A/N: Back at it again!
XXX
The screaming in the woods stopped. Cell stalked away from the scattered garments of a camper he'd found and indulged in. His frustrations were growing. His babies were somewhere in this world, and no one that he fed on could give him a trace of where to find them. It was going to get harder to keep a low profile. He'd been careful about which towns he'd attack. Given how crafty these shinobi could be, he knew it was wise to keep himself from becoming a well known entity. If these smaller towns and villages couldn't provide him the info he needed, he may well have to start attacking the Hidden Villages…
He felt a sharp spike of energy in the distance, followed by the snuffing of several other energy sources. It was just a few miles out. He sped through the forest, body moving at the pace of a sports car. He trailed after the odd source of energy. He jumped up to a tree that reached a stretch of open land, spying a pink mass engulfing the corpse of a shinobi. It quickly took shape into a red haired woman, her back turned to him. There were the bodies of a half dozen shinobi lying on the ground. Judging by the ruined landscape, they'd attempted to use their jutsu on the woman to no success.
He was curious about this woman. His predatory eyes leered at her, gauging whether he should rush her and absorb her or not.
The woman giggled, and without looking back, she called out, "Cell." the bio-androids eyes widened in surprise.
The bug-like android hopped down, and slowly approached her. He growled, "I fear my reputation precedes me." He stopped just few feet from her, "Who are you?" This woman seemed unthreatening, but knowing his name aside, the complete lack of fear told him that this woman was much more than she appeared.
The redhaired woman adjusted her glasses. She simply looked at him and smiled, "You can call me… mother". She flipped her hair, and beckoned Cell forth with her finger, "Now, let me see how much you've developed."
XXX
"This is… weird."
"Another one, huh."
17 and 18 stood within an empty remote town, clothes scattered all across the ground. 17 rubbed his hand through his hair, "Guess these people went streaking too?"
While 17 could crack jokes, 18 found this really disturbing. This little village was a ghost town. No one was here. The houses were empty, the stores were empty, the streets barren save for the garments. Mens clothes, womens clothes, childrens clothes, a dog collar here and there. She and her brother could never have done something like this. This is the third village this month they had seen like this, as if the inhabitants had simply vanished into thin air. 18 picked up an orange shirt, eyeing a small hole in its stomach, lined with a thin ring that could only be blood.
She couldn't shake the odd feeling that her and brother should be weary of whatever caused this…
XXX
Cell took a backfist to the face from the mysterious woman. She giggled, "This is all you have? Decades of development just to disappoint me." She leaned a jab from the Android's tail, grabbing the appendage with one hand before swinging him over her and into the ground.
The bio-android hissed, hurt but getting up, "You… you're Red Ribbon." he sprung up to punch at her, the redhead phasing out and appearing behind him. A heel crashed into the back of his head, making him stumble forward.
"A remnant. Like the rest of our kind." She phased in and punted him across the ground. She walked up to the Android, standing over him, she brought up her foot, "Goodnight." before her eyes widened.
Cell sensed several high power levels fast approaching. One of them felt familiar, "Trunks… Brief?" His beak salivated. 'If I absorb him, that may give me the boost in power I need to destroy her!'
As Cell stood up, he was caught off guard when the woman collapsed to the ground, crying out, "Someone… someone please help me!" with tears in her eyes. Trunks and co land in, surprised to see a monster towering over a defenseless woman.
Trunks, Bardock, Kakashi, and Naruto touched down on the ground while Ino, Fu, and Sakura hung in the air. Bardock's eyes narrowed as he stared down the creature. It shared several characteristics of the creature from his vision.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Ino shouted out.
The redheaded woman immediately ran from Cell and up to Kakashi for "protection". She practically threw herself on him. Kakashi caught her before looking to Trunks, and barking "Take it out!" Without a moment's hesitation, Trunks turned Super Saiyan and flew in to blast the shocked creature away at point blank. The blast ripped deep into the forest, leaving a gauge in the earth.
Sakura flew down to the mystery woman that clung to Kakashi for dear life, "Are you okay?" she asked.
The woman inwardly smiled, looking at all of the shinobi, 'Fools. They're really buying it.' She shuddered and sniffled and wiped her eyes before turning to Sakura, "I was headed to Takabetsu Town here in Sugakure, but that monster came out of nowhere! Thank you so much! If it weren't for you, who knows what it would have done to me!"
"What's your name, lady?" Naruto asked.
The woman immediately came up with a name, "Amai Oyatsu." she responded. She looked between those present to her. Her eyes went to the half-saiyan,
'Trunks Briefs, the son of Vegeta and Bulma… unexpected pairing. Bound to be delectable.'
She looked to Naruto, 'Naruto Uzumaki, the jinchuriki of the Hidden Leaf Village… should taste interesting.'
She looked to Bardock, having to resist the look of surprise she'd felt, 'S-Son Goku… he's dead… no, it can't be right. It has to be someone else. I'll have to dig for more information.'
