events. She placed the glass soundlessly in the sink and crept upstairs. She opened the door to the room and smiled at Serena, who lay sprawled on her bed, obviously having fallen asleep before even hitting her blankets.
Rini covered her future mother with a small comforter before plopping down on the small mattress that lay at the foot and between Serena and Hotaru's beds. She pulled back the covers only to find a note in a small envelope on her pillow.
Opening it, she recognized the large-ish scrawled Lunarian writing, obviously belonging to Trunks. For a moment she considered tearing the note up and going to the room Trunks shared with Vegeta and filling all his pairs of pants with bags of ice, but the heading caught her eye.
To My Dearest Sister,
I am unsure quite how to put this, because I am writing this in Lunarian (which you know is hard for me.) But, I will try. Thinking on our fight, I realize that some of what you said was right.
Rini put the note down...'SOME?!?!' She thought, but continued to read:
Rini, I have always been jealous of you. You always spend so much time with Mother and you are obviously her favorite. It startled me to find out that you felt the same way about the time I spend with Father. I guess that I was so jealous of you that I tried to keep you away from Father...joining us in training sessions and such...But, Rini, there's more to it than that. Every time I look at you I see mother...from before the war started, when we were all so happy. And now, being in the past, I see Serena and you together and I feel a deep sadness that I cannot understand. I want to keep you safe, and I don't want you to be hurt. That's why I didn't want Pluto sending you with me to the past. Please accept my apology.
Honorably yours,
Trunks; First Prince of the Golden Alliance
'Jealous...of me? I...I didn't know...'
Rini sighed, feeling tears pricking her eyes...and yet...she didn't feel nearly as bad as she had before.
Standing all alone in the ocean of my tears
Sweet dreams are lost
And I can't find my way
Will you lead me dear friend
Through the maze of ice that scorches my heart
To the Gardens of Fate where I may rest
Cold and still
Let me follow you
The pools of your eyes are my maps
Outlining the radiant night
With the fire in your hands
******Small announcement to make. I was talking to a friend of mine, I-san, who happens to be the editor of Katlin Grace's fics I believe, and we got on a rather amusing topic. She wondered what it would look like if Rini had hair like Vegeta's but it was sill pink. She drew a very, very good pic and if you'd like to see it, e-mail me at:
glaive6@nycap.rr.com
LoNe StAr in an OcEaN SkY