Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ.

Authors note: Well this chapter came together very quickly. But I think that was because I knew what needed to happen even before I started.

I hope you like it.

Please read and review.

Later, Raven.

Chapter twenty-four

Piccolo pushed Justine behind him once they arrived at the Lookout. He also refused to let her enter Dende's bedroom before him. "I will make sure it's safe." He stated firmly.

"Dende would never hurt me." She stated.

"Just do as you're told." He snapped at her and shut the door to the bedroom.

Inside it was 20 degrees colder then the rest of the building. Piccolo's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room and he spotted Dende siting on the edge of his bed.

"Dende?" Piccolo called because the boy didn't even look up.

"Is Justine with you?" The young Namek asked in a voice that sounded cracked and sore.

"Yes, she's outside." Piccolo admitted.

"Did you let her talk to the old Kami?" Dende asked.

"Yes, and he thinks that she can help you fight this thing that ails you." Piccolo added.

"What could she do?" Dende asked and for the first time looked up at Piccolo.

"She would be helping you fight to get it under control in you mind. And hopefully purge you of it altogether."

"You think that's a good idea?" He said with doubt.

"I think it's fucking stupid, but she won't change her mind." Piccolo affirmed.

Dende let out a quivering sigh. "I'll never forgive myself if she gets hurt."

"I don't really think you have a choice in this one Kid." Piccolo said.

"Will you make sure she doesn't get hurt?" Dende asked.

"I wish she wasn't so damned set on doing this. She hasn't even tried anything like this before. There will be no guarantee that it will be safe for either one of you."

"I'll find another way then." Dende stated.

"The only other option would be to split yourself the way Kami did with his evil side." Piccolo pointed out.

"Then I'll do that. I don't want to put Justine in danger."

Suddenly the door burst open, and Justine rushed in. "It will be much easier on you if we try this first!" She said quickly.

Dende and Piccolo looked up at her both silently cursed her keen hearing.

"I can't let you do it." Dende told her.

Justine came to stand in front of her young friend. She would gladly give up her life for him. Yet when he needed her most he denied her the right to help.

"I know you would do as much for me. Please just let me try." She begged.

XxXxX

Dende set on a large cushion on the floor of his bedchamber. Justine set opposite him on her own cushion. Mr. Popo paced a path up and down the hall outside the open door. Piccolo felt like pacing but he showed no sign of his anxiety.

"Are you ready?" Justine Dende after a moment.

"Yes, no, wait." Dende said. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Justine paused before answering. "I would be lying if I said yes."

"Great, that's real comforting." Dende stated and managed a small smile.

Justine smiled back and placed her hands on Dendes smooth temples. "I'm going to count down from five, then I want you relax all your mind's barriers. Ok?"

"Kay." Dende answered.

"Five." Justine took a deep calming breath.

"Four." She let her breath out again.

"Three." She stretched her mind out toward Dende.

"Two." She lightly brushed the wall that blocked in his turmoil.

"One." She felt the wall give way like a thick curtain. Slowly she moved into Dende's mind. Right away she could perceive Dende's fear, though her mind's eye could see nothing.

"Dende?" She called out.

"I'm here." He answered.

As if in a dream he materialized in front of her. Suddenly he grabbed by the arm and jerked her forward. "Look out behind you!" He cried and shoved her out of the way.

Justine looked up at what Dende had pulled her away from. She expected to see a big hideous monster, something black, red, and foaming at the mouth. But what she seen shocked her more then any normal demon could have.

It was a Namek. He was the same height and build as Piccolo. His eyes held no hint of emotion but hate. His face was more weathered then Piccolo's but it still retained some of the same qualities.

While she gaped at him in shock the big Namek moved forward. "Don't touch her." Dende screamed at him.

Justine recovered her composure, she hadn't come to have Dende protect her. She was here to help her friend at any cost.

She dropped into a fighting stance as she ordered Dende to calm down.

"Bitch." The Namek snarled at her.

"Maggot." She barked back, hoping to draw him into making the first move. (Just as Piccolo had told her to do.) "Feel your opponent out. Charging in blindly will get you killed." He'd said.

Still the large Namek didn't move out of his fighting stance. His grin was pure malice and he showed enough fangs to convince her that she wanted to be nowhere near his mouth.

"Come closer child, I want to taste your blood." He seethed at her.

"You first." She challenged. "Or are you afraid of girls."

"Filthily cunt." He spat.

"Are you plaining to talk me to death or are you going to start something?" She asked with a mock smile

Then with blinding speed he moved. He came at her so fast she didn't have much chance to block yet because she had been on guard she managed to shove her arm up in time. His fist felt like a sledgehammer coming down on her forearm. In the next instant she ducked and rolled between his wide spread legs, (a move that she had pulled on Piccolo countless times.) Then before he had time to react she bounced up on in the balls of her feet and aimed roundhouse kick at the back of his skull. Before she had made contact he swung around and caught her by the leg. He pulled her body straight out of the air and slammed her down with such force that it made her cry out in both mind and body.

