Save Tonight
By: Ayame
Well we know I'm going away
And how I wish, I wish it weren't so
So take this wine and drink with me
Let's delay our misery
"Well, well. Looks like our super heroes have changed the battle date to tonight, rather than tomorrow." Alec stood in the large room gazing up at the mirror placed on a wall adjacent to the entrances and exits of that room. It was an enchanting thing, the mirror was, giving it's users the ability to see whatever it was they wished. That was how Alec and his companions had first come to learn of the Saiya-Jin race, their demise, and their survivors, and the struggles they went through. In reality, each of the three strangers to the planet Earth had known of the Saiya-Jins long before they'd come across the mirror; the presence of the mirror only fueled their knowledge and accuracy. Alec absently ran a hand through his hair before turning to face Mi'Kahn. "You put the girl in Rowan's arena, yes?" The beastly looking man nodded. He watched the vision displayed by the looking glass, watched as the ambulance pulled out of the parking lot of the little shop that they'd retrieved the one called 'Pan' from. Watched as the warriors took they're flight. "Good." Alec smiled. "Now I think we should pay the remaining members of our Saiya-Jin friends a visit."
"Rowan's not going to be too happy about what we did to the blonde girl." Mi'Kahn said, his gravelly voice echoing off of the nearly empty walls of the room in which they stood. The view in the mirror faded to a soft glowing yellow hue; a telltale sign that meant it was going to show yet another scene. He thought about how the mother of the girl they took was still going to join the fight. Rowan wouldn't be to happy with that either. He grinned a bit. Not that he was complaining. He couldn't care less who he fought. Alec shrugged, his thoughts bordering Mi'Kahn's, if not a little more violent, and his comment told just that.
"Rowan has too many morals." He turned back to the mirror, which was now split into three sections. One corner displayed Chi Chi sitting at a window seat, staring into the dark of the night. Another section showed Bulma, lying on the floor with her eyes closed. The last space displayed Trunks, Bra, and Goten huddled around a table drinking something from mugs. "You retrieved the wife of Goku. I'll get the other four." Mi'Kahn grinned.
"Let me guess. Compensation for changing the battle date without taking it up with us?" Alec shrugged and raised his eyebrows, a somewhat mischievous and playful smile touching his features.
"Something like that."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chi Chi sat alone in her home. Goten had gone over to Capsule Corps. with the others. She was perched on a window seat and stared out into the darkness of the woods that surrounded her house. It was so lonely here. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she leaned her head on her knees and let a single tear slide down her cheek. Was this really it? He didn't even look back at her when he left… didn't say a word. But wasn't that what she wanted? After all, she hadn't said anything to him either. A sob escaped her lips and she hugged her knees tighter. "Goku…" She whispered softly. It was really ending between them, she realized. She shook her head viciously. She really didn't want this. She was just so sick and tired of being left behind. And now…? Now you've destroyed what you had for years. She brushed the tears away from her eyes and wrinkled her brow. She hadn't realized it before, but even when Goku had gone off to fight, she'd always felt a sense of security knowing that he'd come back. Granted there were times that he didn't come back for quite a while because he would go and get himself killed, but the spirits always seemed to look upon him with favor and gave him another chance. She always thought about him, and how she loved doing just the little things for him. As dense as he was, he loved her with all of his soul, and that was what she needed from him. A ragged sigh escaped her lips as panic and anxiety rose from within her stomach. But now…? Had she ruined it all with her quick temper and biting words…?
