Alright guys, yet another installment of Shadow of the Past.
Again, I hope you guys like it, I don't own SM DBZ, but you guys
probably knew that.
Please email me with comments, questions, concerns and all that good
stuff.
Sincerely,
The Queen.
The Queen has spoken.
So it is written, so it shall be.
~*~
Chapter 9: Alright, Now Everyone's Here!
It was a week after the first incident that Lita anxiously
watched for a certain plane to land. She, Rei, Mina, Ami, and ChiChi
were waiting for their friends to arrive.
Lita and Trunks had sort of a mutual understanding that they
wouldn't say anything about what had happened in the woods, and there
was still a little but of an uncomfortable air between them, but as for
the others, it seemed that their stay with Lita's family and friends
had done wonders for them. Ami was getting along fabulously with Gohan,
Rei still had the occasional fight with Piccolo, but nothing serious,
and Mina and Yamcha had agreed to be sparring partners. Even Setsuna
and Tien were at least talking to each other. Lita and Trunks were
fine, so long as they didn't directly touch each other...
Suddenly a familiar voice could be heard over the crowd of
people, causing Lita to jerk out of her thoughts.
"Lita, hey Lita! Over here!" cried a bubbly girl, who was
bounding towards Lita with the speed of a train. She launched herself
into Lita's arms and hugged her for all she was worth.
"It's good to see you too, Serena. Long time no see," Lita
said laughing. Her friend looked up at her with her guileless azure
eyes, and Lita could see easily read the happiness in them.
"Oh Lita, we missed you so much!" Serena cried, and then
launched herself at the other present Senshi unceremoniously. Even
ChiChi was accosted by the bouncy girl.
As soon as Serena let her go, she was fiercely hugged by Haruka,
playfully hugged by Darien, gracefully hugged by Michiru, and jumped on
by Artemis. "I missed you all too," said Lita, laughing harder.
After she had introduced everyone to her aunt, they were off in
the car, which, to everyone's dismay, Haruka was allowed to drive.
Everyone ended up holding on to someone or something for dear life, but
to her credit, Haruka got them home in record time. And she didn't hit
anything along the way. Will wonders never cease?
As soon as the car pulled up the whole gang was out in front,
ready to see the new members of their makeshift team.
"Alright guys, you know the drill," said Lita smiling. "I
introduce you, and you smile and wave, got it?"
The whole DBZ gang nodded, and the intros began.
"Okay, the one in the orange with the wild hairstyle is my
Uncle Goku. He's nice, but is exceptionally powerful as well, so don't
let his innocent smile fool you," said Lita. Goku gave the customary
wave and smile, and Lita continued.
"Down the line, the one next to my uncle with the random turban
is my cousin Gohan, after that is my littlest cousin Gohan and his
friend Chibi Trunks, who just so happens to be Ami's cousin. They may
be cute, but they can kick butt. The blue haired girl next to them is
Bulma, Ami's aunt, and the short guy next to her is Vegita, or Veggie
for short, and he's Ami's uncle by marriage. He's a little hot headed,
okay, that's the understatement of the year, but is a good fighter.
The bald one next to him is Tien, the short little guy next to him is
Chaozu. Don't be fooled by his size; he can fight with the best of
them. The tall green guy who is looking kind of threatening is actually
supposed to be that color. His name is Piccolo, and he usually always
has that expression. The guy next to him who is continually winking at
Mina is Yamcha. He's a playboy, and a good fighter to boot. If he
gets on your nerves, just tell Mina and she'll handle him in due
course." Lita smiled at the look Yamcha shot her, and then laughed as
Mina promptly kicked him in the shin. "And the one on the end with the
silver hair is Trunks, a very skilled fighter."
