I don't own DBZ. Akira Toriyama, FUNimation, and a bunch of other people
do.
Thanks large to Holly for her continued Beta-ing! **************************************************************************** * Battle of the Heart by NansJns
Ch. 9
The two men stared each other down. Physically, Davin knew he was no match for Goku, but he believed his magical strength gave him the edge. He had learned enough from the Ahdicionious to be very deadly in combat. However, the sparkling tower of green crystal behind Goku reminded him that there was another spell that needed completing and, for it to be accomplished, it needed something from both him and Goku. ((For the spell, I need some of his blood. Somehow, I must find a way to cut him.)) Davin reasoned. He was rather curious as to what had happened to Goku to make his normally black hair and eyes (as well as the hair on his long tail, which his rival had instinctively secured around his waist) gold and turquoise, but there was no time to wonder about it. A fraction of a second later, Goku had disappeared from where he was standing, and reappeared in Davin's face. Goku swung a punch that ordinarily would have taken Davin's head clean off his shoulders if the magic shield hadn't stopped its force. Goku pulled his hand back, feeling his knuckles start to bruise.
"Damn it!!" Goku swore hotly. ((I keep forgetting about that damn magic shield of his! It's stopped everything I've thrown at him so far!)) Goku thought, as Davin began to smirk. ((I'll wipe that look off his face!)) Goku ground his teeth in fury. A faint fizzle-like sound suddenly reached his ears and he noticed a tiny, glowing crack floating in the air in front of Davin, right where his powerful blow had landed. ((AHA!)) Goku grinned, and Davin followed his line of sight to the crack. The look of surprise and fear that suddenly filled the human man's face for a moment was enough to tell Goku that his opponent hadn't anticipated this. ((There's the answer! Strike hard and fast, before he can make it strong enough to resist the blows!)) Armed with this new knowledge, Goku prepared his second attack. ((This time, Davin, I'm not going to swing once and back away because of that stupid shield.)) Goku thought, flying at Davin once more.
Davin wasn't feeling quite as cocky as he'd been a moment ago; he hadn't believed that Goku was strong enough to actually break through his shield. He tried to quickly seal the crack, but his efforts weren't fast enough. Goku began relentlessly pounding on the shield; punch after punch, kick after kick, hundreds of super-powerful blows delivered in seconds. The weakened shield cracked all over, and Goku backed up for a moment. He cupped his hands towards the sorcerer and let out a scream as he sent a beam of golden light at Davin's shield. Davin barely managed to release a scream of his own before his conjured shield failed completely, shattering away into tiny, glowing pieces that vanished as they hit the floor. In the few seconds before the sorcerer could think of something else to counter this turn of events, Goku had his hands around Davin's throat, dangling the human man a few inches off the floor. Davin choked, gasping in the enraged Saiyan's grasp, and muttered what sounded like curses under his breath as he tried to pry Goku's steely hands away.
"One question, before you die," Goku said, his voice low and cold as ice. It was taking everything he had not to just crush Davin's throat right there and then; but there was something he needed to know first. "Did you rape my Chi-Chi?"
"W-what?" Davin gagged out, his hands dropping away from Goku's muscled forearms. He wasn't sure if he'd heard the other man right.
"_Did you rape Chi-Chi_?! Answer me, you son of a bitch!" Goku bellowed into Davin's reddening face as he tightened his grip a little more. The sorry bastard was going to die anyway, but Goku and Chi-Chi needed to know the answer! If he _had_ raped her, then Goku would do what he could to make Davin's death all the more painful. "She can't remember very much, but she remembers you in her room, your hands on her! _Did you rape her_?!" Davin stared at him for a moment, oddly calm for someone who couldn't breathe very well.
"If. . .I had taken her, it wouldn't have been rape. . .she was almost willing. . .but I didn't. . .I almost. . .she pushed me away, before I could finish undressing her. . ." Davin said in a heavily strained voice, as he raised his hands the slightest bit, palms-up towards Goku.
"Bull-fucking-shit it wouldn't have been rape!! You brainwashed her into being cooperative! That's not the same as getting her full permission!" Goku snarled, his grip tightening even further. Davin's air should have been completely cut off by that point, but somehow he was still able to speak a little.
"F-f-f-f-" Davin choked. Goku arched an eyebrow. Was he trying to say something? Not that anything he had to say would change anything now. "F-f-forccce. . .Bolt!" Davin finally managed to get out, and a ball of power slammed into Goku's stomach hard enough to throw him back. He released Davin to catch himself, and the human man landed on the floor, coughing and rubbing at his bruised throat. Goku growled as he pushed himself back onto his feet. "Freezing Gust!" Davin spat quickly, making his aching throat sting with the effort. He continued chanting as an extremely powerful, arctic wind hit Goku, causing a thick coating of ice to encase his arms and legs. Goku broke the ice without really trying, but Davin's next spell was already being cast. Before the Saiyan could move, massive, thick vines covered in huge, sharp thorns burst up from the floor and wrapped themselves around his arms, legs, tail, chest, and throat.
"You think some lousy _plants_ are going to stop me?!" Goku roared defiantly, as he pulled his arms free and broke the vine's hold around his neck. While doing so, the thorns on the vines scratched his skin in several places. He blinked momentarily at the burning feeling originating from the scratches.
"Perhaps not, but the venom in those thorns should slow you down some!" Davin answered with a sly grin. Goku snarled like an animal, flaring his ki high enough to burn the remaining vines away. For a second or two, he felt a little strange, but not any weaker, so he decided not to worry about it. He fired a fast ki ball, but a wall of stone shot up in front of Davin, blocking the attack before it could hit him. The wall was destroyed, but the worst injuries Davin received were some minor bruises and scratches from the fragmented shards. Davin retaliated by flinging several shots of blue lightning from his hands at Goku, who easily leapt out of their way. The lightning struck the base of the crystal, making a small crack. All of a sudden, Davin looked ill, and Goku sensed a stab of pain from Chi-Chi.
