Last time on Lost Souls, John Doe (Goku with amnesia) was having another flashback just outside of Mari's secret cave.

And wouldn't you know it? It's a full moon night…

Chapter Twelve

As John held her, he kept staring at the full moon shining above them. But what worried Mari more was that he was shaking a little violently. She had to use her telepathy to see what was going through his mind. She didn't really like going into other people's minds, but in this case, there was nothing else she could do (Was that a talking pig? That would be kind of hard to forget, wouldn't it?). After seeing that, she felt the best thing to do right now was give him time to calm down. Growing up with a family like hers, she learned about patience. And she had no problem being patient as she nestled up in his soft, golden furry embrace.

(Soft… golden… FUR?!)

His obsidian hair had turned…blonde? And his arms were furry as well. John Doe had become a…a golden were-monkey! All the while he kept looking at the full moon. And Mari was still trapped in his embrace. She had no chance of breaking free whatsoever. It took everything she had to stay calm.

(I… It… It…that bean! It has to be that bean! First, the tail, and now this! It's just a matter of time before… he becomes a… golden were-monkey? What kind of beans are those? … Who grows them…?)

Everything about John Doe seems… not normal. He's incredibly strong, can teleport, and now a magic bean not only heals his wounds, but also transforms him into a monkey-like creature. (Beans that were found in the same hole he climbed out of when I found him. Is it possible… that he knew about the beans before he lost his memory? Could there be others like him? Other… were-monkeys…? Well, there are societies with anthropomorphic animals, so why not a… a tribe… hidden away somewhere…? A tribe of were-monkeys that grows those beans…? )

As bizarre as this moment was, it began to make sense for Mari. This could explain why the police have not been able to identify him. John could be from some unknown were-monkey tribe. If she helped him find that tribe, they could help him remember who he is.

But Mari would have to put those thoughts on hold for the moment. John had been staring at the full moon long enough. It didn't look as though he was transforming any further. Even though his fur was nice and warm, they could not stay like that all night.

It took everything she had to lightly touch his cheek and softly say, "John…? John…? Can you hear me?"

She struggled to maintain her composure as the were-monkey lowered his head to look at her. That's when she noticed his eyes. His once-obsidian eyes were now deep red. After that, all her attempts to remain calm became far more strenuous. "J…. J-John? Is… Is….t-t-that y-y-you?"

"Mari…?"

Mari felt a little bit of relief that John Doe remembered her name. Her John Doe was still here.

"Mari…? Your eye…"

(My eye?) "What… d-do you mean?"

"Your eye… It's all white. Are you okay?"

(Wait… what?)

CAPSULE CORPORATION…

Poor Trunks… He just couldn't stop crying. Not even a loving hug from his mother was able to calm him down.

Vegeta understood. He understood all too well. And he knew what he had to do. "It's alright, son. Come with me. It's time you had some rest." He gently carried his son out of the living-room, leaving Bulma and Yamcha to deal with the spellstone shard.

Yes, Vegeta did indeed understand why Trunks was so upset. The boy was so determined to find the spellstone on his own. He wanted to be the one who made everything right…because as far as Trunks was concerned, he was the one who made everything wrong. As he carried the still-crying boy up the stairs, Vegeta's thoughts went back to the day when everyone but Kararrot and Goten returned early from the camping trip. The boy stood there in front of them, confessing to the murder of Kakarrot like he was on trial. Krillin, Yamcha, Puar and Oolong just stood there behind him, all flabbergasted.

As Vegeta thought about that moment, he could sense the fear in all of them. They were no doubt expecting him to go super saiyan and destroy them on the spot. It was no secret how he felt about Kakarrot, how important it was to him to be stronger. He had made that clear so many times in the past. But, now…?

Having to accept that Kakarrot is… was… stronger than him was the hardest thing he's ever had to do. But it was a truth he had to accept. Despite all his efforts, the best he could do was keep up with him. Yes, Vegeta was able to become a super saiyan, but it didn't change the fact that Kakarrot did it before him. He just could not surpass him in any way.

But then Vegeta realized that wasn't entirely true. When it came to transforming into an Oozaru, he surpassed both Kakarrot and Gohan (sort of). They could not control themselves, while he maintained his way of thinking. They learned how to be fighters, but not how to be saiyans. It made Vegeta wonder: What if Kakarrot hadn't lost his memory…?

