A/N: Here's the fifth chapter! Hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of Sailor Moon or Dragon Ball/Z/GT.
Enjoy and review!
Chapter five: Your Touch.
Kunzite did not like it one bit that the new comer, this newly met saiyan, had gone after Serenity.
His loyalties were still on the deceased Earth King, Endymion, so he didn't appreciate this odd attitude he could sense on Goku towards the Neo Queen.
He still stood there, at the clearing, gazing towards where he had seen those two leave for, a deep frown on his face.
On the contrary, Helios and his elf cousin, Peruru, had already entered the house to take a look at what Diana was cooking for lunch. Only Luna remained.
She approached him.
"Kunzite-san" she began "why are you looking so disturbed?" she asked sincerely.
Kunzite just gazed at her from the corner of his eye.
"I just don't like the way the saiyajin acts around and looks at Serenity" he growled "I am not blind, and I am not stupid" he turned towards Luna with a stone-like expression "I know something weird is going on here"
Luna bit her lip.
"You surely are just overreacting" she denied "I haven't seen or noticed anything like it… Goku is a nice person"
Kunzite snarled.
"You fool yourself as much as you wish" he derogated "but I do not intend on letting this 'foreigner', who isn't even a human, get to be the next King of Earth"
Luna's chocolate eyes darkened.
"Is that all you're worried about?" she shook her head at him "We don't even know if we'll ever be able to safely return to the surface… and all you're thinking about is who's gonna be the next male on the throne?"
Kunzite's gaze narrowed.
"It is not an irrelevant matter, specially now that there's another alien twirling around our Queen. It is bad enough that Endymion is dead and she, a lunarian, gets to be the sole ruler… The royal throne of Earth was always meant for human beings, not this herd of outsiders"
Luna's eyes flashed.
"You're still bitter holding onto old resentments and enmities… Endymion loved Serenity. That is why he always protected her against the animosity of people like you, who wouldn't let go of a worn out rivalry."
Kunzite greeted his teeth.
"She seduced him and misled him and that is how the prince ended back in the Silver Millenium: dead protecting a spoiled, reckless brat who couldn't even stand for her own self."
Luna oh so wanted to throw herself at him right now.
"She was only a fourteen year old at the time! That's too much of a tender age even by human standards! The prince of Earth protected her because he loved and cared for her, because he had understood that the way your people had felt about lunarians then was a useless prejudice!" she yelled.
"It was no 'useless prejudice', oh dear native of the planet Mau." he answered forlornly "Lunarians are 'unnatural' creatures, their traits have never been normal"
Luna huffed.
"And what is it you so perfect and evolved humans call 'normal'" she asked in a hiss "Behaving the way you do? Distrusting everything and everyone just because they're a bit different from yourself? Admit the truth, Kunzite… You're just a hopeless case of chronic paranoia…" she smiled smugly.
"You're afraid of your own shadow…" she continued "That's the emotion that's always been behind all this hatred for lunarians: fear… Fear of what you can't possibly understand. You fear Usagi because you can not comprehend who, what she is… All these time, you've never been anything other than scared the shit of her"
The former general of the Earth Army looked at her livid.
"Besides…" the purple haired royal advisor added "I can't see why you still distrust her so much because she is not human… If I recall correctly, Princess Serenity was reborn as a human being when she was reincarnated…"
"She's not a real human" he interrupted her "…she's never been, never will be… You are a fool, Luna, if you think I'll believe she's anything like our race just because she spent only twenty two years of her current life time as one… Even if she did, her ability to still use the Silver Crystal was proof enough that, even then, she wasn't truly one of us"
"You keep being stubborn and let your own foolishness blind you" the maurian responded in barely restrained anger "The truth is, you're the only human that still thinks that way nowadays"
An unsettling twisted smile made itself known on Kunzite's lips.
"That is where you are wrong…" he whispered almost sinisterly "I'm not the only one, not any more… Endymion was the only thing keeping Serenity on the Earth throne… Trust my words, Luna: now that he's gone, if she continues this unable to keep the act together for much longer, no power on this universe will be able to save your Queen from what is coming her way…"
He laughed cruelly as he left the poor honorary lunarian to her chaotic thoughts.
Luna's eyes focused on the ground, filled with worry, as she hugged herself.
"He couldn't be talking seriously…could he?" she asked herself helplessly. She shook her head firmly in denial "No, he isn't, he can't be… Kunzite's always enjoyed getting to me, and now is no different… This is exactly the kind of reaction he wanted to cause in me"
Her troubled gaze lifted slowly upwards.
