Dragon Ball Z/ Sailor Moon/ Ranma ½ fanfic. "Past, Present and Uncertainty." By Julian Soullard (e-mail: jnsoullard@hotmail.com) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 12: Saving Trunks' skin. "Jupiter!" came Mercury's shout, "Their coming right at you!!" Her words brought her back to Earth. She had to act fast. If she wanted to save Trunks, she had to save his Essence Sphere first and forget about the body. There was no other choice. Makoto quickly grabbed her ex-boyfriend's bottled soul and ran away from her enemies. Hell would freeze over before she'd let Eron have this particular Essence Sphere. ********** //One minute for self destruction.// the computer announced. Ranma was in a pickle. Of all the bad moments he could've choose from to break into the villains' hideout, he had to do it right when the place was about to blow sky high. No wonder no one was paying attention to him, even if he had Trunks' old Son Goku costume on which was like having a 'Hi, I'm your enemy! Attack me please!' sign written over his head. Everybody was too busy saving their lives to notice or even care. Regardless of what most people think, Ranma had a very developed sense of self preservation. Sure, he risked his life quite a lot and did several dumb things that were all but healthy for his survival, but nonetheless, when you hear a computer saying... //Thirty seconds for self destruction.// You know you gotta get out. And you know you gotta do it fast. As he ran aimlessly through the corridors, he saw a few persons jumping inside a bright window of some sort and disappearing without leaving a trace. Once the last member passed through, the portal began to close up. //Fifteen seconds for self destruction.// Heck... this alternate escape route didn't look so bad given the circumstances. Ranma dashed at the window and jumped right inside, assuming that what was on the other side couldn't be worse than a building about to blow up. ********** Arlakk flew from right to left, dodging the incoming attacks from both Uranus and Neptune. Occasionally, he summoned a magical shield, but his spells were defensive all the time. This brought a certain amount of frustration in the two Outer Senshi. "When are you planning to fight?!" Uranus roared. The Necromancer simply landed on top of a traffic light and grinned. "What makes you think I'm here to fight you?" he asked. "What?" "I wasn't sent here to destroy you, if you still haven't guessed." he explained, while turning to see the Outpost not far away, "As a matter of fact, my job here is done. You should even thank me that I kept you from getting killed." "What the Heck are you talking about??" "It would be a shame to lose two healthy Essences Spheres in an explosion, wouldn't it?" Arlakk answered, "I bid you farewell." And without any further comments, the dark figure disappeared in thin air. The two Outers didn't have to wait long to understand the meaning of their enemy's words. The building they were heading to, where they supposed the hideout was, suddenly blew up in a spectacular lighting effect, sending fragments in every direction. Uranus and Neptune had to cover their eyes and fell back on their rear ends, but were fortunately unharmed beyond a bump or two. ********** "What are you doing?!?" Eron shouted, "I told you to get that Essence Sphere!!" The Raiders were doing the best they could, but so far, the ball (so to speak) was still in the Senshi's court. Jupiter guarded it like a angry hound, sending green bolts of energy to any enemy who got too close. She even manage to knock the air out of one of the Raiders with a nice punch. Nevertheless, there's a limit to what can one person do by herself, and Makoto soon found herself surrounded. "Jupiter! Over here!" shouted Venus. She didn't like the idea, but her options were scarce. Taking the Essence Sphere in one hand, she threw it to the other side of the street, begging that Minako had steady hands. Fortunately, the blonde lived up to her expectations as she easily caught the Sphere and began to run while Mars and Mercury kept her covered with their respective attacks. "What part of 'get that Sphere' was unclear?" Eron roared, "You two, get Venus." Just like her Senshi comrade, Minako found herself blocked by a wall of Raiders. She took a few steps back trying to find some support, but the other Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen were busy clearing out more cat creatures. Well... all but... "Here! Throw it to me!" Eternal Sailor Moon shouted, as she waved her arms around. Minako thought about it. Then she thought about it some more. Then she thought about it for a third time. She had seen Usagi's handy work in gym class and, truth be told, it left much to be desired. Even a basketball plunged in glue would slip through the girls fingers. And Minako didn't want to risk Trunks' soul in such a way. It's nice to want things. But given the circumstances, throwing the sphere to Usagi was better than letting the Raiders have it. Everyone stopped what they were doing at the moment as they witnessed how the Sphere flew towards Eternal Sailor Moon's hands. The girl's clumsiness was legendary, even among Raiders. Usagi caught the Sphere. Everyone relaxed. The Sphere slipped out of Usagi's hands. Everybody went pale. Usagi manage to send her other hand below and caught the Sphere again. Everybody let out a sigh of relief. The Sphere went lose again. Everybody went pale. [If something happens to that Sphere, Lord Kyristan will have my hide!] Eron thought, as he could only watch in horror how the clumsy defender kept on juggling the precious object. More