The Mystery Within
Part I - Prelude to Terror
by namek kaia
Disclaimer: I own nothing except original characters and attacks. And don't use them without my permission. You won't like the consequences.
**Author's Note** Okay, just another little note. To preserve the depths of Gohan and Dende's friendship, Dende is also older, about the same age as Gohan. Just so you know. I'll let you get back to the story now. Enjoy!! And hopefully you'll be as surprised as I had intended. ^_~
Chapter Twelve - Revelations
At long last, Dende had finally made his way outside. As he saw the scene above, his heart fell. 'Oh God no,' he thought fearfully to himself. "Piccolo! It's not what you think!! Everything can be explained!" Dende shouted from the large tiled floor.
But Piccolo hadn't heard him. He became breathless at the sight before him. Why? Why did this have to happen to him? The person he had trusted with his secrets, his feelings, had betrayed him. He felt his heart deteriorate. He pulled back, confused and hurt; an indescribable look of pain lay across his face.
"W...Why?" he managed, still trying to muster words.
No reply came. Only more silence.
"Tell me!!! How could you do this to me?!? Why would you do this to me?!? Why would you betray me like this? Do you have any idea how long I've waited to break the neck of the person that hid his face behind that hood? And it's YOU!?!?" he shrieked, finally finding words. The tears were stinging at his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.
"I... I'm sorry," the words came, and so did the tears.
"Of course you are. You're always sorry aren't you? That's all you're good for, right? Being sorry?!" he screamed, becoming more angry by the second.
"Piccolo... I... I didn't mean to... I mean... I was going to tell you, I swear."
"Oh, shove it Niko!!! I don't want to hear your shit anymore," he shouted angrily.
"Piccolo, please let me explain," she pleaded.
"Why? So you can tell me MORE lies? Fuck it, Niko. Just leave."
"Piccolo, PLEASE!!" she shrieked with all her might, her voice changing its pitch in mid-plea. Her sobs becoming violent coughs as she doubled over from the pain. She couldn't lose him, not now. She had lost everything already. Was it even possible for her to lose more? If she lost Piccolo, it would surely bring her to destruction. Without him, who would save her? Who would prevent her from jumping then? No one would be there to steady her after the fall. But there was no use in suicide now. She wouldn't be able to bring herself to do it.
All that she went through, she went through for him. She had promised herself that she would never love another ever again. But she couldn't fight her emotions for him. He was strong, stronger than any other she had cared about. He would have been able to take care of himself against the men that sought her death. He would survive it all. And because of this, she suffered the pain for him. The agony that racked her body, she endured it for him. So she found herself in a position that was unable to be broken. That is, until now.
With his face stone, Piccolo stared at her with cold eyes of hate. They bore into her like daggers, piercing her very soul. All his sympathy, all his care for her had vanished, locked away in the place where he kept the rest of his pathetic emotions. All emotions except hate. That's all he felt now. That's all he would ever feel. "All you have ever spoken to me were lies. I doubt if you have ever once told me the truth. I'm advising you once, and once only, to leave... before I have to kill you."
"No... Piccolo, you don't mean it."
"The hell I don't!" he shouted back, charging a blast and quickly sending it in her direction. In her condition, she was barely able to swat it away. "Hmph. You're so pathetic. I can't believe that I could stand to be in the same room with a creature such as yourself."
"Piccolo, stop it! You don't understand what you're doing. Just stop it right now!!" came Dende's faint words, although he was shouting, once again from the floor below.
"You shut up!!" he retorted and, for the first time, looked away from Niko at the Namek below him. "I'll deal with you later!!"
"Piccolo, if you'll just let me explain..."
"You've explained all I need to know," he interrupted, his hatful eyes returning to her shattered frame. "I need no more of your lies, so spare me the pain of hearing them. Now GO!! Before I'm forced to make you leave!"
"NO. Piccolo, you said that you cared for me. What about those nights when we gave ourselves to each other? Have you forgotten so easily? Don't you still care?" she asked, tears still flowing down her cheeks, although her sobs had faintly ceased.
"I only fucked you to get closer to you," his harsh words came, her body experiencing the pain of a thousand razors upon the impact of his words. "I thought that maybe then you're secret would be revealed to me. But still, you refused me! But now I know. It's all come clear to me. You're here to destroy us all. Don't think I haven't seen it, Niko. You're disgusting frame over-looking the havoc you have wreaked. I know now what you've refused to tell me. Well go ahead!! I don't give a damn. Destroy the whole fuckin' planet, hell, the whole fuckin' universe if you can manage. Just spare me the sight of your face. It sickens me," he finished, saying the word 'sickens' with explicit disgust.
"Why you... son of a bitch!" she exclaimed, now becoming angry as well.
Her words sent an unspeakable streak of rage through him. His blood boiling, he sent his hand reeling backward, and then forward again, striking her hard across the face. "Don't not speak to me in such tongue, girl!!" he spat, not once regretting his actions.
