Please feel free to correct me if I have Void's Japanese attack name wrong. It's supposed to translate to "exploding star".
Another quick note: I got
the album Say You Will by Fleetwood Mac for my birthday. Every song
on it rocks, I highly recommend you go buy it. Stevie Nicks's solos as
well as the other songs all rock - unlike most albums where there's one
hit and the rest suck. Everything on this CD is INTENSE! Even if you're
not a fan, you'll fall in love with it! Rock at its best!
These Dreams
Part Twenty
Vegeta's complaining went on and on. "This is stupid, why are we wasting our time with these foolish arts and crafts?!" Or sometimes he said, "I should kill you for making me participate in this farce." And other times he just growled under his breath like a pouting child. Nobody paid any attention to his griping.
"If we wanna beat Void, we should try everything." I snapped. "Come on, you can be artistic this way, too."
"Weaving is for women!"
"Then get in touch with your feminine side and SHUT UP!" I snapped at him.
Freeza chuckled and held up his finished dream catcher. It was white with purple feathers and red beads. Thanks to Piccolo's ability to materialize things, we had the supplies for making dream catchers ourselves(and Piccolo now had both shoes on, he didn't take kindly to being called Cinderella). I just hoped I gave them the right instructions...a while back I saw a website explaining how to make them. They're actually simple once you learn how the weaving works.
Piccolo said nothing, he just worked on the weaving. From time to time I'd pause and watch his graceful hands work. I thought he would have trouble - he caught on right away. Three finished dream catchers in different colors lay next to his left leg. Piccolo took a preference for dark, earthy tones. All three dream catchers were brown with black and orange striped feathers and a green bead in the center.
Freeza liked brighter colors like purple, white, red and silver. I leaned towards pinks and blues, though sometimes I went for green or red. Vegeta just threw whatever colors he wanted together, the two sloppy objects at his side gave impressions of complete disorganization. Well, that's Vegeta for you.
I looked up after finishing my fourth dream catcher. "The big one is going to take the most time...I just hope I have the patience to keep at it."
"Don't worry, Cyndi." Piccolo looked up for the first time since we started. "We'll help you."
"I know." My cheeks flushed red-hot. "But I need to take a quick break right now, just for a few minutes. Focusing too hard makes my head hurt." I stood up before anyone could protest and walked a few steps away. The wind stirred my tangled Saiyajin hair, cooling the sweat gathered on my brow. I wondered idly if my makeup was all smeared - and wouldn't be surprised if it was. Then again, I'd done the hairspray trick and that's supposed to keep makeup from running.
God, what if this didn't work? Had Void really become too strong for even the dream catchers to hurt her? Then what? We die, that's what. I won't let that happen!
A large hand touched my shoulder. The sudden presence made me leap a foot.
"Relax, kid. It's just me." Piccolo's scratchy voice spoke from behind. His left hand came down on my other shoulder, both giving me a reassuring squeeze.
I grasped Piccolo's thick wrists and leaned back against his solid seven-foot frame. His leathery skin was slick with sweat that gave him a sparkling sheen. The smooth hands slid forward, wrists criss-crossing so his palms rested on my chest. Not a sexual touch, his hands just happened to land there like they belonged. I felt Piccolo pull me a little harder against him.
This was my safe spot. I smiled contentedly and closed my eyes.
"What do you think of this situation, Piccolo? Be honest..."
"Mm," the tall Namek's voice vibrated against my back. "I really don't know. We'll have to see how our plans work out before we make any judgments about the outcome. Void is a wild card, there's no telling what kind of power she really has. I've been cycling through Kami's knowledge about her. There is one thing I know of that makes her extremely dangerous."
Blinking, I asked, "And?"
"She can transform, just like Freeza did. But she only has two forms...and the second is worse than the first."
I jerked my head up, "What?!"
Piccolo nodded gravely, his face extremely serious. So serious it scared me. "There's no telling what might happen if she reaches her second form. Don't tell anybody unless you have to. I don't want Vegeta getting any ideas. I don't trust him very much because of his little stunt with Cell, even though we need his help."
Now very much afraid, I nodded dazedly. A second form...just how nightmarish can Void get? "How much stronger is her second form?"
"I don't know. Nobody knows."
