CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: Possibilities
"Oh, oops" she smirked
"Nothing will happen" he frowned
"How?" it hit, his eyes widened in horror
"You can't kill it if it exists, I wouldn't let you" she scowled
"You couldn't stop me. No it's not like that anyway, you see-" she searched for the right words
"I'm not human, I don't.work that way. I don't even know if I can have kids, but I can.control, well, that" he blinked
"All the time?" she shook her head
"Not, all the time, but the first time yes" he shrugged and grinned
"Dam, I'm lucky to have you" she sighed, pressing closer to him
"I don't know about that" she whispered as his hands curled about her waist.
*
Tien left in the morning, and then strange things began to happen to him.
The next day he woke up feeling like the leavings of a dinosaur, one without a balance diet. He groaned to find his muscles would not respond. He managed to stand up with relatively little difficulty. He wobbled into the kitchen and suddenly felt sick, his stomach pitched at the thought of food. He staggered outside, feeling slow and clumsy. Chou came over from beating up Yamcha
"You ok?" he shook his head, his vision starting to blur. The last thing he remembered was Chou zu yelling and the taste of blood in his mouth
Miko jumped sending a large purple smear across her latest canvas. She screwed up her face in concentration. What was that? Suddenly it hit her
Perfectly manicured nails picked at a piece of what could have been a cross between an apple and a chicken. A morsel of some sort
"Sister" a voice hissed
"Have you no pride?" the unknown piece of food was hurled across the room
"Were the dreams not enough, you give of disrupting waves, your presence changes his mental state, you transferred your dreams to him, all without my help, but does it also go the other way I wonder? Such an interesting match, pity, he will have to die"
Tien became aware of a hand holding his before anything else. His vision returned with a blue haze over everything. He blinked a few times as the sounds of computers and people passing by somewhere near trickled into his sense. He saw Yamcha, Chou zu, Goku, Gohan, and finally Miko, she was sitting next to him on a chair, his hand enfolded in hers. It was odd, his hand was nearly twice the size of hers and yet it felt as if it belonged there
"What happened?" he was addressing no one in particular, Chou zu answered
"We don't know, you passed out, coughing up blood and convulsing. Miko turned up almost a minute later. The others sensed your ki going haywire and showed up later on. We brought you here, they said you had massive internal bleeding, other than that they have no idea" Tien turned to Miko, somehow knowing she would have the answers, her face was pinched and taut and beyond the point of white, it looked more like a pale pasty blue "What happened?" he repeated. She took a deep breath, glaring at the others, all but Chou zu left, he glared back at her. Tien stayed right out of it
"When we." Chou zu nodded, blushing slightly, Tien strangely enough was not embarrassed, Miko on the other hand had a tinge of blue to her cheeks
"Well you were already somehow picking up on my dreams, or maybe I picked up on yours, I don't know, but either way it's more than just empathic, it actually physically effects us. You know how cold it is" Tien nodded, shivering. Chou zu was frowning
"Over the past few months both of us have had similar dreams, for some reason they affect both me and Tien to the point that body heat drops to below zero degrees, literally. Last time it happened, I had to shove his hand in a gas fire, the fire went out" Chou zu gaped. She felt Tien squeeze her hand gently, trying to reassure, him she had not told him about this before, she had not wanted to worry him
"And, after we." Chou zu just nodded
"I found out, for some reason it happens, and I'm only guessing but, I think he may be catching my memories as well"
Now Chou zu was really confused
"What would that have to do with injuries" she took another deep breath, he could feel her brainwaves becoming more erratic
"I was a wild kid, prone to seizures, which were in fact my twins injuries, I suffered a lot of what she did, Tien has somehow caught onto the memory of one of these instances"
"How do we block it?"
"I don't know"
"How come you haven't caught any of his?"
"I don't know"
Miko sighed and kissed Tien's forehead. She knew which one this was. When she had been in gym class at age thirteen, she had just finished scaling the rock wall for the eighth time, going up and down playing pranks on the other kids as they tried to get to the top alone. She had not been afraid of falling because she had on a harness, however weak it was to her, she had tried in the past and found she could snap it if she pulled hard enough. She had had an attack right at the top, she had thrashed about so hard she broke the safety rope and fell. She left cracks in the polished hardwood floor and crushed most of her ribs in the process. She gingerly pulled up Tien's shirt, as she had predicted there were several lumps from unhealed ribs and heavy bruising. Chou zu gaped
"So what can we do about it?" Tien asked, replacing his shirt, Miko shrugged
"I don't know, maybe since you're telepathic, yes I knew you were" she answered his shocked face; he had not told her he and Chou zu were telepathic
"Maybe because of that we can place a block or something, or else you'll have to sift through all my memories, and trust me, that would kill you"
"Maybe Dende can help" her face darkened, Tien knew all too well the reason; Miko did not like Dende, and that was putting it lightly.
Mio scowled again and thought hard
"Unless."
Tien blinked as Miko left the room, returning with a small bottle that looked as if it contained pills
"My meds" she said expressionlessly
"I never took them, they suppress schizophrenia, didn't work for me but they might for you" Chou zu was eying them up
"I don't know, they may not work" Tien grinned "We could always ask Dende"
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: Evil approaches-the weak shall fall
As it happened, Tien did not need the meds, the dream ended and life returned to some semblance of normal. It had already been eight months, but no evil arrived
A long sword swished through the air, slicing the unfortunate training partner in half
"Mosta!" a short sturdily built green woman entered
"What is wrong with the engines"
"We have run out of almalgi core substance your majesty" there was a growl of annoyance
"Well raid the nearest planet and get some"
"Thank you your majesty" the woman scuttled away
Miko sighed, Dende had been scouting about for a while
"She has been stationary for over three weeks now"
"Engine trouble" she grunted, somehow picking up on parts of her twin's thoughts"
"How long?" Tien asked
"It gives us another month maybe, but no more than that"
* Tien frowned, the evil was so close, it would arrive in a days time. He wrapped his arms around Miko, sensing her tension. He decided to fix that, he could always tell when he truly had her
Miko smiled indulgently as his teeth nibbled at her neck. Her throat began to vibrate, she couldn't help it when he did this. His lips move up to her ear, breathing softly. She smiled wider as his hands slid around her hips, his fingers joining each other just below her navel. She grinned and leant against him. It was fun to let him think he was the one doing the seducing. He could never resist her, she called the shots.
Tien couldn't help but smirk, he had one hell of a catch, and the best thing was no one else could have her, only him. He smiled again. It had been a while since anything weird had happened, they went out perhaps twice a week, spent most nights together, and lived in calm peaceful togetherness, and after all the weird stuff both of them had gone through it was just what they needed. And all too soon it would be ending. He touched her shoulder with a fingertip, she moaned softly to acknowledge him, still purring, how he loved that sound
"Listen, I have a surprise for you" she smiled, her hands slipping behind him to lock around the small of his back
"Really" she said playfully
"Nothing I haven't seen?" he chuckled and stepped back a few paces
"Coming?" he asked a slight smile playing across his lips. She took his extended hand her lifted into the air, she flew next to him, she practised flying little now, so he steadied her with one hand, she carried her own weight but let him steer. She love to fly like this, the wind sent her hair whipping out behind her, she reached over and kissed Tien on the cheek, he glanced at her and grinned, his three eyes twinkling, Miko knew the purpose of this excursion, tomorrow she would face her twin.
Tien landed next to Chou zu, the little guy nodded and took off with a laughing Sheme. Tien seated himself in front of the fire. Miko grinned as she settled herself next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. He grinned as the thick curtain obscured his arm from view
"Hey I thought we should make tonight special if anything happens tomorrow" he said quietly, Miko nodded
Sitting around a fire all alone with Tien was extremely comforting, Miko was terrified of what might happen, so she would make the most of the time they had left, they had been together three months now, the happiest of her life, Miko had never asked for the responsibility of Sheme but she had him anyway, and Tien had been given Chou zu to guard, though she never found out why, she handed Tien the last hot dog, she had gotten him addicted to them and she wasn't at all hungry, he stared at her worriedly
"You've hardly eaten anything"
"I'm not hungry" he drew her into his arms
"Hey don't worry, I've been through stuff like this more than once, I won't let anything happen to you ok" he told her softly, Miko wondered how Tien was getting on looking after Sheme, Tien had asked him to watch the kid tonight, he said he wanted to speak to her alone
"What was it you wanted to say to me?" she asked softly
"That I love you" he said after a pause, Miko felt her eyes widen
"What?"
"I love you" he repeated, fear flashing into his eyes. Miko reached up and kissed him intensely
"I love you too" she whispered in his ear.
Tien breathed a sigh of relief, his third eye forever on alert, he wrapped his arms around her protectively, setting her on his lap, she sighed contentedly, he kissed her cheek softly, enjoying the feel of her hair against his face.
Miko settled into Tien's arms, she was an old fashioned girl at heart, he made the perfect arm chair. His arms twined from her shoulders to her waist, she leaned her head into his collarbone, he rested his chin on her shoulder, she smiled tiredly and whispered in his ear, his third eye focused on her "Tonight may be our last together" he nodded, and gently lifted her as he stood, she let her tired body rest on him as he lay her down on her bed and lay next to her, kissing her neck, she returned his kiss and wrapped her arms around his waist, closing her eyes.
Tien smiled as she fell asleep, not even purring, too worried, he was content to hold her, he himself was too worried to sleep, more worried than her, he wasn't afraid of dying, there were many times he would have laid down his life but didn't need to, and he had once already, but he was worried for Miko, she was more delicate than she would have people believe, she was also an incredible actress, he had seen proof of this more than once when she had him on, he still couldn't tell if she was messing with him or not, though she rarely did, she was serious by nature but she was passionate, when she loved some thing or some one she did so with incredible intensity, her little brother, flying once she got the hang of it, he still remembered the thrill of carrying her through the air by her waist, the way she laughed and stretched out full length, the wind sending her hair to tickle his chin, it had grown remarkably fast he thought, he had hardly recognized her with it dyed and sheared, but then that had been her intention when she ran from them. He grinned remembering the swim suit she had been modelling, how she had had the photographer so bedazzled he believed she was from some island off the coast, she had even faked a perfect foreign accent, only her curses had led him to figure out who she was. He pulled her closer to him as she murmured in sleep. Her hair fanned out under her.
