Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Suffer the Children ❯ ChibiUsa's Choice ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9: ChibiUsa's Choice

Washu cleared her throat. "I have both good news and bad, so I'll start with the good. I have finally pinpointed the galaxy where Mistress 9 is hiding out. The bad news being that I still need coordinates within the galaxy to name a definite location. So I estimate we'll be hanging around here a few more days while I search for any signs of life."

"You can't track the Ginzuishou anymore?" Ami asked, worry in her tone.

"I'm afraid that wouldn't be a good idea. Mistress 9 would be expecting that, and it's far more likely to lead us off course than bring us closer to her location. Right now, I'd prefer to search for the actual children themselves. Thanks to that bundle of hairs Sesshomaru gave Hotaru, I have exact DNA matches for ChibiUsa, Setsuna, and Mistress 9. Trunks has provided me with a genetic blueprint for the…younger version of himself. Fortunately, I already had samples from Yugi & Sasami, so finding them should be relatively easy. Getting them back is the hard part."

Vegeta arched an eyebrow at that.

"I'm perfectly serious. Even if we did outweigh them in terms of raw power, the Ginzuishou has reality-warping capabilities. We could actually be killed by the environment under its influence, rather than any physical enemy."

"Then…you're saying ChibiUsa is no longer herself," Hotaru said quietly.

Washu frowned. "If she is, it's very likely that Mistress 9 is somehow controlling the Ginzuishou through her. If push came to shove, she could force Yugi to mindwipe ChibiUsa by threatening to harm Sasami."

"Mindwipe?" Trunks asked.

"Erase her memory completely, leaving her mind very much open to any suggestions," Washu explained. "Unless there was already something in ChibiUsa's memories that Mistress 9 could turn against her."

"So what exactly do we do if ChibiUsa's being controlled?" Ami asked.

"My first suggestion would be to separate her from the Ginzuishou immediately. Even if she were hurt or unconscious, I suspect it would only heal her or continue to do her bidding even while she was out cold."

"Without it, she'd be powerless," Hotaru murmured. "But the Ginzuishou itself would still-"

"Not to worry. I've already taken certain…steps, shall we say. Assuming we can retrieve the Ginzuishou, I have a way of purifying it that can't fail."

"So we won't have to hurt her?" Duo asked.

"I'd be more concerned with hurting Sesshomaru, Majin Buu, and Mistress 9 herself. But-"

"Sesshomaru's MINE," Inuyasha interrupted suddenly.

Washu sighed. "That's another thing I've been meaning to address. I've kept a close watch on all your power levels, and there is a serious problem. Inuyasha, ever since your hair turned black, you've experienced a drastic power drop. If you fought your brother now, it'd be like pitting a human against a Super Saiya-jin. And that's assuming Mistress 9 hasn't given him any additional powers."

"What's your point?!" he snapped.

"I will not have your blood on my hands. If you wish to participate in this mission, you must defeat one of the other members of the team in combat."

His eyes narrowed. "Yeah? Like who?"

"Someone of my choosing. We'll discuss it later." With that, Washu left the room.

Inuyasha glanced around the room anxiously, his eyes stopping on each person briefly.

Trunks looked away rather quickly, and Ami blushed before lowering her eyes.

Vegeta met his gaze without any visible problem.

Duo stared right back at him, not bothered in the least.

But for some reason, only Hotaru's expression disturbed Inuyasha.

She was not really looking at him; more like looking straight through him, as if he weren't there…or just didn't matter enough to acknowledge.

With a soft growl, he stalked off, heading back to his training room.

Hotaru watched him go, then turned to face the silent Saiya-jin prince. "Vegeta-sama?"

Vegeta's cold eyes flicked down to take her in.

"If you are the one Washu picks, I must ask that you not show Inuyasha any mercy."

Vegeta snorted and walked off.

"Hotaru…what are you doing?" Ami whispered.

"If Inuyasha comes with us, he'll be killed. Sesshomaru is obsessed with destroying him. We have to make him realize that he's become a liability and nothing more, or he'll die needlessly."

"I guess…it just feels a little odd, trying to save a youma…"

"Forcing him to fight my father might just get him killed faster," Trunks reasoned.

"I don't think that's a danger here," Hotaru replied. "Washu's only trying to force Inuyasha to see how weak he's become. Vegeta shouldn't even break a sweat doing that."

* * * * *

As she was ChibiUsa's governess, and therefore directly responsible for the princess, Nine was often considered by others to be the very definition of strict.