"Let's hope we don't ever find out." I snarled fiercely, filled with new determination to beat Void. "I wonder if I'm strong enough to stand a chance against her if the need to fight her one-on-one comes up."
"Don't worry about that right now, kid." Piccolo disengaged from me and turned to join the others. "Don't stay too long."
I missed his arms already,
"I won't."
Nearly an hour later, we had a total of twenty dream catchers in different sizes and colors. I tied them together in groups of five and tied those five between large sticks. That made four different sets. Freeza quickly flew off to set them up the way I specified(Vegeta couldn't be bothered to help with ANYTHING), while Piccolo and I started on the biggest dream catcher of all. At least ten feet in diameter, this would take a long time to complete.
And a lot of patience, which I don't have.
Several times I got frustrated over the slow progress. The whole process would be much easier if I had eight legs and a set of spinnerets. Or I should just go hire Spiderman for a day, he'd get this done in two seconds. But noooooo, I had to do this the hard way!
"I wonder how long it will take Void to show up again and spoil the surprise."
"Don't think about that. Just weave," Piccolo snapped me back on task.
After all this complaining, I was only on the second row!
Man, this was going to take
all day!
Freeza returned after a long, nerve-wracking amount of time. He took longer than expected and I feared Void had her way with him. So it's safe to say I sighed in relief when I saw him touch down lightly in the soft Namekian grass. His armored scalp gleamed brightly in the harsh sunlight. "Sorry about the delay. Had trouble setting up. Now it's all ready. All we have to do is lure Void in and we'll burn her on all sides. This has to work!"
Piccolo smiled. I nodded my head. "Good...now let's just hope I can finish this huge one before Void gets back. Uh, where's Vegeta?"
The small Icejin's brow knit. "He's out looking for Void. Maybe he'll delay her if she returns sooner than expected." He came over, tail twitching gently behind him, and knelt beside me. "Take a break, I'll work on this thing for a little while."
"You sure about that?"
"Yeah."
I got up, both reluctant and relieved to finally have a break. My attention span is always so short, I get bored with certain tasks after so long. That makes the work even slower.
Piccolo continued his vigil over the large construction project while I walked off, letting my mind go blank. I just couldn't focus anymore. Just one of those times where I became so bored that my mind shut down. You might think it's a good thing, but it isn't. Once my mind shuts down, it's hard to "start" again.
The only question now was:
How long did we have until Void came back?
Freeza and I took to teamwork. He would weave a "spoke" into the dream catcher, hand me the string and scoot over to my other side. I did the same and the process repeated itself. Piccolo stood watch like an imposing gargoyle that overlooked our progress. Since Freeza and I couldn't watch our backs while we worked, Piccolo kept his eyes on the sky.
"Man...every time I think we're almost done, I look and see we still have tons more to do!" I finally complained. To put it mildly, I was hot, tired, thirsty and miserable.
Freeza cracked a smile, "But look at how much we've finished."
"True."
But I was very, very bored with this whole thing. The Saiyajin blood kept screaming to fight. I was going against instinct. Talk about internal conflict! Yet I was able to squish it down into a small part of my mind...you can thank Piccolo for that by taking my chocolate away. Resisting that temptation allowed me to deal with bigger ones like this.
God, it was hard though. I'd only hang on to this aggression for so long. Which would come first? My insanity or Void?
"Here comes Vegeta," Piccolo's voice alerted us.
I jerked my head up and shielded my eyes against the sun. Yeah, it was the firey-haired Saiyajin prince. He was coming in at a weird angle. No, he wasn't flying!
Vegeta crashed into the dirt near my feet, unconscious. He'd been beaten to a pulp. Blood covered his face and clothes. Bruises littered his face and one eye was blackened. Marks around his throat suggested Void choked him out and kicked him around while he was down. How low of a fighter can you be?!
Vegeta looked strangely vulnerable laying there like that. All stretched out on his side with his blood soaking into the grass. Freeza looked down at him like a deer in headlights. He shuddered visibly.
"Son of a bitch!" I swore. Something in my gut compressed in on itself. The power inside me bubbled up to the surface. I let it flow, making my hair sway, "That's it! Freeza, you and Piccolo work on this thing. I'm going after Void."
Piccolo jumped forward and grabbed my shoulder. "Cyndi, wait!"
I shook him off. "No, I'm tired of waiting! She's MINE!"