Dende gasped at the sudden change of events. He knew that Piccolo was furious, but he didn't expect him to go as far as to actually hit her. He wanted so much to fly up there and protect her, but knew that Piccolo would probably do worse to him than merely slap him across the face. This had to stop. If she wasn't going to tell him, then he would. He wouldn't allow her to endure any more of his rath when she hadn't done anything to deserve it.
Niko raised her hand to where her face still burned from the force of the blow. Sensing Dende's thoughts through her own clouded ones of confusion, she quickly protested. * No Dende, don't! Don't you dare tell him! Don't you tell him anything! He wouldn't believe you anyway. His mind is made up. You must never let him know. Please. * she spoke mentally.
* But Niko. You have to tell him. It's not right to keep it from him. * Dende objected.
* Please, do as I say. He doesn't care. And neither do I. I can handle this myself. *
After his final plea was rejected, Dende finally gave in to her. With one final look into Piccolo's stolid eyes, Niko flew away in the direction of her home. Piccolo slowly descended to the large floor below him, keeping his eyes on her outline as she left. Dende approached him from behind, his face firm. "I think you should reconsider your reactions," he spoke with the same firmness that was apparent on his defined features.
"And I think you should go to hell!!!" Piccolo yelled, baring his fangs, and dove off the edge, flying in the opposite direction of Niko.
*****
Her tears flowed uncontrollably then, flying off the edges of her face from her speed. She flew as fast as she could back home. Why did he have to come to the lookout? Why then? Just when she was about to leave. She guessed it was the result of her stupidity, but she HAD to talk with Dende. He had to know before anyone else knew, even Piccolo.
As she reached her house, she landed as best as she could, stumbling over into the dirt from her momentum. She didn't attempt to get up. She just lay there with her face in the dirt, crying. Everything just hurt so much. Her mind was a wreck, her heart in shambles, and her body near destruction. So she continued to lie there, hoping that Piccolo had not followed her. She was sure that he hadn't, but she wasn't totally sure.
Gohan could see her in the distance as she landed. He was on his way to see if she was all right, to see what the doctor had said. But then he had felt a large, but weakened ki heading in that direction. He thought she could be in danger, causing him to fly faster than before. But upon his arrival, he saw that the ki was coming from Niko. But not thinking any more about it, he quickly rushed to her side.
He scooped her up in his arms and held her close. She immediately buried her face in his chest, her tears leaving stains on his shirt. "Niko, what's wrong?" he asked, pulling her even closer. It pained him to see her like this, to see that she was hurt. She only shook her head, unable to speak through the pain of her continuous sobs. Not knowing what else to do, he took her inside a set her down on her bed. Sitting at her side, he stroked her tangled hair away from her face. He didn't care in what condition her body was in; to him, she would always be beautiful.
"Niko, tell me what's wrong. Please," he pleaded softly.
"Piccolo found out before I could tell him. He wouldn't even let me explain."
"He found out before you could tell him what? About your past?" he asked, still keeping his voice soft. She nodded in response.
"But he doesn't know the truth. He just thinks he knows. I tried to make him see, but he took it the wrong way. I didn't mean for it to happen this way," she explained, a few more stray tears escaping and mingling with the dirt that was still smudged on her face, creating a muddy trail in their path.
"Niko, you're not making any sense to me. Tell me. Tell me everything," he said, his eyes more pleading than his voice.
She looked deep into his eyes, seeing nothing but pure goodness. She had thought for hours about how exactly she was going to tell Piccolo. She had worked so hard to word it just so he would know and still not be angry. She didn't want all that work to just go to waste. And besides, she was going to have to tell someone else eventually. Who better to tell than Gohan?
With a sigh she told him to get comfortable, that this could take a while. She took a moment to collect herself, and then began. This time she spoke from the heart. She never once even though about lying.
"Just... before I begin. Promise that you won't be angry with me. I'm not trying to hurt anyone, I swear. Just keep an open mind when you hear it, okay?" she requested.
"Of course," he replied, smiling that same warm smile that always graced his gorgeous face.
"I'm not from this planet, Gohan. I'm not even human," she began, but was interrupted by Gohan's gasps of surprise. He was about to speak when Niko raised her hand to stop him. She knew what he was going to ask, and she was just about to explain her statement.
"I'm from a planet called Zion. It's far away from here, galaxies from here really. It's a lot like Earth, only with a different color-scheme, so to speak. Zion is a red planet surrounded by a purple atmosphere, giving its color to both the sky and the water. The plant life remains green, strangely enough, giving the planet the look of a water-colored painting. But it's so beautiful. Not even my description could tell you the extent of its beauty.
The people, however, are quite different than the planet. They are hateful, deceitful, and greedy. Always thinking of their selves. Never thinking of others, well... hardly. There are only three races that fill planet Zion, the Shen, the humans, and the Zion." Before he could ask, she continued to explain.
"You see, long before I was born there was a great war on the planet, which was then called planet Xela. It was named after a legendary Goddess, according to ancient Shen beliefs. The war was mainly between the Shen and the Zions. The humans, who were mostly used for slaves, sided with their masters. They were given no choice.
