~*~*~*~
Mr. Popo found himself wandering the halls of Kami's Palace before actually starting his search for Dende. He wasn't too sure about what to do really. Goku obviously knew something was up, which wasn't good. And if Piccolo was still here, and he found out about Goku's knowledge, then an even greater trouble would surely arise. He wondered if Piccolo would actually tell Goku the truth, or if he would just let him leave in silence, not spilling a single word about the sacred Dragon Balls.
He found Dende in the foyer located just outside the room where the Dragon Balls were previously kept. And there by him stood Piccolo still in an angered fit over the disappearance. Mr. Popo sighed. He had hoped Piccolo wasn't there. Now, if Goku found out about the Dragon Balls, it would surely come from his mouth, and not Dende's which was in a way, better than the situation before. "Dende, Piccolo..."
The two Namekians turned their heads to the side at Mr. Popo in surprise. Neither of them had expected anyone to come down to that area of the lookout.
Mr. Popo ran to them in a hurry. He didn't want to make Goku wait. Goku had a tendency to get bored and wander around and he was positive Piccolo didn't want him to think there was some significance to this are any longer. "Goku's here. He wants to speak with Dende."
Dende looked slightly up at the Namek who was barely taller than him. "Piccolo..." He asked, half worried.
Piccolo looked down at the shorter man and wondered what Goku could have possibly wanted at a time like this. He was normally training during this time of the day, and usually nothing could get him away from that daily ritual. "What's he want?"
Mr. Popo shrugged shoulders. He hadn't bothered to ask. He had been much too nervous for that. "He just said he wanted to see Dende."
Piccolo frowned with a soft, but somewhat coarse growl. "He knows something."
Dende gasped. "What? How could he know? He's never even seen the Dragon Balls."
Piccolo clenched his fists as he began walking up the hall where Mr. Popo had come from in the first place. "I don't know, but that man is too sneaky to trust in matters like this. He knows something up, otherwise he wouldn't have come here."
Dende turned and watched Piccolo. "What do you suggest we do then?"
Not turning around, Piccolo paused in his movements. "We talk to him and find out what he wants. If he knows something, we let him bring it up." He glanced back to Mr. Popo, who had always been known to be jittery when he was nervous or hiding something. "You stay out of sight, if he notices that you're not calm he'll know for sure. Goku knows whenever someone is lying to him and I don't want to blow this if he don't have to. I want those Dragon Balls back without anyone ever knowing."
Dende nodded as he ran to Piccolo's side, who had just begun walking forward again. "Right! If it gets violent down there though, then we'll call in the big guns, right?"
Piccolo nodded. "Sure."
Mr. Popo followed the two Namekians close behind, but knew to stay back when they emerged from the Palace to meet with Goku. He knew for sure their cover would be blown if he were to go out there.
~*~*~
Goku crossed his arms across his chest in annoyance. He hated having to wait. He couldn't understand why he wasn't allowed to just go into the Palace with Mr. Popo. He had always been able to before. Why was he forced to stay out now? Of course, he knew that something must have happened up here in the past week. Mr. Popo had been completely worried about something and the more he thought about it, the more he figured it was because of the Dragon Balls. But then again, how could it? The Dragon Balls still had a four month clock on them and they had never been revived before that time ever.
Noticing not one, but two figures coming out from the Palace, Goku quickly shoved his thoughts aside and looked up with a smile. The man accompanying Dende was none other than Piccolo. Goku found in strange that Piccolo would be here on a day like this, a PEACEFUL day like this... or was it? "Yo!" He called out to get their attention.
Dende happily returned the greeting with a smile of his own and a wave. "Hi Goku!" He said, just as he stopped before him. Piccolo did nothing but frown as usual.
Goku smiled at both of them. "How's it goin, guys?"
Dende's smile dropped. "Good, good."
Goku; "Good. I hope you guys are in an answering mood cause I have some questions I wanna ask you." Piccolo groaned as he turned his back on the man in orange, causing Goku to become even more suspicious. "Fine, Piccolo, you don't have to answer anything." He grinned as he looked back to Dende. "So, Dende, seen any interruptions lately?"
Dende slowly shook his head, not knowing exactly what to say. He wasn't sure he liked lying to Goku, but a promise was a promise and he would have to uphold his promise to Piccolo. "No, no interruptions."
Goku didn't seem moved by the answer. "I mean, on earth. Have you seen any strange activities or anything in the past couple of days?"
Again, Dende slowly shook his head. "I...I haven't seen anything, Goku, why?"
Goku shrugged. "Just wondering."
Piccolo frowned as he turned back around to face Goku. "That's bull crap!"
Goku stepped back a bit in surprise. He hadn't expected an answer like that from Piccolo. "Oh? Why?"
Piccolo growled as he dropped his arms to his side. There he went again, keeping the subject going on. "I know you, you wouldn't be here unless you had a reason. Just spit it out and be on your way."
Goku grinned. This was great, he hadn't asked many questions yet and already he knew that they knew something valuable. He would just have to feel his way around the blunt questions. "What about you, Piccolo? Why are you here on this fine day?" He asked mockingly.
Piccolo kept his mouth shut. He knew he had no reason to be there other than to inspect the place, but Goku didn't have to know that. "I asked you first."
Goku dropped his arms. "Alright. I was out sparring with Gohan and Goten today. Usagi teleported to us. She looked pretty beaten up, like she'd been in a fight. And of course, no one at school could do that to her except her friends, who wouldn't during school hours."
Piccolo groaned. So not only did Goku know, his brats did too. "So..."
Goku frowned. "SO... She told me about something that attacked her. He had the Dragon Balls. I came here to check it out. You know, to make sure they weren't the Dragon Balls. I told her I'd take care of it, but truthfully, I don't believe they're the real thing. They still have a month left before they actually turn back into regular Dragon Balls. You guys can't revive them any sooner, can you?"