And with that, I took off
in a blaze of ki.
Power.
Aggression.
Rage.
Mixed together, they're dangerous. I was feeling all three. I'd become addicted to how they felt in the pit of my stomach. I didn't even think I might lose. Call me crazy, but I actually thought I could beat Void all by myself! I wanted to bring her disembodied head back to the others and toss it at their feet.
I paused my flight, "Come on, you piece of shit! Get the hell out here and let's fight!"
There! Up ahead!
Void stopped in mid air, turned and faced me. Her cold silver eyes narrowed. "You!"
I didn't give her time to think. "Yes, ME!" I flew in her face.
She dodged! Reappeared behind me! I spun sideways, avoiding her tail.
"Sit still!"
I caught her tail, "Make me!" And flung her in a random direction.
Ooh, the glory of battle. Fighting gave me the same sensation as scratching an annoying itch - satisfaction and relief.
Suddenly a brilliant white ki blast seared into my spine. My lapse in attention gave Void the chance to attack me! I screamed in pain and lost altitude. Void swooped down. Both massive feet smashed against me, sending me slamming into the ground. Oww, did anybody get the number of that bus?
"You're not even a challenge, little girl." She pressed her foot against the back of my head and rubbed my face in the dirt. Ooh, that was the wrong thing to do!
As soon as I could escape, I checked my reflection in the water nearby. Dammit!
Normally I'm not so vain...but when I have makeup on, I want it perfect. So I didn't like what I saw reflected back at me from the water's surface. The Alice Cooper look is NOT me at all. I looked like a crack addict!
"...You...you smeared my eyeliner!" I threw myself at Void again in a flurry of punches and kicks. "YOU BITCH! YOU ARE SO DEAD FOR THAT!!"
"What the?!" The large black monster blocked what I threw. All except for the right jab and the uppercut.
Now get this - Void is almost five feet taller than I am and my tiny little fist sent her flying. David and Goliath in drag!
Void righted herself in mid air. Blackish-silver blood oozed from a slash under her left eye, created by one of my many rings. She touched the wound and growled at me, "You...you cut me! My beautiful face!"
"Beautiful? Hah! Your face reminds me of a mole on some old lady's wrinkled ass!"
"What?!"
"You heard me! Ass-mole!"
"Grr!"
Seems Void didn't like my new name for her. She started powering up.
And so did I.
Together, our auras caused quite a stir. Mine rippled the ocean. Hers blew clouds away. Static energy shot between us. It was a race to see who would power up first.
I felt my energy gush to the surface. It tingled every inch of me, from between my teeth to the tips of my toenails. Then it just got extremely warm. I was so close to that bright sphere I saw in another dream. Yet it kept dangling beyond my reach. I strained for that power...and still didn't quite get there. But I was sooooo close.
In a climactic display, I screamed and all the energy I'd gathered flared out like a blinding shockwave. Void's guttural cry erupted simultaneously with mine. Our auras clashed, creating an intense lightning storm and digging a huge crater in the ground. The sky looked similar to the way it did right after Freeza dissolved the planet's core. Only this storm didn't last.
We stared each other down amidst the lightning. Void's features became more frightening when illuminated from one direction at a time. The glow in her small carapace became more pronounced.
This was the first time I'd ever been completely powered up before. All my muscles were tight and harder than bricks. I felt like I had my hand glued to one of those electric balls that make your hair stand up. Heck, I WAS that ball! Complete with little blue bolts of energy zapping over my aura!
Void's aura seemed darker, a dull silver-white. Fitting, considering her appearance.
"What you did to Vegeta was low, Void," I growled, "I mean, kicking someone while they're down and can't fight back. Maybe I should, you know, do it to you and see how you like it..." I made a fist and held it up, "except I'll make sure it hurts ten times worse."
She snickered, folding her arms, "I'd like to see you try."
"Wait and see!" I arranged myself in a stance. And hesitated, Piccolo, can you hear me?
I hear you, Piccolo's 'voice' was faint. Probably because of the distance. Are you engaging Void?
No, I'm painting my nails! I sneered and went on, Just tell me this, how long until the big dream catcher is done, and how is Vegeta?
Void twitched. I just hoped she would hold off another second. I couldn't fight and talk telepathically like the others could. Luckily, she chose to beef up her aura some more, taunting me.