The Shen are a race of extrodinary intelligence and logic. You could hardly say that they have hearts except to pump blood through their bodies. But they are not a physically strong race. They use their minds to defeat their enemy. They could make you see things that aren't there, or cause you to not see things that are. They can also change their forms. They can't shape shift per say, but they are able to change their persona. Their hair color, eye color, their build, their height, anything imaginable.
The Zions are a race of exceptionable strength. But they have strong hearts as well as bodies. They don't cause destruction unless they are forced to do so. Their only distinctive characteristic is their blue skin and their fiery red hair. They also have a black mark in the shape of a crescent moon at the nape of their necks. They are strongest under the full moon, thriving off of its beams of light. They hated all Shen, thinking that they were too smart for their own good. Didn't like the way that they could just invade your mind without you knowing. They just hated them. And so they tried to take the planet from them.
It was a long and gruesome war. My parents told me that the death count was unbelievable. Eventually the Zions' strength overpowered the Shen's mental abilities. The leader of the Zion army named the planet after his people 'instead of some stupid fake Goddess'. That's what most Zions thought anyway. From then on, there has always been great tension between the two races. Most believe that the Shen are slowly planning to overthrow them and retake the planet. But that remains to be seen."
"So which one are you? Are you a Shen or a Zion?" Gohan asked with curiosity.
She sighed once again, her eyes filling with sadness, her mind whirling in confusion again. "I am neither. Yet I am both at the same time. My mother is Shen, and my father Zion," she explained. Gohan was surprised. She was a hybrid...like he was. His warm smile slowly returned to his face.
"There's nothing wrong with that. I'm part human and part Saiyan. I love who I am. You should feel no different," he said sweetly, stroking her face softly with his hand. She leaned her face into his hand and captured it with her own.
"I know that, but you don't understand. It's not the same," she said, her statement causing his smile to fade slightly. "Because I have both Shen and Zion DNA, I take the characteristics of both, though not to the same extent as if I was fully either race. Because they are so different, almost complete opposites of each other, my body is confused. My heart continuously debates against my mind. There's also a chemical imbalance in my brain. It's what causes these viruses I have. But none have been as worse as this. The doctors say that if I don't learn to control it, it could eventually kill me."
"What? How can you control something like that?" he asked in astonishment, unable to grasp what she was telling him.
"I have to link my mind and my heart together somehow. My mental abilities and my strength have to be in sync with each other. It's possible, but I don't know if I can do it in time," she explained drastically.
Gohan could literally feel his heart breaking. He cared so much about her. And to think that he could lose her shattered him. He reached out to her and pulled her close to him again. She wrapped her arms around him as well, closing the embrace. He pushed them both down onto the bed, still trapped in the other's arms. "I don't want to lose you," he stated, still not losing his soft tone. Niko looked up at him in confusion, as if to ask him what he meant. He held her face in his hand, caressing her cheek with his coarse thumb. "I care about you Niko. I couldn't bear to lose you," he finished, bringing their lips together in a gentle kiss.
Niko noticed that his kiss was very different from Piccolo's. This kiss was filled with compassion, with love, with friendship. These things Piccolo had rejected her. She thought it funny that Piccolo was at her side in this very position just weeks before. But she quickly shook all thoughts of Piccolo away. He didn't matter anymore. He didn't care for her anymore. Gohan was here now. Breaking their kiss, she smiled at him and nestled her head into his firm chest. "You're straying me from the subject. Do you want to hear this or not?" she asked, not able to keep her smile from showing.
"Yes, please continue," he replied showing his own smile.
"Okay. Although they loved each other deeply, because of their differences, my mother and father hid my identity. They couldn't even speak of what they thought might happen to them, not to mention me, if anyone found out. So they moved out into a desolate, but livable area of the planet. Mother had already had a child through an arranged marriage, my half-sister, Zia. But her father had died in battle, so she was taken with us. Until I was old enough to master my morphing abilities, my mother made everyone thing that I was Shen. I went to school with the other Shen children. But sometimes I morphed into my Zion form so I could train everyday with a Zion martial arts master, as the other Zion children did. We were successful in this until a small group of Zion soldiers found our house. How they managed this, I have no idea. But still they came and ransacked our home.
They took our valuables and made us give them our food. Then my mother got brave and tried to fight them from taking anymore of our possessions. I tried to help her, and I was victorious for a while. Soon enough, father arrived to try and save us. But in the process I was knocked unconscious and was unable to maintain my morphed form. When my true persona appeared, the soldiers saw that I was both Zion and Shen. They became furious and took no pity on us.
When I awoke, I was in a cold steel room, my arms strapped above my head. More Zion militia came into the room and beat me, almost to death. But they spared me just enough life to be able to rape me." At her last words, Niko clenched his shirt tighter in her hands. Gohan continued his attempts to comfort her, knowing that it wasn't easy for her to tell him this.
"Then they left me in the cold room with no clothes and no food. Eventually I was properly taken care of, but not after they made sure I had suffered. They were using me as bait for my father. I wanted him to come and rescue me, but I prayed that he didn't dare do such a thing, knowing he wouldn't survive it. But sure enough, he came. The last thing I remember was seeing them gang him, crawling on him like flies on a dead carcass. Then I blacked out.
