Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Dragon Ball/Z/GT… but my wet dreams of Goku are my own, got it! I'm not sharing! XD
Chapter Twelve: Waking up to a harsh reality
"Wake up, Goku... Wake up... It was just a nightmare"
Following the advice of the more substantial voice, though almost identical to that of his dream, Goku opened his eyes to meet the deep ocean blue of Serenity's...
"Usagi…"
Good, she's okay.
Usagi blushed slightly at the examining look the Saiyan gave her before he lost consciousness once more.
When he awoke again, it wasn't Serenity who was at his side, but Luna.
Goku realized he was lying on a bed, still dressed with the same clothes he'd been wearing when he went to stop the Hollow Hunters. It was the same bed where Helios had placed Serenity when she was unconscious herself.
"Luna… Where is Usagi? Is she okay?" he asked.
The dark purple haired advisor smiled down at him softly.
"Yes she is. She came to several hours ago, right before Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye brought you in."
All the time complaining about how heavy you were… Tiger's Eye specially, she thought to herself in amusement as she added with another smile. "Helios showed up later on and purified the poison in your body with his healing abilities… He says you'll be able to recover very soon"
The Saiyan gave an imperceptible sigh of relief at the thought that even in this faraway place he could count on someone with something akin to Dende's healing powers. It wasn't the same as a senzu bean but still.
"How long have I've been out?"
"Since last night"
Soon afterwards he was looking at her alarmingly as he bolted up on the bed.
"And CereCere? JunJun, PallaPalla? What about VesVes and the others?"
The maurian raised a hand in a soothing fashion.
"They are all alright too. So don't worry yourself over them. You have to concentrate on healing instead"
The Saiyan gazed at her blankly.
"But what about the Hollow Hunters? And those vines? Is Hope City safe from them? Is the enemy truly gone, Luna?"
"Everyone's safe thanks to you, Goku… and thanks to Kunzite"
"Kunzite?" Goku tilted his head to the side.
Now Luna shifted in her seat a bit restlessly, as if talking of the matter made her uncomfortable.
"When the Sailor Quartet managed to break the Silent Wall around you, a new horde of Hollow Hunters approached fast to attack Hope City. The Asteroid Senshi, the Amazon Trio and the others wouldn't have been able to hold them off and help you at the same time. It was then that Kunzite fortunately went to assist Helios in his prayers to the Golden Crystal, and since he's a member of the Earthian Royal House, apparently the Crystal listened to him and expelled all dark creatures from Elysion, reestablishing Serenity's broken Shield of Protection"
"Kunzite is a member of the Royal House of Earth?" Goku blinked "I didn't know that…"
"Neither did we, but it seems all the four Generals were distant relatives of Endymion, including Kunzite whose mother was a cousin to Prince Endymion's father himself" Luna finished with a frown.
Goku noticed but opted for the moment not to bother trying to guess why that was. He looked at her for a moment longer before grinning.
"In that case I'll make sure to thank him when I see him." Goku sweat dropped "I was supposed to help you guys, yet it ended being the other way around"
Luna shook her head "No, Kunzite's the one who deserves your gratitude. What matters is… he alone saved us all" As much as I'd love to deny it.
"Luna" the fighter interrupted her thoughts "where is everyone now?"
"The Sailor Quartet and everyone else that got wounded in the fight are too having their wounds treated by Helios and the other Fae with healing powers. They all got minor wounds at the most, thank Selene for that. It was you we were all quite concerned about"
Then Goku remembered what was bothering him. He turned all serious again.
"What about those vines…? They were truly a thing of Chaos after all?"
"Yes… and no. That is some of a bit complicated"
"Huh?"
"The vines that caught you were some odd mutated form of a creature that already exists here in Elysion, or was thought to have existed. That species was believed to be extinct right up to the moment one of them attacked you"
"Really? What are they?" Goku was mildly surprised. However, in a way it was just his luck to come across a thought-to-be-extinct pre-historic menace or something right in the middle of a battle with the Hollow Hunters…
It was Luna's turn to sigh. "It's somewhat difficult to explain. As the heart of the Earth, Elysion is the Realm which is sustained by the dreams of the people of Earth, yet those dreams can also be dark, and they can also turn into nightmares… they're not always nice and beautiful dreams, thus the creatures of Elysion are not always beautiful and nice"
"You mean, those vines…"
"Yes."
Goku was the one to frown this time.
"That particular kind" the maurian advisor continued "is called a plant youkai, a type of Plant Demon they commonly called 'the Poison Ivy Python'… Peruru told us Sailor Vesta was right in labeling it as a 'parasite vine', since he remembered that those beings, in normal form, used to act like parasites; smaller vines that attached themselves to the person while they slept and stayed there from then on, like leeches, sucking their blood in small amounts at first, but as time went by getting bigger and bigger and stronger till, if they weren't somehow ripped away they killed the host either by draining all their blood or gradually crushing his ribcage or his throat through their increasing stronghold… Usually, only very powerful Fae magic could force them to let go before those outcomes took place"
In spite of himself, Goku's eyes were slightly wide. "And… you say they were thought to be extinct?"
