Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or the characters, but I'll be damned if I let that stop me in my plot to take over the world!!! Mwahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Notes: My computer is EVIL. It erased a good majority of my stories from my disk, but luckily I had posted them on the internet, so everything is fine ~_^ Although, it did erase a fairly long prologue of a story I hadn't posted ANYWHERE! AAARGH!!!
Anywho, this chapter touches upon the infamous "Bra is a goth" theory. I believe that that hypothesis is possible, so don't go flaming me for my belief. If you would like to read more on this, go to "http://bura.cjb.net" to read more on the subject. And if you were wondering what's been happening outside those damned tunnels, this chapter takes a little visit back above ground.
Chapter Seventeen: Destination Reached
"Do you really think we'll make it, though?" - Goten
April 11, Wednesday à 2 hours until the eclipse
Satan City was buzzing about the upcoming party in the park later at two o'clock, an hour and a half before the total solar eclipse occurred. The event was supposed to be a real blast, with carnival games and even rides. Many merchants planned to set up kiosks to sell their merchandise, and several local bands were being hired to play to liven the affair up. Advertising in the local paper and countless fliers stapled to every light post hyped up the event so much that it was nearly impossible to find one person who wasn't going other than those who had to work. Even then, many planned to call in sick or just skip their jobs to attend the fair.
You couldn't go anywhere without hearing talk about the eclipse, whether it be in just the local gossip ("Did you hear? Dan is going to propose to Sherri during the eclipse!") or within the ranting of the several groups of fanatics who had appeared in Satan City weeks ago ("Listen, all of you! The eclipse shall bring the apocalypse in its darkness! Not one man, woman, or child shall be spared! Repent your sins now, or God's wrath may find you in the afterlife!"). Strangers would even engage in conversations about it...
"You two going to that little eclipse shindig later?" The saleswoman, whose nametag identified her as "Cindy," queried as she scanned Eighteen's purchases.
"Might as well," Eighteen replied.
"Yeah," Krillin, who was standing by his wife, wallet in hand, agreed. "Everyone else is going, so why not?"
"It's kind of exciting," Cindy said, ringing up the items. "You know, other kinds of eclipses occur every now and then, but a total solar eclipse is a real event, and we're right on ground zero."
The woman next in line snorted. "I do agree that it is a once in a lifetime thing, and I'm going to that celebration myself, but if you ask me it is being awfully hyped up by those religious freaks. It's just like that whole Y2K thing; everyone thought we were going to die, and then we were fine."
Cindy shook her head. "Oh, just ignore them. They're only out to ruin everyone's fun if you ask me." She turned back to Eighteen. "That'll be ninety-two dollars and fifty-nine cents."
Eighteen glanced expectantly at Krillin, who handed the cashier a credit card. She swiped it, had Krillin sign the receipt, and handed them their bags.
"You don't think there's anything to what those people say do you?" Krillin asked as he and Eighteen left the store.
"About what?"
"What do you mean 'about what?' About the world ending."
"Well, I'm sure that if anything happens, Goku will be sure to handle it."
"Speaking of Goku," Krillin said, turning his gaze to the food court, "there's Chi-Chi. Wanna say hi?"
"I don't know. She seems awfully concentrated on her meal."
Chi-Chi sat at a table alone, a few packages at her feet. A furious gaze was aimed at her dish of teriyaki chicken and rice, which she was attacking with her chopsticks.
Krillin shuddered, knowing what Goku's wife could be like when she was angry. "Maybe you're right." He began to move away from the eating area.
Chi-Chi saw him before he got too far, though. "Krillin! Get over here!"
"Um..." Krillin thought for a moment, then decided that if Chi-Chi was mad it was best to cooperate. "Hey, Chi-Chi," he greeted her as he approached, Eighteen following. "How's it going?"
"Do you know where Goku is training?" she demanded, standing up and grabbing him by the shirt, hoisting him up to her eye level.
Krillin let out a frightened yelp, which attracted the attention of everyone in the food court. "I... I..."
"WELL?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" he practically shrieked, squirming in her hold
Chi-Chi raised an eyebrow. "He didn't say anything to you about taking Goten on a training trip?"
"No..." Krillin glanced at all the fellow shoppers watching with wide eyes. "Can you put me down now?"