Dende; "No, of course not. They were designed only to serve once every year, no more."
Goku smiled at that. "Good, then we have nothing to worry about. They must be fake." He looked down at his feet in wonder. "But that still means there's something running around with the power to do some serious damage. Usagi said it was stronger than her."
Piccolo growled as he too found himself looking at the ground. Here Goku was, thinking that there weren't any Dragon Balls to worry about, and there actually were. They were the worst kind of Dragon Balls. They could only be used by those with an evil heart. And even though Piccolo could have easily let Goku go at that, he couldn't. "Goku..."
Goku looked up at Piccolo, still wondering how they were going to pull off this fight, if there was one. Usagi was able to get as strong as his Super Saiyan two, and this guy was still stronger than that, which would mean only himself or Gohan would have a chance at destroying this maniac. "Yeah?"
Piccolo sighed. He would have to go through with this after all. Goku had a right to know, and he could keep pretty good secrets so he wasn't all too worried. "He actually DOES have Dragon Balls."
Goku blinked twice in surprise. Was Piccolo trying to kid with him, or was he actually serious. Before he said anything more, he read the green man's face for any possible signs of laughter, but there were none. "What? You mean the Dragon Balls came back early? That's amazing!"
Dende; "No, Goku, no early."
Piccolo nodded. "There were two sets of Dragon Balls, there always were." He paused to allow the Saiyan to say anything he wished, but the man seemed to have nothing to say. "A set was made before Kami and I split. They were the Black Star Dragon Balls, made by an evil heart for evil doings only. To make sure they would never be destroyed, they can only be destroyed by their original creator, who no longer lives. I wanted to keep this a secret from everyone, but now that your daughter has seen who has it..."
Goku found himself frowning at his own feet. "Boy... I didn't see that one coming..." He wasn't at all mad that he was never told about these particular Dragon Balls, in fact, he was happy that he and everyone else had never been told. Knowing about them would have added just that much more complication to their situations in the past. But this did put a damper on how he would handle this new disturbance. He would have to walk on ice around whatever was attacking in hopes that it wouldn't activate a wish from the Black Star Dragon Balls. "And they were here all along?" He asked as he turned up to Dende.
Dende nodded. "Yes, we've been hiding them here. They were stolen last night, from who we don't know, but I'm going to keep a close eye on what happens down on earth. You should too."
Goku; "We've already got a plan to raise our power levels and then down quickly as a signal to each other if something does happen. I'll be able to teleport right away but others will have to fly there. Gohan and Goten are currently spreading the news to everyone."
Piccolo frowned again. Now everyone knew of this new attack, not that it was a bad thing. It was for the best that everyone knew something could happen at any moment, but he didn't want anyone else to know about the Dragon Balls. "Goku, you can't tell anyone else about the Black Star Dragon Balls! No one! Not even your family. I don't want this getting around."
Goku nodded, though he wasn't too sure about why they shouldn't know. There was a chance that they could be used, and only for something evil. "Well..."
"No One! Just get them back as soon as you can. I'll dispose of them once and for all after you do." Piccolo growled back.
Goku sighed. "Alright. But how do you plan on doing that? Didn't you say they can only be destroyed by your original self, who doesn't exist anymore?"
Piccolo groaned. "Well, I'm not stupid enough to wish my old self back with the Dragon Balls. But, I'm going to try to open up the gates to the room of spirit and time."
Goku smirked. "That's impossible. You said it yourself, it can never be revived. That gate was created thousands of years ago..."
"We've gotta find a way. These Dragon Balls are too dangerous to keep around here. But I'd rather have them here on earth then have them wander the universe and fall into the wrong hands, could you imagine if Frieza got his hands on them?"
Goku couldn't help but chuckle at that. "The Universe as we know it wouldn't exist." And so Goku's day went. He had found out some valuable information. Now he would know not to turn his back on the enemy once he got a chance to fight him. And of course, he wouldn't let that thing get away without a serious beating from hurting his daughter.
~*~*~
The rest of the day went quite slow the rest of the day for Usagi. She felt as if time had stopped, and she would never get out of school and away from her classmates in order to tell the girls. Just another side effect of being excited, she thought. She had said nothing of her encounter the entire day, which drover her friends nuts as well. They knew something was troubling their friend, for she was so quiet throughout the entire day, a trait which wasn't well associated with the young Saiyan.
Everyone had kept their eyes on Tatsuo the rest of the day. They wanted to make sure he didn't try anything stupid, especially after what he had said. Why had he said that she and her father would get into a fight, and furthermore, why had he said that her father would hit her again? It was safe to say that all five of the girls were officially weirded out by the boy and would be staying as far away from him as possible. Usagi knew her news would spread them even further apart. At lunch, he hadn't really tried to sit with them as he had the past two days. In fact, the girls hadn't seen him at all, which they didn't mind. But Usagi was still wary about spilling her guts. He could have been anywhere.
But finally, at two thirty, Usagi's wishes were granted. The end of the day had finally been reached. She could finally get everything off her mind and ask for help from her friends, as well as her advisor, Luna. She honestly knew not what to do at this point. She had to protect her broach at all costs, but then again, that thing had the Dragon Balls and could do anything he wanted to. He could wish her family into a heap of trouble, or wish that something horrible and irreversible happen to the earth. This was the first time that an enemy had gotten their hands on the Dragon Balls, which only made the situation worse.
Usagi and her friends were the firsts out of class that day, with Tatsuo lagging behind everyone. He wasn't in much of a good mood after his encounter with Usagi earlier that morning. But Usagi wasn't much caring about him. None of them were. They were too busy in their own world to care.