Authors note: Awwwwwwww, how sweet ^_^, dammit I'm so soppy
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: Draw the line-step across it
Miko awoke with arms around her; she smiled into the familiar bulk of Tien. She grinned and wriggled a little further up on the soft deerskin to kiss him awake, his eyes opened as she smiled into his lips. He pulled away and yawned
"Morning" he said cheerily
"I fell asleep"
"I didn't mind, you look better asleep" Miko snorted indignantly, and shoved him off the deer skin, he yelped in surprise before collapsing into that deep laugh of his she heard only on occasion, he sat up and yawned, while she stayed under the soft furry double sided rug turned quilt he had made for her birthday, she smiled as he stretched and yawned, his rolling muscles providing a very satisfying sight
"What're you lookin at?" he said jokingly, she grinned
"Nothing, just a scrawny chunk of man" he sputtered indignantly
"It was a compliment" she told him innocently, she heard a yawn as Chou zu awoke, he must have brought Sheme back after they had fallen asleep
"Morning" she called, Tien yawned, and got to his feet, Miko grinned as he sat down next to her on the quilt
"Listen Miko, no heroics ok, you're strong but you're still defenceless against most of the others, please, just stay back, we can handle this ok" Miko scowled
"I'm the only hope for the earth remember? If you wanna stand a chance it has to be me who defeats her, and I mean come on, you should be happy, another one of me, all you could handle" she told him, trying to lighten the mood enough to get him off her case
"No jokes, I couldn't stand to lose you" he said seriously, Miko sat bolt upright, thoroughly pissed off
"And how do you think I would feel if you got hit huh!? If I die, I die with you!" she told him angrily
Tien stared at her, she had not yelled at him for a long time, and she was scary when she yelled, he raised his hands in case she decided to hit him, he was in no mood for a reaction like that, if she decided to hurt him she would, and it would not be an easy task surviving
"No Miko, I'll be fine but..I want you to stay out of it, you won't stand a chance" she jumped to her feet. He cringed
"Excuse me! Then why might I ask are you cowering in fear then!" she spat. He jumped to his own feet
"I can't protect you if something goes wrong, if I get stuck in a fight I can't watch out for you, I need to know you're safe, come on Miko! You don't stand a chance!" he suddenly jumped back as she hit him with all her might, he flew into a tree, leaving a large dent, the tree groaned and fell, he jumped up
"See! You couldn't even send me straight through that tree! I couldn't handle seeing you hurt!" he said trying to reason with her, make her see he couldn't protect her in the heat of battle
"I am the only hope for this planet, you expect me to stand by and just watch while you all die!" she screamed, Tien noticed Chou zu hiding behind a tree
"If I wanted to I could just go with her and rule the universe" she said softly
"But I won't, either way there's no way I can stay out of it, I'm the one she's after and I'm the only one who can beat her"
"And just how are you going to do that!" Tien yelled
"IF I KNEW I WOULDN'T BE WASTING MY TIME ARGUING WITH YOU!!" she shrieked, Tien was surprised. She hadn't sworn of yet
"You ignorant idiot! Do you have any idea just how much I have thought about this, I hear her dreams, I know what she feels, I feel her pain, suffer her injuries, she's coming, I just can't hide, if I die I die fighting, there's no other way, either way I have to face her, there's no way around it, if I'm not with you she'll just rip you all apart and come after me, I won't have your blood on my hands without at least trying to stop it" she dropped her hands, no more words coming to her aid, Tien gaped, his mouth moving wordlessly. She turned away
Don't make what could be our last day together like this" she pleaded, Tien shook his head, unable to accept she was his only hope, that he couldn't protect her, she looked over her shoulder
"I'm sorry" she took off, flying more accurately than he had ever seen, he watched her go, when the tiny spec that was the best thing in his life disappeared
Authors note: Yeah well, it was too cosy, you gotta have some fireworks, I could have made it louder or something but I wanted it to be more about love than anger, if you get what I mean.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE: I face the dark-life extinguished
Tien turned to see Chou zu peeking out from behind the tree
"She was real mad" he stated the obvious in his childlike voice. Tien nodded sadly
"I know Chou zu, come on, let's get packed up, the others want to meet in an hour or so, for a reunion, just in case" Chou zu nodded and they began packing what little belongings they had and needed
Miko brushed away angry tears, why didn't he understand, she hadn't fought with him like this in a long time, once or twice in the first month of their relationship but never a screaming match to this magnitude. She closed her eyes. Realising she hadn't lost control once in the whole time since she had taken off
"Damn you Tien! Damn you for making me love you" she shouted at the air, she had no idea where she was going except that she didn't want to get there, just keep flying, so far and so fast, until all her problems just forgot about her, and she could go back to her old insignificant self, without the burden of being "earth's only hope" a voice reverberated inside her head
"Not now" she muttered, grinding her teeth savagely
"Miko! What are you doing!"
"Piss off!"
"But Mik-"
"Get out of my head" images of painful tortures shot back through the telepathic connection, she heard a yelp and everything went still, she closed her eyes, turning upwards, forgetting if only for a second all her troubles in the strong winds that sent her mid thigh length hair flying out around her head, she turned loops and performed aerial gymnastics with amazing skill, feeling air pressure pulling at her skin. She opened her eyes to see purple before she impacted something extremely hard. Her yelp of surprise was muffled as her nose smacked right into Piccolo's chest, she backed up rapidly and fell, her former skill deserting her, she scowled and crossed her arms, gravity overpowering her ki
Piccolo growled as he realised she had no intention of saving herself, he swooped down after her, she fell neatly into his arms, he descended rapidly, dropping her as soon as his feet hit the ground
"What did you think you were doing!" he told her sternly, she didn't seem to be listening, still sitting as he had dropped her, suddenly she buried her head in her hands, resting her arms on her knees, he groaned exasperatedly and knelt down beside her
"What's wrong, you're not so weak landing on your rear would hurt that much" she didn't raise her head, sobbing quietly
"Look at me" he ordered, lifting her head gently, she stared at him through swollen eyes, he inwardly groaned, he loathed tears, they embarrassed him, maybe this was one of the reasons he found himself less and less annoyed by Miko, he quickly learned once she opened up in the past that she too, loathed anything she perceived as weakness, when he thought about it, there were few times she genuinely cried, even when she faked it as well she did not particularly like it
"What is it?" he persisted, she took a deep shuddering breath
"Tien and I had a huge fight" Piccolo growled frustratedly
"So, what're you worried about?"
"For god's sake! I'm not like you, I can't just hide my emotions away forever, and it isn't helped by the fact the man I love started giving me orders this morning!!" she yelled, he found himself questioning that, she was very good at hiding her real emotions, and replacing them with certain ones that would get her what she wanted. He backed up a few inches, not used to an outburst of this kind from her, she normally swore more than she spoke articulate words, but he had learned soon enough she was more upset when she didn't swear
"Listen, if he really loves you he'll come around, he's probably just worried" he said as comfortingly as he could without losing his liquid breakfast, she buried her head
"Was it what I think it's about?" He asked gruffly, his deep voice rumbling against the tiny hiccups making her entire body shake, she nodded
"He expects me to hide like a feeble little wimp, I'm not as strong as you guys but for Christ's sake she's my twin! He wants me to "stay right out of it, 'cos he can't protect me if he's locked in a battle! Come on, for god's sake I'm the one she's after, I have to face her some time!" she was yelling at him. Her cheeks pink from the effort of yelling after bawling her eyes out, Piccolo let her go, not really knowing what to say that would make her stop yelling at such close proximity to his sensitive ears without making her start blubbering again
"He thinks I can't defend myself, just because of the way he found me!" she raised her arms then brought them down in the dirt, leaving sizable dents in the sand, Piccolo frowned
"How did he find you, he didn't say much" she blushed suddenly
"Oh some idiot spiked my drink and put a knife to Sheme's throat! And they- they, I would have killed all three of them if Sheme wasn't at risk, dam it! I didn't mean to tell you that!" Piccolo frowned
"Well you did, I won't say anything" she smiled weakly
"Thanks" he smirked
"Get up girl, you look like an imbecile" she scowled, though her eyes were a dead giveaway of her former state
"Come on, the others will be meeting soon, that's where I was heading, you looked like you were drunk girl" she scowled again
"I look worse now" she told him dejectedly, he nodded
"That's one thing you're right about" he took her arm and hauled her to her feet
"Can you fly" she took a deep breath
"Not without flying into a mountain or two, just leave me, I'll walk or something" Piccolo scowled
"Don't be stupid" she dusted of her rear, it was covered in grass stains
"You ruined my favourite pants!" she said hotly
"You may only have a day to enjoy them, get on" he turned to allow her to climb onto his back, growling in annoyance as she positioned herself more comfortably, she seemed to find new way to be carried every time she fell out of the sky, and this gave her a lot of opportunities. He couldn't fathom why she did not let anyone other than Tien hold her by the waist, it seemed to annoy her. It was probably the easiest way to carry her, as it was impossible for her to block one's view if she panicked, and she did from time to time. He growled again as she placed her hands on his shoulders and used them to pull herself further up, her legs dug into his sides, and her feet hooked around his upper half, he had no intention of supporting her legs with his hands as most people would for what was known as a "piggy back ride" this ridiculous name did not make sense to him, but he shrugged it off
"Ready?"