"I… I'm… I'm so sorry…"

Vegeta could barely hear the words between the sobbing. He set his son down to hear him out. "Trunks…?"

"I'm sorry, Dad. I… ruined everything. Because of me, you won't be able to prove you're stronger than Goku. And… and I wanted to find that… that spellstone first. It… was my… duty to fix everything. I'm the one who made the mess, so I should be the one to fix it. But…, I failed that, too. I failed everything! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry…!"

There was no hiding the tears pouring out of Trunks' eyes. Vegeta could feel the boy's shame. There was a time when he would've simply said "Pipe down!" to make the boy stop crying, but then he remembered how things were when he was Trunks' age. Back when he was a young prince growing up with his father, King Vegeta…

From the moment I could walk, my father began my training. First, he taught me to throw punches. Then, he taught me to balance myself for kicking. All while I was still in diapers.

But it wasn't always about being stronger. It was about being smarter, too. I was given the highest education possible. I was so young when I learned about being a prince, and how royalty had a responsibility to be the best at everything there was. Any sign of weakness guaranteed defeat, and there was no greater shame than for someone outside of the royal bloodline to be better, be it strength or intelligence.

I remember one evening I was with my father. We were looking out the window to see orbs jettisoned into space. He told me that most of them were third-class saiyans. Since they were considered to be weak, they were sent to other planets. They would prove their worth by annihilating the dominant species, making the planet suitable for the highest bidder. Those that succeed in their missions were brought back, proven to at least be worthy of their saiyan heritage.

To think that Kakarrot may have been in one of those orbs that very evening…

I trained hard and I studied hard, because that made my father happy with me. Any sign of weakness was frowned upon, and I made sure I did nothing to make myself look weak, lest I found myself being compared to a third-class saiyan….

And now, here was Trunks crying his eyes out. If King Vegeta was here, he'd see it as being incredibly weak. So would Frieza… "Trunks…?"

Trunks stood at attention, facing his father with soaking wet eyes. "Y-yes, D-D-Dad…?"

It was at that very moment that Vegeta realized he needed a kind of strength he was never trained to have. But he had to try. Right here, right now.

"Trunks…, my son… Listen… You don't need to punish yourself any longer."

"But, Dad… I…"

"Listen to me! I know what it's like to focus on one thing above all else. As a prince, I had an obligation to become the strongest saiyan, just like my father. He was the king, and I was taught that the king had to be the strongest in order to lead his people. But then…, Frieza proved to be even stronger than my father. I was still too young to do anything when that monster took everything from me… even my freedom."

As Vegeta spoke, Trunks couldn't believe what he was seeing: tears, in his father's eyes. But he remained silent and continued to listen.

"For years, I was at Frieza's mercy. The empire I was supposed to inherit was reduced to only two saiyans: Nappa and Raditz. They respected me as royalty, but Frieza loved to remind me that no matter what, as far as he was concerned I was a slave with my own personal slaves.

"My father had told me about the legendary super saiyan. So I continued to train as best I could, to become strong enough to destroy Frieza. But, eventually, it was Kakarrot who became the next super saiyan and defeated Frieza." Vegeta went no further than that. This was not the time to confuse his son about his future self destroying Frieza, ending his reign of terror once and for all. He needs to console his son, not confuse him.

"But, Trunks… The point is that you don't need to obsess over this. It took me a long time to come to terms with Kakarrot being stronger than me. He never once tried to take my title from me. I still remember him telling me that he already had everything a man could want. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to understand that, but I do now. I have a beautiful, brilliant wife. Her parents have been warm and loving, accepting me as part of their family. And my son… has incredible courage. You were not afraid to take responsibility for your mistakes, and you did everything you could to make things right. Believe me when I say that you've made me very, very proud, my son."

And then, in spite of the tears falling from both their eyes, Vegeta gave his son a warm, loving hug. Trunks didn't argue this time. In fact, he returned the hug. It would be at least three minutes before Vegeta gently pulled away.

"But here's something else I had to learn… You can't always do everything alone. Even the mightiest of warriors needed to ask for help now and then. This is one of those times. And now that Yamcha has found that piece you need, we can all do what we can to help you figure out what to do next."

With that in mind, Trunks allowed his father to tuck him into bed. "Dad… Thanks."