This time when I woke, I saw my father's face smile back at me. For a moment, I thought it was all a dream, a nightmare really. But then he explained to me that we were on a ship headed for another planet, and we had barely escaped with our lives, thanks to me. He told me that I exploded with rage and caused more destruction that the war. I knew he was joking, but I got his point. I asked about my mother and sister. When his face grew somber, I knew what was coming. He told me that Zia had escaped. She had run back to her grandmother's house. He assured me he would be safe there. Then he said that mother had been killed, sometime after they had knocked me unconscious. He said that... that he had fought for her with everything he had, but he couldn't protect her. I never blamed him for her death, although I think he felt that it was his fault.
We settled on the next planet. I shielded our energies so that they may not find us. I knew they would hunt us down until they were sure that we were dead. They would carry out their revenge, no matter what. Even to the death.
I made a few friends. We lived peacefully there for almost a year until they found us. They destroyed everything, our home, and our ship, even my friends. They didn't deserve to die, and it's my fault that they're dead. I couldn't help them. I wasn't able to save them.
We managed to find a new ship, and a new planet that wasn't very far away from the first. This time I had fallen in love for the first time. His name was Lelio, and I loved him with all my heart. He's the only other soul that I've told this story. I thought that if he knew, maybe he would leave me. I didn't want him to be killed like the rest. But his love for me held him back. He said he would never leave me. And he didn't, until they killed him too.
Finally we became desperate. We put our new ship into overdrive and skipped as fast as we could through each galaxy we came upon. Until we reached Earth. On our journey we heard the stories of the magnificent fighters of this planet. Some said it was the strongest planet in the whole universe. So we took our chances here. We thought that if we were followed, the fighters of Earth would help us.
As we arrived we heard more stories of how the Saiyans had nearly taken over Earth if it hadn't have been for Goku. We were able to stay here, near the woods, in peace for quite some time. Each day we trained in perparation for the Zion military that would surely come after us. Soon, we heard rumors that the evil Frieza had survived Namek's explosion and was on his way to Earth. We thought it was just talk, but father told me that I should be there if he arrives, to make sure he hadn't allied himself with any Zion forces. So I made sure that I was there when he arrived.
That's when I saw all of you for the first time. You were so young back then, and so cute too. But I could tell that you weren't like any other child. You were already well on your way to becoming a warrior. I learned of the Androids just as your father did. I also trained for three years to prepare for the battle. My father's age was holding him back, so he allowed me to train on my own. By the time it had come to fight those Androids, my father and me agreed it would be best if my identity weren't revealed to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. We had managed to live on this planet for five years without any disturbance. We didn't think there would be a need to seek your help any longer. But he still wanted me to defeat the Androids if it looked as if you guys weren't able to handle them.
Anyway, a while after you had defeated Cell, I felt them coming. It was a ship with a small army on board. I knew that they had come to destroy the entire planet, but this time I was determined not to let that happen. So I went to the guardian of the planet, Dende, for advise. I told him the same story I'm telling you now and he thought with my advanced training I should be able to handle them. So I fought them. But Zia was with them. I couldn't bring myself to harm her. She managed to escape with my father, and I ended up having to kill her to get him back. My father was the only thing that they hadn't taken from me, and I wasn't giving in so easily. But eventually I slipped up, and he was killed too. I had no one for a while. Then Piccolo said that he cared for me, that he would protect me with his life. And he did save me. That time I had tried to kill myself by jumping into the icy pond. He had revived me and gave me back my life. I tried to let him figure it out on his own so that I wouldn't have to tell him. I fed him these visions while he slept. But he didn't interpret them in the way I had intended. But now there's no one. No one except you," she finished clutching him tighter in hopes of bringing him closer.
Gohan couldn't believe it. She had been here all that time, and no one had even had a clue. She had told him the whole story through and through. But he still felt that her soul was tormented, she still suffered. She was holding something else back. "You haven't told me everything, have you?" he asked.
She cried into his chest but no tears came, she had none left. After she had mildly calmed down, she felt she was able to speak. "No, there's only one other thing."
***
Okay, that's the end of part one. Sorry it was kinda long, but it had to be done. Does everything make sense now? If it doesn't, just ask or email me and I'll answer all your questions. And I left you hanging a bit, but don't ask me about that, all will be revealed soon enough. I'm taking a break from this one to start on another fic. Some things in part two need to be filled in, and I have no idea how to do it. Suggestions are welcome. Maybe a break will clear my mind a bit. Well hope you enjoyed it. Review! Review!! Review!!!
Oh, and this is a little note to KaseiTomdatchi. Thank you so much for reviewing. I always enjoy your reviews. If you wouldn't mind to do so, in your next review will you please tell me your ideas about who the mysterious stranger was? Or you could just email them to me. You don't exactly have to do it, but it gives me a chance to see what some of my readers are interpreting from my writing. I'd appreciate it so much. And once again, thank you for all your support. -NaK
Part I - Prelude to Terror
by namek kaia
Disclaimer: I own nothing except original characters and attacks. And don't use them without my permission. You won't like the consequences.