They vacated the building in a rush, along with the rest of the school. All the girls had their eyes planted on Usagi as if waiting for her to begin, but she had other plans. "Let's wait until we're away from the school, alright?" Her friends nodded, showing that they understood. "Let's just walk for a little bit so we can talk." Again, she received a nod of approval.
Makoto, being the most paranoid out of the group of friends, found herself constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was following them, especially Tatsuo. But, to her pleasure, she saw no one. "Where are we going?"
Usagi shrugged. She hadn't thought her plan that far out. "Dunno. We're just walkin..." She brought her hand up and clasped her hand over her broach.
Ami took immediate notice to that. "Is Tatsuo really creeping you out that much?" She asked just as the group turned off campus onto the main road where those who walked home were already grouping at.
Usagi shook her head, but then quickly changed it to a nod. "Not really... well, sort of." She said in her most confused voice. She took a quick look around, only to see a group of students from both Junior High, as well as High school trailing behind her. It wasn't at all strange to see High school students hanging around because the two schools were practically neighbors with only one block in between. "It's just..." She looked down at the ground as she continued to walk further forward. "I..."
"Hey!" Called a familiar voice from behind. The girls all stopped in their tracks and almost simultaneously turned around to greet who called them.
Usagi smiled when she realized who it was. It was none other than Mamoru with a group of his school buddies, excluding Michiru and Haruka. She hadn't seen him around in a while. Ever since Beryl was beaten, the two did their own things. Mamoru was growing up, so he didn't seek out Usagi just to make fun of her anymore. But, it was nice to see him every now and then. "Mamoru!"
Minako grinned as she watched Usagi. "Oooh..."
Usagi playfully frowned. "Shut up, Minako!"
Mamoru turned to his friends with a smile. "I'll catch up with you later." With that, he was running toward the girls. His smile had already been wiped off his face. "Yo, Odango!" He stopped before them. "Minako, Makoto, Ami, Rei..." He said, acknowledging them all. He looked particularly at Usagi, though, without really taking any real notice to the others. "What's up?"
Usagi shrugged. "Nothing but school."
Makoto; "So, Mamoru, what brings you here? Come to check up on all the fourteen year olds?" She smirked as she pointed to a group of the populars. "I know how you older men like a young, frisky woman, but don't you think you're just a little old for even the ninth graders here?"
Mamoru frowned as he mischievously pushed Makoto back. "Yeah, yeah, I prefer a girl my own age, thank you..."
Minako giggled. So many of the high school boys came to flirt with the older girls at the school it was crazy. She couldn't wait until she was older, then maybe they would flirt with her too... "So, Mamoru, why ARE you here?"
Mamoru grinned. "What? Can't I come say hello to my rival anymore without a game of twenty questions?"
Minako; "Nope."
Mamoru sighed. "All I want to do is ask Odango a question."
Usagi knew exactly what this was about. "Shoot. I probably know what you're asking about anyway."
Mamoru nodded. "What's up with bringing out you know who this morning?"
Usagi had been right. "Long story, I was attacked." That little answer received a gasp from her friends. She frowned as she turned to them. "What? Like you didn't feel it this morning?"
Ami; "We felt it, but we didn't feel anyone else with you."
Rei; "That's not exactly true. I felt an evil spirit lurking about near Sailor Moon, but it was really brief. It was here, and then flash, gone, just like that."
Usagi looked down to the ground. "Well, yep, that's why I was late today. Then I had to go home and change, ended up making my mom faint, and then I teleported right into a punch."
Mamoru chuckled. "I was wondering where you got that bruise on your cheek from. That's huge. Who did it?"
"My dad."
"Oh great, so he can hit you but I can't. What a deal."
Usagi shot a glare up at her rival with pure hatred. "Don't EVER say that again!"
Mamoru backed up in surprise. "Man, I didn't mean to upset you, I was just joking."
Ami, noticing that her friend was still very sensitive to that matter after what Tatsuo pulled, knew it wasn't good to try and cheer her up. "Let's just drop it, ok? No fighting."
Minako knew that was probably for the best and she knew exactly how to change the subject. "So, where's the rest of your group?"
"Well, Michiru and Haruka wanted to go to a movie alone, and me and the rest of the guys are gonna go hang out for a while. But first I'm gonna go check on the squirt."
Usagi calmed herself just enough to tolerate Mamoru. "Hotaru?" She asked. Mamoru nodded. "Oh! How sweet."
Makoto rolled her eyes. "Yeah, how sweet of you Mamoru."
Mamoru grinned. "Someone's gotta save her from those brats at school, and that witch Kaori. And besides, she needs a man in her life, someone to make her tough. All she's got is that scientist for a father, eh, who needs em?"
Ami frowned at that. "Mamoru, when are you going to learn that life isn't all about muscle? Her father loves her, she doesn't need you interfering."
Rei giggled. "He's a guy, he's never gonna get it through his head that there are other things than muscles and fighting." She turned to Mamoru, her giggling now stopped. "Just remember, Mamoru, Hotaru is going through a rough time right now, she's likely to get angry with you easily."
Mamoru nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." He looked at Usagi, who seemed to be calming down again. "Anyways, I'll see you all later. Tell me if you find out anything about this guy who attacked you, and when you do, I'm your man. I'll kick its ass so fast it won't know what hit him. Until next time, ladies." With that, he performed a quick spin around, only to be faced with a disturbing young man. "What do you want?" He glanced back over his shoulder to the girls, who had already begun walking away. "Yo, you know this guy?"
Usagi stopped and turned around, only to see Tatsuo standing next to Mamoru. Her eyes widened and she found herself wanting to lunge for the boy, who was supposedly dead. "Tatsuo!"
Makoto frowned as she too had to hold herself back from lunging at the boy. "What do you want?" She asked with narrowing eyes.
Tatsuo looked at the girls with no emotion, which sent chills up their backs. "I want to apologize."