"But. . .but that's no where near Chi-Chi. . .!" Goku objected, and quickly flew up to where she was held in the green crystal block. To his horror, she now had a small cut in her right leg, which corresponded in size and shape to the newly-made crack. Sickened by the realization, Goku wanted to throw up again. Any damage inflicted to the crystal would affect its inner prisoner, and if he _had_ shattered it before (as he'd originally planned), he would've torn her body to pieces! He dropped hard back onto the floor and glared at Davin again. "Any damage to that crystal happens to her?" he asked, his voice low and hoarse. Davin nodded.
"I told you; if you break it, you'll kill her," Davin affirmed.
"You sick son of a bitch," Goku muttered, and lunged at him again. As angry as he was, he paid no mind to the various defense spells Davin cast; he plowed through them all like they were nothing. Then, he swung a devastating punch into Davin's ribs, and felt the fragile human bones break beneath his knuckles. One kick broke Davin's right leg in several places. Another lightning-fast punch shattered his shoulder and collarbone. Davin flopped to the floor a broken mess, coughing up blood. Goku was about to finish him off when his arms went numb. "Wh-what?!" Goku gasped as his left leg also lost all sensation and he fell, hard, onto his right knee. Davin was able to cast a healing spell over himself as Goku fell over and out of his Super Saiyan form, unable to move. His now-numbed tail unraveled from his waist and lay limply on his stomach.
"The venom I previously mentioned?" Davin said as he stood gloating over the fallen Saiyan. "It causes paralysis. First in the limbs, then the chest, then all the vital organs - including the heart!"
"You _bastard_!" Goku barked as he felt the numbness taking over his body.
"Now it's my turn, you _monkey_!" Davin said, and held out his hands. "Gravity, release thy hold, grant me the power of the air!" he chanted, and lifted Goku's body with the same flying spell he'd been using. He brutally flung the ragdoll-like Goku into the foot-thick, solid, stone walls over and over, until the stone cracked from the repeated blows and Goku felt his bones breaking. Then Davin slammed Goku back into the floor. The nasty grin was back on Davin's face as he prepared his next move. Unnoticed, the Ahdicionious was glowing brighter than ever; its pages flapped wildly; the evil tome itself was slowly, but surely, getting bigger with every spell Davin cast. "Pain for my foes, death for my foes, delivered by the Burning Whip!" Davin chanted, and a whip, seemingly made of fire and with several tails, suddenly materialized in his hand. He struck Goku several times with the horrible lash, delighting in the obvious pain he was inflicting. Upon remembering Goku's tail and stories he'd heard about it while working in the Ox-King's house, he began to crush the long, furry limb under his booted foot at the same time. Immobilized from the venom, a frustrated Goku could do nothing but scream from the torture.
((Stop! Stop!)) Chi-Chi screamed wordlessly in her crystalline prison. ((Oh, Kami, please stop!! You're killing him, Davin! Goku!! GOKU!!!)) Tears trickled slowly down her cheeks as she, too, felt her mate's pain. She could also sense the Ahdicionious below her; its evil aura grew stronger every second, and she could almost hear the pages flipping over. ((I have to stop this!)) Chi-Chi thought, but she didn't know how. For a moment, she felt a coldness slip through her, as a dark, triumphant voice whispered in her mind, "You can't stop this! No one can!" ((No! I can! I WILL! Somehow. . .!)) Chi-Chi thought, forcing away whatever it was that had just spoken to her.
Davin finally stopped beating the limp Goku, and panted several times to slow down his galloping heart. Goku's clothes were bloodstained and torn. Davin suddenly remembered the spell he needed to perform on Chi-Chi, stooped over Goku's unmoving form, and dipped one finger into the Saiyan's blood. He then walked up to the crystal and started drawing a symbol on its smooth surface with the newly rendered blood.
"May her heart be emptied of him and filled with me. Burn him from her heart and soul; discard this impurity. . ." he chanted. Goku scowled at him and tried to get back on his feet, but he still couldn't move. Davin ran out of blood before he could finish painting the symbol, and went back to Goku. Goku tried his best to move away, but could barely wiggle. The whip cuts, the burns around them, and the bruises didn't really hurt all that badly, but the thorns' paralyzing venom was slowly killing him. Davin got more blood off of Goku's slashed chest, placed a quick kick into his broken ribs, and went back to writing his symbol on the crystal.
((No. . .)) Chi-Chi thought. ((Stop hurting Goku!)) she silently cried in protest, as she sensed the sadistic kick. She didn't know or care what Davin was doing to the crystal itself; all she could sense was the distress of her mate. ((I won't let you do this, Davin!! I WON'T!!)) Chi- Chi screamed in her mind, flexing every bit of internal power she had outward. A tremor passed through the crystal, initiating a crack from the inside. Davin jerked back and stared at the crystal tower as it vibrated, its movements also making the floor slowly shift under his feet.
"Wh-what? NO! I--I've been doing it precisely! It should be alright! I haven't miscast any part of the spell!" he cried. He knew if the spell wasn't done exactly right, it would destroy the crystal and anything it held within it. . .but he had done everything perfectly! Goku could only watch in frustration from his place on the floor, horror filling every corner of his warrior's heart. ((No! Please no! Chi-Chi!!)) He pleaded with the unseen powers of the universe for her life. The crystal continued to shake, harder and harder, and crack deeper and wider, until finally the top exploded, raining shards of all shapes and sizes down on the floor below. Davin quickly shielded his face, but still received several bad cuts to his arms and sides. Multiple shards cut into Goku as well, but, instead of just inflicting more injury to him, every cut lessened the effect of his paralysis. No one noticed that some of the sharpest and most jagged pieces of crystal pierced into the Ahdicionious itself, ripping pages and snapping its bound spine. It almost seemed to writhe for a moment before lying still again. When the crystalline shower finished, Chi-Chi was left sitting high in the air, on top of the remains of her now-broken prison, and she stared down at the two men far below her. ((Did I. . .do that?)) she wondered, looking around her at the ruined crystal. She was a little afraid to move, as any movement would inevitably result in a cut from what remained of the crystal's sharp edges. A recovered Goku got back on his feet, the numbness completely gone from his body. His tail still ached from Davin's stepping on it, but the pain had dulled enough to be bearable. Both men flew toward Chi-Chi, but Goku was, as always, faster, and swept her off the crystal tower and back on to the floor before Davin could reach her.
"Chi-Chi! Are you all right?!" Goku asked, giving her a worried once- over. Other than the cut she'd initially received on her leg, she looked fine. Her dress was a little torn here and there, but that didn't matter.