"But if it's not… Then… Usagi is in even more trouble and perhaps even danger than the one Chaos means upon her…"
Her deep brown eyes widened
"Oh, no! Selene, please let him have been bluffing…"
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Usagi entered the shadowed main chamber of the ancient castle with hesitant steps that echoed throughout the walls of the Elysion Royal Palace.
There, in the middle of the room floor, was a small pool of colorless water, the Golden Crystal suspended in the air little more than half a meter over it, its bright shine reflecting the light that came through the stained glass windows.
The transparent liquid under it looked peaceful enough, but Usagi knew better. As soon as anyone dared mistake the powerful Crystal for a simple jewel and tried to steal it, attempting to reach over them recklessly, these apparently harmless waters would abandon their calm to rise in light speed like an upwards tide, forming an impenetrable barrier all around it… and if the limb of the intruder was by any chance caught within that barrier, it would surely be severed in a perfect razor cut.
It didn't matter if the actor of such a sacrilegious action was strong, powerful or supernaturally fast. The magical wall would always manage to guard the valuable stone.
No power in the universe would ever break the wards placed by Morpheous, the elder pagan deity of dreams. Only a member of the Earth royal line would be able to touch the mystic jewel without risking any body parts; these sacred powers certainly weren't something someone else would ever want to tamper with.
Not even King Endymion's royal lunarian widow.
However, even when, without the collaboration of her daughter or husband, the Dream Crystal would not allow her to take it, it still responded to her grief by indirectly lending her some small amounts of its power.
That in itself wasn't totally surprising; many times before, in the past, had Serenity experienced the same effects with Mamoru and the Silver Crystal… Once he had become her husband, it was as if the jewel would listen to his inner will and wishes and comply because most of the time they were headed towards the same purpose as those of the moon princess.
It had always been likely that both crystals were letting themselves be commanded to some degree by the subconscious thoughts of their wielders' soul mates.
However, that low level was not saying much compared to what its rightful owner could do.
In other words, Serenity would never be able to summon its help at will or to the incredibly higher degree Endymion and Reenie had been capable of, which added yet another misfortune to the current dear situation.
With the powers of the Golden Crystal aiding those of the Silver Crystal, Usagi knew she would have been able to device a truly impenetrable Shield of Protection all around Elysion that efficiently kept all its inhabitants along with the former citizens of the Earth surface safe; only the powers of the god of dreams that were trapped within that jewel would ever be able to keep Elysion protected against this powerful menace; thus, unfortunately, she was terribly aware that the current shield, produced with just her own abilities, would not be able to resist the darkness for very much longer…
It was only a matter of time till Chaos was finally able to break through it.
Keeping her safe distance, she remained for a few moments staring at the sparkling stone in front of her with uncovered longing… Not only for the powers she knew it possessed, but also for what it meant to her, the memories that emerged from just standing ahead of it and contemplating.
Then the Neo Queen cupped her hands in front of her to summon a different object, which materialized between her hands with an intense aura of light.
Her own gold royal crown.
She took it with a hesitant grip and studied the encased heart shaped rubies that were flanked by a pair of engraved gold wings, all the while recalling the fateful day, so many thousands of years ago, when she had been awakened from the frozen slumber by the Ginzuishou and used it to melt the ice that covered her beloved planet.
Then, how her and her friends had later realized the global side effect of it had been to return to the inhabitants the knowledge of the Silver Millennium; how they had labelled Mamoru their king after they discovered he was their prince's reincarnation, and how they had also accepted her as their queen once they knew it had been her who had saved them…
…Starting the era of Crystal Tokyo.
It was as it had happened so long ago that, compared to the contemporary events, it almost sounded like a fairytale… Usagi could not believe how much everything had changed after a few millenniums.
It was almost unreal.
She tightened her grasp on the gold crown in a vice like grip.
It didn't matter now…
…She knew it was her duty to give it everything in herself to see that these survivors and current refugees from the Earth Kingdom remained out of harm's way…
…She just didn't know if she'll be able to keep it up way longer.
"If you continue to grab it that tightly, you might end cutting yourself with that crown" said a velvety male voice.
The Neo Queen turned sharply, summoning the Cosmos staff to her right hand to take a defensive position.
"Who's there?" she demanded.
"I'm offended that, after such a short time, you aren't able to recognize my voice anymore…" said Goku with a goofy smile on his face as he stepped out of the shadows.
Hehe…For once I am the one to sneak in on someone… he thought with glee.
Serenity's blue eyes narrowed at him.
She didn't lower her staff.
"I thought I'd already told you I don't like being followed around"
Goku blinked.