Rei too found herself frowning right along side Makoto. "Apology not accepted!" She looked back at her friend in Odangos. "Right?"
Usagi sighed. "Right..."
Mamoru frowned as he pushed the kid away. "Hey! Get outta here! Didn't you hear them?"
Tatsuo pushed Mamoru back. "Who the hell are you?"
Mamoru looked down at his chest where Tatsuo had pushed him, and then back up. "I know you didn't just do that to me..."
Minako giggled, even though she knew it was wrong. But, for once, they had not been on the receiving end of Mamoru's abuse. "Careful Mamoru, you don't wanna hurt him."
Mamoru grinned at the kid. "Maybe you don't, but I have no problem doing to others what they deserve." He pulled his fists up and stared down into they eyes of Tatsuo.
Tatsuo looked directly up at Mamoru. "I asked you who you were, boy, now tell me!"
Mamoru laughed aloud. "Oh, ho, ho... what's this?" He pushed Tatsuo back even further. "First you harass MY rival and her friends and then you push ME back and call me 'boy'... you aren't my grandfather... hell, you aren't even my father, you don't have the RIGHT to call me that... You better be running before you get your ass beat!"
Tatsuo scowled up at the eighteen year old. "You can't do anything to me, you don't have the guts."
Usagi couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had NEVER Tatsuo speak like that before. Didn't he know what he was getting himself into? It's not like Mamoru LOOKED weak, in fact, he looked quite strong. What was wrong with the guy? "Please, stop you guys."
Mamoru grinned. "No, I have to defend my rights to be your rival, don't I? Seems I have some competition. I want to clarify exactly who's the better rival for you, Odango. This guy, or me."
Tatsuo smirked. "I assure you, I am."
Minako gave a grin of her own to the concerned Usagi. She knew exactly what was going on, but, the question was, did Usagi.
Makoto frowned as she threw her hands up at the two boys. "You men are all the same. You always have to show each other your strength, don't you?"
Tatsuo ignored Makoto and continued to glare into Mamoru's eyes. And Mamoru did the same. The two boys stood face to face, or as well as they could. Tatsuo only came up to Mamoru's shoulders as he had with Goku. Tatsuo lifted his fist and punch Mamoru square in the chest, only causing him to take a few steps back. But Mamoru came back with his most forceful punch to the face, causing Tatsuo to fly quite a ways backward.
Mamoru waved his fist in the air before his face and blew on it as if it were a pistol that he had just shot. "Looks like I'm the better rival than you after all, shorty."
Tatsuo rubbed his cheek where Mamoru had hit him. It was sure to bruise up just as Usagi's had. "I AM the better suited rival..."
Mamoru rolled his eyes as he turned back to the girls. "Yeah, yeah. I just kicked your ass in one hit, you have nothing to be saying. Just get outta here." Tatsuo did as Mamoru told him, but only because he had planned on it anyway. He gave a quick glare at Usagi, his eyes flaring up in blue, and then was on his way.
Minako grinned. "Oh... how cute, Mamoru, you stood up for Usagi."
Mamoru smirked. "Yeah right, I'm protecting my rivalry with Odango. If I lose her now, I'll have no one left. I'll just become a nobody..." He chuckled to himself as he turned away from the girls
Usagi was left smiling to herself. But her mood was still deteriorated. This was all she had to go through to make this day officially her worst day since she was kidnapped by Beryl's minions. "That was interesting."
Rei looked over at her friend, who seemed to tired to even go on with anything anymore. "What's up Usagi? Tell us."
Usagi nodded with a deep breath. It was time to spill everything. "Well, you know I was attacked today, you know I had to go home for a while. But that's not the worst part, the new enemy has the Dragon Balls, AND he said if I didn't give him my broach he said he would do something horrible to the earth with the Dragon Balls. And he's pretty strong. It's already way stronger than me and faster."
Makoto frowned. "Why does he want your broach?! That's nuts! Don't give it to him!"
Usagi; "I know! I'm not stupid! I don't know why he wants my broach. It's crazy. All he said was that it would give him the ultimate power of the universe. I tried attacking him as Sailor Moon but my power bounced right off him."
Ami; "Weird."
Usagi; "I know. Then..." She paused as she wrapped up the sleeve on her uniform to reveal the scratch running from her wrist to her elbow, "When he left, he made this on my arm, and I don't know what it means."
Ami grabbed Usagi's arm and examined it. "It just looks like a normal cut."
Rei grinned. "Maybe he was trying to cut it off."
Usagi frowned as she turned to Rei. "Not funny." She rolled down her sleeve just as she remembered the most important information she had. "Did anyone watch the news last night?" Her friends shook their heads, receiving a groan from Usagi. "On the news, they said Tatsuo was dead. They showed a picture of him. They found him in an alley and identified him as Akio."
Makoto frowned. "It can't be him, Tatsuo's alive and well, unfortunately."
"But it had to be him. My mom and dad saw the picture too. They knew exactly who it was. They found a big gash on his body too. The police say it was a gang beating." Usagi looking in the directly that Tatsuo had left just to make sure he wasn't standing there again. "It's freaky."
Minako grabbed her arms. "You're telling me. So Tatsuo's dead?"
Ami; "She's not saying that, Minako."
Usagi nodded. "I don't know what I'm saying, guys. I'm just telling you what I saw. Tatsuo can't be dead."
Makoto smirked. "Well, you never know, haven't you ever seen those movies where the zombies come to eat everyone's brains out?"
Ami rolled her eyes. "Makoto, that was just a movie."
"Well you never know."
Usagi; "I just thought you should know. I want to talk to Luna, maybe she'll know what to do..."
