These Dreams
Part Sixteen
Trees older than civilization snapped between my immense toes. Scents...scents all around! No! I rule here! My territory! Not theirs! I bellowed at the sky. A warning to anyone nearby that this was MY land now. I mouth-blasted anything that blocked my view of the lights. Nothing stood in my way. Nothing dared cross me. Nothing held me back.
I stopped to scratch myself in a few unmentionable places. What was I doing again? Oh yeah, seeking out the Green One. But walking took too long! I needed speed.
So I jumped.
Flailing around in mid-air, I crashed noisily down to earth again almost half a mile from my starting point. The entire forest shook beneath me. Frightened animals ran for their lives. To me, they were a swarm of ants pouring from a hole after someone dumped water in it.
The lights were closer! I didn't care that I just smashed some poor guy's barn - I leapt again! All I wanted were the lights and the Green One.
My next leap landed me smack in a lake. Water splashed everywhere, then gradually settled down. I spotted my reflection in the clear liquid. I saw a large figure with a snout, brown fur, red eyes and a tuft of slightly longer fur that stuck up and hung slightly sideways like Kaioshin's hair. The image meant nothing. I lowered my snout and lapped up a few mouthfuls of cool water.
With my thirst quenched, I took another flying leap and landed on a cliff just outside the city. I surveyed the twinkling lights stretching out below. Sniffed. Grunted. Measured the distance. One more jump and I'll be right in the middle of them!
This must be how Godzilla feels just before plowing through Tokyo.
Something was coming. Invaders? No! MY TERRITORY!
I saw two dots far in the distance. Dots that grew bigger as they came closer. They made noises. My powerful ears picked them up even though they were still a long way off.
A deep, scratchy voice spoke first, "I knew wishing the moon back was a bad idea!"
Another voice, harsher, "Blame the Woman! She did it, not me! It wasn't like we were expecting another Saiyajin with a tail to show up here! Idiots!"
I narrowed my eyes on them. They were like large flies to me. One had black fur on his head. His scent was familiar...
Rage! The Fuzzy One made me mad before! He entered my reach. I swung at the little thing with a massive fist. He disappeared! Where?! On the left! Grab again! Gone! Reach! Swat! Nothing!
ARGH!
"ROOOOOAAAAAAAWWWWRRRRRR!!"
"Vegeta, getting her angry is NOT a good idea!" Shouted the scratchy voice.
"Oh and she isn't now?!"
Their vocalizations made no sense, but the sounds were familiar. My nostrils flared. I knew them...their scents... The Green One was there! I got excited. Showed him I was happy to see him by jumping up and down.
Unfortunately, the cliff didn't handle my weight. It caved in, flipping me face-first into solid rocks. Grr, that ticked me off again. I made the rocks pay by belching another heat beam. Smoke from the explosion blinded me. I started swatting aimlessly. Dirt, rocks, trees and dust went flying.
The Fuzzy One buzzed past me. "Dammit, I can't get a clear shot!"
"Let the smoke clear." The Green One came closer. "Cyndi, can you understand me at all?"
"ROOAAAAWRRR!!"
"She can't understand you! She isn't in control! She'll attack ANYTHING that infuriates her!"
He was right above my head!
I slapped the Fuzzy One away. He annoyed me. Like a gnat, he came right back and threw a blast in my face. It tickled. I sneezed and shook my head. The smoke was clearing, I could see better.
The Green One was floating in front of me with his legs together and his arms crossed. White material billowed from his back. His smell made me happy. I forgot about the Fuzzy One and reached up to clasp the Green One between my hands like a butterfly. Did he disappear? Can't tell...I brought my hands closer and cracked them open. No, he was sitting right there on my palms. I stomped in delight. Stuck the tip of my tongue out and licked the side of his head, making his turban fall off. He didn't seem to like that too much. I watched him put the turban back on, making a face as my spit dripped off in strings.
"Okay Vegeta...she recognizes me. I'll keep her attention. Get her tail."
Tail? I had a tail? Yes, yes I did! I wiggled it happily and watched the Green One stand up. He didn't try to get away.
Wait, where did the Fuzzy One go? He wasn't... I snorted and growled. He was behind me. Trying to sneak up without me knowing! No!
"Grrr...ROOAAAWR!"
I jumped straight up. A huge energy blast passed under my feet. The Green One made a hasty escape from my grasp, but I didn't care. I thrashed angrily. Something hit my fist and a moment later I spotted the Fuzzy One laying on the ground. Good, time to squash him!