It's almost finished, Cyndi, and Vegeta's coming around. He got his bell rung, but he's okay. He'll probably join you soon. Piccolo replied calmly, Be careful.
I'm always careful! I smirked to myself, Love ya, big guy. Then I broke off the link, coming back to full attention. "Okay, Ass-mole, let's rumble."
"Gladly." Void shot forward. Sucker punch!
Spit and blood went flying. The blow came so suddenly that I spun completely around. SMACK! And hit the ground. My eyesight swam. But I had just enough sense to cover my face to block the next punch. She came at me fast and furious, I hate being stuck on the defensive!
So I used my tiny size. Flew down between her legs and spin-kicked her from behind. Nailed the back of her neck! She hit the dirt hard. Void grabbed my foot. I booted her in the face with my free leg. She didn't let go. Instead she yanked my leg out from under me! The world turned topsy-turvy and I found myself flat on my back.
Fwapp!
Void's tail was at my neck! The stinger's tip gleamed dangerously I reached up and grabbed the fleshy part, squeezing it like I was strangling her. My hands barely made it all the way around. But it was easy to squeeze.
Good thing I did, I felt a heavy build-up. Acid!
Now I was in quite a predicament. If I stopped squeezing Void's tail, she'd burn my neck away. If I stopped pushing up, she'd impale my voicebox. Neither sounded pleasant.
We must've struggled like that for a full minute. And Void almost impaled me. Her dangerous silver stinger lowered to press against my throat. Denting the skin. I strained harder, baring my teeth with the effort. My arms were getting tired! Finally I rolled sideways and let go. Void's tail impaled the grass. I watched the ground melt as the backed-up acid shot out into the dirt.
So I stomped on Void's tail while it was trapped.
"ARGH! You little brat!" She palmed my head and threw me aside.
I skidded hard across the dirt. At this point fatigue was starting to take over. I never did have the same endurance the others had. I became sorely tempted to nail her with my dream catcher...but that would give away the plan. No, this had to be all fists and piss. Maybe, maybe if I keep at it, I'll get Void all tired too.
I thought about you, Believers. That made me stronger.
Climbing to my feet, I took a deep breath and faced Void again. She was still bent over her tail. Very open for an attack.
I flew at Void. She righted herself just in time. Kicked me square in the boobs. White-hot stinging pain shot through my chest. I rolled backwards and clutched my wounded breasts, gasping for breath. That hurt like HELL! Almost as bad as being kicked in the crotch!
Void elbowed me in the back while I was doubled over. I hit the dirt so hard I sunk in. She pulled me out by the hair. Her tail came at me. I pushed off her chest just enough to lessen the blow - it glanced off my left shoulder. I bled like a stuck pig, but I could still use the arm.
She lifted me to eye-level and grinned, "Well, what do you have to say for yourself now?"
I glared at her cruel eyes, "Not much, Ass-mole."
Void's ugly visage twisted. She kneed my gut, brought my face down onto her knee and tossed me down again. I choked on my own blood and checked my nose. It wasn't bleeding. Yet, anyway. Boy am I glad I don't have a big, pointy nose like Piccolo. It must suck for him whenever he gets nailed there.
And still, I got back up. "Heh, that tickled. Come on, where's the pain?"
"Oh, it's coming. I promise."
The tall, hideous creature brought her hands together in front of her chest. She brought them apart, revealing a ball of energy as bright as a welder's torch. It hurt my eyes, I had to avert my gaze. Dammit! Why did she have to blow up my sunglasses?!
"I've been working on this little move for a while. So please excuse me if it's a little messy." Void smiled coyly at me. Her eyes gleamed brightly in the growing energy. "It's called...." She held her hand up as if to blow me a kiss. The tiny, painfully bright sphere rolled off and floated towards me, giving off so much heat it made the air ripple. "Bakeretsuhoshi."
My eyes gradually adjusted to the luminous little orb. It would blind a human. But I just discovered Saiyajin eyes aren't so easily damaged by bright light. It did leave a nasty dark spot in my vision, though.
The little sphere stopped in front of me. Nothing else happened. It just floated there!
I balked at her, "What the hell is this? A joke?!"