A sound at the back of the room caused her head to snap up. Chi Chi slid to her feet as Mi'Kahn came out of the shadows in one corner of the bedroom. "Why so sad, pretty one?" He chuckled as he moved closer to her. Chi Chi backed up until she was pressed against a wall. Mi'Kahn reached toward her with his skeletal hands' but she darted forward and kicked at his hands, then ducked and knocked him off his feet. Sliding to one side, she looked toward the bedroom door. She make a quick dash toward it, but Mi'Kahn grabbed a hold of her ankle an yanked her to the floor. She crashed to the wooden floor, pain jolting though her elbows and up her arms as she struggled to maintain her balance and then stand quickly. Mi'Kahn was quicker than her, though. Moving over her, he grabbed her shoulders and picked her up off the ground. "You are a bother," He stated before through her to the side and against a wall. She half landed against, half crashed into the window seat. She moaned as she pushed herself up and looked at him. He raised his palm. She could hear the crackling hum of electrical static vibrating from his fingertips. Her eyes widened as he aimed at her. Scrambling to her feet, she tried to dodge.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Tears soaked into the yellow sleeves of Bulma's blouse. Her head hurt, but whether it was from grief or just from crying too much, she want sure. She felt sick and dizzy, but despite that, she stared numbly up at the ceiling. She lie on the floor of the room that Vegeta used to train in, feeling that this was as close to him as she could get. Her eyes slowly drifted closed as she took in another shaky breath. Dread rolled up in her stomach as cold and dark as the atmosphere surrounding her home. This didn't feel real. It felt like a bad dream. A nightmare that wouldn't let her return to the waking world. Or… perhaps, more realistically, it was a certainty that had at once been a nightmare. Wrinkling her brow, she let the quiet stillness of Vegeta's gravity room sink into her. Her head ached and she had no with to think about this… but she just couldn't help it. Things were different this time. They were more dangerous because the Dragon Balls… her thoughts trailed off into a searing white plane of nothingness. After a few moments, she slowly sat up, rubbing her temples. That was it. She'd made up her mind. She wasn't' going to let this happen. She'd find out where Vegeta was and go to him.
"I can solve that problem for you." A man's voice sounded behind Bulma, answering, as well as interrupting, her thoughts. "I can take you to your beloved. If you'll trust me to." With a startled gasp, she sprang to her feet and spun around. He was all too familiar, but at the same time, she'd never seen him before. It was his tone that made her flesh crawl… it was a tone that was commanding, yet secretive, and disturbingly calm and deadly all in one. Setting her jaw in a determined glare, she watched him suspiciously. She knew he was one of the enemies, but he did nothing to attack her. She wrinkled her brow as she backed away from him. Why was he here when the others were on their way to battle him…? Her heart began to beat rapidly. He held out a hand toward her. She looked at his hand then at his eyes. Should she, or shouldn't she?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Bra blew on her cup of tea. Steam rose from the mug and disappeared into the air. She kept the cup on the tabled and wrapped her cool hands around it to warm them. She shivered slightly, still in shock from Pan's kidnapping and Marron's accident. Goten sat down next to her and placed an arm around her shoulder.
"Everything will be alright." He said softly. "You'll see." She nodded half-heartedly and pressed her lips together.
"Right. Keep telling yourselves that." Bra screamed and jumped to her feet, the mug she held crashed to the tiled floor. That voice was too familiar. Alec appeared out of nowhere before Trunks, Goten, and Bra. He wore a sly grin and watched each of them, seeming too pleased at startling them and scaring Bra. She hid behind Goten and her brother.
"What do you want?" Trunks growled, donning that angered expression that very much resembled Vegeta's.
"All of you." Alec replied. Goten and Trunks got into defensive fighting positions, but before they could do anymore, Alec disappeared. Bra screamed again. The two demi-Saiya-Jins turned to find him holding her around the waist. She struggled to get free but he was too strong for her.
"Let her go!" Goten advanced, but he stopped short when Alec grabbed her neck.
"Come close and I'll break her neck. And don't think I won't." His eyes glinted. "After all, we've already gotten rid of that little blonde girl and your mother. What was her name? Chi Chi? Oh, and as for that other girl we took. I don't expect her to be doing so well right now."
"Bastard." Goten growled. Alec's smile grew at the looks on Goten and trunk's faces. Behind him, the air began to shift and sway, as though it were liquefying into some sort of portal. The things behind him, the door, the countertops, the wall ornaments, and such, could still be seen, but it was like they were beneath the surface of rippling water. He stepped back toward it.
"Stop!" Goten shouted.
