AN: I'm super sorry about the big delay guys but my computer caught a virus two weeks ago, during finals week even, and it was a real bitch to get rid of . Luckily, by some miracle, none of my files got nuked. I added some extra security measures so nothing like this will happen again. On a side note, Videl may be a little OOC in this chapter. Sorry. As always, suggestions are more than welcome. Enjoy!
Chapter 54
No one spoke nor dared to breathe for the longest time. Only the dull hum of the florescent lights out in the hall broke the silence. Carna simply stood there, both arrogant for some unforeseeable reason and ignorant of the fierce opposition that she faced. Videl shook with quiet fury, glaring daggers at the other woman. Gohan put a gentle hand on her shoulders to not only calm her but hold her back if she tried to lunge at the strange redhead before them. It was Goku who broke the impasse. He cautiously approached the fallen male nurse and knelt down to feel for a pulse. The older Saiyan sighed in relief as he felt the subtle yet sure sign of life before standing up to face the devious femme fatale.
"Aww…you've spoiled my fun!" Carna moaned with a pout. "Oh well. I suppose all good things must come to an end. Pity. I was so looking forward to testing my skills on larger prey…especially you, handsome." she finished with a wink at Gohan. Videl bristled at that. The Satan girl stepped between her boyfriend and the devious woman, putting a surprisingly possessive arm around him, giving the sultry redhead a look that could've melted pure titanium and given Chi-Chi a run for her money.
"Why?" was all Goku said. An inhuman look crossed Carna's beautiful face, making her look rather ugly.
"'Why'?" she scoffed. "I'll tell you why. Because Lord Dabura wishes it, that's why."
"The Demon King?" Gohan exclaimed. Carna nodded her head proudly. "What would posses you to willingly help someone so evil destroy the world?"
"He's not evil!" the redhead screeched. "He's done more for me than any human ever has! He's been there for me when no one else has! He's shown me kindness, compassion, even love! I'll do anything for him even if it means that I have to die as well!" They simply stared at her, not quite sure if she was under some sort of spell of Dabura's or just plain nuts. "Can't you see?" she continued in a quieter, softer tone. "He only seeks to cleanse the universe and return it to how it should be."
"No one has any right to mold the universe as they see fit, not even the Supreme Kai." Goku proclaimed in a uncharacteristically steely voice. "To do so would rob everyone and everything the right to be what they are."
"Fool!" Carna spat. "It would make things so much better! No more needless wars! No more useless fighting! No more hate and discrimination!"
"No more free will." Gohan added flatly. "No more freedom of choice."
"What's wrong with you?" she snarled. "Don't you want to make the universe a better place for all? Isn't this what you've strived to do?"
"No." the older Saiyan said hollowly. "We strive to protect the innocent, defend the weak, and liberate the oppressed. To take away everyone's universal right to make their own decisions and follow their own path through life would turn us into the very things we stand against."
"Why must you men always have to be so hardheaded?" Carna shouted in outrage. Suddenly, the air seemed to shift despite the fact that they were all indoors and the windows weren't open. It grew heavier, hotter. Then, to their shock and horror, Carna's skin melted right off her body to reveal sickly yellow flesh. Two thick, curling horns sprouted from her temples while a long whip like tail ending in a spade reached out behind her. A pair of large leathery wings unfurled from her back. "Mother was right! Men are no better than mindless cattle!"
"She's a Demon?" Videl exclaimed.
"Or Dabura turned her into a Demon…" Goku thought aloud.
"Wait. Is that even possible?" Gohan asked.
"Why not?" his father shrugged. "Vampires can turn normal people into Vampires and they're a type of Demon." The teenage Saiyan gave him a dubious look.
"Are you sure Vampires are a type of Demon and not-"
"Silence!" Carna shouted shrilly. "Didn't your mother tell you it's rude to ignore a lady?" Videl laughed at that, boldly staring the Demon straight in the eye.
"You're no lady, bitch!" The Satan girl charged. Carna crouched down in a bizarre stance, hissing at her and showing off long needlelike fangs. Videl aimed a kick at her head but the Demon caught the flying foot in a tight grip. Thinking quickly, Videl twisted her body and threw the other woman to the ground before jumping on top of her. They wrestled and writhed against each other across the floor. Carna's wings beat furiously but uselessly against the cold tiles as she grappled Videl. Deadly, razor-sharp claws raked up at the air toward the Satan girl's throat. Videl kindly responded by grabbing a fistful of the other's hair and slamming her skull against the hard floor beneath them, ripping a guttural cry from the Demon. There was a sickening crack as one of the horns on the Demon's head snapped off, spilling thick black ichor out onto the ground. Both of the Saiyans looked on in open awe as the two females continued to tussle on the floor. They were taken off guard by the ferocity of it all. Though, it wasn't all that surprising considering how ruthless Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Eighteen could be.
"Man! Women are vicious!" Goku murmured quietly to Gohan. Gohan merely nodded silently in agreement.