"Yes, yes, I think so! Oh, Goku! Are _you_ all right?!" An alarmed Chi-Chi looked over at the nasty cuts, received from both the whip and the crystal, over his chest, not to mention the massive bruises forming across his body from being slammed into the walls, and bit down on her lip to keep from crying. The cuts from the whip were ringed with burns, making them all the uglier and more worrisome.
"I'll be fine; I've had worse!" Goku said reassuringly, and pulled her into a tight embrace. The contact made his wounds hurt more, but he didn't care. He pushed her away quickly and looked into her anxious eyes. "Listen, you have to get out of here!"
"Right!" Chi-Chi nodded.
"NO! DAMN IT! Get away from her!!" Davin bellowed, and the same magic-rope that had once pulled Goku away from the crystal snagged Chi-Chi and began dragging her back toward Davin.
"No! Let go! Goku!" Chi-Chi tried with all her might to brace herself against the rope's pull, but was still being pulled backwards.
"Let her _go_, Davin!" Goku bellowed in return, grabbing the rope with both hands in an attempt to break it. When that didn't work, he simply yanked on the rope, momentarily pulling Davin off-balance. The human man released his hold before his face could meet the floor. Instead, he just slammed onto it with his hands and knees. He glared at the Saiyan with unending hatred, which the Saiyan returned in kind. Goku quickly pushed Chi-Chi behind him, and she slowly edged toward the door. As Davin began chanting again, Goku cupped his hands to one side.
"Death and Life. . ."
"KA. . ."
"Blossom and Blight. . ."
"ME. . .HA. . ."
"From the Sea of Chaos. . ."
"ME. . ."
"I beckon your powers into my hands!"
"HAAAA!!!" Goku thrust his hands forward and the massive amount of ki flew at Davin.
"CRIMSON SLAYER!!" Davin finished his spell, and an equally large bolt of red power leapt from his hands and connected with the Kamehameha. For a moment, the two powers dueled with each other, then, unexpectedly, the Kamehameha was deflected to one side. The red power, now unhindered, dove forward and struck Goku's forearms, which were brought up to block its blast. The power slammed him backwards into the wall. Davin began laughing, until he noticed Goku lower his arms, a grin on his face.
"What the hell are you looking so happy about?!" Davin demanded, knowing the man was in poor shape, far worse than himself. In reply, Goku flicked one hand, and the ball of ki from the Kamehameha, which had been sitting in midair to one side, continued its flight. Davin instinctually tried to block the attack, and realized a second too late he wasn't its intended target. The ki energy struck the already badly damaged Ahdicionious, and the book burst into green flames. Goku stared for a moment, almost disappointed by the result; he'd been sure the book would just explode from having such a massive ball of ki strike it. "NOOOO! The Ahdicionious!!" Davin screamed, and ran to put the fire out.
However, before he could reach the burning book, a sound began to rise from it, like hundreds of voices raised in a single pained moan. What remained of the book's pages began to fly back and forth, faster than ever before. Davin took an alarmed step back, and Goku planted himself firmly in front of Chi-Chi. Sparks of green light began leaping from the fluttering book, and the moan became an agonized howl. The flames began to stretch and spin, and the book began to lift off the podium. The flames went out, as a magically produced cyclone rose up out of the Ahdicionious, swallowed the book whole, and began throwing shreds of its torn pages everywhere. Within seconds, the cyclone was as tall as the ceiling, and as wide as the wall. Bolts of green power leapt out of it and struck everywhere around the room, destroying everything in their destructive paths. The broken pieces of debris were sucked into the funnel and thrown about the room. The cyclone swallowed up the remains of the crystal, and then sent thousands of crystal shards flying everywhere. Goku spun around and pulled Chi-Chi to him to better shield her from the indiscriminate debris, which slashed him as it fell. Several pieces of crystal and stone flew at them and pinned Chi-Chi's long, flapping skirt to the wall. Chi- Chi lost the bulk of her skirt in an attempt to try and free the snagged cloth. Davin turned and ran, almost reaching Goku and Chi-Chi, but one bolt of the green power snaked out to grab him from behind and began pulling him into the cyclone.
"N-N-NO!" Davin screamed in terror, and gave a powerful jerk of his body. It was just enough to get loose and he managed to reach the Saiyan and his human woman. In a blind fury, he grabbed at Chi-Chi. Goku was about to strike him away when the cyclone captured Davin once more. It grabbed his leg and began pulling, and he, in turn, tried to pull Chi-Chi with him. The flying debris continued to assail all of them, causing a severe distraction as it tore their skin and clothes. The supernatural strength of the wind alone was enough to actually start to pry Chi-Chi loose from Goku's straining hold. A stray bolt of power suddenly struck Goku's shoulder, weakening his grip. Chi-Chi started to slip from his hand, but he quickly tightened his hold again.
"DAVIN, YOU ASSHOLE! LET GO OF MY MATE!!" Goku yelled over the gale- force wind.
"CHI-CHI IS COMING WITH ME!" Davin bellowed in response, still certain he could escape and let the cyclone consume Goku instead. Chi-Chi scowled at him then with such hate in her face that for a moment he was taken back.
"I'M GOING WITH MY HUSBAND! YOU, ON THE OTHER HAND, CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HELL, DAVIN!" Chi-Chi screamed, and swung a hard kick to Davin's chest. The blow knocked the wind from him, and he finally released her. In the next second, Goku had Chi-Chi securely back in his arms, and Davin was brutally pulled into the heart of the twister; but unlike everything else it had pulled in, Davin didn't come back out. They could hear him screaming in terrible pain, but they couldn't see him anymore. A few seconds later, something wet went flying outward from the cyclone, and hit the wall next to them with a sickening splash. Before he even looked at it, the iron scent told Goku what it was; it was blood. The cyclone broke through the high ceiling and began tearing apart the upper floors, still sending grisly splatters of blood around the room. Wood, glass, crystal, paper, bits of stone, and more were flying around the two of them at high speed, tearing at their clothes, and cutting and bruising their skin.
"We have to get out of here!" Goku shouted, as he swiftly carried her through the door.