"If you want her back, as well as her mother, you'll have to come and get them. Just follow me."
"What?"
"You heard me. The woman that was in the room separated from this house. I've got her as well. So? Why don't you come and get them?" He looked at Goten. "And your mother and that little girl. I trust you want them back?" He said before disappearing into the liquid like space.
"No! Help me!" Bra screamed before being dragged in after him. Goten jumped at the portal. Trunks followed him in just as quickly.
Save tonight, fight the break of dawn
Come tomorrow, tomorrow I'll be gone
Save tonight, fight the break of dawn
Come tomorrow, tomorrow I'll be gone
Goku and Vegeta touched down quietly. Gohan let go of Videl so that she slid to the ground. The four stared up at the enormous hulking building. The sky was a dark gray, cold and foreboding. This place had been concealed quite nicely from those who would not know how to find it, if they didn't know how to look. The air was icy and laced with a cent of dread. Huge double doors stood open, inviting them in. They took the invitation. Gravel skittered under their shoes as they silently made their ways toward the entrance. They knew what was to come next. And they knew that it was doubtful they might win. But they had to try.
The large iron doors slowly creaked shut after the entered. They had but one change to escape now. And that was before the doors closed completely. They didn't take it. Instead, they headed down the expansive corridor leading straight ahead of them. They had walked what seemed like hours before coming into a large room decorated sparsely with a table, a row of chairs, and a huge glass mirror hanging on one wall. It seemed to almost be raised on a platform of some sort, for there were stairs and rails that lined it. Directly ahead of them was another opening that continued down the long corridor. Videl walked toward the mirror.
"Hey," she commented, looking into it. "Do you think that our bad guys are vain?" Her attempt for humor was lost due to the uneasiness and temperamental moods. Sighing, she moved to the second door and continued down the hallway with the three men following her.
"I just don't get it. How are we supposed to get to these so-called 'challenges?' I mean, there aren't any openings or turns. I just goes on and on." Goku stopped and looked back the way they came. The others stopped as well. It had been a good ten minutes since they'd left the room with the mirror. "Unless this is the challenge…" Videl gave a thoughtful smile at Goku's comment.
"I bet there are a ton of opening around here. We just aren't seeing them." The three looked at her. She shuffled ahead, but only a bit. "Let's be logical. This is the lair of our enemy. They could put door all over the place, and there'd be a good chance that we didn't even see them because they don't want us to. You knew how they say the enemy's power is stronger on his own turf." Videl looked at the wall ahead of her. "Why, there's probably an opening right there in front of us." She walked slowly toward the wall with her arm outstretched, and much to everyone's surprise, walked right through it. She looked back and grinned. "Cool! C'mon guys!" But before she could say anything else, the wall she'd just passed through began to cave in. With a shreik, Videl was thrown back. Gohan jumped in after her to shield her. Goku and Vegeta had little time to react before the wall closed completely, becoming solid once more. Vegeta cursed.
"What is this place?" He fumed.
"I think we're on our own." Goku began. Then suddenly, a hole formed beneath his feet and he was sucked into the darkness. The team was now separated. Fate wasn't' going to give them any favors for this battle.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
C-18 knelt by her daughter's hospital bed. She watched her only child with tired eyes. The tubes came from a number of machines and were connected to Marron, trying to figure out just what was wrong. Her vitals were decreasing drastically, but there were no physical wounds on her at all. Sweat beaded her forehead and her breaths came in heavy gasps. At times she clenched her teeth, and even though she was not awake, it was evident that she was in pain. Her lips parted as she silently called out for her mom. C-18 held onto her daughter's cold, clammy hand tightly, wanting nothing more than to ease her suffering.
She closed her eyes and felt warm tears slide down her cheeks. A sob escaped her lips. There was nothing they could do to save her. For the first time in her life, C-18 felt completely helpless. Her little girl was fading from this world quickly and she had no idea how to stop it. No one did. All she could do was wait. And hope for a miracle. A miracle she knew would not come. After all, they'd pressed their luck so many times before…