The blue haired human walked onto the bus and sat down. She sighed still not knowing why she was taking the bus since she had a capsule car in her pocket. Probably to think she thought to herself. So much was happening. She had a reunion later that day to attend and her previous plans to go there with her boyfriend were now ruined. An angry cynical glared snaked across her face as she thought about finding him with another woman. The anger was replaced with a slightly depressed looking expression she'd never get him to stop womanizing. The woman shook her head and looked about the bus. For 6 in the morning it was surprisingly empty. The only people there were an elderly couple her and the driver who looked to be in his 60's as well. She sighed to herself not hearing the bus driver speak up.
"Huh?"
"Hehe….…got your head in the clouds doncha? I said what's your name lady. I've never seen you on this bus route."
"My name's Bulma. Bulma Briefs. I usually don't take the bus."
The man nodded and looked out onto the road. After a few minutes of complete silence a look of joy crossed his face. The bus stopped and the doors opened. Bulma waited for someone to walk in but no one did. Well at least she didn't see anyone. The driver looked down at the floor and grinned.
"Hey Sprout! Long time no see! The usual right?"
Bulma stared at the man in confusion, who is he talking to? She looked but didn't see anyone standing next to him. Then she followed his gaze to the floor and gasped.
A little girl?
Where's her parents she thought. The little blond girl was dressed in a white karate outfit and a fuzzy brown belt was wrapped about her waist, Bulma studied her as she nodded and headed towards the back of the bus. She couldn't be more than 4 years old. She had long blond hair that flowed like honey to her butt and sparkling blue eyes that almost glowed. She looked so flawless. She was skinny but not scrawny. Her lean legs and arms had not a once of fat on them. And the baby fat that should still be in the cheeks of her face was also gone. She was absolutely beautiful a child that any parent would love to have. Then Bulma noticed one single flaw on the tiny creature….. her left eye. A long thin scar ran from right above her eyebrow down over her eye and cheek stopping right in line with the end of her tiny nose. Bulma wondered what type of parent would allow such a sweet child ride a bus alone into the city. Maybe she doesn't have parents she thought not noticing the little girl had stopped beside her and was smiling at her studying her as well.
"Hello!"
Bulma looked to her side into the tiny blue eyes and smiled, "Hi there." The girl giggled and put out a hand, "My name's Terra! Terra Strife!"
*~*~o0o*~*~
A little blond girl identical to the one currently on the bus sat in her living room staring at the TV eating her breakfast when a woman with black hair tied up into a tight bun walked into the room and looked down at her. "Cathreine dear? How long will Terra be at her dance class?"
"3 hours Chichi-san," Cathreine answered, not evening glancing at the woman. Chichi nodded and walked from the room not noticing Cat smirk. She chuckled, Dancing lessons!? That's a good one Terra. She laughed out loud and shoved another mouthful of cheerios in her mouth as her friend Gohan came in and sat beside her. Cathreine was always doing this. Lying to the babysitter so Terra could go to the city for her karate lessons alone without anyone noticing. She'd been doing it for almost a year now and now one noticed. Lying to Chichi was easy because she didn't say anything to her parents about it and Terra was home at least an hour before their parents came back from work. She smiled gently and shook her head. Her sister was a tricky one. She went back to eating her cereal when she heard a knocking sound on the door of the Son house. Then she heard Chichi's voice followed by another. Cathreine and Gohan both went white when Aeris's voice drifted through the air.
"Cathreine! Sweetie Daddy and I are home early dear!"
"Oh shit…."
*~*~o0o*~*~
Bulma studied Terra as she stood on the bus her head not even reaching the top of the seats. She stood there not holding onto the rails beside her smirking. Bulma shook her head there was something so strange about her. She had an aura. Bulam could feel it, there was something different about the child the air seem to change when she entered bus. Her last name also puzzled Bulma as well. She couldn't help but wonder. She looked like him a lot like him. But she couldn't be Cloud's daughter. Could she? Bulma smiled fondly remembering Cloud and his crazy group of friends. They always were coming to her during the days of the meteor asking for help and repairs. But those days were over.
"Oh Terra Dear!"