"Yeah" he took off, flying over the desert area
Miko hiccupped a few times before she got herself under control, she was a wreck, she was also aware she was filthy after being dropped in the dirt, her nose was also aching, geezuz Piccolo was as solid as Tien, she inwardly winced
"Drop me here" she said softly, remembering Piccolo's sensitive ears. He nodded, they were flying over a grassy area, covered in the occasional tree, meadows spreading for a couple of miles, Miko's eyes were aching and she had no intention of returning in her bedraggled state. Piccolo landed with a thud and she slid the nearly three feet down to land on her feet,
"Thanks, I just want to sort myself out before I join you guys" he nodded
"You'll be alright?" he asked, not changing his expression or tone. She nodded, waving as he jumped into the air
Tien sat on a rock on the Briefs' estate, the rest of the Z fighters were grouped a little way away, making strategies for every possible situation they could think of. He sat expressionlessly, staring ahead, why wouldn't she listen? Why couldn't she understand, he would die to protect her but if he couldn't then what would happen to her? Not only was she earth's only hope, she was the love of his life. He couldn't lose her, he wouldn't lose her, if he had to tie her down she would stay out of it, they would find a way to beat her twin without her, if he had to die to do it. A shadow blocked out the light above him
Gohan started at the sight of Tien's face, there were no tears, but he was so white he could have been dead, his skin was pulled tight, making is eyes stand out even further, his jaw was taut, stressed, Gohan felt sure if he had had hair it would be falling out
"You ok?" Tien nodded
"Just worried"
About what might happen? Hey where's Miko? She hasn't turned up yet" Tien shook his head
"I don't know"
"Did you guys have a fight or something?" Tien shook his head
"It doesn't matter"
"Tien, she's a warrior too, you can't let your personal feelings get to you, she'll be alright, I mean look what she's done in the past. Believe me, it never gets easier. I mean, I've watched my dad fight for earth so many times and it still scares me witless but you get to realise that they have a right to take a stand for what is right as well" Tien shook his head
"She doesn't stand a chance"
"Neither do we, but I'd say that she knows that if we lose there's no doubt she'll die, as will the rest of us, but she'll want to die fighting" Tien sighed and shook his head
"I don't know if I can watch her fight for her life Gohan, I just don't"
"It looks like you don't have much of a choice, short of knocking her senseless, which you could never do, you'd stand no chance of holding her back"
Miko splashed water over her face, hoping the cold would return her to some semblance of normalcy, she glared at her reflection in the water, her face was pale and her eyes were still blue and swollen, she wondered what her sister was doing
Just outside earths atmosphere, behind the moon, a sultry voice "hmmed"
"I am waiting sister, there is something that must be done before we meet, I wonder how you would feel if I killed that boyfriend of yours hmm? No you would not be pleased, maybe that little brat, how dare you? Women such as ourselves do not dote on children, ahh but sister, we will enjoy ruling the universe, we will be the masters, men shall no longer be the ruling species" pale fingers rolled a silvery coloured earring
"Why did you give away your earring, it is your only link to your heritage. No matter, you still have the other two, " the earring exploded in the pale palm
"I wonder why they believe I would harm them if they gave you up easily, trust your instincts sister, they will not let you live" the last words were almost a hiss
~~~~~~~~
"The world passes by me
I with you beside me
Melting into the dark
Time hounds me Chasing me Like a hound on a blood trail
Blood from my bleeding heart And fear
Fear
Fear
Gods the fear
I melt into the darkness Forget about me
Leave me be
Leave me be Please?
I cry
I die
I plead
Leave me be?
My last words A desperate call as I draw my last breath
Don't let me fall"
~~~~~~~~~
CHAPTER FOURTY: The fifth hour
Miko straightened up. She rose unsteadily into the air and swooped away, using all of her recovered ki to hold onto flight, after twenty minutes Capsule Corp came into view
Goku paced, where the heck was Miko? She should be with them, he suddenly looked up flicker of ki came from the west, even as her ki had grown she was still hard to sense, she had taken to training with 18, Goku grinned at the thought of the two skimpily dressed fighters decking each other with incredible grace, to eyes who could follow it was more like a dance, Miko had master the use of ki for fighting incredibly quickly, yet her flying was still as wonky as it had been the day she had learned to steer, well half learned, but when she upset she suddenly became extremely accurate. She was a strange one. Unnoticed by the others he rose into the air
Miko felt Goku approach. She sighed and pulled up, she was tired and sore, all the aches of being forcibly dropped from several feet above her own height coming back to her, she was in no suitable condition for battle. Goku slowed to a halt next to her
"Good you're her-hey what happened" he peered at her worriedly, Miko cursed her eyes, a dead giveaway she had been crying, she hated crying but she was so human she couldn't hold them back forever
"You ok?" Goku was staring at her. She stared anywhere but his face, the ground a passing cloud, his shirt, his boot, her own
"Did you hear me?" he persisted, she shook her head
"What happened?"
"It doesn't matter" she said hollowly
"Yeah, it does, did you and Tien have a fight"
Goku steeped back as she growled in exasperation
"Why does everyone assume that because I look like shit that it's because of that stupid hulking idiot of a two celled organism!" Goku didn't trying to understand what she just said, settling for knowing she was annoyed
"Ok" he said slowly
"So what is it?" she took several deep breaths
"Has anyone ever considered that through all of this, it's my sister you're planning to kill destroy hurt or maim" she ticked of the word on her fingers
"My sister! MY TWIN!! Until eight months ago I was just a weird looking teenager with a kid to look after!! Then two idiots grabbed me out of a street and my whole life changes, some scrawny green kid tells me I have to save earth! by killing my twin! who I never knew I had until I had to find her, need I go on!" she spat the words at him, Goku gaped
"If it bothered you so much why didn't you say something"
"Oh excuse me I was a little preoccupied with jumping off towers eight miles up running from all powerful idiots who wanted me dead and then fighting those all powerful idiots" she spat, her voice rising even higher, Goku inched away
"Ok I get it" he said quietly. She suddenly dropped to the ground landing like a cat. he Goku landed next to her
"You gonna be ok in time?" he asked, she was a wreck, he couldn't picture her saving the world in her condition. She took another deep breath
"Yeah, I just need to get cleaned up" Goku nodded, taking her arm,
"Maybe you should take a senzu bean as well, you look like you've had a fall or two" he pulled her to her feet carefully, she nodded
"Flying into mountains does that to you" Goku grinned, she never could seem to fly accurately enough to avoid even mountains of all things. He lifted into the air, she half flew leaning some of her weight onto him, he placed two fingers to his head and they flashed out of sight
Miko blinked, they were inside Capsule Corp, Goku grinned at her
"Bulma's outside, I'll tell her you're just getting cleaned up ok?" she nodded and dragged herself down the unfamiliar corridor, finding her way to the corridor that housed her room She smiled, seeing the large poster of herself in the roman gear Bulma had stuck on the wall of her room as she entered. She opened the wardrobe and found all her clothes as she had left them. She pulled out everything, trying to find something suitable to fight in, she had used track pants and jogging tops to train but they would afford no protection and were liable to get caught if she were in a room as opposed to the open air. She tossed the many fashion items all over the place, she found nothing, she grabbed a pair of skatie jeans and a denim vest to go over a loose white singlet. She strolled to the bathroom that always seemed immaculate no matter what state she left it in, she suspected Bulma had more servo bots than she let on.
Bulma turned to face Goku
"Oh hey, seen Miko yet?"
"She flew in a while ago" Goku said quietly
"How come we didn't see her?"
"Oh she wanted to get cleaned up first, she said she was gonna get changed and shower then come out k?"
"Yeah. No problem here" Bulma retuned to arguing with Vegeta over whether she would come or not
Miko stripped quickly, feeling all her aches every time she moved, she stepped under the water and turned the temperature up to just below what would burn her skin, she had a remarkably high heat tolerance. With the water relaxing her muscles she scrubbed vigorously after a relaxing five minutes of standing. She wrinkled her nose as the dirt from her hands and feet swirled down the plug hole, she scowled at the scratches on her arms, she had flown into more than a mountain, a few forests had been decimated as she passed through them, simply bashing her way through before she managed to pull up. Ten minutes later she rinsed the shampoo out of her hair and stepped out. She ran a brush through her wet hair and dried off quickly. She slipped into her clothes carefully, wary of ripping them in her strength. Once dressed she ran a brush through her hair again and then plaited it carefully, she tied the thick rope and took a pair of scissors and sheared of ten inches off the brushed end then wove the shorn locks, Maori style, into a bracelet, this she slipped around her slender wrist. She then split her hair into several smaller plaits, wrapping them round her head to rest in a smooth shiny barrier around her skull. Next she went to the bottom draw of the vanity and pulled out a head piece and a single earring, the silvery band made up a sort of upside down tiara, in the middle of the basic shape a shining yellow pearl hung, identical to the earring. She slipped it over her controlled bangs and it seemed to sink through her hair, resting on her ears. She placed the earring in her left ear and studied herself in the mirror, it seemed to shimmer and a vision of herself with her face shrouded in darkness in long heavy robes with her hair in a single braid to her waist appeared, she stepped back and the mirror immediately jumped back to her original appearance, she took a deep breath and turned to go find Gohan
A pair of exquisitely painted lips curled
"My sister, you at least know they are of value, you have much to learn little sister" the purple woman scuttled in again
"We will be ready in three hours your majesty"
"Good" the icy voice said
"You do not need to worry about locating her any longer, I have found her myself" the purple woman bowed
"Your majesty has done better than the best scientists in the universe
"You may go Karva, I am in no mood for flattery"
"Thank you your majesty" the purple woman left the room quickly
Gohan felt a tap on his shoulder, he gaped; she was wearing jewellery similar to Zarbon's
"Where'd you get those" he said unsteadily
"Never mind, listen I need a favour, I have no clothes I can fight in, do you have anything that would fit me?" I mean everyone else is either ten sizes too big or ten too small, you're at least within my size range" Gohan grinned; he was in fact most likely three times her size, though she had a point; they were all male apart from 18 who did not need gi in any case and most easily twice her width, he grinned, thinking of Miko in Piccolo's or his fathers gi, it did not bring the most desirable image to mind, he shook his head amusedly and wondered how many times his own gi sash would fit around her waist, twice at least
"Go ask Piccolo"
"Huh? I hardly think he's have anything in my size, for Christ's sake he's two feet taller than me, and most likely twice my width, geez, his waist is larger than my shoulders" Gohan grinned wider
"Come on I'll show you" he took her hand and led her over to where Piccolo was leaning against a tree
"Hey Piccolo" the green man looked up
"Miko needs something to wear for battle"
"And what do you expect me to do about it"
"Come on, please" he scowled and stared at Miko for a second, her body suddenly glowed blue. She jumped back and the glow faded.