"Wait, Goku, what about Lilith, Aume, and Maruberu?" Chi-Chi said as he started to carry her toward the staircase. They were a few floors up, and he was planning on flying her to the relative safety of the bottom-most floor. Goku stopped in mid-stride.
"Oh, hell! I forgot all about them! Last time I saw them, they were down in the dungeon bringing me something to eat! They could be anywhere right now!" Goku snapped.
"We have to find them! We can't leave them here!" Chi-Chi said urgently.
"I know! Give me a moment to find their kis!" he said, and starting sending out mental feelers for their unique life forces. He wasn't about to leave those three innocent souls to be killed by that renegade magical cyclone, especially considering their selfless efforts to help him rescue his beloved Chi-Chi.
"Wait! There they are!" Chi-Chi pointed to the three frightened elf- women as they came running up the stairs towards the commotion. It looked like Maruberu was still bruised but, given the way she ran up the steps, she didn't feel as bad as she had the day before.
"What happened?!" Lilith asked quickly.
"What's that noise?!" Aume asked at the same time.
"No time! We'll explain later! Right now, we have to get out of here!" Goku answered, just as the cyclone burst through the wall and rapidly bore down on them. It was as tall as the palace now, and from somewhere inside they could still hear pained screams. As they all turned to run for the front door, praying it would let them out, a skeletal arm, stretched far out of proportion and with just a little flesh connecting the joints, suddenly shot out from the funnel and wrapped its bony fingers around Chi-Chi's right upper-arm. Chi-Chi saw and felt the horrible thing's grip and screamed in fear before she could stop herself. Goku turned his head at his mate's scream, saw the gruesome appendage, and immediately grabbed it. He crushed the wrist bones to powder in his hands, and the arm was pulled back into the cyclone, but the hand remained firmly clamped onto Chi-Chi's arm. He then pried the hand off Chi-Chi, tearing the sleeve of her dress as he did, and purposefully threw the hand back into the cyclone. "Everyone, grab hold! I'm getting us out of here!" Goku said, and the elves quickly grabbed his arms and waist. In the blink of an eye, he and his companions were outside, in the middle of the palace gardens.
"The book's containment spells must have broken when he lost control of his magic!" Aume observed as she looked over her shoulder to the palace, which the cyclone was engulfing in its destructive vortex.
"Can you guys get us out of this bubble world?!" Goku asked quickly.
"The three of us together might be able to," Maruberu answered, pulling the pouch out of her belt. "And I still have some of Poshun's powder."
"Fine! Let's go!" Goku said with a nod, and they flew to the edge of the reality bubble. Once they landed, Lilith rapidly sprinkled the last of the powder around them, and the three elf women began chanting in unison.
"Hurry!" Chi-Chi urgently cried as she saw the cyclone approaching them, violently uprooting trees as it went. Davin's palace and the grounds around it were gone; only the small, false forest remained of his realm. Maruberu, Lilith, and Aume began pressing with their combined might against the reality's wall, and it broke almost instantly, sending them all tumbling into the real world once more. The cyclone roared like an enraged animal as it devoured the last of Davin's world. To their collective horror, it followed them through the breech into the real world, reaching high into the sky and pulling real trees lose.
"How do we stop this thing?!" Chi-Chi cried as she clung to Goku for dear life. Aume had grabbed hold of an old oak, and Lilith was embracing a nearby maple's trunk with Maruberu hugging it on the other side.
"I--I don't know!" Goku answered in growing frustration. "Maybe. . ." Goku's mind raced for some kind of solution, but he was a warrior, not a wizard! All of this magical stuff was beyond him. He backed up quickly with Chi-Chi in his arms, desperately trying to think of something, anything. His acute Saiyan vision saw something flickering in and out of view inside the storm's whirling winds; it looked a little like a book cover. A brief, insane inspiration struck him, and he spun around, releasing his grip on Chi-Chi. "Okay, one idea. Chi-Chi, stay behind me!" Goku said to her as he spun back around, still positioned between his Chi- Chi and the magical storm, and began building up a ki ball. Chi-Chi held tightly to the back of Goku's shirt with both hands, refusing to go far. "HAAA!" he bellowed, sending a beam of ki into the heart of the cyclone. The two forces struggled with each other for a moment, but the ki lanced through, knocking something loose from inside the storm. The small object flew from the storm and hit the ground, half-burying itself in the dirt. It was the cover of the Ahdicionious; its pages all ripped out, the leather of the cover torn and burned. It trembled for a few moments - Goku was sure the movement was caused by the still-blowing wind, regardless that its shaking looked like a living thing writhing in pain - and then fell apart into ashes, which were blown away by the cyclone's lessening winds. As they all stood there and watched, the cyclone slowed, stopped its forward movement, and began rapidly shrinking. Like a real cyclone, it spun slower and slower, and then just blew itself out, dropping a few final objects as its fury dissipated. Bits of trees and debris fell in disarrayed clumps onto the ground, along with a torn, blood-stained piece of cloth wrapped around a piece of white bone. Goku could only assume it was all that remained of Davin.
The five survivors stood and stared at the place the storm had just been for several long moments, breathing deeply. Then the three elf-women broke into wild, tearful cheers of joy and relief.
"We're free! We're FREE!" they cried, falling into a group hug. Goku and Chi-Chi also embraced. He gently he told her what Davin had revealed to him; even while in Davin's enchanted thrall, she had refused him when he came to her room. She hadn't been raped. Chi-Chi let out a small sob of relief and, after only a few minutes, had cried herself dry. The jubilant elf-women suddenly surrounded Goku and Chi-Chi and included them in another group hug. They were so full of happiness at being released from Davin's control, none of them noticed Goku wince painfully from the crush of their overly-enthusiastic hug.
"Oh, thank you, thank you!" Lilith said, her cheeks wet with grateful tears.
"You saved us! Thank you so much!" Maruberu said, fresh tears of gladness falling down her cheeks.
"You're welcome! And thank you for finding and bringing Goku to help me!" Chi-Chi answered, almost ready to cry herself as a result of their thankful outpourings.
"We'll never be able to thank you enough! Is there anything we can do for you?" Aume said cheerfully, right before she noticed Goku's pained expression. Startled by his grimace, she asked, "Are you all right?!"
