X Chapter 9 X
A/N: With school starting, it's become much harder to sit down and write. I'll at least upload once a week, though.
Warning: Language, Suggestive Themes, Dark Themes, Heavy Violence
Ginge awoke in her bed, still wearing her full outfit. Her black, lopsided hair was a mess. Sounds of saiyan children talking and sparring came through the windows. Since there was no way to replace the glass, the saiyans boarded them up with wood. Ginge missed the old windows; they at least blocked some of the noise. Pulling the blankets off and stepping onto the floor, she walked out of the bedroom. Her tail drooped pitifully, almost dragging along the floor. She didn't bother washing her face like usual. With her eyes on the ground, Ginge stepped out into the shallow snow.
There were a few younger saiyans, all around five or six, standing in front of the house. A serious fist fight had broken out between two older males. The younglings were watching, cheering, and oblivious to Ginge coming out behind them. The two brawlers tussled on the ground while she stood watching from behind the spectators. After a few more seconds rolling on the ground, one of the fighters gets a bad feeling and looks up. He sees Ginge standing like a statue, staring a hole through him. He gulps. The other one looks to see what his foe is staring at so terrified. He gulps too. Without taking their eyes off of her, they slowly get up, dust themselves off, and walk in opposite directions.
Disappointed, the young spectators turn around to look at Ginge. Her eyes never left the spot where the boys had been fighting. One of the children, a girl, speaks up. "Momma, you look terrible, what's wrong?" Snapping out of it, Ginge looks down at her. "Oh it's nothing. Say, why don't you guys go play with the others?" She points to a group of kids playing dodgeball with ki. A male child huffed. "No way! We want to go out on a hunt like you promised!" He pouted at her while she stared tiredly at him. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, guys. Today isn't a good day. I'm not really feeling 100%." The little girl spoke again. "But you said you were fine!" Ginge snapped at them. "No!... Please. Just leave me alone…" She turned and briskly walked away while they looked at their toes, feelings hurt.
Wandering out far into the plains, she walked until her sharp saiyan hearing couldn't pick up the sounds of the others. When she found a spot to her liking, Ginge paced around in circles, thinking about everything that happened. She was becoming unhinged, even more so when she tripped on something and fell. It was a fat, white tree stump from a felled tree. It had been buried by snow, camouflaging perfectly. Unleashing her fury on the imputent stump, she punted it, sending it soaring over the horizon.
The furious saiyan girl stood in place, breathing hard and doing her very best to not explode. Her hair bristled, standing on end. The snow at her feet melted and boiled away. However, her efforts at self control were in vain. The mother of all explosions was imminent. A faint glow wrapped around her body. Lightning zipped around her clenched fists as she bared her fangs.
"Ginge!"
Iseber had arrived. Ginge snarled hatefully at him. "What the fuck do you want, Iseber?!" A grim expression occupied Iseber's face. A tear appeared in the corner of her eye and slid down her cheek as he spoke. "It's Arti. Something's wrong with him and he won't wake up." Like a bullet, she took off back to camp, tearing the ground along her path. Iseber wasted no time going after her.
Within a second, they were back at camp. Ginge knew where he slept and booked it inside, shoving an older male out of the doorway. When she entered the bedroom, a crowd of kids was standing around one of the beds, blocking her view. She plowed through them, and towered over the lifeless Arti. There was no color in his face. His chest was deathly still, not rising and falling in the slightest.
Iseber heard a blood curdling scream from outside. He rushed past others, running inside. Stopping in the bedroom doorway, he saw her holding Arti's head to her chest and crying her eyes out. The other children in the room were watching with gloomy expressions. Aside from her crying, a grim silence filled the room. Iseber stepped toward her. Ginge's head snapped to him and she screamed. "Get the fuck away from me! ALL OF YOU GET THE FUCK OUT!"
Carefully, everyone but Iseber shuffled their way out. He stared at her, feeling pity for her grief. The rage in her eyes burned like a wildfire threatening to consume everything. Her hand raised at him and ki collected in the palm. It was more than enough energy to blow up a continent; Iseber could sense it. Realizing she was completely unstable and out of her mind, he started to back away. Though he was stronger than her and could perhaps deflect the attack away, if he failed, it would be the end of them all.
After Iseber disappeared from view, Ginge lowered her hand and pulled Arti's corpse tight. His hair quickly became moist with her tears.