'And women call men animals…' he thought. Finally, the two women separated. It was clear that both of Carna's wings were broken along with her horns and fangs, making her look more like a haggard transient than in a bad Halloween costume than a minion of the infamous Demon King. They stood there, glaring daggers at each other as they caught their breath.
"How dare you…!" Carna growled.
"Look who's talking!" Videl shouted back. "You're the one killing innocent people! Why? They've done nothing to deserve this?"
"It's all for the greater good!" the Demon argued. "But in order to make my lord's dream a reality, some must be sacrificed!"
"But why the innocent?" the Satan girl inquired. "Why not the convicts, criminals, murderers? Why not those who deserve it?"
"Something so great cannot be brought about through the blood of the damned!" Carna scoffed as if sickened at the very idea of 'sacrificing' the immoral. "Such a thing would only lead to further corruption!" Videl's eyes narrowed dangerously at that.
"Oh, I see!" she began, shaking with barely controlled fury. "Your precious master wants to make the universe a better place, a better place for scum like you! Without good people like Gohan and Goku around, there won't be anyone to oppose you!"
"Liar!" the Demon spat in outrage.
"You're the liar you fucking whore!" Carna made a feral leap towards the defiant Satan girl, claws poised to tear through flesh. Videl raised her hands and, with an enraged bellowing shout, shot a ki blast at the lunging Demon. While it may not have been much in comparison to what Gohan or Goku can do, it was more than what Carna could handle. Carna screamed as the blast enveloped her body in blinding light. When the screams ceased and the light faded, the Demon's body dropped to the ground as little more than a charred husk. Videl gave a tired sigh and let her knees buckle out from underneath her but Gohan quickly caught her before she hit the hard floor.
"Are you alright?" the teenage Saiyan asked worriedly.
"Never been better." Videl replied with a pleased grin. Then her eyes spotted the unmoving form of the Demon's last victim and her face fell uncertainly. "Is he…?"
"He's fine." Goku assured her. "Just give him a few days rest and he'll be back on his feet in no time." As the dust settled, both figuratively and literally, hurried footsteps echoing down the hall. Panic surged through them. If someone found them here with an unconscious nurse and a half-baked Demon…Goku, thinking quickly, incinerated the Demon's corpse before grabbing Gohan and Videl and teleporting them safely to the roof. An irate Vegeta flew to the roof seconds later, followed closely by Piccolo, Sixteen, and Seventeen.
"What the hell happened?" the Saiyan prince demanded. "Where's the woman?" Goku scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Well…apparently she was one of Dabura's followers who had sent her to seduce us then drain all of our ki so that Babidi can resurrect Majin Buu.." At the alarmed looks on their faces he quickly added, "..but don't worry! Videl took care of her!"
"Are you kidding me?" Vegeta exclaimed. "That scrawny human wench defeated a Demon on her own?"
"Hey! I'm not a wench you overgrown ape!" Videl bit back. Gohan stepped in between the two before his girlfriend found herself in another fight…one that she couldn't possibly win.
"Anyway…how's Yamcha?"
"He's alright." Seventeen shrugged. "His eyes opened for a little while you were dealing with Carna but he went right back to sleep. Kept mumbling something about Carna but I couldn't make heads or tails of it."
"That's not surprising considering how much ki that Demon must've drained from him." Goku mused aloud. "It'll be at least another day or two before he gets his wits about him."
"Still…it's troubling that these attacks are happening more frequently and with greater intensity." Piccolo observed somberly. "Who knows what Babidi and Dabura will try next."
"Well, whatever it is, we'll be ready for 'em!" Goku asserted confidently.
"Yeah. Great. How about we be ready for them somewhere else?" Gohan asked, eying the police cruisers racing towards the hospital warily. Chi-Chi was not going to be very happy about this one…
xXx
Omake
No one really knew what happened or could even begin guessing how it happened. All anyone knew was that there was a bunch of shouting then a pair of explosions. Luckily, only one nurse was injured. The damage to the room, however, left everyone scratching their heads. Singe marks blackened nearly every surface. Deep grooves cut into the tiles looked they were made by a tiger. All the lights were broken and there didn't seem to be any clue as to where the explosions originated from. Nothing in the room was combustible. Not only that but the sole victim's injuries didn't look like those one would receive in an explosion. There was a nasty bump on his head and a possible concussion from hitting the floor but nothing else. Unfortunately, the explosions fried the surveillance cameras and the footage as well. But what was even more suspicious was the reactions of the injured nurse's coworkers. They didn't seem the least bit upset that he was hurt or that he could've died. In fact, they seemed a little disappointed that he didn't die. Apparently, the guy was a real womanizer, as the cops soon found out, whether they wanted to or not, and had gotten into quite a few legal problems because of it. There may have been a motive but no suspect or even the slightest inkling of how it was pulled off. None of it made much sense.
"What do you think, detective?" one of the responding officers asked. The detective gave the room a good once over before letting out a sigh and running a hand tiredly though his hair.
"I'm not sure what to think…" he admitted.
Translations:
Ki- energy
AN: Please be nice…
