Author's Note: I am so, so sorry for the late update; my Internet went down for several days. We are hoping to get it fixed for good this week. Don't expect the next part until next week because of this early update, okay?
Part Eleven
King Kai and Baba watched in horror as Sita mercilessly tortured Chi-Chi. It didn't look like she could hold on much longer. She was going to be destroyed unless somebody helped her!
"We've got to do something!" King Kai shouted to Baba. "Open the portal, Baba, we have to get Chi-Chi out of there!"
Baba shook her head. "I can't."
"You can't?" King Kai shrieked frantically. "What do you mean you can't? I thought we agreed that if things got bad, we'd pull her out of there!"
"That was before we knew what Sita was up to," Baba said heavily. "You heard her! She's planning to break out of Hell once this is over! If we opened the portal in Sita's tower right now, she'd kill Chi-Chi and go right through it!"
King Kai's eyes widened behind his sunglasses. "I never thought of that," he muttered. "But there's got to be something that we can do! We can't just let this happen to Chi-Chi!" He thought hard. "I know! I'll contact Pikkon or any of the other warriors from Grand Kai's planet to go to Hell and rescue her…"
"And Sita will destroy them as well," Baba cut in grimly. "Look what she did to Goku! If he couldn't defeat her, then who can?"
"There's no one else down there who's going to help her!" King Kai yelled. "Her family's alive, so they can't come to Other World, that girl she was with is hurt, and Goku's…"
"Gone," Baba finished his sentence.
"So you're saying that we should just watch as Sita kills her?" King Kai demanded angrily.
"I'm sorry, King Kai," Baba said somberly. "I don't want this to happen to Chi-Chi any more than you do, but there's nothing we can do."
King Kai gazed through the crystal ball helplessly. It had all been for nothing. Goku was gone Chi-Chi was surely next to go…
"I never should have let her go down there," he said sadly. "Goku would kill me for letting this happen to her…"
Chi-Chi rolled around on the floor in agony the blue and white flames danced all over her. Her head was spinning, and she screamed louder than she had ever done in her life. She could hear Sita's cold, cruel laughter, yet it sounded strangely distant, as though she was miles away…
Let something happen, she prayed. Misai, please get up! I need you! Goku, come back! King Kai! Baba! Somebody --- anybody come! Please…let it end!
But that was impossible. She was in Hell. King Kai and Baba couldn't help her. Even if they could open a portal and pull her out, Sita would destroy them in an instant. Misai was still lying unconscious in the wall, making no signs of recovering any time soon.
And Goku was gone.
A sense of defeat washed over Chi-Chi as the burning sensation reached a fever pitch. It's over, she thought dimly. She's just too powerful. I never should have come here…
Kami, what was I thinking? There was no way I had a chance to defeat her in the first place. I've as good as killed Goku, and now everyone else is going to die too!
Her surroundings swam in and out of focus. She turned her head ever so slightly to where Goku's body lay. He was going to be the last thing she ever saw…
Snap out of it! a voice in her head shouted. You didn't give up when you couldn't find Goku at Grand Kai's planet! You didn't give up when you found out that he was in Hell! You didn't give up when you were thrown in Hell! You didn't even give up when you were fighting the ogres and the zombies! You've come too far to give up now!
It's no use, she thought hopelessly. She's going to kill me…
Listen to yourself! Do you think Goku would have given up so easily? And Misai…she'd been more than willing to go down fighting! You should have the same attitude!
Think about Gohan, Goten, Videl, Pan, Uub, and everybody else! What will happen to them if Sita wins? She'll kill them! You're the only one who's left! You have to stop her!
How can I?she cried out silently. She's a sorceress! If she defeated Goku, what can I do? I'm not strong enough!
Don't you remember what your mother told you? You are strong! Goten and Gohan don't just get it from Goku, you know! So what if you're not a fighter? You've been dealt with being separated from your family countless times, and you're still standing!
Being tortured by an evil sorceress isn't exactly like losing my family! she retorted.
Yes, it is! the voice replied. You lost Goku to that evil witch! He sacrificed the last of his spirit energy for you! Do you want him to have died in vain?