Lita took a deep breath, and paused for a minute before she
continued. "Okay, now let me introduce my fellow Senshi that you guys
haven't met," she said. "These are my very good friends. The first
one with the blond hair in two long pigtails, and the bright blue eyes
is Serena a.k.a. Bunny, the leader of our 'group'. She's really sweet
and incredibly powerful, and could probably out eat all you guys. Put
together. The tall dark and handsome man next to her is Darien,
soulmate and longtime boyfriend. They're also engaged. The tall blond
one next to him is Haruka. She can kick major ass, and she likes to
race cars." Haruka barely waved to the crowd of guys.
"What? You mean to tell me that that's a girl?" asked Vegita
with disbelief. Unfortunately for him, he didn't realize his mistake.
"You want to make something of it, buddy?" challenged Haruka,
looking threatening and advancing on Vegita. He looked very small
indeed with Haruka standing next to him.
Of course Vegita's ego kicked in and he was about to make a
stupid comment that probably would have cost him his life, when Lita
stepped in to physically restrain Haruka, a daunting task indeed.
Lita whispered something to her earnestly, and gave Haruka over
to the girl who was most likely to keep her temper at bay. Lita
continued her task of introductions. "And the girl next to Haruka
right now with the sea-green hair and the iron grip on her arm is her
girlfriend, Michiru."
"Figures," muttered Vegita under his breath, but he shut up
quickly when he was shot several hostile warning stares from various
people.
Lita bent down and picked up a small white figure that was
sitting at her feet. "And this would be Artemis." Luna came over and
the two guardian cats chatted for a bit.
Everyone was smiling and saying hi, and getting to know each
other, and then one by one their expressions became serious. It turned
out to be Trunks who voiced everyone's thoughts.
"Okay guys, we need a game plan, and fast," he said, and all
present nodded assent.
Somehow, they all fit into the living room, and actually got a
seat by someone who they didn't hate with a passion. See, miracles
*can* happen. And of course Lita didn't want any bloodbaths before the
actual fighting began. She looked around and saw that everyone was
looking to her for an explanation. Lita sighed and began to tell the
tale of what had happened since that fateful day that she left her
since she left her fellow Senshi to come live with her newfound Aunt
and Uncle.
When she was done, everyone was looking thoughtful, a stretch
for some.
Serena was the first one to comment, and it happened to refer
to the prophesy. "So it could only be me or Lita who is supposed to
have the power to defeat this guy, ne?"
Mina nodded. "Hai. Only problem is, if it does happen to be
Lita we are missing two very important things: her soulmate and her
'star crystal'. If we don't have those, it means that it will be that
much harder to beat this guy."
"She's right. And if it is Serena, then she has both the
crystal and her soulmate, so we wouldn't have to go searching for
anything," commented Rei, still thinking.
"Yes Rei, but prophesies are usually supposed to come true
after one reads them. I don't believe it's Serena *because* she
already meets both of the requirements," countered Luna.
"Besides that, with the Prince of Darkness, I am pretty sure it
will take more than then Silver Crystal. It might not be enough this
time," sighed Artemis.
"What do you mean? I thought the Silver Crystal was the
strongest thing out there? What could be more powerful than that?"
asked Darien, his midnight blue eyes aflame.
"Wait a minute here. What's all this talk about crystals?
What is a crystal going to do to this guy? Those things we fought were
pretty damn powerful, and they were his *lackeys*," put in Vegita.
Luna decided to field the question. "First of all, you must
understand that crystals are one of the oldest things of Earth, or in
the universe for that matter. They were formed before humans were ever
around, and will probably go on long after the humans are gone. All
crystals, big or small, precious or commonplace, contain a certain
amount of power, or magic if you will, in them. The Silver Crystal was
handed down in Serena's family for generations, and it has amassed a
great deal of power. It already had a lot to begin with, but crystals
have the unique ability to gain more power from those who wield them
over the years. Crystals have the power to heal and the power to
destroy, among other things, depending on what they are used for, and
who wields them. Many have died for the sake of owning them, and
probably many more will. The Silver Crystal is only one of the
legendary crystals in the universe."
Vegita took all of this in, but still couldn't conceive of such
a great power being confined to such a small object.
