Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Suffer the Children ❯ Prince of the Black Moon ( Chapter 8 )

Notes: There's a definite pairing in this chapter, but perhaps not the one you might think. Never seen either of them done before either way, so prepare yourself.

Yes, I realize Queen Serenity is ChibiUsa's grandmother, and that technically ChibiUsa should call Neo-Serenity "kaa-san" (which she does). But if you're familiar enough with Christianity (as I...once was...), you understand that God is seen as the father of humanity. It's pretty much the same with Serenity here, except that: a) Serenity didn't actually create life on the moon, b) ChibiUsa actually IS related to her, and c) if you really wanna get technical, godlike beings are usually called "kami-sama," only that I thought "kaa-sama" would sound weird coming from ChibiUsa, and I like to think she's more comfortable around her relatives than that. So it's not that ChibiUsa doesn't KNOW Serenity is her grandmother, it's just that she (like everyone else in her dream would) thinks of Serenity as a Mother of All, but ChibiUsa feels especially close to her, since, again, they ARE related. Hope that helped some. Maybe I just confused you more...

Chapter 8: Prince of the Black Moon

"Aims. Babe. You know I love you. But I am NOT eating this."

Ami sighed. "Duo, it's hardly any different from that garbage you shovel into your mouth every morning."

"Oh, yes it is. Knowing you, I bet this stuff is healthy, and that's a HUGE difference already."

"You asked me to make you breakfast. When have I EVER served you junk food?"

"I was hoping being madly in love with Trunks would change-"

"I am not madly in love with-"

"When you can't think straight, you're certifiably mad."

"DUO. I am NOT madly in love with-"

"Denial makes the loins grow hornier, Aims."

"Don't make me hit you."

"Tougher women than you have tried and failed. Honestly, what sane woman could bring herself to strike and possibly damage THIS face?" Duo beamed at her.

"I should warn you, Duo, that I will give you the cold shoulder if you keep this up. Literally."

Duo was about to reply when he suddenly broke into a huge grin. "Morning, Trunks!"

Ami turned bright red and suddenly found her grapefruit very interesting as Trunks stepped into the kitchen.

"Do I want to know why you're giving my girlfriend a piggyback ride?" Duo asked carefully.

Trunks had the good sense to turn red as he shifted Hotaru's slight weight. "Well, I found her asleep outside of my father's training room, and she looked paler that usual, so I thought she might be hungry. When she wakes up, anyway." He tilted his head slightly, noticing Ami had yet to look at him. "Ami-san, don't you have an extensive background in medicine? I thought you'd be more familiar with Hotaru's condition than anyone else…"

Ami blushed, realizing he was right. "Yes, I have…treated her before, I guess you could say."

Duo's grin had not faded in the least. "Wow, Aims. He's observant AND respectful. Quite a catch, huh?"

Ami glared death at Duo before finally turning to face Trunks. "Thank you for being so concerned about her, Trunks."

Trunks gently set Hotaru in a nearby chair. "It's the least I could do. She fixed me up without even being asked. I guess I've just…grown fond if her. In a completely platonic sort of way."

"Well, that makes me feel better," Duo said. "Hey, maybe you and Ami should examine Hotaru together. I'm sure you could be of SOME assistance…"

Trunks looked startled at the suggestion. "Um…I'm not really all that familiar with medicine. Machines are more my field."

"No time to learn like the present, right? Anyway, Aims is a GREAT tutor."

"I wouldn't want to get in the way."

"Nonsense! Aims LOVES to have people looking over her shoulder."

Ami continued to glare at Duo, by then too angry to think of even a single thing to call him.

Trunks wasn't aware of any of that, though. "I'd be happy to try and help out, for Hotaru's sake. But only if it's okay with you, Ami-san."

Ami blushed again. "Ah…well…I'm sure Hotaru will appreciate the effort. But…there's really no need to be so formal, Trunks."

"…formal?" Trunks asked, blinking.

"She means you should call her `Ami-chan' like all her close friends do," Duo interrupted. "Right, Aims?"

Ami somehow suppressed the urge to strangle Duo. "I just don't think I've done anything to be worthy of such a title. To be quite honest, I'd prefer we treated each other like equals."

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to-" Trunks began.