**Author's Note** Okay, just another little note. To preserve the depths of Gohan and Dende's friendship, Dende is also older, about the same age as Gohan. Just so you know. I'll let you get back to the story now. Enjoy!! And hopefully you'll be as surprised as I had intended. ^_~
Chapter Twelve - Revelations
At long last, Dende had finally made his way outside. As he saw the scene above, his heart fell. 'Oh God no,' he thought fearfully to himself. "Piccolo! It's not what you think!! Everything can be explained!" Dende shouted from the large tiled floor.
But Piccolo hadn't heard him. He became breathless at the sight before him. Why? Why did this have to happen to him? The person he had trusted with his secrets, his feelings, had betrayed him. He felt his heart deteriorate. He pulled back, confused and hurt; an indescribable look of pain lay across his face.
"W...Why?" he managed, still trying to muster words.
No reply came. Only more silence.
"Tell me!!! How could you do this to me?!? Why would you do this to me?!? Why would you betray me like this? Do you have any idea how long I've waited to break the neck of the person that hid his face behind that hood? And it's YOU!?!?" he shrieked, finally finding words. The tears were stinging at his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.
"I... I'm sorry," the words came, and so did the tears.
"Of course you are. You're always sorry aren't you? That's all you're good for, right? Being sorry?!" he screamed, becoming more angry by the second.
"Piccolo... I... I didn't mean to... I mean... I was going to tell you, I swear."
"Oh, shove it Niko!!! I don't want to hear your shit anymore," he shouted angrily.
"Piccolo, please let me explain," she pleaded.
"Why? So you can tell me MORE lies? Fuck it, Niko. Just leave."
"Piccolo, PLEASE!!" she shrieked with all her might, her voice changing its pitch in mid-plea. Her sobs becoming violent coughs as she doubled over from the pain. She couldn't lose him, not now. She had lost everything already. Was it even possible for her to lose more? If she lost Piccolo, it would surely bring her to destruction. Without him, who would save her? Who would prevent her from jumping then? No one would be there to steady her after the fall. But there was no use in suicide now. She wouldn't be able to bring herself to do it.
All that she went through, she went through for him. She had promised herself that she would never love another ever again. But she couldn't fight her emotions for him. He was strong, stronger than any other she had cared about. He would have been able to take care of himself against the men that sought her death. He would survive it all. And because of this, she suffered the pain for him. The agony that racked her body, she endured it for him. So she found herself in a position that was unable to be broken. That is, until now.
With his face stone, Piccolo stared at her with cold eyes of hate. They bore into her like daggers, piercing her very soul. All his sympathy, all his care for her had vanished, locked away in the place where he kept the rest of his pathetic emotions. All emotions except hate. That's all he felt now. That's all he would ever feel. "All you have ever spoken to me were lies. I doubt if you have ever once told me the truth. I'm advising you once, and once only, to leave... before I have to kill you."
"No... Piccolo, you don't mean it."
"The hell I don't!" he shouted back, charging a blast and quickly sending it in her direction. In her condition, she was barely able to swat it away. "Hmph. You're so pathetic. I can't believe that I could stand to be in the same room with a creature such as yourself."
"Piccolo, stop it! You don't understand what you're doing. Just stop it right now!!" came Dende's faint words, although he was shouting, once again from the floor below.
"You shut up!!" he retorted and, for the first time, looked away from Niko at the Namek below him. "I'll deal with you later!!"
"Piccolo, if you'll just let me explain..."
"You've explained all I need to know," he interrupted, his hatful eyes returning to her shattered frame. "I need no more of your lies, so spare me the pain of hearing them. Now GO!! Before I'm forced to make you leave!"
"NO. Piccolo, you said that you cared for me. What about those nights when we gave ourselves to each other? Have you forgotten so easily? Don't you still care?" she asked, tears still flowing down her cheeks, although her sobs had faintly ceased.
"I only fucked you to get closer to you," his harsh words came, her body experiencing the pain of a thousand razors upon the impact of his words. "I thought that maybe then you're secret would be revealed to me. But still, you refused me! But now I know. It's all come clear to me. You're here to destroy us all. Don't think I haven't seen it, Niko. You're disgusting frame over-looking the havoc you have wreaked. I know now what you've refused to tell me. Well go ahead!! I don't give a damn. Destroy the whole fuckin' planet, hell, the whole fuckin' universe if you can manage. Just spare me the sight of your face. It sickens me," he finished, saying the word 'sickens' with explicit disgust.
"Why you... son of a bitch!" she exclaimed, now becoming angry as well.
Her words sent an unspeakable streak of rage through him. His blood boiling, he sent his hand reeling backward, and then forward again, striking her hard across the face. "Don't not speak to me in such tongue, girl!!" he spat, not once regretting his actions.
