::Prologue::
"Sailor Moon!!! No!!! Hold on, Sailor Moon!! Stay with us!!!"
"Serena!!!!!!!!!"
Pain. Sharp, mind numbing pain. Pain and then a bright light. Vaguely she could make out someone's voice. Someone was calling her back, telling her to hold on. Someone was-
She opened her eyes.
She was back in her room, in her house. The curtains were drawn back, and Luna was no where in sight. But something...something was different. How had she gotten here? The last thing she remembered was-
The dulling ache at the back of her head sharpened, and she squeezed her eyes shut. One thing was for sure. Whatever it was she'd been doing had left her feeling achy and weak. And where was Luna? Deciding that she'd never get any answers just laying around, she sat up, ignoring the spinning of the room, and throwing back the covers of her duvet. Upon standing, the dizzying in her head increased, and in no time at all she found herself back on her bed staring up at the ceiling. What was wrong with her?
"L-Luna?" her voice came out in a hoarse, scratchy whisper. A horrified hand reached up to gingerly touch her sore throat. Why was her body having such a hard time functioning? Why was she in so much pain? With new determination, and ignoring the sharp throbs coursing through her, she got up, managing to make it to her door just before she collapsed. Silent tears coursed down her cheeks and she choked back a sob. Where was Luna? Her mother? Her FAMILY? Reaching up, she grasped the door knob, wincing at the coldness of it. Finally she turned it, pulling the door open and crawling outside.
She heard voices.
"Mom?" Nothing. The voices continued as if they hadn't heard her. She tried again, this time a little louder.
"MOM?" Her throat was on fire now. She wished she had some water or something. But wait! The voices had stopped, as though listening, contemplating what to do, and a few moments later she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She felt releif wash over her. They'd heard her. Someone was coming. They'd see her and-
It was then that she first noticed.
There were no colors.
Everything. Everything around her was in black and white. It was as if she were watching an old sitcom. The staircase, the once pale blue carpet...the pictures on the walls. Nothing was in color. What was going on?? Was she dreaming? She had to be. There was no way this was real. This pain she was feeling, the cold, the wettness coursing down her cheeks....
"SOMEBODY!!!" The footsteps were closer now, taking slow leisurly steps. She watched fearfully as a growing realization formed in her head. Whoever was coming up the stairs now...whomever she'd just called, wasn't her mother, and she had a feeling that she didn't want to find out who this was. Somehow she got through her bedroom door, slammed it shut and raced back to her bed and under the covers. The sudden movements left her limbs burning. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears still seeping through somehow, her body shivering under covers that provided no warmth.
Serena.
She turned over, hugging her body.
Serena.
Someone was saying something...calling somebody.
"SERENA! It's time to get up now. You've been asleep for too long!"
Were they talking to her? Was that her name? For some reason the voice sounded strangely familiar..soothing; even though she didn't recognize it.
Suddenly strong hands grasped her shoulders, turning her over and pulling back the covers.
"Open your eyes. It's ok."
She complied, and found herself staring into a dark obsidian gaze. The first thing she noticed about this man was that, unlike her surroundings, he was in color. He had a light tan, and his lips were pink. His hair was darker than anything she'd ever seen before, and he was dressed entirely, it seemed, in orange. As her eyes struggled to focus, he leaned forward, looping a large arm around her waist and helping her into a sitting position. As he backed away, she caught a fresh scent. Something that reminded her of wind and sunshine; of life.
"I'd say good morning, but I guess you aren't having a very good one, are you?" the man asked quietly. She didn't answer, squinting up at him in confusion. Who was he? And why did he seem to know her? She opened her mouth, struggling to form the words that didn't seem to want to get past her torn throat.
"T-that name you called me before..is it mine?" As soon as she'd said it, it sounded absurd. Stupid. It HAD to be her name if someone was calling her it. But the man only laughed, a light, carefree sound. He sounded as though he did it often.
"OFCOURSE it's your name, silly." he chided gently. "Don't you remember?" She looked confused, staring down at the moon and bunny prints on her still grey duvet.
"Remember? Remember what?" at her inquiry, his smile disappeared, and he gave her one of the saddest looks she'd ever seen. He knelt beside her on the bed, sighing, wiping a large hand over his face.
"You mean...you don't remember anything? Nothing that happened to you before you....." he trailed off, watching her closely, and Serena could only shake her head softly. What did he mean? What had he been about to say? She wanted to ask him this, but her throat was still hurting, and she wasn't sure if she could bear to try and talk again.
The man looked away, seeming to go into himself for a moment. His usually sunny disposition seemed to melt away into concentration, and for the moment, he seemed to have forgotten that she was even there.
"Ofcourse...they warned me that you might not be able to remember some things...but I didn't think..." he suddenly seemed to remember her, and ignoring the curious look she gave him, stood up, laughing. "Don't worry!! You'll be OK now. I'll take good care of you. I'll bet you're feeling kinda sore right now, aren't you?" she nodded, grateful that he'd finally taken notice. "Well then. We'll get you all fixed up. You'll be good as new!" he paused, looking away. "Well...almost.." Before she had time to dwell on what he meant by that comment, he suddenly cried out, startling her. This guy seemed prone to random behavior.
"OH YEAH!!! Almost forgot...I never told you my name!! Sorry 'bout that....anyways, you can call me Goku." he smiled, a genuinely friendly smile, and without even meaning to, she found herself smiling back. Goku. It was a strange name; one she'd never heard before. But who was she to dictate what was normal and what wasn't? Afterall, she could hardly call her current situation an everyday occurance, and yet...she had the strangest feeling that she should somehow be used to things like this...the kind of life she led...... a spark of recognition lit up her eyes, but before she could bank on it, she suddenly found herself carefully balanced in Goku's large arms.
"Sorry...I hope you don't mind....but I don't think you'll be able to get to where we're going in your current condition.."
Where were they going, anyway? But in her weakened state she only nodded, trying not to cry out in pain as he held her. Against his chest, she felt strangely warm. Unlike the cold environment of her 'room', he seemed to be giving off some sort of heat. Turning towards the window, he carefully ducked his head through. However, it was only when he'd manuevered his shoulders through that she began to wonder what he was planning. Surely...surely they weren't going to JUMP?! Her room was on the second floor!! Her body tensed, and a whimper rose from her throat. He glanced down, lips turned up in a wry smile. A smile that didn't seem to reach his eyes.
"Say goodbye to your room, Serena." She only squeezed her eyes shut and turned away. Whatever this place was...however much it looked like her room, it WASN'T. She didn't know where she was, or how she'd gotten here, but this wasn't her home. Above her, the man sighed. She didn't understand yet..didn't seem to have any memory what-so-ever about what had happened to her. That sometimes happened in the most extreme cases. He'd been told that the mind often blocked out traumatic events to protect itself....a sort of self-induced amnesia. In situations such as this, they'd adviced him to let it be..to not try to make the person remember something that they'd unconsciously tried to forget. But.....
He wasn't sure if that was the best way to deal with problems.
He'd always been taught to face your problems head on. Denying them wasn't going to do you any good. And yet....the girl in his arms seemed strangly frail and confused. Maybe...maybe it would be best for her if she never remembered.
Because at this point, and knowing what he did, he wasn't sure if she could even handle the truth.