She looked to Ino, 'She fits the description of the Leaf's missing ninja, the Yamanaka girl. Mind control, huh. Her clan abilities could prove useful.'
She looked at Kakashi, 'You have a reputation, Kakashi Hatake… yummy.'
*No!*
Amai had to bite back the familiar annoyance of the voice…
*Don't hurt them!*
Damn it! Why did it always do this! Why now?
*Leave them alone!*
*Don't do it!*
It drove her mad. She took a deep breath, doing everything she could to drown out the nagging shouts from her mind.
While glad the woman was safe, Trunks didn't pay her much mind. What was that creature he just blasted? It was a giant bug. Too many times Bardock mentioned a giant bug for it not to be a connection. He turned to the older saiyan, "That was it, right? The bug man you were talking about?" It seemed too easy that he killed it.
Bardock shook his head, "Not the way I saw it… this one was uglier." he folded his arms, "But I guess nothing to worry about, it's dead now."
Hatake looked the woman over to make sure she was alright. Kakashi had to admit, this woman was a hell of a looker; bushy red hair, glasses, curvy body, form fitting red and black kimono, "Do you need an escort?
The woman smiled, "If you could walk me to town, that would be nice."
*Please no!*
Kakashi nodded in the direction of the village, "Follow me. I'll get you there."
"We'll tag along." Naruto said, "We're headed in that direction anyways."
"Tsunade's not gonna be happy she beat us to Shion's." Trunks said.
"Tsunade's not happy about anything ever." Fu said.
"I would feel safest if we all went." Amai said.
*Don't! Please! I'm begging!*
"Then it's settled." Sakura said as the group walked into the forest.
None of them saw a brown Cicada the size of a dog scurry out of the brush behind them, hissing, before scurrying back into the forest…
XXX
"You always walk alone, lady? You know how dangerous it is these days." Naruto asked.
Amai walked next to Kakash, "I don't have any family. They were killed when our village was destroyed."
"Androids, I bet." Fu said, Amai giving her a curt nod and a sad look, "A lot of us can relate."
"You won't have to worry about them for much longer." Naruto said, nodding towards Trunks, "He's trained to kill those two once and for all."
"Oh," Amai passed Trunks a hopeful smile, "You must be… really powerful."
Feed.
*You can't!*
*Don't hurt him!*
*Leave them alone!*
'Damnit okay!' She screamed back at the voice.
"Being more powerful than the Androids is all that matters." Trunks said, "It's not enough to just be stronger than them. You have to completely and utterly eclipse them and end them quickly."
"Well I believe in you." Amai said, "I surely hope this nightmare ends soon."
"It will, Amai, believe it." Naruto said.
The pack entered the little town.
"Well, we're here." Kakashi said, "I hope you stay out of trouble, Amai."
The redhead smiled at the man, "You as well. Though, I don't think I ever got any of your names."
"Kakashi."
"Naruto."
"Fu."
"Ino."
"Trunks."
Bardock just grunted.
"Hm. Oh well." Amai said. She bowed to the group, "Thank you so much again for your help. I hope to see you again."
"Think nothing of it." Kakashi said, "It's what we do. Until we meet again." the group walked away.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're so in there!" Naruto said excitedly.
Hatake had a derpy blush on his face as he rubbed his cheek, "You think so?"
"Oh yeah." Fu said, "You are definitely in there. She was unwrapping you like a candy bar."
XXX
Trunks and company touched down in front of the massive home of the Demon priestess. The half saiyan eyed the almost mansion-like building, knowing their goal but still unsure of what to expect. This woman could see the future, and in a more controlled aspect than Bardock.
But given everything they were facing… did he really want to know?
Naruto shoved Trunks shoulder, ripping him out of his thoughts, "Would ya quit acting nervous? Shion won't bite."
Sakura whispered to Ino, "For Naruto she'd probably make an exception."
"Shut it!" Fu growled at the two.
Tsunade stepped outside; Karin, Shizune, Shinhan, and Rock Lee behind her. The last sannin was not pleased, given her deeper than usual scowl, "Explain why you're late."
"Big nasty bug almost killed someone." Ino said.
"We had to save the day." Naruto said.
Shion ran out the door and happily hugged Naruto. Trunks, Shinhan, and Lee could practically see the steam shooting out of Fu's ears, "You came! You must be here to fulfill your promise!"
"Maybe later." Naruto said. Sakura grabbed Fu and Ino covered the jinchuriki's mouth before she could cause mayhem, "We're kinda here on other business now." Naruto said with a mock stern tone.
Kakashi approached Shion, holding a hand out to Bardock and Trunks, "The two you've heard about."
Shion approached the two saiyans, "Yes. Trunks, Bardock." she bowed, Trunks returning the bow while Bardock regarded her with a nod.
"Nice to meet you lady Shion." Trunks said.
Naruto's face grew serious, "Bardock sees things."
"We wanna know if you can help us make something out of it." Sakura said
"Well given what you all have done for me… sure thing." Shion stepped back into her home, "We'll talk more inside."
