She still didn't look too sure of her footing, but Serenity was standing somehow, mostly by hanging off Gohan. "It's here," she repeated softly, as if her voice hurt from screaming.
"I don't sense anything," Vegita commented, scowling at the darkening sky.
"It's the darkness at the furthest reach of your senses that is getting closer," she explained. "It's already on the planet."
Even as she spoke, the white moonlight faded. "That's it?" started Vegita.
"Wait, Vegita-san," Gohan interrupted. They were all silent for a moment, and Trunks stiffly sat up.
"Kuso," the Saiyajin prince muttered. "You never said it was that powerful." She glared at him.
"Gohan," Serenity stated, turning just slightly to face him, a hard look in her eyes, "go get the other fighters. Trunks," she continued, stepping away from Gohan and facing Trunks, "get the Sailor Senshi. Make sure they're all transformed."
"Hai, obaasan."
She and Vegita watched in silence as they disappeared. "Ano, Vegita-san..." she began.
"What?" he snapped.
She met his eyes carefully. In another time, another place... "I need you to promise me something, Vegita-san." He snorted, but she pressed on regardless. "If Chaos tries to absorb me, Vegita-san, kill me."
He smirked. "Of course."
"Doomo, ouji-sama." Their eyes met again, and again Serenity could only think, "Another time... another place..." She closed her eyes and searched out Chaos to clear her mind of such inane thoughts. "It's near Tokyo, but it's headed this way."
Trunks raced faster, pushing all his Super Saiyajin speed to its limits. "Kuso," he swore, trying for a little more speed, keeping a firm fix on the Sailor Senshi's faint ki. Then, suddenly, it vanished.
He slammed on the brakes, stopping in midair, his hair fading back to his usual lavendar shade as he looked around wildly for their new location.
"Trunks-kun!"
He looked to his side and almost smiled when he saw Goten. "Hayukuu, Goten!" he yelled instead. "Help me find the Sailor Senshi!"
The black-haired boy spun around in circles, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Isn't that them over there?" he finally asked, pointing in the direction Trunks had just come from.
"Nani? Can they teleport?" he whispered, only half to himself.
"Dunno, but we'd better get back there before we miss the fight, Trunks-kun."
A white light flashed, nearly blinding Vegita and Serenity. The Prince of the Saiyajin dropped into an attack stance, ready to destroy the perceived attacker; the Princess of the Moon, the Queen of Crystal Tokyo, kept her attention on the approaching darkness, apparently trust him to handle any threat.
Seventeen figures emerged from the light, each taking the shape of a Sailor Senshi. With the exception of the Starlights, all of their eyes skipped over Vegita to land on Serenity. It was the Senshi no Venus, though, that finally moved past him to the silent woman. "Serenity?" she asked, no hesitation in her voice.
"Hai?"
The blond senshi was silent for a moment. "We were talking to Trunks and. . . Is it true that Chaos is after your power?"
"Hai."
"Then promise me you won't transform."
That caught the queen's attention. Vegita's too, though he didn't show it. Supposedly she was one of the strongest creatures ever born, yet they didn't want her to fight? Strange.
To her credit, the white-haired woman recovered her composure quickly. "Why?" she asked.
"Chaos doesn't need the power of the White Moon. From what you and Trunks have said, it's almost unstoppable now. I don't have any wish to face--"
She was interrupted by the arrival of another group, though Gokou's Shuken Idou was much less flashy than the Sailors' teleport. Gohan stepped away from his father and asked softly, "Goten?"
Serenity shook her head. "Trunks?" He shook his head. She looked past him at a blonde figure beside Kulilyn. It took her a moment to place the woman out of context, but when her identity came to her, Serenity fell back a step. "Masaka," she breathed. "Jinzouningen Juuhachigou."
Gohan stared at her for a second. Juuhachi killed Bulma-san of her world; of course! he realized. "Serenity," she met his eyes, "Juuhachi-san's all right here."
The look on her face spoke a great deal about the lack of trust she had for the android, but as calmly as could be she stated, "All right, if you say so, Gohan-kun, but she'd best avoid Trunks-chan."
Venus grabbed her arm and jerked Serenity back to face her. "Promise me," she demanded.
"I'll promise I won't transform unless it's necessary," she compromised, "if you agree too that none of you will allow it to absorb you and your powers. Minna?" Her voice was authoritative, the voice of a queen.
"Hai," the Senshi agreed almost in one voice.
