DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to Love In A Ruined World, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read Love In A Ruined World, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. ^_^ In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.
Reviewer Thanks-
NickeyWhite2: ^_^ Thank you! I'm glad you like the couple, I know there aren't many Mirai/Ami fics out there...
Quistis Trepe05: Hmm... what questions didja have that were answered by chapter 1? I'm glad it was able to help... and don't worry, there'll be action today! (mostly training, but it'll still be exciting)
MWD: Glad you liked both fics! Thanks for reviewing!
GracedAngel1854: Alrighty, will do... here's chapter two for ya right now!
Selfless: It's okay, read the Sammy/Ami stories whenever you had time. I just wanted to put in a little inside joke for all my hardcore fans out there, hee...
---
As the Senshi followed Trunks into the training chamber, they were confronted by a large, empty room with a domed ceiling and a tiled floor. A window in the side of the chamber allowed for monitoring the conditions of the room's inhabitants, and changing of the chamber's settings to accommodate them. As soon as the door was closed, Bulma's voice could be heard throughout the room, coming through speakers in the room's ceiling.
"Is everything alright in there?" asked Bulma.
"Yes, mom... we're ready to begin the training," Trunks said. "Could we start off by upping the gravity in the room to twice the Earth's normal gravity? Thanks."
"Wait, what did you tell her to do?" Sailor Moon asked, a quizzical look on her face. "Pardon me if I'm wrong, but I think I just heard you tell your mom to-"
The new gravity setting immediately took effect, and everyone in the room now felt twice as heavier as the pull of gravity in the chamber was increased 100%. All five Senshi let out audible groans, and their knees briefly buckled before the initial shock of the increased gravity wore off and they were able to stand fully upright. Trunks smirked, as his body was used to forces much stronger than simply twice the Earth's gravity. The Senshi, however, had different reactions.
"Trunks, I'm not sure if we're ready for this yet," Sailor Mercury said quietly, her voice strained by the gravity's force on her body.
"Yeah, why did you turn up the gravity?" Sailor Moon shouted. "And... HOW did you turn up the gravity?"
"Guys, Trunks is the one training us, he knows what he's doing," said Sailor Jupiter, clenching her fists. "I'm ready for this, actually... it'll be a great challenge!"
"Jupiter is right," Sailor Mercury said, smiling at Trunks. "You made me so much stronger when you trained me all those months ago... I trust that you'll be able to help my friends just as well."
"Thank you, Ami," said Trunks. "I promise I won't let any of you get hurt... but you will all have to train hard... I'm not doing this for my health, I'm doing this for yours."
Trunks gave a friendly smile, calming down the other Senshi.
"C'mon, let's just do this," Sailor Mars said. "We don't want to be caught off-guard by gravity again... remember when Rubeus subdued us with a burst of gravity?"
"Alright," said Sailor Moon, remembering the terrible ordeal she had to face when Rubeus captured her friends. They were almost killed that day... Sailor Moon had barely been able to save their lives, and she didn't want that to happen again. A new villain could strike at anytime, and even though the Senshi would have Trunks on their side, Sailor Moon knew that even Trunks couldn't defeat everything... "Let the training begin!"
"Now, when I trained Ami," Trunks said, facing the Senshi, "I taught her to focus the energy from her magical attacks into a concentrated burst, which would amplify the attack's power at the minor cost of reducing its range. If you can aim the attack well, however, it will be a very, very powerful weapon. Ami, if you would please demonstrate..."
Sailor Mercury gave a nod toward Trunks, and stepped forward, then turned to face the other Senshi. She closed her eyes and began the sequence for using one of her attacks.
"Let's hope I still remember how to do this..." she thought, not wanted to embarrass herself in front of her friends. As she began her attack, the Mercury Infusion Maelstrom, her most powerful, a large amount of magical energy began coursing through her body. She began to focus the attack's energies, channeling them through her arms to the palms of her hands. "Mercury... Infusion..."
"Wait!" shouted Bulma's voice from the room's speakers. "I should probably give you something to aim at by loading in some scenery..."
Sailor Mercury stopped her attack just in time, slightly annoyed at having to cancel her attack. Trunks let out a slight chuckle, and rubbed his forehead.
"Yeah, this training chamber is kinda small without the scenery program..." Trunks said. "The virtual scenery can vastly increase its size... that way, we won't be so cramped."
"You almost got us blasted," Sailor Moon said, frowning.