The group walked into the priestesses home, the lot of them impressed with the temple. It was like a massive mansion. It sat on a massive compound, much bigger than Tsunade's back in Konoha.. She motioned for a chef to go make dinner for her guests. Team Z walked in and saw the inside of the large temple.
She brought them to a darkened room only lit by arranged candles. "I must warn you." Lady Shion started as they continued into the room, "I can see instances of the future on my own, but they come in flashes. To do what you require will take a heavy toll physically and mentally. I may not be able to see everything in one sitting."
"We'll take all of the information we can get." Tsunade said.
Shion sat down Bardock. She put her hands on the saiyan's back. Violet eyes shifted like a kaleidoscope, before closing as she focused. She saw flashes of his past; dozens of alien civilizations and planets destroyed. She gasped.
"Ignore the past." Bardock said, catching flashes of what she saw, "It's the future we want."
Shion nodded, "Of course." She closed her eyes and focused again.
She saw a pink woman. She saw villages in ruin. She saw a bug. She saw bodies, hundreds, thousands of them littering the planet.
Shion covered her mouth in shock, "God…"
"That doesn't sound good." Trunks said.
"So much death… so much destruction." Shion said.
"Is what we're trying to prevent." Tsunade said, her arms folded.
"I see… a creature. An insect-like creature that will drain the energy from this world."
"You still see that?" Ino asked, "Trunks just wasted a bug man on the way here."
Shizune glanced to Tsunade, "There's bug people out there now?" she whispered.
"Not a far cry from the giant monsters, aliens, cyborgs, and other mutants we have running around these days." Tsunade said.
Shion saw multiple variations of the bug man, each more… pleasant looking than the last. She saw… miniature versions of the bug man wrecking havoc on the planet.
"There has to be more than one." Shion said, "None of them look the same."
"Our luck." Tsunade said.
Shion saw the bug creature beckoning 18 forth.
"It pursues the Androids… but why, I can't see."
"So they are affiliated." Trunks shook his head, "Damnit, that was just what I was afraid of."
Shion stepped away, holding her head. Her assistant approached and gave her an arm to assist her.
"What do we do now?" Lee asked.
Trunks shook his head, "Nothing changes." he said, "I don't know these monsters or what they want with the Androids, but I do know the Androids and what they're capable of. We stick to what we know and deal with what comes when we can."
Kakashi looked to Shion, "Are they strong enough for this?"
"I… I'm not certain."
"No…" Trunks said, jaw clenching and eyes hardening, "Don't tell me that. I have to have the strength." He looked to the floor, "I don't know what to do otherwise."
Shion just knew that these monsters were worse than the Androids ever were. "I couldn't begin to know what you have gone through to defeat these Androids, Trunks." Shion said sorrowfully, "I'm sorry to be the burden of this news."
XXX
Later, Sakura, Ino, and Karin sat in the hot springs.
Ino grunted as she sunk into the water.
"Seriously Ino, get a grip." Sakura said, "He of all people couldn't even stomach dinner. What on Earth makes you think Trunks would be in any mood to soak in a hot spring?"
"It's because he's so stressed out that he should be." Ino said as she climbed out of the water.
Sakura shook her head in disgust, "You are such a-"
"Shut up, Sakura." Ino said. She threw on a towel and walked back inside.
Karin and Sakura glanced at each other, grumbling before they too leaned back in the springs.
XXX
Naruto lay back on his bed in one of the guest rooms. Fu kissed his forehead before resting her head on his chest.
"Can I ask you something?" Naruto asked.
"Hmmmmm no." Fu said playfully.
"I'll ask you anyway." Naruto said with a grin, "What is it about me that you like so much?"
Fu lifted her head up, looking down at him while she smiled. She poked him hard in the chest. "This right here. This thing has endured some of the worst things imaginable. And what do you know? It never changes. You see the best in everyone. You love life. And you give your all in everything."
"I love you." Naruto said.
"Show me." Fu said before she kissed Naruto. The blonde teenager's hand went to the small of her back, rolling the two of them over. Fu giggled as she pulled at the blondes shirt.
XXX
Trunks leaned on the outside balcony, looking out over the forests and mountains of the horizon.
To think he knew his enemies. To think he knew what he was preparing for.
Was he strong enough? He had to be. There was no way he wasn't.
He looked up, gazing at the stars.
The moon was really pretty…
XXX
Ino strut through the hall, towel wrapped loosely around her body. She stopped in front of a mirror, the teen turning and catching herself at different angles. She flipped her hair and styled it in a way that was to her liking; covering her left eye and draped over her shoulder and chest. She tugged the towel slightly down her chest to show more of her skin.
She practiced the innocent puppy eyed look, before smirking.
"Time to claim my man." Ino said.
She cleared her throat before opening the door to the half-saiyan's room. "Oh Trunks~" Ino stepped inside, "there aren't any sheets on my bed," she saw him standing on the balcony, back to her, "so it looks like we'll have… to… share…"
He kept looking up at the sky, ignoring her.