Movement! The Green One snatched my target right from under my foot!
"ROOAAAWRR!! ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAWWWRR!!" I snarled through slavering jaws and beat my chest to show I was the superior one.
"Cyndi, over this way! C'mon...I'm up here," the Green One's calm voice called to me. He was hovering above what remained of the cliff, outlined by silvery moonlight. I reached for him, but he floated away. Always escaping! I didn't want to crush him, though, so I had to be gentle when I caught him. I climbed clumsily up onto the rocks and scrambled after him.
"Yeah, that's it...keep coming to me." The Green One led me away from the city, but I didn't care anymore. He didn't let me catch him again until the lights were out of sight. I gently enclosed him up to his shoulders so he wouldn't get away. It was like holding a living version of my Piccolo action figure, such was the scale in size.
To think I had the power to destroy him with one quick squeeze. Just a twitch, and he'd be slumped over with his innards dangling from his mouth. And I almost did it. My fingers closed further until I felt his heart beating wildly against my right thumb. The Green One's eyes opened wide. He struggled, wrenching himself from side to side and kicking his feet against my fingers.
You're hurting me!
The voice in my head stopped me. Hurt. I understood that word! It's what I wanted to make the Fuzzy One feel!
Oh no, the Green One! He's the person in my hands, not the Fuzzy One! I don't want him to hurt! I loosened my grip until I felt his chest rise and fall again. The Green One stopped squirming. He gasped several times.
"NOW, VEGETA!!"
And then...bright light. Searing pain! Burning needles piercing up my spine and down my legs! I spotted the Fuzzy One! My tail on the ground! Noooo!!
"RRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!" I kicked the Fuzzy One as hard as I could. He smashed point-blank into what remained of the cliff. The rocks exploded, blocking my view of him.
Then I felt like someone pulled the plug in the drain containing my energy. All the power inside me dwindled, taking me with it. My hands shrank around The Green One, but I still held onto him. His weight was no longer insubstantial. The brown fur covering my skin thinned out and disappeared. My face returned to normal. The tuft on top of my head remained the same size, becoming it's proper, messy knee-length in comparison with the rest of me.
Self-awareness returned. True to what I've heard Saiyajins say on TV, it was like waking up from a dream.
Okay, what happened? One second ago I was looking at a huge, full moon. Now I was naked, cold and clinging to the front of Piccolo's gi.
And I was tired...so...tired.
Piccolo's strong arms caught me when my knees gave out. He quickly wrapped both edges of his cape around my naked form, pulling me tight against him. "It's okay, kid. I've got you."
I shuddered involuntarily. Some of his clothing was brushing against parts of me I usually keep covered. But I was too tired to acknowledge the sensations with anything beyond a sleepy smile.
Vegeta stepped out of the shadows, sporting a few bruises and a cut above his eye that bled like a stuck pig. He was filthy, breathing hard and clutching his shoulder. Aside from that, he didn't look too bad. "Hmph! Foolish girl, you should know better than to look at the moon when you have a tail!"
"Lay off, Vegeta. It's over now. Let me handle the rest."
The Saiyajin Prince turned away. His power level rose. A blue-white aura appeared around his short frame and he clenched his fist, looking over his shoulder at us. "Fine, but don't come crying to me when her tail grows back and she destroys a city. Why do I even waste my time with you?" With that, he blasted off into the sky and shot off into the distance. Settling dust was the only hint he once stood there.
"I was an Oozaru..." I said in awe. I touched Piccolo's cheek and grimaced at the slime still present. "Did I slobber on you?"
"Feh. Better to deal with spit than a decimated city." Piccolo made a face. He used a small ki wave to dry himself off. All the blood marring his clothes was gone. He must've cleaned up right after I left. "Do you remember anything?"
"I..." Everything was a haze. Just bits and pieces of the experience remained. "I wanted the lights. I knew you were there and I wanted to find you. Does remembering what I wanted to do count as a memory?"
That got a soft rumble of a chuckle from Piccolo. I love that little laugh of his. "I suppose so. Let's just say you turned a few cliffs into pebbles and trampled over several acres of forest. Who knows what else you destroyed. But no human lives were lost."
"Mm...good." I looked up with one eye half-shut. "You know...I've always wondered this...doesn't your turban make your antennae ache after a while? I mean, it's weighted and all."
"Nah," The handsome Namek wrinkled his nose, but looked amused at my question. "Keeps them out of my face. The weight isn't on my forehead anyhow."