"It's fine," Ami interrupted quickly with a smile. "Really."

"Sure it is," Duo echoed brightly. "Trunks, you look like a man that appreciates health food. Taste this for me and make sure it IS food, would you?"

* * * * *

Kagome slowly rubbed the sleep from her eyes and yawned.

"I was starting to think you'd never wake up, sleepyhead."

Kagome's eyes widened as her gaze settled on the bushy, excited fox tail. "Shippo?! How did you get here?"

But as it had countless times before, the brown fur turned into a head of black, pointy hair.

"Shippo?" Goten asked as he continued his workout regimen. "Isn't that your fox friend?"

Only a dream, as it had been each time before. But Kagome's mind kept insisting that it was always Shippo…at least, until Goten spoke and broke through the illusion.

"Yes," Kagome replied after a while. "I was dreaming again. I thought you were him."

Goten stopped the one finger push-ups. "That's not a good sign, is it?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I see good things, sometimes not."

Goten righted himself and walked over to her. "Kagome, are you worried about Sasami, too?"

"…I hadn't even thought about her, to be honest. There's so much else to worry about. Does that make me a bad person?" she asked worriedly.

"Nope," Goten replied. "There IS a lot of stuff to worry about. I guess I'm more worried that if I get hurt, she won't be here to heal me."

"And then whatever hurt you is going to get me, right?"

He frowned. "No. Because I'm taking it down with me."

"Goten, you-"

"NO. I'm not gonna let you get hurt, Kagome. I promised you, remember?"

Kagome sighed and closed her eyes. "Yes, I remember; you only tell me every other hour."

Goten shrugged. "You keep forgetting." He sat down and leaned against her arm. "Kagome?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you sing to me?"

"What…?"

"Sing something for me."

"Goten, that's…I can't."

"Why not? I bet you've got a real pretty singing voice."

Kagome blushed. "I don't sing."

"Pleeease, Kagome?"

"Why do you want me to, anyway?"

"It's just…my mom used to sing to me. I thought maybe I'd sleep better if you did."

"Goten…" Kagome sighed. "Well…I guess I could hum a little…"

Goten smiled up at her. "You're the best, Kagome!"

Kagome rubbed his head fondly. "Just promise me you'll go right to sleep. You need your rest."

"Okay, I promise." Goten closed his eyes as Kagome's gentle humming led him into a deep, peaceful sleep.

* * * * *

When the light faded, ChibiUsa and Peruru found themselves in a small, crystal chamber. In the center of the chamber was a throne radiating with a soft light. Seated upon the throne was the woman they'd both been seeking.

"Kaa-san," ChibiUsa breathed, releasing Peruru's hand and rushing forward.

"Aijou," the woman said with a warm smile, lifting ChibiUsa to sit in her lap. "I've missed you."

Peruru slowly approached, almost feeling as if he were intruding. "Serenity-sama…?"

The queen nodded and beckoned him closer. "Do not worry, Peruru. You are always welcome here. You did come to see me, after all."

"Kaa-san, do you know anything about the Black Moon?" ChibiUsa asked.

Serenity looked thoughtful. "Very little, I'm afraid. The one you've been making eyes at is Prince Sesshomaru."

ChibiUsa blushed. "I was NOT making eyes at him!"

The queen tapped her granddaughter's nose. "There are precious few people that can fool me, aijou, and you're not one of them. I understand he is quite handsome, though."

"He's also incredibly powerful," Peruru said. "That's why it's so important that the meetings to form an alliance go well."

ChibiUsa frowned. "How do you know that?"

Peruru hesitated, then looked at the queen questioningly.

"It's fine, Peruru," Serenity replied. "ChibiUsa, he's been gathering information for me. I'm not really `in the loop' anymore, and I need a keen set of eyes and ears out there."

"But what do we have that would interest Sesshomaru?" ChibiUsa asked.

Serenity chuckled. "I believe he's searching for a suitable bride at the moment. And with so many single, beautiful girls in the kingdom, he's sure to find one."

* * * * *

The first thing Hotaru was aware of upon waking up was a soft, furry warmth against her cheek. Without looking, she reached up and stroked the cabbit's back. "I thought we agreed you would stay out of sight, my little one," she scolded gently. "What if someone were to see you?"

