Seven Years Later

Going from living alone with a cranky old man, only visited at times by farmers to walking straight into one of the largest cities of the Central Quadrant in full party mode was, to understate things, rather overwhelming. Ephraim had walked through the city with his mouth agape, barely noticing where he was walking he was so fascinated by the sights around him. Gero had allowed his charge to do so, feeling it only helped with the idea that they were visitors from an unimportant spot in the Quadrant. Getting to the hotel through the throng had taken some time with people everywhere in the streets, getting ready for the Celestial Gala.

The hotel itself was small, out of the way and rather cramped with every room full with people in Lunos for the Gala. Gero had been more than infuriated with the fact their rooms were so small as to only fit two beds that were practically side by side. With a bathroom that was pretty much standing room only, Gero was reflecting on how very much he loathed working for Galaxia. He knew she was insane with plots that made little sense to anyone else but her and possibly not even then.

Gero was brought down from his reveries by Ephraim looking out from the small window in their room that showed a clear view of the street below. The bustling groups of people, the sheer amount of life was beyond anything Ephraim had ever seen before. And he was soaking up every moment of it all. Such excitement, everything new to him... supposedly. Something deep inside Ephraim stirred upon seeing the sights of Lunos, little sparks on things hidden in his mind flashed quickly before disappearing. It had only been a minor thing at first but now, the sensation was starting to seriously nag at the young man.

"Ephraim! Get away from that window! You don't know who's looking in!" Dr. Gero snapped. Being in Lunos had made the older man extremely wary and more than a little paranoid. He was constantly on the lookout for anyone who might have a chance of realising who he was. Gero looked only to wait until the Gala itself where he would let Ephraim strike before fleeing. With or without his 'grandson' if needs be. The Doctor kept realised Ephraim was still fidgeting even turned away from the window and realised that there was no way he would be able to stand that for much longer.

"Can't you stay still at all Ephraim? You're not a child anymore!" Gero barked as Ephraim twitched constantly to have another look out of the window.

The young man managed to go a full three seconds of obeying the order before craning his neck back to look through the window once more. Gero stifled a groan as Ephraim tried to peer through the glass. Normally when he was being bothered by the young man, he'd send him into the specially designed training room to get him out of his hair. It had been something of a minor point of pride for Gero, having constructed it not only to be able to withstand the intense strength Ephraim exhibited but also disguise the power from whoever might have been seeking it. It had been hard, but worth it as Ephraim had been able to train in complete secrecy for seven years, despite his reluctance for violence.

Now however, there was nowhere to send the boy, no refuge for the Doctor to gain his peace and quiet. The thought of spending the rest of the remaining time between now and the actual event locked up in a room with Ephraim was enough to make Gero realise he was unable to do it. Giving an exasperated sigh, the Doctor motioned his head towards the door "I suppose we can risk a walk round the local area, get to know the ground should anything occur."

Ephraim's eyes lit up at the suggestion of exploring the streets of Lunos, the teeming amount of life that had opened up to him these last few days was exhilarating. He had never before remembered seeing more than seven people at a time. But after first seeing New Lunos and then the colony's original namesake, his mind was rife with the possibilities that had opened up before him. As both he and Gero walked out of the hotel and onto the street, Ephraim gazed in wonderment at his surroundings, looking at everyone and everything to get it all in.

While Ephraim was more than happy to soak up the sights, Gero was beginning to regret his decision. What if someone recognised either of them? The Doctor tried to dismiss such thoughts as paranoia but it was all too easy for him to remember that he was still a wanted man and all it took was the boy to do some investigation into how the War with the Dark Kingdom ended and all would be ruined. Before he could think twice however, Ephraim had already started to walk amongst the crowd, determined to find everything he could.

For a minute, Gero looked on as his so called grandson practically skipped amongst the people setting up stalls, putting up decorations or just generally walking along the street, greeting them or asking questions about their tasks. Surprised that Ephraim was actually taking an interest in these strangers, Gero finally stepped in as he started to talk to a young man with blonde hair, about the same age with Ephraim. Gero recoiled slightly as he stepped forward and saw the young man's arm; it was a robotic one, the sort that would replace a lost limb. A twinge of pride went through Gero though as he recognised the design as being one of his own from decades ago.