But none of that mattered anymore.

Sesshomaru was leaving, and without saying goodbye.

Had it not been for Yugi's warning, ChibiUsa might've missed the prince entirely. As it was, she burst through the front doors of the palace just as Sesshomaru's entourage set foot into the courtyard.

"Wait!" ChibiUsa cried, hurrying after them. "Please stop!"

Nine, who had come to see the prince off, frowned and was about to reprimand the princess for such undignified behavior.

But Sesshomaru glided fluently past her, his entourage instantly splitting in half to make way for him. "Small Lady," he murmured as she drew near. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Normally, ChibiUsa would've stopped a respectful distance away and curtsied. Now, however, she flung herself at the prince's legs, clinging in desperation and fear. "You're…leaving me, my lord?" she asked through tears.

The prince knelt and gently took her face in one hand. "My kingdom will shortly go to war. I must be there to lead my people into battle."

"Take me with you!" she pleaded at once, earning another scowl from Nine.

"I will not," he replied quietly. "The battlefield is no place for a princess, and certainly not for one that shall one day become my queen."

"But…what will I do without you, my lord?" ChibiUsa whispered. Already fearing the answer, she pressed her face into his chest.

"You will remain here," he said, reaching up to stroke her pink hair, "in the safety your kingdom provides, and await my return."

"Swear to me," she pleaded, clutching his arms. "Swear to me that you won't die, and that you'll come back to me alive."

"Our lord cannot die," stated one of the entourage, a stone-faced boy only a head taller than ChibiUsa.

Sesshomaru gestured to the entourage. "These are my finest soldiers. They have never failed me. They will not fail now."

"Swear to me," ChibiUsa demanded.

A girl in the entourage, clearly not accustomed to people giving her lord orders, glared and stepped forward, but something stopped her.

The prince smiled.

"I swear to you, my Small Lady, that we will be wed." He carefully dropped a kiss on her forehead, then stood up. "I must go." With that, he turned and walked off, once again surrounded by his entourage.

"That was most improper, Small Lady," Nine said once they were out of earshot.

"I don't care," ChibiUsa replied, gazing at Sesshomaru's back.

Instead of arguing the matter further, Nine smiled mysteriously and headed back into the palace.

* * * * *

Duo noticed something different about Ami right away. He couldn't put his finger on it, either, until he'd picked up on a shared glance between her and Trunks. Then he began to suspect and smile.

After Washu's meeting, he'd followed her back to her room for a private talk.

"Let me guess. You're worried Washu's going to pick you to fight Inuyasha?" Ami asked.

"Nope, I know it's not me for sure. That's not what I wanna talk about. Aims, sit down."

Blinking in confusion, Ami sat. "What is it, Duo?"

"You gonna make me say it?"

"Say what, Duo?"

"You are. Fine. Just remember that I take no pleasure in putting this in such crude terms."

Ami frowned. "I have no idea what you mean."

Duo rubbed the bridge of his nose for a moment. "Aims, did Trunks bang you or what?"

Ami's jaw dropped in shock, and it was quite a few seconds before she found her voice. "DUO!!!"

"Well, did he? It's a yes or no question."

"One that I'm NOT going to answer!"

Duo sighed. "Oh, good; he didn't."

"How do YOU know-"

"You didn't blush."

Ami glared at him. "What I do with Trunks is NONE of your business, Duo Maxwell!"

"Actually, it is. Trunks is my friend, and you're…you, Aims. What, am I not supposed to care that you two are-or might become-intimate?"

"I have never asked Hotaru for any personal details about her intimacy with you."

"That's different. I'm the one that suggested you two get together, so of course I wanna know what progress you're making." He grinned at her. "I wasn't gonna ask for details if he had. Honest."

Ami sighed in defeat. "Why can't I stay mad at you?!"

"Easy. You like me too much." Duo sat down beside her. "Look, Aims. You're smart, but Trunks turns your brain into mush, so I'll just say it." He paused. "Well…he's a Saiya-jin, as I'm sure he's pointed out by now. They're freakishly strong muscle heads, and fortunately, Trunks is pretty good at controlling his strength. But take it from me, and I would know: VERY tough to control certain…muscles during the horizontal hokey-pokey."

Ami blushed. "Tell me you don't always call it that!" she exclaimed.

"No way! Just trying to keep a PG-13 rating on it. I mean, I am talking to YOU."

Ami rolled her eyes. "Duo…"

"Sorry. I'd just prefer Trunks turned only your brain into mush, instead of you. Got it?"