"He said he was sorry," Sailor Venus replied. "So, when will the new scenery be-"
For the second time, the Senshi were interrupted by a change of conditions in the room. Instead of a thirty-foot wide domed room, the Senshi were now standing in a vast field, with small trees dotting the landscape every few feet or so.
"Whoa, awesome!" shouted Sailor Mars, awestruck by the room's sudden change.
"Did your mom build all this?" Sailor Jupiter asked.
"Mm-hmm," said Sailor Mercury, nodding her head. "She even let me watch while she finished it... I was here when Trunks fought his first battle here..."
"You were at my birthday when mom gave it to me," said Trunks. "I remember that day so well..."
"Alright, enough of this mushy stuff, I wanna train!" shouted Sailor Moon impatiently.
"Okay, okay," said Trunks, turning back toward Sailor Mercury. "Okay, Ami... fire off your attack at that tree over there, alright?"
Sailor Mercury turned toward the tree about twenty feet away from her and nodded, channeling her magical energy as her friends all watched, standing beside her.
"Mercury... Infusion..."
But just before going into her normal attack routine and allowing the large amount of energy to overtake her, Sailor Mercury channeled it all into her palms and released it as a huge burst of energy. The result was a large beam that slammed into the tree and exploded in a powerful ball of freezing ice and water, creating a large, frozen crater around the tree, which stood in the middle of a disc of ice, frozen into a brittle, twisted shape. Within seconds, the tree shattered into chunks of ice.
"And that's how you focus your energy," said Trunks. The other Senshi turned to Sailor Mercury with expressions of shock and surprise on their faces. Sailor Moon was the first to speak.
"How did you... how did you concentrate your energy like that?" Sailor Moon asked.
"You have to focus on a singular point and channel your energy," Sailor Mercury replied. "That's what Trunks taught me to be able to do."
"That was incredible," Sailor Venus said, still awed by Sailor Mercury's display of power.
"Now, I'm going to help all of you focus your energy," Trunks said. He walked out in front of the five Senshi, standing at a distance of about thirty feet away from them. "Now, what I want you to do is use your attacks... on me."
"What?" Sailor Mars gasped. "Are you crazy? You'll be hurt, or even-"
"Trust me, I won't," Trunks said, a confident smile on his face. "Not yet, anyway... though eventually I do want all of you to be able to damage me with your attacks."
"Trunks is really powerful," Sailor Moon said, taking out her henshin stick and holding it out in front of her chest. "I'm pretty sure he can withstand our attacks..."
"Don't hold back, not at all," Trunks said. "I've already learned from Ami that when you use your attacks, the magical power involved sweeps your bodies through a series of rhythms that aim and focus on the attacks on many different points. This gives you a good range, but an unfocused attack has very little strength behind it... you might come across enemies much more powerful than those puny youmas you're used to facing."
"Trunks is right," thought Sailor Venus. "And I can remember many times when my attacks didn't work... or any of the other Senshi's, for that matter..."
"So, instead of allowing yourself to be swept through the rhythms, try to stop yourself as best as you can, and think of all the energy going down your arms and into your hands, concentrated into a ball," Trunks said. "And whatever you do, don't finish the name of your attack. That will cause its power to be released prematurely. If you can concentrate, you'll be able to control the forms that your attacks take on. I wasn't able to work very much with Ami on this, but I think you can do all sorts of things with your magical energy, creating all new attacks in any forms that you wish."
"I'll go first then," Sailor Moon said, stepping forward and activating her henshin stick, causing magical energy to begin surging through her body just as it had done with Sailor Mercury. As she began channeling the energy, she began to feel a sort of weakness that she wasn't used to feeling when her attack began, and tiny twinges of pain flared up throughout her body. "It's the gravity... it's making it a lot harder to form the attack... but I have to keep going!"
"She's straining to gather her energy," said Sailor Jupiter, watching Sailor Moon intently.
"The gravity," said Trunks, confirming both Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter's theories. "It just means that fighting will be that much easier in normal conditions. Hang in there, okay?"
Sailor Moon clenched her teeth and continued focusing her energy, but soon, she found herself swept up by the rhythm and motion of the attack.
"Moon... Purification..."
"Now, Sailor Moon!" shouted Trunks. "Focus the energy and-"
"Panacea!"
A wave of magical energy rushed at Trunks, who held up his hand and let the attack dissipate against it. Sure enough, Trunks was unharmed by the attack, but Sailor Moon, whom had had a lot taken out of her by the strain of both the gravity and the attack itself, sunk to one knee, breathing heavily.
"Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mercury shouted, rushing to her side. "It's okay... I didn't get it the first time either..."
"That's going to be really hard to pull off, now that I know what Trunks wants us to try and do," Sailor Mars said, a worried look on her face. "Every time I use my Mars Flame Sniper, it's just so natural... I start the attack and it's like I go into a trance until the attack is over... it'll be really hard to focus something like that."
"Trunks had to physically stop me from finishing my attack so that I could be able to concentrate it," Sailor Mercury said. "But after the first time, I knew exactly when I had to stop, and I've been able to do it ever since."
"I'll give it... another go," Sailor Moon said, slowly rising to her feet. "Ugh, that's the worst part about all this gravity... it's so hard to get up... how the heck does Trunks do it?"
"You sure, Sailor Moon?" asked Sailor Venus, closely inspecting her princess' bruised form. "That attack took a lot out of you..."
"One more go," Sailor Moon said, holding out her henshin stick. "I'm ready."
Trunks nodded and held his ground, ready to face another one of Sailor Moon's attacks. With a wave of her henshin stick, Sailor Moon began to concentrate her magical energies once more.
"Remember, Sailor Moon... try to stop yourself just before you finish saying the attack, and during the whole time you're charging the attack, concentrate its energy toward a single point, alright?" Trunks said, coaching Sailor Moon as she began going into the attack's natural emotions. As Sailor Moon twirled, holding up her henshin stick, she tried to keep her focus, but could slowly feel it slipping away.
"You can do it, Sailor Moon!" shouted Sailor Mercury encouragingly. "I know you can!"
"Moon... Purification...."
Almost immediately, Sailor Moon regained control, and started to guide her energy into her palms.
"Wait... I'm using my henshin stick for this attack... that's where I need to focus the energy, right at the tip!"
She redoubled her efforts, concentrating all of her magical energy right onto the tip of the heart-shaped jewel at the end of the henshin stick.
"She's doing it," thought Trunks, watching large wisps of energy float off of Sailor Moon's body and onto the tip of the jeweled wand. "Incredible..."
"Aaaaaaah!" Sailor Moon yelled, firing a large beam of magical energy straight at Trunks. The beam was glowing with an incredible white light, and large wisps of energy floated around the entire beam, giving it a spiral shape resembling that of Piccolo's Makkensappo. Trunks remembered that particular attack, and put up his arms to brace himself as the large beam of ki barreled toward him.
"That's unbelievable!" Sailor Mars gasped.
"It's exactly what Trunks was talking about," said Sailor Jupiter. "Focusing your energy and concentrating your attack... it's amazing!"
The magical beam slammed into Trunks' hands with incredible force, generating a large explosion of white light that the Senshi had to shield their eyes from.
"I hope Trunks wasn't hurt..." Sailor Mercury thought, shielding her eyes from the blast. "Sailor Moon's attack is so much stronger than mine was... she could've probably taken out Crysthea in a second with an attack like that..."
Finally, the light disappeared, and the dust sifted up to the sky. Trunks was left standing in the middle of a large crater, floating up out of it and smiling at Sailor Moon, who was trying to get to her feet as the force of the attack hand sent her sprawling once more. Trunks began to clap his hands, but when his palms came together, a brief but painful sting caused Trunks to let out a gasp of pain and gaze down at his hands. His palms were slightly singed from the heat generated by the attack, and covered in blisters.
"Damn..." Trunks cursed silently, shaking his hands to counteract the pain. "That was pretty good..."
"Sailor Moon, you actually hurt him," said Sailor Mercury, looking up at Trunks. "Are you alright, dear?"
Trunks nodded.
"Don't get mad at her, Ami... I don't think she knew her own strength!"
"I'm not mad, I'm just amazed," Sailor Mercury said, walking over to Sailor Moon and joining the other Senshi, who were also crowded around her. "That was really great, Sailor Moon!"
"That was hard..." Sailor Moon groaned, rubbing her head. "I don't think I'll be able to do that for a while..."
"Trunks? Trunks, are you alright?" called Bulma's voice through the room's speakers, still active after the scenery change. "I had the magical power level sensors on, and I briefly sensed a power reading of over a million! Were you getting the same vibes, or-"
"You know I can't sense magical power very well," said Trunks, "but I think my hands can... they're stinging pretty badly right now. Good job, Sailor Moon."
"I only got up to about 72,000 by the time Trunks was finished training me," Sailor Mercury thought, a humbling feeling coming over her. "I guess we all need more training..."