seconds, which felt like hours, passed as Eternal Sailor Moon went on with the 'I have it - I don't have it' routine until she finally got a firm gasp on the object. Everyone let out a final big sigh of relief. Did they just all aged ten years in five seconds thanks to her? [I'm getting nowhere like this.] Eron though, [I don't have enough Raiders on my side thanks to that little attack Sailor Moon did through the portal. Plus, the ones I have now are falling like flies. I have to find an edge. Something that'll help me regroup my forces.] Eron found his edge lying on the ground. His devious mind immediately began to form a plan. [Yes! That's it!] Without wasting any time, he ordered to some of his Raiders to keep the defenders busy, in the meantime, he went towards Super Saiya-man's body. Sailor Mars, who happen to be close, realized what was the scientist's plan and immediately ran towards Trunks as well. Unfortunately, Eron beat her to it and quickly picked up the body. Rei threw herself in a desperate attempt to take a hold of one of her friend's arms. And she did, but Eron quickly gave her a kick in the face to send her back. Rei fell, and only got Trunks' wristwatch as a consolation prize. Before the others came to help her, Eron quickly summoned a portal to make a clean getaway back to Dominia. The Raiders, the few of them that were left, gave their best effort to block any attempts from the defenders to oppose their creator's retreat. That was their life purpose, and they fulfilled it till the very end. "NOOOO!!!" Jupiter screamed, as she saw the portal closing until it became nothing more than a bright dot. ********** "What *is* this place??" Ranma asked to himself. One thing was certain. He wasn't in Juuban. Actually, he doubted that he was in Earth anymore. Right after crossing the portal, the martial artist didn't waste time to hide himself. He was, after all, in enemy territory and doubted very much that anyone would be happy to see him snooping around. When the coast became clear, he stepped out of the new building he was in. A very strange building, by the way. Everything was being controlled by robots, so Ranma had to be extra careful not to alert them while sneaking out in case they had moving sensors or something similar. However, what he saw outside was even more impressive. Don't mind the extremely advanced civilization he was in. Don't mind the hover-cars that flew in all directions. What captivated Ranma the most was the sky. There was a city standing upside-down above him. Not just any city. That was Juuban. He had flown over it several times in order to recognize it and could even pin-point some land marks. But this felt different... Everything looked rather far, like a bird eye view... and still, when he stared at a particular point long enough, he felt his sight approaching. Things got bigger, details became more clear. Small dots turned into people, animals or cars. All of it made clear by the shining rays of a purple sun. Hold on a sec. Purple sun? Ranma hadn't noticed it at first, but indeed, there was a purple sun right between the Juuban image and the world he was in right now. Regardless of its dark color, it let out a normal bright light, just like the one back on Earth. "Talk about something out of this world." he said to himself. The martial artist's sightseeing session came to an abrupt end when he heard several voices approaching. He immediately found cover behind some large metal tubes, connecting the building he just left with the underground. ********** Arlakk was in Heaven. Speaking in an illustrative way of course, since he was quite alive and kicking right now. Still, he definitively considered this moment as near as Heaven as he would ever get. Right now, all three Masters of Tomorrow were gathered at their Lord's tower. The reason? Eron's little unofficial operation on the Outside. The sorcerer knew that the scientist was bound to screw up, but not even in his most optimistic guess could he have predicted such an outcome. "Let me get this straight." Lord Kyristan declared as he drummed his fingers against his throne, "First, you left to the Outside *without* my permission. Even though I made myself perfectly clear that Arlakk is in charge of the mission." "Yes, my Lord." Eron said while remaining in a bowing position. "Then, you managed to get our Outpost discovered and, while we're at it, destroyed as well." he continued. "Yes, my Lord." "If that wasn't enough, you almost got two of the defenders killed *before* we got their Essence Spheres." he continued, "If it wasn't for Arlakk's intervention, we would've lost those Essence Spheres. And you *do* know how much I hate losing defender's Essence Spheres in such a way, don't you, Eron?" "Yes, my Lord." Oh yes... this was Heaven for Arlakk. Eron getting blamed and him getting noticed as the man who saved the day. Could things get any better than this? "Oh, and let's not forget about your most notable accomplishment." the Lord went on, "You actually got Super Saiya-man's Essence Sphere, one of the most powerful Essence Spheres I've felt so far may I add, and *lost* it against the defenders. Is that correct?" "Yes, my Lord." "And as a final insult, you bring me THIS EMPTY CARCASS INSTEAD!!" he growled, while pointing at Saiya-man's inert body lying on the floor, "What exactly *do* you have to say in your defense, Eron?!?" Lord Kyristan, compared to most Evil Dark Lords, was a rather compassionate person (in relative terms at least). Patience became one of his greatest virtues. He knew that humans were far from perfect and therefore expected them to screw up once