"It's a little late for that," Trunks said, suddenly making his presence known. "But I seriously doubt anyone would care, so long as he stays with you."

Hotaru sat up slowly and glanced around. "This isn't my room…"

"Infirmary. I found outside my father's training room this morning." His face became grave. "Actually, that's why I waited for you to wake up."

"Because you were concerned for me?" she asked hopefully.

"That, and I wanted to be sure you DID wake up. Hotaru, do you have any idea how dangerous he can be when he tries?"

"You train with him," Hotaru pointed out.

"That's completely different. I've trained with him in the past, and my Saiya-jin blood gives me certain advantages. To be blunt, I really wish you wouldn't train with him in the future. It's obviously taken a considerable toll on you, and I'd hate to see you get hurt."

"I appreciate the concern, Trunks, really. But you're forgetting something. I wasn't…me when I trained with him. Trust me, the difference is as substantial between a Saiya-jin and a Super Saiya-jin."

Trunks took a deep breath. "Hotaru. I'm going to say this again. Please don't train with my father. I'm not trying to boss you around, but I am trying to help you."

"No, you're trying to protect me. And while it's sweet of you to worry, you don't have to. I wouldn't have come this far if I'd charged into everything headfirst without thinking. But while we're on the subject, how did you get that cut?"

Trunks blinked. "What cut?"

"The one that's cleverly hidden beneath your shirt, but was probably a bloody mess an hour ago?"

He stared at her. "Uh…training. With Inuyasha."

Hotaru frowned slightly, but reached out to him. "I'll heal it for you."

"That's okay," Trunks said quickly, staying where he was. "I need to get used to being hurt again. Something tells me this mission won't be easy."

She slowly lowered her hand. "Are you sure? It wouldn't drain me that much, if that's why-"

"No. It's…personal. I'd rather hang onto it for now."

"Okay…" Hotaru giggled as the cabbit nuzzled her cheek. "Does Inuyasha seem…different to you?"

"Other than his hair turning black, you mean? I've noticed he trains a lot more than he used to. From what Duo tells me, he only comes out to eat. He's been really intense when we spar. Not as strong or as fast, just really…obsessed, I guess."

"And you never tried to stop him?" Hotaru asked in disbelief.

"I suggested that he should take a break…once. That's when I got the cut, actually…"

* * * * *

"Have you had any luck locating ChibiUsa and the other children?" Minako asked.

"Not much," Ami replied from the communicator. "Washu's been able to narrow it down to two possible star systems. Our ship's stationed between them for now."

"Then Mistress 9 hasn't contacted you with any demands?"

"We assume she already has all she needs. With ChibiUsa, the other children, and Setsuna, there's no telling what she might do next."

Minako sighed. "Ami-chan, none of this sounds like anything I should be telling Usagi to ease her fears. Isn't there any good news?"

"Only that the group is starting to pull together. Hotaru even got Inuyasha-the youma-to open up, apparently."

"OUR Hotaru?" Minako asked in disbelief.

"She claims he's not as violent as he first seemed to us. Which is odd, because if you ask me, he grows more violent each day. Maybe she sees something I don't."

"I am not telling Usagi that Hotaru's making nice with the youma. Hasn't Washu told you anything else?"

Ami paused. "Yes, but it's not good."

"Let's hear it, then."

"The Ginzuishou…Washu says it's getting harder to trace."

Minako frowned. "What do you mean? I thought she said it was easy to trace!"

"Something's happened in the last day or so. Either there's something effecting Washu's equipment, or the Ginzuishou itself is changing."

"But…that's good, right? It means ChibiUsa still believes, doesn't it?"

"No, Minako. It means that Washu was right all along. Before this is over, we may have to face ChibiUsa before we can get her back. I pray that isn't the case, but Washu seems certain that the change isn't a good thing."

"Then Mistress 9 already controls the Ginzuishou?" Minako asked softly.

"That's the worst part. According to Washu, Mistress 9 hasn't touched the Ginzuishou yet. She might not have to. It's responding to ChibiUsa's commands now."

"But…why would she…? Doesn't she know we're going to save her?"

"I don't know what to think anymore, Minako. All I can guess is that Mistress 9 manipulated ChibiUsa somehow."