"Trunks?" Ino asked worriedly, the blonde approaching the demi-saiyan. Something was wrong…
She placed a hand to his shoulder, "Are you okay-"
The saiyan snarled like an animal and threw her back. Ino stomped her foot into the floor and flipped on instinct, but she was shook. She shakily put up a fighting stance against the man she loved.
Trunks' hair was a wild mess, lips curled back and exposed canines sharpened into a primal snarl. Most strikingly, the irises of his eyes weren't his usual blue, but a ruby red.
"Trunks," Ino tried reaching out again, "what's wron-" she gasped as the saiyan lunged at her like a wild animal, the young woman jumping to the side to dodge. She was hardly given a moment to put up the signs for her jutsu before Trunks was on her again.
A purple shield formed around Ino to protect her from Trunks fist. The shield cracked and sent a shockwave throughout the room, shattering the floor.
Naruto and Fu quickly pulled away from each other as their room shook like an Earthquake passed through, "That's not good." Fu said.
Tsunade was reading a scroll in her room, she and Shizune becoming startled by the sudden shaking of the room, "The hell?!" Tsunade groaned.
Shinhan and Lee were both doing push ups, the tremor through the building knocking them over, "Trouble?" Lee asked.
"Trouble." Shinhan nodded.
Bardock sat atop the roof of the mansion, his eyes narrowing as he sensed the change in energy coming from the half-saiyan, "Damnit kid."
Ino's shield shattered, the blonde gasping as she was knocked back. The sudden disruption of her chakra left Ino feeling dizzy, the blonde collapsing to the floor. Trunks closed in on her, reaching out at her throat.
A fist crashed into his jaw, knocking him back several feet and away from Ino. The blonde saw it was Sakura, her friend having come to her defense.
Karin ran up to Ino's side, grabbing her to make sure she's okay.
Sakura stared down Trunks, who shook his head and growled at her. She noticed the change in his eyes, and the obvious changes in his behavior, and remembered something Bulma told the lot of them years ago,
"Wait," Sakura said, "what happens if he looks at a full moon?"
"He turns into a giant ape monster that loses all sense of reason and tries to kill anything with a face." Bulma said in one breath.
Sakura's eyes widened in fear, "Oh no…" she stood her ground, holding her fighting stance.
Karin and Ino stood side by side, Trunks growling at the three women.
"What's his problem?!" Karin asked Sakura, the redhead picking up on Sakura's dread.
"It's a full moon tonight…" Sakura said.
"Damnit." Ino said.
"What?" Karin asked, still having no idea what the two were talking about.
Trunks roared like an animal, his feet setting to lunge at the women. Before he could charge, he was football tackled through the bedroom wall by Naruto.
Naruto tried to take Trunks down to the floor so he could dogpile the saiyan with half a dozen shadow clones, but the rabid man flailed his arms, knocking his friend loose and throwing him back across the room. Trunks quickly ripped into the shadow clones; brutally punching and kicking them into bursting.
The saiyan set his sights on Naruto and immediately attacked him.
"Damn!" Naruto grunted as he quickly threw up his guard, barely blocking crushing blows from Trunks.
Trunks snarled as Fu flew in, kicking his head and barely getting him to back off of Naruto.
"Man he's hitting hard!" Naruto said, his arms and chest bruised heavily.
"What's wrong with him?!" Fu asked.
"He has to be turning into a great ape." Sakura said.
The second a ki blast formed in Trunks hand, chakra chains ensnared his wrist, attaching to the ceiling. Another couple ensnared his legs and kept him still, for the moment.
"His tail." Ino said, eyeing the purple furred appendage swinging being Trunks, "We need to get his tail."
"On it." Naruto formed two clones and rushed Trunks, only for the saiyan to roar out, and pull his arms with great force. The chains ripped down the ceiling, pulling rubble down on the teens. Thinking quickly, Naruto formed his beast cloak, pulling Fu in close and shielding her while an extra limb sprouted from the cloak to punch away the rubble.
Trunks leaped up, aiming to pounce on Sakura, but Lee and Shinhan flew in to punch him simultaneously. The two relentlessly punched at the saiyan, Trunks taking the blows. He was stronger, but he lost all capacity to think and thus properly defend himself. They finished their assault by putting an immense amount of power in their punch and knocked him back into a wall.
The teens all stood at the ready, but they were at an impasse. They didn't want to hurt Trunks, he was their friend. They also couldn't just let Trunks rampage and kill them, or worse, get loose into the world, which he could easily do; and to properly fight him they'd need to rely on more powerful techniques. Trunks, with so many targets, seemed conflicted. Eyes crazed and looking all around. His breathing was heavy and ragged. Like an ape, Trunks rapidly beat his chest and shouted, a means of challenging his enemies.
Lee and Sakura could hear the distant sounds of guards from within the compound shouting and rushing toward the commotion, the men believing Shion to be in danger. 'Not good.' Lee thought.