"You're all very welcome; now, would you mind letting go?" Goku said through gritted teeth. The three elf-women promptly released their embraces and backed up a step or two.
"Oh! Sorry!" Maruberu apologized.
"I didn't notice you were so badly hurt!" Lilith observed, now taking in Goku's numerous injuries. Wincing from the effort, Goku was taking in deep breaths to maintain control.
"Please, allow us to tend to your wounds," Aume offered, extending her hand to him.
"Can you help him?" Chi-Chi asked hopefully.
"Sure! We all know many healing charms, and with the three of us focusing our powers on just one person, they should be effective enough to heal his wounds completely!" Maruberu confidently answered.
"But. . ." Goku stepped in, looking at the still-visible bruises they all sported.
"Since we were all injured at the same time, we only had enough power remaining between the three of us to heal ourselves one at a time. And on top of that, Davin didn't allow us sufficient time alone to heal our wounds. It was part of our punishment for betraying him," Aume explained.
"Well, all right then," Goku said, half-falling into a sitting position on the forest floor. The elf-girls quickly gathered around him in a circle, ready to begin their healing charms, but he held up a hand. "Wait, I want you to heal Chi-Chi first," he objected.
"Don't be silly! I just have a few scrapes and bruises; nothing compared to what you've got. Of course, you should be first!" Chi-Chi insisted.
"But-" Goku objected again. Chi-Chi smiled and waved off his protest.
"I'll be fine; you're the one that really needs it," she replied, giving him a no-nonsense look, and Goku sighed softly. By now, he should know better than to argue with his mate. Kami, was he ever happy to have her back, safe and sound!
"First of all, we need to remove all of those crystal shards in your back," Maruberu said as she looked at the numerous green crystalline fragments embedded in Goku's skin. ((So that's why my back hurts so much. . .no wonder!)) Goku thought. It made sense; after all, he had shielded Chi-Chi with his body when the twister shattered what remained of the crystal. He just hadn't realized he'd taken several pieces of the enchanted crystal with him.
"This will sting," Aume warned as she, Lilith, Maruberu, and Chi-Chi made ready to start pulling the crystal pieces out.
"I'll be fine," Goku answered casually. Heck, he had experienced far worse than a few little cuts in his day!
"Okay," Aume answered, as they all started yanking at once. Goku pressed his mouth tightly shut to keep in the little yelps of pain that wanted to escape him.
"There are some in his tail, too," he heard Lilith say. Goku quickly maneuvered his tender tail into his lap and started pulling out the imbedded shards in it by himself. He wasn't sure he trusted any of the elves to be careful enough with his most sensitive body part. He wasn't really surprised that he hadn't noticed the shards sooner, either; his whole body hurt like a fury after the beating Davin had given him. The pain in his tail was just one more ache to add to the list. After several minutes of studious picking, the four females had accumulated a small pile of green crystal pieces sitting to the side, which sizzled a little and began to disappear. Goku's back, however, was an even bloodier mess than before. Chi-Chi noticed a few final shards stubbornly remaining in the base of Goku's tail, and pulled them out as well. Goku let out a small, involuntary noise before he could stop himself.
"I'm sorry, Goku," Chi-Chi whispered by way of an apology into his ear, as she gently pulled out the last, resistant shard from of his tail.
"It's. . .okay. . ." Goku wheezed between clenched teeth. Chi-Chi kissed his cheek gently, and his grimace lightened considerably, almost into a smile.
"All right, we're ready to cast the healing charms now," Aume said once she was satisfied they'd gotten all of the pieces out of Goku's bloody back. Chi-Chi took a few steps back from her husband, and the three elf- women moved as one to surround Goku's sitting figure. They held their hands palm-out over his injuries, and began chanting. Chi-Chi watched as a soft light flowed from their hands over Goku's skin, to first stop the bleeding. The whole healing process took longer than Dende's power would have but, little by little, Goku's cuts closed and his bruises and burns faded, until they were gone. The elf girls continued to concentrate on him, sending their power in deeper to knit the numerous broken bones he had, and soon Goku felt all of the pain leave his body completely.
"There!" Maruberu said with a satisfied sigh.
"Wow, that's great! I'm all healed! Do you still have enough power to take care of Chi-Chi, though? And yourselves?" Goku asked as he stood up and stretched the muscles in his healed body. Parts of him were still coated with damp blood, but otherwise he felt great.
"We can rest before we finish healing ourselves," Aume answered.
"I really don't need a healing spell," Chi-Chi observed. Maruberu walked around her just to ascertain for herself the extent of Chi-Chi's injuries.
"No, not really; your worst injury is that cut on your ankle. Your husband did a fine job of protecting you," Maruberu agreed, smiling cheerfully. Goku started to say something, but she added, "But, as added insurance, we'll cast a quick one on you anyway." The spell itself was minimal, but it was enough to help Chi-Chi's minor wounds to heal up in no time. In the meanwhile, Goku's ears located the sounds of rapidly moving water and handily pinpointed a nearby river in which they could wash up.
"We can't fix your clothes, unfortunately," Lilith observed when they'd finished healing Chi-Chi. Goku looked at what remained of their tattered clothing and gave an indifferent shrug in response. The borrowed shirt he was wearing was ruined, the front and back were torn wide open, and the pants were hardly more than shreds hanging from his waistband.
"That's all right; I had no intention of keeping these, anyway," he said, easily tearing off what little remained of Davin's undersized shirt and casting it aside, leaving his well-muscled chest bare for all to see.
"I did sorta like this dress, though," Chi-Chi admitted as she looked at the red tatters she wore. What she still had on could no longer be properly called a dress; the skirt was gone, torn off up to her hips, one sleeve was gone, the other was only a few rags wrapped around her arm, and the bodice was torn open, revealing most of one smooth breast. For the first time in a long while, Goku was calm enough to fully notice Chi-Chi's lack of attire and, as a result, felt a small rush of excitement at the enticing show of skin. It didn't help his rising ardor to also notice that, where the top was torn open and his mark should have been, her bare shoulder was smooth. For a brief moment, the Kakkarot part of him roared his inner demand to pull her into his arms right there and then, remove the few rags she still wore, take her, and mark her again. He forced down the desire before it nearly overwhelmed him. ((Later! Soon! But not now!)) he told himself as he reigned in his lustful Saiyan nature. Chi-Chi gave him a quick, surprised look, and he felt himself blush a little. ((She must've picked up on what I was just feeling. . .)) he thought, with more than a tinge of embarrassment. Collecting himself, he cleared his throat and said, "There's a river over there. I'd like to wash up a little before we get home," he said. "No sense scaring the boys first thing when we get back."
