~*~*~*~
Steady and tall is how Piccolo stood as he watched the earth from the lookout, his hands trembling at what he had just witnessed. He had felt Princess Serenity's power stronger than anyone, for he knew the power best. Yes, that power had definitely been in the files. He had read about that power in the history of Earth. It belonged to the Queen of the Moon over a thousand years ago. He had read about it, but had never felt it. And now, standing there, witnessing it, he tried to figure out how the empire could have fallen. With such a great power the Kingdom of the Moon should still reign. But that question wasn't at the top of the Namek's mind. The most mind boggling point to be asked was 'why?'. Why was Usagi chosen to be the heir to the power? And more importantly, what was a Princess doing in the hands of Goku and Chi-Chi. She could have been born to a family of royalty, and brought up like a Princess.
His thoughts were put on hold when he noticed Dende standing beside him in an awe of equal amount. "Well?"
Dende glanced up at his predecessor and shrugged. "Well what?"
Piccolo sighed as he rested his face in his hands. "You're God. What do you suggest we do next?"
Dende stared back down at Earth, not knowing what to do. "We wait. Goku's already on top of this one."
Piccolo looked down upon Goku, who was chasing Tatsuo at full speed at the level of Super Saiyan Two. The anger he was sensing was new to Goku, more so than when Usagi had been kidnapped the year before. "I'm worried about him."
Dende kept his eyes on the swerving Saiyans as they chased the blue creature. "What? Why? He'll drive that guy into the ground before he can wreak any more havoc."
Piccolo closed his eyes as he turned his back to the Earth. "That's what I'm afraid of." He slowly opened his eyes and locked them on the younger Namek. "Saiyans are dangerous when they're angry. This guy, whoever he is, has caused so much trouble for Goku and Chi-Chi concerning Usagi." Dende said nothing, but just nodded to show that he knew very well what had happened. "I know you've seen how protective Goku is over the girl, you just don't mess with her and try to get away with it."
Dende quickly shot his attention down to Earth, fearing the worst. "You don't think he'll pull anything stupid, like get himself killed."
Piccolo stared straight up into the darkening sky. "I know Goku, and I know his feelings for the kid, he'll stay alive to the best to his ability. That's not what I'm worried about."
Silence took over as neither Piccolo, nor Dende had anything else to say in reply. Although, something still troubled the younger Namek. "Piccolo, what about the broach?"
"I've stopped searching. I think I know what it is. It must be what allows Usagi to turn into Sailor Moon, what allows her Moon power to come fourth. Now, what I want to know is WHY she's got that power."
Dende unconsciously nodded, showing his agreement. "How did she get it, even?"
Piccolo frowned with a sigh. He didn't like not knowing what was going on in the world. "I guess we'll have to wait and ask her when she wakes up. Until then, we're going to have to hope Goku does the job, which he should be able to. Gohan and Goten are with him."
~*~*~
Goku was the lead of the pack in the race to catch Tatsuo, with Gohan and Goten on his rear sides, though he didn't even notice they were there. He was much too angry to pay attention to anything but his target. He would make the little guy pay for what he had done, no doubt about it. It was just a matter of how brutal would it be. "You're not getting away from me!"
Tatsuo zoomed a zig-zag between trees as he escaped deeper and deeper into the forest. His evil cackles echoed throughout the forest, causing Goku to become even more furious. "Looks like I already am, old man!"
Goten turned his head to the side and stared at his brother, who was looking back to him. Both of them looked up toward their father in front, and then back at one another. Something was wrong with their father. He was too angry, which to say in the least was not normal. It was something Goten had never felt before, but Gohan on the other hand had. It was the same need for blood that had arisen from his father on Namek when Krillin had been killed, right before he transformed into a Super Saiyan for the first time. That was something he had hoped to never feel again. Gohan motioned to his brother with his hand to turn away. Getting a nod of 'ok' from Goten, the two separated from their father and landed on the ground.
Goku hardly noticed the two leaving his side, not that he cared. He'd rather have done this on his own without the help of others. But his sons were the only ones he would have allowed to help. He powered up to his fullest before penetrating the power of Level Three Super Saiyan. He didn't want to waste all of his power on the chase; Level Three would be reserved for the actual fight. Just thinking about it brought a smirk to his face, something that was best known done by Vejita.
Saying nothing in response to the blue intruder, Goku pulled his arms back to his right side to prepare for an attack. "Kamehameha!" A golden beam of light exited his hands as they were thrust forward and traveled straight. Tatsuo was ready for something like that from the Saiyan. He quickly dodged to the right, but Goku had learned long before how to control his Ki in terms of direction. Tatsuo never had a chance.
Gohan and Goten had just landed on the forest floor when their father's attack made contact with the little blue alien. All that was heard was a huge blast, which was followed by a high-pitched cry of pain. Goten turned to his brother in fear of his father's action. "What the hell's going on?"
Gohan shook his head with a frown as he turned up to watch his father dive down for Tatsuo. "I never thought I'd see the day when he acted like this again."
"Huh?!" Goten asked in confusion as he turned to look at his father. "What are you talking about?"
Gohan looked back to his brother. "You've heard the story of how dad first turned Super Saiyan. He was angry, just like this. He didn't even realize how the power had gotten to his head. I think it's happening again."
Goten frowned. He still didn't follow his brother. "What? What's happening again? Is he gonna go ballistic and blow everything up?"
Gohan shook his head. "No, nothing like that. But when a Saiyan gets angry enough, their power goes to their head. They lose sight of everything accept for their goal. Dad's goal is to teach this guy a lesson. but considering his power, I'm worried that he'll go too far."
Goten grinned. "Isn't that what we want him to do?"
Gohan once again found himself shaking his head 'no'. "Dad isn't like that, you know that. He isn't like you and Trunks. He'll feel awful if he finds out had brash he acted. He's always prided himself on giving others fair fights. I mean, he let Freiza power up completely so he would be at full power when he was defeated."