The little girl twirled about to look at the elderly couple smiling at her. Her delicate lips pulled back into a lopsided grin, "Hi ya Mrs. Tolsin! Hi ya Mr. Tolsin! How's life?" Mrs. Tolsin smiled at her and dug through her purse, "Life is just fine dear. How would you like something to eat!" Terra's grin extended even further, "Aw hell ya!" Terra started for the seat when the bus driver swore and the bus stopped short making her trip and start heading towards the floor face first. Bulma gasped expecting her face to smash against the floor of the bus. However that was not about to happen. Bulma watched in amazement as her supposed brown "belt" unfurled from her waist revealing a black belt underneath. The "belt" lashed out wrapping around a balance pole stopping her from falling on her head. Bulma's jaw dropped.
A tail!?
There was no doubt in her mind now. It was Cloud's kid all right. She watched as Mr. Tolsin reached out to her to help her up as the bus driver opened the door to the bus and continued mumbling cusses about dumb kids. Terra shook her head at the elder man and let go of the poll put her hands down flipping to her feet with unbelievable ease. She glared at the group of teens that were shouting and yelling as they boarded the bus. Mrs. Tolsin shook her head before smiling and handing Terra a large chocolate chip cookie from her bag. Terra grinned and walked to where she had been standing munching on her snack happily. The bus took off again with the teens still standing despite the seats that were open around them. BuLma looked at them and frowned they were obvious either drunk or high. A boy appearing to be 17 with greasy blond hair stepped forward towards the Tolsins, "Hey gramps! Get you wrinkled ass up I wanna sit there."
"There are plenty of seats for you ki.."
"I don't give damn move it!"
Mr. Tolsin sat there glaring at him with anger about to retort when Mrs. Tolsin shook her head and stood about to move. The kid smirked arrogantly and was about to shove her out of the seat.
"Hey greaseball leave them alone!"
The teen turned to see Terra leering at him angrily. He began to laugh hysterically, "Jesus! What a joke. What are gonna do if I don't you little pipsqueak? Cry and run home to your mommy!?" The boy let out a weasel like laugh his buddies following the suit. Terra rolled her eyes, "Great come back….pipsqueak…geez….is that all you can come up with condom head?" The boy stopped laughung and sneered at her, "Why you little…"
"C'mon I know there's some type of retort in there you pansy assed white trash queer…"
"That's it!!"
The boy threw a punch at her head. Terra smirked seeing it coming from a mile away and ducked catching his fist in her hand. The boy sneered about to pull his arm back when a bone crunching pain filled his hand. He screamed trying to pull his hand from the tiny child's solid grip as she laughed.
"Don't trust your eyes…"
Terra ran through his legs flipping him unto his back. She flipped backwards unto his chest and smiled down at him.
"….whacha see isn't whacha get. I'm a lot stronger than you think!"
"Heh…and I'm a lot more lethal than you think kid!" Upon saying this, the teen pulled out a small gun pointing it right at her. A look of utter terror passed across Terra's face and tears slipped down her cheeks, "N-N-No Puh-puh-please d-don't!" The sound of a gunshot rang out though the bus.
And all was silent.
Terra doubled over in pain holding the space where the bullet had hit. The bus screeched to a halt swerving off road. No one spoke. Bulma gasped as Terra began to sob. It sounded so strange her quiet wails almost like………
……..laughter?
Terra stood a smirk on her face laughing at the greasy adolescent and threw the bullet at his feet it clattering against the floor seeming much louder than it was in the strange silence. The teens backed away in shock. As they stared at the young child in front of them. Bulma shook her head it was just impossible
Terra was unharmed. Nothing broken, bleeding, bruised, nothing. She laughed again and took a step towards the group a strange evil smile appearing on her face. Then she whispered o them in a singsong voice, "Whacha see aint whacha ya get."
She disappeared from view leaving only an elfish laughter behind. Everyone looked about the bus except for the elderly couple and the bus driver who was now standing up staring at the back. No one moved afraid of what might happen if they did. Seconds passed seeming like an eternity. Then the boy with the gun cried out in pain and fell to the floor. In the blink of an eye the rest of his group joined him on the floor. And on top of the pile of teens stood the tiny child laughing her little head off.
"And boy! You aint seen nuttin yet! HA! What a bunch of wimpy cowards. Shit! I haven't had this much fucken' fun in ages."
Bulma stared in shock listening to the sound of approaching sirens and to the little girl as every curse word known to man popped out of her foul mouth as she laughed.
*~*~o0o*~*~
"I'M GONNA KILL HER!!!"
"Aeris dear come down!"
Aeris whipped around glaring at her slightly cowering husband. She mumbled something and stamped her foot, "Cathreine Michelle! You get in here!" Aeris watched the doorway as a small head peaked around it. Cathreine walked to her mother her head low to the ground looking up at her mother through her eyelashes pushing her glasses up every so often. "Yes Mommy?" she asked trying to look as innocent and cute as possible a trick her younger sibling had taught her.