in a while. He even gave second chances to his subjects without any big regrets, assuming that they would learn from their mistakes an do a better job the next time. But there were two things which really ticked Kyristan off. The first was direct disobedience. And the second was losing rare Essence Spheres. Eron had managed to do both in the same day. So it was no big surprise that the scientist's life was hanging from a tight rope right now. The only way he could save his life would be through an incredible justification for his actions. Eron stood up. Much to Arlakk's surprise he appeared rather calm, yet the his eyes showed that he was well aware of his situation. "I consider myself guilty for disobeying direct orders, my Lord." he began, "The loss of our Outpost falls upon my shoulders as well. That was an unexpected tragedy. However, I do consider that this loss was inevitable. The defenders would've done the same thing whether Arlakk or Sorine had been in my place. I'd like to point out as well that my staff managed to retrieve most items of importance before destroying the Outpost so that the defenders couldn't use them to our disadvantage. I also acknowledge full responsibility for endangering the Outer Senshi's Spheres, which was the result of an unexpected turn of events. As for Super Saiya-man, my lack of Raiders were the reason of my failure. Nevertheless, the reason I brought his body here was to correct that error." "How exactly do you plan to correct this error?" Kyristan asked still angry, although now a little bit curious as well. "The defenders hold Super Saiya-man's Essence Sphere, but without the body they won't regain their ally." Eron explained, "In other words, I'm sure they're willing to negotiate with me." "That's absurd." Arlakk cut in, "The defenders would never give us the Sphere in exchange for the body. They obviously want both so they can resurrect Saiya-man." "That's right." the scientist confirmed, "But I bet they'll be more than willing to show up with the Sphere if I use the body as bait." "What makes you think they'll bring the Sphere?" Arlakk questioned, "If they sense a trap, they will probably hide it somewhere safe and show up empty handed to your meeting." "I've considered that already." his collaborator stated, "That's why I'm planning on giving the defenders some erroneous information regarding the Essence Sphere." "What do you have in mind?" Kyristan asked. "The Essence Sphere can only exist outside the host's body for one hour. Otherwise the soul shall brake free and be lost forever." Eron pointed out, "It's been exactly twelve O-minutes(*) since Saiya-man's Sphere has been ripped out. If I tell the defenders that the Sphere can only sustain itself for half an hour, they will believe to have only eighteen minutes left to recover the body instead of the forty-eight." "Given that knowledge, they'll be forced to show up with the Sphere, hoping to insert it back into the body before it's too late." Kyristan concluded. "Yes, my Lord." Eron confirmed, "That's why I humbly ask you to give me permission to carry out this operation to redeem myself." The lord considered the scientist's words. He could easily kill him right now and send someone else to carry out his plan instead. That would be a fitting punishment for disobeying a direct order. Still, Kyristan knew that disposing of his henchmen in such a way wouldn't fix things. That was a lesson he learned several of centuries ago. At the beginning, he never hesitated to kill a servant for being either incompetent or disobedient. It also helped to reaffirm his 'Evil Dark Lord' status by showing to everyone who was top dog. Unfortunately, this philosophy brought some very troublesome side effects. He would be left without any servants to carry out his wishes... Eron might be impulsive by times. As well as full of himself, irritating, a horrible team player, a real blabbermouth and over all an easily dislikable person, but he was one of the best Masters of Tomorrow Kyristan had fetched since he began his quest for Essence Spheres. He was also a fast thinker, loyal like a dog, efficient, spontaneous (for better or worst) and with a lot of determination. And he had cover himself with glory in previous missions. Definitively someone you want to keep around to do your errands. "Very well." Kyristan declared, "I shall give you the opportunity to fix your own mess, Eron." "Thank you, my Lord." Eron said relieved, "You won't regret this." "I know. That's why I'm sending Arlakk to help you out." "What??" asked both Masters of Tomorrow. "I want that Essence Sphere." Kyristan made clear, "Arlakk, prepare some of your minions for this encounter. I want everything taken care of." "It shall be done." said the necromancer, "My Lord, maybe Sorine's help may be of use as well." "I have another assignment for her." his master told him. [Something more important that the Essence Sphere?] Eron thought intrigued. "I exist only to serve you, my Lord." the silent female android responded, "What is my mission?" "Something quite unusual." Kyristan explained, "An Outsider has entered Dominia. I felt his presence minutes ago. Sorine, since you're Chief of internal security, it's your duty to deal with this intruder." ********** Minato-ku, number 201 from a big apartment complex. Given the recent events, everybody decided to gather at the nearest location to discuss and, more importantly, try to find a solution to today's problem. Makoto's apartment happened to be the nearest place. "I say we use the Senshi teleport." Minako suggested, "We can drop unexpected at the enemy's base, rescue