"So? What are you suggesting we do?"
Gohan frowned. "Make sure he doesn't do something he wouldn't normally do."
Goten nodded. That was definitely something he could handle. "Right. Let's go." He and Gohan raised their power and started out for the showdown.
Goku glared down at the grounded Tatsuo. "Looks like I caught you."
Tatsuo opened his eyes and glared up at Goku, not putting any effort into standing back up. "You may have caught me, but you're far from defeating me."
Goku frowned as he circled the creature, completely ignoring the statement. "You're Tatsuo, right?"
Tatsuo smirked. "You catch on fast."
Goku stopped. So he really was Tatsuo, the boy whom Usagi had brought home; the boy whom had HURT his daughter. Growling loudly, he placed his foot atop the boy's stomach. "Why did you come here?"
Tatsuo closed his eyes with a sigh. "I thought you might have already guessed, considering that it's the only thing anyone's been able to talk about lately. You know, it's also the reason why you had the falling out with your daughter." He paused to laugh, ". who was innocent the entire time!"
Goku growled louder as he began putting pressure onto the boy's stomach, causing his laughter to become like a soft wheezing. "Leave her out of this now. I'm your fight now."
Tatsuo frowned. "Give me what I want and I'll leave."
Goku bent over and rested on his knee, causing his foot to dig deeper into the being's stomach, which dipped in further. "The broach has some sort of power, I know that now. It belongs to Sailor Moon, who happens to be Usagi." He paused to think about his words. His daughter was Sailor Moon. too weird.
Tatsuo grabbed onto Goku's leg. "You'll regret this!" He cried out to change the subject. And with that, he sent a surge of power through Goku's leg.
Goku quickly jumped back to find himself joined back with his sons. He said nothing to Tatsuo as he glared with infuriating anger. "I was beginning to wonder where you two went."
Gohan grinned. "I thought you wanted the battle to yourself."
"Like you said, you have every right to be out here." He backed away from Tatsuo, who was just beginning to get up. "I don't want anything going wrong. This ends right here. You two distract him while I go in for the defeat."
Before either Gohan or Goten had a chance to comply, Tatsuo was back on his feet and ready for action. "You may be stronger than me."
Goten laughed. "That's an understatement."
Goku frowned back at his son. "Goten."
Tatsuo turned around with laughter. ".And the Moon may not be showing."
Goku; "YOU wished my tail back!"
Tatsuo grinned and turned around to face Goku. "Oh? Didn't I tell you? You were supposed to look at the full moon and become a giant monkey so I could kill you while you were a stupid monkey, but this damned planet isn't cooperating."
"Boo-hoo. Looks like we'll just have to teach you a lesson about messing in our business."
Tatsuo snickered. "Lesson one, always have a backup plan!" And with that, he dashed for Goku and clasped himself around the man's legs. Almost immediately the two began to disappear, but not before Gohan and Goten latched themselves onto their father. In a split second, before anyone could do anything, they were no long on earth.
~*~*~
Meanwhile, back at the original fight zone, Mamoru and the girls grouped together and talked about what they would do next. So far, there were no ideas. Everything was happening so fast. They had never come up with a plan on what they would do if their identities were ever found out; they never saw the need. But obviously there was. Not only would they have to confess everything, they still had to problem of Tatsuo. They knew that Goku wanted this fight alone, or at least kept within family, but they too felt somewhat responsible to the cause as well. After all, it was their duty as Senshi to protect their Princess; it was their duty as friends to protect Usagi. But then again, wasn't it Goku's duty as the father of the girl to protect her.
Trunks looked off into the distance where he had been sensing his friends' power levels after their halt. He had seen the light created by Goku's Kamehamea wave, but nothing after that. He wondered what could have been happening. But now they were gone, all four of them. Where could they have gone? "They're gone."
Mamoru turned up from the girls to Trunks, who had been keeping a look out for any strange activities that may have come up. "What?"
Minako stood up and walked next to the purple-haired Saiyan. "What do you mean, Trunks?"
Trunks shrugged. "Just what I said. They're gone. Goku, Gohan, Goten, and the other guy, they've all left earth somehow. Their power levels are gone."
Mamoru; "Well, maybe they all killed each other."
Trunks frowned as he turned toward the idiotic teenager. "Did YOU feel a big fallout between them?"
Mamoru frowned back. "It was just a guess, gees."
"Well use your head. They've obviously been taken into space or something. Or maybe even another dimension. That's been known to happen a lot with Goku."
"He can handle himself. He's strong." Mamoru said care freely.
Trunks sighed. "That's not the point. We all know he can handle himself. I just wonder where he's been taken. Gohan and Goten are with him, so it should be all right. I hope."
Amy walked forward to stand next to Trunks. "Maybe we should ask Dende if he saw what happened."
Trunks smiled. "Good idea. You guys go check on Usagi. Mamoru and I'll go to the Lookout. Piccolo should be up there too."
Mamoru frowned. "Now just hold on a minute. I'm goin to Usagi's too. I want to make sure she's all right."
Trunks froze in place after hearing that. "What did you just say?" He turned to Mamoru with a smirk. "Did you just say you wanted to make sure Usagi's all right?" Walking over to the boy, he wrapped his arm around his neck. "Out with it."
Mamoru frowned. That was the wrong choice of words. "What're you talking about?"
Trunks chuckled. "You're getting soft, man. One day you hate the girl, the next, you're worried about her. What's the world come to?" He asked with a grin.
Mamoru pushed Trunks away with a slight blush. "Oh come on! She's a Princess. It's my duty to worry about her!"
Trunks' face became more serious as he faced the sky. "Yeah, yeah. Come on." Just at that moment as the two men were about to set out, a small, dark figure flew overhead. Trunks looked up, hoping to see who it was, but it was too dark. "What the. is that Hotaru up there?"
Mamoru looked up and frowned. "It sure is. What's she doin out here?"