Again she's talking to me in a hiss…
Goku frowned a bit at the heavy looking staff which was pointed towards him at the very moment. It was really extravagant, with those wings coming out of it…
…But then again, what part of her Cosmos costume isn't extravagant?
Goku considered it for a few seconds.
Mhm… Anyhow, I like hers a hundred times better than I did Gohan's Saiyaman outfit… he decided.
Serenity scowled.
She had grown impatient with his prolonged silence.
"Are you planning on answering anytime soon?" she prompted.
Goku fixed his gaze on her.
He had been able to detect the anxious quote in her tone.
Why is it that my presence unsettles her this much..?
He brought a hand behind his head.
"Sorry… I didn't mean to space on you… I was thinking your Cosmos costume is really cool… Do you wear it only in battle?"
Finally, the golden haired tenshi dropped her weapon.
She sighed.
He just had to be such a nice person…
How do I manage to keep him away from me without sounding rude?
Usagi mentally slapped herself.
I worry about that now… when I've already been ruder to him than I'd ever been to Mamoru back in the 20th Century, when none of as was yet aware we had had a relationship in our past lives.
She smiled fondly to herself at the memories.
Goku was lost now.
Just, what is it with this girl…?
Chichi only showed this kind of mood swings when she was pregnant or pms-ing…
He scratched his head.
…May be that's it.
His gaze studied Usagi intensely, as if he were stretching his senses to discern which between the two possibilities it was.
Suddenly Usagi felt oddly self conscious.
"Erhm" he started, attracting her attention back to him.
"Would you mind telling me why is it you no longer like me?" he blunted.
The former moon princess swallowed hard with guilt; she hadn't meant to act so harsh to him.
It isn't his fault either that Selene attempted to throw us both into this without our permission, as much as it isn't mine.
There was no use blaming it all on him, really.
Her resolution not to fall inlove with him should be enough to ruin the undesired plans of the Light Goddess.
So her eyes softened a bit.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered "I didn't mean the way I've been behaving… Things just… haven't been going well lately…" she tried to vainly excuse herself
She couldn't but look away from him and towards the floor when she caught his somehow understanding gaze.
"It's okay" he reassured softly "The others told me"
His heart went out for her and he just couldn't help but try to comfort the golden haired angel, she looked so vulnerable right now…
He felt a wave of protectiveness surge inside his chest.
That strengthened his resolve, and he approached her tentatively.
"I've come to help you, you know?" he continued "That's the real reason I'm here"
Usagi's eyes widened and in a rush she turned her stare towards his.
"What do you mean?!" she all but squeaked.
Goku's eyes were the ones to soften this time.
"I know I we've barely met, but your mother and friends told me so much about you I feel as if I knew you already"
Usagi was shocked.
"My… my mother?"
Goku nodded.
"Queen Serenity was the one to give me your Star Locket" he paused and smiled.
"She wanted me to tell you that she said hi".
The distraught queen was completely taken aback.
She hadn't talked or been able to communicate or contact with the spirit of her deceased mother for over millenniums, and then this stranger, this saiyajin showed up out of the blue claiming he had been sent her way by her deeply longed for and missed parent.
She lifted very overwhelmed orbs towards the ebony pools of Goku.
"How..?" was all she managed to utter.
Goku looked at her blankly.
"Huh?"
Serenity swallowed.
"How were you able to talk with my mother? Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom is dead, you know" she noted.
Goku grinned sheepishly.
"Yeah, I know, I met her in Other World… I spent eight years of my life dead myself, actually… But that is a long story"
Usagi understood what he was saying 'cause Shenlong had given her a very brief summary on his life before she had left herself to meet him personally and confirm he was indeed the kind soul and the strong fighter he was claimed to be.
But something was wrong here.
"Did she give you my Locket while you were in Other World?"
He shook his head.
"No, she gave it to me the last time I saw her, when I was at the ruins of the royal palace of the Moon Kingdom"
Serenity raised an eyebrow.
"You traveled back in time?"
She knew for sure the ruins were no longer there on the moon… Time had taken its toll and erased them completely from the white spotless surface and the never ending lands of immaculate sand.
It had been so already in the very 20th Century…The reason her and her friends had been able to find themselves visiting the place that time before the final battle with Beryl had been because the Imperium Silver Crystal had taken them all back in time.
Goku shook his head again.
"I don't hink so… no. Shenlong is very capable of achieving it, that's for sure… But he said the Ancient Moon Palace was a holy place to some deities and thus they had raised a dimensional barrier all around it so that only those allowed were able to come across it and enter it… He actually looked very surprised and glad when he thought the ancient spirits had let us in"
Usagi considered this.