Trunks' body and teleport back immediately." "I don't think it'll work." Ami declared after making a few calculations on her computer, "The Senshi teleport hasn't been tested to make jumps into other dimensions. We don't have that kind of power to do it. And even if we did, on what should we focus to make the jump?" "On Trunks, obviously!" Makoto pointed out somewhat exasperated. "Trunks is right here. Held between your arms." the genius replied, as she pointed to the Essence Sphere the brunet was holding. "If we focus on Trunks, we would end up right where we started, because this is where his presence is." Makoto sighed. She felt so powerless and frustrated. All this time, the Inner Senshi had been forced to do nothing more than watch and make assumptions while letting the enemy run wild. For crying out loud!! They stole Trunks' body! They *had* to do something to get it back! "What about Sailor Pluto?" Usagi suggested, "If someone can 'go places' it's her." "But where is she?" Rei asked. "We haven't seen or heard from her in a while. Not even Haruka and Michiru know, for that matter." "By the way, what happened to the two of them?" Minako inquired, "Why aren't they here?" "I... guess they have other plans right now." Usagi said. It still pained her to see her two friends so uninterested in Trunks' welfare. "Then what do we do??" Makoto asked, "We can't just sit here and wait for something to happen!" However, thanks to some useful author intervention and a bit of plot development, Makoto soon found out that sitting and wait for something to happen actually did help out. As they all suddenly looked outside the window, an incredible phenomenon occurred. For starters, the entire sky had turned purple, which was something *really* hard to ignore. Once everyone's attention had been gained, Eron's gigantic image appeared over the city like some sort of illusion. Everyone gasped. "Greetings, defenders." the man said, his voice bouncing in every street's corner, "You'll have to forgive my sudden departure a couple of minutes ago, but I had urgent matters to deal with." "Like giving an explanation to our lord before he chew your ass off, maybe." came another voice from nowhere. "Arlakk, shut up!! You're ruining the mood!" Eron growled as he glared to his right, then looked back in front of him, "In any case, I assume you want your friend's body back. Well, this is your lucky day. We both happen to be in town right now. If you're interested, we're waiting for you at the abandoned factory in the third district. I believe you know where it is." "What a jerk!" Minako fumed, "Can he be more obvious? He's inviting us right inside his trap!" "And you know what's going to be even more obvious?" Makoto told her, "We're going there anyway. If he has Trunks' body, we have no choice." "Oh, and by the way," Eron went on, "I know you're probably thinking that you can come here without exposing your friend's Essence Sphere, but here's a little news flash for you: Essence Spheres can only survive for half an hour outside a body. So I wouldn't suggest leaving it behind. Remember girls, the clock is ticking." Eron finished his speach with a healthy villain's laugh. When he was done, his image over Juuban hadn't disappear. The scientist remained still for a moment and then blinked a few times. Then he turned to his right again. "Arlakk, I'm done, call off your spell already." he said. "I'm sorry, I guess I fell asleep from hearing your speach." the voice responded. "Could you just call off the spell so we can get this over with?" Eron demanded as he began to lose his patience, "I'm not in the mood for your sarcasm right now." "That's a first." "Just cancel the darn spell already!" "All right, all right... What a temper." the sorcerer spoke as the sky turned back to its original blue color. Regardless of the goofy ending of the message, the girls weren't feeling very amused right now. Eron's last words worried them a lot, specially Makoto. "Half an hour?" Usagi asked, "That means we only have fifteen minutes to get his body back." "What if he's lying?" Ami added, "Maybe it's all just a trick to force us to show the Essence Sphere." "But maybe he's telling the truth." Rei commented, "And if he is, we can't risk Trunks' life. There's no way we can fight and be back here in less than fifteen minutes." "Then we won't." came Makoto's sudden reply. "What are you talking about?" "I won't let them have Trunks' Essence Sphere." she said decidedly, "Eron will stop at nothing to get it, so we can't risk taking it to him." "But if we don't, there won't be enough time to bring his body back here." Ami told her, "Even if we use the Senshi Teleport, we don't know how long will the fight take. Our best option is to go there with the Sphere and try to put it back in Trunks' body." "I'm willing to bet that Eron already thought about us doing that." Makoto replied, "Like I said, I won't expose Trunks' Sphere. So we'll do exactly what Eron doesn't expect." "Mako-chan... you know we don't like it when you talk like that..." Minako stated, "What exactly are you up to?" "Eron said that the Sphere can't survive more than half an hour outside a body, right?" "Yeah, so?" "So..." Makoto explained as she pressed the Sphere against her abdomen, "We'll put it in another body." "What? But that's..." Rei began, but unfortunately, she didn't get the chance to finish. Makoto held the Sphere firmly and squeezed it more against herself. A bright light came out of the object before it entered the girl's body. Everyone looked baffled by such act. The brunette fell on her knees with her eyes shut and arms wrapped around