Piccolo lurched forward when Justine cried out, he intended to bring the whole thing to a halt, but Mr. Popo grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Give them a chance." Popo implored.

To Piccolo this was to worst kind of fight because he couldn't see what was going on. How was Justine doing? Was she keeping her guard up? Was Dende staying out of it?

Justine rolled on her side then she pulled herself up. Dende was there in a instant. "That's enough, let's call this off." He said quickly.

"No, Dende I'm fine. He hits like a eighty year old woman!" She said loud enough for her opponent to overhear.

"What are you doing!" Dende squeaked.

"Pissing him off." She answered with a sly smile.

"I can see that." The Namek boy replied dryly. "Justine, I wish I could help but I don't have much strength. I'm afraid I'll get in the way."

"That's fine, just stand back and trust me." She said and headed off toward the big green demon.

They circled each other for a moment before they clashed again. As the fight unfolded Justine had the nagging feeling that she was missing something important. The more of his moves that she seen and the more she blocked him, the stronger she felt like she was fighting Piccolo. But it wasn't until he slammed her into a wall and breathed a filthy remark into her face did it dawn on her exactly who she was fighting.

She broke away from him to catch her breath. "I thought you were supposed to be dead, Piccolo Daimao." She bit off.

The Demon looked a bit surprised at being called by name, then he laughed. "Did that simpleton Goku think he could kill a god? No, my delicious little piece of woman flesh, he has destroyed my body but my soul goes on forever and I will have my revenge.

I had plained on taking my sons body once he came of age. But he resisted me. Ha, maybe I made him little too strong. But that does not matter now. I will take this one." (Daimao gestured to Dende.) "He is strong and he is already the Kami of earth. There was never a more perfect package."

"Even if by some miracle you get past me, Piccolo and the others will stop you." Justine told him with a grin on her face.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that.

You see, I have spent all this time feeding on the souls of the weak, becoming stronger with every new conquest. And then when your sweet little Dende faltered and lost his purity I seized the opportunity. Now I am stronger then ever." He announced.

"Oh I'm so scared." She snapped back at him.

"Did you ever stop to think what will happen to Dende after I kill you and take over his body?" Daimao asked.

Justine said nothing.

"It will be a paradox, because you will be dead, and if they kill this body they will be destroying the dragon balls. Wont that be such a shame, to make Piccolo chose between saving you or stopping me?" He laughed.

"Piccolo will do what ever it takes." She told him confidently "But that doesn't matter because you're not getting past me."

"And how is that?" Daimao asked.

"Because, I don't play by the rules." She said jumping forward and grabbing hold of the Demon. She held on with a iron grip and sank her teeth into his neck. Her legs clamped around him like a vise while her nails and teeth pierced his flesh. He screamed for a moment and clawed at her back but his voice died in his throat when Justine forced his being to become immobilized. She hadn't been sure she could even paralyze him before she jumped, yet somehow the idea had been there, like a power unrealized.

"Who's laughing now, Bitch!" She chuckled against his neck.

Quickly she brought her ki up until it burned bright around them both. Dimly she could here Dende screaming for her to stop. "Why would he want me to stop." She thought but she plunged on, raising her power higher until the heat licked at her skin. Daimaos face took on a look of horror and she laughed wildly. "You're dead." She told him as she rased her head to look in his eyes.

Dende screamed and tried to reach Justine though she no longer looked like the girl he knew. Her body had been consumed by blue flame. Her laugher filled his mind and it chilled him to the core. This was the part that she shielded everyone from. The part that she hated about herself. It was the reason she had trained so hard and the reason she could never truly let herself be happy.

"Justine stop!"

A few seconds earlier in the corporeal world Piccolo rushed forward to where Justine and Dende set. Justine's power had spiked to a alarming height. The twin orbs of her eyes seemed like two beacons of blue light shining into the rooms unnatural darkness.

Something began dripping from her nose and it took a second for Piccolo to realize that he was looking at blood.

"Justine stop!" Dende screamed, and in the hush of the room it was deafening.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion for Piccolo. He reached out and ripped Justine away from Dende, whatever had went wrong someone had to stop it. He just hoped he had done the right thing.

Justine collapsed as soon as her contact with Dende was broken. Dende fell forward though he still seemed semiconscious. "Justine." He whimpered.

Piccolo cradled her head in one hand while he checked for a pulse. Her ears, eyes, nose and mouth were filled with blood. Piccolo found the pulse of life in her neck and he let a out a shuddering sigh.

"Dammit, do you have some kind of death wish?" He ground out.

Note: If I messed up anything about Piccolo Daimao, then I'm sorry but it's too late to change it now. I never watched Dragon Ball but I assumed a lot of this stuff. Like the fact that they never showed Daimao going to hell. And anyway if they did so what? This is supposed to be in another DBZ dimension anyway. Hehe now I have managed to work three Nameks into my fic. And if you count the old Kami and Nail I have five, woot, the only thing better then one Namek is five!

I hope you enjoyed this one.

Later.