"What the hell was that?" Rei demanded when Goku placed her gently on the ground and Goku smiled at her.
"One of the few things that I can teach you," Goku said and Rei looked startled that her father thought her capable of performing such a feat as flying through the air. She still couldn't fathom exactly how he did it; if only Ami were around she would probably have a scientific explanation for it all.
"Well?" Rei asked him her arms folded across her chest and Goku pointed out a large mansion looking house in the distance and vaguely Rei wondered what on Earth a beautiful mansion was doing in the middle of such a dry outback area.
"That is where all my comrades live," Goku explained and as they watched the front door opened to reveal a short man with ebony hair that stood on end making him appear taller than he was, two young men who looked older than Rei and appeared to be brothers both having the ebony hair standing on end and identical wide brown eyes. The last person to emerge had strange silver hair and intriguing blue eyes and those eyes surveyed Rei with undisguised pleasure.
"She's a little skinny isn't she?" the short man said sarcastically to Goku who was about to reply when Rei turned her flashing violet eyes on the short man angrily.
"That's big talk, but I suppose you have to talk big to make up for your size," Rei replied mockingly and everyone laughed while the short man gazed at her with a look that resembled admiration. He didn't appear fazed by what she had said; in fact he seemed to have enjoyed the little spat.
"Wow dad, she's nastier than you are," the silver-haired young man said to the short man and Rei raised an eyebrow surprised that the handsome young silver haired man who was smiling at her cheerfully was related to the bitter short man who crossed his arms over his chest proudly.
"That's a fine girl you got there Kakarot she'll make a good saiyan," the short man said finally before turning on his heel and walking back into the house leaving Rei the stare after him. Why had he called her dad Kakarot? Was that some sort of nickname? And What on Earth was a saiyan?
"Is this her dad? The fabled Rei?" the oldest of the brothers asked his eyes widening excitedly and Goku nodded proudly.
"It sure is," Goku replied and the other brother pushed the first one aside and grabbed onto Rei's hand pumping it up and down in a handshake.
"Hi I'm Goten, I'm pleased to meet you," the young man introduced himself smiling broadly and Rei just stared at him. This handsome young man was her brother? That meant that the other guy…
"I'm Gohan, and it's a pleasure to finally meet you, dad talks about you all the time," Gohan said taking Rei's hand next before she could reply to Goten and Rei forced a smile. These were her two brothers, people she have never even heard of before today and it both chilled and warmed her heart all at the same time.
"Trunks," the other young man with silver hair said and Rei tried to ignore the way her heart jumped when he took her hand gently and shook it then he pointed into the mansion adding, "and that man was my father Vegeta."
"Nice to meet you all," Rei finally said then she turned to Goku and narrowed her eyes at him. The three young men exchanged glances unsure of why there was such hostility in the glance but before they could speak a woman came stalking out of the house her face red, her ebony hair up in a perfect bun with strands hanging over her face.
"Your dinner is getting cold!" she yelled at the three young men who immediately moved into action and ran back into the mansion to finish their dinner none willing to disobey the woman. The woman then turned to Goku and Rei about to yell at Goku but Rei was already staring at the woman knowing where she had seen that face before. It was in every photo on her desk at the temple, it was imprinted in every dream Rei had ever had as a child, and a face that Rei saw when she glanced in the mirror.
"Momma?" Rei asked in disbelief and the woman's eyes widened.
"Rei?" she asked back then she began to sink to the ground as she looked at Goku and had enough time to say, "you didn't tell me…"
Then she fainted to the ground.
Twenty minutes later Chichi opened her eyes to find she was lying on a couch in her living room and let out a huge sigh as she turned to Goku.
"Goku I had the strangest dream, I dreamt that our little Rei was here with us," Chichi said wistfully then she looked above Goku's head and saw Rei staring down at her and Chichi sat up immediately ignoring the wave of nauseousness that passed over her.
"I am here momma," Rei said in a choked voice staring at her mother like she was in a dream and Chichi held out her arms to Rei and Rei threw herself into the warm embrace and cried hard, cried for all the times she had wished that her mother had been around but wasn't and for the childhood that had been taken away from her.