her. Apparently, the pain she was experiencing wasn't expected. "Mako-chan what did you do!?!" Usagi was the first to ask, as she got down to help her. "I... I'm okay..." her friend managed to say with some effort, "Just get Trunks' body here soon. I'll keep his Sphere..." "But this is crazy!!" Rei exploded, "You can't have two souls in one body! Mako-chan, you have to let the Sphere go or it might kill you!" "Please!" the Thunder Senshi insisted, "Just hurry. This is the least I can do for Trunks. He took a blast that was meant for me." "But..." "Let's go." Usagi cut in, "The only thing we can do right now is hurry. Who knows for how long she can keep this up." ********** Ranma jumped, rolled, dashed, backfliped, flew and fled in order to avoid the incoming lasers. He didn't knew how they did it, but somehow, the enemy found out about him, even when he intentionally lowered his aura in order to pass incognito. Right now, it seemed as if the entire city had turned against him. First came some hover-crafts chasing after him. At least they had the decency to say 'Stop! You have been identified as a trespasser! Drop any weapons you may have and lay face down on the floor' in order to warn him he wasn't welcome. Now, Ranma, like any normal person, wasn't someone who liked being shot at. However, he had a funny felling that been taken prisoner would probably be worse. So he ran. He manage to outmaneuver the hover-crafts at first, but then they called for backup. Said back up was really a couple of two stories high robots, armed with canons a little bit everywhere around their arms. Seconds after realizing that, the streets became a real laser festival and Ranma was left with no choice other than dodging, for his ki blasts didn't seem to damage the robots' armor. [Think! Think! Think! Think! Think! Ranma think!] he said to himself, [I can't dodge forever and I bet there's more of these goons coming after me. Damn it! Looks like I don't have a choice.] The now Son Goku 'fill in' nimbly managed to move towards his two giant aggressors while dodging more blasts. He was about to do something. "Here it comes!" he shouted. The two Sentries immediately stopped shooting. Everything pointed out that the Outsider was about to perform a major attack, so they raised their energy shield in order to absorb any possible assault. "Saotome Special technique!!" Ranma announced. The posterior events that occurred after that became quite unexpected. Just as he was about to hit their shield, Ranma suddenly turned tail and ran with a speed that would've made the Flash feel jealous. The two Sentries remained still... that was quite a non computable reaction the one they just saw... and if they had the ability to blink in confusion, the two giant would've certainly done so. ********** "Greeting, Sailor Senshi." Eron said, as he turned around to face the door leading to his room, "I'm so happy you made it. I was starting to think you didn't care about your friend." ... .... ..... "No... wait. That sounds too cliché." the scientist declared, "Maybe I should say something like: Why hello there! So nice of you to come... Naaaa... That sounds just as bad as the last one." "Eron... the defenders aren't even here." came Arlakk's voice from the shadows, "Do you *really* have to work on a speach to great them?" "Eloquence will get you everywhere, my friend." "It's only getting me sick right now." Everything was set as planned. Eron was standing at the end of the warehouse with Trunks' body prisoner inside a tank which was filled with an eerie green liquid. An oxygen mask wrapped around the hybrid's face and a few electrodes were placed around his body to scan and stabilize its pseudo-life readings. Arlakk's role would be an important one as well. Thanks to his magic, he would remain undetected while hiding in the shadows. When the opportunity would show itself, he would take the Essence Sphere. He had a couple of his minions ready for summoning to help him out too. "Be silent. I think I hear them coming." Eron told him. Quite true. The warehouse's entrance now had Moon, Mars, Mercury and Venus standing with the sun shining on their backs in a all too familiar 'here comes the good guys' group shot. Without great effort, they reached the back of the building where Eron was waiting for them. The defender's eyes constantly moved from one place to another in search of the nearest trap. By that time, Eron had comfortably sat on a business chair, elbows resting against each side while facing the opposite side of the door the defenders would use... even if that meant looking straight at a very dull wall. This was also a typical 'villain greeting the heroes into his trap' scene. Eron heard how the door opened and waited for defenders to make their way inside. He took a small dramatic pause before turning his seat 180º to his right and begin with his speach. "Greeting, Sailor Senshi." he said, as he finally turned around, "I'm so happy you made it. I was starting to think you... er... hum... excuse me, but why aren't you girls facing me?." Normal procedure was for the villain to turn around and find the heroes glaring at him straight in the eye. But in this rare occasion, Eron turned around and ended up looking at the defenders' backs. The scientist could see that the girls ears were rather red. It was only later than he realized that their faces were completely red as well. "You pervert!!" Eternal Sailor Moon declared as she pointed to the tank containing Trunks' body while trying not to look, "How could you put him naked in front of us like that!!" "What?" Eron asked confused, then turned towards