Luna nodded "Peruru says that the Poison Ivy Python and other monsters alike from Elysion were thought to be extinct or put to deep sleep once the human survivors of Earth were brought to this realm for protection and the fairies and other 'good' dream creatures helped Neo Queen Serenity in raising several wards to ensure the humans safety while they resided down here… That is what should have happened, in theory, due to the immense purifying powers of the Silver Crystal"
The Saiyan didn't like where this was going.
"If it's safe to assume that the Silver Crystal failed…"Luna trailed off.
"Then it'd be safe to say we'll be encountering more monsters like that, and we'd better watch out for them, shouldn't we" Goku finished, not appreciating the fact that this situation was starting to sound very much like his own captivity in the Eternal Realm: being trapped in another dimension with the constant lurking threat of creatures he couldn't even begin to fathom.
"That we should, since in all probability it was Usagi's own state of confusion, hurt and shock after the destruction of Crystal Tokyo the reason why she couldn't totally seal them away back then, and I'm afraid I don't believe she's still in any better condition to try to use the Crystal again to seal them now.." From the tone of Luna's voice it was obvious to anyone how hard it was for her to admit this.
So it was that the warrior soon raised his eyes to question "Luna, wouldn't the Golden Crystal manage to put them to sleep or destroy them too?"
"In the case of creatures like the one that attacked you, yes; because that particular plant youkai was infused with Chaos' dark aura besides of its very own. Providing Kunzite continues to collaborate, I'm sure the Golden Crystal can and will protect Elysion and its people from any outside threats… but it's hard to say if it will from threats of the inside"
Luna sighed again as she continued.
"With the constant war and threats to people's lives, we can't guarantee their emotional state will be in any position to prevent anymore darkness from forming, awakening more monsters from their sleep and providing Chaos with the perfect tools to create even more fear and more darkness, and finally manage to conquer Elysion"
"So you say it is the people's fear that's been giving Chaos its strength?"
"In part, yes it is. More darkness always feeds the one already existing. Using the people's very own fear and darker emotions against them, to get to them, it gives Chaos power over us, the power to infiltrate inside Elysion. If we want to keep Chaos out, we have no choice but to find a way to ease the people's fears, at least for a while"
Goku turned and looked at the purple haired woman meaningfully.
"Especially Serenity's fear… right?"
"Especially hers… If not, then we won't be able to count with the help of the Silver Crystal" she confirmed "and we will need it... It won't be long, cause since Kunzite is not the true wielder of the Golden Crystal, he can't use its powers as much. The Golden Crystal's very existence is to protect this planet and the Dream Realm, so it will always answer the plea of a son of the Earthian Royal House; but every time Kunzite makes use of its power, it won't be the same as if Endymion himself had done it. Thus, every time that happens, the protection of the Golden Crystal will be only temporary, very short life spanned till it weakens again."
"How much time do we have then, Luna, till the new Shield of Protection weakens again? How much till we need Kunzite's intervention once more?" the Saiyan asked in a tone that meant business.
The maurian cast her eyes down, deep in thought.
"I'm not sure… But I'd say a couple of days, a week may be, Goku. I would love being able to state it'd be more than that … but I can't" she sounded almost ashamed of herself.
"It's not your fault that things are the way they are, Luna-chan" Goku tried to comfort her when he realized "Don't worry, I'll find a way to get through this…" he trailed of as he tried to get out of the bed, causing Luna to hyperventilate.
"WHAT?" she cried in angry indignation as she pushed him back down with surprising force "I did NOT tell you all that so that you rushed right back to the front of the battlefield, mister!" she demanded, waving her index finger at him in reprimand "You WILL stay here and recover from your wounds, is that clear? Chaos and the Hollow Hunters can wait"
"But Luna—?" he tried to insist, what was it with every women he met sooner or later trying to act all nurse on him?
The maurian shook her head, looking tenderly at him like a mother would a restless child "Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye told me of how you disposed of half the Hollow Hunters back there all by yourself, Goku; you should take things at a slower rhythm now… You've done enough for now already as it is"
The Saiyan gulped inwardly and sighed, feeling he couldn't quite ignore the hidden plea in those worried and almost maternal brown eyes.
"Uh… Oh, alright…" he granted in defeat.
At those words Luna's features somewhat relaxed and she smiled in gratitude and approval, just as young Dianna made her way into the room, holding something in her hand.
"Hi, Goku-san! How are you doing?" she asked brightly as she came to stand next to her mother at the side of his bed.
Goku grinned back as he sat up.
"I'm fine. Thanks, D-chan" he looked down at the shinning thing in her hand in mild curiosity "What'cha got there?"