* * * * *

Though the long hall was dark and silent, ChibiUsa knew better than to relax. Surely someone would still be up, especially if her bed had been found empty. One false step could mean she'd be discovered and swiftly punished for worrying everyone. The trip had been well worth it, but that was not the point.

She had just reached her room and touched the door when a feeling of dread swam up her spine. Shaking it off, she entered her bedroom, shut the door, and gasped.

Prince Sesshomaru stood at the balcony, his back to her. The large, furry plumage on his right shoulder fluttered gently in the night wind, almost giving one the impression that it was alive.

"So the wandering princess returns," he said, almost speaking to himself.

ChibiUsa could not explain the tightness in her chest, nor could she explain the sudden need she felt to be near Sesshomaru, to have him look down at her and grace her with a smile. Bravely, she joined him on the balcony, her eyes focused on the gardens below.

"I had come to ask if you were feeling any better. May I assume your illness is no longer serious?"

"I'm fine." ChibiUsa paused. "You came to see me?"

"Indeed. I hadn't had a chance to speak with you before."

"But…what would we talk about?"

Sesshomaru slowly turned his head to look at her, and ChibiUsa swallowed a gasp. She had never seen anyone so beautiful up close. It was almost as if his brilliant amber eyes could reach into her and touch her soul. Not that she would mind all that much.

"I am a prince searching for a bride. You are a princess. What do you think we would talk about?"

Suppressing the strong urge to scream happily, ChibiUsa pressed a hand to her chest. "I am…extremely flattered that you would think of me for such an honor, my lord."

Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow. "But…?"

"But as you well know, it will be some time before I can marry."

"I am well aware of the laws of your land, Small Lady. But I am also quite aware of the laws of my home, having written several of them."

ChibiUsa bit her lip. "What are you saying?"

"You will be free to name your suitor on your eighteenth birthday. On that day, I will take your hand and proclaim you mine."

She couldn't help blushing. "You seem very fixated on this idea of marrying me, my lord."

"I should be," he replied. "The success of the pending alliance depends rather heavily on it."

ChibiUsa's eyes widened. "What…?"

"The instant I have your hand, all my conditions for the alliance will have been met."

"But…nobody told me about this…"

"I thought it wiser to approach you myself."

ChibiUsa thought for a long moment. "What if I said no?"

Sesshomaru looked as if he might laugh. "You won't."

"But what if-"

"You. Won't," he repeated softly, gazing into her eyes. "If you can tell me, at any time before your eighteenth birthday, that you have absolutely no desire to be my queen, it will be as you have asked."

"You're serious, aren't you?'

"I have never found it necessary to joke." He lowered himself to one knee and reached for her hand.

Eyes widened, ChibiUsa left him have it.

"Calm yourself. I am only saying farewell." The prince softly kissed her trembling hand.

For no reason that she could explain, ChibiUsa drew closer, gently pressing her fingers to the violet crescent moon on his forehead. Before she knew that it was, her mouth was moving. "You're…so very beautiful," she whispered.

If Sesshomaru was pleased, he did not show it.

"My lord," she said after a moment. "I look forward to the day of our union."

"I am glad that you are pleased, Small Lady. But I've kept you long enough."

ChibiUsa found she could not take her eyes off him as he left the room, nor could she stop dreaming of him when she had gone to bed. All she could do was sigh and imagine what it might be like to be lost in those amber eyes for the rest of her life.

* * * * *

Goten, ever the optimist, had begun to hope that having Majin Buu under her control was Mistress 9's master plan. Kagome had admitted to having some powers herself, and the fact that neither of them had been absorbed by Buu seemed to indicate it wasn't going to happen.

Though the fate of Sasami and the other children still worried them, Goten was confident that Mistress 9 was merely holding them for ransom, or perhaps just to have hostages, should someone try to rescue them.

Kagome had more or less started to believe him; Goten's faith in good triumphing was almost as contagious as his smile.

So when the cell door slid open, they stood up merely out of habit, expecting to finally be of some use to their kidnappers. And they were indeed correct, but not in quite the way they were thinking.

For standing in the doorway was the very last person Goten expected to see.

Kagome had no idea who he was, but mistakenly assumed that his torn clothes, blank expression, and startling resemblance to Goten all indicated that a fellow prisoner had escaped and come to free them. She began to move forward.