Tears filled her eyes. Poor Goku… all she had ever wanted was to be with him. She never wanted to break his heart like this…
Why couldn't things have just stayed the way they were? They had been happy together. In spite of all the times she had gotten mad at him for leaving her, that remained true. Oh, if only he had known…
Chi-Chi's eyes widened as she remembered something: Goku loved her. Even when he thought that she hated him, when she had been so distant to him, and even after everything he had endured at Sita's hands, he still loved her. He told her so, right before he died…
That's it!
the voice in her head urged her desperately. Think about him! Remember all the lies that Sita planted in his mind! Remember how much he suffered! Let that be your strength!She remembered Goku lying beside her, badly beaten. Goku, apologizing for leaving her alone all those years… Goku, telling her that he loved her… Goku, telling her to escape and forget that she ever knew him… Goku, giving her the last of his spirit energy.
The blue and white flames were still surrounding her, but she was no longer aware of the pain. Her hatred of Sita and her love for Goku increased, leaving no room for any more self-pity. She'd have to find a way; everything depended on it!
Forget that her family would hate her when they found out the part she played in Goku's demise --- she couldn't let them die. She wouldn't. Even if it cost her own existence, she had to stop her --- for Goku, Misai, and everyone else whose lives were ruined because of Sita…
She was suddenly filled with renewed determination. I won't give up, she thought fiercely. Spell or no spell, I'm not going to just lie here and let Sita win! She struggled to move…
To her surprise, she was able to move her hands --- barely. Gritting her teeth with the effort, she attempted to sit up. It wasn't easy; it felt like heavy weights were attached to her body, keeping her body rooted to the ground.
Remember what your mother said, she forced herself to think. Remember Goku --- what she did to him! She can't get away with it… I won't let her get away with it!
She willed herself to press both hands on the ground, slowly raising her body off the floor. At last, feeling like she had strained her body, she was able to stand.
Sita stared at her, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What is this?" she shrieked. "That spell was supposed to keep you paralyzed! How did you were you able to break it?"
"I guess that… willpower is a lot stronger… than magic," Chi-Chi said with weak defiance.
Sita raised her staff. Instantly, the blue and white flames vanished, along with the paralyzing spell. Chi-Chi inwardly sighed with relief. Her body still ached, but at least she was able to move.
Sita forced a smile. "Don't think that that this changes anything. If you'd rather go standing, then be my guest!"
She pointed her staff at Chi-Chi again. The blue and white flames shot out of it again, but Chi-Chi was ready this time. She flung herself out of the way, just as the flames struck the spot where she had standing.
Ignoring the pain in her body, Chi-Chi ran around the chamber while Sita continued to shoot flames at her. The walls were scorched where the flames had tried to strike Chi-Chi.
"You honestly think that you can run forever?" Sita taunted as Chi-Chi narrowly dodged the blue and white flames. "Come now… I thought you said that I was going to be the one feeling pain!"
It was true; Chi-Chi's body was still sore. Her legs were starting to give out, but she kept running anyway. At least it would give her enough time to think of some sort of plan to attack her…
As she ran past one of the holes in the wall, a hand reached out and yanked her backward, just as more jets of blue and white flames headed towards her. They hit the wall inches away from the hole.
Chi-Chi whirled around to see who had saved her. It was Misai.
"Misai!" Chi-Chi gasped, relieved to see that she awake. "Are you all right?"
"Barely," Misai replied with a grimace. She had regained consciousness and was just emerging from the hole when Chi-Chi was trying to escape from the flames. She didn't look well though; her wounds were bleeding and there was a dark bruise on her forehead. She was leaning on her sword for support.
"We're not doing too well, are we?" Misai said with a grim laugh. "Well, I knew I wasn't going to make it through this…"
"I know," Chi-Chi said, speaking quietly so that Sita couldn't hear them, "but we have to stop her. She's going to kill my family after she kills us!"
"What are we going to do?" Misai muttered.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out!" Chi-Chi whispered desperately. "Listen, you know about Sita… does she have any sort of weaknesses? I mean, she can't be entirely invulnerable, can she?"
Misai shook her head. "She is invulnerable," she replied gravely. "She has been ever since she sold herself to get her powers…" She laughed bitterly. "This would be so much easier if she was just an ordinary person. Then we could beat her to a pulp."