"Oh" said Luna as she took the object from her daughter's hand to hold it out for him to see "This is just an antidote for what may still remain of the venom inside your body. Now if you would give me your arm, Goku… Goku?"
When Dianna also noticed how pale the silent Saiyan had suddenly become, and how incredibly still, she also leaned slightly to watch him in confusion.
"Goku-san? What's wrong? Are you alright?"
Silence.
"Goku?" after a while, a puzzled Luna asked too.
However, no matter how they tried they couldn't get his attention, which was single mindedly concentrated on the large syringe in Luna's hand…
It was a needle… A big… HUGE… needle…
"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Outside the villa, the peacefulness of the early afternoon and the birds' cheerful singing was rudely interrupted by a loud high pitched scream, and Serenity turned towards the house in bafflement, wondering who it was that was being put through so much torment all of a sudden, the scream loud enough to sound like the refrigerator had fallen on top of someone…
She never expected a frantic Son Goku to come running out of the house in a hurry to hide behind her.
"Don't tell her where I am!" she heard his squeak from behind her back.
Usagi looked at him puzzled.
"Tell who?" she asked a bit dumbly.
"GOKU! GET BACK HERE!" they both heard Luna's strident yell from afar.
"Aahh! She's coming!" Goku panicked.
Usagi sweatdropped.
"Goku… you... youdid something to Luna?" she tried to make sense of the situation.
Goku shook his head frantically, his eyes glued to the door of the house from which he expected Luna to come outat any moment.
"It's rather what she is gonna do to me! Don't let her find me!" he kneeled and pleaded with the blonde "Hide me!"
At the squealing frightened tone of his voice and the sight of his trembling kneeling form Usagi sweatdropped again.
'I guess Luna can be pretty scary when she wants to…' she thought silently to herself.
"Ahem. So… what is it that she wants to do to you?" she started, but couldn't finish, cause to her surprise Luna had walked silently behind Goku, syringe still in hand, shocking the daylights out of him once he noticed her and making him squeal again, which in turn made the two women and the approaching Dianna sweatdrop again.
"Ah!" the Saiyan wailed as he jumped high in the air "Where did she come from? I didn't see her!" he immediately rushed to hide behind the blonde again, using her as a shield from the angry syringe-wielding Luna.
The maurian narrowed her eyes in irritated frustration.
"There's a door at the back of the house…" she explained and took a step forward, syringe still in hand "Goku… hiding behind Usagi? That's unbefitting of a warrior with the likes of you! Don't be a coward and step aside!"
"No! First drop the needle and then I'll let go of the girl!" the tall fighter bargained like he was a delinquent keeping her hostage.
And that he somewhat did, considering he had both of his hands grasping Usagi's arms tightly to keep her close and turn her to face towards every direction from which Luna tried to approach them, still using her as a human, or should we say, blonde Lunarian shield.
Luna literally rolled her eyes in exasperation at the absurdity of the Saiyan's behavior, while Dianna behind her tried to hide a smile of amusement by covering it with her hand.
"You're being childish, Goku. It's just a small needle, don't be so stubborn! It's for your own good!" the older maurian argued, refusing to step back from the matter.
"No, Luna, it's no small needle and I've told you I am fine!" Goku wailed again as he held on tight to Usagi's arms.
"May Selene help me, Goku, you're almost making me wish I had the Poison Ivy Python right here to keep you steady while I give you the shot!" the enfuriated Luna growled.
Usagi giggledin spite of herself. But no matter how secretly amused she was both at the advisor's predicament and at the supposed strong warrior's fearful state, the golden haired royal finally decided that enough was enough, and raised a hand in a regal gesture.
"It's okay, Luna… I'm sure Helios got rid of all the poison already"
For the next seconds the purple haired woman looked at her as if she was doing it for the first time, her eyes wide as she pursed her lips in what Usagi swore was a resentful emotion.
"Argh, I can't believe it! Men are such babies!" she finally thrust her arms up in a last outburst, before turning tail and storming back towards the house, beckoning Dianna to follow her, and glaring her from time to time whenever the teen failed to hold back her giggles.
'Oh boy am I in for it the next time she catches me alone' Usagi thought in dismay as she followed with her eyes the retreating form of her irate guardian.
Turning towards a much calmer Goku, she grinned at hearing his repetitive rantings of 'Thank you thank you thank you' before she frowned deeply at him in mild reproach.
"You and I" she told him seriously "have a lot to talk about"
END TO THE TWELTH CHAPTER
A/N: Those of you who might be familiar with Rumiko Takahashi's manga and anime series 'Inuyasha' may already know the Japanese term 'youkai' means 'demon' in English.
There you go, chapter twelve people. So it wasn't the scouts, Usagi or Goku that saved the day… but Kunzite! Make sure to let me know your thoughts.
Love,
JAY.