"Okay, now I wanna try that," Sailor Mars said, stepping forward.
"Hey now, blonde Senshi first!" Sailor Venus said, also stepping forward. "Sailor Moon went, so I'm next."
"Maybe I should go," said Sailor Jupiter, flexing her muscles. "I think I'm ready to try out this energy-focusing thing... I'm pretty sure I know just how to do it!"
"Alright, alright, you can all go," said Trunks, stepping back out to face the three Senshi. "All of you hit me with your attacks at once. Remember how Sailor Moon did it... while she was doing her attack, she concentrated and focused her energy into a single point. Don't finish the name of your attack, but wait until the absolute last second to fire off your accumulated energy. You've seen Sailor Moon do it, so it should be easy for the rest of you..."
"Be careful, Trunks..." Sailor Mercury said. "I'm not sure if it's a good idea to let three of the Senshi attack you at once... we're all pretty close in power, and you could get hurt, like you did when Sailor Moon used her attack..."
"I'll keep my hands to my side this time, and use my chest to block the attack," said Trunks. "It's a lot stronger than my palms are..."
"Maybe you should go Super Saiyan, or even Super Saiyan 2, like you did to save Ami!" said Sailor Moon, looking over at Trunks. Trunks simply shook his head.
"The transformation takes a lot out of me, and I don't like to use it unless I actually need it... the Super Saiyan transformation isn't a toy," said Trunks. Then, he turned to face the other three Senshi. "Whenever you're ready."
Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus nodded, and each of them began the motions for their attacks, just as they had seen Sailor Moon do a few minutes earlier.
"Mars Flame..."
"Jupiter Oak..."
"Venus Love Chain..."
As all three girls executed their attacks, as they had done so often in the past, they began slipping into their normal routines and began to lose focus and be swept up into the attack itself. But then they snapped back into focus, just like Sailor Moon had done. They began concentrating their magical energy into their palms, and then each of them formed spheres of energy in front of their arms, their bodies surrounded by the wisps of energy now floating into the spheres. Trunks smiled.
"They're really getting the hang of this..."
Just then, three large beams of magical energy came rushing at Trunks, accompanied by a loud scream from each of the three girls. One beam was red, one was dark green, and one was golden. As all three beams hit Trunks, they sent up a huge pillar of fire, lightning, and energy chains that engulfed Trunks, tossing up a generous amount of rocks and dust from the ground, along with giant fireballs and golden magical energy beams.
"Trunks is right in the middle of that thing!" Sailor Mercury thought, immediately overcome with worry for Trunks. "Oh dear... Trunks, be careful!"
The fire, lightning, rocks, energy chains, and energy beams disappeared, leaving Trunks floating just above another large crater, completely unharmed. A white energy aura was pulsating around his body. He floated over to the three Senshi, who had remained standing after the attack, though all three were groaning in exhaustion. Sailor Mercury ran over to Trunks and wrapped her arms around him, relieved that he was safe.
"I'm alright, Ami..." Trunks said, returning her embrace. "Your friends are all really strong, Ami..."
"I know," Sailor Mercury said, smiling and breaking off the hug.
"That felt great!" Sailor Jupiter shouted, pumping her fists victoriously. Sailor Venus nodded, a proud grin on her face.
"And on the very first try, too!" Sailor Venus said, giving a 'v for victory' sign on her right hand.
"Well, you guys did have the benefit of watching me do it," Sailor Moon said. "Still... great job, all of you!"
"Thanks for helping us focus our attacks," said Sailor Jupiter. "I feel so much stronger now!"
"Although this heavy gravity is starting to make me a bit dizzy..." Sailor Mars said, rubbing her forehead.
"Now that we've got the beginners stuff out of the way, we can start thinking about channeling your energy into different forms and making it even stronger," Trunks said. "You all did really well today."
"So we're going to break for lunch?" said Bulma's voice over the room's speakers. The scenery in the training chamber disappeared, leaving Trunks and the five Senshi standing in the familiar white room, the chamber's original form.
"Yeah, I'm starting to get pretty hungry," Trunks said, rubbing his stomach. "What about you guys?"
"You took the words right out of my mouth!" said Sailor Moon, rushing toward the door of the training chamber. "And I can't wait to replace them with food!"
Trunks, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus laughed. Bulma giggled, returning the gravity inside the chamber to normal and opening the door. Sailor Moon rushed outside, nearly running over Bulma in her desire to eat.
"I haven't made lunch yet, silly!" Bulma called loudly toward her, causing Sailor Moon to stop dead in her tracks. The Senshi and Trunks began laughing again.
