Think I am finally winding down to the end of this, sorry if that disappoints any of ya. But all the same I hate it when things drag on, repeating at nauseam-guess that explains why music from the 80's irritates the hell outa me. NEWAY!------

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Cracking an eye slightly Trunks watched as his fingers dissolved into ash. He could feel her eyes on him. His stomach felt as if it were jumping rope with his guts. Her words stopped and he could feel his heart cramp in icy flames. His elbows were now falling into the pit of the fire. It felt like a cotton field had taken root in his mouth. Her eyes were threatening him, demanding that he fall. Trunks didn't need to see them to know. Under his breath he cursed her. ~Fucking Bitch!~

She barked one last thing, catching him off guard. In the back of his mind he tried to translate. ~Haum? Die? Wouldn't doubt it.~

Calmly she sat and waited, returning to the old book.

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Colors swirled and images blurred. His stomach churned at the sensation of a bad acid trip.

Eventually his vision began coming into focus. Darkness surrounded him. Dots of white littered the horizon. An arch of flames skimmed past his left hand. Startled he looked down at the returned appendage. Then it dawned on him. He was on the sun's exterior, staring out into space.

"Incredible view out here, is it not?" Numbly Trunks nodded in agreement. "This is my favorite place to come and rest or think. 'Tis so quiet and calm. Warm and welcoming." He shivered slightly despite the heat at his back. She was wearing that dress again.

"How-?" Lightly she took his hand guiding him away from the soothing heat of the sun. "How can we be-"

"This is the playground of the Gods." In the blink of an eye a small blue orb came and vanished. Trunks had watched it until it was fully out of sight, blinking as red and white did the same. Looking forward again he blinked in shock as titanic rocks raced towards them, but as she drew closer Sierra slowed, lightly stepping down onto one of the outermost.

"This should have been our domain, but it will never be again."

"The asteroid belt?"

"No. Before Mortals were cast upon Earth this was the home of the Gods. It was only a little larger than the blue marble. Phoenix still remembers it fondly. It was a good time. No hatred. No war. No strife."

"So what happened?"

Sierra frowned as she dropped to her knees. "Nothing is perfect. It has been twenty-five thousand millennia." Trunks quickly did the math, his nerves falling though his knees. Two point five billion years ago. "And yes I mean this in Earths time. Makes it easier for you to understand. Earth was blooming when the planet was destroyed."

"Shouldn't it have exploded though?"

"Yes. Theoretically. But hundreds were holding the force in check. It finally crumbled and they let it spread out."

"Phoenix is the symbol of resurrection. Why didn't it try to rebuild the damage?"

"What purpose would there be?"

"Well for one the planet would still be alive."

"And a target again. Besides, being of the Gods does not mean no death."

He regarded her for a moment. "I thought they were immortal."

"The life of a God can be eternal. But they are capable of death. Look at my people. We are literal descendents of the Gods, but now number one."

"I am not fully following you here."

"Anything dies when it no longer contains energy. Holding the planet at bay we lost many. Phoenix would no longer be if She had tried to revive their world. And as I said it would be of waste. The demon would have just returned and destroyed it again. Instead all rallied together, imprisoning the beast in a shard of their dead world, casting it away to drift eternally."

"So how did it end up in the Earth's core?"

"A young, passing orb captured and pulled it in."

"So it also inadvertently destroyed the dinosaurs?" Sierra nodded sheepishly. "Talk about a big oopsie."

Again she nodded. "In reply they talked it over, finally consenting to cast their likeness upon the world. Early man had already begun to develop from apes. The Gods merely sped up the process. They knew they were messing with the natural evolution of the inhabitants, but deemed it necessary. When the time was right they brought their children to their hidden home. Beside one another humans and Gods lived content until that faithful day."

"So now what?"

She sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. Finally she got back to her feet. "It ends now."

In a flash of emerald flames Trunk found himself standing on his porch. Confused he looked around to regain his bearings. Finally sure that he wasn't dreaming Trunks pushed his front door open. In protest it creaked loudly. Frowning he turned stepped in and looked around. A thin layer of dust had settled over everything. ~How long have we been gone?~ Scowling he walked into the kitchen, finally remembering the empty pit in his stomach. Throwing open the fridge he instantly cringed. Everything had gone south. Disgusted he slammed the door shut.