(Sorry this didn't come out yesterday. For some reason FF.Net wouldn't let me upload anything. But it's out now! ^_^ . Ok, so there's another chapter in the bucket. I'll Cya tomorrow! )
Mr. Popo found himself wandering the halls of Kami's Palace before actually starting his search for Dende. He wasn't too sure about what to do really. Goku obviously knew something was up, which wasn't good. And if Piccolo was still here, and he found out about Goku's knowledge, then an even greater trouble would surely arise. He wondered if Piccolo would actually tell Goku the truth, or if he would just let him leave in silence, not spilling a single word about the sacred Dragon Balls.
He found Dende in the foyer located just outside the room where the Dragon Balls were previously kept. And there by him stood Piccolo still in an angered fit over the disappearance. Mr. Popo sighed. He had hoped Piccolo wasn't there. Now, if Goku found out about the Dragon Balls, it would surely come from his mouth, and not Dende's which was in a way, better than the situation before. "Dende, Piccolo..."
The two Namekians turned their heads to the side at Mr. Popo in surprise. Neither of them had expected anyone to come down to that area of the lookout.
Mr. Popo ran to them in a hurry. He didn't want to make Goku wait. Goku had a tendency to get bored and wander around and he was positive Piccolo didn't want him to think there was some significance to this are any longer. "Goku's here. He wants to speak with Dende."
Dende looked slightly up at the Namek who was barely taller than him. "Piccolo..." He asked, half worried.
Piccolo looked down at the shorter man and wondered what Goku could have possibly wanted at a time like this. He was normally training during this time of the day, and usually nothing could get him away from that daily ritual. "What's he want?"
Mr. Popo shrugged shoulders. He hadn't bothered to ask. He had been much too nervous for that. "He just said he wanted to see Dende."
Piccolo frowned with a soft, but somewhat coarse growl. "He knows something."
Dende gasped. "What? How could he know? He's never even seen the Dragon Balls."
Piccolo clenched his fists as he began walking up the hall where Mr. Popo had come from in the first place. "I don't know, but that man is too sneaky to trust in matters like this. He knows something up, otherwise he wouldn't have come here."
Dende turned and watched Piccolo. "What do you suggest we do then?"
Not turning around, Piccolo paused in his movements. "We talk to him and find out what he wants. If he knows something, we let him bring it up." He glanced back to Mr. Popo, who had always been known to be jittery when he was nervous or hiding something. "You stay out of sight, if he notices that you're not calm he'll know for sure. Goku knows whenever someone is lying to him and I don't want to blow this if he don't have to. I want those Dragon Balls back without anyone ever knowing."
Dende nodded as he ran to Piccolo's side, who had just begun walking forward again. "Right! If it gets violent down there though, then we'll call in the big guns, right?"
Piccolo nodded. "Sure."
Mr. Popo followed the two Namekians close behind, but knew to stay back when they emerged from the Palace to meet with Goku. He knew for sure their cover would be blown if he were to go out there.
~*~*~
Goku crossed his arms across his chest in annoyance. He hated having to wait. He couldn't understand why he wasn't allowed to just go into the Palace with Mr. Popo. He had always been able to before. Why was he forced to stay out now? Of course, he knew that something must have happened up here in the past week. Mr. Popo had been completely worried about something and the more he thought about it, the more he figured it was because of the Dragon Balls. But then again, how could it? The Dragon Balls still had a four month clock on them and they had never been revived before that time ever.
Noticing not one, but two figures coming out from the Palace, Goku quickly shoved his thoughts aside and looked up with a smile. The man accompanying Dende was none other than Piccolo. Goku found in strange that Piccolo would be here on a day like this, a PEACEFUL day like this... or was it? "Yo!" He called out to get their attention.
Dende happily returned the greeting with a smile of his own and a wave. "Hi Goku!" He said, just as he stopped before him. Piccolo did nothing but frown as usual.
Goku smiled at both of them. "How's it goin, guys?"
Dende's smile dropped. "Good, good."
Goku; "Good. I hope you guys are in an answering mood cause I have some questions I wanna ask you." Piccolo groaned as he turned his back on the man in orange, causing Goku to become even more suspicious. "Fine, Piccolo, you don't have to answer anything." He grinned as he looked back to Dende. "So, Dende, seen any interruptions lately?"
Dende slowly shook his head, not knowing exactly what to say. He wasn't sure he liked lying to Goku, but a promise was a promise and he would have to uphold his promise to Piccolo. "No, no interruptions."
Goku didn't seem moved by the answer. "I mean, on earth. Have you seen any strange activities or anything in the past couple of days?"
Again, Dende slowly shook his head. "I...I haven't seen anything, Goku, why?"
Goku shrugged. "Just wondering."
Piccolo frowned as he turned back around to face Goku. "That's bull crap!"
Goku stepped back a bit in surprise. He hadn't expected an answer like that from Piccolo. "Oh? Why?"
Piccolo growled as he dropped his arms to his side. There he went again, keeping the subject going on. "I know you, you wouldn't be here unless you had a reason. Just spit it out and be on your way."
Goku grinned. This was great, he hadn't asked many questions yet and already he knew that they knew something valuable. He would just have to feel his way around the blunt questions. "What about you, Piccolo? Why are you here on this fine day?" He asked mockingly.
Piccolo kept his mouth shut. He knew he had no reason to be there other than to inspect the place, but Goku didn't have to know that. "I asked you first."
Goku dropped his arms. "Alright. I was out sparring with Gohan and Goten today. Usagi teleported to us. She looked pretty beaten up, like she'd been in a fight. And of course, no one at school could do that to her except her friends, who wouldn't during school hours."
Piccolo groaned. So not only did Goku know, his brats did too. "So..."
Goku frowned. "SO... She told me about something that attacked her. He had the Dragon Balls. I came here to check it out. You know, to make sure they weren't the Dragon Balls. I told her I'd take care of it, but truthfully, I don't believe they're the real thing. They still have a month left before they actually turn back into regular Dragon Balls. You guys can't revive them any sooner, can you?"