---
As soon as lunch began, Serena, now detransformed from her Senshi form, along with all the other Senshi, began stuffing herself with the bologna sandwiches that Bulma had placed on the kitchen table.
"Uh, Serena... you know we don't have very many of those," Trunks said, watching helplessly as Serena devoured sandwich after sandwich. Bandages had been wrapped around his palms to help them heal after Sailor Moon's earlier attack.
"Serena, you're being very rude!" said Rei, gently picking up one of the sandwiches from the table and eating it slowly. "You should slow down..."
"It's alright, I can always get more from Nihimo Town," Bulma said, taking a bite out of a salad that she'd prepared for herself.
"But until mom builds us another car, I've got to make the food runs, since Nihimo Town is dozens of miles away," Trunks said, also eating a salad. "The last car got destroyed by the androids, so mom's been working on a new one for quite awhile... it's probably been a whole year now since the androids were destroyed."
"You keep a lovely house, Mrs. Briefs," Lita said politely. During the eight months since the death of Frieza, Bulma had steadily been working on the house, trying to make it as much like the old Capsule Corp. house as she could. After Trunks first returned from the past, before he had returned to assist the Z-Fighters a second time, the androids destroyed the old Capsule Corp. complex, which caused Bulma and Trunks to move just outside the former Quadra Town to build their current residence, where they'd been living ever since. Even when Ami had been living there, the Briefs' home had a rustic feel to it, with no wallpaper and carpeting only in the living room and bedrooms. Now, the house was much nicer. Flowered wallpaper had been placed all over the house, its destroyed rooms had been repaired, and a guest room was even added for Ami, so that Trunks or Bulma wouldn't have to move to the couch. Bulma smiled at Lita's comment, thanking her kindly.
"Thank you," Bulma said. "It's been really hard, but I had a lot of help from Trunks, as well as Ami when she would stop over again. Now that the house is finished, I'll be able to do a lot more work on the car."
"Well, I'm just glad that everything that's happened to you and Trunks hasn't ruined your outlook on life," said Mina. "You're both very strong people... I don't know what I'd do if the world was messed up like it is here..."
"We'll never, ever let that happen," Ami said. "Trunks has already saved one world from a fate like this..."
"And you Sailor Senshi have saved your own world plenty of times," Trunks replied, sipping from a glass of orange juice. "That's why it's so important to train... you never know who could try and ruin your world next."
"That's right," Serena said, ceasing her feeding frenzy for a few seconds to be able to speak. "And just like Ami said... the Sailor Senshi will never let Earth be destroyed! And it'll be a lot easier now that you're fighting with us, Trunks..."
"Thank you... all of you," said Trunks. "I've been to three different worlds now, and I'm eternally grateful that the people on all three have been so kind to me..."
"You don't deserve anything less, Trunks," Ami said, smiling at him. "You're the most wonderful person in any world..."
"Ami, thank you..." Trunks replied, giving Ami a brief kiss on the cheek.
"Hoo boy, here we go again..." Serena groaned, simultaneously receiving an elbow to the gut from both Mina and Rei. "Ow!"
---
After lunch, the Senshi trained with Trunks for a few more hours, perfecting their energy channeling techniques. They didn't work on creating any new attacks just yet, as Trunks wanted to make absolutely sure they would be able to focus their energy before beginning any new training. Once all the training was over for the day, the Senshi detransformed again and stood outside the Briefs' house. Trunks used the dimensional transporting machine to create a gate for the Senshi, who stood just outside it, saying their goodbyes to Bulma and Trunks.
"Goodbye, guys!" Serena said, waving at them.
"Thank you for everything!" Rei said sweetly.
Serena, Rei, Lita, and Mina stepped through the gate. Ami started to go through, but then turned back and walked over to Trunks. Trunks, who thought Ami wanted to give him a goodbye kiss, chuckled slightly and began to pucker his lips.
"Trunks, before we go back... there's going to be a carnival tonight, and I'd love for you to go with us... you've never been to a carnival before, have you?" Ami asked. Trunks smiled and shook his head.
"I fought the androids at an amusement park before, but I've never actually been to a fully operational carnival," said Trunks. "Alright, I'll come with you."
"Great!" Ami said, giving Trunks a quick kiss on the lips. "Bulma, I'll bring him back around ten, okay?"
"You'll bring... him back?" Bulma said, a sly look on her face. "Are you his mom or something?"