"Sleep well, son."

After Vegeta slowly closed the door, he took a moment to compose himself. He was not quite ready for anyone else to see him crying. Least of all, Yamcha.

LABIRYNTH CANYON…

Mari held her pocket mirror to her face, and could not believe what she was seeing. Her right eye – the one covered by the birthmark – was glowing white (How long has this been going on…?).

For years, I've had to deal with people not wanting to look at me. The kids at school were the worst. They called me Medusa. They said if anyone ever looked at me, they'd turn to stone.

The adults were no better. Even the teachers averted their eyes when I spoke to them, even though they knew it was rude. Being alone was so much better. It was more… comfortable.

Having to endure those insults really irritated me, especially in my right eye. So many times I had to keep my right eye closed, just to ease the pain. Even when I was alone in my room, when I needed a mirror to brush my hair, it just felt better to keep that eye closed.

No one wanted to look at my eye… No one…! Not even me…!

John Doe felt incredibly helpless as he watched his only friend crying in front of him. He wished he knew what she was thinking. He wished he knew what to say. He wanted to gently massage her back, when he finally noticed the golden fur (What…? When did this happen?). Suddenly, a terrible thought occurred to him.

"Mari…? Mari… Did I… hurt you?"

"What? No! No… It wasn't you at all. I'm upset because… because… I don't know why this is happening! No one has ever told me about this. Sure, sometimes my eye felt funny now and then, but no one ever mentioned that it… glows. It's no wonder people thought I was a monster!" With that, she broke down and cried some more.

"NO! Don't you ever say that again!" His voice was loud enough to scare away some bats that were perched nearby. "Mari, please… You're not a monster. Monsters are evil creatures, and you're nothing like that. If not for you, I… I'd be scared out of my mind."

Mari could only stare in shock as he spoke.

"I… I don't understand any of this. I wake up in a hospital, and all I could do was feel afraid. At least that one doctor was nice enough to not use any needles on me. And then, he brought you to see me, and… well…, things started to feel… better. It felt like… maybe the hospital wasn't all bad. But then, that other doctor came… He had those guys hold me down… and…"

"John… I'm so sorry he did that to you. If I had known he was going to be at that hospital, I wouldn't have taken you there. I would have found another place. But, I'm not going to let him hurt you anymore. I promise."

John slowly, gently held her hands. "Thank you, Mari. But, what happens now? I've turned into… this, and I don't know why. Although…"

"Although…?" Mari wondered if this was helping him remember anything.

"Although… I'm okay with it. Am I wrong to feel this way?"

"No, John, not at all. In fact, I'm proud of you. I'm thinking anyone else would go crazy over transforming into any kind of were-creature. But you're being calmer about all this than I am. And I thank you for it." She looks up at the sky. "Well, it's definitely night time. The stars are out. It's not safe to travel. How do you feel about spending the night in my cave? We'll figure everything out in the morning."

John decided to slowly go in first. Mari conjured up a smaller light sphere – just bright enough to shed some light in the chamber. When he reached the bottom, he headed back up to escort Mari inside.

"I almost wish I hadn't packed everything."

"So, why did you pack everything?"

"Well, because of you, actually. After I brought you to the hospital, I began to wonder if it was safe to keep staying here. So I packed everything and checked into Mrs. Folstam's place. She and her husband rent out rooms in their farmhouse. She even suggested that you might be able to find work on the farm… But, we'll talk more on that in the morning, okay?"

"Farming, huh? Okay."

With that, Mari slept on the picnic blanket, while John sat at the bottom of the steps. The light sphere slowly faded way a few minutes later, allowing the moonlight to come through the entrance. But John wasn't staring at the moon. He kept watch over Mari. While he still had no idea why he turned into a were-creature, he decided that no matter what happens he was not going to let anyone make Mari cry again.

ITALIA CITY…

Dr. Quacksalver was in his study, furiously typing away on his computer. He was about to finish an e-mail, when his telephone rang.

"Hello…? Why, hello! How good to hear from you! In fact, I was in the process of… Yes, I'm afraid that's why I'm e-mailing you. It pains me to say this, but the situation has become rather dire. I'm sending the e-mail now. It will explain everything… I'm sorry it's come to this. How soon can you arrive…? I see… Well, I'll do what I can until then. Yes, indeed. Goodbye."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

To be continued…