In a dark room, Pinach and Conch sat on opposite sides of a crystal ball resting on a pillow. Each held a cup of steaming tea. The ball gently illuminated the pair as Pinach eyed the tea suspiciously. "I promise, it's good. It's my own special blend." Pinach's eyes went to Conch, then back to the tea. Shrugging, he took a sip. His eyes shot open wide as he felt something surge through his body. The scrapes and cuts on his body emitted steam before closing shut. "Holy shit!"
Conch smiled at him. "I told you! It's good stuff." The boy seems to have gotten a small power boost as well... It must be his saiyan blood. Waving his hand over the crystal ball, it brightened. "This is the medium from which I gained knowledge about your people." Pinach cocked his head. "This... thing?" Conch laughed at his naivety. "Yes, this thing. You just need a demonstration... Tell me, what is something that you've always wanted to see or learn about?"
Pinach mulled it over hard. His lax expression tightened when his answer came to mind. "Can you show me Planet Vegeta, but in my mom's youth?" Knowing the pain behind the request, Conch begrudgingly honored it. The ball flickered between static and Planet Vegeta, finally stabilizing on the planet. Zooming in, a saiyan village came into view. Pinach observed intently while Conch studied his reaction.
Zooming further on the village, two women came into view. One of them had a short, cropped hairstyle just like the young saiyan lad, while the other had long, bushy hair that came down to her shoulders. They walked down the street, mouths flapping but with no sound coming out. Conch wanted it that way; it was already too risky for his liking to be showing Pinach this, let alone allowing him to hear her voice.
The two women kept walking until the one with long hair spotted someone in their path. She went running forward and embraced the messy haired man. The man dropped his travel sack and returned the embrace. The short haired woman walked slowly up to them, a nasty smirk on her face. She mouthed something that made the other two blush and separate. Extending her hand, she shook the hand of the male saiyan.
The male saiyan intrigued Pinach. I know him from somewhere... Is he my... The ball dimmed and the image cut out. He looked up at Conch, irritated. "Hey, what the fuck?!" Conch stared sternly at him. "I gave you a demonstration. I never promised to show you everything... And there are some things that you're better off not knowing for now." Pinach wasn't having it. "It's my mom, Conch! I want to see why she was the way she was!" Conch held fast. "No!... You are not ready…" Pinach stood up, huffing. "Then when will I be ready?!"
Pinach continued to lord over him, nostrils flaring. For a time, Conch sat quietly. A smile spread across his face. "In a few days." Pinach thought he was being a smartass, and in response, threw his cup at the wall, shattering it. Conch stood up. "Well, not exactly a few days. A few days out here and a few years in there…" Sensing the seriousness in his voice, Pinach became puzzled. "Come with me, we're going on a field trip!" Conch started out of the room, beckoning Pinach to follow.
For several minutes, they walked. They passed through the octagon room and entered another pitch black hallway. The sounds of their shoes reverberating off of the walls became quieter and quieter. Pinach noticed this phenomenon and became nervous. Finally, Conch stopped and lit a once dark torch with his ki. A door with converse pyramid patterns stood before them. Conch opened the door.
A bright light shone through the doorway, causing Pinach to shield his eyes. When he had finally adjusted, he put his arm down and looked. Inside was a room made of white tiles and pillars. His jaw dropped to the floor when he saw what lay beyond; it was nothing but a white void. As they stepped inside, the sound echoed for what seemed an eternity. White light seemed to penetrate every inch of that place. "How is this possible?" Conch chuckled. "This is the room of spirit and time. It lies in a whole different dimension."
Pinach walked out into the void as Conch closed the door. "Don't go too far out! You can get lost forever!" He became thoroughly creeped out by that thought, and strutted back to Conch. "Ok, this is amazing and all, but what does it have to do with me being 'ready'?" Conch responded forthright. "For every day that passes in our realm, a year passes in here. You are going to train in here with me for three years. When we come back out, only three days will have passed in our realm." Pinach was blown away. He looked around at the void and gulped. Three years in this place...?
Conch raised his hand at Pinach, who eyed him suspiciously. A bright beam shot from his palm and enveloped Pinach with energy. He was confused when he felt material touch his skin. Pinach's clothing had been completely replaced. Instead of his tattered armor, he wore a skin-tight, black jumpsuit with white saiyan boots. He held out his arms, marveling at his new attire. "I tailored that battle suit to your needs. It's just like what the saiyans wear except it's more durable. It will do fine for the training I have in mind."