Before Goten could think to call her back, Kagome fell to the floor, obviously unconscious. The scariest thing wasn't that Goten hadn't heard the blow, but that he couldn't even follow it with his eyes. There was not even a blur, and for anyone, anything to be that fast was truly terrifying.

The face only made it worse.

But Son Goten had never been raised to quit, and though he knew there was no chance of winning, he planned to fight until the end.

That was when the girl appeared, dragging an unconscious Trunks with her. He was the last person Goten saw before something hit his head and the world turned black.

* * * * *

"How much longer, child?"

Yugi glared up at Sesshomaru. "This isn't exactly Chutes & Ladders, y'know. It takes real skill to turn someone's entire memory into a huge lie. Especially when they've got one for each of their two separate lives. You're lucky I'm as talented as I am, or I wouldn't have gotten this far."

The demon lord placed his hand before Yugi's eyes, letting it glow a sickly, poison green. "How long?"

Yugi paled considerably. "Almost done."

"I make it a point never to trust those under pressure. Awaken the girl; I'll check your progress myself."

ChibiUsa's eyes drifted open, and widened upon seeing Sesshomaru.

"Do you know me?" he asked.

"Of course, my lord," ChibiUsa replied at once, resembling a blushing schoolgirl. "Why wouldn't I?"

Sesshomaru was not yet satisfied. "Then who do you serve?"

ChibiUsa blinked slowly. "Serve…? I don't-"

His eyes narrowed.

"…only you, my lord," she said after a pause.

Sesshomaru turned to Yugi. "While a self-correcting command is impressive, it should not be necessary. Finish the job. Quickly." He left the room.

Yugi turned back to ChibiUsa, who instantly became lifeless again. "Sorry, cutie. Gotta dig in your head some more. It's too bad, really. Something tells me I would've liked you lots before I started this."

* * * * *

Ami was not quite sure what she was looking for. Ever since her conversation with Minako, she'd been wandering aimlessly around the ship, hoping to somehow be of use to someone. But with Hotaru resting and Duo battling Inuyasha non-stop, there was little hope of that.

Something must have been guiding her, though, because when Ami looked up, she was in front of Trunks's room. Now that she thought about it, Trunks had been a scarce sight, at least where she was concerned. Duo claimed that the young Saiya-jin warrior spent most of his time sparring with Vegeta or Inuyasha, but Ami wondered if there was another reason for his withdrawal. She realized, quite startlingly, that she'd missed his company, even though he was frequently uncomfortable around her. It was probably due to neither of them having much experience dealing with the opposite sex (Duo didn't really count, as Ami didn't consider him a boy…at least, not one she'd consider dating…again).

Still there was something about Trunks-something IN him-that made Ami forget anyone else existed when she looked at him or got too close. At first, she'd assumed the attraction was merely physical, but now that she'd actually talked to Trunks and seen him interact with others, she was convinced that there was something very likable about him. Rather, there was something that SHE liked about him. Something that made even her past fling (Duo called it that, anyway) with Duo seem childish and irrelevant.

Considering they'd only had a handful of awkward conversations, Trunks was having a far greater impact on Ami than she was comfortable with. The truly odd thing was that she seemed to be having the very same effect on him, and neither of them was truly aware of the reasoning behind the other's discomfort.

But like all other problems, Ami planned to get through this one by using her head. She had, of course, conveniently forgotten that her head was useless where Trunks was involved. Perhaps that oversight was what made her even more determined to settle the matter. So determined, in fact, that she forgot to announce herself by knocking, and merely entered with, "Trunks, I really need to talk to you about-"

That was as far as she got before her eyes caught up with her mouth.

Trunks was seated on his bed, apparently in the middle of either changing shirts or bandages. He tensed up upon hearing his door open, but relaxed somewhat when he recognized her. As he was still growing used to how females reacted to him, Trunks couldn't be blamed for failing to realize the effect his naked chest was having on Ami. He did notice that she'd stopped moving, though. "Is there something you need, Ami?"

Slowly, she raised a hand and pointed. "You…you're hurt…"

He followed her gaze to the long, violet gash on his chest, which stretched diagonally from his left shoulder to a spot on the right side of his ribs. "It's nothing; I actually forgot all about it."