"Thanks" Gohan said
Miko stared at herself, she grinned and thanked Piccolo then strolled away, testing her new clothes, she found a grassy spot, no one looked up; too absorbed in plans to kill her twin, she was most definitely not ok with this, but she had no choice, it was fight or die, or both. She studied her clothing, the first layer was a tight thin cat suit that acted as a second skin, over that was a gi shirt, the light material following the same pattern as Piccolo's, only with a much higher neck line and lower down a skirt of sorts was wrapped around her, it was knee length with splits up to the waist band, allowing easy movement, the cat suit itself was the colour of her hair contrasting to the blue of the gi shirt and the skirt. The skirt was made of considerably thicker material than the top but it was still remarkably light. Running around the edges of the skirt was a ribbing of blood red, she grinned. On her feet were strong supple leather boots, they followed the slender shape of her legs up to an inch and a half below her knees, they were patterned with intricate twines of darker leather and hidden in tiny compartments were many of hidden weapons, small knives, throwing disks, jagged edged disks. The cat suit had thin but strong and flexible hip and shoulder pads and wrist bands, they were flexible but strong, there was a leather strap across her chest holding a slightly longer and wider than normal katana in a beautiful tapestried sheath across her shoulder blades, she found a long fighting stick in three hinged pieces strapped to the back of her right calf, outside her boots, there were knuckle dusters and leather fingerless gloves to protect her knuckles, she noted the narrow patches of material that appeared be fancy stitching were in fact cases holding narrow knifes, the was a cord she could pull and they would shoot up to wedge themselves above her fist, becoming part of her knuckle dusters. There was a small rapier wrapped in leather hidden to appear like a clip in her hair, there was also a sort of leather coil hanging from her waist. A kind of necklace hung around her neck, though she discovered the beads were actually little crackers, doing small damage when impacted with something but enough to cause pain, she tucked it out of sight. The waist band of the skirt was just below her waist, low enough so she could bend easily but high enough to not hinder her legs. she grinned the outfit was perfect, she danced back to Piccolo
Piccolo looked up and scowled as he saw her approach
"I'm not doing it again if you think it's wrong" he said, she grinned
"Actually I came to ask if there were any more weapons I should know about" he smirked
"In the katana sheath is a fold together cross bow for long distance shooting, if the knifes should not work there are tiny points on the knuckle dusters that will extend an inch each when you press the little button on your palm, each of the hip and shoulder pads hold a piece of metal which fit together to make a strong but light shield, on the inside of your thigh there is a small throwing knife and four fold out metal fans are concealed in the tassels of the skirt, one hanging from each corner, I take it you found the weapons in your hair and boots?"
"Yup. But geez am I that weak?" he nodded grimly
"The clothes themselves will deflect minor attacks and the bodysuit itself is unbreakable, after a few knocks it will let an attack through but still act as a visible covering" Miko grinned, how thoughtful of him to think of her dignity, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, he started as she danced away
"Thanks again" leaving him blushing furiously
Goku noticed Miko striding over to him in clothes that only Piccolo could have created
"Hey! Nice" he said approvingly
"Thanks, but geez these things have more weapons than threads, there's over thirty hidden weapons, not to mention the ones you can actually see, I'm not that weak am I?"
"Well it depends how you look at it, you're incredibly fast for the level of your ki but then again every female fighter seems to be, and besides he's probably just worried about you"
"Gee thanks. I really hate chauvinism" Goku grinned
"At least he made them for you at all" she shrugged
"Now where's that sensu bean" he noted her eyes were still shot with blue. A strange contrast to the golden pupils and fine defined eyebrows
"Here ya go, we got a whole bag, Karin was saving them up for today" he opened the bag hanging from his waist and pulled out the small vegetable, she took it and popped it in her mouth
"Ugh, they taste like crow crap" she said creatively, Goku grinned as her body seemed to swell for an instant then returned to normal.
"Hey cool" she said, flexing an arm, and lifting her leg, yoga fashion to straighten out directly beside her head, she was effectively doing vertical splits, she took her hand away and left her leg there
"I'm just stretching" she said in answer to Goku's stare, he couldn't help but marvel at her flexibility, more and more over the last seven months, since they had spent the six months in the hyperbolic time chamber he had been wondering how genuine she was, after all when he really thought about it, little things just didn't add up, they were so minor he would not normally have noticed them had he not seen Dende's concern when she was around. She sighed and brought her leg down slowly, bending her knee so as not to hit him in the head, she repeated the process with her other leg, balancing perfectly and chatting about trivial things as if she did this every day, and Goku suspected as she began to stretch the way he or anyone else would, she probably did, he grinned as she straightened up
"Maybe I should carry those" she indicated the brown bag
"Why?"
"Well if you're busy fighting then what're you gonna do if they get incinerated, besides they're in plain view, too easy to guess what they're for" he nodded and handed her the bag
"But where will you hide them?" he asked, searching her clothes for a hidden pocket, she grinned
"Never you mind" she turned around
Miko pulled open the high tight collar of the cat suit, the opened the bag and dropped the beans in to rest in the hidden pockets sewn into her bra, this was not Piccolo's doing, she had used them to store dope in the past when she had needed money for Sheme, though she had never used it. They fitted perfectly, invisible underneath the loose gi shirt, but if it was blown off they could be spotted, but not unless one knew what to look for, she turned around and handed Goku the empty bag
"Where?" he asked wonderingly
"Geezuz you're naive" she told him, striding over to the picnic table Bulma was setting
Bulma looked up to see Miko in full battle gear striding towards her, she grinned
"Lookin good sister, I sent Sheme and Trunks around the back to play"
"Cool, hey listen, I need a favour, do you have an encapsulised gun?"
"Yeah it' a ki gun, it captures ki and concentrates it, I've never tested it why?"
"Keep it near you, I want you to come with me, I don't know what'll happen but stay near, I'm gonna need your help if you want to come"
"I was coming anyway, there is no way I'm letting my husband go into battle unless I come to supervise"
"Cool, I know she's going to land in a massive ship, but I also know, most of the army she has with her can't breath earth's air, but them being her most powerful she brought them anyway, they'll have breathing suits on right?"
"Yeah"
"So, while the others are busy being macho men, we sneak around and suffocate half her army, leaving the strongest without breathable air, and we can shut down the power to her ship if we get inside too, which means she can't get away" Bulma's eyes were sparkling
"If I encapsulise any weapons I can get my hands on we could have some real fun, though I daresay you've got weapons hidden anywhere they'll fit" her eyes swept the outfit, sizing up possible places and reasons for the loose sleeveless shirt over the cat suit
"Piccolo's doing actually, there's about thirty or so hidden ones and five visible ones, he's actually got quite an imagination, but he didn't think of one thing"
"What?"
"This may be through embarrassment though you see. Ages ago I sewed hidden pocket to the inside of my bra, which means I can hide the sensu beans"
"What were you using them for before"
"I used to deal when I needed money though I never used, it's one of the few places they won't find it, and my perfume hid it from the dogs"
"Ingenious, you had a lot to deal with back then"
"Yeah, but I survived, and Sheme's doing great, and besides it gives me extra cleavage" Bulma laughed
"I'll get going"
"I'll finish up here for you, we have about three hours before she gets here" Bulma strode away. Grinning from ear to ear; she never got over the thrill of making things that could top her husband, she had a few surprises for him.
Vegeta turned to see Bulma striding over to him; she was in a skin tight body suit
"I told you woman you are not coming!" he half yelled, Gohan and Krillin glanced at him. He straightened his armour. She stopped a few feet from him, grinning from ear to ear
"Oh yes I am"
"No you are not, you will only get in the way!" he yelled, the real reason was he wouldn't be able to handle seeing her hurt, though he would never admit this
"Actually, I have a purpose, she's on a ship, and half her army can't breath this air" she pulled a capsule from her belt, it was strapped around her hips, it looked more like an ammunition belt, the dark red contrasting strongly with the midnight blue of her body suit
"This contains a virus and a terminal, I shut down their systems, they have nothing to breathe and they die, then over half her army is gone, and I have a few other surprises" Vegeta growled furiously
"I don't give a damn, if I have to tie you down you will stay here!" Miko tapped him on the shoulder
"You may as well save your breath, it won't stop her, and anyway she's actually better protected than you are" he scowled
"What would you know, pathetic woman!" he heard a female version of his own growl
"Actually, if you bothered to ask" Bulma said, pronouncing each word with a bite
"You would find that this suit is twice the strength of your armour" he scowled darkly
"Fine woman, but if you get in the way I will fire whether you get hit or not" he threatened, she shrugged
"Whatever" her hair was pulled into a similar style to Miko's. Vegeta turned to snarl at the smirking girl
"You did this" he hissed
"No actually, Bulma was going to come anyway, I just gave her a few ideas, she's actually better off than any of us" Vegeta snarled and turned back to sorting through possible attack plans in his head. His ears picked up her boots walking away
In the throne covered by shadow, the figure of a shapely woman was becoming visible
"Dear sister, I can sense your thoughts now, they have told you little of their plan then, how clever, though you are too weak at this point to be of any use, though I must say your speed is admirable, you went in eight months from the ki of an extremely strong and limber human to become the equal of any of their number though none of you know that yet, it will take something to trigger you, release that energy, you have proven by the mere act of flying that you have great potential but even after this you will need extensive training, it is a pity you will not join me willingly, but still, maybe you will with some convincing we will rule together as it was when we were but children. Maybe you have plans, I sense the guardian blocking my attempts to reach you, no matter, you will come to me, you will if you want that pathetic boyfriend of yours to live, maybe he could live under your feet as a lapdog or a toy. Never mind, such small details can be dealt to later, ahh I see there are those among them who can be controlled, the warrior Vegeta, the traitor, and his mate I see, well this is getting better every minute, my, my sister you have sentimental friends, of course this make everything so much easier, I have searched seven years for you, you have done little with your life I see, well we shall fix that shan't we sister"
Miko sat on the grass fidgeting, she had kept thoughts of Tien from her mind until now, she had lied to Goku, but she was getting sick of everyone reading her like a book, she was a private person. Suddenly a voice echoed into her mind
"Sister" her own voice hissed
"Huh?"
"MIKO!" there was a crackling sound and king Kai's voice echoed into her head
"Miko! Listen ignore her voice, Dende and I will hold her, don't listen, she is near, very near! Get the others ready!" there was another crackling sound and then nothing, she focused hard
"Dende?"
"What Miko?"
"What the hell's going on?"
"Close your mind, we'll hold her"
"Ok, but don't risk yourself"
"We'll be fine, now hurry"
"Good luck" silence. Miko jumped to her feet, suddenly Tien appeared before her
"We have to talk" she nodded
"Listen. She's coming, there's no time"
"No, I'm sorry" she nodded
"Me too, we'll have to leave it at that, were made up ok" he nodded and ran with her to Goku
Goku looked up as Miko skidded to a halt
"She's coming!" she cried, they all heard and looked up, as if on cue a huge shape covered the sun's light, the massive ship entered the atmosphere in a ball of fire. It hovered a hundred feet above the ground. the Z fighters stood close together, waiting . Each mentally preparing themselves for what was coming, the ship was identical to the one Freiza had come to earth in. it hovered for a second, the burning heat from it's engines washing over them al them shot into the distance, Goku rose into the air
"Come on"
A/N: DUN DUN!!!!
Just one review peoples and I write the drama. It only gets mre confusing. Review! Review!
