Previously...
About this time Serenity turned to Vegeta and said, "Hey Veggie, want to spar? I am finally readjusted to this time and place. My body should be able to handle it."
This instantly drew the attention of the rest present. So far all they had seen Serenity do was meditate, if that was what she was doing.
"You sure Bunny?"
Rolling her eyes at his protectiveness she replied, "Come one Vegeta when have you turned down a chance to spar with me?"
Vegeta just smirked and held out his hand to help her up. As soon as she was on her feet, he flew back away from her. She followed allowing a safe distance to develop between herself and the picnic area.
------
Once the two fighters had achieved a safe distance away from the picnic area, both Serenity and Vegeta took their fighting stances. Each fighter stood there for a few moments gazing into each other's eyes while trying to gage who was going to make the first move.
Just as Serenity was about to launch an attack she felt a tapping on her shoulder. Turning she saw a Krillin looking rather sheepish at her.
"Uh... your majesty..."
Confused she automatically replied, "Please just call me Serenity."
"Ok, um... Serenity..."
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING BALDY!"
Turning Serenity saw an angry Vegeta headed directly towards the stuttering Krillin beside her. Still unsure why Krillin was interrupting their spar before it even got started, she ignored the storming prince and turned back to the short man beside her and asked, "Krillin, is there a problem?"
"Well... I was just thinking..."
"HEY! STOP IGNORING ME BALDY! WHAT IN THE LIVING HELL COULD YOU NEED AT THIS PRECISE MOMENT!"
"Hi Vegeta, I was just thinking..."
"WHY WERE YOU THINKING? YOU SHOULD BE SPARING ON YOUR OWN! OVER THERE! AWAY FROM US!"
"Vegeta" Serenity's soft melodic voice stopped Vegeta mid-breathe during his tirade. "Krillin what is it you were thinking?"
"Um... Well... you see... Why are you going to fight Vegeta? I mean he is really strong and he never holds back when he spars. He fights to win every time. So you could get really hurt. You were just hurt real bad a few weeks ago and... well... I don't want to see you injured again."
"HA! Come on Bunny, let's spar." Said Vegeta as he stalked back across the lawn to where his original position was before the interruption.
Turning to Krillin Serenity began, "Krillin, what Vegeta is saying in his most... tactful... way, is that you don't have any reason worry. We have sparred before and I know what he is capable of. I do appreciate your concern for my wellbeing but you need not worry."
"Ok, I guess if you're sure..." With that an uneasy Krillin flew back towards the group of Z senshi who were watching.
Before Serenity could turn back towards Vegeta, whom she knew was now more than tired of waiting to spar, she sensed an attack coming. She bent backwards at the waist to narrowly avoid a ki-charged fist from Vegeta. She used her backward momentum to grab a hold of Vegeta's wrist and pull herself up at the same time she used her leverage to flip Vegeta across the lawn. Both opponents quickly recovered and with grins, or in Vegeta's case it was a smirk, on their faces they began in earnest to try to land a blow on each other.
The crowd, who was still at the picnic tables, was sitting in rapt attention as the two combatants danced across the lawn while they obviously enjoyed their spar. Nearly all jaws had dropped to the ground as they watched the delicate and fragile looking Serenity launch a series of vicious punches and kicks to Vegeta, who was hard pressed to block them all.
It didn't take much longer before the two jumped into the air and continued the now aerial spar. They soon clashed together with another blazingly fast round of attacks upon each other. During a rather intense attack Vegeta decided to add some light banter to their spar.
"So you think we have shocked our audience Bunny?"
Taking a brief glance down to the shell shocked group she grinned and replied, "Well, they thought I was weak. I couldn't let them keep thinking that could I?"
"Hell no! But it is fun to try to watch them try to understand how we know each other."
"Vegeta!"
"What! Why should we entertain their endless questions about things that are not their business?"
"It is their business if we are living with them! Besides I like them."
By this time the spar had escalated to a level that both had to start throwing ki blasts at their opponent. This causing them to have to cut their conversation short but when Serenity heard Vegeta's final reply which sounded distinctly like "wuss", she charged a magically enhanced ki blast and threw it at Vegeta.
------
The stunned Z senshi watched as the strange silver glowing ki blast hit Vegeta at an awesome speed that caused him to roughly impact into the ground.
------
The shock of such a powerful blast hitting him wasn't what ticked Vegeta off.
It didn't really bother him that his favorite shirt was now burned or in shreds around him.
Hell it wasn't really even that Serenity's blast forced him just a few yards from the still shocked Z senshi who had just witnessed his defeat, by a woman no less.
The fact that he was now embedded into the ground didn't even anger him very much.