"That sounds like a good idea," Chi-Chi nodded. "I could stand to wash a little of this blood off as well." Goku nodded, mentally forcing his base Saiyan nature to behave itself as it pictured a naked Chi-Chi joining him in the water.
"How do you plan to get home?" Aume asked.
"I'll fly us there," Goku answered. "Or we'll just use Instant Transmission."
"All right, then; if you don't need our help," Aume said with a quick nod. "Just so you know, the two of you still have two favors you can ask of us."
"Say what? But the three of you already used your magic to heal the both of us. . ." Chi-Chi started.
"Yes, that was one favor. You put yourselves in harm's way to save _all_ of our lives; three lives, three favors," Maruberu explained calmly.
"Oh," Chi-Chi answered, a little surprised. She gave it a few moments thought, then admitted, "Well, I can't think of anything else we might need from you guys right now. . ."
"Neither can I; we're pretty much covered," Goku said, placing one hand behind his head as he always did when he felt awkward.
"All right," Aume said with a nod. As Chi-Chi and Goku watched, Aume looked at the forest floor carefully for a few moments, then picked up a small stone. The elf-women gathered around the stone sitting on Aume's outstretched palm to once more pool their powers, and within moments turned the stone into a tiny, gold bell. Satisfied with their handiwork, Aume walked up to Goku, took his hand and placed the bell gently into it. "Just ring that; we'll hear it and come," she told him, giving him a thankful smile. "That is, of course, when you _can_ think of something to ask of us."
"Right now, we need to get home to our own families. We've been missing for months; they must be out of their heads with worry!" Lilith observed, now anxious to finally get on their way.
"Of course! I promise that when we think of something, we'll ring for you! But for now, please. . .go home," Chi-Chi said gently. They nodded and smiled in return. Aume, Lilith, and Maruberu started happily chanting their homeward-bound spell and, a moment later, the three elf- women disappeared from view. **************************************************************************** ** Wait! There's more! A homecoming is still on the horizon! Be here for ch.10!
*~*NansJns*~*
Thanks large to Holly for her continued Beta-ing! **************************************************************************** * Battle of the Heart by NansJns
Ch. 9
The two men stared each other down. Physically, Davin knew he was no match for Goku, but he believed his magical strength gave him the edge. He had learned enough from the Ahdicionious to be very deadly in combat. However, the sparkling tower of green crystal behind Goku reminded him that there was another spell that needed completing and, for it to be accomplished, it needed something from both him and Goku. ((For the spell, I need some of his blood. Somehow, I must find a way to cut him.)) Davin reasoned. He was rather curious as to what had happened to Goku to make his normally black hair and eyes (as well as the hair on his long tail, which his rival had instinctively secured around his waist) gold and turquoise, but there was no time to wonder about it. A fraction of a second later, Goku had disappeared from where he was standing, and reappeared in Davin's face. Goku swung a punch that ordinarily would have taken Davin's head clean off his shoulders if the magic shield hadn't stopped its force. Goku pulled his hand back, feeling his knuckles start to bruise.
"Damn it!!" Goku swore hotly. ((I keep forgetting about that damn magic shield of his! It's stopped everything I've thrown at him so far!)) Goku thought, as Davin began to smirk. ((I'll wipe that look off his face!)) Goku ground his teeth in fury. A faint fizzle-like sound suddenly reached his ears and he noticed a tiny, glowing crack floating in the air in front of Davin, right where his powerful blow had landed. ((AHA!)) Goku grinned, and Davin followed his line of sight to the crack. The look of surprise and fear that suddenly filled the human man's face for a moment was enough to tell Goku that his opponent hadn't anticipated this. ((There's the answer! Strike hard and fast, before he can make it strong enough to resist the blows!)) Armed with this new knowledge, Goku prepared his second attack. ((This time, Davin, I'm not going to swing once and back away because of that stupid shield.)) Goku thought, flying at Davin once more.
Davin wasn't feeling quite as cocky as he'd been a moment ago; he hadn't believed that Goku was strong enough to actually break through his shield. He tried to quickly seal the crack, but his efforts weren't fast enough. Goku began relentlessly pounding on the shield; punch after punch, kick after kick, hundreds of super-powerful blows delivered in seconds. The weakened shield cracked all over, and Goku backed up for a moment. He cupped his hands towards the sorcerer and let out a scream as he sent a beam of golden light at Davin's shield. Davin barely managed to release a scream of his own before his conjured shield failed completely, shattering away into tiny, glowing pieces that vanished as they hit the floor. In the few seconds before the sorcerer could think of something else to counter this turn of events, Goku had his hands around Davin's throat, dangling the human man a few inches off the floor. Davin choked, gasping in the enraged Saiyan's grasp, and muttered what sounded like curses under his breath as he tried to pry Goku's steely hands away.
"One question, before you die," Goku said, his voice low and cold as ice. It was taking everything he had not to just crush Davin's throat right there and then; but there was something he needed to know first. "Did you rape my Chi-Chi?"
"W-what?" Davin gagged out, his hands dropping away from Goku's muscled forearms. He wasn't sure if he'd heard the other man right.
"_Did you rape Chi-Chi_?! Answer me, you son of a bitch!" Goku bellowed into Davin's reddening face as he tightened his grip a little more. The sorry bastard was going to die anyway, but Goku and Chi-Chi needed to know the answer! If he _had_ raped her, then Goku would do what he could to make Davin's death all the more painful. "She can't remember very much, but she remembers you in her room, your hands on her! _Did you rape her_?!" Davin stared at him for a moment, oddly calm for someone who couldn't breathe very well.
"If. . .I had taken her, it wouldn't have been rape. . .she was almost willing. . .but I didn't. . .I almost. . .she pushed me away, before I could finish undressing her. . ." Davin said in a heavily strained voice, as he raised his hands the slightest bit, palms-up towards Goku.