"Well, can't we use the Silver Crystal to see if we can find
out what we can do to beat the Prince?" asked Haruka from her seat by
Michiru. She was seated as far as possible from Vegita, but that didn't
stop her from throwing menacing glances his way.
Immediately, the eyes of every Senshi in the room turned to
Setsuna. She looked very grave for a moment, and then said, "If the
crystal gives us an answer then we are allowed to have the answer, so I
suppose it couldn't hurt to try. That is, if you're up to it,
Princess?"
Serena nodded, and took a deep breath. Then she took the
Silver Crystal from its resting place inside her broach. As soon as it
was in her hand, it started to pulse a pure, white light. The light
touched everyone, and a feeling of peace and love flowed encased the
room. To those who had never seen the awesome crystal, it was a very
beautiful thing indeed. Even Vegita was made into a believer.
Serena held the Silver Crystal in her outstretched palms, and
it floated there, glowing almost contentedly. "Silver Crystal, please
tell us, what can we do to beat this new enemy that threatens our
planet?"
The Silver Crystal began to glow even brighter in response. It
became so bright that everyone had to look away to keep from blinding
themselves. When they could see again they saw a tall woman standing
in the middle of the room. She had long silver hair, violet eyes, and
a long white gown. She strongly resembled Serena, especially her hair
style, which was identical.
"Mother," breathed Serena in awe. Upon her mother's arrival,
Serena had changed into her princess form, complete with long white
flowing dress and all.
"Yes, my darling daughter. I have come to answer your
question," said Queen Serenity in her soft voice.
"Mother, please tell us how we can defeat this great evil,"
pleaded Serena.
Queen Serenity sighed. "All I can tell you is this, my
daughter, this evil can be beaten, but only if you stick together, and
never, ever lose hope."
"Oh but Mother, can you not tell us anything else that will
help us? Who is the Princess foretold?"
The Queen was silent for a long time, lost in thought. Finally,
her decision was made. She turned to Lita.
"Princess Lita, also known as Sailor Jupiter, I am able to tell
you that you are the princess foretold in your dream, but then, you
already knew that, didn't you?
Lita nodded. In truth she did, but she had been loathed to
admit it, even to herself. The Queen continued.
"I can also tell you that you will not find your crystal until
you accept your soulmate, and allow him into your heart. Remember, my
child, love will set you free, and heal all of your wounds." As the
Queen finished, she began to fade away. Serena's Princess lost the
strength to stand, but Darien caught her before she fell too far.
Ami's blue eyes were very thoughtful. "If the Silver Crystal
is only one of the legendary crystals in the universe, Luna, might you
know anything about one named the Star Crystal?" she asked.
Luna was silent for many moments, and then her ears perked up.
"My memory of the Silver Millennium is fuzzy at best, but your
computer should be loaded with files from that time. Perhaps if you
ran a search, you could come across something."
Ami did as she was bidden, and in no time flat she had brought
up a file on it.
"Hmm... yes, I found it! The Star Crystal. In size it is only
a little bigger than the Silver Crystal at it's core, but it has many
spike like growths that lance out from it, the effect making it look
like a star, hence it's name. Unlike the Serena's crystal, the Star
Crystal was not passed down in one family, but actually chose its
owners, and skipped around at random. Hmm... There are various reports
here of people randomly finding it while under attack or in trouble,
using its powers, and then the crystal disappearing afterwards. It's
powers are rooted in weather and nature, which is why it probably would
like Lita the best out of all of us, and as of yet no one has been able
to chart the extent of its power." Ami paused for a moment, and then
continued. "Although it wouldn't seem possible, it seems that the Star
Crystal has an innate intelligence all its own."
That gave everyone a lot to chew on, and muddle over. They
were still muddling when all of a sudden an explosion rang out that
shook the ground itself.
"Shit," muttered Vegita as he stuck his head out the window.
"Why does this always have to happen?"
Just as it seemed they might have the upper hand, the enemy
strikes again.
Everyone got ready for battle.