These words suddenly gave Chi-Chi an idea. "The staff!" she exclaimed.
"What?" Misai asked bewilderedly.
"The staff!" Chi-Chi repeated. "The crystal that's on it glows just like she did whenever she preformed a spell. She used it to drain Goku's spirit energy from him… if we could somehow take it from her, she wouldn't be able to use some of her spells…"
Misai listened intently. "It's a long shot," she said slowly, "but I suppose desperate time call for desperate measures. I'll fight her while you try and take her staff."
"Are you sure?" Chi-Chi asked in concern. "You don't look like you're in much of a fighting condition."
"I'm in as good of condition as I can be," Misai replied, her face set. "Let's go!"
Together, the two raced out of the hole. Sita spotted them. "You again?" she asked Misai in an irritated tone. "You mortals don't know when to die…"
"I'm already dead," Misai retorted. She lifted up her sword, swaying slightly. "And guess what, bitch? You're about to find out what dying is really like!"
Misai charged towards Sita, swinging out her sword. Sita used her staff to block the blade. The crystal on her staff started to glow. Sparks of electricity shot out of the staff, shocking Misai's body. She collapsed. The smell of burning flesh was evident in the air.
Sita cackled. "And you call yourself a warrior! It's no wonder why Amar was able to overpower you so easily on your wedding night!" she added savagely.
Misai let out a snarl and jumped to her feet. In a fit of rage, he started to swing her sword from left to right, trying to strike as many parts of Sita's body as possible. Sita, however, kept blocking every blow.
While this was going on, Chi-Chi managed to sneak up behind Sita. She had to be careful since Sita and Misai were fighting at such a fast pace. She had to keep a good distance away from Sita, so that she wouldn't feel her if Misai kept forcing her backwards.
She watched them fight, trying to figure out when the best opportunity was to try to steal Sita's staff. If she attacked too soon, Sita would catch her and the whole plan would be ruined. Then again, there was no telling how long Misai would fare against Sita… if she waited too long, Sita would kill her!
"Give it up, girl," Sita sneered. "There's no way you can win. I can destroy you in an instant!"
"Funny, you don't seem to be trying," Misai shot back. "What's wrong, Sita? Did fighting the Princess just slow you down? Or maybe you didn't get as much of Goku's power as you thought!"
Sita's eyes flashed angrily. "Allow me to show you how much strength I've gained," she hissed. She carefully set the staff down. She stepped back, bringing her hands close together. A ball of energy started to grow in them.
Oh Kami, she's going to do the Kamehameha Attack!
Chi-Chi thought, stricken. I have to get that staff now!Quickly, she raced towards them, her arms outstretched, ready to grab the staff. Her fingertips had barely touched it when Sita suddenly turned around, diminished the Kamehameha Attack, and seized her by her throat.
"Stupid woman," she smirked. "I can sense ki! Your little distraction didn't have a chance." Her empty hand formed a fist, punching Misai in the face, sending her flying to the ground.
Chi-Chi struggled for breath. In a last ditch effort, she tried to bite Sita's hand. Sita only squeezed her throat tighter. She was going to strangle her…
"You've lost," she said wickedly. "In a few moments, I'm going to break out of Hell and pay a little visit to your family. I will make trophies of their rotting corpses. First, I'll kill your oldest, Gohan. Maybe if he had kept with his training instead of turning into such a weakling, he might have stood a chance against me. At one point, he was stronger than his father had been… but not anymore." She smiled wickedly. "I'll be sure to remind him of that before I kill him…
"Once I'm done with your family, I think I'll kill all your friends. Oh, they're going to hate you once they find out what happened to Goku. They always thought you were nothing but nagging, overprotective housewife. The only reason they put up with you was because you were Goku's wife, and they thought he must have seen something good in you.
"And as long as I'm killing Saiyans, I think I'll save that Saiyan Prince for last. If he was as good of a fighter as Goku, I'm in for a good time. Who knows? Maybe I'll play with him for a little while before I kill him…"
"Don't… you… ever… stop?" Chi-Chi rasped.
Sita shrugged. "You're right. I'm frankly quite tired of entertaining myself. I've got places to go and people to slaughter."
"I'd put her down if I were you."