Dende gasped at the sudden change of events. He knew that Piccolo was furious, but he didn't expect him to go as far as to actually hit her. He wanted so much to fly up there and protect her, but knew that Piccolo would probably do worse to him than merely slap him across the face. This had to stop. If she wasn't going to tell him, then he would. He wouldn't allow her to endure any more of his rath when she hadn't done anything to deserve it.
Niko raised her hand to where her face still burned from the force of the blow. Sensing Dende's thoughts through her own clouded ones of confusion, she quickly protested. * No Dende, don't! Don't you dare tell him! Don't you tell him anything! He wouldn't believe you anyway. His mind is made up. You must never let him know. Please. * she spoke mentally.
* But Niko. You have to tell him. It's not right to keep it from him. * Dende objected.
* Please, do as I say. He doesn't care. And neither do I. I can handle this myself. *
After his final plea was rejected, Dende finally gave in to her. With one final look into Piccolo's stolid eyes, Niko flew away in the direction of her home. Piccolo slowly descended to the large floor below him, keeping his eyes on her outline as she left. Dende approached him from behind, his face firm. "I think you should reconsider your reactions," he spoke with the same firmness that was apparent on his defined features.
"And I think you should go to hell!!!" Piccolo yelled, baring his fangs, and dove off the edge, flying in the opposite direction of Niko.
*****
Her tears flowed uncontrollably then, flying off the edges of her face from her speed. She flew as fast as she could back home. Why did he have to come to the lookout? Why then? Just when she was about to leave. She guessed it was the result of her stupidity, but she HAD to talk with Dende. He had to know before anyone else knew, even Piccolo.
As she reached her house, she landed as best as she could, stumbling over into the dirt from her momentum. She didn't attempt to get up. She just lay there with her face in the dirt, crying. Everything just hurt so much. Her mind was a wreck, her heart in shambles, and her body near destruction. So she continued to lie there, hoping that Piccolo had not followed her. She was sure that he hadn't, but she wasn't totally sure.
Gohan could see her in the distance as she landed. He was on his way to see if she was all right, to see what the doctor had said. But then he had felt a large, but weakened ki heading in that direction. He thought she could be in danger, causing him to fly faster than before. But upon his arrival, he saw that the ki was coming from Niko. But not thinking any more about it, he quickly rushed to her side.
He scooped her up in his arms and held her close. She immediately buried her face in his chest, her tears leaving stains on his shirt. "Niko, what's wrong?" he asked, pulling her even closer. It pained him to see her like this, to see that she was hurt. She only shook her head, unable to speak through the pain of her continuous sobs. Not knowing what else to do, he took her inside a set her down on her bed. Sitting at her side, he stroked her tangled hair away from her face. He didn't care in what condition her body was in; to him, she would always be beautiful.
"Niko, tell me what's wrong. Please," he pleaded softly.
"Piccolo found out before I could tell him. He wouldn't even let me explain."
"He found out before you could tell him what? About your past?" he asked, still keeping his voice soft. She nodded in response.
"But he doesn't know the truth. He just thinks he knows. I tried to make him see, but he took it the wrong way. I didn't mean for it to happen this way," she explained, a few more stray tears escaping and mingling with the dirt that was still smudged on her face, creating a muddy trail in their path.
"Niko, you're not making any sense to me. Tell me. Tell me everything," he said, his eyes more pleading than his voice.
She looked deep into his eyes, seeing nothing but pure goodness. She had thought for hours about how exactly she was going to tell Piccolo. She had worked so hard to word it just so he would know and still not be angry. She didn't want all that work to just go to waste. And besides, she was going to have to tell someone else eventually. Who better to tell than Gohan?
With a sigh she told him to get comfortable, that this could take a while. She took a moment to collect herself, and then began. This time she spoke from the heart. She never once even though about lying.
"Just... before I begin. Promise that you won't be angry with me. I'm not trying to hurt anyone, I swear. Just keep an open mind when you hear it, okay?" she requested.
"Of course," he replied, smiling that same warm smile that always graced his gorgeous face.
"I'm not from this planet, Gohan. I'm not even human," she began, but was interrupted by Gohan's gasps of surprise. He was about to speak when Niko raised her hand to stop him. She knew what he was going to ask, and she was just about to explain her statement.
"I'm from a planet called Zion. It's far away from here, galaxies from here really. It's a lot like Earth, only with a different color-scheme, so to speak. Zion is a red planet surrounded by a purple atmosphere, giving its color to both the sky and the water. The plant life remains green, strangely enough, giving the planet the look of a water-colored painting. But it's so beautiful. Not even my description could tell you the extent of its beauty.
The people, however, are quite different than the planet. They are hateful, deceitful, and greedy. Always thinking of their selves. Never thinking of others, well... hardly. There are only three races that fill planet Zion, the Shen, the humans, and the Zion." Before he could ask, she continued to explain.
"You see, long before I was born there was a great war on the planet, which was then called planet Xela. It was named after a legendary Goddess, according to ancient Shen beliefs. The war was mainly between the Shen and the Zions. The humans, who were mostly used for slaves, sided with their masters. They were given no choice.