Chi-Chi released his shirt, dropping him to the floor where he landed on his feet. Chi-Chi sighed, a well-known worried expression overtaking her face.
"Does Gohan know anything about it?" Krillin asked.
Chi-Chi shook her head. "No. Goku didn't say anything to him either. Goku asked me if it was okay to go on a trip, and I forbid him to go. Then some hours later, he and Goten were gone! So I called Bulma to see if she could convince Vegeta to try and bring them back, but no one answered."
"We called Bulma yesterday," Eighteen put in. "We figured we all might as well go to the eclipse party together, but no one was there either."
"And Marron called Trunks at Capsule Corporations," Krillin added, "but his secretary said he was on a trip with his family."
"Bulma went on a trip when there's supposed to be a total solar eclipse right here?" Chi-Chi said. "That's a little odd. I don't think Bulma would miss that for anything."
"Maybe they're coming back today," Krillin suggested.
"Do you think Goku will come back too?"
"Goku probably doesn't even know what an eclipse is, much less that there's one happening today," Eighteen said, rolling her eyes.
"But he does know about it!" Chi-Chi argued. "And he knows about the party in the park too! He was so excited about it 'cause he always finds those things to be so much fun."
"Well, I'll go look for him and Goten if you want..." Krillin proposed.
"No," Chi-Chi replied. "The eclipse would probably be over by the time you found him anyway. I'll just have to hope that he comes back before three-thirty."
"Well, if there's food there, I doubt Goku would miss it for the world!"
Relena pushed a button on her watch so the little light would come on and reveal the time. One-thirty in the afternoon. She couldn't help the panic that was arising in her. Two hours wasn't much time when you were out to save the world.
The only thing that kept her from going ballistic was the feeling that they were close. Oddly enough, it was the growing cold and stillness in the air that assured her they would make it to Seether's lair; to Relena, frigidness symbolized their enemy, and wherever it was cold, Seether must be there too.
At least their eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness. The Saiyajins' more so than Relena's, though. But at least they could see enough to not have to latch onto each other anymore.
"What time is it?" Bra asked.
The question was met with silence. Relena didn't want to tell her. It would only unearth more anxiousness among the group. They needed to keep clearheaded and focused.
"Relena?" Bra spoke again, sounding irritated.
Relena ignored her, until she felt a strong hand grip her arm and whirl her around. She was immediately face to face with the half-Saiyan girl, even in the dark seeing that Bra's agitation had quickly turned to anger because of the pressure they were all under.
"What time is it?" Bra repeated through clenched teeth.
"One-thirty," Relena replied, her gaze not leaving Bra's.
Bra released the girl's arm, her eyes squeezing shut to stop a flow of tears.
Goten came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay-"
"You don't know that!" Bra interrupted, whipping around to face him.
"Calm down, Bra!" Goten said, trying to settle her down with his words.
"How can you tell me to calm down?" Bra exclaimed, the tears spilling down her cheeks. "Papa is out there somewhere with that evil witch and we only have two hours left!" The rest of Bra's outburst was drowned out by her sobs as she flung herself into Goten's arms, weeping helplessly.
"Go ahead and cry, B-chan," Goten soothed her as he put his arms around her like a shield.
"She shouldn't have come," Trunks said. "She could've stayed home, out of this unbearable abyss."
"I wanted to come," Bra whispered from Goten's arms. "I want to help Papa too. I'm not a little kid you know."
"None of us are," Goku said, "but now I think only I should've come with Relena. You all would've been safe."
"There's no way you and I could've gotten through this alone," Relena disagreed. "Just because Bra got a little upset doesn't mean that we won't need her help." She gave Trunks a side-glance. "Besides, I doubt the rest of you feel very relaxed and carefree right now."
"Do you really think we'll make it, though?" Goten said.
Relena nodded. "Can't you feel how cold it is? The temperature continues to drop the more and more we travel through this tunnel! It must mean we're close."
"I wish we could be sure..." Goku put in. After a moment he continued. "I still can't sense any ki, not even yours." He gestured to the group. "Do you think our powers will fail even more when we meet Seether?"
Bra pulled out of Goten's embrace, wiping the tears from her eyes and trying to compose herself. "Well, we're not going to find out by just standing here," she said hoarsely. "So let's go."