~*~
Tell me what you think!
Again, I hope you guys like it, I don't own SM DBZ, but you guys
probably knew that.
Please email me with comments, questions, concerns and all that good
stuff.
Sincerely,
The Queen.
The Queen has spoken.
So it is written, so it shall be.
~*~
Chapter 9: Alright, Now Everyone's Here!
It was a week after the first incident that Lita anxiously
watched for a certain plane to land. She, Rei, Mina, Ami, and ChiChi
were waiting for their friends to arrive.
Lita and Trunks had sort of a mutual understanding that they
wouldn't say anything about what had happened in the woods, and there
was still a little but of an uncomfortable air between them, but as for
the others, it seemed that their stay with Lita's family and friends
had done wonders for them. Ami was getting along fabulously with Gohan,
Rei still had the occasional fight with Piccolo, but nothing serious,
and Mina and Yamcha had agreed to be sparring partners. Even Setsuna
and Tien were at least talking to each other. Lita and Trunks were
fine, so long as they didn't directly touch each other...
Suddenly a familiar voice could be heard over the crowd of
people, causing Lita to jerk out of her thoughts.
"Lita, hey Lita! Over here!" cried a bubbly girl, who was
bounding towards Lita with the speed of a train. She launched herself
into Lita's arms and hugged her for all she was worth.
"It's good to see you too, Serena. Long time no see," Lita
said laughing. Her friend looked up at her with her guileless azure
eyes, and Lita could see easily read the happiness in them.
"Oh Lita, we missed you so much!" Serena cried, and then
launched herself at the other present Senshi unceremoniously. Even
ChiChi was accosted by the bouncy girl.
As soon as Serena let her go, she was fiercely hugged by Haruka,
playfully hugged by Darien, gracefully hugged by Michiru, and jumped on
by Artemis. "I missed you all too," said Lita, laughing harder.
After she had introduced everyone to her aunt, they were off in
the car, which, to everyone's dismay, Haruka was allowed to drive.
Everyone ended up holding on to someone or something for dear life, but
to her credit, Haruka got them home in record time. And she didn't hit
anything along the way. Will wonders never cease?
As soon as the car pulled up the whole gang was out in front,
ready to see the new members of their makeshift team.
"Alright guys, you know the drill," said Lita smiling. "I
introduce you, and you smile and wave, got it?"
The whole DBZ gang nodded, and the intros began.
"Okay, the one in the orange with the wild hairstyle is my
Uncle Goku. He's nice, but is exceptionally powerful as well, so don't
let his innocent smile fool you," said Lita. Goku gave the customary
wave and smile, and Lita continued.
"Down the line, the one next to my uncle with the random turban
is my cousin Gohan, after that is my littlest cousin Gohan and his
friend Chibi Trunks, who just so happens to be Ami's cousin. They may
be cute, but they can kick butt. The blue haired girl next to them is
Bulma, Ami's aunt, and the short guy next to her is Vegita, or Veggie
for short, and he's Ami's uncle by marriage. He's a little hot headed,
okay, that's the understatement of the year, but is a good fighter.
The bald one next to him is Tien, the short little guy next to him is
Chaozu. Don't be fooled by his size; he can fight with the best of
them. The tall green guy who is looking kind of threatening is actually
supposed to be that color. His name is Piccolo, and he usually always
has that expression. The guy next to him who is continually winking at
Mina is Yamcha. He's a playboy, and a good fighter to boot. If he
gets on your nerves, just tell Mina and she'll handle him in due
course." Lita smiled at the look Yamcha shot her, and then laughed as
Mina promptly kicked him in the shin. "And the one on the end with the
silver hair is Trunks, a very skilled fighter."