No, what really started pissing him off was the fact that a hundred feet into the air Serenity was doing an extremely enthusiastic victory dance across the sky while she repeatedly chanted "I kicked Vegeta's Ass!"
Now for most people an angry Vegeta would be a good enough reason for any sane being to stop but not Serenity. She just continued on in her rather exuberant display of victory. So Vegeta decided to do the only thing he knew of to regain his dignity. Blasting his way free of the ground he flew directly towards the still celebrating Serenity.
------
The Z senshi were shocked in the first place that Serenity won. Other than Goku no one had ever beaten Vegeta, yet here was the most fragile looking woman they had ever seen defeat the almighty Saiyan prince.
The shock of Vegeta's demise was slowing wearing off when they saw him blast out of the ground and fly towards the unsuspecting Serenity. Startled, they cried out in surprise and fear for her wellbeing. They still had not realized the extent of her abilities even after witnessing her fighting abilities. So fearing they would have to defend her from the angry Prince they all rushed over to where the duo had landed after Vegeta had tackled Serenity in mid-air and forced her down to the ground. So you can imagine their surprise when they arrived only to find a squirming Princess being tickled by the usually stoic Prince.
Slowly Vegeta released his laughing captive and helped her up. As they passed the stunned Z senshi they noticed that he bore a smirk that was almost wide enough to be considered a smile. Turning a glare towards Krillin, he said as he stood up, "The only reason I never hold back in a spar is because of Serenity. It is the only way to keep up with her." Then he promptly took Serenity's hand and together they flew off towards the nearby lake to cool off.
------
The couple landed on the edge of a small lake deep inside the forest that surrounded the Capsule Corporation grounds. Vegeta walked into the lake to cool off while Serenity lay down on the grass. Shortly after Vegeta climbed out of the lake, flared his ki enough to dry off and joined her laying down.
For a long while they just enjoyed the companionable silence between them while listening to the sounds of the forest.
"'Bunny?"
Turning to look at the gruff prince at her side, "Yes Vegeta?"
"What were your Inner Senshi like?"
"I forget sometimes that you never met them..." Serenity replied. "There were four who made up my Inner Senshi. Like all my senshi their powers were not dependent solely on their emotions, yet they could use their emotions to enhance their powers to unimaginable levels."
"Hmph. All you need is will-power to get stronger."
"Really Mr. I-will-be-the-first-Super-Saiyan."
"Just because Kakorat reached Super before me doesn't mean anything. I attained Super Saiyan too."
"Right..." figuring she might as well change the subject before the stubborn prince beside her decided to start cursing the only other still living full-blooded member of his race. "Mina, was the leader and the Senshi of Venus. Her powers, bestowed on her, from Venus were strong and based off emotions of both her and those around her. While they were not directly a result of emotions, they were more like manifestations of them. For instance, if she was angry she could form that anger into an attack. Generally Mina was rather good natured. This, now that I think about it, is probably rather lucky for those we fought considering she had one hell of an angry streak. Being that she was empathic, she could use the emotions of those around her, and use them to form attacks as well. She was beautiful her Venusians blood served her well and endowed her with the greatest qualities of her planet. Not only was she a skilled fighter, but Mina was very warm-hearted. She was the type of person who is easy to befriend and be befriended by." With a chuckle Serenity continued, "Mina did get hung up on love a lot though. She was if nothing else, a hopeless romantic."
"She sounds like a wuss."
"VEGETA"
"What?..."
With a sigh Serenity continued, "Ami of Mercury was our resident genus and the tactical advisor for the Inners. I remember when Ami first came to the palace. She was so devoted to her studies that she had no time for the social events that most girls dreamed of going to. I don't think it even crossed her mind to want to be social. It took all of us to get her out of the library. I once asked Ami why she felt the need to be the smartest. She told me that she didn't want to disappoint someone important to her. Whoever it is that is that important to her I'm sure couldn't help but be proud of her. It was rumored that she was one of the most brilliant people in the whole kingdom. I have no doubt that she was. Ami paved her own path and her style in fighting was no different. She lent her massive intellect and her driven nature to perfect all parts of her life and her powers over Ice as the Senshi of Mercury were unparalleled by other senshi Mercury had ever produced before her."
"You envy her?"
"Of course. We all did to an extent. But it was our diversity that made is so good for each other and we knew that."
After a short pause, "I remember you talking about a Rei quite a bit".
"Oh you would have liked Rei. She was very much like her element, Fire. Most people thought she was a stoic, serene person dedicated to her position as a Martian priestess but that is far from the truth. Don't get me wrong she was very devoted to her priestess duties but if there is one thing Rei was not it was serene. She had raging emotions only held back by her awesome will power. She learned early on that fire is very unpredictable and like her emotions they tended to have flares in intensity. We got into verbal spars all the time. It didn't take me long to learn that Rei had an ego problem, probably from all the years of solitude in the Martian monasteries, this tended to get in the way of showing how she felt. So we showed how much we cared for each other by arguing. Probably, if I were to choose a sister it would be Rei. In fact it was my friendship with Rei helped learn how to deal with you."