"So… you're saying… the Palace's been always up there, only hidden, for anyone 'allowed' to enter it?" she said almost disbelievingly.
He nodded once more.
Serenity's eyes were once more filled with tears. She quivered.
"And to think…" she whispered in a small voice "…and to think all this time I could have gone to her whenever I wanted"
The tall saiyan suddenly understood what she was implying, and his eyes filled with sadness.
"I wouldn't count much on it, though… Shenlong said most of the chosen were only allowed in once… If you've already been there, like Luna said, then I don't know if you'll be allowed access again"
Serenity turned sharply towards him, furious.
"But she's my mother!!!" she exclaimed "They have to let me in and talk to her! That place used to be my home!"
She demanded him as if he was the one denying her what she so much wanted.
She covered her face with both hands and started crying again.
Goku felt a pang in his chest.
He remembered how after the Cell Games he had been able to sense Gohan's grief all the way to Other World, and reflected on how this was a very similar situation.
He approached her and took her in his arms in a very comforting hug.
Serenity was so broken and in such intense need of another being's support and affection, that she practically attached herself to his body, getting closer to lean her tired head on his hard chest without even realizing what she was doing, one hand reaching tentatively up to his broad shoulder and the other snaking its way around his waist.
In that position, she could feel the strong steady beating of his heart against her face, and also feel his right hand lightly caressing up and down her back in a soothing manner while the other run through her blonde locks.
Goku could feel himself blushing to the roots of his raven hair… It just seemed so right having her there, so close, holding her against him… It felt as if she had always belonged in there in the first place.
She felt so safe right now, enveloped in his warm, she didn't think she would ever want to leave these protective arms —which had gradually turned to possessive, if the slow tightening of their embrace was any indication.
To him, her hair was softer than anything he had ever touched in a long time, her touch was like electricity running through his veins… and he was made painfully aware of the soft curves on her body and the silky dress she was wearing, which he found himself wishing he could rip right away from her fair skin.
Goku somehow suspected it would be a little hard managing to let go of her anytime soon.
He felt himself starting to get very warm, and couldn't hold back the purr that rumbled forth from his ribcage.
Usagi snuggled even closer to him and hugged him tightly, eyes closed as a sweet smile of pleasure and amusement found its way on her rosy lips.
She was lost in some sort of dream like state where she no longer discerned her surroundings.
"You sound like a cat…" she murmured, and then giggled "It's almost like hugging Luna"
She felt him nod in agreement, and then a fuzzy long tail snaked its way around her waist and squeezed her right thigh.
That brought her out of her trance…
She blushed deep scarlet and suddenly remembered she wasn't supposed to be cuddling with him…
That she wasn't supposed to be letting herself stand this near him at all.
She disentangled herself from his arms and broke away from him as if his touch had burned her, unable to calm her accelerated breathing while she looked at him with tremor filled eyes.
Goku found himself staring once more into those silver blue pools and wondering how they managed to show so much emotion.
Never before had he ever found eyes as entrancing as these, no matter their color.
Not hiding anything, they were just a completely open pair of windows to her soul…
She was feeling right then like she had betrayed the memory of her husband…
Goku's eyes widened at this, he had just discovered he could read her like a book.
Serenity's gaze looked pained.
"Please… Do not ever do that again" she begged in a small whisper, once she was able to find her voice.
Then she run away.
Yet again, Goku remained staring after her retreating form, until, as if on cue, the locket inside his pocket started playing its song again.
He took it out without removing his gaze from its position and listened to its beautiful music once more, silently considering if it had any hidden meaning to it that he was not aware of, while at the same time his mind was still plagued with thoughts of the golden haired maiden.
She's running from me again… but sooner or later she has to realize she can't keep running for ever…
I don't mean to make her this unsettled… Why can't she see all I want to do is help?
A sudden high pitched scream took him out of his reverie.
Goku grew anxious. It had come from out of the castle and the direction she had taken.
Serenity!
Faster than light speed he was outside looking for her in a frantic manner, until she found her under the shadow of some trees, holding the trembling form of an injured pink haired sixteen year old girl in a sailor fuku.
He went towards them immediately.
"What happened, Ceres?" he heard the blonde queen asking.
The poor girl stammered frightened in her arms.
"It's them, Your Majesty… The Hollow Hunters… Sailor Palas, Vesta and Juno are fighting them right now…"
She let out a cry of pain before adding.
"…They are back…"
With that, she fainted.
END TO THE FIFTH CHAPTER