"Uh... bye, mom!" Trunks said as Ami half-pulled him through the gate. "See you at ten!"
The gate closed after Trunks and Ami went through it, leaving Bulma standing alone in front of the house. She smiled and shook her head.
"Kids these days..."
---
"Wow, this is...."
Seeing the lights of the carnival against the night sky immediately brought a joy to Trunks' heart, reminding him that the vibrant spirit of life was still strongly pulsating, at least in Ami's world. Serena, Darien, Sammy, Mika, Rei, Chad, Lita, and Mina all ran into the carnival ahead of Trunks, leaving he and Ami alone to explore the carnival by themselves. Cotton candy booths were set up everywhere, along with booths selling other types of food, game booths, caricature booths, and many different rides, including a large Ferris wheel in the center of the large clearing where the carnival was being held. Ami immediately pointed to it, an excited look on her face.
"Trunks, let's ride the Ferris wheel... I know the thrill aspect of it is minimized by you being able to fly and all, but I think it would be really romantic to ride it at least once!" Ami said, a bright smile on her face. Now that Ami was deeply in love, her entire demeanor had changed, becoming slightly less subdued, especially around Trunks. Whenever she was near him, she felt a happiness deep within her soul that, at many times, found its way out into the world. Whenever Ami was happy, Trunks was happy, and her bright mood instantly lightened up his emotions as well.
"Alright, Ami.... but do you really want to ride it first?" Trunks asked. "I think we should probably eat, or play a few games first... I bet I could win you a really good prize!"
"I was going to ride it with you as soon as we got here, and then just before we left," said Ami, still smiling at Trunks. "But we can ride it whenever you-"
"That's okay, Ami..." Trunks said, holding her hand and smiling back at her. "We can ride it now if you want."
Ami giggled, then calmly led Trunks toward the entrance to the Ferris wheel. Elsewhere at the carnival, Serena and her friends were participating in the other activities. Sammy and Mika started off in the bouncy cage, while Serena was playing the ring toss game, trying to win a large, stuffed bunny rabbit.
"C'mon, you stupid ring... get around the stupid bottle!" Serena shouted, tossing the ring toward a group of empty pop bottles that had been set up. The ring hit one of them, bouncing off and falling between two rows of bottles. Serena pouted, turning toward Darien and slumping her shoulders sadly.
"Darien, would you win me a prize?" Serena said, trying to use the voice that would elicit the most pity out of Darien. Darien smiled, and then took a 50-yen coin out of his pocket, handing it to the person operating the ring toss game.
"Thank you, sir," said a neat-looking man dressed in a red and yellow striped uniform, handing Darien a blue plastic ring. "If you can get it around the middle bottle, you win the big prize!"
"C'mon, Darien!" Serena said excitedly. "Win me the big bunny!"
Darien prepared to toss his ring, but just before he could, a small pink ring flew out into the field of bottles. It flew perfectly, landing right in the right spot and circling around the middle bottle. A loud squeal of delight alerted Darien to a short, green-haired teenage girl standing just next to him. She was flanked by a pink-haired girl and a blue-haired girl, standing behind her.
"Way to go, Cammy!" Rose, the pink haired girl shouted, patting her younger sister on the back. "You kicked that game's butt!"
"Your aim is perfect! Right on the money!" said Angela, the blue-haired girl.
"Yay!" Cammy squealed as the large bunny was handed to her. She hugged the bunny tightly, her arms wrapped around its chest. "Hey guys... what's up?"
"Hi there, Cammy!" said Darien. "And congratulations! Serena and I were just trying to-"
"Trying to watch you...." Serena said, her hand clamping over Darien's mouth, "...win that lovely prize! Um, so how much do you want for it?"
Cammy giggled.
"Mr. Hoppity isn't for sale," Cammy said, still tightly hugging her new stuffed friend. "I've been trying to win him since forever..."
"You spent nearly three thousand yen on it," Rose said, her hands on her hips. "That's almost as much as you made today at the ice cream parlor..."
"But I'm glad you won it," Angela said. "And it's really nice to see you both here!"
"The other girls are here too... so's my little brother and his girlfriend," said Serena. "And Trunks is here too."
"That's great!" Rose said. "Maybe we'll see him and Ami around here somewhere..."
"They're probably on the Ferris wheel," said Angela, pointing up to the large, spinning circular ride. "We'll try to catch them on their way off."
"See ya later!" Cammy said happily, walking off with her two sisters, her new bunny friend still clutched tightly in her grip.