"... The streamers will look nice across the roof I think..." Ephraim said in agreement to the person beside him before he noticed Gero walking up behind them "Oh, grandfather! Do you think these streamers would look best going across the roof or just above the doorway?"

Taken aback by the question, Gero looked down to the streamers which were, in his opinion, a garish cross of dull red and bright blue "Just on the roof I believe." He said, not adding his reasoning that less people would be able to see it on the roofs "And I see you've made a new friend."

The young blonde man held out his flesh and bone hand and smiled "Pleased to meet you, my name's Orion."

Gero reluctantly gripped and shook Orion's hand, somewhat surprised by the firmness of it. At a loss for anything else to say, Gero blurted out "I see you have the Red Thirteen model arm there, a fine choice."

Rather than get embarrassed or infuriated at such a faux pas, Orion simply shrugged his shoulders "It's cheap but it was the best one my family could get for me. Wasn't much choice after the city was practically flattened."

The embarrassment at his design being labelled 'cheap' was quickly done away with as Ephraim's face took on an expression of extreme curiosity "Flattened? By what?"

Orion actually looked shocked at such a question "Where you've been the last seven years Ephraim? The War with the Dark Kingdom ringing any bells to you?"

"Well, yes..." Ephraim started "But the Dark Kingdom was the go..."

"Ephraim! Enough!" Gero exclaimed, not wanting their whole cover to be blown. As Ephraim shut his mouth, Gero turned to Orion "You must excuse my grandson. While he certainly polite enough, his wits are somewhat lacking. I apologise for intruding upon your work. Come along Ephraim, we have much ground to cover with what little time we have."

Giving a wave to Orion as he was grabbed by the arm and towed away, Ephraim leant down to whisper into Gero's ear "What did he mean grandfather? Surely the Dark Kingdom would never have attacked innocent people!"

In his mind, Gero felt gears winding to come up with an adequate lie. He hadn't told Ephraim any details of the final attack by the Dark Kingdom for fear it could have reawakened his memories and instead had kept to half murmured generalities regarding the events. Realising he needed more however, Gero said "One thing you should keep in mind Ephraim, the people are currently under a hypnotic spell by the Queen. In her need for adulation, she has the people thinking that the Moon Kingdom was on the side of righteousness during the War. Such is her need for worship that all inhabitants believe her lies due to her magic, making them love her all the more. Attempt to break their delusions, and it could backfire badly upon the both of us. You must not speak the truth, do you understand?"

Ephraim's mouth opened at those words, amazed and horrified at the Queen's actions. He found it hard to believe the need for love could be twisted in such a perverse fashion. He had thought that the Moon Kingdom was evil before but this was on an entirely different level. Now more than ever Ephraim realised the need to bring down the Moon Kingdom once and for all.

"I understand grandpa. I shall not fail you." Ephraim answered "I'll make sure I'll bring down those vile oppressors!"

Nodding slightly, Gero silently marvelled at how gullible the boy was. When the time came for him to strike, Gero found himself wondering just what his expression would be when he found out the real truth. Although Gero would make sure he was far, far away before that happened. With that thought in mind, Gero continued down the street, Ephraim to his side as they soaked up the sound and sights of the city.

XxX

Fury was an emotion that Queen Serenity was generally unaccustomed with. She had experienced it on occasion with varying degrees of justification but this was an entirely new level she was experiencing. It had been seven long years since she had seen Cosmos, the man who had risked an entire Kingdom for reasons she had never truly fathomed. Banished from her sight, she had only ever thought about him when being forced to promote him to a higher rank for his services in the Eastern Quadrant. After that, she had put him out of mind, not even considering thinking about him due to the rage he inspired in her.

She was now being forced to give him thought however, due to the man breaking her explicit order and having the audacity to enter the Central Quadrant and even the space of the Moon Kingdom itself. Despite her anger however, she had the foresight to go to her private quarters to communicate with his ship, not wanting to give an outburst in front of anyone should her rage get the better of her.