Makoto smiled up at the girl. "She's probably heading out to see Usagi. After what happened I'm sure she's worried."
Mamoru frowned harder. "Yeah right. Not after the way Usagi's little clone treated her yesterday." Hotaru stopped short and glared down at her friends. Her eyes still had their low, purple glow. "Whoa."
Rei; "That's odd. Since when do her eyes glow purple?"
Minako giggled. "They're the color of Trunks' hair."
"Hey! Be serious Minako!" Trunks scolded. He looked up at Hotaru, who just glared back down at the group. "Hotaru!" He yelled up to the girl. "Someone go up there and see what's wrong with her."
Minako, feeling bad about her 'behavior' volunteered herself. "I'll do it." Not waiting for an 'ok' from Trunks, she flew up into the air. Hotaru frowned at the blonde and flew off with amazingly fast speed. Minako frowned back at the girl and shot out for her, but it was no use. Hotaru, for some reason, was faster than normal. 'What's wrong with her?' Minako flew back down to her friends in confusion. Hotaru had never reacted that way to anyone before.
Rei continued to look up in the air where Hotaru had been, hoping that she would come back. "What's eating her? We didn't do anything to her?"
Trunks sighed as he began to hover into the air. "She's heading for Goku's. Follow her there; make sure she doesn't try anything funny. She could be a clone."
Makoto nodded. "That's true."
Amy shook her head in contradiction of her friend. "I'm not sure about that. We've only contradicted one strange guy."
Minako nodded. "So you're saying it's Tatsuo?"
Trunks frowned at the girls. "Who cares?! Just follow her!" He looked up toward Mamoru. "Come on! You're with me!"
~*~*~
~~Son Household~~
Chi-Chi arrived home in uncontrollable tears. She didn't even really know what she was crying over. Maybe it was the fact that her husband was fighting again. Or maybe it was the fact that she had just sat by and watched her daughter get torn apart. Or maybe it was the fact that she realized she knew very little about her daughter. If Usagi could keep such a big secret like this, there was no telling what else she was keeping from them. Or maybe she wasn't keeping anything from them at all. But that was the part that upset her, she didn't know one way or another. Chi-Chi kicked the front door in and rushed into her home and placed Usagi face first onto the nearest sofa. She immediately ran down the hall and into the bathroom to gather medical materials.
Krillin, who had chased Chi-Chi all the way back to the house, poked his head inside the door to make sure it was safe to come inside. He knew Chi- Chi and her rage, and that something he planned to stay out of the way of. "Chi-Chi?" He whispered. Before entering, he looked around the room once again, noticing the child that lay on the sofa. 'Usagi!' Not even taking a second thought as to where Chi-Chi was, Krillin walked to Usagi and knelt beside her.
Chi-Chi walked in from the hall carrying a bowl of water and rubbing alcohol to clean out her daughter's wounds. "Hello Krillin." She said calmly.
Krillin flinched with surprise; not because she was there, but because of how calm she had become all of a sudden. He knew it was better to be calm as well, and not act nervous. But he knew himself, that was almost impossible. "He.hello Chi-Chi."
"Don't be afraid Krillin." She replied as she began walking closer to her daughter. "I'm not mad at you. In fact, I'm not mad at anyone."
Krillin stood up and backed away from Usagi to allow Chi-Chi more room. "Oh? You seemed pretty upset before."
Chi-Chi tried to force a smile. "That was before, this is now." She couldn't believe what she was saying. Of course she was angry. She was angry at whoever had appointed her daughter Princess. She was angry that Mamoru of all people knew that Usagi was a Princess before she did. She was angry at the intruder for hurting her daughter so badly. She was just angry, period. But, she had promised to try harder to not get so upset, and so that's what she would do. Not be upset.
Krillin knew Chi-Chi was lying, but he would go with it, instead of make things worse by calling her bluff. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Chi-Chi smiled as she threw Krillin a hand rag, which she had gotten out especially for him. She had felt him following her, which was another reason why she hadn't lashed out at him. She had had time to prepare herself mentally for dealing with another person. "Help me wash her off. She's filthy."
Krillin smiled as he grabbed the washrag and knelt down beside the worried woman. And it was because she was worried that he decided to try and talk to her, as scary as it would be. "Chi-Chi?"
Chi-Chi pulled out a pair of scissors and began to cut at the back of Usagi's shirt in order to get at the wound that had been created when Tatsuo fired upon the girl's back. "Yes?"
Krillin dipped his rag into the metal bowl of water Chi-Chi had prepared and began washing off Usagi's left arm, which was not only covered in dirt, but blood as well. A long scratch was revealed running down the length of her arm. "What are you going to do now?"
Chi-Chi ripped away the material from her daughter's lower back to reveal a more serious wound. This one covered almost her entire back, leaving much of the skin charred or ripped open. "Look at this." She complained as she gently placed her hand on the skin. It was warm to the touch, meaning it was still burning deep inside. She dipped her own towel into the water and began dabbing her daughter's skin in order to cool it off.
Krillin set his rag down and went for the rubbing alcohol to clean out the cut on the girl's arm. "Are you sure you're alright?"
Chi-Chi stretched the towel out and placed it on top of Usagi's back, completely covering the burn. She turned to Krillin with a sigh. "I never said I was alright, Krillin." She turned her eyes down at her daughter. She got to thinking about the past. The angel she had met four years ago, she looked like Usagi did, with the Odango's and everything. What did it mean? "What if I'm not really her mother?"
Krillin was taken a bit off guard by the question, which he deemed silly. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course you're her mother. Why wouldn't you be? You gave carried her for nine months, you gave birth to her. you conceived her.. Didn't you?!"
Chi-Chi gave a small smile. "Yes, Krillin. WE did. But, there's something that happened four years ago that I've never told anyone, not even Goku."
"Care to share?"