"ME?"
"Yes, what was you call Bulma and Chi-Chi? Oh yes, 'baka onna' I believe is a direct quote."
"So what. They are."
"You of all people should know not to insult a woman."
"You and the Outers are different."
"That doesn't mean you should insult everyone who you come across."
"You were telling me about your Inner Senshi."
"You're changing the subject."
A grunt was Serenity's only response from the prince to her side.
"Where was I, oh yes, Lita. Lita was the Senshi of Jupiter and that lent her the powers of Nature. Mainly she used lightning and thunder to attack with but she was able to manipulate other aspects of nature. Even before she became a senshi, she had incredible strength and martial arts skills. But by far her best trait is her amazing ability to cook."
"You have to be kidding me." Said a more than surprised Vegeta. "I thought you stopped thinking with your stomach decades ago."
"No, I still think with my stomach quite a bit thank you. Besides, you've never had Lita's cooking otherwise you would agree with me. She could make the any meal the best thing you have ever eaten. Even simple things were just better when Lita made them. I think she knew just how to manipulate the aspects of the food with her powers just enough to increase their taste. Then again I have always believed in my senshi more than anyone else, which generally included them as well. Lita often kicked the chef out of the palace kitchen and cooked for the whole palace. We were just lucky that the palace chef didn't mind, he even liked her cooking better than his own."
Another comfortable silence fell between the two.
"Do you miss your Inner Senshi?"
"Yes, more than anything. They are my sisters not by blood but close enough, just like the Outers are. With the Inners dead and the Outers not yet awakened I feel as though part of me is missing. I still have hope that one day the Inners may return to me. I still feel their souls so I know there is no reason to grieve their passing just yet."
"What about your Outers."
"I am allowing them to live their normal lives while they still can."
"Why? It is hurting you to stay away from them. I can see it and everyday the longing to be with them growing." Concerned Vegeta turned towards his beloved. "I am worried about you."
"We will have all the time in the world when they awaken. For now I just want them to be happy and live their lives normally. I do not deny that my very being is crying out for them but if that is what I must suffer for them to lead as normal of a life as possible, than so be it."
"Have you ever thought that maybe they too feel something missing like you do?"
"You should listen to him" came Pluto's voice as she stepped out of a portal.
"Pu?"
Bending down to be eyelevel with her princess, she said "Princess, Vegeta is right. We too as your senshi can feel the missing part of our souls, that part of us that is you. When I was born, I remember feeling incomplete. For years I waited knowing that someday someone would come and fill that emptiness in my soul. With every passing year the longing grew and grew. When your mother was pregnant with you, I remember visiting her. The loneliness of the Gates became to stifling and I had long ago learned that when I with one of the line of Serenity that the vast longing that was in my soul would die down, just a little. When I left the Gates I didn't even notice that it was to be the day of your birth. I ended up having to wait in the delivery room with Luna and Artimes while the Queen gave birth. It was that instant that I heard your cries that I knew, you were mine. My Princess, my friend, and the missing part of my soul."
"I know that both the Inners and Outers swore and oath and bound themselves to me. Then later we became bound through blood with another bonding ceremony. Yet you are saying that even before that we were bound?"
"Yes highness. I am. First you must understand that all of us senshi, throughout the universe are in some part bound to you. Our duty as senshi is to protect the light and since you, more than even your ancestors, combined with the Silver Crystal are virtually light and purity personified. So in a sense every being who carries the name of a senshi is bound to you unknowingly. But for those of us who are willingly bound to you and get to bask in your light while at your side, the emptiness that enshrouds our souls when away from you is oppressive. That is one reason why it is was so hard in the past for both the Inners and Outers to be away from you. Your light is what guides our souls from the darkness that would thrive in all our hearts."
"But Pu, you are almost always away from me at the Gates. Does that mean that you are always... oppressed by the darkness and emptiness?"
A sad smile graced Pluto's face as she answered the only one to ever ease her weary heart. "Yes Highness. But it is times like this, when I can be near you, that it makes the darkness worth it. For if I didn't know the depths of darkness than I would not know the sweetness of your light."
The silence was not awkward as all three sat around the lake contemplating the conversation between Princess and her most solitary senshi.
Vegeta had stayed out of the conversation knowing that it was not his place to interfere. Yet as he contemplated what had just been said he glanced over at his beloved. Serenity was in deep thought but it looked like she was coming to some decisions. So he nudged her slightly and asked, "Bunny?"