Dende; "No, of course not. They were designed only to serve once every year, no more."
Goku smiled at that. "Good, then we have nothing to worry about. They must be fake." He looked down at his feet in wonder. "But that still means there's something running around with the power to do some serious damage. Usagi said it was stronger than her."
Piccolo growled as he too found himself looking at the ground. Here Goku was, thinking that there weren't any Dragon Balls to worry about, and there actually were. They were the worst kind of Dragon Balls. They could only be used by those with an evil heart. And even though Piccolo could have easily let Goku go at that, he couldn't. "Goku..."
Goku looked up at Piccolo, still wondering how they were going to pull off this fight, if there was one. Usagi was able to get as strong as his Super Saiyan two, and this guy was still stronger than that, which would mean only himself or Gohan would have a chance at destroying this maniac. "Yeah?"
Piccolo sighed. He would have to go through with this after all. Goku had a right to know, and he could keep pretty good secrets so he wasn't all too worried. "He actually DOES have Dragon Balls."
Goku blinked twice in surprise. Was Piccolo trying to kid with him, or was he actually serious. Before he said anything more, he read the green man's face for any possible signs of laughter, but there were none. "What? You mean the Dragon Balls came back early? That's amazing!"
Dende; "No, Goku, no early."
Piccolo nodded. "There were two sets of Dragon Balls, there always were." He paused to allow the Saiyan to say anything he wished, but the man seemed to have nothing to say. "A set was made before Kami and I split. They were the Black Star Dragon Balls, made by an evil heart for evil doings only. To make sure they would never be destroyed, they can only be destroyed by their original creator, who no longer lives. I wanted to keep this a secret from everyone, but now that your daughter has seen who has it..."
Goku found himself frowning at his own feet. "Boy... I didn't see that one coming..." He wasn't at all mad that he was never told about these particular Dragon Balls, in fact, he was happy that he and everyone else had never been told. Knowing about them would have added just that much more complication to their situations in the past. But this did put a damper on how he would handle this new disturbance. He would have to walk on ice around whatever was attacking in hopes that it wouldn't activate a wish from the Black Star Dragon Balls. "And they were here all along?" He asked as he turned up to Dende.
Dende nodded. "Yes, we've been hiding them here. They were stolen last night, from who we don't know, but I'm going to keep a close eye on what happens down on earth. You should too."
Goku; "We've already got a plan to raise our power levels and then down quickly as a signal to each other if something does happen. I'll be able to teleport right away but others will have to fly there. Gohan and Goten are currently spreading the news to everyone."
Piccolo frowned again. Now everyone knew of this new attack, not that it was a bad thing. It was for the best that everyone knew something could happen at any moment, but he didn't want anyone else to know about the Dragon Balls. "Goku, you can't tell anyone else about the Black Star Dragon Balls! No one! Not even your family. I don't want this getting around."
Goku nodded, though he wasn't too sure about why they shouldn't know. There was a chance that they could be used, and only for something evil. "Well..."
"No One! Just get them back as soon as you can. I'll dispose of them once and for all after you do." Piccolo growled back.
Goku sighed. "Alright. But how do you plan on doing that? Didn't you say they can only be destroyed by your original self, who doesn't exist anymore?"
Piccolo groaned. "Well, I'm not stupid enough to wish my old self back with the Dragon Balls. But, I'm going to try to open up the gates to the room of spirit and time."
Goku smirked. "That's impossible. You said it yourself, it can never be revived. That gate was created thousands of years ago..."
"We've gotta find a way. These Dragon Balls are too dangerous to keep around here. But I'd rather have them here on earth then have them wander the universe and fall into the wrong hands, could you imagine if Frieza got his hands on them?"
Goku couldn't help but chuckle at that. "The Universe as we know it wouldn't exist." And so Goku's day went. He had found out some valuable information. Now he would know not to turn his back on the enemy once he got a chance to fight him. And of course, he wouldn't let that thing get away without a serious beating from hurting his daughter.
~*~*~
The rest of the day went quite slow the rest of the day for Usagi. She felt as if time had stopped, and she would never get out of school and away from her classmates in order to tell the girls. Just another side effect of being excited, she thought. She had said nothing of her encounter the entire day, which drover her friends nuts as well. They knew something was troubling their friend, for she was so quiet throughout the entire day, a trait which wasn't well associated with the young Saiyan.
Everyone had kept their eyes on Tatsuo the rest of the day. They wanted to make sure he didn't try anything stupid, especially after what he had said. Why had he said that she and her father would get into a fight, and furthermore, why had he said that her father would hit her again? It was safe to say that all five of the girls were officially weirded out by the boy and would be staying as far away from him as possible. Usagi knew her news would spread them even further apart. At lunch, he hadn't really tried to sit with them as he had the past two days. In fact, the girls hadn't seen him at all, which they didn't mind. But Usagi was still wary about spilling her guts. He could have been anywhere.
But finally, at two thirty, Usagi's wishes were granted. The end of the day had finally been reached. She could finally get everything off her mind and ask for help from her friends, as well as her advisor, Luna. She honestly knew not what to do at this point. She had to protect her broach at all costs, but then again, that thing had the Dragon Balls and could do anything he wanted to. He could wish her family into a heap of trouble, or wish that something horrible and irreversible happen to the earth. This was the first time that an enemy had gotten their hands on the Dragon Balls, which only made the situation worse.
Usagi and her friends were the firsts out of class that day, with Tatsuo lagging behind everyone. He wasn't in much of a good mood after his encounter with Usagi earlier that morning. But Usagi wasn't much caring about him. None of them were. They were too busy in their own world to care.