Conch stepped out into the void and motioned for Pinach, who followed. "The first thing I want you to do is get mad. I need to see how far your power can go before I can't stop it anymore." Pinach raised his eyebrow. "This sounds like a terrible idea. What happened to controlling my anger?" Conch laughed nervously and rubbed his head. "Yeah, you got me on that. I still need you to do it, though. I have to make sure that the seal will be able to stop you on it's own…" Pinach kept looking at him suspiciously. "...And it will be good training for your mind. You'll know what to look out for when you're about to lose control!"
Pinach shrugged his shoulders and held up his hands. "Alright, but I don't know how you expect me to get mad out of nowhere." Conch scratched his head. "Hmm. Wasn't there something that set you off the last time?" Pinach's eye twitched as he remembered Tercres. A metaphorical lightbulb lit up over Conch's head and he snapped his fingers. "Ah, I remember now!" The sweat started pouring down Pinach's face while his heart pounded. "Pinach! Your mom is a dirty little no-good whore!" A nice lens of crimson filtered over everything Pinach could see. He started shaking like a leaf. Encouraged, Conch kept going. "That's right! She's been ridden bareback farther than a workhorse!" Pinach was shaking violently now.
Before Conch could utter another word, Pinach erupted with a terrible shout. "SHUT UP!" The devil's eyes appeared, and with them: their owner. Gale force winds battered Conch, as he struggled to stay in place. The devil stretched and contorted, growing in size. Its battle suit stayed remarkably intact, almost pristine, as it transformed. After a decent explosion, the devil stood in its full size before Conch. What awesome force... But this isn't his full potential.
It charged at Conch, grasping at his head to crush it. Conch effortlessly evaded and rolled under it. I need to get him angrier. He chucked a blast at the back of its head, scorching its neck. It whipped around and roared, stampeding toward him. He charged back, swiftly kicking it in the jaw, and sending it flying away. He's no match for me in this form... I wonder if he can still understand me while he's like this. Deciding to try and communicate, he cupped his hands and shouted through them. "And then after she took the men for a ride, she took the workhorse for a round!"
He almost lost his head to a flying-blade of ki, barely ducking in time. He watched the blade slice cleanly through the white building behind him, felling a pillar. Turning back, he saw the devil. Tears ran down its face. Conch began to feel like an ass. This feeling of pity morphed into astonishment as he witnessed a strange phenomenon. The devil's black, cropped hair started to bristle and glow. Brighter and brighter, the glow became, until it outright overshined the rest of the void. A disturbing sense of calm flooded around him. The storm was approaching.
The void began to change colors, from purple, to red, to green, then to orange. Finally, it returned to its pristine white. The devil's hair was no longer finely cropped and black. It stood spiked in all directions. The light glinted off its shiny orange locks. The fiery, amber pupils were gone from its eyes; they were now pure white. A dense and tempestuous green aura surrounded the devil, calmly dissipating. This was it. At last, the monster had fully awakened.
Conch had no time to marvel. He was set upon by the monster immediately. His eyes couldn't even follow its movement. He was punched hard, sent tumbling along the ground. Before he came to a stop, he was punted sky high. The monster battered him in the air, knocking him back and forth, too quick to react. Damn it! He's a lot stronger than me! Too strong! The beating continued. Conch felt himself losing consciousness. As a last resort, he opened his hand and activated the seal on the monster. It fell from the sky, landing on its hands and knees. Conch fell on his back with a loud thud.
Through the monster's black jumpsuit, the tattoos glowed white. Screams of agony erupted from the beast's mouth. Its body contorted and shifted about. For a minute, the seal seemed to be working, until the screaming stopped and it stood up, huffing. Conch became scared. He was too weak to fight this thing. He's stronger than Freeza! And by a wide margin! I was a fool to think I could ever control his power. The creature happened upon Conch and picked him up by the throat.
A disgusting grin ripped across the monster's face. Then, it put its arm straight through Conch's chest. He hacked up purple blood. Yanking its arm back through, the monster held Conch's heart in his fist. Its bloodlust knew no bounds. To his shock and horror, it bit into his heart and swallowed the flesh, licking the blood from its lips. Without even seeing the movement, he was decapitated.
His head was sent rolling across the floor. The devil unleashed a wicked laughter, stepping on Conch's severed body. It began stomping, smashing the body, and staining the pure white floor with namekian blood. The devil's white boots soon became dyed purple. The cackling laughter carried on and on. It came to an end when a beam of ki punctured the creature's chest. It howled in pain and anger, spinning around to see who dared. Conch stood, completely regenerated, and holding his hands up at the beast; one had two fingers pointed with a ball of ki, and the other was outstretched, sealing rune activated.