That answers that question.
Piccolo scooted me back and pushed me to sit down on a nearby rock. It was cold and damp against my butt. I didn't try to cover up or feel at all embarrassed about being naked in front of him. In fact, it was kind of erotic. Piccolo stepped back, stared in thought and pointed at me. Warm golden light bathed my thin body. A second later I wore the same clothes I did before I turned into an Oozaru.
"Think you can fly?"
"I dunno." I stood up.
And collapsed.
My God, I've never been this drained before!
"Heh, guess not." Gentle hands scooped me off the dirt. Piccolo's comforting warmth returned. He whipped most of his cape around and wrapped the soft material around me like a blanket.
I couldn't tell if I was smelling his clothes or the dust around us. So I buried my face in his neck and inhaled deeply. "All things considered, that was pretty cool. I kind of wondered how it felt to go Oozaru."
"Hmph."
Cool air tingled in my nose.
Piccolo gracefully left the ground with me tucked safely in his arms. He
said something else, but I was already so close to sleep that I only remember
hearing his voice. In my dreams I saw this gorgeous image of a glowing,
unclothed Piccolo with white wings. My sweet, perfect guardian angel.
The Oozaru I'd been loomed above me in the darkness and disappeared. I saw the angelic version of Piccolo fly away. Then I was alone in utter blackness. The closest I'll ever get to true blindness. It was so dark I couldn't see my hands if I touched my nose and splayed my fingers.
Something alerted my senses like electricity passing through my skull. A very bad, cruel feeling.
Nervous, I turned my hand palm-up and ignited a ki ball. A move that saved my life.
Had I taken one step, I would've walked into Void! She was right there! Staring down at me with those hateful silver eyes. A teasing smile made her left eye squint.
"A thousand more fell to me tonight." Her guttural voice cut me to the core. She held up her stinger-tipped tail. It glimmered in the dim light from my ki ball. I also noticed the small bit of carapace in her forehead had a faint, barely visible glow. Kind of like a turned-off TV screen in the dark after you shine a flashlight on it for a few seconds. I didn't like the look of it one bit. "A thousand dreams...DEAD!"
"And a million more will come after you! You can't destroy the Believers!" I scowled, trying to sound tough. Honestly...I was terrified! Blood roared through my ears and behind my eyes. Knots twisted my stomach into a pretzel. The air seemed thinner than normal because I was breathing in shallow gasps. Looking at Void always has and always will make my blood run cold. She embodied everything I feared.
Void only laughed. My gaze snapped to her hands when she crossed her arms. Not an attack, but still threatening. I remained on-guard and ready to move at a nano-second's notice.
"The last one I drank from was quite a fighter. His body was weak, but his mind was strong. I think you know him. That priest with the leg braces. Heh, heh."
Priest with... oh no! She got Father Jim!
"What happened to him?!"
"Oh, not much. He'll just lay there mindlessly until nature takes his life away. I believe the correct term for such a state is a vegetable." She sounded so proud of it. Proud of hurting people who can't fight back. It made me sick down to my bones. "But his thoughts and everything that made him a person..." She pointed to her head, "All right here. I can hear him screaming now, right with the rest of those I absorbed! It's music!"
"Father Jim..." Rage consumed me like the Oozaru transformation. I snapped. My power boiled over and spilled forth. The white aura around me flared twice my height, shoving Void back a half-step. "YOU BITCH!! DIE!!" I launched myself at her midsection, screaming.
Void flipped over and planted both feet in my back. I hit the ground chin-first with her weight pinning me down. But with better control of my ki than last time, I shoved her off. Rolled over and stood up. Assumed Piccolo's stance with my fingers curled like claws.
The black monster charged. I jumped straight up and kicked her right in the face. Knocked her on her ass!
"This is a cousin to the knuckle sandwich - I call it a toe burger!"
Slowly, Void stood to her full height. She rubbed her chin where I kicked her. No blood or obvious damage. Those piercing, reflective eyes narrowed on me like a predator stalking prey. "Nice kick there, but you have no hope of beating me, Cyndi. I'm going to absorb everyone you love...and then I'll take you. You can't stop me. I think it's a fair trade for the humiliation you made me endure after our first fight so long ago."
"If you think you're going to win against me and the Believers, then you have shit clogging your ears."
"Cute."
Void rushed me. I stupidly wasn't ready. She send me flying with a flick of her wrist. Her wrist.