"Oh, oops" she smirked
"Nothing will happen" he frowned
"How?" it hit, his eyes widened in horror
"You can't kill it if it exists, I wouldn't let you" she scowled
"You couldn't stop me. No it's not like that anyway, you see-" she searched for the right words
"I'm not human, I don't.work that way. I don't even know if I can have kids, but I can.control, well, that" he blinked
"All the time?" she shook her head
"Not, all the time, but the first time yes" he shrugged and grinned
"Dam, I'm lucky to have you" she sighed, pressing closer to him
"I don't know about that" she whispered as his hands curled about her waist.
*
Tien left in the morning, and then strange things began to happen to him.
The next day he woke up feeling like the leavings of a dinosaur, one without a balance diet. He groaned to find his muscles would not respond. He managed to stand up with relatively little difficulty. He wobbled into the kitchen and suddenly felt sick, his stomach pitched at the thought of food. He staggered outside, feeling slow and clumsy. Chou came over from beating up Yamcha
"You ok?" he shook his head, his vision starting to blur. The last thing he remembered was Chou zu yelling and the taste of blood in his mouth
Miko jumped sending a large purple smear across her latest canvas. She screwed up her face in concentration. What was that? Suddenly it hit her
Perfectly manicured nails picked at a piece of what could have been a cross between an apple and a chicken. A morsel of some sort
"Sister" a voice hissed
"Have you no pride?" the unknown piece of food was hurled across the room
"Were the dreams not enough, you give of disrupting waves, your presence changes his mental state, you transferred your dreams to him, all without my help, but does it also go the other way I wonder? Such an interesting match, pity, he will have to die"
Tien became aware of a hand holding his before anything else. His vision returned with a blue haze over everything. He blinked a few times as the sounds of computers and people passing by somewhere near trickled into his sense. He saw Yamcha, Chou zu, Goku, Gohan, and finally Miko, she was sitting next to him on a chair, his hand enfolded in hers. It was odd, his hand was nearly twice the size of hers and yet it felt as if it belonged there
"What happened?" he was addressing no one in particular, Chou zu answered
"We don't know, you passed out, coughing up blood and convulsing. Miko turned up almost a minute later. The others sensed your ki going haywire and showed up later on. We brought you here, they said you had massive internal bleeding, other than that they have no idea" Tien turned to Miko, somehow knowing she would have the answers, her face was pinched and taut and beyond the point of white, it looked more like a pale pasty blue "What happened?" he repeated. She took a deep breath, glaring at the others, all but Chou zu left, he glared back at her. Tien stayed right out of it
"When we." Chou zu nodded, blushing slightly, Tien strangely enough was not embarrassed, Miko on the other hand had a tinge of blue to her cheeks
"Well you were already somehow picking up on my dreams, or maybe I picked up on yours, I don't know, but either way it's more than just empathic, it actually physically effects us. You know how cold it is" Tien nodded, shivering. Chou zu was frowning
"Over the past few months both of us have had similar dreams, for some reason they affect both me and Tien to the point that body heat drops to below zero degrees, literally. Last time it happened, I had to shove his hand in a gas fire, the fire went out" Chou zu gaped. She felt Tien squeeze her hand gently, trying to reassure, him she had not told him about this before, she had not wanted to worry him
"And, after we." Chou zu just nodded
"I found out, for some reason it happens, and I'm only guessing but, I think he may be catching my memories as well"
Now Chou zu was really confused
"What would that have to do with injuries" she took another deep breath, he could feel her brainwaves becoming more erratic
"I was a wild kid, prone to seizures, which were in fact my twins injuries, I suffered a lot of what she did, Tien has somehow caught onto the memory of one of these instances"
"How do we block it?"
"I don't know"
"How come you haven't caught any of his?"
"I don't know"
Miko sighed and kissed Tien's forehead. She knew which one this was. When she had been in gym class at age thirteen, she had just finished scaling the rock wall for the eighth time, going up and down playing pranks on the other kids as they tried to get to the top alone. She had not been afraid of falling because she had on a harness, however weak it was to her, she had tried in the past and found she could snap it if she pulled hard enough. She had had an attack right at the top, she had thrashed about so hard she broke the safety rope and fell. She left cracks in the polished hardwood floor and crushed most of her ribs in the process. She gingerly pulled up Tien's shirt, as she had predicted there were several lumps from unhealed ribs and heavy bruising. Chou zu gaped
"So what can we do about it?" Tien asked, replacing his shirt, Miko shrugged
"I don't know, maybe since you're telepathic, yes I knew you were" she answered his shocked face; he had not told her he and Chou zu were telepathic
"Maybe because of that we can place a block or something, or else you'll have to sift through all my memories, and trust me, that would kill you"
"Maybe Dende can help" her face darkened, Tien knew all too well the reason; Miko did not like Dende, and that was putting it lightly.
Mio scowled again and thought hard
"Unless."
Tien blinked as Miko left the room, returning with a small bottle that looked as if it contained pills
"My meds" she said expressionlessly
"I never took them, they suppress schizophrenia, didn't work for me but they might for you" Chou zu was eying them up
"I don't know, they may not work" Tien grinned "We could always ask Dende"
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: Evil approaches-the weak shall fall
As it happened, Tien did not need the meds, the dream ended and life returned to some semblance of normal. It had already been eight months, but no evil arrived
A long sword swished through the air, slicing the unfortunate training partner in half
"Mosta!" a short sturdily built green woman entered
"What is wrong with the engines"
"We have run out of almalgi core substance your majesty" there was a growl of annoyance
"Well raid the nearest planet and get some"
"Thank you your majesty" the woman scuttled away
Miko sighed, Dende had been scouting about for a while
"She has been stationary for over three weeks now"
"Engine trouble" she grunted, somehow picking up on parts of her twin's thoughts"
"How long?" Tien asked
"It gives us another month maybe, but no more than that"
* Tien frowned, the evil was so close, it would arrive in a days time. He wrapped his arms around Miko, sensing her tension. He decided to fix that, he could always tell when he truly had her
Miko smiled indulgently as his teeth nibbled at her neck. Her throat began to vibrate, she couldn't help it when he did this. His lips move up to her ear, breathing softly. She smiled wider as his hands slid around her hips, his fingers joining each other just below her navel. She grinned and leant against him. It was fun to let him think he was the one doing the seducing. He could never resist her, she called the shots.
Tien couldn't help but smirk, he had one hell of a catch, and the best thing was no one else could have her, only him. He smiled again. It had been a while since anything weird had happened, they went out perhaps twice a week, spent most nights together, and lived in calm peaceful togetherness, and after all the weird stuff both of them had gone through it was just what they needed. And all too soon it would be ending. He touched her shoulder with a fingertip, she moaned softly to acknowledge him, still purring, how he loved that sound
"Listen, I have a surprise for you" she smiled, her hands slipping behind him to lock around the small of his back
"Really" she said playfully
"Nothing I haven't seen?" he chuckled and stepped back a few paces
"Coming?" he asked a slight smile playing across his lips. She took his extended hand her lifted into the air, she flew next to him, she practised flying little now, so he steadied her with one hand, she carried her own weight but let him steer. She love to fly like this, the wind sent her hair whipping out behind her, she reached over and kissed Tien on the cheek, he glanced at her and grinned, his three eyes twinkling, Miko knew the purpose of this excursion, tomorrow she would face her twin.
Tien landed next to Chou zu, the little guy nodded and took off with a laughing Sheme. Tien seated himself in front of the fire. Miko grinned as she settled herself next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. He grinned as the thick curtain obscured his arm from view
"Hey I thought we should make tonight special if anything happens tomorrow" he said quietly, Miko nodded
Sitting around a fire all alone with Tien was extremely comforting, Miko was terrified of what might happen, so she would make the most of the time they had left, they had been together three months now, the happiest of her life, Miko had never asked for the responsibility of Sheme but she had him anyway, and Tien had been given Chou zu to guard, though she never found out why, she handed Tien the last hot dog, she had gotten him addicted to them and she wasn't at all hungry, he stared at her worriedly
"You've hardly eaten anything"
"I'm not hungry" he drew her into his arms
"Hey don't worry, I've been through stuff like this more than once, I won't let anything happen to you ok" he told her softly, Miko wondered how Tien was getting on looking after Sheme, Tien had asked him to watch the kid tonight, he said he wanted to speak to her alone
"What was it you wanted to say to me?" she asked softly
"That I love you" he said after a pause, Miko felt her eyes widen
"What?"
"I love you" he repeated, fear flashing into his eyes. Miko reached up and kissed him intensely
"I love you too" she whispered in his ear.
Tien breathed a sigh of relief, his third eye forever on alert, he wrapped his arms around her protectively, setting her on his lap, she sighed contentedly, he kissed her cheek softly, enjoying the feel of her hair against his face.
Miko settled into Tien's arms, she was an old fashioned girl at heart, he made the perfect arm chair. His arms twined from her shoulders to her waist, she leaned her head into his collarbone, he rested his chin on her shoulder, she smiled tiredly and whispered in his ear, his third eye focused on her "Tonight may be our last together" he nodded, and gently lifted her as he stood, she let her tired body rest on him as he lay her down on her bed and lay next to her, kissing her neck, she returned his kiss and wrapped her arms around his waist, closing her eyes.
Tien smiled as she fell asleep, not even purring, too worried, he was content to hold her, he himself was too worried to sleep, more worried than her, he wasn't afraid of dying, there were many times he would have laid down his life but didn't need to, and he had once already, but he was worried for Miko, she was more delicate than she would have people believe, she was also an incredible actress, he had seen proof of this more than once when she had him on, he still couldn't tell if she was messing with him or not, though she rarely did, she was serious by nature but she was passionate, when she loved some thing or some one she did so with incredible intensity, her little brother, flying once she got the hang of it, he still remembered the thrill of carrying her through the air by her waist, the way she laughed and stretched out full length, the wind sending her hair to tickle his chin, it had grown remarkably fast he thought, he had hardly recognized her with it dyed and sheared, but then that had been her intention when she ran from them. He grinned remembering the swim suit she had been modelling, how she had had the photographer so bedazzled he believed she was from some island off the coast, she had even faked a perfect foreign accent, only her curses had led him to figure out who she was. He pulled her closer to him as she murmured in sleep. Her hair fanned out under her.