They vacated the building in a rush, along with the rest of the school. All the girls had their eyes planted on Usagi as if waiting for her to begin, but she had other plans. "Let's wait until we're away from the school, alright?" Her friends nodded, showing that they understood. "Let's just walk for a little bit so we can talk." Again, she received a nod of approval.
Makoto, being the most paranoid out of the group of friends, found herself constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was following them, especially Tatsuo. But, to her pleasure, she saw no one. "Where are we going?"
Usagi shrugged. She hadn't thought her plan that far out. "Dunno. We're just walkin..." She brought her hand up and clasped her hand over her broach.
Ami took immediate notice to that. "Is Tatsuo really creeping you out that much?" She asked just as the group turned off campus onto the main road where those who walked home were already grouping at.
Usagi shook her head, but then quickly changed it to a nod. "Not really... well, sort of." She said in her most confused voice. She took a quick look around, only to see a group of students from both Junior High, as well as High school trailing behind her. It wasn't at all strange to see High school students hanging around because the two schools were practically neighbors with only one block in between. "It's just..." She looked down at the ground as she continued to walk further forward. "I..."
"Hey!" Called a familiar voice from behind. The girls all stopped in their tracks and almost simultaneously turned around to greet who called them.
Usagi smiled when she realized who it was. It was none other than Mamoru with a group of his school buddies, excluding Michiru and Haruka. She hadn't seen him around in a while. Ever since Beryl was beaten, the two did their own things. Mamoru was growing up, so he didn't seek out Usagi just to make fun of her anymore. But, it was nice to see him every now and then. "Mamoru!"
Minako grinned as she watched Usagi. "Oooh..."
Usagi playfully frowned. "Shut up, Minako!"
Mamoru turned to his friends with a smile. "I'll catch up with you later." With that, he was running toward the girls. His smile had already been wiped off his face. "Yo, Odango!" He stopped before them. "Minako, Makoto, Ami, Rei..." He said, acknowledging them all. He looked particularly at Usagi, though, without really taking any real notice to the others. "What's up?"
Usagi shrugged. "Nothing but school."
Makoto; "So, Mamoru, what brings you here? Come to check up on all the fourteen year olds?" She smirked as she pointed to a group of the populars. "I know how you older men like a young, frisky woman, but don't you think you're just a little old for even the ninth graders here?"
Mamoru frowned as he mischievously pushed Makoto back. "Yeah, yeah, I prefer a girl my own age, thank you..."
Minako giggled. So many of the high school boys came to flirt with the older girls at the school it was crazy. She couldn't wait until she was older, then maybe they would flirt with her too... "So, Mamoru, why ARE you here?"
Mamoru grinned. "What? Can't I come say hello to my rival anymore without a game of twenty questions?"
Minako; "Nope."
Mamoru sighed. "All I want to do is ask Odango a question."
Usagi knew exactly what this was about. "Shoot. I probably know what you're asking about anyway."
Mamoru nodded. "What's up with bringing out you know who this morning?"
Usagi had been right. "Long story, I was attacked." That little answer received a gasp from her friends. She frowned as she turned to them. "What? Like you didn't feel it this morning?"
Ami; "We felt it, but we didn't feel anyone else with you."
Rei; "That's not exactly true. I felt an evil spirit lurking about near Sailor Moon, but it was really brief. It was here, and then flash, gone, just like that."
Usagi looked down to the ground. "Well, yep, that's why I was late today. Then I had to go home and change, ended up making my mom faint, and then I teleported right into a punch."
Mamoru chuckled. "I was wondering where you got that bruise on your cheek from. That's huge. Who did it?"
"My dad."
"Oh great, so he can hit you but I can't. What a deal."
Usagi shot a glare up at her rival with pure hatred. "Don't EVER say that again!"
Mamoru backed up in surprise. "Man, I didn't mean to upset you, I was just joking."
Ami, noticing that her friend was still very sensitive to that matter after what Tatsuo pulled, knew it wasn't good to try and cheer her up. "Let's just drop it, ok? No fighting."
Minako knew that was probably for the best and she knew exactly how to change the subject. "So, where's the rest of your group?"
"Well, Michiru and Haruka wanted to go to a movie alone, and me and the rest of the guys are gonna go hang out for a while. But first I'm gonna go check on the squirt."
Usagi calmed herself just enough to tolerate Mamoru. "Hotaru?" She asked. Mamoru nodded. "Oh! How sweet."
Makoto rolled her eyes. "Yeah, how sweet of you Mamoru."
Mamoru grinned. "Someone's gotta save her from those brats at school, and that witch Kaori. And besides, she needs a man in her life, someone to make her tough. All she's got is that scientist for a father, eh, who needs em?"
Ami frowned at that. "Mamoru, when are you going to learn that life isn't all about muscle? Her father loves her, she doesn't need you interfering."
Rei giggled. "He's a guy, he's never gonna get it through his head that there are other things than muscles and fighting." She turned to Mamoru, her giggling now stopped. "Just remember, Mamoru, Hotaru is going through a rough time right now, she's likely to get angry with you easily."
Mamoru nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." He looked at Usagi, who seemed to be calming down again. "Anyways, I'll see you all later. Tell me if you find out anything about this guy who attacked you, and when you do, I'm your man. I'll kick its ass so fast it won't know what hit him. Until next time, ladies." With that, he performed a quick spin around, only to be faced with a disturbing young man. "What do you want?" He glanced back over his shoulder to the girls, who had already begun walking away. "Yo, you know this guy?"
Usagi stopped and turned around, only to see Tatsuo standing next to Mamoru. Her eyes widened and she found herself wanting to lunge for the boy, who was supposedly dead. "Tatsuo!"
Makoto frowned as she too had to hold herself back from lunging at the boy. "What do you want?" She asked with narrowing eyes.
Tatsuo looked at the girls with no emotion, which sent chills up their backs. "I want to apologize."