Chi-Chi wasn't sure if she wanted to. Talking about it may make things worse. She was already doing all that she could to keep from balling her head off. But, maybe it was for the best. After all, it seemed like a pretty important time to bring it up. "One night while I was napping, when Usagi was missing, I found myself in a strange land. I mean, literally. I found my past self. It was strange. An angel talked with us. She told us how important it was for Usagi to continue fighting and convinced us to let her train."
"What's wrong with that?"
Chi-Chi looked down at the floor with more tears forming. "She looked almost exactly like Usagi did when she was in her dress today. What if that Angel is Usagi's real mother, the Queen of the Moon?"
Krillin turned from Chi-Chi and looked back down toward Usagi. He didn't know what to say to that. But he had to do something to ease Chi-Chi's pain until Usagi were to wake. "Chi-Chi." He looked back up at his friend. "You conceived her, you carried her inside you, you gave birth, you RAISED her. She's YOUR daughter no doubt about it. And who knows, Usagi may have no relation to this woman. Usagi may have just been chosen out of a group of children to be the Princess."
Chi-Chi looked down at her daughter, a slight smile appearing on her face. "Come on. Let's get her cleaned up." Although she didn't try to argue with Krillin, the thought that she may not be this girl's mother still ate at her heart. She wanted to believe him, but until she knew the truth, she couldn't.
Just as she was preparing to lift the wet cloth off of her daughter's back, Chi-Chi heard a large crash just outside her home. "What in the." She stood up and walked to the open door. "Whose out here?!"
Krillin stood up and blocked the way to Usagi. If any other clones decided that they wanted her, well, it was just too bad for them. He wouldn't let anyone get near her. "Be.C.careful. Chi-Chi."
"I know." Chi-Chi slowly poked her head outside the door expecting to see another little blue creature, but it wasn't like that. It was only Hotaru, who had made a crash landing just outside the house. Her fast beating heart was soon returned to its normal speed. "Why, hello, Hotaru." She said, trying hard to put aside her feelings.
Hotaru stood with a frown as she dusted herself off. "Is Usagi home?" She asked.
The first thing that Chi-Chi noticed when Hotaru looked up were her glowing eyes. "Are you alright, dear?" Hotaru ignored the question and walked right past the woman and into the house, where she found Krillin. Chi-Chi followed her in. "She's been hurt. I don't think she can play with you right now."
Hotaru walked forward toward Krillin, who was weary about stepping by for fear that the girl might be a clone. Her eyes were after all acting up just as Tatsuo's had when Usagi had attacked him. "How do we know that you're the real Hotaru?"
Hotaru paused with a frown. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm the real Hotaru. Who else would I be?"
Chi-Chi walked behind Hotaru and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "There have been clones running about. One already took the shape of Usagi, and then Sailor Moon."
Hotaru froze for a moment, becoming quite confused. "Sailor Moon?" She asked as if she hadn't known what, or who she was. "Oh wait, those idiots in short skirts. Yes, I've seen them."
Chi-Chi frowned down at the child. "Hotaru! That's no way for you to talk. Sailor Moon is your friend. She's Usagi!" She could hardly believe what she was saying.
Hotaru frowned. "I know, for some reason."
Chi-Chi looked up to Krillin, who was looking quite strangely back to her. Hotaru was acting weird. "Hotaru, why don't you heal Usagi?"
"Why would I want to do that?"
Krillin frowned as he backed up to protect Usagi. He wasn't sure what was going on, but Hotaru wasn't acting like she usually did. She was almost clueless as to what was going on around her. "She's one of your best friends."
"No she's not. She was mean to me yesterday. We're not friends, she already said that."
Krillin; "It was a clone who was mean to you. Go ahead, heal her." He wasn't really expecting her to heal the wounded girl. He was more calling her bluff, certain that she was a clone.
Hotaru frowned. "Fine. I will." And with that, she walked closer to Usagi and pushed Krillin out of the way. Kneeling beside the sofa, she placed her hands over Usagi's body. She had no idea why she was doing this, maybe to ask the girl questions, or maybe prove herself to these people. Or maybe there was another reason, she couldn't be sure of her feelings. But in anyway, she closed her glowing eyes and began focusing her power on healing the other Saiyan.
Usagi's body began to glow soft lavender. Her body began to heal with her back wound soon only a pinkish color instead of black with being burnt. But, Hotaru wasn't able to hold her healing powers long before her head began to throb with pain. It was if someone or something was pulling at her brain. Soon, the pain traveled to the rest of her body. It got so bad that she had to discontinue the usage of her power for Usagi. The pain in her head was bad enough, but now she felt as if she had lost all of her energy. Suddenly, Usagi's body turned back to its normal color and Hotaru fell over into Krillin.
"Hotaru!" Krillin cried out. "Hotaru!"
Chi-Chi ran to his side and shook the child. "Hotaru what's wrong!?"
Hotaru closed her eyes at the pain and began grumbling. "Nnnn.owe.."
Just then, another group plowed into the house, this time without such a big welcome as Hotaru received. Rei was the first into the house. She was also the first to detect something going on in the house. She took one look at Hotaru and immediately became worried. "What's going on? What's wrong with her?!"
Minako ran into Rei from behind. "What?!"
Amy pushed her way into the house. "Hotaru?!"
Chi-Chi looked up to the girls and smiled. "Great! I need you guys to take Hotaru home. Something's wrong with her." She turned around to pick Hotaru up out of Krillin's arms and handed her to Makoto, who had come in last. "Hurry."
Makoto accepted the small girl, but was still very much confused. "What happened?"
Chi-Chi frowned. "Don't worry about that. I think she's in a lot of pain. Her father might know what's wrong with her, I hope."
Amy; "I'll go home and get my mom to check her out."
Just as Makoto was turning away, Hotaru reached up and grabbed at Chi-Chi's arm. She slowly opened her eyes to reveal that the glow had disappeared. "Thanks." She whispered.
Chi-Chi wasn't sure exactly what she was getting thanked for, but she smiled back to play along with the child. "Move fast, girls."