It didn't take too long to configure the Com-Screen that had been especially taken to her room to the frequency of the one of Cosmos' ship, the Serene. She would have strong words for Lieutenant-Colonel Cosmos indeed...

After flickering for a moment, the Com-Screen call was answered and for the first time in seven years, Cosmos and Queen Serenity saw each other. There was a brief moment where both locked eyes upon each other and despite the thousands of miles between them and the fact that they were talking with a screen, both could instantly see the changes that age had had upon the other. For Cosmos however, Serenity's age only seemed to add to her refinement and beauty and he paused at the sight.

Queen Serenity on the other hand, had no such feelings and glared at Cosmos after her initial surprise "I trust you have a justifiable reason in disobeying a direct order Lieutenant-Colonel?" She asked with a voice as icy as possible.

Cosmos cleared his throat after hearing the voice that he had not heard in seven years, a time far too long in his opinion. Clearing his mind, Cosmos responded in the most respectful tones "Your Majesty, it does me good to see you in such good health. I apologise unconditionally for diso..."

"The reason Cosmos." Queen Serenity interrupted, not caring for any niceties "You dare to disobey my command now? For what purpose?"

The tone Queen Serenity used was calm, but tense. Cosmos recognised just how on edge the Queen was. Cosmos was somewhat grateful he had taken the call in his private quarters. If she gave an order for Cosmos to be thrown into the brig and return back to the Eastern Quadrant, the crew might have chosen loyalty to her command over his, something Cosmos wasn't too happy to risk.

"We are in pursuit of a group of bandits called the Wolf Fang Gang who we're following to the Moon Kingdom." Cosmos said, the frown crossing Serenity's face telling him this wasn't enough and he went on "We believe that they're taking Dr. Gero with them. Witnesses from Sulu Four reported that Gero has been living there for some decades now."

Despite his addition, Queen Serenity still looked less than satisfied "A group of bandits and a scientist of dubious reputation. This hardly seems like such a pressing matter for your attention. Nor does it seem a good enough reason for you to go against your Queen."

Realising that the Queen would probably never accept any reason beyond the truly ludicrous, Cosmos went just for that "We have uncovered various pieces of information that point to... Prince Gohan being alive." He said, getting out in one.

It took some time for Queen Serenity to react, her face slowly going into the expression a person has when they cannot believe the other person has told them. She tried for a minute to digest this before taking refuge in the obvious "But Gohan died. He was killed by Queen Beryl."

Cosmos sympathised with the Queen's reaction. It sounded completely ludicrous but ever since taking Piccolo on board the ship, the tiny little bits of information seemed to slot together. The strength needed to bring the Serene down would have been immense, far beyond that of any normal being. Added to that was Piccolo's insistence and appearance at the time when Dr. Gero had also resurfaced. Something about this was setting off all sorts of alarms for Cosmos' instincts that he was finding increasingly hard to ignore "We have amassed a certain amount of circumstantial evidence which suggests otherwise your Majesty. Do you remember the Namekian, Piccolo?"

"Of course I do. Is he there with you?"

"Yes, he reports having... sensed Prince Gohan's life force at some point; he is insistent on that very point and has been trying to track it ever since we came across him." Cosmos said, trying to avoid mentioning the circumstances in which they found Piccolo "We hope to continue our search when we touchdown in..."

"You shall not." Queen Serenity snapped at Cosmos "Do you honestly believe I'd let you stand once more upon the Moon Kingdom in light of your actions? I have not forgotten, nor forgiven Cosmos. You shall remain in orbit until I order you to leave. Is that understood?"

The look of disappointment on Cosmos' face was immense and he had to pause before managing to say "V-Very well your Majesty."

Showing no signs of sympathy or mercy, Serenity went on "And send us all the information you have regarding Gero and the Wolf Fang Gang. At least make yourself somewhat useful." With those words, Serenity leant over and switched off the Com-Screen. In all honesty, it was a petty move but Serena had grown sick of the man even in that short conversation. It had been all she could do not to order him arrested on the spot. Leaning back in her chair, Serenity breathed out and thought about what Cosmos had said.