"I thought you were dead," Rei whispered after a few minutes had passed and Chichi pulled back from the embrace tears shining in her violet eyes so like Rei's.
"Goku and I, we thought it would be best to leave you a friend of my Grandpa's, we didn't want you involved," Chichi mumbled through her tears and Rei frowned pulling away from her and standing in the centre of the room.
"Involved in what? Everyone talks in riddles here, I don't know what's real," Rei said her voice getting louder and more hysterical and Goku reached out and took her hand to calm her but Rei retracted her arm as though Goku's touch was fire.
"Involved in the battle for the Earth," Goku told her dropping his hand to his side and Rei closed her eyes then opened them again unsure of everything she was.
"Sailor Moon can handle it, she was destined to protect the Earth," Rei said her voice shaking but Goku shook his head as Chichi threw him a worried glance.
"No she was destined to protect the Moon, you were destined to protect the Earth," Goku corrected her and Rei's thoughts went to the other protector of the earth. Who else but the Prince of the Earth would be able to defend Earth?
"What about Mamoru?" Rei asked not noticing that two other familiar figures had joined them in the living room.
"I'm here Rei," a voice said and Rei turned to see familiar sapphire blue eyes and a mop of ebony hair.
"Mamoru? Why are you here? I don't get it!" Rei said turning from Mamoru to Goku then to Chichi suddenly realising that Mamoru resembled Goku a lot.
"Mamoru is my eldest son," Goku explained and Rei had to sit down.
"Mamo-chan is my brother?" she asked in disbelief and Mamoru hurriedly came to sit down besides her taking her hand to comfort her.
"Yes Rei, don't tell me you didn't feel the connection," Mamoru asked with incredulity and Rei realised that she knew, and she had known all along, she just didn't want to remember. No wonder she had felt so close to him.
"Then you should be the one protecting Earth," Rei said to him tightening her grip on his hands and Mamoru looked sheepish and was about to reply when someone else spoke.
"He can't do it all alone," a syrupy voice said and Rei turned to see a familiar golden head and clear blue eyes, the red bow in her hair the only indication of her old self. She now wore a black jumpsuit that hugged her body.
"Minako? You too? How can this be?" Rei asked and Minako laughed at Rei as she joined Rei and Mamoru on the couch.
"Didn't you ever wonder how I knew all those fighting moves? Or why I was being so mysterious when we first met? Vegeta is my father and Trunks is my brother," Minako explained and Rei thought of the silver haired boy, he was Minako's brother?
"This is getting way weird," Rei said shaking her head and Mamoru looked apologetically at his father then his mother then back to Rei.
"We didn't want to alarm you but we needed you," Mamoru said and Rei stared at him blankly, unsure that anything was real anymore. Her entire world had been turned upside down.
"You have to train with us, Mamoru and I, and together we will defeat this new enemy," Minako said desperately and Rei frowned thoughtfully.
"What about the others?" Rei asked thinking of Ami, Makoto and Usagi back in Tokyo, surely they would be able to help in this fight, they were the sailor senshi after all.
"They can't help us, their powers are nothing compared to the enemies," Goku told her coming to squat in front of her and Rei stared him in the eyes seeing the humility he felt deep inside his soul.
"So this is why you brought me here Go- I mean father," Rei said stiltedly and Goku couldn't help but break into a smile delighted that she had called him father.
"You see, I wanted to shield you from everything that was happening, I couldn't care for you and protect the world and your poor mother could only do so much," Goku excused himself and Chichi and Rei looked to her mother who fell to her knees beside Goku in front of Rei her face full of apology.
"Please forgive us Rei, if we could have kept you with us we would have," Chichi told her and Rei stared back and forth from one to the other then she blinked to hold back her tears of self-pity.
"But you didn't," Rei choked out then stood up and left the room running into the garden. Goku and Chichi made to follow her but Minako stood up and stopped them.
"Let me talk to her," Minako said and exchanging a glance Chichi and Goku agreed while Mamoru pursed his lips, distressed and worried about his little sister.
Minako then raced out to find Rei but when she reached her in the garden someone else was already talking with her, a familiar silver haired young man.
"What are you up to Trunks?" she wondered aloud creeping closer to the couple so she could hear their conversation.