Serenity turned her blue eyes to the others. "That is especially important for you, minna, though I will not make you swear it." She turned her back on them to face the darkening distance. "Trunks, Goten, hakuyuu, onegai!"
"Goten?" Trunks yelled to be heard over the hurricane winds. He had to repeat it twice, each progressively louder, before he was acknowledged, despite the fact they were flying so closely that their shoulders occasionally bumped against each other's.
"What?"
"Ever learn your father's Shuken Idou technique?"
A black, electric darkness settled across the entire sky, limiting everyone's field of vision to a few feet before their faces. "Chaos?" Gokou asked.
"Hai, Gokou-san," answered Serenity.
"This one's much more powerful than the one that came here," Uranus noted, her eyes and voice grim.
"A lot bigger too," continued her partner, Neptune.
There was a rumble, not unlike thunder, then a deep voice filled their minds. -Where is the queen of stars?-
Gohan glanced over his shoulder, noticing that the Sailor Senshi were slowly moving in front of Serenity. Each woman seemed to be more determined than the woman next to her. Serenity is the queen of stars? But it can't recognize her unless she transforms. . . No wonder they don't want her transforming.
"You will never get her!" Star Fighter yelled.
-Ah, but here is her traveling companion,- the voice continued. A second later, Trunks and Goten set down near the front of the group, next to Gohan. -Perhaps the son of Vegita can identify the most powerful Senshi for me.-
"Never!" Trunks yelled.
A sense of grim, dark joy filled them all. -Then I shall kill you one by one until she reveals herself!-
"No!!!" the woman in the back screamed.
Glowing red eyes appeared in the black mass, scanning over each member of the assembled group: the Saiyajin, the Jinzouningen, the human fighters, the Outer Senshi, the Inner Senshi, the Sailor Quartet, the Princess of Crystal Tokyo, the Starliights, and Kakyuu. It did not even seem to notice the detransformed woman.
-Who must die before the queen of stars reveals her identity?- the hideous voice mused.
"Doesn't this thing ever shut up?" Vegita muttered. He raised himself up in the air. "Final Flash!"
The blast bounced off the infinite sides of Chaos then was finally absorbed. -Pitiful, Prince Vegita. Who shall make a more worthy playtoy?- Its red eyes glowed intensely as it skimmed over the assembled group once more, stopping in the front. -Ah, you shall do, Legendary Super Saiyajin.-
Helplessness swelled inside her. In this generation, Legendary Super Saiyajin could mean only one person. Her own time's Bulma had figured it out long ago; after all, only the Legendary could have lasted as long as he had against those creatures. "Gohan!" screamed Serenity as the monster singled him out of the crowd.
"Gohan!" a second voice echoed. Serenity never quite saw him move, but suddenly Gokou was next to his sons. He yelled, loudly and drawn out until it seemed no voice could carry it, then a yellow light exploded, and golden, spiky hair hung down his back. With an indifferent snort, Vegita joined him, standing near his own son. Goten grinned and powered up to Super Saiyajin as well. The same golden light surrounded Gohan, but his hair didn't change.
Serenity gasped as a sense of his ki washed over her. Kami! her mind screamed. He's so powerful; they all are! We can win this!
Chaos glared at the assembled Saiyajin. With an almost careless flick of its enormous power, it batted Goten out of sight and planted Vegita and Gokou in craters nearly fifty feet deep. A sudden, startling movement, and Gohan disappeared from sight, enveloped within the creature.
"Gohan!" she screamed again, running forward. Uranus and Neptune caught her, holding her back. "Gohan!!"
Almost at the sound of her second cry, the creature seemed to spit the young man back out. Gokou caught him before he got very far and set him on the ground. Mercury, Saturn, and Serenity were there too in a heartbeat.
Serenity knelt beside him, taking a hold of his hand and meeting his eyes until he passed out. The blue-haired senshi checked him out quickly; the younger senshi with the purple eyes took a little longer, then she looked up at the elder Son. "He's hurt very badly, Gokou-san," she finally stated.
"Will he be all right?"
"If he can survive long enough for this battle to end, so that I can heal him, he will be, eventually. Someone needs to stay with him, though."
"I will," Serenity offered, glancing up at Gokou, an unspoken apology in her eyes.
She shut her eyes, tuning out the world around her and focusing in on the man in front of her. Most of his ki had been drained away, yet somehow he was still able to fight the damage Chaos had attempted to do to his soul. He'd be fine, if he could just survive the next few--
"Shimatta! Stay with me, Gohan! Gohan!" she called. "Don't you dare start fading on me now!" She pushed her mind into his; what barriers he had built were down now; and commanded, Stay with me, Gohan!