Lita took a deep breath, and paused for a minute before she
continued. "Okay, now let me introduce my fellow Senshi that you guys
haven't met," she said. "These are my very good friends. The first
one with the blond hair in two long pigtails, and the bright blue eyes
is Serena a.k.a. Bunny, the leader of our 'group'. She's really sweet
and incredibly powerful, and could probably out eat all you guys. Put
together. The tall dark and handsome man next to her is Darien,
soulmate and longtime boyfriend. They're also engaged. The tall blond
one next to him is Haruka. She can kick major ass, and she likes to
race cars." Haruka barely waved to the crowd of guys.
"What? You mean to tell me that that's a girl?" asked Vegita
with disbelief. Unfortunately for him, he didn't realize his mistake.
"You want to make something of it, buddy?" challenged Haruka,
looking threatening and advancing on Vegita. He looked very small
indeed with Haruka standing next to him.
Of course Vegita's ego kicked in and he was about to make a
stupid comment that probably would have cost him his life, when Lita
stepped in to physically restrain Haruka, a daunting task indeed.
Lita whispered something to her earnestly, and gave Haruka over
to the girl who was most likely to keep her temper at bay. Lita
continued her task of introductions. "And the girl next to Haruka
right now with the sea-green hair and the iron grip on her arm is her
girlfriend, Michiru."
"Figures," muttered Vegita under his breath, but he shut up
quickly when he was shot several hostile warning stares from various
people.
Lita bent down and picked up a small white figure that was
sitting at her feet. "And this would be Artemis." Luna came over and
the two guardian cats chatted for a bit.
Everyone was smiling and saying hi, and getting to know each
other, and then one by one their expressions became serious. It turned
out to be Trunks who voiced everyone's thoughts.
"Okay guys, we need a game plan, and fast," he said, and all
present nodded assent.
Somehow, they all fit into the living room, and actually got a
seat by someone who they didn't hate with a passion. See, miracles
*can* happen. And of course Lita didn't want any bloodbaths before the
actual fighting began. She looked around and saw that everyone was
looking to her for an explanation. Lita sighed and began to tell the
tale of what had happened since that fateful day that she left her
since she left her fellow Senshi to come live with her newfound Aunt
and Uncle.
When she was done, everyone was looking thoughtful, a stretch
for some.
Serena was the first one to comment, and it happened to refer
to the prophesy. "So it could only be me or Lita who is supposed to
have the power to defeat this guy, ne?"
Mina nodded. "Hai. Only problem is, if it does happen to be
Lita we are missing two very important things: her soulmate and her
'star crystal'. If we don't have those, it means that it will be that
much harder to beat this guy."
"She's right. And if it is Serena, then she has both the
crystal and her soulmate, so we wouldn't have to go searching for
anything," commented Rei, still thinking.
"Yes Rei, but prophesies are usually supposed to come true
after one reads them. I don't believe it's Serena *because* she
already meets both of the requirements," countered Luna.
"Besides that, with the Prince of Darkness, I am pretty sure it
will take more than then Silver Crystal. It might not be enough this
time," sighed Artemis.
"What do you mean? I thought the Silver Crystal was the
strongest thing out there? What could be more powerful than that?"
asked Darien, his midnight blue eyes aflame.
"Wait a minute here. What's all this talk about crystals?
What is a crystal going to do to this guy? Those things we fought were
pretty damn powerful, and they were his *lackeys*," put in Vegita.
Luna decided to field the question. "First of all, you must
understand that crystals are one of the oldest things of Earth, or in
the universe for that matter. They were formed before humans were ever
around, and will probably go on long after the humans are gone. All
crystals, big or small, precious or commonplace, contain a certain
amount of power, or magic if you will, in them. The Silver Crystal was
handed down in Serena's family for generations, and it has amassed a
great deal of power. It already had a lot to begin with, but crystals
have the unique ability to gain more power from those who wield them
over the years. Crystals have the power to heal and the power to
destroy, among other things, depending on what they are used for, and
who wields them. Many have died for the sake of owning them, and
probably many more will. The Silver Crystal is only one of the
legendary crystals in the universe."
Vegita took all of this in, but still couldn't conceive of such
a great power being confined to such a small object.