the subject's body, "He's not naked! The important parts are hidden!" "You call *that* hiding??" Venus stated, "I have dental floss at home which is more concealing than that!" "Dental floss?? Aren't we exaggerating *just* a little bit?" he pointed out, "Hey! I'm talking here! Could you at least have the decency to turn around while I'm talking to you?" "Then how about putting some clothes on Saiya-man's body?" Mars answered dryly. "For crying out loud..." Eron mumbled, then he reluctantly got off his chair, went to the tank, pressed a few buttons against its side and obscured the glass, "There. Happy now?" The defenders gave a quick and shy peek to make sure it was safe to look again. Then they finally turned around, their cheeks still flushed. The mood Eron wanted to create had been completely destroyed now, so he went right down to business. "Okay, enough jokes, where's the Essence Sphere?" "We didn't bring it." Moon said, and it certainly felt good to see the look on Eron's face when she spoke. "Whaaaat?" he asked. "You heard us." Mars added defiantly. He was sooooo dead now. Lord Kyristan certainly wouldn't forgive him for failing this time. Eron's brained went into overdrive as it tried to find any possible solution for this predicament. By leaving the defenders with few options, he was completely counting on their predictable pattern of behavior in order to get the Sphere. Ironically, it was now him the one left with little options in this situation. The least he could do now was trying to be in control of the conversation by pretending not to care about this shocking news. So he laughed, even if he felt this would probably be the last laugh he'd give. "Congratulations." he declared, "I never thought you girls actually had the guts to sacrifice your friend in such a way. I completely underestimated you." "You're wrong." Mars corrected, "We're not scarifying Saiya-man's life. We're taking his body back." "I don't think so." the scientist declared, "If you didn't bring Saiya-man's Essence Sphere, then I'll have to settle for yours. Maybe that would be enough for my lord to forgive me. Arlakk, now!!" And with those words all Hell broke loose... ********** Ruins... Everything laid in ruins... Not even a single building had been spared from the destruction, and Makoto deduced that not a single living person either. Death could be felt everywhere. How did she get here? All of this was new to her. What was this place? Everything looked different from home. The destruction put aside, she'd never seen this particular kind of buildings. At least... what was left of them to be seen. She kept on walking, trying to find some answers to her new whereabouts, but she realized that nobody in this city could have survived to... whatever hit them. The sound of thunder only helped to increase the sadness felt by looking at this devastated scenario. How many people had died? It felt as if everything happened recently. The first rain drops reminded her to look for cover if she didn't want to catch a cold. Makoto found some shelter underneath what was left of a roof. [What happened? Where am I?] A sound... the first one she heard, asides from the rain and thunder, since she got here. Up in the sky. Was that a plane? No... Makoto peered outside to check it out. Someone flew towards her. Or at least, near where she stood. As the figure came closer, the brunette's eyes went wide with surprise as she saw a younger version of Trunks, about fourteen years old, slowly over flying the area, turning his head from right to left as if he searched for something. Then, as he appeared to have found what he was looking for, he came down, just about a block away from where Makoto stood. Everything in her mind told her to go to him regardless of the cold rain. It didn't took her long to do so either. After climbing on top of a stone rubble, she could clearly see the purple haired teen slowly walking towards something. No... not something... Someone. A man with jet black hair lying on the ground, wearing an orange dogi with a blue shirt underneath. The young version of Trunks seemed so shocked by this picture that he either didn't see Makoto coming or didn't care at the moment. He got down to his knees and shook the dead body with both hands in a vain attempt to make him wake up while calling out his name. "Gohan?" the boy said with a fearful voice, "Gohan, wake up..." His tears mixed with the rain drops falling on his face. It tore Makoto's heart to see him like this. Trunks kept on trying to wake his mentor, shaking him more insistently until it became clear that he wouldn't come back to him. He stood up and grabbed his head with both hands, his face becoming a mask of guilt and wrath. Then, he began screaming his heart out. Makoto felt the same pain in her chest. Losing a loved one wasn't new to her. With small steps, she went towards the teen, only to be abruptly stopped by an incredible surge of power erupting out of him. Trunks' hair lifted in golden color as the rage unlocked his Super Saiyajin power. Consequently, what was left of the city began to tremble. And it trembled even more when Trunks violently struck the ground with both hands, causing huge cracks on the pavement. The brunette had to wait a few moments for Trunks to have blown out his frustration, or at least some of it, before it became safe to approach him. When the that moment came, the boy fell to his knees again, his hair returning to its normal color. Deep sobs could be heard. She stood right behind him, hesitantly at first, but then she reached for his shoulder. Trunks didn't looked surprised by the gesture, he