"I wanted to win that bunny so much..." Serena said sadly.
"Calm down, Serena... there's plenty of other things to do here," said Darien, gently taking Serena's hand. "We'll just get some elephant ears and I'm sure you'll feel a lot better then..."
"Elephant ears? Lead the way!"
Elsewhere in the carnival, Rei and Chad were taking shots at Mina, suspended over the waters of a dunk tank in nothing but a black bikini. Lita was standing next to the tank, taking money from paying customers.
"And you missed again!" Mina shouted, pulling down her eyelid sticking her tongue out at Chad. "That's nine balls in a row!"
"Aw, Rei... this game is no fun," said Chad, fumbling through his pockets.
"Buy another ball," Rei said. "I want to see Mina get dunked!"
"And besides, this dunk tank is making a lot of money for our school!" said Lita, smiling at Chad.
"So think of it this way," said Rei. "The more you play, the more money our school makes!"
"But I don't go to your school..." Chad whined.
---
Far above the Earth, in the giant space station orbiting above, an attack plan was being made. Standing in a small room filled with computer monitors were two very powerful magical warriors. One of them was a tall woman with long, flowing black hair, wearing a very skimpy two-piece outfit. The material comprising the outfit was leather-like in appearance, its top revealing a good deal of cleavage on the woman's chest. The woman also wore tall, red boots that went up almost to her knees. Standing just across from her was a man with short, spiked hair, silver in color. His eyes were a piercing shade of green, and his face was clean and flawless. His outfit was far more conservative than the woman's, consisting of a black vest and a pair of baggy green pants, with a brown pair of combat boots on his feet. The man looked like he was ready for a combat session, while the woman looked ready for an all-night sex party. This unlikely pair was working for the mighty Exeter, a powerful being whose strength consisted of immense magical power, with a bit of ki knowledge mixed in. But right now, the attack on Earth would be led by these two, who were arguing about just how their first strike would be conducted.
"Why can't I come with you?" squealed the black-haired woman in a screeching, high-pitched voice. "Why do you and your dumb soldiers get to go, and I don't?"
"Because Exeter said so, and because this isn't a mission to defeat Trunks or the Senshi just yet, it's merely a reconnaissance trip, Nikashi. We are not to fight Trunks... just yet, anyway."
"But Pandemonium... why can't I do reconnaissance? Your dumb soldiers are just going to get their butts whooped!"
"They are to engage the Senshi, not Trunks," said Pandemonium. "We will deal with Trunks personally later. All four of them will return, along with me. We will only be gone a little while, Nikashi."
"Alright," said Nikashi. "But if you do fight Trunks... don't mess up his pretty little face too bad, okay?"
"Tch," snorted Pandemonium, turning and walking out of the room.
"Hmph!" shouted Nikashi.
---
The Ferris wheel slowly spun forward, slowly taking Trunks and Ami up toward the sky.
"Isn't this great, Trunks?" Ami asked. "You can see all the lights of Tokyo from up here!"
The Ferris wheel came to a stop just when Trunks and Ami were at the apex of its cycle, allowing them time to appreciate the ride's full height.
"This is incredible, Ami... did you tell them to stop?" Trunks asked.
"Mm-hmm," Ami said. "The people running the ride are friends of mine... we'll have two full minutes up here!"
"Better make good use of them," Trunks said. He leaned in toward Ami, who leaned toward him in reply. Their lips met in a tender kiss, as the lights of the Ferris wheel shined brightly around them, illuminating the two lovers.
"Hey, there they are!" shouted Cammy, pointing to the top of the Ferris wheel while holding her stuffed rabbit with the other. "Trunks! Ami!"
"Cammy, don't embarrass them," said Angela, tweaking her sister on the nose.
"They can't be embarrassed! They're in love!" Cammy replied, tweaking Angela back.
"Quit fighting, you two," said Rose, looking up at the two lovers. "Wow, they're so-"
Suddenly, a large fireball exploded just a few feet away from the girls. They screamed, and quickly dispersed, running from the Ferris wheel along with a large crowd of people who had also been nearby. Trunks and Ami, wrapped up in their sensual kiss, didn't see the fireball, or the person who had caused it, a tall woman with red hair that went down to just below her neck. The woman was wearing a shimmering red dress, and she wore long, white gloves on her hands. Something else was unique about her... she had caused the fireball from above the park. She had the ability to fly, along with her other three cohorts, who were all male. They landed next to her, standing in front of the Ferris wheel as many of the other people in the park began fleeing past them. The three men were dressed similarly, all of them wearing jumpsuits. One wore a light blue jumpsuit, one wore a light green jumpsuit, and the other one wore a tan jumpsuit. The man in the blue jumpsuit had short, spiked brown hair, while the man in the green jumpsuit and the man in the blue jumpsuit had identical hairstyles: long, straight hair, similar to Trunks' hair but not tied back into ponytails. The four villains gave an imposing presence, especially as they stood completely still while other frantic patrons dashed for safety around them. Trunks and Ami didn't see the fireball, but they did hear the screaming, and looked down to investigate.