Steady and tall is how Piccolo stood as he watched the earth from the lookout, his hands trembling at what he had just witnessed. He had felt Princess Serenity's power stronger than anyone, for he knew the power best. Yes, that power had definitely been in the files. He had read about that power in the history of Earth. It belonged to the Queen of the Moon over a thousand years ago. He had read about it, but had never felt it. And now, standing there, witnessing it, he tried to figure out how the empire could have fallen. With such a great power the Kingdom of the Moon should still reign. But that question wasn't at the top of the Namek's mind. The most mind boggling point to be asked was 'why?'. Why was Usagi chosen to be the heir to the power? And more importantly, what was a Princess doing in the hands of Goku and Chi-Chi. She could have been born to a family of royalty, and brought up like a Princess.
His thoughts were put on hold when he noticed Dende standing beside him in an awe of equal amount. "Well?"
Dende glanced up at his predecessor and shrugged. "Well what?"
Piccolo sighed as he rested his face in his hands. "You're God. What do you suggest we do next?"
Dende stared back down at Earth, not knowing what to do. "We wait. Goku's already on top of this one."
Piccolo looked down upon Goku, who was chasing Tatsuo at full speed at the level of Super Saiyan Two. The anger he was sensing was new to Goku, more so than when Usagi had been kidnapped the year before. "I'm worried about him."
Dende kept his eyes on the swerving Saiyans as they chased the blue creature. "What? Why? He'll drive that guy into the ground before he can wreak any more havoc."
Piccolo closed his eyes as he turned his back to the Earth. "That's what I'm afraid of." He slowly opened his eyes and locked them on the younger Namek. "Saiyans are dangerous when they're angry. This guy, whoever he is, has caused so much trouble for Goku and Chi-Chi concerning Usagi." Dende said nothing, but just nodded to show that he knew very well what had happened. "I know you've seen how protective Goku is over the girl, you just don't mess with her and try to get away with it."
Dende quickly shot his attention down to Earth, fearing the worst. "You don't think he'll pull anything stupid, like get himself killed."
Piccolo stared straight up into the darkening sky. "I know Goku, and I know his feelings for the kid, he'll stay alive to the best to his ability. That's not what I'm worried about."
Silence took over as neither Piccolo, nor Dende had anything else to say in reply. Although, something still troubled the younger Namek. "Piccolo, what about the broach?"
"I've stopped searching. I think I know what it is. It must be what allows Usagi to turn into Sailor Moon, what allows her Moon power to come fourth. Now, what I want to know is WHY she's got that power."
Dende unconsciously nodded, showing his agreement. "How did she get it, even?"
Piccolo frowned with a sigh. He didn't like not knowing what was going on in the world. "I guess we'll have to wait and ask her when she wakes up. Until then, we're going to have to hope Goku does the job, which he should be able to. Gohan and Goten are with him."
~*~*~
Goku was the lead of the pack in the race to catch Tatsuo, with Gohan and Goten on his rear sides, though he didn't even notice they were there. He was much too angry to pay attention to anything but his target. He would make the little guy pay for what he had done, no doubt about it. It was just a matter of how brutal would it be. "You're not getting away from me!"
Tatsuo zoomed a zig-zag between trees as he escaped deeper and deeper into the forest. His evil cackles echoed throughout the forest, causing Goku to become even more furious. "Looks like I already am, old man!"
Goten turned his head to the side and stared at his brother, who was looking back to him. Both of them looked up toward their father in front, and then back at one another. Something was wrong with their father. He was too angry, which to say in the least was not normal. It was something Goten had never felt before, but Gohan on the other hand had. It was the same need for blood that had arisen from his father on Namek when Krillin had been killed, right before he transformed into a Super Saiyan for the first time. That was something he had hoped to never feel again. Gohan motioned to his brother with his hand to turn away. Getting a nod of 'ok' from Goten, the two separated from their father and landed on the ground.
Goku hardly noticed the two leaving his side, not that he cared. He'd rather have done this on his own without the help of others. But his sons were the only ones he would have allowed to help. He powered up to his fullest before penetrating the power of Level Three Super Saiyan. He didn't want to waste all of his power on the chase; Level Three would be reserved for the actual fight. Just thinking about it brought a smirk to his face, something that was best known done by Vejita.
Saying nothing in response to the blue intruder, Goku pulled his arms back to his right side to prepare for an attack. "Kamehameha!" A golden beam of light exited his hands as they were thrust forward and traveled straight. Tatsuo was ready for something like that from the Saiyan. He quickly dodged to the right, but Goku had learned long before how to control his Ki in terms of direction. Tatsuo never had a chance.
Gohan and Goten had just landed on the forest floor when their father's attack made contact with the little blue alien. All that was heard was a huge blast, which was followed by a high-pitched cry of pain. Goten turned to his brother in fear of his father's action. "What the hell's going on?"
Gohan shook his head with a frown as he turned up to watch his father dive down for Tatsuo. "I never thought I'd see the day when he acted like this again."
"Huh?!" Goten asked in confusion as he turned to look at his father. "What are you talking about?"
Gohan looked back to his brother. "You've heard the story of how dad first turned Super Saiyan. He was angry, just like this. He didn't even realize how the power had gotten to his head. I think it's happening again."
Goten frowned. He still didn't follow his brother. "What? What's happening again? Is he gonna go ballistic and blow everything up?"
Gohan shook his head. "No, nothing like that. But when a Saiyan gets angry enough, their power goes to their head. They lose sight of everything accept for their goal. Dad's goal is to teach this guy a lesson. but considering his power, I'm worried that he'll go too far."
Goten grinned. "Isn't that what we want him to do?"
Gohan once again found himself shaking his head 'no'. "Dad isn't like that, you know that. He isn't like you and Trunks. He'll feel awful if he finds out had brash he acted. He's always prided himself on giving others fair fights. I mean, he let Freiza power up completely so he would be at full power when he was defeated."