just turned around, revealing his faced covered with tears and obvious sadness. "He's dead, Mako-chan," he wept, "He's dead..." No words came out of her mouth. Words wouldn't be able to heal the pain anyway. So she hugged him protectively and gave the boy a shoulder to cry on. Trunks accepted this shoulder. "I couldn't do anything to save him!" he cried, "It's my fault!" "It's not..." Makoto responded, "You mustn't blame yourself for this. You have to learn to forgive yourself for your own good. Please..." Soon, only the sound of rain remained... ********** "Any suggestions, O' great leader?" Mars asked. "WHHHAAAAAAA!!!" Moon cried, "Get these things off of me!!" "I thought so..." "There's no end to these crazy monkeys!!" Venus shouted as she cracked her Love chain like a whip in almost every direction, "We're been outmaneuvered." It had taken Arlakk quite some time in spell casting to regroup such a large number of lesser demons, but it all paid up as he witnessed in satisfaction how the defenders were now barely able to move. The lesser demons looked liked monkey carved out of stone, although their skin was smooth, as well as their bat-like wings. All had threatening looking fangs and claws, and their eyes seemed ignited with blood. The size of such demons varied from something as big as a cat to something near human size. The big demons were taking the fight head on while the small ones weaseled around the defenders, either distracting them or grabbing their legs in order to send them off balance. Such strategy had worked so far and Mercury was already pinned down with Mars soon to follow. Shortly after, being the only one left standing, Venus fought like a raging bull, but she eventually fell as well. The four Senshi were now at their enemies' mercy. "Let's get this over with once and for all." Eron declared as he raised his fist and pointed his ring towards Eternal Sailor Moon. Arlakk did the same with Mars. "Silent Glaive Surprise!!" The Necromancer never saw the attack coming. He was so focused on the battle at hand that he didn't feel this powerful energy until it became too late. As a precaution, he always had a magical shield cast on himself before a fight in order to avoid surprise attacks like now. Imagine the look in his face when the abyssal looking blast tore through his defense and sent him crashing against Eron, and then the two of them against a wall. "Deep Submerge!!" "World Shaking!!" Two more blasts joined in on the fight and took care of the demons holding some of the Inner Senshi captive. The girls quickly called upon their powers to free their friends as well. "Invited by a new age, I'm the magnificent Sailor Uranus." declared Uranus. "Also invited by a new age, I'm the elegant Sailor Neptune." added her partner. "And I'm the Senshi of Silence, Sailor Saturn." concluded the little girl. The sorcerer knew the two Outers, but the young girl was a completely new player. In spite of her young age, she wielded and incredible power. Her last attack was quite an impressive presentation card, and Arlakk's senses only served to confirm this. "*Another* Senshi??" Eron asked irritated, "Exactly how many are there??" "Be that as it may, this new defender is more powerful than the rest." his colleague pointed out, "Even more than Eternal Sailor Moon." "You have *got* to be kidding!" "Well I'm not." he said dryly, "Lesser demons, attack!!" And so began the second round between the Sailor Senshi and Arlakk's minions. Eron pulled out a laser gun out of his belt and contributed to the fight as well, but the odds were starting to change in the defenders' favor. Saturn's intervention made a big difference and the Necromancer was forced to concentrate all of his spells on her just so he could keep her at bay, although he feared that even his best efforts wouldn't be enough. If given more time, he could've thought of a more efficient way to deal with her, but due to the pressure, hurling big heavy-weight magical blasts became his first option. "Arlakk, your demons are being wiped out!" Eron shouted, "Get the body and let's get out of here!!" Once he finished his phrase, a red rose cut through the air, stabbing the tank containing Trunks' body and shattering the glass. All of the fluid inside spread out like the sea and the hybrid's inert form fell with the gracefulness of a sack full of potatoes. Tuxedo Kamen appeared next to it and quickly threw it over his shoulder. "Sorry." he said, "But he's coming with us." "He's got him! Cover him!" came Mars' voice. Eron and Arlakk would have loved to stop him, but their efforts in getting through Sailor Saturn weren't giving any fruits. "Damn this girl!" the Necromancer cursed, "Eron, cover me while I cast!" In spite of not liking getting orders from his rival, Eron obeyed and kept on shooting while Arlakk summoned his power. Saturn, who remained at the defensive so the other could get a chance to draw back, braced herself. Arlakk finished his summoning and took his scepter with both hands, the top pointing towards the Senshi of Silence as if it was a rifle. A shimmering multicolored glow covered the scepter, which was Eron's sign to move out of the way. "Prismatic Ray!!" the Master of Tomorrow shouted. "Silent Wall!" Saturn countered. It sounded as if two bolts of lighting had managed to strike each other, defying the laws of physics. The invader's ray had been blocked by the defender's technique, but both kept on pushing harder, trying to subdue their adversary. The amount of power was of such magnitude that the entire building began to crack from every corner. However, none of the two contenders looked