"Don't you 'Yes Mommy' me young lady! What possessed you to let your sister go to the city on a bus!? How long has she been doing this?"
"Dunno…..Not long I dun think Mama."
"But Cat-chan….I thought she's been doin' it for about a year now!?
"Gohan shut up!"
"A YEAR!!!???"
Cathreine looked at the grounded and sniffled slightly knowing she was going to get screamed at but before that could happen a shriek sounded throughout the house coming from the living room. The group dashed in there to see Chichi pointing at the TV screen rambling on and on. Aeris looked at the screen, which showed a news report about a bus accident and shooting.
"……and who is the hero of this situation? Not the fire dept. Not the police force. Who single handedly defended the people of this bus but a 4-year-old karate-kicking girl named Terra Strife who put a safety on the gun happy teen. We now go to Leon Macaques who is standing with the chibi-champion at this moment."
"Thank you Grace! And here we have the mini-martial arts artist Terra. Terra can you explain in you own words what happened today?"
"You bet your ass I can! I kicked ass! I gave the bug fucker what he had fucken' coming to him! I gave him a kicked in the head and a wicked jab to that asshole's spine. That Lilly livered shit head…..say can you edit this?"
"Ahem….Terra we're on live TV."
"Huh? Oh crap!"
The group stood around the TV as Terra walked off screen cursing about the dumb people who put her on live TV. Aeris stood there, jaw hanging, eyes wide gazing at the screen before falling backwards to the floor. She'd fainted.
*~*~o0o*~*~
Bulma shook her head and walked towards the road throwing the capsule car from her pocket. She was about to get in when she heard a string of curses float through the air. From the highness of the voice she could only recognize it as Terra. She turned and frowned to see the small girl trying to hitch hike her way home cursing at the passing cars. None of the policemen had offered to drive her home so she must have thought this was the only way. Bulma walked towards her clearing her throat, "Um…Terra-chan?"
"Whadya want? Can't you see I'm busy? Go away! And don't call me 'Terra-chan' if you must talk to me you can call me T-chan."
"Okay T-chan. I was just wondering if you would like a ride home."
Terra turned about and looked at her skeptically. She wandered to Bulma's side and craned her neck upwards being as she only came up to Bulma's knee and looked her in the eye. "Do ya have a phone in that hunka junk?" Bulma smiled holding back the laugh in the back of her throat and nodded leading Terra towards the car. Terra hopped into the front seat and picked up the phone's receiver yelping as a screen popped up revealing it to be a videophone. She sighed and dialed in a number, "Boy oh boy I'm gonna catch hell for this."
Bulma watched as a familiar face popped up on the screen and smiled at the woman. Terra mumbled, "Can I speak to mom Chichi-san?" The black haired woman frowned and glared at her, "Terra Vegeta! Your parents are worried sick! They are going to come pick you up now!"
"Yeah. Yeah Whatever just put mom on the phone."
"Don't you 'Whatever' me Terra Strife! I am in no mood for your attitude! And I don't think…"
"Shut up! Just Shut up!! Your not my mom! Stop acting like it. Go get my mother!"
Chichi glared at her and was about to speak when she was pushed off screen by Aeris, "T-chan? Baby? Is that you!? Are you alright?" Terra blushed slightly and pushed her hair back, "Yeah 'Kassan I'm okay. It wasn't anything I couldn't handle." A relieved look passed over her face and she smiled, "We're coming to pick you up now Terra. We'll discuss you punishment at diner."
"Diner? But mom you said I could go with Goku!"
"Not anymore Terra we have to talk. We'll be right there."
Bulma took this chance to speak up, "Well, I'll be damned. It's a small world. Hello Aeris!" Aeris looked up at the screen and smiled widely, "Bulma! It's so good to see you what are you doing there?"
"I was on the bus when I saw Terra. The second I saw the tail and heard her name I knew she was yours. If you don't mind I'd like to take her with me. The guys will get a kick out of her." Aeris frowned and looked at Terra who had her back turned and was rummaging through the car, "Terra! Stop that."