"So? What are you suggesting we do?"
Gohan frowned. "Make sure he doesn't do something he wouldn't normally do."
Goten nodded. That was definitely something he could handle. "Right. Let's go." He and Gohan raised their power and started out for the showdown.
Goku glared down at the grounded Tatsuo. "Looks like I caught you."
Tatsuo opened his eyes and glared up at Goku, not putting any effort into standing back up. "You may have caught me, but you're far from defeating me."
Goku frowned as he circled the creature, completely ignoring the statement. "You're Tatsuo, right?"
Tatsuo smirked. "You catch on fast."
Goku stopped. So he really was Tatsuo, the boy whom Usagi had brought home; the boy whom had HURT his daughter. Growling loudly, he placed his foot atop the boy's stomach. "Why did you come here?"
Tatsuo closed his eyes with a sigh. "I thought you might have already guessed, considering that it's the only thing anyone's been able to talk about lately. You know, it's also the reason why you had the falling out with your daughter." He paused to laugh, ". who was innocent the entire time!"
Goku growled louder as he began putting pressure onto the boy's stomach, causing his laughter to become like a soft wheezing. "Leave her out of this now. I'm your fight now."
Tatsuo frowned. "Give me what I want and I'll leave."
Goku bent over and rested on his knee, causing his foot to dig deeper into the being's stomach, which dipped in further. "The broach has some sort of power, I know that now. It belongs to Sailor Moon, who happens to be Usagi." He paused to think about his words. His daughter was Sailor Moon. too weird.
Tatsuo grabbed onto Goku's leg. "You'll regret this!" He cried out to change the subject. And with that, he sent a surge of power through Goku's leg.
Goku quickly jumped back to find himself joined back with his sons. He said nothing to Tatsuo as he glared with infuriating anger. "I was beginning to wonder where you two went."
Gohan grinned. "I thought you wanted the battle to yourself."
"Like you said, you have every right to be out here." He backed away from Tatsuo, who was just beginning to get up. "I don't want anything going wrong. This ends right here. You two distract him while I go in for the defeat."
Before either Gohan or Goten had a chance to comply, Tatsuo was back on his feet and ready for action. "You may be stronger than me."
Goten laughed. "That's an understatement."
Goku frowned back at his son. "Goten."
Tatsuo turned around with laughter. ".And the Moon may not be showing."
Goku; "YOU wished my tail back!"
Tatsuo grinned and turned around to face Goku. "Oh? Didn't I tell you? You were supposed to look at the full moon and become a giant monkey so I could kill you while you were a stupid monkey, but this damned planet isn't cooperating."
"Boo-hoo. Looks like we'll just have to teach you a lesson about messing in our business."
Tatsuo snickered. "Lesson one, always have a backup plan!" And with that, he dashed for Goku and clasped himself around the man's legs. Almost immediately the two began to disappear, but not before Gohan and Goten latched themselves onto their father. In a split second, before anyone could do anything, they were no long on earth.
~*~*~
Meanwhile, back at the original fight zone, Mamoru and the girls grouped together and talked about what they would do next. So far, there were no ideas. Everything was happening so fast. They had never come up with a plan on what they would do if their identities were ever found out; they never saw the need. But obviously there was. Not only would they have to confess everything, they still had to problem of Tatsuo. They knew that Goku wanted this fight alone, or at least kept within family, but they too felt somewhat responsible to the cause as well. After all, it was their duty as Senshi to protect their Princess; it was their duty as friends to protect Usagi. But then again, wasn't it Goku's duty as the father of the girl to protect her.
Trunks looked off into the distance where he had been sensing his friends' power levels after their halt. He had seen the light created by Goku's Kamehamea wave, but nothing after that. He wondered what could have been happening. But now they were gone, all four of them. Where could they have gone? "They're gone."
Mamoru turned up from the girls to Trunks, who had been keeping a look out for any strange activities that may have come up. "What?"
Minako stood up and walked next to the purple-haired Saiyan. "What do you mean, Trunks?"
Trunks shrugged. "Just what I said. They're gone. Goku, Gohan, Goten, and the other guy, they've all left earth somehow. Their power levels are gone."
Mamoru; "Well, maybe they all killed each other."
Trunks frowned as he turned toward the idiotic teenager. "Did YOU feel a big fallout between them?"
Mamoru frowned back. "It was just a guess, gees."
"Well use your head. They've obviously been taken into space or something. Or maybe even another dimension. That's been known to happen a lot with Goku."
"He can handle himself. He's strong." Mamoru said care freely.
Trunks sighed. "That's not the point. We all know he can handle himself. I just wonder where he's been taken. Gohan and Goten are with him, so it should be all right. I hope."
Amy walked forward to stand next to Trunks. "Maybe we should ask Dende if he saw what happened."
Trunks smiled. "Good idea. You guys go check on Usagi. Mamoru and I'll go to the Lookout. Piccolo should be up there too."
Mamoru frowned. "Now just hold on a minute. I'm goin to Usagi's too. I want to make sure she's all right."
Trunks froze in place after hearing that. "What did you just say?" He turned to Mamoru with a smirk. "Did you just say you wanted to make sure Usagi's all right?" Walking over to the boy, he wrapped his arm around his neck. "Out with it."
Mamoru frowned. That was the wrong choice of words. "What're you talking about?"
Trunks chuckled. "You're getting soft, man. One day you hate the girl, the next, you're worried about her. What's the world come to?" He asked with a grin.
Mamoru pushed Trunks away with a slight blush. "Oh come on! She's a Princess. It's my duty to worry about her!"
Trunks' face became more serious as he faced the sky. "Yeah, yeah. Come on." Just at that moment as the two men were about to set out, a small, dark figure flew overhead. Trunks looked up, hoping to see who it was, but it was too dark. "What the. is that Hotaru up there?"
Mamoru looked up and frowned. "It sure is. What's she doin out here?"