Someone else was coming. A ball of goldish light swooped from above and slammed into Void, sending her skidding across the ground. The glow evaporated to reveal....Vegeta?! Yes! There he was in Super Saiyajin form with his hair standing up like a fiery crown.
"Get out. NOW!"
"You can't take her alone!"
"GO!"
No time to protest. Vegeta's
snarl turned into Piccolo's calm voice calling to me. It pulled me out
against my will.
I woke up crying hysterically. Piccolo was gripping my shoulders and shaking me pretty hard. His face was very fierce. "Cyndi, come on now, wake up! Are you with me? Talk to me, kid. What did she do?"
Sitting up, I gasped. "S-She got Father Jim! Why did you take me out? Vegeta's in there with her! Let me go back! Void said herself that she's going after everyone I love! That means my parents, everybody I know at church and...and...you guys. Let me go! I gotta go back!" I struggled against Piccolo's grasp. Being pulled out infuriated me. I wanted to beat Void into submission before she could hurt anybody else. I wanted to delight in her pain.
"No!" He shook me harder, gripping my face between his hands. "I sent Vegeta in as a diversion when I heard you start moving around. Losing your temper with Void will get you killed, Cyndi! You have to stay in control!"
"LET GO!"
"NO!"
The sudden shout returned my senses. I focused fully on Piccolo's face and watched him close his eyes in relief. "Settle down, now."
Angry tears spilled onto my face. "Other people are my biggest weakness, Piccolo. She's destroying everything I care about as revenge for the first fight!" I sniffled and tried desperately to control the waterworks. Crying wouldn't help anything, I had to be strong! "Promise me you won't let her get you, Piccolo. Promise!"
Piccolo's smooth thumbs gently brushed the tears from my cheeks. Then he petted my hair, something he's been doing a lot lately, and looked me dead in the eyes. "I promise, kid. I promise."
"Okay, good..." My brief panic finally disappeared to a tolerable level. I leaned forward and locked my arms around Piccolo's neck. My intention was to lean in slow, but I lost my balance and our mouths kind of ran into each other.
Piccolo pulled back a little, "I think I'm getting used to this...kissing...thing you always do."
"The trick is not to slobber in the other person's mouth." I spoke against his parted lips. "C'mon, I always start. You kiss me this time."
"Mm, fine." He covered my eyes with one hand and pressed his mouth to mine until I thought I'd drown in the moment. His kiss pushed me down flat on my back, his full weight pinning me down. I can kiss Piccolo a million times, but it's never quite as special as when he kisses me first. It was a blissful eternity that lasted no more than thirty seconds. The hand covering my eyes made it feel almost mysterious. Like he didn't want me to see his brief bout of passion.
With a quiet suddenness, the hand on my face and the weight pinning me down disappeared. I found Piccolo looming over the bed. Staring down at me with a pensive expression. I know that look all too well.
My dad once said love is the ability to communicate without saying a word. I think I finally understand what he meant.
I took Piccolo's large hand gently in mine. "Don't try to figure it out. It's too complicated," I said as if he'd actually spoken. Then I smiled at him.
The corner of his mouth quirked upwards. His tone came out a little mocking, but in a friendly way. "Fine, I have more important things to worry about anyhow."
I gave his tight rear end a swat, making him glare at me in shock. "Well, have fun meditating. I'm gonna go eat!"
"I don't need to for a while. I DO spend time fully conscious, you know." Piccolo stepped aside while I climbed off the bed. He smartly kept his back - and ass - to the wall and out of my reach. "When you finish feeding your face, I think we should start making up for the time you were sick. Freeza's going to be down for the night and I want to use this time to improve."
"It's always setbacks. Just when we're ready, something else happens! What next?"
He just shook his head.
Then my stomach growled loud enough to wake the dead. I felt my face turn bright red. "Uh...I think I'll go eat now."
Piccolo nodded and let me pass. All of a sudden a hand came from nowhere and walloped me right in the butt! I shrieked, grabbed my behind and spun around to face a smirking Namek.
"Revenge is a bitch, isn't it?"
"Youuuuuu...!" I shook my finger at him, unable to make up a suitable name to call him. Don't you hate it when that happens?!
Piccolo twitched like he was going to spank me again. Thinking I knew his intention, I screamed and scrambled out the door. Nobody was chasing me, but I did hear deep, muffled laughter coming from the room I just exited.
"I'll get you, Piccolo! Just you wait!" More tummy whining. "Er...just as soon as I've stuffed myself."