-She will not reveal herself for the Legendary Super Saiyajin's life, eh?- Chaos muttered, sounding a little too pleased. Gokou growled and released yet another Kamehameha into it; the cloud creature ignored it. -Perhaps she shall respond for. . .,- it looked around at them all: the Sailor Senshi who were barely standing; those who weren't; Tien, Yamucha, and Kulilyn, who were being guarded by Juuhachigou, Vegita; Gokou; and. . ., -her traveling companion.-
"No!!!" a woman's voice screamed. Serenity had apparently heard its words. "Not Trunks too!"
A lightning bolt shot out of the mass, quicker than a thought, surrounding the purple-haired fighter. His numbing fingers twitched, trying to hold onto his sword, but it fell to the ground far below him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his aunt climb to her feet and rush towards him. "Iie!" he screamed through the pain. "Don't. . . transform!"
"Demo. . ."
"If it gets your power, it'll be invincible! Don't come any closer!" She finally stopped only a few steps from Gohan, and Trunks smiled wearily, his ice blue eyes turning back to the moster. I. . . have to stop this bakemono. . . if it's the last thing I do! his mind declared tiredly. Just as wearily, he lifted his arms. Unable to even begin the complex movements, he simply held his hands out in front of him, forefinger and thumb of both hands touching, and yelled as loudly as he could, "Burning Attack!"
-Little nuisance,- the cloud snidely remarked, allowing the tendril of lightning to run rampant through the teenager's body. Hands reached into that electricity and pulled Trunks out, barely able to support his weight as he was lowered to the ground next to Gohan. He opened bleary eyes to see a very bruised and burned Goten holding him before he passed out.
A scream echoed in that empty moment, and all seeing eyes turned to Serenity. Lights began to shoot up her body: blue, black, purple, yellow, orange, teal, green, pink, red. A white light exploded around her, as bright as a supernova. As it began to dim, twin blue and teal lights could been seen racing up her body, finally meeting on her forehead to form an eight-pointed star.
She now wore a tight-fitting short white dress with high heels. There was a multi-colored flap on her skirt displaying all the Senshi's colors, as well as two extra shades of blue, and a disk on her chest of another eight-pointed star. A long white cape flared out behind her, fluttering as it began to settle down. Her staff, topped with a globe set between wings, ground into the dirt before her as she faced at her enemy.
-The queen of stars!- Chaos gleefully declared. -The most powerful Senshi!-
Pluto gasped, staring at the regal woman who stood proudly before them all. "The Senshi of legend. . . Masaka. . ."
"It can't be," Saturn echoed. "The Senshi of legend can't be here. Chaos can't be that powerful, can it?"
"Who is the Senshi of legend?" Gokou finally asked.
Pluto spoke slowly as she answered. "The Legendary Senshi, the queen of stars, is the guardian of all things, the polar opposite of Chaos. That," she nodded at the woman, "is the Legendary Senshi."
The woman's eyes opened. "I am the one you seek, Chaos. Watashi wa Sailor Cosmos."
-So you finally show yourself.- It laughed smugly. -And I only got to kill two of your companions. How sad.-
"Trunks and Gohan are both strong. They'll be fine."
-How did you become so much more powerful?-
"Here's a clue." Her staff's bottom rested on the ground, and a wave of energy rose up it, blowing her hair and cape back. She whispered the words, "Starlight Scream." A huge beam of energy was released, going underground, only to shoot up a few seconds later from beneath Chaos.
Her attack cut across its vastness, and its voice seemed pained as it spoke. -Sailor Gemini's power?-
Cosmos smiled beautifully and nodded. "The wars end now, Chaos."
"Yes, with the death of the greatest Senshi."
She glanced over her shoulder and met Vegita's eyes; he nodded slightly. She turned back to look at Chaos proudly. "I might die, Chaos, but I will take you with me. You shall not have the power of the storm."
The black cloud began to condense until it had formed a shape, a woman with long, black wavy hair and a raggedy Sailor suit. "Let's finish this now, Sailor Cosmos," she stated. "Chaos Death Strike!" Serenity simply held her staff before her, and the attack faded. "Fight, Cosmos!"
"Death Reborn Revolution!"
Saturn stared in shock as her attack was launched at the monster. "How can she do that?"
Pluto met her eyes slowly. "She has the power of all the Senshi that have died for her." She looked back at the fight. "That is why she is the all-powerful Sailor Cosmos."