Naruto stepped towards Trunks, Fu instinctively grabbing his wrist, "Don't. We gotta get him out of this house or he's gonna bring the whole building down on our heads."
Two rooms and an upstairs were already totalled.
Naruto told her sternly, "But I also gotta stop him before the guards get too close, otherwise they're gonna have a really bad night."
Trunks eyed Naruto, the saiyan snarling at him. Naruto set his feet, and charged at Trunks, pushing the saiyan into charging right back at the blonde. Before meeting Trunks, Naruto immediately changed course and flew out of the window, leading Trunks into chasing him outside.
Trunks grabbed Naruto and drove him down into the ground. Naruto's beast cloak covered his body, the jinchuriki using every ounce of his strength to catch Trunks fist before it could crash into his face. Naruto struggled to speak as he tried to force Trunks hand back, "It's… a long… shot… but, I know you're in there Trun-" He was interrupted by the saiyan headbutting him in the face, dazing Naruto who could hardly hold onto Trunks fist, "Okay… maybe not." he said goofily.
Before the saiyan could bring up his hands and lay a savage beat down, he let out a yell. Naruto sat up, surprised to see Kakashi standing behind Trunks, tightly gripping his tail.
Trunks shuddered before falling to his hands and knees. The saiyan couldn't move, his breathing becoming labored. Kakashi gave the tail another hard squeeze, rendering Trunks unconscious.
Naruto fell back, "Finally."
The sounds of others approached.
"Somehow I think this could have been a lot worse." Sakura said. Bardock landed in, Kakashi turning to him,
"Wasn't he supposed to become a giant ape?" Kakashi asked.
"We experimented." Bardock said, "We tried seeing if he could control his ape transformation, but he couldn't. The Konat worked some magic of his own and this happened." Bardock said, "He's got the power of a great ape with none of the size."
Tsunade shook her head, "Idiots. All of you."
"Relax," Bardock said, "If you want I can just blow up the moon. I can always make my own." he filled his palm with destructive ki.
Shizune squealed, "Aiiieeeee, let's not! Who knows how that'll affect our planet!"
Lee tapped his fingers together, "Um, how are we going to explain this to Lady Shi-"
Footsteps approached. The group all turned to Shion, the priestess holding a furious look on her face, "My house…"
(Late that night)
18 lounged on the roof of a building, looking up at the starry night sky.
She had to admit, she was feeling a bit homesick. This world had its pluses. The people here could put up a better fight than the meatbags back home. That made their little village destroying escapades more thrilling. What annoyed her was the backwoods feel of the place. No cars, No T.V, the lack of clothes to her liking. The outfit she wore currently; a black t-shirt over fishnet, and a white skirt, she robbed another ninja of. It was one of only few outfits she considered good looking.
Though if there is one thing she hated about this world… it's the fact that the blonde bitch with the ponytail was in it. Sure, she hated Trunks. Sure, she hated Goku's dad. Sure, she hated every human. But the blonde girl, what's her name, held a special type of hatred in her heart. She crossed a line that no other person could. The girl not only messed with her head, forced her to do things against her will… much like the doctor… but she also managed to escape her wrath.
Since then, that girl was on her shit-list. She was gonna have her head. That was a promise…
17 hovered up next to her, "Hey sis, it's time for patrols. Ya ready?"
18 cut her eyes at him, "Being a park ranger was your dream, not mine. Why do you want me to go?"
"I get lonely."
18 groaned, but smiled and followed after him.
17 and 18 hovered over the area around their territory. 17 looked back at 18, "Maybe we're not hip. You down for going streaking like everyone else is?"
"No. N. O. Not happening." 18 said.
"Could be fun." 17 said, "Feeling the breeze between your knees."
"I'll blast you." 18 said, "I don't wanna think about those villages. It's kinda freaking me out."
17 then spotted a traveling group of unknowns. There had to have been a pack of about a dozen people walking the dirt path. 17 grinned and looked to his sister, "Think I know just what would clear your head" as he pointed down.
18 grinned, "Perfect."
The twins landed in front of the pack of travelers, spooking the lot of them. It appeared to be a group of men and one woman dressed in a black hooded cloak.
"I-Its them!"
Refusing to run, the leader rushed 17 with a sword, swinging it on the Android only for it to break on contact with the Androids forehead. The other men pulled weapons, at the same time pushing the woman behind them as if to protect her. 17 grinned and cracked his fingers.
Within seconds, the Androids took the travelers apart with their bare hands, 17 killing six while 18 killed five. The girl in the black cloak was the only one left. She stood back, trembling at the bloody sight.
17 looked at his sister, sighing, "I'll let you end this game on a tie. After all, I did drag you out here." he said, shrugging.
18 rolled her eyes, "How generous." She walked up to the survivor, fear noticeable in her barely visible eyes. 18 could tell that despite her position, there was a bit of acceptance.
'That's no fun.' 18 thought.
18 decided to make the kill slow. She grabbed the cloaked girl by her neck.
'Wait!' 18's brow furrowed in curiosity, "What is this?"