Clearly, Ami was not of the same opinion, nor would she be forgetting the cut anytime soon. She continued to stare at the wound without blinking.

Trunks was now beginning to feel uncomfortable. "Ami?"

She shook her head slowly. "You…should have someone look at that. Washu, or Hotaru. Or, I could-"

"No. It's fine. I'm fine." Trunks glanced around, certain that he'd had a shirt in plain view before Ami had walked in. Now, he couldn't recall where it had gone. At the very least, it would've kept her from staring.

Suddenly, there was a soft, warm pressure on his chest, and Trunks looked up to see Ami leaning over him, gently tracing the cut with her small, delicate fingers. His first instinct was to move away, but it was quickly strangled and stomped upon by a second that insisted this was all very nice, and that he should stop thinking so much and start enjoying it. And he was, Trunks soon realized. Never before had anyone touched him with such obvious care and fascination. He could almost see Ami's big blue eyes sparkling in awe of him. Just what she found so wonderful he couldn't be certain of, but so long as she kept touching him, it really didn't matter.

Ami's touch became even gentler as she carefully pressed her palm to the wound, as if trying to feel for a pulse separate from the primary one. Her soft touching turned into delightful caressing, and the sensations were very slowly driving Trunks mad with pleasure. Yet, somewhere just beyond the fog of bliss threatening to cloud his brain, Trunks was very much afraid: of Ami, what she was doing to him, and how his Saiya-jin blood might react to this kind of temptation. Even Juuhachi's lethal beauty had never made him feel this helpless.

"Ami," he whispered hoarsely, placing his hand firmly over her own. "You have to stop this."

"I…I can't," she replied softly, even as she brought her free hand up to lightly stroke the side of his neck. "I just…can't." There was a powerless quality to her gaze, as if she'd been mesmerized by the very sight of him-or perhaps the scar on his chest. Trunks briefly wondered if Inuyasha's being a youma had anything to do with Ami's sudden helplessness…and he imagined she'd be much more helpless if this progressed any further, Sailor Senshi or not.

"This can't happen. We have a mission to think about, and neither of us can afford to be distracted." None of that seemed to reach her, so he tried again. "What would ChibiUsa say if she knew what you were doing?"

The blue in Ami's eyes seemed to light up in sudden recognition. "She'd say, `It's about time you found a cute guy to play with, Ami-chan, just don't let Rei or Minako snatch him away.'"

Trunks was starting to wonder if any of the Senshi, with the exception of Hotaru, ever thought about anything else. "Forget that, then. We can't do this because…I could hurt you…even kill you if I lost control for just a-"

"But we're not in control," Ami interrupted, sliding into his lap. "She is."

"She…?"

"The woman in green…from our dreams…"

"You mean…Tsunami…? She's making us…this way?"

"No, Trunks. She's guiding us, not forcing. That's why it feels so nice."

There was no point in denying it didn't feel nice, but Trunks did not like the idea of someone other than him choosing his mate.

Ami giggled and blushed slightly. "So I'm a mate now? Isn't that a little premature?"

His eyes widened. "You…you can read my thoughts?!"

"I told you, she's guiding us. We're connected, somehow…or we'll need to be very soon."

"Why is that?"

"You don't understand what ChibiUsa is capable of, should she be corrupted again. It would be like…well, almost exactly like Majin Buu in his original form. An infinite power source, bent on our destruction."

"So what makes you think we could stand up to her?" Trunks asked.

"Our two groups have always been forced to win our own battles and save our worlds. But this time, it's bigger than any one world. If we don't come together and fight as one, everything and everyone we've ever fought for will be lost."

"I guess I'm just a little skeptical of the fate of the universe depending on whether two horny teenagers go all the way or not."

"For someone who wanted to stop a minute ago, you sure are planning ahead," Ami replied with a nervous smile. "I don't ever recall saying the connection was to be physical."

"Then you probably should've said that before you got all touchy-feely on me. I don't think Saiya-jin react well to teasing."

"Would a kiss help?" she asked, cupping his face in her hands.

"Probably not," Trunks replied, tightening his grip on her, "but it sure wouldn't hurt, either."

"I was hoping you say that," Ami whispered as she lowered her lips to his.

* * * * *