Ami nodded slowly. "It's not fair," she muttered sadly. "Why does something have to go wrong with every nice guy I meet?"

"Hey, that's no reason to give up on him, Aims. You're smart, and he's…uh…an exceptionally intelligent muscle head. Eventually, he'll either get total control, or you'll think of a way around it." Suddenly, he broke out into a grin. "Hey. Sailor Senshi are pretty much superhuman, right?"

Ami blinked. "Um…I suppose…"

"Well, that's the answer! Trunks can't be with you, but maybe he could be with Mercury…?"

Ami sighed and shook her head. "Duo, I know you're trying to help, and I really do appreciate it. But…if there was ever a time where I wanted to just be me-not Sailor Mercury-it'd be then. It might be a solution, but it's not one I want to explore. I hope you can understand why."

"Yeah, I guess. First time and all…" Duo narrowed his eyes. "Right?!"

"YES! Duo, you know I haven't-"

"Relax! I was kidding, Aims! I know you're not like…well…V-chan…"

"I'm going to tell Minako you said that, Duo."

* * * * *

The fist that crashed into Chibi's jaw nearly dislocated it, and he spat blood onto the floor.

"Do it," Majin Buu said, glaring down at him.

Chibi wiped his mouth off with his wrist, and then glared at the girl that had beaten him so mercilessly. While he was certain that he didn't know her, he suspected she must have some Saiya-jin blood in her. The way she fought…he was certain he'd seen it before.

"Don't make me repeat myself," Buu warned.

Chibi glanced at Goten, who had long since stopped fighting. He couldn't be angry with his best friend, though. There was no way out, and all Chibi had left was his pride. Because of who he was, and who his father was, he couldn't and wouldn't stay down. Slowly, he stood up. "I won't do it."

Buu smiled. "Goten. How long has it been since you've seen your friend, Kagome, hmm? Would you like her to keep living? Because if you and Trunks here don't cooperate, I assure you she won't be much longer."

Goten's eyes widened. "You…DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!!!"

"I won't, provided you do as I said. You have my word she won't be touched if you obey me."

"Don't trust him, Goten!" Chibi shouted. "She's probably already dead!"

The words were barely out of his mouth when a fist slammed into it.

The blow twisted Chibi halfway around and made stars explode before his vision. When they faded, he was shocked to see who had hit him.

Goten stood right in front of him, tears spilling down his cheeks. "We can't let her die, Trunks. Don't you see? I promised I'd protect her. So we have to do it. Just…trust me, Trunks. I know they won't hurt Kagome if we just do what they want. Okay?"

Chibi blinked a few times before the shock faded. "You…hit me…" he said at last.

"I didn't want to…" Goten trailed off, then nodded to himself. "If you don't help me do it, Trunks, I'll hit you again!" He tried his best to look threatening, for Kagome's sake.

Chibi stared at him for a long moment, then sighed. "Fine. We'll do it."

"I'm waiting," Buu replied, a smile spreading across his face.

Chibi & Goten went to opposite sides of the room, glanced at each other, and began.

"Fuuuuusion…HA!"

The room was flooded in white light for a moment, and when it faded, one stood where two had.

Gotenks frowned at Buu. "So. Now what?"

"Now? You hurt. A lot."

By then, Gotenks had realized that the light behind him was not anything leftover from the fusion.

The Kamehameha caught him in the back, carried him across the room, and crushed him against the wall before fading to nothing.

An instant later, Pan stood over the fallen Gotenks and slammed her hands down onto the back of his head in an axe-handle blow. Automatically, she raised her hands to strike again, in case he was still conscious.

Buur grabbed her wrists. "Enough, Pan-chan. He's down."

Pan obediently stepped back as Buu picked up Gotenks and tucked him under one arm.

"I hope," Buu said as he moved to the door, "that you were taking notes, Pan-chan."

Pan nodded.

"Good. Then get to work."

As soon as Buu was gone, Gohan dropped from the ceiling. His eyes locked with Pan's, and no words were needed.

In silence, they moved to opposite ends of the room.

* * * * *

"Sailor Saturn."

The voice sent chills down Hotaru's spine, and she knew it without turning around. "Sesshomaru."

"How kind of you to remember."

Hotaru whirled and glared up at the screen above the console. "What do you want?"

"To extend an invitation to Inuyasha. Is he available, by any chance?"

"No."

"Pity. Then I suppose I'll have to deal with you. Is there anything you want?"

Hotaru froze. "Show me the children."

"Not so fast. You can see three and no more."