Her hand wrapped around the girl's neck, but it felt like… wood? Her eyes widened as she retracted her hand.
17 stared at the two girls, confused, "Never known you to get cold feet. What's up 18?" he stepped up next to his sister.
18 didn't respond. She simply pulled the girl's hood down. She had short black hair and green eyes. 17's eyebrows raised in surprise. He saw where the young girl's natural head met some sort of artificial wooden contraption at the neck line. 18 grabbed the girl's arm to pull the sleeve and gasped. The girl's arm was completely wooden… almost like… a puppet's.
18 wondered out loud, "What are you?"
"Who are you?" 17 asked, demanding answers.
The girl shook, but she spoke, "My name… is Reimi."
(The next day…)
The next morning, Trunks' eyes opened. The sunlight from outside pouring into the room stirred him awake. He looked around, quickly noticing that he was not in his bed, and in a different room.
Sakura had her back turned to him, the teen sitting in front of a mirror and brushing her hair. She noticed that Trunks was awake. She was happy to see those blue eyes again.
Trunks sat up with a pounding headache.
"Wakey wakey sleepy head." Sakura said, Trunks looking her way.
"What did I do?"
Sakura turned around to look at him, "You looked at the moon and went psycho. Don't worry, no one except the house got hurt." She nodded to the two other beds in the room, one especially close to Trunks, "You trashed your own room so you had to share one with me and Ino." she glanced at the door, "She actually just ran out to pee."
"I'm sorry." Trunks said, "I didn't mean to put you guys at risk." he said,
Sakura walked up to him and only smiled at him, "You know we won't stay mad at ya, Shion, on the other hand…" Trunks sighed in relief, before grunting and putting a hand to his temple, "Headache, huh." Sakura noted, "I have the perfect remedy for it." she reached toward him
Trunks assumed she'd use some technique that Tsunade taught her, only for a fist to crash upside his head.
Eye twitching, Trunks asked, "what was that for?"
"For being a dummy who'd look at a full moon knowing full well he'd turn into a monster!" Sakura yelled at him. She then kissed the top of his head, "That is for the headache." She then smiled and left the confused demi-saiyan.
He collapsed back onto his pillow, kicking himself over his carelessness.
Footsteps approached the doorway, before rapidly entering the room. Before he could look up, Ino was over him,
"Trunks! Ya feeling okay?" she asked, giving him a worried smile.
Trunks couldn't respond, "Are you?"
"I've had worse moments than you trying to kill me." Ino said, before looking up, "I think."
"Heh." Trunks said, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how mad is Lady Shion?"
Ino's face went blank, "Uhhhh."
"I think I have the idea." Trunks said.
XXX
Trunks awkwardly walked into the den of the house, the others waiting on him. Shion scowled and her assistant mean mugged him.
"Uhm." Trunks didn't know what to say that would cut it, "I, um."
"Just sit." Shion said, Trunks doing as he was ordered, "I'll deal with you later." Shion put a hand on Bardock's shoulder, and closed her eyes.
She saw a massive ape, the beast roaring in primal fury.
"An… an ape…" Shion said.
Tsunade looked between Bardock and Trunks, "Try something we don't know."
Shion saw the Leaf village in flames, "Konoha is going to be attacked."
"Androids?" Shizune asked, concern heavy in her voice.
"I can't tell." Shion said.
She saw… two pink women, "The pink one, there's… two of them?" One with an evil grin and the other with eyes showing innocence. She saw one of the pink women staring tauntingly at Kakashi.
"This just keeps getting worse…" Shinhan said, Lee's brows furrowing in worry.
"Don't jump to conclusions with her." Shion saw the woman performing acts that conflicted with her original depiction; assisting the group? "Not… everything is as it seems."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Karin asked.
"I… don't know but… there's so much death." Shion said, seeing bodies littering the planet. She saw villages amounting to ghost towns and piles of rubble. She clutched her head, grunting as she struggled to keep focus, "More destruction." She saw several ninja wearing dark cloaks and animal masks clashing with the group, "Animal masks."
"Anbu?" Kakashi asked out loud.
Shion shook her head as she struggled, "Th-There's… someone," she saw a man, "Konoha," in she saw a man, no older than 30, muscular, dark hair, wielding a sharingan. He was dark, and he was wicked.
"Someone in the leaf?" Kakashi asked
"Is it Danzo?" Tsunade asked,
"N-No…" Shion grunted, her head hurting badly, "it can't be…
She saw a snake-
Shion cried out and clutched her head. She nearly collapsed before Naruto and the assistant caught her.
"I think that's all we're gonna get out of her." Tsunade said.
"We haven't had a single bit of positive reinforcement since we got here." Shinhan said.
"It'd be nice to know if we at least win in the end." Karin said.
"Is… is the future set in stone?" Trunks asked.
Bardock frowned. He wanted to say no, but his own experiences said otherwise.
"Who's to say us knowing these events isn't what influenced what you saw?" Kakashi said.