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I sigh boredly, propping my elbow up on the arm of my stone throne and resting my chin in my palm. Those bakas are certainly taking their time getting here.
"So let's go," I feel the young blue-haired girl say.
"Yes," I say to myself. "Time is almost up..." I glance at Vegeta, who is in his usual kneeling stance at my feet. It would be a shame if I never got to see him in action... Once the takeover is complete, there is barely a miniscule chance of revolt from the subjects.
"They're close," I say in a disappointed tone, "but they may not make it before the eclipse, and I really do not feel like pushing the deadline back... What do you say we give them a little push?"
"Whatever you like, Mistress," Vegeta responds, head still bowed.
I look him over, satisfied with his new wardrobe. It is armor, yes, but not his usual Saiyajin armor. This armor is the same that was used back in the medieval days, minus the helmet: smooth ebony metal that shields his entire body from the neck down. A coal black cape is fastened to the shoulders of the protective covering, flowing over his back and onto the stone floor. A sword lies in the sheath that is strapped to the armor's waist, the weapon he shall use to bring Kakarot's downfall. The blade is crawling with my own boundless dark energy, and it shall be a formidable weapon in their upcoming battle, despite Kakarot's own colossal power.
"I'll let them go on for a little longer," I continue. "If they are not here in an hour, then I'll have to speed up their pace."
"Hai, Mistress."
"Then you shall crush Kakarot."
"Hai, Mistress."
I place my index and middle fingers under his chin, tilting his head so our eyes meet. "You shall be at your finest for me, correct, Vegeta-chan?"
"Hai, Mistress. I shall do my best."
My smirk vanishes as I see the dark circles under his eyes. It occurs to me that even though his time here with me was spent resting, he hasn't had much actual sleep. It shouldn't affect his fighting; all the energy I have given him should sustain him.
He notices my frown. "Have I displeased you in someway, Mistress?"
"No, Vegeta-chan." I raise an eyebrow. "Didn't I say something about not talking unless you're told to?"
"Gomen, Mistress."
"You are forgiven." I remove my hand from his face. "Sit down and rest your head on my lap. You will sleep until they arrive." A little sleep could benefit him; it certainly couldn't hurt.
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Relena checked her watch again: 2:30. She sighed. The only real progress they'd made in the last hour was trekking into colder climates within the tunnel. Relena was fairly sure that the walls were coated with frost from how cold the dirt felt when she leaned against it.
"Relena?" Bra spoke up.
"It's two-thirty," the American girl said.
"We're not going to make it." Bra stated. "We're close, but not close enough. We'll never make it in an hour. We'll never save-"
"Cut it out, Bra!" Trunks ordered her. "We will make it, shimatta! And I don't want to hear anything different from you or anyone else here!"
"Cut the kuso, Trunks! A positive attitude doesn't always save the freaking day! Every once and a while, the good guys do lose to the bad guys! It's not impossible. And from my point of view, it looks like it's one of those days. We're going to die down here!"
Relena heard a small shuffle as the siblings stopped and faced each other. She turned around, as did Goku and Goten.
"Come on, guys-" Goku began.
But Trunks ignored him, glaring daggers at his sister. "You know, Bra, I thought you had grown out of that depressing gothic crap."
"This has nothing to do with me being a goth, shimatta! Use the logic in your genius brain, Trunks! An hour is not enough time!"
"Bra, all this talk about dying isn't going to help us-"
"Neither is the positive attitude!"
"Just shut-up and keep walking!"
"There's no point!"
"Either get going, or I'll make you get going!"
"I'd like to see you try!"
But Trunks didn't have a chance to take up his sister's challenge, because after her last sentence came Seether's last attack. There was no warning as with the sound of the water or the heat from the lava. The offensive move began immediately and out of nowhere. Seether had used three of the four main elements in her previous assaults: earth, water, and fire. Now it was air's chance to take part in the onslaught.
After Bra's last words, a gust of wind, stronger than that of a thousand hurricanes, infiltrated the tunnels. When it reached the burrow the travelers were in, the immense power of the gust lifted them to the midsection of the tunnel and sent them flying through it ten times faster than anything or anyone had flown before, the rushing air drowning out their screams and cries.