Rei too found herself frowning right along side Makoto. "Apology not accepted!" She looked back at her friend in Odangos. "Right?"
Usagi sighed. "Right..."
Mamoru frowned as he pushed the kid away. "Hey! Get outta here! Didn't you hear them?"
Tatsuo pushed Mamoru back. "Who the hell are you?"
Mamoru looked down at his chest where Tatsuo had pushed him, and then back up. "I know you didn't just do that to me..."
Minako giggled, even though she knew it was wrong. But, for once, they had not been on the receiving end of Mamoru's abuse. "Careful Mamoru, you don't wanna hurt him."
Mamoru grinned at the kid. "Maybe you don't, but I have no problem doing to others what they deserve." He pulled his fists up and stared down into they eyes of Tatsuo.
Tatsuo looked directly up at Mamoru. "I asked you who you were, boy, now tell me!"
Mamoru laughed aloud. "Oh, ho, ho... what's this?" He pushed Tatsuo back even further. "First you harass MY rival and her friends and then you push ME back and call me 'boy'... you aren't my grandfather... hell, you aren't even my father, you don't have the RIGHT to call me that... You better be running before you get your ass beat!"
Tatsuo scowled up at the eighteen year old. "You can't do anything to me, you don't have the guts."
Usagi couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had NEVER Tatsuo speak like that before. Didn't he know what he was getting himself into? It's not like Mamoru LOOKED weak, in fact, he looked quite strong. What was wrong with the guy? "Please, stop you guys."
Mamoru grinned. "No, I have to defend my rights to be your rival, don't I? Seems I have some competition. I want to clarify exactly who's the better rival for you, Odango. This guy, or me."
Tatsuo smirked. "I assure you, I am."
Minako gave a grin of her own to the concerned Usagi. She knew exactly what was going on, but, the question was, did Usagi.
Makoto frowned as she threw her hands up at the two boys. "You men are all the same. You always have to show each other your strength, don't you?"
Tatsuo ignored Makoto and continued to glare into Mamoru's eyes. And Mamoru did the same. The two boys stood face to face, or as well as they could. Tatsuo only came up to Mamoru's shoulders as he had with Goku. Tatsuo lifted his fist and punch Mamoru square in the chest, only causing him to take a few steps back. But Mamoru came back with his most forceful punch to the face, causing Tatsuo to fly quite a ways backward.
Mamoru waved his fist in the air before his face and blew on it as if it were a pistol that he had just shot. "Looks like I'm the better rival than you after all, shorty."
Tatsuo rubbed his cheek where Mamoru had hit him. It was sure to bruise up just as Usagi's had. "I AM the better suited rival..."
Mamoru rolled his eyes as he turned back to the girls. "Yeah, yeah. I just kicked your ass in one hit, you have nothing to be saying. Just get outta here." Tatsuo did as Mamoru told him, but only because he had planned on it anyway. He gave a quick glare at Usagi, his eyes flaring up in blue, and then was on his way.
Minako grinned. "Oh... how cute, Mamoru, you stood up for Usagi."
Mamoru smirked. "Yeah right, I'm protecting my rivalry with Odango. If I lose her now, I'll have no one left. I'll just become a nobody..." He chuckled to himself as he turned away from the girls
Usagi was left smiling to herself. But her mood was still deteriorated. This was all she had to go through to make this day officially her worst day since she was kidnapped by Beryl's minions. "That was interesting."
Rei looked over at her friend, who seemed to tired to even go on with anything anymore. "What's up Usagi? Tell us."
Usagi nodded with a deep breath. It was time to spill everything. "Well, you know I was attacked today, you know I had to go home for a while. But that's not the worst part, the new enemy has the Dragon Balls, AND he said if I didn't give him my broach he said he would do something horrible to the earth with the Dragon Balls. And he's pretty strong. It's already way stronger than me and faster."
Makoto frowned. "Why does he want your broach?! That's nuts! Don't give it to him!"
Usagi; "I know! I'm not stupid! I don't know why he wants my broach. It's crazy. All he said was that it would give him the ultimate power of the universe. I tried attacking him as Sailor Moon but my power bounced right off him."
Ami; "Weird."
Usagi; "I know. Then..." She paused as she wrapped up the sleeve on her uniform to reveal the scratch running from her wrist to her elbow, "When he left, he made this on my arm, and I don't know what it means."
Ami grabbed Usagi's arm and examined it. "It just looks like a normal cut."
Rei grinned. "Maybe he was trying to cut it off."
Usagi frowned as she turned to Rei. "Not funny." She rolled down her sleeve just as she remembered the most important information she had. "Did anyone watch the news last night?" Her friends shook their heads, receiving a groan from Usagi. "On the news, they said Tatsuo was dead. They showed a picture of him. They found him in an alley and identified him as Akio."
Makoto frowned. "It can't be him, Tatsuo's alive and well, unfortunately."
"But it had to be him. My mom and dad saw the picture too. They knew exactly who it was. They found a big gash on his body too. The police say it was a gang beating." Usagi looking in the directly that Tatsuo had left just to make sure he wasn't standing there again. "It's freaky."
Minako grabbed her arms. "You're telling me. So Tatsuo's dead?"
Ami; "She's not saying that, Minako."
Usagi nodded. "I don't know what I'm saying, guys. I'm just telling you what I saw. Tatsuo can't be dead."
Makoto smirked. "Well, you never know, haven't you ever seen those movies where the zombies come to eat everyone's brains out?"
Ami rolled her eyes. "Makoto, that was just a movie."
"Well you never know."
Usagi; "I just thought you should know. I want to talk to Luna, maybe she'll know what to do..."
(Sorry this didn't come out yesterday. For some reason FF.Net wouldn't let me upload anything. But it's out now! ^_^ . Ok, so there's another chapter in the bucket. I'll Cya tomorrow! )