Makoto smiled up at the girl. "She's probably heading out to see Usagi. After what happened I'm sure she's worried."
Mamoru frowned harder. "Yeah right. Not after the way Usagi's little clone treated her yesterday." Hotaru stopped short and glared down at her friends. Her eyes still had their low, purple glow. "Whoa."
Rei; "That's odd. Since when do her eyes glow purple?"
Minako giggled. "They're the color of Trunks' hair."
"Hey! Be serious Minako!" Trunks scolded. He looked up at Hotaru, who just glared back down at the group. "Hotaru!" He yelled up to the girl. "Someone go up there and see what's wrong with her."
Minako, feeling bad about her 'behavior' volunteered herself. "I'll do it." Not waiting for an 'ok' from Trunks, she flew up into the air. Hotaru frowned at the blonde and flew off with amazingly fast speed. Minako frowned back at the girl and shot out for her, but it was no use. Hotaru, for some reason, was faster than normal. 'What's wrong with her?' Minako flew back down to her friends in confusion. Hotaru had never reacted that way to anyone before.
Rei continued to look up in the air where Hotaru had been, hoping that she would come back. "What's eating her? We didn't do anything to her?"
Trunks sighed as he began to hover into the air. "She's heading for Goku's. Follow her there; make sure she doesn't try anything funny. She could be a clone."
Makoto nodded. "That's true."
Amy shook her head in contradiction of her friend. "I'm not sure about that. We've only contradicted one strange guy."
Minako nodded. "So you're saying it's Tatsuo?"
Trunks frowned at the girls. "Who cares?! Just follow her!" He looked up toward Mamoru. "Come on! You're with me!"
~*~*~
~~Son Household~~
Chi-Chi arrived home in uncontrollable tears. She didn't even really know what she was crying over. Maybe it was the fact that her husband was fighting again. Or maybe it was the fact that she had just sat by and watched her daughter get torn apart. Or maybe it was the fact that she realized she knew very little about her daughter. If Usagi could keep such a big secret like this, there was no telling what else she was keeping from them. Or maybe she wasn't keeping anything from them at all. But that was the part that upset her, she didn't know one way or another. Chi-Chi kicked the front door in and rushed into her home and placed Usagi face first onto the nearest sofa. She immediately ran down the hall and into the bathroom to gather medical materials.
Krillin, who had chased Chi-Chi all the way back to the house, poked his head inside the door to make sure it was safe to come inside. He knew Chi- Chi and her rage, and that something he planned to stay out of the way of. "Chi-Chi?" He whispered. Before entering, he looked around the room once again, noticing the child that lay on the sofa. 'Usagi!' Not even taking a second thought as to where Chi-Chi was, Krillin walked to Usagi and knelt beside her.
Chi-Chi walked in from the hall carrying a bowl of water and rubbing alcohol to clean out her daughter's wounds. "Hello Krillin." She said calmly.
Krillin flinched with surprise; not because she was there, but because of how calm she had become all of a sudden. He knew it was better to be calm as well, and not act nervous. But he knew himself, that was almost impossible. "He.hello Chi-Chi."
"Don't be afraid Krillin." She replied as she began walking closer to her daughter. "I'm not mad at you. In fact, I'm not mad at anyone."
Krillin stood up and backed away from Usagi to allow Chi-Chi more room. "Oh? You seemed pretty upset before."
Chi-Chi tried to force a smile. "That was before, this is now." She couldn't believe what she was saying. Of course she was angry. She was angry at whoever had appointed her daughter Princess. She was angry that Mamoru of all people knew that Usagi was a Princess before she did. She was angry at the intruder for hurting her daughter so badly. She was just angry, period. But, she had promised to try harder to not get so upset, and so that's what she would do. Not be upset.
Krillin knew Chi-Chi was lying, but he would go with it, instead of make things worse by calling her bluff. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Chi-Chi smiled as she threw Krillin a hand rag, which she had gotten out especially for him. She had felt him following her, which was another reason why she hadn't lashed out at him. She had had time to prepare herself mentally for dealing with another person. "Help me wash her off. She's filthy."
Krillin smiled as he grabbed the washrag and knelt down beside the worried woman. And it was because she was worried that he decided to try and talk to her, as scary as it would be. "Chi-Chi?"
Chi-Chi pulled out a pair of scissors and began to cut at the back of Usagi's shirt in order to get at the wound that had been created when Tatsuo fired upon the girl's back. "Yes?"
Krillin dipped his rag into the metal bowl of water Chi-Chi had prepared and began washing off Usagi's left arm, which was not only covered in dirt, but blood as well. A long scratch was revealed running down the length of her arm. "What are you going to do now?"
Chi-Chi ripped away the material from her daughter's lower back to reveal a more serious wound. This one covered almost her entire back, leaving much of the skin charred or ripped open. "Look at this." She complained as she gently placed her hand on the skin. It was warm to the touch, meaning it was still burning deep inside. She dipped her own towel into the water and began dabbing her daughter's skin in order to cool it off.
Krillin set his rag down and went for the rubbing alcohol to clean out the cut on the girl's arm. "Are you sure you're alright?"
Chi-Chi stretched the towel out and placed it on top of Usagi's back, completely covering the burn. She turned to Krillin with a sigh. "I never said I was alright, Krillin." She turned her eyes down at her daughter. She got to thinking about the past. The angel she had met four years ago, she looked like Usagi did, with the Odango's and everything. What did it mean? "What if I'm not really her mother?"
Krillin was taken a bit off guard by the question, which he deemed silly. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course you're her mother. Why wouldn't you be? You gave carried her for nine months, you gave birth to her. you conceived her.. Didn't you?!"
Chi-Chi gave a small smile. "Yes, Krillin. WE did. But, there's something that happened four years ago that I've never told anyone, not even Goku."
"Care to share?"