Not that the ride was smooth. Like in the water rush, the five were rammed into the walls, ceiling, and the ground mercilessly. It was not long before Relena lost consciousness, and a few minutes after so did Bra, Goten, and Trunks. Goku held onto his consciousness longer, trying to stop himself from being taken along on this ride, but eventually he gave out also, his mind slipping into the bliss of the unconsciousness that blocked out the pain that racked his body as he collided with the cold dirt...
Bulma had been running nonstop after the sleep she had had earlier. She wasn't sure how long she had napped, but she was positive that any sleep was too much. She was on a deadline, and there was no time for dozing, even though she had been so tired that she could've been declared clinically dead.
The light from the flashlight bounced up and down as she ran with it in her fist, pointing it so she could see any turns up ahead. She didn't spot any curves, but Bulma noticed that the walls were now covered with a thin frost, and she could now see vapor in front of her face from any breath she took. It was cold, but her jogging helped warm up her body.
Bulma shuddered from a sudden cold breeze that swept up behind her, but screamed when it lifted her into the air and pushed her through the tunnel at what seemed to be a million times faster than she had been running. Her crazed yelling was cut off when she began to crash into the surrounding dirt as the wind shoved her through the underground path, the cries replaced by pained grunts, until one of the impacts knocked her out completely.
Fade in...
Fade out...
Fade in...
Fade out...
Fade in...
Relena finally managed to get a type grip on consciousness, forcing herself to open her eyes. She groaned from the sharp, repetitive pang that hammered in her skull and radiated through her body. She made more grunts as she managed to sit up, pushing her hands against the ground, which was now frigid stone. Relena surveyed the various bruises and gashes on her body in the dim light.
"I'm going to ache all over tomorrow..." she muttered, then jolted with a start. Faint light? Where...?
Relena looked to her right and saw her four companions were also awake. Bra sat beside her, and Goten lay next to her, propped up on his elbows and rubbing his head. Trunks was on his knees breathing hard, and Goku was to the right of him, slowly standing up. The four of them were all glaring warily at something in the front of the freezing, dim room.
Relena looked in the same direction and caught her breath. The light was coming from the body of the woman who sat in some sort of throne in the center of the room, the glowing emitted mainly from her face. The light wasn't enough to reveal the entire being, but Relena could see most of the area around the woman's head and chest. Her midnight hair was long and smooth, hanging down her back and into the dark areas where her lower body was concealed. Her gray, catlike eyes, which gazed downward, seemingly at something in her lap, chilled Relena to the bone, their icy glint, like that of a sharp blade, causing her to shudder involuntarily, and the woman's ebony lips were twisted into a small, devious smirk. Her black dress (if it was a dress, as stated before Relena could only guess so from the light she was given) was very low-cut, and the shoulders sloped gracefully down her arms.
By the time Relena had made her assessment of the pale creature, Goku and the others were standing, prepared for battle in fighting stances. Relena got up and stood beside Bra, prepared to do what she could, but at the moment realizing she was trembling all over.
Seether looked up at the five, her smirk spreading wider and her eyebrow lifting upwards, expressing her amusement to their defiance. She let out a short snicker, resting her gaze on each person, one by one. She finally set her sight on Relena, increasing the frightened girl's shaking.
Relena's thoughts were even more panicked from the iciness in Seether's gaze. Oh, my God I can feel it I can feel the evil it's so thick I think I'm going to choke on it God, she's so pale, but she's powerful I can feel it oh, God help us I don't think we'll be able to beat her oh, God...
Seether removed her mocking stare from Relena, now taking the whole group into the gaze.
"'Come into my parlor,'" Seether purred, her gaze darkening, "said the spider to the fly."
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They're there! Finally! Whew... This is probably the longest chapter so far... I think... Actually, I have no idea ^_^;;
I really like Seether's last line. I heard Frieza say it in the American dub once, although it was only last half, and I've also heard it in "Lullaby," as song by the Cure. I don't know who/what the quote is originally from, though...
Well, now I must go work on Chapter 18... unless the writer's block gods decide to curse me... o.o eep.
AND IF MY COMPUTER ERASES IT, I'M GONNA KICK IN THE SCREEN!!!!!
Ja ne, minna-san! ^_^