with any intention to quit. The result of the match came with a big bang... literally speaking. The two energies produced a huge explosion, sending everyone, and everything, flying backwards. The building collapsed, and the defenders were fortunate enough the be near the door, which saved them from being buried alive. Unlike the two Masters of Tomorrow and the remaining lesser demons. "Is it over?" Moon asked hopefully, "Are they dead?" "They have to be." Neptune answered, "No one could've survived that." "You came after all." Mercury pointed out to the three Outers, "Thanks. We wouldn't have done it without you." "Humph... Your friend put aside, we have an obligation to protect the princess." Uranus declared, "Besides, someone insisted that we came." With those last words, Haruka gave a fast look at Hotaru, who by that time was looking a little embarrassed with her hands crossed behind her back and still holding her glave. The little girl's determination in rescuing Trunks left her two guardians with little choice on the matter. Now Sailor Saturn had entered the fight, but at least two enemies were down. "I don't want to rush you or anything." came Tuxedo Kamen's voice, "But I believe that we have a body to deliver and may I remind everyone that time is the essence. Besides... Trunks is kinda heavy." "Right! Let's go!" Moon quickly ordered. ********** Makoto was lying on her bed. Asleep... maybe. Ever since she took the Essence Sphere inside her, things felt odd. She couldn't force herself to stay awake, but she wasn't really asleep either. It felt as if she were stuck somewhere between the two. A strange feeling crawled all along her body. There were times when she felt as if she was living some else's life. Trunks' life. Although it all became blurry when she "woke up": just like a dream, only with this strange sensation of dejá vu. Her eyes played tricks on her as well. Placing her in an unknown land or situation. Then it all changed back to the ceiling she was staring at. The sound of several footsteps running towards her entered the apartment. Another illusion maybe? She didn't know what to believe anymore. Usagi's worried face in front of the rest of her friends told her that this was real all right. Fortunately, her hearing hadn't left in search of another illusion and was able to translate the words coming out of the blonde's lips. The Essence Sphere. They wanted her to take Essence Sphere out so they could put it back inside Trunks. Trunks... they had succeeded. They brought him back. A yellow glow came out of her stomach. Pain. The Essence Sphere was coming out on its own. Maybe it felt in some way that its real body was near. Makoto certainly didn't gave it any orders to come out. Mainly because she wouldn't know how to do it. But she didn't keep it from doing so once it started. Was this pain what everyone felt while giving birth? Then... it all became clear. The confusion she been submerged in faded away like smoke. She still felt weak and unable to move though, but at least she felt conscious of her surrounding again. Usagi grabbed the precious object with both hands and took it towards Trunks' body which had been laid down on the visitor's bed and wrapped like a present by Tuxedo Kamen's cape. When the Sphere entered the body, everyone waited for something to happen. Ami quickly pull out her visor and scanned the hybrid's body, until a small smile from the corner of her mouth pointed out that everything turned out okay. "Is... is he all right?" came Makoto's weak voice. "He's alive, Mako-chan." the blue haired girl informed, "And it's all thanks to you." ********** The pieces of rubble began to move, and with a final effort, Eron broke free of his stone prison. He had managed to insert the DNA sample of the Howler in his hi-tech wrist seconds before the ceiling came down on him, and it was fortunate that he did, otherwise he wouldn't have had the necessary resistance to survive the cave in or the strength to get out of the ruins. Next to him, Arlakk painfully reincorporated himself. His left arm was seriously wounded. Maybe even broken, but he was still alive. That girl had blocked one his most powerful spells. Single-handedly. Not surprisingly, the defender had already left, probably assuming that they had died with the explosion. Another battle lost. Arlakk knew who wasn't going to be happy about this. "They're gone." he said. "Oh, really? I didn't noticed." Eron responded sarcastically and quite frustrated as well. "And what exactly do you plan to tell our lord?" he asked, "I doubt he'll forgive you for this. Not a second time." "I doubt he'll forgive *us*, kimosabi." the scientist declared, "We're both responsible here. Plus, a new Senshi joined in as well." "Then let's leave." his rival stated, "We have nothing more to do here." End of chapter 12 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (*) O-minutes means Outside minutes. Time in Dominia flows differently from Juuban. Mostly because Kyristan is the one controlling it. He can extend or shorten it as he sees fit. Yet he can't control the time stream in Juuban. In other words, he can make time last longer in his world, but the Outside world will be unaffected, at least not in absolute terms, only in a relative way. Example: if Kyristan wants things to unfold faster at Juuban, he'll make the time in Dominia slower. Like that, time in the Outside world shall pass faster. Usually, Kyristan makes the time in Dominia go faster than the world he is about to invade, therefore giving his servants an edge so they can scheme with enough time in their hands. See you in chapter 13....