"ChibiUsa, Set-"

"I do not remember acquiring a child of that name. You did ask for children, didn't you?"

Hotaru glared at him. "If you've hurt her-"

"No more than was necessary to capture her, I assure you. Would you like to try again?"

"ChibiUsa, Sasami, and Yugi."

"Only girls? So be it."

The screen changed, and after a few seconds, an image of ChibiUsa, Sasami, and Yugi appeared. For some reason, ChibiUsa and Sasami were asleep.

"Wake them," Hotaru said.

"He won't let me," Yugi explained. "They…put up a fight last time."

There was something in that pause that Hotaru did not like. Something in Yugi's eyes, as well, seemed to be hinting that all was not right.

Sesshomaru appeared again. "Tell Inuyasha to come to me, if he wants to see the human girl alive again. I'm sending our coordinates now."

When Washu returned, she found Hotaru staring at an empty screen. "Did something happen?"

"We have their coordinates," Hotaru replied. "Sesshomaru wants to challenge Inuyasha."

"Hmm. Then I'd better test him right away. Speaking of tests, your little friend is just fine." Washu placed the cabbit in Hotaru's lap.

"What's wrong with him?" Hotaru asked in alarm, noticing how weak he seemed.

"He's just a little tired, but that was to be expected. He'll be fine in a few hours."

"Washu…do you think we can really do this?" Hotaru asked softly.

"Do what?"

"Rescue them all…without…any incidents?"

"I wasn't aware that serious rescue missions could occur without them, Hotaru."

* * * * *

"Back so soon, aijou?" the queen asked, smiling warmly at her granddaughter.

ChibiUsa buried her face in Serenity's lap. "It's not fair, kaa-san. Sesshomaru's leaving me to fight a war at home. I'm so afraid he won't come back. I just wish I could be there with him…"

"Do you love him so much?" the queen asked, stroking ChibiUsa's hair.

"With all my heart."

The woman thought for a moment, then raised ChibiUsa's chin. "Then go to him, aijou."

"But…he told me to stay here…where it was safe."

"That is because he does not know your true power. You, perhaps, are even stronger than he. Show him you do not need protection. Show him that you can be a mighty, terrible queen that is kind, yet can still strike fear into any hearts when necessary."

"You…you're sure, kaa-san?" ChibiUsa asked quietly.

"If you love him," Serenity replied, kissing her forehead, "show him. Let nothing keep you from being at his side. No foe, no battle, no circumstance. Go to him. Be with him. Trust me, aijou. It's what you both really want in the end."

ChibiUsa thought for a long moment. "You're right, kaa-san." She drew Serenity's head down and kissed her cheek before hurrying out of the crystal moon.

Serenity smiled and closed her eyes. "Love be with you, my ChibiUsa."

At her side, Peruru frowned.

* * * * *

Inuyasha glared at Washu as she stepped into the training room. "So you're gonna be my opponent, crab lady?"

"Your opponent will be here soon enough, Inuyasha." Washua peered up at him. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"You don't know me very well, do you?" he spat.

"I guess not," Washu murmured, looking thoughtful. "Anyway, I'm only here to stop the fight when I've seen enough proof of your abilities."

"You'll get your proof; don't worry about that." The young demon lord fingered the hilt of his sword in anticipation.

"Answer me one thing," Washu said. "Are you doing this to face Sesshomaru, to save Kagome, or to get the Jewel of Four Souls back?"

"All of the above." He frowned slightly. "Can we get this over with sometime today? Don't tell me they've chickened out already!"

Just then, Trunks walked into the room.

Inuyasha's sword was out in less than a second.

Similarly, Trunks had his own sword drawn almost a nanosecond later.

Washu rolled her eyes. "Boys. Honestly!"

Trunks warily put his sword away. "Sorry, Washu-chan. I just came to-"

"If the next words out of your mouth are anything like `wish you luck,' you're going to wish you'd kept that sword out, pal," Inuyasha snapped.

"…I'll be going now," Trunks finished, leaving rather quickly.

"That was very rude," Washu observed. "He was rooting for you."

Inuyasha smirked. "I don't need cheerleaders, I need a poor sap to beat up."

"Has it even occurred to you that you might be the one getting beat up?"

"Never."

Washu sighed. "Okay. I see there's no talking you out of it. Try not to kill him, dear."

Inuyasha was about to ask whom she was talking to when he felt…something…on the very edge of his hypersensitive sense of smell. It reminded him very strongly of death, but without all the blood.