Chi-Chi wasn't sure if she wanted to. Talking about it may make things worse. She was already doing all that she could to keep from balling her head off. But, maybe it was for the best. After all, it seemed like a pretty important time to bring it up. "One night while I was napping, when Usagi was missing, I found myself in a strange land. I mean, literally. I found my past self. It was strange. An angel talked with us. She told us how important it was for Usagi to continue fighting and convinced us to let her train."
"What's wrong with that?"
Chi-Chi looked down at the floor with more tears forming. "She looked almost exactly like Usagi did when she was in her dress today. What if that Angel is Usagi's real mother, the Queen of the Moon?"
Krillin turned from Chi-Chi and looked back down toward Usagi. He didn't know what to say to that. But he had to do something to ease Chi-Chi's pain until Usagi were to wake. "Chi-Chi." He looked back up at his friend. "You conceived her, you carried her inside you, you gave birth, you RAISED her. She's YOUR daughter no doubt about it. And who knows, Usagi may have no relation to this woman. Usagi may have just been chosen out of a group of children to be the Princess."
Chi-Chi looked down at her daughter, a slight smile appearing on her face. "Come on. Let's get her cleaned up." Although she didn't try to argue with Krillin, the thought that she may not be this girl's mother still ate at her heart. She wanted to believe him, but until she knew the truth, she couldn't.
Just as she was preparing to lift the wet cloth off of her daughter's back, Chi-Chi heard a large crash just outside her home. "What in the." She stood up and walked to the open door. "Whose out here?!"
Krillin stood up and blocked the way to Usagi. If any other clones decided that they wanted her, well, it was just too bad for them. He wouldn't let anyone get near her. "Be.C.careful. Chi-Chi."
"I know." Chi-Chi slowly poked her head outside the door expecting to see another little blue creature, but it wasn't like that. It was only Hotaru, who had made a crash landing just outside the house. Her fast beating heart was soon returned to its normal speed. "Why, hello, Hotaru." She said, trying hard to put aside her feelings.
Hotaru stood with a frown as she dusted herself off. "Is Usagi home?" She asked.
The first thing that Chi-Chi noticed when Hotaru looked up were her glowing eyes. "Are you alright, dear?" Hotaru ignored the question and walked right past the woman and into the house, where she found Krillin. Chi-Chi followed her in. "She's been hurt. I don't think she can play with you right now."
Hotaru walked forward toward Krillin, who was weary about stepping by for fear that the girl might be a clone. Her eyes were after all acting up just as Tatsuo's had when Usagi had attacked him. "How do we know that you're the real Hotaru?"
Hotaru paused with a frown. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm the real Hotaru. Who else would I be?"
Chi-Chi walked behind Hotaru and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "There have been clones running about. One already took the shape of Usagi, and then Sailor Moon."
Hotaru froze for a moment, becoming quite confused. "Sailor Moon?" She asked as if she hadn't known what, or who she was. "Oh wait, those idiots in short skirts. Yes, I've seen them."
Chi-Chi frowned down at the child. "Hotaru! That's no way for you to talk. Sailor Moon is your friend. She's Usagi!" She could hardly believe what she was saying.
Hotaru frowned. "I know, for some reason."
Chi-Chi looked up to Krillin, who was looking quite strangely back to her. Hotaru was acting weird. "Hotaru, why don't you heal Usagi?"
"Why would I want to do that?"
Krillin frowned as he backed up to protect Usagi. He wasn't sure what was going on, but Hotaru wasn't acting like she usually did. She was almost clueless as to what was going on around her. "She's one of your best friends."
"No she's not. She was mean to me yesterday. We're not friends, she already said that."
Krillin; "It was a clone who was mean to you. Go ahead, heal her." He wasn't really expecting her to heal the wounded girl. He was more calling her bluff, certain that she was a clone.
Hotaru frowned. "Fine. I will." And with that, she walked closer to Usagi and pushed Krillin out of the way. Kneeling beside the sofa, she placed her hands over Usagi's body. She had no idea why she was doing this, maybe to ask the girl questions, or maybe prove herself to these people. Or maybe there was another reason, she couldn't be sure of her feelings. But in anyway, she closed her glowing eyes and began focusing her power on healing the other Saiyan.
Usagi's body began to glow soft lavender. Her body began to heal with her back wound soon only a pinkish color instead of black with being burnt. But, Hotaru wasn't able to hold her healing powers long before her head began to throb with pain. It was if someone or something was pulling at her brain. Soon, the pain traveled to the rest of her body. It got so bad that she had to discontinue the usage of her power for Usagi. The pain in her head was bad enough, but now she felt as if she had lost all of her energy. Suddenly, Usagi's body turned back to its normal color and Hotaru fell over into Krillin.
"Hotaru!" Krillin cried out. "Hotaru!"
Chi-Chi ran to his side and shook the child. "Hotaru what's wrong!?"
Hotaru closed her eyes at the pain and began grumbling. "Nnnn.owe.."
Just then, another group plowed into the house, this time without such a big welcome as Hotaru received. Rei was the first into the house. She was also the first to detect something going on in the house. She took one look at Hotaru and immediately became worried. "What's going on? What's wrong with her?!"
Minako ran into Rei from behind. "What?!"
Amy pushed her way into the house. "Hotaru?!"
Chi-Chi looked up to the girls and smiled. "Great! I need you guys to take Hotaru home. Something's wrong with her." She turned around to pick Hotaru up out of Krillin's arms and handed her to Makoto, who had come in last. "Hurry."
Makoto accepted the small girl, but was still very much confused. "What happened?"
Chi-Chi frowned. "Don't worry about that. I think she's in a lot of pain. Her father might know what's wrong with her, I hope."
Amy; "I'll go home and get my mom to check her out."
Just as Makoto was turning away, Hotaru reached up and grabbed at Chi-Chi's arm. She slowly opened her eyes to reveal that the glow had disappeared. "Thanks." She whispered.
Chi-Chi wasn't sure exactly what she was getting thanked for, but she smiled back to play along with the child. "Move fast, girls."