"I don't know." Shion said, dizzy and on the verge of passing out, "All I can tell you for certain is that I'm never wrong in what I've seen.
XXX
About an hour later, the group got ready to set off.
Trunks turned to Shion and bowed, "I'm um, sorry for the mess."
Shion glared at Trunks but then smirks and says "You're gonna be." she handed him a few scrolls, "You'll be paying me back." Trunks sighed and opened them up, "That is a list of contacts who need assistance. They'll know who I am and they'll know to pay."
"We'll give word to Bulma that you'll be busy." Kakashi said to Trunks.
"Yeah." Trunks said, pocketing the scrolls in his jacket.
Tsunade tossed a capsule, a capsule car in the form of a station wagon appearing in a puff of smoke. She, Shizune, Karin, Shinhan, and Lee got in the car. Sakura tapped Ino's arm, "I think I'll be taking the long road."
"And I'll take the high road." Ino said, "I'll see you back home." Sakura nodded and got in the car.
Trunks stepped away from the group, Ino approaching, "You might need some company. You know, with your tasks and all." Ino flew up next to Trunks.
"No." Trunks said solemnly, "I need to be alone for now."
Ino glanced at him worriedly, but she respected it and let him fly off.
As Tsunade started the car, she could see Naruto and Fu talking, the two teenagers coming to agreement about something.
"Hey Grandma Tsunade, me and Fu wanna head into town." Naruto said hopefully.
"Ooh, I want to go with." Ino said, "I'm running low on outfits."
Tsunade seemed apprehensive, but Kakashi looked to Tsunade, the older woman giving them a reluctant nod, "As long as everyone sticks together and Kakashi goes with you."
"Cool." Ino said, Naruto and Fu nodding.
Tsunade looked to Bardock, the man preparing to fly off on his own, "Guess you won't be needing a ride."
The old saiyan seemed taken aback that the woman would offer him any favors, "Um, no. Seems cramped in there anyways."
Tsunade smirked and rolled up the window, "Suit yourself."
XXX
18 held up a black dress, "What about this?! I think it would look cute on you!"
Reimi looked at the dress, the puppet sticking out like a sore thumb in the clothing store she and 18 stood in. Reimi glanced away, "I… don't know much about dresses, and I don't think I like them that much." she said emotionlessly.
18 frowned, "You gotta help me out here." she sorted through racks, "Since you don't know how to dress, I think it'll be up to me to teach you."
17 stood outside of the store, bored as his sister took their new friend shopping.
The revelation of the strange woman brought out a sense of kinship with the twins. Reimi used to be a human, but she was forcibly converted into a puppet by the one person she thought she could trust… Sasori. 17 and 18 could relate. The twins, come to find out, wound up killing the group of men that took pity on the poor girl when they'd discovered her origins. The men were themselves murderous bandits, and had taken Reimi into their fold, only for the cyborgs to kill them and take their ward for themselves in the end.
Funny how life worked.
The male cyborg could accept that the girl needed new threads, but did 18 really have to drag him along for this?
He was so bored he had to withhold the urge to rampage through the town. There was a time and place for that. It definitely wasn't now with their new friend.
"Six… hours you two have been at this." 17 groaned, his eye twitching.
Just then, he heard a horrified yelp coming from a back alley. It was quick, it was faint. He looked to the alley to see a girl with long curly red hair stepping out, happily munching on a pastry.
17 eyed the woman, noticing something very off about this… situation. The red head gave him a smile and wave, and she continued on with her business. Feeling bored, the young man grinned, before following after the woman.
The woman stopped walking, and stopped eating. 17 was going to say something to provoke her, but he was caught off guard when she… started giggling?
She turned to #17, "It's been a while, Android 17".
The Android was taken aback, "What? How do you know my name?" the woman turned her back to him, enraging him. How dare a human turn their back on him? He walked up to her, ready to pull her head from her shoulders.
Just as he approached and reached for the back of her neck, the redhead turned and swung the back of her hand across his face, sending him through a store.
17's blue eyes stare through the hole in the wall of the store, eyeing the mysterious woman in horror. It had been a long time since anyone hit him that hard, and this woman did it with as much effort as swatting a fly.
"Who? What is she?" 17 said, struggling up to his feet. He filled his hands with ki, and fired a blast at the woman.
An explosion filled the streets, sending the already shocked populace into a panic. A smoking crater was left on the ground where the woman was. He stepped out, satisfied that he blew her away.
"Well then, there's another child of mine to punish."
17 gasped and looked up, the woman looking down on him cruelly.
Reimi gasped at the quake that pushed through the store, "What is that?"
18 groaned in annoyance. Now who could that be? The twins hadn't seen Trunks and his friends in years, and it seemed as if most of the ninja's worth their salt kept their distance, that is unless the cyborgs attacked first.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. Shopping would have to wait. She hoped it was Trunks. Then that meant he could tell her where the blonde bitch with the ponytail was. She looked to Reimi, "Stay out of sight."