Cosmos looked over to where Trunks and Gohan lay then turned back to Sailor Chaos. "I don't have the time to play with you, Chaos. This ends now." She floated a few feet into the air and raised her staff above her head. The globe began to glow brightly. When it was at its brightest, she called out, "Lambda Power!"
"No!" Pluto screamed.
"You'll die," continued Saturn.
Cosmos's uniform dissolved into ribbons, yet she kept the weapon before her. Her voice whispered in their minds. It matters not if I die, but I won't die now, so don't worry, minna.
The white light cut through Sailor Chaos's body, and the false Senshi lost its solidness, dissolving back into its original cloud form. -You. . . How did you?-
"Do you see those woman down there? I watched you kill them once, then turn them against me, then torture and kill them again." Her eyes turned hard, cold, and unforgiving. "And as long as someone believes in the power of good and has the will to fight alone, I shall always be stronger. Gokou-san! Vegita-san! Minna! Your attacks can hurt it now!"
"Kamehameha!"
"Final Flash!"
One by one, those Sailor Senshi who were still conscious climbed to their feet and released their attacks.
"Dead Scream." Pluto.
"Silence Glaive Surprise!" Saturn.
"Kinmoku Fusion Tempset!" Kakyuu.
"Amazoness Jungle Arrow!" Ceres.
As each attack hit it, a new gaping wound appeared across the creature. Cosmos smiled with something like vindictiveness, despite the fact she was pouring so much of her own power into the assault that her uniform was still merely ribbons of light. She closed her eyes and concentrated her power into the globe atop her staff. "Cosmos Starlight!"
Once more light exploded, nearly blinding everyone. When it faded, the sky was clear and Cosmos had knelt between Gohan and Trunks. She had placed a hand on each of their chests, and it was glowing brightly.
"Sailor Cosmos?" Gokou asked, setting down softly behind her.
"They'll be fine," she answered. Even as she spoke, both's eyes opened. "Welcome back," she greeted them then passed out.
"It was so cool, Trunks-kun!" Goten said for about the thousandth time. "You passed out, and then she transformed, and then Chaos transformed, and then she just kicked Chaos's butt, and then. . . and then. . ."
"I know, Goten! I know!" he interrupted. Seeing the hurt look on the other man's face, he quickly continued, "I'm sorry, Goten. I'm just nervous."
"We all are, Trunks-kun, but she'll be okay; I'm sure of it."
It was almost comical to all those assembled in the main hall of the palace. Literally everyone who had been involved in the battle, plus Bulma, Bra, and Chichi, were there. Gohan was pacing to the point the floor design was fading where he was walking, a newly developed tail swishing wildly behind him. Trunks sat on the steps, Goten on one side of him and ChibiUsa on the other; he seemed to be sick with worry, while ChibiUsa was prone to crying fits. Bra sat in her older brother's lap, alternately comforting ChibiUsa and helping Goten comfort Trunks.
"Ohayoo, minna," a tired but familiar voice stated from the top of the stairs. Serenity was leaning over the railing and smiling down at them. The four on the stairs sprang to their feet, and everyone looked up at her. "Did you miss me?"
"Serenity!" Kakyuu exclaimed. "Are you all right?"
"Daijoubu, daijoubu. Everyone else?"
"Better now, thanks to you," Gohan answered.
"Usagi," Rei started, moving up the steps past even Trunks then stopping, "are you going to stay here with us?"
The white-haired woman looked beyond Mars. "Trunks-chan?"
He glanced behind him to Bulma then Vegita, beside him to Goten, and below him to Bra. "Hai, obasan, I'm staying." He paused. "If I have a place to stay."
"You're coming and staying at Capsule Corp.," Bulma declared rather loudly, "and that's the end of that."
Serenity laughed briefly. "Saa, then I'll stay too," she grinned suddenly, "and that's the end of that."
"Why don't you come on down and join us, Usagi-chan?" Makoto invited.
"Because if I let go of this railing, I'm going to fall flat on my face," she stated seriously.
Rei started sniggering under her breath. Within seconds, most of the room had burst into laughter excect for Vegita, who was staring at them all with a great deal of contempt and scorn, and Gohan and Serenity, who were merely staring at each other in mute silence.
[A.N.: Well, there it is. After all that waiting I put you through and the horrible spot I had left you at with the teaser, this part is finished!!!!! Now, my friends, there is only one part to go and it will be up by the 12th of April 2000.
How badly did this suck? I know it took forever, but otherwise? Bai-bai!]