"Yes it is, and here's the punchline!" Void spread her arms open wide, then clasped her hands together above her head. The little sphere suddenly inflated like Freeza's deathball and exploded in my face!
"AAH!" I closed my eyes and shot straight up. Just in time. Below me, a brilliant white dome decimated the entire island Void and I were fighting on. Tsunami waves swelled like gigantic ripples in a pond. New water rushed in to replace the empty space. A huge water-plume rose up, soaking me with the spray.
My heart thudded hard against my sternum. Holy shit, that would've done me in if I hadn't moved in time! How was I supposed to fight THAT?!
Piccolo, tell them to hurry the hell up. Void has a new attack that just blew up an island! I screamed mentally. I'm serious, this really sucks!
I know, I saw it from here. We barely got a ki shield up in time to avoid the tidal wave. Piccolo's calm reply answered, Don't worry, Vegeta's on his way.
Good. Relief flooded through my system. Void is just too tough to fight one-on-one. I have what...two or three strong attacks? God only knows how many Void has!
Cyndi, head for the bluff behind Freeza's ship! The trap is set in it's shadow. Piccolo cut in, startling me. Go make sure everything is set up like you wanted. Vegeta will deal with Void, he's all hot and bothered. I'll give him the 'okay' to lure her there once you let me know how everything is. Freeza is ALMOST done with the big one.
Great! I smiled triumphantly.
Now all I had to do was figure out where Void was...
SMACK!
...nevermind.
I belly flopped painfully into the choppy water. The salt in it stung my eyes and tongue. I struggled to the surface and gasped for air.
Void crashed into the water on top of me. I hadn't inhaled yet, so I submerged with empty lungs. She was pushing me down deeper! Way deeper underwater than I've ever been! I might implode!
I struggled wildly. My lungs burned. Black spots danced before my eyes. My chest caved in. I clenched my throat shut, afraid I'd inhale involuntarily if I didn't get out of there soon. But Void had my arms pinned at my sides, there was nothing I could do.
Except rely on the energy surging through my body.
Desperation produced a huge, white ki shockwave that flung Void away. I struggled towards the shimmering surface Every muscle in my body - especially my chest - burned. I wanted to stop and rest, the lack of oxygen was making me sleepy. No, swim, dammit! Inhaling water would hurt worse than sore muscles! I swear, not being able to inhale is worse than holding your breath.
I surfaced with a gaping mouth. Sucking in blessed lungfuls of oxygen. My vision cleared as much as salt-stinging eyes would allow. I shook the water from my face, coughing. So much for my makeup now.
An inkling told me to haul ass. I shot above the water just in time. Void exploded from the surface. She narrowly missed grabbing my feet!
I saw a light in the sky ahead. Vegeta's power vibrations rippled across my skull. God, I was never more glad to see him than I was then.
After all that, all Vegeta said to me was, "You, go take care of business. I'll handle Void."
"Right," I didn't feel like getting in a pissing contest with him.
I glanced back at Vegeta before I flew away. He looked pretty bruised up, but his cuts were tended to so they didn't bleed anymore. I probably looked as messed up as him, if not worse. Void did a pretty good number on me.
"Be careful, Vegeta!"
"GO!"
I went. Fast.
Freeza's ship loomed like a giant crab-monster on the island below me. Quite a display of technology, a ship like that must take years to build. Too bad I didn't have time to admire it more closely. I had a job to do. I flew swiftly behind Freeza's ship where the shadow fell and landed clumsily on the grass. Thank God flying fast dried me off, I was getting cold!
Piccolo said I'd see grass and tree branches piled up in four places with a rock off to the side. There it was. I walked forward and lifted a branch. Five dream catchers, the largest in the center, were tied between two branches, which had been bound together at the bottom while the dream catchers held them together at the top. Fishing wire extended from the top of all four sets of dream catchers. The four strands came together in the center, tied expertly in a knot. More branches were laid across the wires to maximize the contact. From the air it just looked like a dying bush shedding its leaves.
Now the trick was getting Void to land on it and trip the trap. If everything worked...well let's just see what happens.
And just in case it failed, one line of string was tied to the little rock over there. All I had to do was pick it up and pull.
Piccolo, it's all set.
Okay, kid. There was a long pause, Vegeta's on his way. Take cover under the ship.
Right. I couldn't avoid the smile spreading on my face. We were going to win this one!