Misai was back on her feet, grinning in vicious triumph. In her hands, she held Sita's staff. "Lose something, Sita?" she jeered.
Sita's pale, emotionless face contorted into fear. "Give that back!" she screamed.
"I don't think so," Misai replied smirking. "To think, after centuries of waiting for my revenge, I finally have it, here in the palm of my hand…"
Sita dropped Chi-Chi, who fell on all fours, coughing and gasping. Sita stretched out her free hand. The staff started to inch out of Misai's hands as though Sita were a magnet that was attracting it.
Misai, however, kept a tight hold on it. An expression of mock puzzlement crossed her face as she examined the staff. "Gee, I wonder what will happen if this breaks?"
"PUT THAT DOWN!" Sita shrieked, lunging towards Misai.
"You're a witch," Misai replied dryly. "Make me put it down." And with that, she raised the staff over her head, bringing it down to the ground with a crash. The crystal instantly shattered to pieces.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Sita screamed.
A blinded white light exploded through throughout the chamber, causing Chi-Chi and Misai to cover their eyes. Sita's rang out all around them. The ground began to shake violently, causing more debris to come crashing down all around them. Chi-Chi covered her head blindly, trying to avoid any of the falling objects.
When Chi-Chi opened her eyes, the light had faded yet the ground was still shaking. She saw Misai standing on the opposite side, the broken staff at her feet. Goku's body lay a few feet away.
"Where's Sita?" Chi-Chi asked Misai.
Misai shrugged. "I don't know." She bent down and picked up her sword. "Maybe that staff destroyed her powers…"
Before Chi-Chi could respond, she heard a weak, pathetic voice sound out from nearby: "Help me… help me…"
Chi-Chi's heart leapt. Was it Goku?
She glanced to where Goku was lying. He hadn't moved. No, this voice wasn't his; it didn't even sound familiar. It sounded screechy and old… She and Misai followed the voice to the other end of the chamber. When they saw whom it belonged to, Chi-Chi gasped and Misai swore under her breath.
Sita was lying on the ground, half of her body pinned by a few large boulders. Her features were no longer young and beautiful, but shriveled and haggard. Her hair had turned white. She was so ancient that she resembled a living corpse. If it hadn't been for the fact that she was wearing the same turquoise robes, Chi-Chi and Misai wouldn't have recognized her.
"Breaking the staff did this to her," Misai said in astonishment. "I can't stay that I'm surprised. She had been around for many years before she threw me into Hell, and she never seemed to age a day. I guess eternal youth and beauty was another benefit she received from the dark forces that granted her powers…"
Hearing their voices, Sita looked up at them. "Please…" she whispered, reaching weakly out towards them. "Help me…"
Her pleas enraged Chi-Chi. Help? After everything that she had done, she wanted help?
Misai glanced at Chi-Chi. Then, seemingly without any hesitation, she handed Chi-Chi her sword. "I think you have the right to do this more than I do," she said quietly.
With trembling hands, Chi-Chi raised the sword until it was directly above Sita's neck."
"No…" Sita rasped. "Please… have mercy…"
"Mercy?" Chi-Chi seethed. "What about Goku? Did you show him any mercy while you were torturing him?"
"Please…" Sita begged. "Free him, and I'll give you anything you want…"
"Anything I want?" Chi-Chi repeated coldly.
Sita nodded vigorously.
"I want my Goku back, you hag!" Chi-Chi snarled. "Can you bring him back?" There was a pause. "I didn't think so."
She brought down the sword, slicing Sita's head clean off her neck. Blinded by grief and rage, she continued to strike Sita's headless body, severing her arms and repeatedly stabbing her body until nothing remained except a bloody mass of withered flesh.
The ground started to shake more violently now. More pieces from the ceiling were crashing down from all directions. The blast from the light was causing the tower to collapse.
Chi-Chi instantly dropped her sword and started towards Goku's body, but Misai grabbed her arm. "We have to go!" she shouted. "This place is falling apart!"
"No!" Chi-Chi cried, struggling to reach Goku.
"What's the use of bringing the body?" Misai asked incredulously. "We have to leave him! I already told you that there's nothing we can do for him!"
"I don't care!" Chi-Chi sobbed, trying to wrench herself free. "I can't leave him!"