"This is no time think of your stomach."

Startled he jumped and turned to find Sierra darkly frowning at him. "Why must you insist in sneaking up on me all the time?

With a seductive smirk she strode towards him. "Because I like to see you twitch." Lightly she licked his ear. "Besides, I have something better in mind to eat."

Startled his cheeks burned red.

"What do you think you are doing!"

Both look sharply to the voice, finding a very pissed Sierra standing not too far away. Quickly Trunks shoved the first back and pointed. "She started it!" Both were now giving looks of pure hatred, making it difficult for him to determine who the real one was.

Darkly the first scowled and vanished, after the standoff had held for five minutes.

With the first gone the second stepped up. "Keep your guard up. If she had seduced you then matters would have become a lot more complicated."

"Do I dare ask?"

"For one she would have poisoned your mind and *I* would be the one fighting two demons."

"Oh, is that all?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, no. But that is best explained later."

"I really wish you would stop half answering my questions."

"I do it for your safety. And you are not to know, yet."

Ignoring his ugly scowl she stepped outside. It had started to snow again. Yet the moment a flake touched the ground it turned black as the spatial horizon.

"So where do we start?"

"We wait."

"After all these years how can you still have such patience?"

"After all this time a few more minutes makes no never mind."

Skillfully dancing aside Sierra dodged an attack, retaliating without hesitation. Aiding her Trunks leapt behind the demon, bringing his combined fists down upon the monsters back. Startled it fell, becoming buried slightly in the dampened soil. Sierra lunged, flaming sword drawn. Without even looking the demon rolled aside, countering with its own ebony blade. The weapons crossed, each glaring with pure hatred at the other. Snorting in disgust Sierra shoved the other back, thinking quickly Trunks kicked it back at Sierra. Putting all her power in the swing she punched the creature hard enough to break its neck. But it had been stronger than she had originally anticipated, merely stumbling in a daze back towards Trunks.

For several more hits they volleyed the creature back and forth, Finally Sierra tired of the game, riddling the creature with a barrage of burning arrows.

Trunks, taking up his mentors dropped blade quickly lopped off the demons head, squiring it in mid air. Grinning he draped the sword over his shoulder. "And you were thinking that the battle would have been tough."

Growling she rolled her eyes. "That was a scout. While you slept I have been cutting them down one by one." Forcefully she ripped all of her arrows out of the creature. "You should see their mother."

Swallowing hard he shook off the head of the demon spawn. "You could have told me sooner."

"You never asked. And besides, you probably would have exaggerated the fight. 'Tis best to dispose of them quickly, lest their mother find us."

Trunks frowned and tossed the sword back to its owner. "So where do we find Her?"

Silently she sheathed the weapon, leading the youth off in the direction needed. Apprehensive about the situation now Trunks followed at a distance, keeping back just enough so that she was barley in his line of view.

Shadows stretched and grew over the land. Uneasiness began to send sweat beads trickling down his face and back. Quickly he dragged an arm across his face, swabbing away the unneeded moisture.

Squaring his shoulders back Trunks mustered his courage, trying to convince himself that he would in fact survive. If Sierra was confident then why shouldn't he be? Maybe because of the fact she was extremely rough on him. ~That's a teachers job.~ He reminded himself multiple times. He chewed his lip a moment, thinking over the past year. He really didn't know all that much about her, and now he was expected to fight beside her because she said so.

His feet froze in midstep as he nearly walked into her back. Sucking in a deep breath he forced his stomach back down from the inside of his skull. There was no turning back now, he realized while lightly setting his foot back down onto the ground.

Without warning Sierra dove forward, instantly engaging the creature. Trunks stood in confusion for a moment finally considering that after all this time nothing needed to be spoken between them, it was all already too well known. Sighing Trunks readied himself and joined the battle. To his shock the creature was adept enough to counter both of them at the same time.

Hours passed with little rest. Trunks tried to keep track of time but quickly found that any little distraction could be lethal. Energy and fire scorched the Earth as the fight intensity increased.