The Shen are a race of extrodinary intelligence and logic. You could hardly say that they have hearts except to pump blood through their bodies. But they are not a physically strong race. They use their minds to defeat their enemy. They could make you see things that aren't there, or cause you to not see things that are. They can also change their forms. They can't shape shift per say, but they are able to change their persona. Their hair color, eye color, their build, their height, anything imaginable.
The Zions are a race of exceptionable strength. But they have strong hearts as well as bodies. They don't cause destruction unless they are forced to do so. Their only distinctive characteristic is their blue skin and their fiery red hair. They also have a black mark in the shape of a crescent moon at the nape of their necks. They are strongest under the full moon, thriving off of its beams of light. They hated all Shen, thinking that they were too smart for their own good. Didn't like the way that they could just invade your mind without you knowing. They just hated them. And so they tried to take the planet from them.
It was a long and gruesome war. My parents told me that the death count was unbelievable. Eventually the Zions' strength overpowered the Shen's mental abilities. The leader of the Zion army named the planet after his people 'instead of some stupid fake Goddess'. That's what most Zions thought anyway. From then on, there has always been great tension between the two races. Most believe that the Shen are slowly planning to overthrow them and retake the planet. But that remains to be seen."
"So which one are you? Are you a Shen or a Zion?" Gohan asked with curiosity.
She sighed once again, her eyes filling with sadness, her mind whirling in confusion again. "I am neither. Yet I am both at the same time. My mother is Shen, and my father Zion," she explained. Gohan was surprised. She was a hybrid...like he was. His warm smile slowly returned to his face.
"There's nothing wrong with that. I'm part human and part Saiyan. I love who I am. You should feel no different," he said sweetly, stroking her face softly with his hand. She leaned her face into his hand and captured it with her own.
"I know that, but you don't understand. It's not the same," she said, her statement causing his smile to fade slightly. "Because I have both Shen and Zion DNA, I take the characteristics of both, though not to the same extent as if I was fully either race. Because they are so different, almost complete opposites of each other, my body is confused. My heart continuously debates against my mind. There's also a chemical imbalance in my brain. It's what causes these viruses I have. But none have been as worse as this. The doctors say that if I don't learn to control it, it could eventually kill me."
"What? How can you control something like that?" he asked in astonishment, unable to grasp what she was telling him.
"I have to link my mind and my heart together somehow. My mental abilities and my strength have to be in sync with each other. It's possible, but I don't know if I can do it in time," she explained drastically.
Gohan could literally feel his heart breaking. He cared so much about her. And to think that he could lose her shattered him. He reached out to her and pulled her close to him again. She wrapped her arms around him as well, closing the embrace. He pushed them both down onto the bed, still trapped in the other's arms. "I don't want to lose you," he stated, still not losing his soft tone. Niko looked up at him in confusion, as if to ask him what he meant. He held her face in his hand, caressing her cheek with his coarse thumb. "I care about you Niko. I couldn't bear to lose you," he finished, bringing their lips together in a gentle kiss.
Niko noticed that his kiss was very different from Piccolo's. This kiss was filled with compassion, with love, with friendship. These things Piccolo had rejected her. She thought it funny that Piccolo was at her side in this very position just weeks before. But she quickly shook all thoughts of Piccolo away. He didn't matter anymore. He didn't care for her anymore. Gohan was here now. Breaking their kiss, she smiled at him and nestled her head into his firm chest. "You're straying me from the subject. Do you want to hear this or not?" she asked, not able to keep her smile from showing.
"Yes, please continue," he replied showing his own smile.
"Okay. Although they loved each other deeply, because of their differences, my mother and father hid my identity. They couldn't even speak of what they thought might happen to them, not to mention me, if anyone found out. So they moved out into a desolate, but livable area of the planet. Mother had already had a child through an arranged marriage, my half-sister, Zia. But her father had died in battle, so she was taken with us. Until I was old enough to master my morphing abilities, my mother made everyone thing that I was Shen. I went to school with the other Shen children. But sometimes I morphed into my Zion form so I could train everyday with a Zion martial arts master, as the other Zion children did. We were successful in this until a small group of Zion soldiers found our house. How they managed this, I have no idea. But still they came and ransacked our home.
They took our valuables and made us give them our food. Then my mother got brave and tried to fight them from taking anymore of our possessions. I tried to help her, and I was victorious for a while. Soon enough, father arrived to try and save us. But in the process I was knocked unconscious and was unable to maintain my morphed form. When my true persona appeared, the soldiers saw that I was both Zion and Shen. They became furious and took no pity on us.
When I awoke, I was in a cold steel room, my arms strapped above my head. More Zion militia came into the room and beat me, almost to death. But they spared me just enough life to be able to rape me." At her last words, Niko clenched his shirt tighter in her hands. Gohan continued his attempts to comfort her, knowing that it wasn't easy for her to tell him this.
"Then they left me in the cold room with no clothes and no food. Eventually I was properly taken care of, but not after they made sure I had suffered. They were using me as bait for my father. I wanted him to come and rescue me, but I prayed that he didn't dare do such a thing, knowing he wouldn't survive it. But sure enough, he came. The last thing I remember was seeing them gang him, crawling on him like flies on a dead carcass. Then I blacked out.