Gohan alive? It was impossible surely! A fabrication of some sort to give Cosmos a flimsy excuse to return. But... The way the man had spoken, how he'd looked, might there be something to it all? Serena bolted up, shaking such nonsense from her head. There was no way it could be true, Gohan had perished at the hands of Queen Beryl, to suggest he was actually alive... But then, Queen Serenity thought about something else Cosmos had said, about Piccolo. He had vanished after Gohan's death, why would he return now? And with Cosmos no less, a man he had hated? Too many things failed to add up in this and Serenity realised that she'd have to look into it.

Rising from her chair, Serenity resolved to look into this by herself. She couldn't bring Serena into this, to bring up even the possibility of Gohan being alive would be far too cruel too her. No, it would be best if she kept this to the bare minimum of people. Leaving the room behind her, Queen Serenity thought about where to start and, more importantly, where it would end.

XxX

"Are you sure we couldn't have waited until we were at least set up in the Palace before coming here?" Sasami asked, glancing around the crowded street.

"And wait for one of the guards to recognise me? Are you insane?" Washu snapped, pulling the hood over her head tightly "I'd rather not risk being thrown into a prison cell thank you very much."

Sighing with some exasperation, Sasami looked round the street they were in as it bustled with activity. To avoid risking detection, Washu had decided to avoid the Palace and instead find lodgings in the city as a way to blend in. Although that was getting increasingly hard as they discovered that there were few lodgings left due to the celebrations. Sasami began to wonder why exactly she had come given that she could be enjoying a long bath and trying to gear herself up for a meeting with Princess Serena. But, Washu had needed a helping hand to get round the city and Sasami had felt that getting a brisk walk would help clear her head. The fifteenth rejection from hotels had worn down her patience now though and she was starting to have second thoughts.

The street was full of people, moving about their business while traders shouted out their wares all along the street while others either hung up decorations or walked quickly in a bid to complete a task. It was hectic and noisy and was starting to give both Sasami and Washu a headache. Both wearing cloaks with hoods to obscure their features although Sasami began to reflect upon the fact that two people walking around with similar looking silver cloaks, trying to hide their faces didn't exactly blend in as well as they should.

Tired of the same old rejections from the hotels and deciding to cut it all short, Sasami turned to Washu to insist that she come back to the Palace when something caught the corner of her eye. She paused and glanced towards the end of the street where an old man was dragging a young man by the arm as he glanced around in curiosity and wonder at everything he saw. His face looked at hers for a split second before turning away but in that second, Sasami felt something akin to a thunderbolt strike to her core.

"Gohan." She whispered. The face was different, it had aged from a boy to a young man but it was the same happiness, the same smile, the same spark in his eyes that she remembered from seven long years ago. For a moment, she forgot the impossibilities, the fact she had spent seven years knowing he had died and instead, that second of glimpsing his face convinced her. It was Gohan. He was alive.

"What was that?" Washu asked, turning her head to the stunned Princess.

"It's Gohan." Sasami said, a little louder as she watched the young man be pushed across the street by the older man, hope rising in her as she took a breath and shouted "GOHAN! IT'S ME! SASAMI!"

To be continued...

Shiva the Sarcastic – Well we've got the reunion right up in the next chapter... Whenever that is... ^^;

LanceXstorm5 – Yeah, sorry about the first chapter. I will go back and edit that like nothing else so it isn't quite as bad. Glad you enjoyed the rest of it though!

Lord Edric – Yeah, Gohan's never been the most clued in when it comes to girls alright. Certainly is naive but I reckon he'll fit in at some point or other with at least one. :p

Venus914 – Ah, probably won't care for the next few chapters then. Hope you enjoy the rest though.

Echelon9 – IT LIVES! I'm back on top of this, sorry about it all but I've had so many differing projects, interests and other stuff that this story suffered for it. Hopefully, after an eleven month break I can keep up with the quality. Thanks for the offer, but I'll stick with it for now.

I am really, really, REALLY, sorry about this everyone. I've had a lot happen the last eleven months with differing projects, interests and other distractions that I haven't managed to devote any attention at all to this. Hopefully this will be amended and I can get back to a semi-regular schedule. Hope you enjoyed and if you're still reading, let me know how you feel about these developments!