"Talk to the butt." Terra mumbled not listening clearly annoyed at the fact she couldn't go to the reunion. Aeris sighed and looked to Bulma, "If you can handle her she's all yours. Keep in mind she's not like most kids. She's… well… she's different." Aeris looked towards the back seat to find Terra holding a pair of headsets blasting music into her ears. She nodded and looked back to Bulma, "She says things sometimes Bulma. They don't make much sense, but they can be rather frightening sometimes. Ignore it when she does that just nod and block it out. None of it is true. Terra is a little off sometimes. It's not often that it happens but when it does it can be quite disturbing. Just ignore her if it does." Bulma frowned and stared at her.
"Aeris…………"
"Don't worry it usually doesn't happen. Other than that I think you well off. See you around then!"
And as soon as she began to talk she hung up leaving Bulma alone with the mysterious enigma listening to Linkin Park in the back seat. She looked back and pulled the headsets off of her and smiled despite the irritable look on Terra's face, "You're coming with me kid. I happen to be friend with your mom and Goku's Family so I'm gonna take you to the reunion."
"ALRIGHT!"
Bulma laughed as Terra scrambled into the front seat buckling her seat belt and cheering. Sitting down as she started the car Bulma decided to ask a few questions. Simple questions like how old she was and what her favorite things were, if she had any friends. Terra answered all the questions asked whole heatedly. Bulma tried her best not to laugh at the answers since it her mouth would make a sailor blush. Bulma was about to ask her about Chichi when she decided against it being as she could see in that small conversation earlier that they didn't get along. She didn't stop talking however she just kept rambling on and on and on.
"Oh yeah did I tell ya? I'm gonna marry Gohan, Goku's son some day……… he doesn't know it yet but I'm gonna!"
Bulma began to laugh at the tiny tot as she babbled on about Gohan and her sister. Then Bulma made her mistake, "So T-chan do you have any other siblings? Brothers? Sisters?" Silence filled the car. Bulma looked to her right to see Terra staring out the front window. Her face had gone blank and the normal cheeriness was gone. The emotionless stare on her face was so eerie and unsettling that it made Bulma shutter. Minutes of complete silence passed before Terra spoke. Her voice almost mechanical and inhuman.
"I had a brother. He died. He was killed last year. A guy named Sephiroth did it. You know the Sephiroth."
"But he's dead…"
"NO! He's not. I know he's not I saw him. He……… he's the one who gave me this scar. He's still out there too. He's waiting"
"Waiting for what Terra?"
"Me. I don't know why yet. But I know he is. He's waiting for me to grow. He can't fight me now. Neither of us are ready for it. I don't know exactly when he'll strike but I'll be older. I've already seen it. In my dreams we fight I'm much older than I am now. I know what I look like as a teen. I don't like the dreams. I don't like my future Bulma. I'm only a teen but I have seen my eyes. They look so ancient. So sad. I don't want to grow up into that woman. But I don't have a choice. I'd like to be normal but I can't. If I was than we'd all be dead."
"Terra. Why do you think this?"
"I don't think it I know it! No one believes me. And the reason I know it is because I'm special I always have been. You're special as well Bulma Breifs. I've seen you. In my dreams that is. That's why I talked to you on the bus today. I knew you. I know of your fate as well as mine. They are one in the same."
"Terra. What is my fate? What is our fate?"
"It's simple. Our fates. My parents' fates. Goku's family's fate . They are all the same. Our fate is to lose.
…………..Our fate is to die."
Silence filled the air. Bulma stopped the car and stared at her as she looked out across the ocean they floated above. Her face so emotionless and uncaring as if she had not even heard what she had just said. Bulma finally found her voice, "Terra who told you this!?" Terra looked at her and Bulma couldn't hold back her gasp of shock.
Her eyes had gone so pale that they looked almost white. They were someone else's eyes so ancient looking so unnerving. Terra cocked her head to the side and stared into Bulma's eye as if she had asked something obvious.
"The Voices told me. The Voice at Twilight, they are always there, watching us. They told me that they've been waiting. Waiting for the Angel. I am the Angel Bulma. They whisper to me when night falls when evil roams and the banshees cry. They have told me things. They say I am the Angel. The Angel can bring Chaos or Order. The Angel will lead the side of good against the utmost evil. The Angel is the Messiah. But they say other things. They have told me that I shall die. They tell me nothing else except this. So if my fate is to die then I must lose. If my fate is to lose then Chaos must win. If Chaos's fate is to win then Order must be destroyed.
If Order's fate is to be destroyed then we all die."
Bulma sat there in shock. If she had not heard it and seen it with her own eyes and ears she would have never believed that these words came from the mouth of a child. Such a dark thing coming from something that seemed so pure. Bulma shook her head in disbelief trying to tell herself that this was nothing but a child's imagination. Nothing but a story she had heard. Perhaps something off of TV? But she could not make herself believe it. Something about what she had said the way she said it. It seemed so true.