Glancing up she smiled, "I guess I can not argue with either of you and to be truthful, I really don't want to. I will find the Outers. They may not be awakened to their senshi forms and memories but that doesn't mean I cannot befriend them. They are still my friends, my family, and they may remember me even still. I can not knowingly refuse to see them knowing what I know now."
"I am glad highness. That relieves me for both your sakes. Yet I have been away from the Gates for too long now and must return."
"Wait Pu."
"Princess you know I must go back."
"I know but that doesn't mean that you must return alone."
Puzzled Pluto stopped mid-step while moving towards the portal she had just created. "What do you mean? You cannot return with me."
"I know that too."
"Than what do you intend? Surly you won't impose your annoying Prince on me."
The laughter that emanated from Serenity only made Vegeta glare harder at Pluto. "No Pu. Vegeta is staying with me. What I meant was this." Taking her hands she crossed them across her chest and closed her eyes.
Worried for her princess and still confused as to her meaning, Pluto closed the open portal and moved closer to the silver haired princess.
When Serenity opened her eyes again they were glowing silver and as she removed her hands from her chest a small glowing ball came out of her chest, just where her heart is. "Pu, this is a gift to you, to ease the loneliness when you cannot be at my side. This is a piece of my heart. I guess you could call it is a piece of my soul. If you accept this, you will become my true soul sister. Never can we be separated again by time, space, or dimension, for you will always be bonded to my soul." She directed the glowing ball towards her stunned senshi and said, "Please accept this. It is a gift that had I known your pain I would have given sooner."
"Serenity, you can't be serious. What you are doing, it is..."
"I know what I am doing Pu. Please do not refuse this."
Reaching out Pluto said, "Princess, I could refuse you nothing" and accepted the gift. She closed her eyes as the silver glowing ball that was part of her princess merged with her body and soul. With a flash of sliver there Pluto still stood but she was not the same. The part of her Princess that she had accepted had changed her. Made her more than she ever was. Even such a small part of Serenity was enough to purge Pluto of her darkness and remake her. She was the same yet different. Pure yet still faulty. Then as she was taking all this in she felt something shift inside her. Opening her glistening eyes she looked at her princess as she came to a shocking revelation. "I can feel the Gates. They are talking to me."
"I had hoped that would happen but I didn't want to get your hopes up if it didn't. What do they say to you Pu?"
Closing her eyes again, she let a ghost of a smile appear on her face, "They speak of their love for you, and their approval of me. They are overjoyed at what you have done for us by your gift. As am I. You have given me a gift greater than I ever dreamed possible. I can leave the Gates and still guard them. How did this happen?"
"To be honest, I didn't know what all the effects on you would be of merging a part of myself with you. When the Crystal and I discussed the possibility we had thought something like this might happen. From what we gathered, basically the small part of me that I gave you purified your power and made you in essence your Plutonian powers housed in a cleansed body. So the reason that you can feel the Gates of Time is because they are in fact now apart of you. The same goes for your other powers. You have no more need for that staff, the orb on top of it, nor the keys around you waist. The Gates themselves talking to you and speaking their approval means that they agree that you are their true rightful guardian. Just as when I accepted the Silver Crystal into my being it spoke it's approval of me and gave me full access to all its powers."
"You ain't seen the best part yet though Pluto."
"What do you speak of Vegeta?"
He pointed to the lake near by. "Check out your reflection."
Turning towards her princess in question, Pluto raised an eyebrow.
"There are some physical changes that have occurred as well Pu."
Pluto moved towards the lake and looked at her reflection. Gasping she moved a hand towards her hair. There in the shadows of her hair the very depths of space could be seen. Also, her eyes bore speckles of silver within their depths proof that her princess was the cause of these changes..
Moving towards the side of her senshi Serenity continued, "The merging of your body and powers is now showing in your appearance. Now truly you are the Guardian of Space and Time. Although I must confess, the change in your eyes is part of my gift. The silver is so that all will know you're my senshi. Should anyone ever question that you are the Senshi of Pluto, that is now your proof."
Turning towards her princess Pluto also noticed that the Gates were not all she could feel within her. The emotions and feelings of her princess were wide open to her now. She could feel them as if they were apart of herself. The joy at being able to help a friend. The love for her senshi. The passion for Vegeta. So many emotions took Pluto by surprise. It took her a moment to reign in all the churning feelings and dampen them so they were not so distracting. Again she was overwhelmed by the giving nature of Serenity. It was with tears glistening in her eyes Pluto hugged her greatest friend.
"Now Princess, lets see about finding your wayward Outers."
"Finally some action! I am getting tired of your sappy emotions!"
"VEGETA!"
"What?"
------