"Bull-fucking-shit it wouldn't have been rape!! You brainwashed her into being cooperative! That's not the same as getting her full permission!" Goku snarled, his grip tightening even further. Davin's air should have been completely cut off by that point, but somehow he was still able to speak a little.
"F-f-f-f-" Davin choked. Goku arched an eyebrow. Was he trying to say something? Not that anything he had to say would change anything now. "F-f-forccce. . .Bolt!" Davin finally managed to get out, and a ball of power slammed into Goku's stomach hard enough to throw him back. He released Davin to catch himself, and the human man landed on the floor, coughing and rubbing at his bruised throat. Goku growled as he pushed himself back onto his feet. "Freezing Gust!" Davin spat quickly, making his aching throat sting with the effort. He continued chanting as an extremely powerful, arctic wind hit Goku, causing a thick coating of ice to encase his arms and legs. Goku broke the ice without really trying, but Davin's next spell was already being cast. Before the Saiyan could move, massive, thick vines covered in huge, sharp thorns burst up from the floor and wrapped themselves around his arms, legs, tail, chest, and throat.
"You think some lousy _plants_ are going to stop me?!" Goku roared defiantly, as he pulled his arms free and broke the vine's hold around his neck. While doing so, the thorns on the vines scratched his skin in several places. He blinked momentarily at the burning feeling originating from the scratches.
"Perhaps not, but the venom in those thorns should slow you down some!" Davin answered with a sly grin. Goku snarled like an animal, flaring his ki high enough to burn the remaining vines away. For a second or two, he felt a little strange, but not any weaker, so he decided not to worry about it. He fired a fast ki ball, but a wall of stone shot up in front of Davin, blocking the attack before it could hit him. The wall was destroyed, but the worst injuries Davin received were some minor bruises and scratches from the fragmented shards. Davin retaliated by flinging several shots of blue lightning from his hands at Goku, who easily leapt out of their way. The lightning struck the base of the crystal, making a small crack. All of a sudden, Davin looked ill, and Goku sensed a stab of pain from Chi-Chi.
"But. . .but that's no where near Chi-Chi. . .!" Goku objected, and quickly flew up to where she was held in the green crystal block. To his horror, she now had a small cut in her right leg, which corresponded in size and shape to the newly-made crack. Sickened by the realization, Goku wanted to throw up again. Any damage inflicted to the crystal would affect its inner prisoner, and if he _had_ shattered it before (as he'd originally planned), he would've torn her body to pieces! He dropped hard back onto the floor and glared at Davin again. "Any damage to that crystal happens to her?" he asked, his voice low and hoarse. Davin nodded.
"I told you; if you break it, you'll kill her," Davin affirmed.
"You sick son of a bitch," Goku muttered, and lunged at him again. As angry as he was, he paid no mind to the various defense spells Davin cast; he plowed through them all like they were nothing. Then, he swung a devastating punch into Davin's ribs, and felt the fragile human bones break beneath his knuckles. One kick broke Davin's right leg in several places. Another lightning-fast punch shattered his shoulder and collarbone. Davin flopped to the floor a broken mess, coughing up blood. Goku was about to finish him off when his arms went numb. "Wh-what?!" Goku gasped as his left leg also lost all sensation and he fell, hard, onto his right knee. Davin was able to cast a healing spell over himself as Goku fell over and out of his Super Saiyan form, unable to move. His now-numbed tail unraveled from his waist and lay limply on his stomach.
"The venom I previously mentioned?" Davin said as he stood gloating over the fallen Saiyan. "It causes paralysis. First in the limbs, then the chest, then all the vital organs - including the heart!"
"You _bastard_!" Goku barked as he felt the numbness taking over his body.
"Now it's my turn, you _monkey_!" Davin said, and held out his hands. "Gravity, release thy hold, grant me the power of the air!" he chanted, and lifted Goku's body with the same flying spell he'd been using. He brutally flung the ragdoll-like Goku into the foot-thick, solid, stone walls over and over, until the stone cracked from the repeated blows and Goku felt his bones breaking. Then Davin slammed Goku back into the floor. The nasty grin was back on Davin's face as he prepared his next move. Unnoticed, the Ahdicionious was glowing brighter than ever; its pages flapped wildly; the evil tome itself was slowly, but surely, getting bigger with every spell Davin cast. "Pain for my foes, death for my foes, delivered by the Burning Whip!" Davin chanted, and a whip, seemingly made of fire and with several tails, suddenly materialized in his hand. He struck Goku several times with the horrible lash, delighting in the obvious pain he was inflicting. Upon remembering Goku's tail and stories he'd heard about it while working in the Ox-King's house, he began to crush the long, furry limb under his booted foot at the same time. Immobilized from the venom, a frustrated Goku could do nothing but scream from the torture.
((Stop! Stop!)) Chi-Chi screamed wordlessly in her crystalline prison. ((Oh, Kami, please stop!! You're killing him, Davin! Goku!! GOKU!!!)) Tears trickled slowly down her cheeks as she, too, felt her mate's pain. She could also sense the Ahdicionious below her; its evil aura grew stronger every second, and she could almost hear the pages flipping over. ((I have to stop this!)) Chi-Chi thought, but she didn't know how. For a moment, she felt a coldness slip through her, as a dark, triumphant voice whispered in her mind, "You can't stop this! No one can!" ((No! I can! I WILL! Somehow. . .!)) Chi-Chi thought, forcing away whatever it was that had just spoken to her.
Davin finally stopped beating the limp Goku, and panted several times to slow down his galloping heart. Goku's clothes were bloodstained and torn. Davin suddenly remembered the spell he needed to perform on Chi-Chi, stooped over Goku's unmoving form, and dipped one finger into the Saiyan's blood. He then walked up to the crystal and started drawing a symbol on its smooth surface with the newly rendered blood.
"May her heart be emptied of him and filled with me. Burn him from her heart and soul; discard this impurity. . ." he chanted. Goku scowled at him and tried to get back on his feet, but he still couldn't move. Davin ran out of blood before he could finish painting the symbol, and went back to Goku. Goku tried his best to move away, but could barely wiggle. The whip cuts, the burns around them, and the bruises didn't really hurt all that badly, but the thorns' paralyzing venom was slowly killing him. Davin got more blood off of Goku's slashed chest, placed a quick kick into his broken ribs, and went back to writing his symbol on the crystal.