"Bulma?" Terra's voice floated through the air. Bulma turned and looked at her and let out a scream. Because Terra was gone. There sat teen with the wings of an angel but they were colored black. A black hooded cloak adorned her shoulders covering her body from view. Her face was as beautiful as it was hideous. Evil seemed to seep from her pours. A scar ran down her right eye.
Her eyes. They were blue and glowed with insanity and hatred. The creature ran a clawed bestial hand through her shimmering blond hair and smiled revealing hundreds of snake like fangs within her mouth. Her eyes narrowed and her wings spread and a voice so vile yet so enchanting drifted through the air now thick with evil, "What's wrong Bulma?"
Bulma turned away violently and shut her eyes trying to block out the corruption that was her voice. But even with her back turned and her eyes shut she could see her. The creature leaned over and pressed her luscious wretched lips to her ears gently. "Aw, Bulma," she whispered licking the side of her face with a long snake like tongue chuckling, "Did I scare you?"
Bulma screamed and bolted from her chair
"Jesus Christ Bulma what's the Hell!?"
Bulma turned towards the passenger seat her heart racing. There sat the enigma Terra staring at her with wide eyes as if she'd lost her mind, "What's your problem!? You just stop 50 yards away from the island and space out! Then you start screaming like a banshee? What the hell is wrong?"
Bulma shook her head and started the car again heading towards the island not speaking. She couldn't figure it out. It seemed so real. But it couldn't be. Things like that just don't happen.
Do they?
Bulma parked the car just above the surf and opened the door allowing Terra to hop out and run to her sister and Gohan who stood upon the shore. Bulma buried her face in her hands for a moment trying to clear her head of what just happened. She sighed and looked in her review mirror into the back of her car.
Only to see the same Dark Angel from her dream a sadistic grin plastered on her face.
Bulma screamed and turned to find her back seat empty. She let out a sigh of relief and got out of the car pondering what had just happened. She looked across the sand seeing the Kame house, Turtle, and three children, Cathreine a small black haired boy she didn't know and Terra talking to one another. Cathreine ran inside with the black haired boy.
"C'mon Gohan let's go introduce Terra to the guy without a nose!"
Bulma laughed slightly before walking towards the door herself passing Terra on the way. Terra giggled and was about to follow when she heard a chuckle. She looked up upon the canopy above the doorway to see a woman wearing a black cloak staring down at her. A screech sounded and a brown hawk landed upon Terra's shoulders its gold eyes glaring maliciously at the cloaked figure. The creature reached down off the canopy with and ran a taloned demented claw across Terra's face.
"Hello sweet child. Do you know who I am?"
Terra shook her head her deep blue eye suddenly pale again with a strange glazed over look to them. The bird on her shoulders screeched and bit the clawed hand drawing blood from it deranged skin. The figure recoiled and snarled at the bird "Watch it Tobiason! Heh. The time for fighting will come. Until then," the creature laughed, "Watch over your Angel, Guardian."
~Sod off you bloody succubus. Go find someone else to torment!~
The creature lifted her hood from her head revealing her long blond hair and familiar face, "Very well Guardian. Take care."
Then as soon as she appeared she was gone.
"T-chan!? What are you doing? Come inside and meet everyone!" Goku's voice rang out. Terra stood there though eyes still glazed and fixated to the spot where the demonic woman once stood. Goku walked outside and looked down at her, "Terra?"
~Terra. Go inside.~
Terra nodded listening to her hawk friend and walked into the house. Tobiason leapt off her shoulders onto a chair and whipped about his gold eye glowing slightly.
~Forget Terra. Forget the Demon. You need not know her now.~
*~*~o0o*~*~
And I did forget. I forgot everything. Part of me however always would remember that day though. Everything from Bulma's dream to my 2nd encounter with the Dark Angel. Back then the evil within the Beast controlled me easily with no problems. However time would pass and I would be have to face it without the evilness corrupting my mind. During the many encounters we would have in the future I would always have someone by my side though. I couldn't face her alone subconsciously fearing the darkness would swallow me too.
You notice I don't mention the dream as much. Why? Because I am afraid to speak of Bulma's vision. The dream of the damned is how I refer to it. I know it sounds foolish and childish to fear a dream. A dream can't hurt you. Nothing but images and vision. But there was something in that dream to fear. Something that dream held that terrifies me to this day.
The Truth.