Authors note: Awwwwwwww, how sweet ^_^, dammit I'm so soppy
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: Draw the line-step across it
Miko awoke with arms around her; she smiled into the familiar bulk of Tien. She grinned and wriggled a little further up on the soft deerskin to kiss him awake, his eyes opened as she smiled into his lips. He pulled away and yawned
"Morning" he said cheerily
"I fell asleep"
"I didn't mind, you look better asleep" Miko snorted indignantly, and shoved him off the deer skin, he yelped in surprise before collapsing into that deep laugh of his she heard only on occasion, he sat up and yawned, while she stayed under the soft furry double sided rug turned quilt he had made for her birthday, she smiled as he stretched and yawned, his rolling muscles providing a very satisfying sight
"What're you lookin at?" he said jokingly, she grinned
"Nothing, just a scrawny chunk of man" he sputtered indignantly
"It was a compliment" she told him innocently, she heard a yawn as Chou zu awoke, he must have brought Sheme back after they had fallen asleep
"Morning" she called, Tien yawned, and got to his feet, Miko grinned as he sat down next to her on the quilt
"Listen Miko, no heroics ok, you're strong but you're still defenceless against most of the others, please, just stay back, we can handle this ok" Miko scowled
"I'm the only hope for the earth remember? If you wanna stand a chance it has to be me who defeats her, and I mean come on, you should be happy, another one of me, all you could handle" she told him, trying to lighten the mood enough to get him off her case
"No jokes, I couldn't stand to lose you" he said seriously, Miko sat bolt upright, thoroughly pissed off
"And how do you think I would feel if you got hit huh!? If I die, I die with you!" she told him angrily
Tien stared at her, she had not yelled at him for a long time, and she was scary when she yelled, he raised his hands in case she decided to hit him, he was in no mood for a reaction like that, if she decided to hurt him she would, and it would not be an easy task surviving
"No Miko, I'll be fine but..I want you to stay out of it, you won't stand a chance" she jumped to her feet. He cringed
"Excuse me! Then why might I ask are you cowering in fear then!" she spat. He jumped to his own feet
"I can't protect you if something goes wrong, if I get stuck in a fight I can't watch out for you, I need to know you're safe, come on Miko! You don't stand a chance!" he suddenly jumped back as she hit him with all her might, he flew into a tree, leaving a large dent, the tree groaned and fell, he jumped up
"See! You couldn't even send me straight through that tree! I couldn't handle seeing you hurt!" he said trying to reason with her, make her see he couldn't protect her in the heat of battle
"I am the only hope for this planet, you expect me to stand by and just watch while you all die!" she screamed, Tien noticed Chou zu hiding behind a tree
"If I wanted to I could just go with her and rule the universe" she said softly
"But I won't, either way there's no way I can stay out of it, I'm the one she's after and I'm the only one who can beat her"
"And just how are you going to do that!" Tien yelled
"IF I KNEW I WOULDN'T BE WASTING MY TIME ARGUING WITH YOU!!" she shrieked, Tien was surprised. She hadn't sworn of yet
"You ignorant idiot! Do you have any idea just how much I have thought about this, I hear her dreams, I know what she feels, I feel her pain, suffer her injuries, she's coming, I just can't hide, if I die I die fighting, there's no other way, either way I have to face her, there's no way around it, if I'm not with you she'll just rip you all apart and come after me, I won't have your blood on my hands without at least trying to stop it" she dropped her hands, no more words coming to her aid, Tien gaped, his mouth moving wordlessly. She turned away
Don't make what could be our last day together like this" she pleaded, Tien shook his head, unable to accept she was his only hope, that he couldn't protect her, she looked over her shoulder
"I'm sorry" she took off, flying more accurately than he had ever seen, he watched her go, when the tiny spec that was the best thing in his life disappeared
Authors note: Yeah well, it was too cosy, you gotta have some fireworks, I could have made it louder or something but I wanted it to be more about love than anger, if you get what I mean.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE: I face the dark-life extinguished
Tien turned to see Chou zu peeking out from behind the tree
"She was real mad" he stated the obvious in his childlike voice. Tien nodded sadly
"I know Chou zu, come on, let's get packed up, the others want to meet in an hour or so, for a reunion, just in case" Chou zu nodded and they began packing what little belongings they had and needed
Miko brushed away angry tears, why didn't he understand, she hadn't fought with him like this in a long time, once or twice in the first month of their relationship but never a screaming match to this magnitude. She closed her eyes. Realising she hadn't lost control once in the whole time since she had taken off
"Damn you Tien! Damn you for making me love you" she shouted at the air, she had no idea where she was going except that she didn't want to get there, just keep flying, so far and so fast, until all her problems just forgot about her, and she could go back to her old insignificant self, without the burden of being "earth's only hope" a voice reverberated inside her head
"Not now" she muttered, grinding her teeth savagely
"Miko! What are you doing!"
"Piss off!"
"But Mik-"
"Get out of my head" images of painful tortures shot back through the telepathic connection, she heard a yelp and everything went still, she closed her eyes, turning upwards, forgetting if only for a second all her troubles in the strong winds that sent her mid thigh length hair flying out around her head, she turned loops and performed aerial gymnastics with amazing skill, feeling air pressure pulling at her skin. She opened her eyes to see purple before she impacted something extremely hard. Her yelp of surprise was muffled as her nose smacked right into Piccolo's chest, she backed up rapidly and fell, her former skill deserting her, she scowled and crossed her arms, gravity overpowering her ki
Piccolo growled as he realised she had no intention of saving herself, he swooped down after her, she fell neatly into his arms, he descended rapidly, dropping her as soon as his feet hit the ground
"What did you think you were doing!" he told her sternly, she didn't seem to be listening, still sitting as he had dropped her, suddenly she buried her head in her hands, resting her arms on her knees, he groaned exasperatedly and knelt down beside her
"What's wrong, you're not so weak landing on your rear would hurt that much" she didn't raise her head, sobbing quietly
"Look at me" he ordered, lifting her head gently, she stared at him through swollen eyes, he inwardly groaned, he loathed tears, they embarrassed him, maybe this was one of the reasons he found himself less and less annoyed by Miko, he quickly learned once she opened up in the past that she too, loathed anything she perceived as weakness, when he thought about it, there were few times she genuinely cried, even when she faked it as well she did not particularly like it
"What is it?" he persisted, she took a deep shuddering breath
"Tien and I had a huge fight" Piccolo growled frustratedly
"So, what're you worried about?"
"For god's sake! I'm not like you, I can't just hide my emotions away forever, and it isn't helped by the fact the man I love started giving me orders this morning!!" she yelled, he found himself questioning that, she was very good at hiding her real emotions, and replacing them with certain ones that would get her what she wanted. He backed up a few inches, not used to an outburst of this kind from her, she normally swore more than she spoke articulate words, but he had learned soon enough she was more upset when she didn't swear
"Listen, if he really loves you he'll come around, he's probably just worried" he said as comfortingly as he could without losing his liquid breakfast, she buried her head
"Was it what I think it's about?" He asked gruffly, his deep voice rumbling against the tiny hiccups making her entire body shake, she nodded
"He expects me to hide like a feeble little wimp, I'm not as strong as you guys but for Christ's sake she's my twin! He wants me to "stay right out of it, 'cos he can't protect me if he's locked in a battle! Come on, for god's sake I'm the one she's after, I have to face her some time!" she was yelling at him. Her cheeks pink from the effort of yelling after bawling her eyes out, Piccolo let her go, not really knowing what to say that would make her stop yelling at such close proximity to his sensitive ears without making her start blubbering again
"He thinks I can't defend myself, just because of the way he found me!" she raised her arms then brought them down in the dirt, leaving sizable dents in the sand, Piccolo frowned
"How did he find you, he didn't say much" she blushed suddenly
"Oh some idiot spiked my drink and put a knife to Sheme's throat! And they- they, I would have killed all three of them if Sheme wasn't at risk, dam it! I didn't mean to tell you that!" Piccolo frowned
"Well you did, I won't say anything" she smiled weakly
"Thanks" he smirked
"Get up girl, you look like an imbecile" she scowled, though her eyes were a dead giveaway of her former state
"Come on, the others will be meeting soon, that's where I was heading, you looked like you were drunk girl" she scowled again
"I look worse now" she told him dejectedly, he nodded
"That's one thing you're right about" he took her arm and hauled her to her feet
"Can you fly" she took a deep breath
"Not without flying into a mountain or two, just leave me, I'll walk or something" Piccolo scowled
"Don't be stupid" she dusted of her rear, it was covered in grass stains
"You ruined my favourite pants!" she said hotly
"You may only have a day to enjoy them, get on" he turned to allow her to climb onto his back, growling in annoyance as she positioned herself more comfortably, she seemed to find new way to be carried every time she fell out of the sky, and this gave her a lot of opportunities. He couldn't fathom why she did not let anyone other than Tien hold her by the waist, it seemed to annoy her. It was probably the easiest way to carry her, as it was impossible for her to block one's view if she panicked, and she did from time to time. He growled again as she placed her hands on his shoulders and used them to pull herself further up, her legs dug into his sides, and her feet hooked around his upper half, he had no intention of supporting her legs with his hands as most people would for what was known as a "piggy back ride" this ridiculous name did not make sense to him, but he shrugged it off
"Ready?"