"Chi-Chi, it's too late!" Misai yelled urgently. "He's gone! I'm sorry, but we have to go or you'll be killed too!"
It was the first time she had ever called Chi-Chi by her name. For a moment, Chi-Chi stopped struggling to stare at her, stunned.
Misai seized this opportunity to start dragging her towards the door. "NO!" Chi-Chi screamed, though her efforts to escape were futile. "GOKU!"
It's no good,
a voice in her head told her. You can't just stay here with him. He wouldn't have wanted you to get yourself killed, would he?She tried to catch one last glimpse of Goku, yet Misai had already hauled her out the door, just as a huge boulder fell in front of the door, blocking any possible way of returning to the chamber.
The two hurried down the steps, debris from the ceiling above them caving in. Neither of them dared to look up for boulders; they just kept running down the staircase. They seemed to go on forever…
We're not going to make it! Chi-Chi kept thinking frantically.
At last, they reached the ground floor, the door to the outside of Hell clear in sight. The remains of the zombies they had fought earlier seemed to tremble as the floor shook. Chi-Chi saw that the torches were falling out their places in the walls, leaving flames of fire on the walls.
"This way!" Misai screamed, pulling Chi-Chi to the door. They ran around the fallen torches to avoid the fire. The entire ceiling was coming down behind them. They reached the door and raced outside just in time to see the tower collapsed.
Chi-Chi stared hard at the ruins of the tower. She had failed. Goku was gone. And he was never, ever coming back…
Overcome by grief, she let out a heartbroken, high-pitched cry and collapsed to the ground.
To be continued…
VidelChan313: Using your imagination is fun while reading a story. I do it when I'm actually writing it :) Yes, it would such to die twice.
Blo0d: I updated!
I won't tell: Sita's sons aren't in this story, but Sita was defeated. I'm not saying anything about Goku except that you'll find out very soon.
Misao: I consider this part the climax of the story, so it's nearing the end.
Woman of the Dunedain: Just wait until the next chapter…
Carrie2sky: Hellcat just sounded like a funny name to me. I bet you're glad that Sita's dead, but it doesn't look likely that Goku's coming back, does it? ::evil laughter::
Kakkabrat: She sure did!
Jessica C: Well, this chapter was probably better since Sita is finally dead, but there will be a little more angst in the next chapter.
Caryl Mc: You sound just like the narrator on DBZ, LOL! Never say things can't get any worse; you'll jinx it! LOL! Misai was hurt pretty badly, but she's all right. Sita is dead now, so everybody back on Earth is safe. As for Goku…
Shera Highwind: I'm glad that your theory exam went well. I think your question was answered in this chapter.
Tears of Sorrow: No, it wasn't an illusion… that would be a pretty cheap cop-out. I don't like seeing Goku and Chi-Chi suffer either --- especially Goku. ::Chi-Chi snorts from behind me:: I don't!
Arain Rowan: The good guys won, so don't worry. Wait until the next chapter before trying to kill the author, I guarantee that you'll thank me ;)
Lady Athena X: Misai's fine and Sita's dead. Yay! I agree with you on the Disney animated movies; there hasn't been a decent one since Tarzan… well, except for maybe The Emperor's New Groove. That was pretty funny :) I love Shrek; I saw Shrek 2 last weekend and I loved it! I really don't think that Shrek needed a sequel, but they were able to pull it off, making it just as good, if not better, than the first --- unlike the evil Disney direct-to-video sequels that seem to come out so much these days. It was fine when it was the Aladdin sequels, but now it's just gotten old. And they do it to movies that were out when my grandparents were my age, and were perfectly good on their own! ::deep breath:: Sorry, I had to get that off my chest.
Candy: Rather pessimistic, are you? Don't worry, Sita's gone now, and Chi-Chi and Misai are okay --- physically, at least. Emotionally, they might have to work on.
Lady Thundera: You like Aladdin? Sweet! I love the movie! ::high fives Lady T:: Actually, I think Sita reminds me of Iago from Othello (no the bird, the man), because she's so crafty and subtle. Sita would have broken out using her magic, but it doesn't matter now, since she is dead. What did you think she would use? Never mind, I'm sure I don't want to know.