Reimi nodded as 18 stepped out of the shop. When she stepped out, she was surprised to see a red haired woman looking down on her brother. 'Never seen you before' 18 thought. Regardless, she needed to help her brother. She flew at the woman, coming in with a kick at the ready. 18 grinned when she made contact, but her mouth went agape when the woman's head hadn't budged an inch.
The mystery woman giggled, "That almost tickled." she grabbed 18 by her leg, and threw her at 17.
"I can't sense their power, it has to be them!" Naruto said; Fu, Ino, and Kakashi trailing close behind.
"We are not to engage them without Trunks or Bardock!" Kakashi said, keeping up with the teens as they sped across the town.
"We'll buy time for people to get out." Ino said, "Don't worry about us."
Kakashi shook his head, 'These kids will be the death of me.'
The teens rounded a corner to see 18 and 17 getting beat by… Amai?
Amai punched 17 in the gut and elbowed 18, sending her back first into a wall.
"Amai!" Naruto waved down the woman.
The nerdy looking woman looked at Naruto; Fu, Ino, and Kakashi standing by him and just as surprised as he was.
17 and 18 see Naruto and Co. 18 glared at Ino. What an inconvenient time. One of the many people in the world she wanted to destroy, and here she was having to focus on not getting killed by this… librarian.
All concern about even bumping into the Androids went out the window when the former leaf nin stared down Amai. Someone giving the Androids a beatdown? Kakashi was the first to ask, "Who are you, really?"
Amai simply gave the man a taunting smile.
17 and 18 were shocked and confused as the twins were coming to the conclusion that this woman was a friend of Trunks and his group. The twins knew something was wrong and they were in trouble. This mystery woman, and now this other party coming in as support.
"Why didn't you tell us you were capable of this?" Fu said, a part of her getting excited that maybe this woman would stop the Androids, right here, right now, and save the world a whole lot of grief.
Kakashi did not like the way this woman was looking at them. He took a quick glance at Ino, and from the looks of things, neither did the Yamanaka.
Naruto grinned at the cyborgs, "Guess you assholes bit off more than you could chew. Come on, Amai, let's end these two!"
"Naruto…" Ino whispered firmly, "easy."
"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.
Ino wouldn't take her eyes off the redhead, "Because she's staring at us… like we're cake or something."
"Come on, Amai," Fu said, "you aren't gonna help us?"
Amai began giggling, before breaking out into a full on laugh, "Why would I help you? When I could just feed on all of you right now." she held her arms out.
All color bled from the shinobi's faces.
"I can't believe you idiots actually felt for that little show!"
"Wh-What the hell are you talking about?! Show?!" Naruto said, getting into a fighting stance, "Why would you lie to us?"
Amai shook her head, "Why wouldn't I? I wanted Cell out of the way, and seeing Trunks show up and blast him was hilarious."
"Are… are we just going to ignore the fact that she said she'd… eat us?" Ino asked.
Amai's head tilted as she pointed a finger at the blonde. Ino gasped as Kakashi rushed in and tackled her out of the way, barely dodging the pink beam that shot passed them. To the horror of all present, the beam struck a fleeing civilian a dozen yards down, turning the man into a small chocolate cupcake that sit on the ground.
"Oh poo." Amai said, "You made me miss, and on something that'll taste horrid!"
Somehow… that was the most horrifying thing Naruto had seen in his life, "Oh shit." he put Fu behind him, though both teens were visibly shook.
17 snorted, "If you think you're going to eat me, you're dead wrong."
18's face scrunched up, "You're insane, lady."
Amai closed her eyes, "And I'm also really hungry." The voice screamed at her,
*No!*
*Don't!*
*Please don't hurt them!*
*Leave them alone!*
But in the heat of this moment, she could pay it no mind. A shockwave hit everyone as the redhead powered up; her hair going from auburn to white, her skin turning from cream colored… to pink.
Kakashi's eyes widened as the revelation hit him. This is her. "Amai is the Pink-Skinned woman?!"
Everyone on the battlefield is shocked by the change of appearance and power of the woman before them. Her clothes changed to that of baggy white pants and a black top, the fabrics whipping from the violent, blood red aura enveloping her.
Kakashi comments, "This power… it exceeds that of even Trunks!"
"We are in big trouble." Ino said, the blonde taking a fighting stance.
17 scoffs, "So what if you powered up a little. It won't matter. I'm still the ultimate Android!"
Amai grinned, "Don't get too full of yourself kid. I am the 21st model after all."
"Android 21?!" the group thought simultaneously.
21 grinned devilishly, "Now, who am I going to eat first?"
Kakashi looked to Androids 17 and 18; Ino, Naruto, and Fu followed his gaze.
"No way, Kakashi." Fu said, the 7 tailed jinchuriki shaking her head.
"Don't tell me we're stooping that low!" Naruto said.
The look on Ino's face begged the older ninja to tell them they weren't that desperate.
Kakashi moved his hair and revealed his sharingan, the eye shifting to that of the Mangekyo, "The enemy of my enemy… is my friend."
XXX