"Yeah" he took off, flying over the desert area
Miko hiccupped a few times before she got herself under control, she was a wreck, she was also aware she was filthy after being dropped in the dirt, her nose was also aching, geezuz Piccolo was as solid as Tien, she inwardly winced
"Drop me here" she said softly, remembering Piccolo's sensitive ears. He nodded, they were flying over a grassy area, covered in the occasional tree, meadows spreading for a couple of miles, Miko's eyes were aching and she had no intention of returning in her bedraggled state. Piccolo landed with a thud and she slid the nearly three feet down to land on her feet,
"Thanks, I just want to sort myself out before I join you guys" he nodded
"You'll be alright?" he asked, not changing his expression or tone. She nodded, waving as he jumped into the air
Tien sat on a rock on the Briefs' estate, the rest of the Z fighters were grouped a little way away, making strategies for every possible situation they could think of. He sat expressionlessly, staring ahead, why wouldn't she listen? Why couldn't she understand, he would die to protect her but if he couldn't then what would happen to her? Not only was she earth's only hope, she was the love of his life. He couldn't lose her, he wouldn't lose her, if he had to tie her down she would stay out of it, they would find a way to beat her twin without her, if he had to die to do it. A shadow blocked out the light above him
Gohan started at the sight of Tien's face, there were no tears, but he was so white he could have been dead, his skin was pulled tight, making is eyes stand out even further, his jaw was taut, stressed, Gohan felt sure if he had had hair it would be falling out
"You ok?" Tien nodded
"Just worried"
About what might happen? Hey where's Miko? She hasn't turned up yet" Tien shook his head
"I don't know"
"Did you guys have a fight or something?" Tien shook his head
"It doesn't matter"
"Tien, she's a warrior too, you can't let your personal feelings get to you, she'll be alright, I mean look what she's done in the past. Believe me, it never gets easier. I mean, I've watched my dad fight for earth so many times and it still scares me witless but you get to realise that they have a right to take a stand for what is right as well" Tien shook his head
"She doesn't stand a chance"
"Neither do we, but I'd say that she knows that if we lose there's no doubt she'll die, as will the rest of us, but she'll want to die fighting" Tien sighed and shook his head
"I don't know if I can watch her fight for her life Gohan, I just don't"
"It looks like you don't have much of a choice, short of knocking her senseless, which you could never do, you'd stand no chance of holding her back"
Miko splashed water over her face, hoping the cold would return her to some semblance of normalcy, she glared at her reflection in the water, her face was pale and her eyes were still blue and swollen, she wondered what her sister was doing
Just outside earths atmosphere, behind the moon, a sultry voice "hmmed"
"I am waiting sister, there is something that must be done before we meet, I wonder how you would feel if I killed that boyfriend of yours hmm? No you would not be pleased, maybe that little brat, how dare you? Women such as ourselves do not dote on children, ahh but sister, we will enjoy ruling the universe, we will be the masters, men shall no longer be the ruling species" pale fingers rolled a silvery coloured earring
"Why did you give away your earring, it is your only link to your heritage. No matter, you still have the other two, " the earring exploded in the pale palm
"I wonder why they believe I would harm them if they gave you up easily, trust your instincts sister, they will not let you live" the last words were almost a hiss
~~~~~~~~
"The world passes by me
I with you beside me
Melting into the dark
Time hounds me Chasing me Like a hound on a blood trail
Blood from my bleeding heart And fear
Fear
Fear
Gods the fear
I melt into the darkness Forget about me
Leave me be
Leave me be Please?
I cry
I die
I plead
Leave me be?
My last words A desperate call as I draw my last breath
Don't let me fall"
~~~~~~~~~
CHAPTER FOURTY: The fifth hour
Miko straightened up. She rose unsteadily into the air and swooped away, using all of her recovered ki to hold onto flight, after twenty minutes Capsule Corp came into view
Goku paced, where the heck was Miko? She should be with them, he suddenly looked up flicker of ki came from the west, even as her ki had grown she was still hard to sense, she had taken to training with 18, Goku grinned at the thought of the two skimpily dressed fighters decking each other with incredible grace, to eyes who could follow it was more like a dance, Miko had master the use of ki for fighting incredibly quickly, yet her flying was still as wonky as it had been the day she had learned to steer, well half learned, but when she upset she suddenly became extremely accurate. She was a strange one. Unnoticed by the others he rose into the air
Miko felt Goku approach. She sighed and pulled up, she was tired and sore, all the aches of being forcibly dropped from several feet above her own height coming back to her, she was in no suitable condition for battle. Goku slowed to a halt next to her
"Good you're her-hey what happened" he peered at her worriedly, Miko cursed her eyes, a dead giveaway she had been crying, she hated crying but she was so human she couldn't hold them back forever
"You ok?" Goku was staring at her. She stared anywhere but his face, the ground a passing cloud, his shirt, his boot, her own
"Did you hear me?" he persisted, she shook her head
"What happened?"
"It doesn't matter" she said hollowly
"Yeah, it does, did you and Tien have a fight"
Goku steeped back as she growled in exasperation
"Why does everyone assume that because I look like shit that it's because of that stupid hulking idiot of a two celled organism!" Goku didn't trying to understand what she just said, settling for knowing she was annoyed
"Ok" he said slowly
"So what is it?" she took several deep breaths
"Has anyone ever considered that through all of this, it's my sister you're planning to kill destroy hurt or maim" she ticked of the word on her fingers
"My sister! MY TWIN!! Until eight months ago I was just a weird looking teenager with a kid to look after!! Then two idiots grabbed me out of a street and my whole life changes, some scrawny green kid tells me I have to save earth! by killing my twin! who I never knew I had until I had to find her, need I go on!" she spat the words at him, Goku gaped
"If it bothered you so much why didn't you say something"
"Oh excuse me I was a little preoccupied with jumping off towers eight miles up running from all powerful idiots who wanted me dead and then fighting those all powerful idiots" she spat, her voice rising even higher, Goku inched away
"Ok I get it" he said quietly. She suddenly dropped to the ground landing like a cat. he Goku landed next to her
"You gonna be ok in time?" he asked, she was a wreck, he couldn't picture her saving the world in her condition. She took another deep breath
"Yeah, I just need to get cleaned up" Goku nodded, taking her arm,
"Maybe you should take a senzu bean as well, you look like you've had a fall or two" he pulled her to her feet carefully, she nodded
"Flying into mountains does that to you" Goku grinned, she never could seem to fly accurately enough to avoid even mountains of all things. He lifted into the air, she half flew leaning some of her weight onto him, he placed two fingers to his head and they flashed out of sight
Miko blinked, they were inside Capsule Corp, Goku grinned at her
"Bulma's outside, I'll tell her you're just getting cleaned up ok?" she nodded and dragged herself down the unfamiliar corridor, finding her way to the corridor that housed her room She smiled, seeing the large poster of herself in the roman gear Bulma had stuck on the wall of her room as she entered. She opened the wardrobe and found all her clothes as she had left them. She pulled out everything, trying to find something suitable to fight in, she had used track pants and jogging tops to train but they would afford no protection and were liable to get caught if she were in a room as opposed to the open air. She tossed the many fashion items all over the place, she found nothing, she grabbed a pair of skatie jeans and a denim vest to go over a loose white singlet. She strolled to the bathroom that always seemed immaculate no matter what state she left it in, she suspected Bulma had more servo bots than she let on.
Bulma turned to face Goku
"Oh hey, seen Miko yet?"
"She flew in a while ago" Goku said quietly
"How come we didn't see her?"
"Oh she wanted to get cleaned up first, she said she was gonna get changed and shower then come out k?"
"Yeah. No problem here" Bulma retuned to arguing with Vegeta over whether she would come or not
Miko stripped quickly, feeling all her aches every time she moved, she stepped under the water and turned the temperature up to just below what would burn her skin, she had a remarkably high heat tolerance. With the water relaxing her muscles she scrubbed vigorously after a relaxing five minutes of standing. She wrinkled her nose as the dirt from her hands and feet swirled down the plug hole, she scowled at the scratches on her arms, she had flown into more than a mountain, a few forests had been decimated as she passed through them, simply bashing her way through before she managed to pull up. Ten minutes later she rinsed the shampoo out of her hair and stepped out. She ran a brush through her wet hair and dried off quickly. She slipped into her clothes carefully, wary of ripping them in her strength. Once dressed she ran a brush through her hair again and then plaited it carefully, she tied the thick rope and took a pair of scissors and sheared of ten inches off the brushed end then wove the shorn locks, Maori style, into a bracelet, this she slipped around her slender wrist. She then split her hair into several smaller plaits, wrapping them round her head to rest in a smooth shiny barrier around her skull. Next she went to the bottom draw of the vanity and pulled out a head piece and a single earring, the silvery band made up a sort of upside down tiara, in the middle of the basic shape a shining yellow pearl hung, identical to the earring. She slipped it over her controlled bangs and it seemed to sink through her hair, resting on her ears. She placed the earring in her left ear and studied herself in the mirror, it seemed to shimmer and a vision of herself with her face shrouded in darkness in long heavy robes with her hair in a single braid to her waist appeared, she stepped back and the mirror immediately jumped back to her original appearance, she took a deep breath and turned to go find Gohan
A pair of exquisitely painted lips curled
"My sister, you at least know they are of value, you have much to learn little sister" the purple woman scuttled in again
"We will be ready in three hours your majesty"
"Good" the icy voice said
"You do not need to worry about locating her any longer, I have found her myself" the purple woman bowed
"Your majesty has done better than the best scientists in the universe
"You may go Karva, I am in no mood for flattery"
"Thank you your majesty" the purple woman left the room quickly
Gohan felt a tap on his shoulder, he gaped; she was wearing jewellery similar to Zarbon's
"Where'd you get those" he said unsteadily
"Never mind, listen I need a favour, I have no clothes I can fight in, do you have anything that would fit me?" I mean everyone else is either ten sizes too big or ten too small, you're at least within my size range" Gohan grinned; he was in fact most likely three times her size, though she had a point; they were all male apart from 18 who did not need gi in any case and most easily twice her width, he grinned, thinking of Miko in Piccolo's or his fathers gi, it did not bring the most desirable image to mind, he shook his head amusedly and wondered how many times his own gi sash would fit around her waist, twice at least
"Go ask Piccolo"
"Huh? I hardly think he's have anything in my size, for Christ's sake he's two feet taller than me, and most likely twice my width, geez, his waist is larger than my shoulders" Gohan grinned wider
"Come on I'll show you" he took her hand and led her over to where Piccolo was leaning against a tree
"Hey Piccolo" the green man looked up
"Miko needs something to wear for battle"
"And what do you expect me to do about it"
"Come on, please" he scowled and stared at Miko for a second, her body suddenly glowed blue. She jumped back and the glow faded.