This time when I woke, I saw my father's face smile back at me. For a moment, I thought it was all a dream, a nightmare really. But then he explained to me that we were on a ship headed for another planet, and we had barely escaped with our lives, thanks to me. He told me that I exploded with rage and caused more destruction that the war. I knew he was joking, but I got his point. I asked about my mother and sister. When his face grew somber, I knew what was coming. He told me that Zia had escaped. She had run back to her grandmother's house. He assured me he would be safe there. Then he said that mother had been killed, sometime after they had knocked me unconscious. He said that... that he had fought for her with everything he had, but he couldn't protect her. I never blamed him for her death, although I think he felt that it was his fault.
We settled on the next planet. I shielded our energies so that they may not find us. I knew they would hunt us down until they were sure that we were dead. They would carry out their revenge, no matter what. Even to the death.
I made a few friends. We lived peacefully there for almost a year until they found us. They destroyed everything, our home, and our ship, even my friends. They didn't deserve to die, and it's my fault that they're dead. I couldn't help them. I wasn't able to save them.
We managed to find a new ship, and a new planet that wasn't very far away from the first. This time I had fallen in love for the first time. His name was Lelio, and I loved him with all my heart. He's the only other soul that I've told this story. I thought that if he knew, maybe he would leave me. I didn't want him to be killed like the rest. But his love for me held him back. He said he would never leave me. And he didn't, until they killed him too.
Finally we became desperate. We put our new ship into overdrive and skipped as fast as we could through each galaxy we came upon. Until we reached Earth. On our journey we heard the stories of the magnificent fighters of this planet. Some said it was the strongest planet in the whole universe. So we took our chances here. We thought that if we were followed, the fighters of Earth would help us.
As we arrived we heard more stories of how the Saiyans had nearly taken over Earth if it hadn't have been for Goku. We were able to stay here, near the woods, in peace for quite some time. Each day we trained in perparation for the Zion military that would surely come after us. Soon, we heard rumors that the evil Frieza had survived Namek's explosion and was on his way to Earth. We thought it was just talk, but father told me that I should be there if he arrives, to make sure he hadn't allied himself with any Zion forces. So I made sure that I was there when he arrived.
That's when I saw all of you for the first time. You were so young back then, and so cute too. But I could tell that you weren't like any other child. You were already well on your way to becoming a warrior. I learned of the Androids just as your father did. I also trained for three years to prepare for the battle. My father's age was holding him back, so he allowed me to train on my own. By the time it had come to fight those Androids, my father and me agreed it would be best if my identity weren't revealed to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. We had managed to live on this planet for five years without any disturbance. We didn't think there would be a need to seek your help any longer. But he still wanted me to defeat the Androids if it looked as if you guys weren't able to handle them.
Anyway, a while after you had defeated Cell, I felt them coming. It was a ship with a small army on board. I knew that they had come to destroy the entire planet, but this time I was determined not to let that happen. So I went to the guardian of the planet, Dende, for advise. I told him the same story I'm telling you now and he thought with my advanced training I should be able to handle them. So I fought them. But Zia was with them. I couldn't bring myself to harm her. She managed to escape with my father, and I ended up having to kill her to get him back. My father was the only thing that they hadn't taken from me, and I wasn't giving in so easily. But eventually I slipped up, and he was killed too. I had no one for a while. Then Piccolo said that he cared for me, that he would protect me with his life. And he did save me. That time I had tried to kill myself by jumping into the icy pond. He had revived me and gave me back my life. I tried to let him figure it out on his own so that I wouldn't have to tell him. I fed him these visions while he slept. But he didn't interpret them in the way I had intended. But now there's no one. No one except you," she finished clutching him tighter in hopes of bringing him closer.
Gohan couldn't believe it. She had been here all that time, and no one had even had a clue. She had told him the whole story through and through. But he still felt that her soul was tormented, she still suffered. She was holding something else back. "You haven't told me everything, have you?" he asked.
She cried into his chest but no tears came, she had none left. After she had mildly calmed down, she felt she was able to speak. "No, there's only one other thing."
***
Okay, that's the end of part one. Sorry it was kinda long, but it had to be done. Does everything make sense now? If it doesn't, just ask or email me and I'll answer all your questions. And I left you hanging a bit, but don't ask me about that, all will be revealed soon enough. I'm taking a break from this one to start on another fic. Some things in part two need to be filled in, and I have no idea how to do it. Suggestions are welcome. Maybe a break will clear my mind a bit. Well hope you enjoyed it. Review! Review!! Review!!!
Oh, and this is a little note to KaseiTomdatchi. Thank you so much for reviewing. I always enjoy your reviews. If you wouldn't mind to do so, in your next review will you please tell me your ideas about who the mysterious stranger was? Or you could just email them to me. You don't exactly have to do it, but it gives me a chance to see what some of my readers are interpreting from my writing. I'd appreciate it so much. And once again, thank you for all your support. -NaK