Scrambling under the ship,
I kept my hand near the small stone. Now all I had to do was wait for Vegeta
to show up with Void hot on his ass.
Waiting became agony. A fight was going on and I couldn't participate! I felt exactly like I did in high school - left out. Nobody wanted me on their teams for anything. Too bad I wasn't a Saiyajin at the time. I would've won at everything like a lame Mary Sue. Heh. Waiting...I hate to wait!
After forever and a day passed, I saw two sparkles far in the distance. Vegeta and Void. I crab-scooted behind the big metal leg of Freeza's ship, making sure I kept the emergency cord within reach.
Piccolo's reassuring voice entered my head, They should be right there. Sit tight, kid, the big one's done. Freeza and I are going to fly in and nail Void while she's down.
"Boy I hope so..." I mumbled to myself.
I must've spaced out for a few seconds, because the next thing I knew, Vegeta was landing with Void right on his heels. He came down about three feet from the trap.
And Void landed right on top of it.
The four flaps whipped up like the metal part of a mouse trap. From my vantage point I couldn't see the effect, but I heard Void scream bloody murder. My nose detected burning flesh. I saw bits of silvery blood dribble on the ground right near where I was hiding.
"You don't feel so big now, do you?" Vegeta taunted the wounded creature.
I wormed out of my hiding place, stood up and surveyed the scene. Void looked like she'd been branded by a farmer. Smoking burns littered her arms, stomach and sides. Her face showed pain and anguish. I actually felt sorry for her...for about two seconds anyway.
"Well, Void, how do you like being the one crying out in pain?"
Void spun. Burning herself more in the process. "You!"
The moment Void's back was turned, Vegeta launched himself at her. It happened so fast that all I saw was a streak. Void went facedown in the dirt. She climbed to her feet and leapt into the air. I got a sick satisfaction at the smell of fear vibrating through her blood. We had her scared!
A mildly effeminate voice exploded, "Incoming!"
Movement! I glanced up.
Freeza and Piccolo swooped down. Between them was the giant dream catcher, all finished. They looped out of the sky, two living fighter jets in formation. Poor Void. She dove back to the ground. Only to have Piccolo and Freeza come on top of her with the giant woven monstrosity.
More pained screaming and sizzling noises. More burning flesh. More pain. A living thing was literally being barbecued. I had to turn away and cover my ears. I couldn't stand to watch.
Void's anguished cries cut off. Profound silence settled over the area. Nobody moved for quite some time.
"That was anti-climactic," Vegeta finally scoffed. He appeared disappointed.
I forced myself to turn around. Void remained inert, the dream catcher having been moved off her body. New silver burns marked her otherwise smooth, armored skin. Film dulled her cruel silver eyes and her mouth hung open. Even the moving "reflection" patterns on her armored hide were frozen in mid-swish.
Piccolo nudged Void with his toe. She didn't move, but Piccolo's shoe got splattered with black ooze and silver blood. The Namek wrinkled his nose and shook it off on the grass.
I walked over and looked down at Void. She didn't seem to be breathing. I couldn't sense a power level from her. "She...she's dead!"
Freeza glanced at Void and shivered violently in disgust. Then he smiled, his pale face bright and relieved, "It's really over..."
Vegeta said nothing. Typical.
"C'mon, let's get out of here," said Freeza, "Nothing left to see."
"Yeah," I faced them, grinning. "Let's - " Everybody was staring at me with horrified expressions. I blinked, "hey, what's wrong?"
"I am." A hand locked around my ankle and yanked me off my feet. I screamed, kicked free and scrambled to the others just as Void's laughter reached my ears.
Though badly burned all over, Void lumbered to her feet. Favoring one leg and arm. She still managed to cackle madly. "You thought you'd won. You almost did. But I'm finished playing with you pathetic little morons. Watch closely, I'm about to show you what real nightmares are made of!" Huge, beetle-like mandibles sprouted on either side of her mouth. Three feet of armored Hell gleaming in silver slime. Void raised her hands. Two more arms, these ending in pinchers, exploded into being. Then she laughed and disappeared in a cocoon of lightning, black fog and silver light. Her power surge stirred the environment like a violent tornado.
"No!" Piccolo stared wide-eyed, "Everybody, get back! She's transforming!"