"Thanks" Gohan said
Miko stared at herself, she grinned and thanked Piccolo then strolled away, testing her new clothes, she found a grassy spot, no one looked up; too absorbed in plans to kill her twin, she was most definitely not ok with this, but she had no choice, it was fight or die, or both. She studied her clothing, the first layer was a tight thin cat suit that acted as a second skin, over that was a gi shirt, the light material following the same pattern as Piccolo's, only with a much higher neck line and lower down a skirt of sorts was wrapped around her, it was knee length with splits up to the waist band, allowing easy movement, the cat suit itself was the colour of her hair contrasting to the blue of the gi shirt and the skirt. The skirt was made of considerably thicker material than the top but it was still remarkably light. Running around the edges of the skirt was a ribbing of blood red, she grinned. On her feet were strong supple leather boots, they followed the slender shape of her legs up to an inch and a half below her knees, they were patterned with intricate twines of darker leather and hidden in tiny compartments were many of hidden weapons, small knives, throwing disks, jagged edged disks. The cat suit had thin but strong and flexible hip and shoulder pads and wrist bands, they were flexible but strong, there was a leather strap across her chest holding a slightly longer and wider than normal katana in a beautiful tapestried sheath across her shoulder blades, she found a long fighting stick in three hinged pieces strapped to the back of her right calf, outside her boots, there were knuckle dusters and leather fingerless gloves to protect her knuckles, she noted the narrow patches of material that appeared be fancy stitching were in fact cases holding narrow knifes, the was a cord she could pull and they would shoot up to wedge themselves above her fist, becoming part of her knuckle dusters. There was a small rapier wrapped in leather hidden to appear like a clip in her hair, there was also a sort of leather coil hanging from her waist. A kind of necklace hung around her neck, though she discovered the beads were actually little crackers, doing small damage when impacted with something but enough to cause pain, she tucked it out of sight. The waist band of the skirt was just below her waist, low enough so she could bend easily but high enough to not hinder her legs. she grinned the outfit was perfect, she danced back to Piccolo
Piccolo looked up and scowled as he saw her approach
"I'm not doing it again if you think it's wrong" he said, she grinned
"Actually I came to ask if there were any more weapons I should know about" he smirked
"In the katana sheath is a fold together cross bow for long distance shooting, if the knifes should not work there are tiny points on the knuckle dusters that will extend an inch each when you press the little button on your palm, each of the hip and shoulder pads hold a piece of metal which fit together to make a strong but light shield, on the inside of your thigh there is a small throwing knife and four fold out metal fans are concealed in the tassels of the skirt, one hanging from each corner, I take it you found the weapons in your hair and boots?"
"Yup. But geez am I that weak?" he nodded grimly
"The clothes themselves will deflect minor attacks and the bodysuit itself is unbreakable, after a few knocks it will let an attack through but still act as a visible covering" Miko grinned, how thoughtful of him to think of her dignity, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, he started as she danced away
"Thanks again" leaving him blushing furiously
Goku noticed Miko striding over to him in clothes that only Piccolo could have created
"Hey! Nice" he said approvingly
"Thanks, but geez these things have more weapons than threads, there's over thirty hidden weapons, not to mention the ones you can actually see, I'm not that weak am I?"
"Well it depends how you look at it, you're incredibly fast for the level of your ki but then again every female fighter seems to be, and besides he's probably just worried about you"
"Gee thanks. I really hate chauvinism" Goku grinned
"At least he made them for you at all" she shrugged
"Now where's that sensu bean" he noted her eyes were still shot with blue. A strange contrast to the golden pupils and fine defined eyebrows
"Here ya go, we got a whole bag, Karin was saving them up for today" he opened the bag hanging from his waist and pulled out the small vegetable, she took it and popped it in her mouth
"Ugh, they taste like crow crap" she said creatively, Goku grinned as her body seemed to swell for an instant then returned to normal.
"Hey cool" she said, flexing an arm, and lifting her leg, yoga fashion to straighten out directly beside her head, she was effectively doing vertical splits, she took her hand away and left her leg there
"I'm just stretching" she said in answer to Goku's stare, he couldn't help but marvel at her flexibility, more and more over the last seven months, since they had spent the six months in the hyperbolic time chamber he had been wondering how genuine she was, after all when he really thought about it, little things just didn't add up, they were so minor he would not normally have noticed them had he not seen Dende's concern when she was around. She sighed and brought her leg down slowly, bending her knee so as not to hit him in the head, she repeated the process with her other leg, balancing perfectly and chatting about trivial things as if she did this every day, and Goku suspected as she began to stretch the way he or anyone else would, she probably did, he grinned as she straightened up
"Maybe I should carry those" she indicated the brown bag
"Why?"
"Well if you're busy fighting then what're you gonna do if they get incinerated, besides they're in plain view, too easy to guess what they're for" he nodded and handed her the bag
"But where will you hide them?" he asked, searching her clothes for a hidden pocket, she grinned
"Never you mind" she turned around
Miko pulled open the high tight collar of the cat suit, the opened the bag and dropped the beans in to rest in the hidden pockets sewn into her bra, this was not Piccolo's doing, she had used them to store dope in the past when she had needed money for Sheme, though she had never used it. They fitted perfectly, invisible underneath the loose gi shirt, but if it was blown off they could be spotted, but not unless one knew what to look for, she turned around and handed Goku the empty bag
"Where?" he asked wonderingly
"Geezuz you're naive" she told him, striding over to the picnic table Bulma was setting
Bulma looked up to see Miko in full battle gear striding towards her, she grinned
"Lookin good sister, I sent Sheme and Trunks around the back to play"
"Cool, hey listen, I need a favour, do you have an encapsulised gun?"
"Yeah it' a ki gun, it captures ki and concentrates it, I've never tested it why?"
"Keep it near you, I want you to come with me, I don't know what'll happen but stay near, I'm gonna need your help if you want to come"
"I was coming anyway, there is no way I'm letting my husband go into battle unless I come to supervise"
"Cool, I know she's going to land in a massive ship, but I also know, most of the army she has with her can't breath earth's air, but them being her most powerful she brought them anyway, they'll have breathing suits on right?"
"Yeah"
"So, while the others are busy being macho men, we sneak around and suffocate half her army, leaving the strongest without breathable air, and we can shut down the power to her ship if we get inside too, which means she can't get away" Bulma's eyes were sparkling
"If I encapsulise any weapons I can get my hands on we could have some real fun, though I daresay you've got weapons hidden anywhere they'll fit" her eyes swept the outfit, sizing up possible places and reasons for the loose sleeveless shirt over the cat suit
"Piccolo's doing actually, there's about thirty or so hidden ones and five visible ones, he's actually got quite an imagination, but he didn't think of one thing"
"What?"
"This may be through embarrassment though you see. Ages ago I sewed hidden pocket to the inside of my bra, which means I can hide the sensu beans"
"What were you using them for before"
"I used to deal when I needed money though I never used, it's one of the few places they won't find it, and my perfume hid it from the dogs"
"Ingenious, you had a lot to deal with back then"
"Yeah, but I survived, and Sheme's doing great, and besides it gives me extra cleavage" Bulma laughed
"I'll get going"
"I'll finish up here for you, we have about three hours before she gets here" Bulma strode away. Grinning from ear to ear; she never got over the thrill of making things that could top her husband, she had a few surprises for him.
Vegeta turned to see Bulma striding over to him; she was in a skin tight body suit
"I told you woman you are not coming!" he half yelled, Gohan and Krillin glanced at him. He straightened his armour. She stopped a few feet from him, grinning from ear to ear
"Oh yes I am"
"No you are not, you will only get in the way!" he yelled, the real reason was he wouldn't be able to handle seeing her hurt, though he would never admit this
"Actually, I have a purpose, she's on a ship, and half her army can't breath this air" she pulled a capsule from her belt, it was strapped around her hips, it looked more like an ammunition belt, the dark red contrasting strongly with the midnight blue of her body suit
"This contains a virus and a terminal, I shut down their systems, they have nothing to breathe and they die, then over half her army is gone, and I have a few other surprises" Vegeta growled furiously
"I don't give a damn, if I have to tie you down you will stay here!" Miko tapped him on the shoulder
"You may as well save your breath, it won't stop her, and anyway she's actually better protected than you are" he scowled
"What would you know, pathetic woman!" he heard a female version of his own growl
"Actually, if you bothered to ask" Bulma said, pronouncing each word with a bite
"You would find that this suit is twice the strength of your armour" he scowled darkly
"Fine woman, but if you get in the way I will fire whether you get hit or not" he threatened, she shrugged
"Whatever" her hair was pulled into a similar style to Miko's. Vegeta turned to snarl at the smirking girl
"You did this" he hissed
"No actually, Bulma was going to come anyway, I just gave her a few ideas, she's actually better off than any of us" Vegeta snarled and turned back to sorting through possible attack plans in his head. His ears picked up her boots walking away
In the throne covered by shadow, the figure of a shapely woman was becoming visible
"Dear sister, I can sense your thoughts now, they have told you little of their plan then, how clever, though you are too weak at this point to be of any use, though I must say your speed is admirable, you went in eight months from the ki of an extremely strong and limber human to become the equal of any of their number though none of you know that yet, it will take something to trigger you, release that energy, you have proven by the mere act of flying that you have great potential but even after this you will need extensive training, it is a pity you will not join me willingly, but still, maybe you will with some convincing we will rule together as it was when we were but children. Maybe you have plans, I sense the guardian blocking my attempts to reach you, no matter, you will come to me, you will if you want that pathetic boyfriend of yours to live, maybe he could live under your feet as a lapdog or a toy. Never mind, such small details can be dealt to later, ahh I see there are those among them who can be controlled, the warrior Vegeta, the traitor, and his mate I see, well this is getting better every minute, my, my sister you have sentimental friends, of course this make everything so much easier, I have searched seven years for you, you have done little with your life I see, well we shall fix that shan't we sister"
Miko sat on the grass fidgeting, she had kept thoughts of Tien from her mind until now, she had lied to Goku, but she was getting sick of everyone reading her like a book, she was a private person. Suddenly a voice echoed into her mind
"Sister" her own voice hissed
"Huh?"
"MIKO!" there was a crackling sound and king Kai's voice echoed into her head
"Miko! Listen ignore her voice, Dende and I will hold her, don't listen, she is near, very near! Get the others ready!" there was another crackling sound and then nothing, she focused hard
"Dende?"
"What Miko?"
"What the hell's going on?"
"Close your mind, we'll hold her"
"Ok, but don't risk yourself"
"We'll be fine, now hurry"
"Good luck" silence. Miko jumped to her feet, suddenly Tien appeared before her
"We have to talk" she nodded
"Listen. She's coming, there's no time"
"No, I'm sorry" she nodded
"Me too, we'll have to leave it at that, were made up ok" he nodded and ran with her to Goku
Goku looked up as Miko skidded to a halt
"She's coming!" she cried, they all heard and looked up, as if on cue a huge shape covered the sun's light, the massive ship entered the atmosphere in a ball of fire. It hovered a hundred feet above the ground. the Z fighters stood close together, waiting . Each mentally preparing themselves for what was coming, the ship was identical to the one Freiza had come to earth in. it hovered for a second, the burning heat from it's engines washing over them al them shot into the distance, Goku rose into the air
"Come on"
A/N: DUN DUN!!!!
Just one review peoples and I write the drama. It only gets mre confusing. Review! Review!