"What's going on?" Ami shouted nervously.
"I'm not sure," Trunks said. "It looks like there's a big panic... but why?"
Trunks didn't have to look very long, as he noticed a large plume of smoke rising from just below where the woman in the red dress and her three male counterparts were standing.
"Why aren't those people running?" Ami asked.
"I'm not sure," Trunks said. "Unless... they're the ones causing this mess!"
Down on the ground, Serena, Darien, Rei, Lita, and Mina had heard the screaming as well. Mina, still dressed in her bikini, climbed down from the dunk tank and stood next to Lita, while Chad began to try and pull Rei toward the exit of the carnival.
"Rei, girls, we've gotta get out of here!" Chad shouted. "Those four are bad news, I know it!"
"I... I can't leave, not just yet," Rei said, stalling for time while she tried to figure out a way to transform.
"Crud, with all these people around, there's no way we'll be able to transform!" Lita shouted. "Wait... of course, the portable bathrooms!"
"Follow me," Lita whispered to Mina, who followed Lita to the row of portable bathrooms set up near the park's entrance.
"Uh, Chad, I... I have to go to the bathroom too!" Rei shouted, following Lita and Mina toward the bathrooms. "Great plan, Lita!"
"But where will I go?" Chad shouted. "I'm not going to leave you, Rei..."
"Yes you are," Rei said, pushing Chad toward the crowd of people, and then dashing toward the bathrooms. "I just hope he doesn't get trampled..."
"Your friends are going to the port-a-potties to transform," Trunks whispered to Ami. "I'll fly you down there, okay?"
"Are you sure you should let these people see you fly?" Ami asked. "I mean-"
"They're already scared, aren't they?" Trunks asked. "I'm going to get all the people down from the Ferris wheel first, though... stay here and don't move, alright? Call if you need me."
Ami nodded as Trunks floated down from the Ferris wheel and began gathering up the other people trapped in the ride.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Trunks..." Ami thought, leaning over the side of the ride and watching as Trunks began flying people to safety. "I guess eight months of peace was a pretty long time..."
"Patrick, Elbarzad, Grenate!" shouted the red-haired woman to the man in blue, the man in green, and the man in brown respectively. "Go and trash everything you can find until the Senshi or Trunks show up! We're going to pick a little fight with-"
"Mars Flame Sniper!"
A small beam of fire brushed past the woman's face, making a slight burn. She whipped around to see Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus standing behind her, ready to fight. The three men turned to face them as well.
"I don't know who the heck you are, but you're not ruining our world, not while we're around!" shouted Sailor Mars.
"That's right!" Sailor Jupiter yelled. "And in the name of all the planets in the Solar System, we're going to rip all of you a new one!"
"For your information," said the woman, "My name is Flarinsa, and I am a soldier working for the mighty Pandemonium, strongest warrior in this or any solar system! We're held to a high standard of excellence, and by that, we mean strength!"
"If anyone is going to get ripped apart today, it's the three of you," said Patrick, an evil smirk on his face.
"And you're just the people we wanted to see," said Elbarzad. "In fact, this should be lots of fun, since it's a four-on-three battle!"
"Make it four on five!" shouted Sailor Moon, running toward the battle with Tuxedo Mask at her side. "Sorry we almost missed the fight, guys, but Sammy got knocked down by the explosion and scraped his knee, and I had to get him a bandaid, and-"
"Silence!" shouted Grenate, clenching his fist. "Hmm... not all of the Senshi have arrived yet..."
"It's no matter, we're not here to beat them all... yet," said Flarinsa. "You heard Pandemonium! Our goal is to observe... fight the Senshi and see just what they're made of."
"But that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun in the meantime," said Patrick, extending his palms toward the Senshi. "In fact, I think I'll make the first move!"
---
And so, evil shows its face... and Trunks is too busy doing community service to help fight! Well, for now anyway... what did you guys think of this chapter? Chapter 3 is coming in a few days!