The tattoos activated, but the creature powered through, making its way toward Conch. He fired another beam through its chest, causing it to fall to one knee. I just need to weaken him enough for the seal to overpower. It stood up again; Conch fired another beam, being careful not to hit the heart. The devil spat up blood, but kept limping toward him. With a final beam through the stomach, the demon fell and lay unconscious. Conch stood exhausted from having to regenerate his entire body. If he had transformed like this the first time, there's no way I could have stopped him. He would have destroyed everything... At least now I know how far he can be pushed before it becomes too dangerous.
Pinach awoke on the white tile of the house. Everything ached, especially his head. Sitting up, he looked himself over. It was as if nothing ever happened; his suit was completely pristine. Conch stepped in from the void, having been training. "Hey, you're finally awake." Pinach rubbed his aching head. "What the hell happened? I remember you said I needed to get mad, but…" Conch laughed nervously. "It's better that you don't. Just know that you transformed into something worse than before."
Pinach stood up and gripped his stomach, it growled. "If we're staying in here for three years, how are we supposed to eat? There's nothing here!" Conch laughed and pointed at a small wooden table with chairs. "Follow me to the table." Both walked over and took a seat. Pinach watched in awe as Conch waved his hands over the tabletop, and an entire meal appeared. There was meat, soup, cheese, bread, and even a bowl of salad. It smelled amazing to him and he wasted no time devouring. He spoke between mouthfuls. "Holy shit, this is amazing! How did you even do this?!" Conch smiled warmly, watching the saiyan pack away an obscene amount of food.
With a slurp from the soup bowl, Pinach was finally done. He set the bowl down and smiled from content. It was the best meal he'd ever eaten. His smile faded when he looked at Conch. "How come you didn't make anything for yourself?" Still smiling, Conch responded. "I'm a namekian, we don't need to eat." This revelation blew Pinach out of the water. "You don't need to eat?! What?! How?!" Conch shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. It's just how we are." Getting up from his seat, he motioned for Pinach to follow him into the void.
They walked out for several hundred feet. They came to a stop when Conch spun around to face him. "Alright. From today going forward, I am going to train you how to fight without giving in to your darkness. You must learn to fight without malice in your heart. Your saiyan instincts will be your greatest weakness if you do not suppress the hatred." Pinach's thoughts went to Iseber and Ginge. Conch could see the disturbance in his student. "You have to let it go. I promise: you'll feel a lot better." The moral dilemma in his mind continued. "...You need to forgive them, Pinach. It's the only way to free yourself from this curse." Pinach looked at Conch and nodded with a face of steely resolve.
For three 'years', they trained in that white void. Everyday, Pinach endured the harshest of exercises that made his bones crack. He got angry a few times and unleashed the devil, but Conch would seal it away using the rune. Each time he slipped up, letting his rage out, Pinach would be forced to meditate for countless hours, focusing on the source of his hate and rage, letting it go. Conch taught him telepathy and how to sense energy, so that he could better connect with those around him. They sparred often; after a year, Conch found himself becoming less than a match for Pinach. With each beatdown Pinach received, he came back stronger and faster than ever. It wasn't long before Conch couldn't even touch him.
As the years went by, the saiyan boy turned into a young man. He was almost thirteen when he entered the chamber. When the time came for their training to end, he was almost sixteen. The saiyan stood at seven foot six, three inches taller than Conch. His mass had increased considerably as well; he was a tower of muscle. His voice became low and tranquil, the voice of a person at peace. Smiles and laughter came easier to him than before. When they fought, Pinach no longer felt malice or bloodlust. His soul could finally focus on moving forward and self improvement. He had completely forgotten about what he saw in Conch's crystal ball.
The final hour had arrived. The pair stood at the chamber door, one master, one student. For the first time since Pinach had mastered telepathy, they spoke using their voices. "The time has come. Your training is complete. You have made me proud, Pinach." Pinach bowed. "Thank you, Master Conch." Conch waved him off. "Oh stop with the 'master'. Unlike Iseber, you surpassed me years ago." Pinach's mind went to the other saiyans. It was hard for him to believe that only three days had passed in their world.
Conch put his hand on the knob and swung the door open. The dark stone hall shuddered and cracked when Pinach stepped out of the chamber. He laughed heartily. "Looks like I'll have to be more careful out here!" His laughter seemed to make it worse. Conch became fearful for his home. "Stop laughing! You're gonna wreck my house!" Pinach covered his mouth. Conch wiped the sweat from his brow. "Damn it! I completely forgot to teach you power control!" Pinach smiled. He knew a certain river where he could practice that sort of thing.