The boot crashed into his jaw a second later, and the demon only had time to whip Tetsusaiga into a defensive position as he skidded to a stop. His eyes widened a bit upon taking in his opponent.

"Ho…Hotaru…?"

The Sailor Senshi before him gave no sign of recognizing the name, or him. "My name is Sailor Saturn, and I would suggest that you take me very seriously, youma."

For a moment, it seemed that Inuyasha might change his mind about fighting. Then his eyes narrowed, and Tetsusaiga exploded in his hand, revealing its fully charged blade. "Have it your way, little girl."

Saturn's eyes flashed dangerously.

Something sharp and unbearably cold sliced through Inuyasha's cheek. He surprised himself by crying out in shock and pain, even as he watched the Silence Glaive travel to Saturn's waiting hands.

"In some ways, I am older than you could ever be. And yet, in others, I am reborn with each new day." She leveled the double-pronged weapon at him. "But I did not come here to speak of that."

"Just like I didn't come here to hear you run your mouth!" Inuyasha flew at her, bringing his sword down in what should've clearly been a very hard blow to withstand, even if it was blocked.

But Saturn merely raised the Silence Glaive, catching and trapping the sword's blade between its prongs. "You would at least do well to listen to this, then." Staring directly at the sword, she said softly, "Silence Glaive Apply."

Instantly, Tetsusaiga shuddered in Inuyasha's hands and shrank to its former size, completely drained of its formidable power.

"What? But…how…you can't…" he said, still in disbelief.

"I may be the Senshi of Death and Destruction, but I am still a guardian of humanity. Did you really expect to oppose me with a sword crafted to protect humans?" Saturn took a step forward, almost lazily, and swung the Silence Glaive in a wide arch that left a diagonal rip in Inuyasha's robes. Had he not leaped back at the last second, the fight would've been over then and there.

Inuyasha's eyes flicked over his opponent, and with another smirk, he sheathed Tetsusaiga. "That's fine. I won't even need the stupid sword to take you down."

"If that is what you think," Saturn replied calmly, "then you are a fool."

* * * * *

Gotenks groaned as he sat up, rubbing a large bump on the back of his head. Then it all came rushing back to him: Majin Buu, that…girl that had beaten him up, and the mess he was so deep in.

It was then that he noticed the unconscious girl next to him.

Long, black hair framed her face, but it honestly looked as if she'd neglected to comb it for weeks. She was dressed in what something in Gotenks' memory identified as a simple white and green school uniform, though he couldn't understand why anyone would need to wear a uniform to go to school.

He tried shaking her and shouting into her ear, but there was no reaction. Opening one of her eyes revealed exactly what he'd guessed: she was out cold. She'd probably gotten a good look at Buu and fainted, he figured.

There was something…odd, though. Half of Gotenks' mind (what he presumed to be the smarter half, which came up with all of his strategies) saw her as just a plain-looking girl that might as well have had "victim" stamped on her forehead, and that she wouldn't be of much use to him in a fight. But the other half (the one that actually NAMED his attacks) insisted that she was very important to them and that she was nothing short of a goddess.

Needless to say, there was some confusion as far as what Gotenks would do with her. He wasted several minutes continually shooting down the idea of waking her with a kiss (half thought it might be a fun experiment, the other practically considered it incest). Finally, he decided to try shaking her again.

Before his hand could reach her shoulder, it was smacked away painfully by a staff.

"Naughty boy," scolded a violet-haired woman that suddenly appeared over him. "Kagome needs her beauty sleep." She poked him hard with the staff until he moved away.

Gotenks glared at her. "What're you gonna do with us, Nine?"

"Oh, nothing," she replied with an eerie smile. "Absolutely nothing. Your friends are doing everything for me. Especially your beloved Yugi. She was very helpful."

"If you've hurt her…" he snarled.

"Now, why would I do something like that? All she's done so far is help. I don't punish good helpers." She leaned down and grabbed his chin, grinning widely. "Will you be one of my helpers, boy?"

"You're nuts, lady."

"Perhaps." She let him go and stood up. "Your friends should be here in a few hours. Then the fun will REALLY begin." She smiled abnormally wide and stared off into space.

Gotenks edged away from her. Something told him that Mistress 9 was behaving oddly, even for her.

Endnotes: Saturn's explanation of how she `turned off' Tetsusaiga is a theory of mine. And rather than overpowering the sword, you could say she merely communicated with it. If you don't agree, be sure to tell me why (and leave an e-mail address if you expect a reply).