"Well, can't we use the Silver Crystal to see if we can find
out what we can do to beat the Prince?" asked Haruka from her seat by
Michiru. She was seated as far as possible from Vegita, but that didn't
stop her from throwing menacing glances his way.
Immediately, the eyes of every Senshi in the room turned to
Setsuna. She looked very grave for a moment, and then said, "If the
crystal gives us an answer then we are allowed to have the answer, so I
suppose it couldn't hurt to try. That is, if you're up to it,
Princess?"
Serena nodded, and took a deep breath. Then she took the
Silver Crystal from its resting place inside her broach. As soon as it
was in her hand, it started to pulse a pure, white light. The light
touched everyone, and a feeling of peace and love flowed encased the
room. To those who had never seen the awesome crystal, it was a very
beautiful thing indeed. Even Vegita was made into a believer.
Serena held the Silver Crystal in her outstretched palms, and
it floated there, glowing almost contentedly. "Silver Crystal, please
tell us, what can we do to beat this new enemy that threatens our
planet?"
The Silver Crystal began to glow even brighter in response. It
became so bright that everyone had to look away to keep from blinding
themselves. When they could see again they saw a tall woman standing
in the middle of the room. She had long silver hair, violet eyes, and
a long white gown. She strongly resembled Serena, especially her hair
style, which was identical.
"Mother," breathed Serena in awe. Upon her mother's arrival,
Serena had changed into her princess form, complete with long white
flowing dress and all.
"Yes, my darling daughter. I have come to answer your
question," said Queen Serenity in her soft voice.
"Mother, please tell us how we can defeat this great evil,"
pleaded Serena.
Queen Serenity sighed. "All I can tell you is this, my
daughter, this evil can be beaten, but only if you stick together, and
never, ever lose hope."
"Oh but Mother, can you not tell us anything else that will
help us? Who is the Princess foretold?"
The Queen was silent for a long time, lost in thought. Finally,
her decision was made. She turned to Lita.
"Princess Lita, also known as Sailor Jupiter, I am able to tell
you that you are the princess foretold in your dream, but then, you
already knew that, didn't you?
Lita nodded. In truth she did, but she had been loathed to
admit it, even to herself. The Queen continued.
"I can also tell you that you will not find your crystal until
you accept your soulmate, and allow him into your heart. Remember, my
child, love will set you free, and heal all of your wounds." As the
Queen finished, she began to fade away. Serena's Princess lost the
strength to stand, but Darien caught her before she fell too far.
Ami's blue eyes were very thoughtful. "If the Silver Crystal
is only one of the legendary crystals in the universe, Luna, might you
know anything about one named the Star Crystal?" she asked.
Luna was silent for many moments, and then her ears perked up.
"My memory of the Silver Millennium is fuzzy at best, but your
computer should be loaded with files from that time. Perhaps if you
ran a search, you could come across something."
Ami did as she was bidden, and in no time flat she had brought
up a file on it.
"Hmm... yes, I found it! The Star Crystal. In size it is only
a little bigger than the Silver Crystal at it's core, but it has many
spike like growths that lance out from it, the effect making it look
like a star, hence it's name. Unlike the Serena's crystal, the Star
Crystal was not passed down in one family, but actually chose its
owners, and skipped around at random. Hmm... There are various reports
here of people randomly finding it while under attack or in trouble,
using its powers, and then the crystal disappearing afterwards. It's
powers are rooted in weather and nature, which is why it probably would
like Lita the best out of all of us, and as of yet no one has been able
to chart the extent of its power." Ami paused for a moment, and then
continued. "Although it wouldn't seem possible, it seems that the Star
Crystal has an innate intelligence all its own."
That gave everyone a lot to chew on, and muddle over. They
were still muddling when all of a sudden an explosion rang out that
shook the ground itself.
"Shit," muttered Vegita as he stuck his head out the window.
"Why does this always have to happen?"
Just as it seemed they might have the upper hand, the enemy
strikes again.
Everyone got ready for battle.
~*~
Tell me what you think!