((No. . .)) Chi-Chi thought. ((Stop hurting Goku!)) she silently cried in protest, as she sensed the sadistic kick. She didn't know or care what Davin was doing to the crystal itself; all she could sense was the distress of her mate. ((I won't let you do this, Davin!! I WON'T!!)) Chi- Chi screamed in her mind, flexing every bit of internal power she had outward. A tremor passed through the crystal, initiating a crack from the inside. Davin jerked back and stared at the crystal tower as it vibrated, its movements also making the floor slowly shift under his feet.
"Wh-what? NO! I--I've been doing it precisely! It should be alright! I haven't miscast any part of the spell!" he cried. He knew if the spell wasn't done exactly right, it would destroy the crystal and anything it held within it. . .but he had done everything perfectly! Goku could only watch in frustration from his place on the floor, horror filling every corner of his warrior's heart. ((No! Please no! Chi-Chi!!)) He pleaded with the unseen powers of the universe for her life. The crystal continued to shake, harder and harder, and crack deeper and wider, until finally the top exploded, raining shards of all shapes and sizes down on the floor below. Davin quickly shielded his face, but still received several bad cuts to his arms and sides. Multiple shards cut into Goku as well, but, instead of just inflicting more injury to him, every cut lessened the effect of his paralysis. No one noticed that some of the sharpest and most jagged pieces of crystal pierced into the Ahdicionious itself, ripping pages and snapping its bound spine. It almost seemed to writhe for a moment before lying still again. When the crystalline shower finished, Chi-Chi was left sitting high in the air, on top of the remains of her now-broken prison, and she stared down at the two men far below her. ((Did I. . .do that?)) she wondered, looking around her at the ruined crystal. She was a little afraid to move, as any movement would inevitably result in a cut from what remained of the crystal's sharp edges. A recovered Goku got back on his feet, the numbness completely gone from his body. His tail still ached from Davin's stepping on it, but the pain had dulled enough to be bearable. Both men flew toward Chi-Chi, but Goku was, as always, faster, and swept her off the crystal tower and back on to the floor before Davin could reach her.
"Chi-Chi! Are you all right?!" Goku asked, giving her a worried once- over. Other than the cut she'd initially received on her leg, she looked fine. Her dress was a little torn here and there, but that didn't matter.
"Yes, yes, I think so! Oh, Goku! Are _you_ all right?!" An alarmed Chi-Chi looked over at the nasty cuts, received from both the whip and the crystal, over his chest, not to mention the massive bruises forming across his body from being slammed into the walls, and bit down on her lip to keep from crying. The cuts from the whip were ringed with burns, making them all the uglier and more worrisome.
"I'll be fine; I've had worse!" Goku said reassuringly, and pulled her into a tight embrace. The contact made his wounds hurt more, but he didn't care. He pushed her away quickly and looked into her anxious eyes. "Listen, you have to get out of here!"
"Right!" Chi-Chi nodded.
"NO! DAMN IT! Get away from her!!" Davin bellowed, and the same magic-rope that had once pulled Goku away from the crystal snagged Chi-Chi and began dragging her back toward Davin.
"No! Let go! Goku!" Chi-Chi tried with all her might to brace herself against the rope's pull, but was still being pulled backwards.
"Let her _go_, Davin!" Goku bellowed in return, grabbing the rope with both hands in an attempt to break it. When that didn't work, he simply yanked on the rope, momentarily pulling Davin off-balance. The human man released his hold before his face could meet the floor. Instead, he just slammed onto it with his hands and knees. He glared at the Saiyan with unending hatred, which the Saiyan returned in kind. Goku quickly pushed Chi-Chi behind him, and she slowly edged toward the door. As Davin began chanting again, Goku cupped his hands to one side.
"Death and Life. . ."
"KA. . ."
"Blossom and Blight. . ."
"ME. . .HA. . ."
"From the Sea of Chaos. . ."
"ME. . ."
"I beckon your powers into my hands!"
"HAAAA!!!" Goku thrust his hands forward and the massive amount of ki flew at Davin.
"CRIMSON SLAYER!!" Davin finished his spell, and an equally large bolt of red power leapt from his hands and connected with the Kamehameha. For a moment, the two powers dueled with each other, then, unexpectedly, the Kamehameha was deflected to one side. The red power, now unhindered, dove forward and struck Goku's forearms, which were brought up to block its blast. The power slammed him backwards into the wall. Davin began laughing, until he noticed Goku lower his arms, a grin on his face.
"What the hell are you looking so happy about?!" Davin demanded, knowing the man was in poor shape, far worse than himself. In reply, Goku flicked one hand, and the ball of ki from the Kamehameha, which had been sitting in midair to one side, continued its flight. Davin instinctually tried to block the attack, and realized a second too late he wasn't its intended target. The ki energy struck the already badly damaged Ahdicionious, and the book burst into green flames. Goku stared for a moment, almost disappointed by the result; he'd been sure the book would just explode from having such a massive ball of ki strike it. "NOOOO! The Ahdicionious!!" Davin screamed, and ran to put the fire out.
However, before he could reach the burning book, a sound began to rise from it, like hundreds of voices raised in a single pained moan. What remained of the book's pages began to fly back and forth, faster than ever before. Davin took an alarmed step back, and Goku planted himself firmly in front of Chi-Chi. Sparks of green light began leaping from the fluttering book, and the moan became an agonized howl. The flames began to stretch and spin, and the book began to lift off the podium. The flames went out, as a magically produced cyclone rose up out of the Ahdicionious, swallowed the book whole, and began throwing shreds of its torn pages everywhere. Within seconds, the cyclone was as tall as the ceiling, and as wide as the wall. Bolts of green power leapt out of it and struck everywhere around the room, destroying everything in their destructive paths. The broken pieces of debris were sucked into the funnel and thrown about the room. The cyclone swallowed up the remains of the crystal, and then sent thousands of crystal shards flying everywhere. Goku spun around and pulled Chi-Chi to him to better shield her from the indiscriminate debris, which slashed him as it fell. Several pieces of crystal and stone flew at them and pinned Chi-Chi's long, flapping skirt to the wall. Chi- Chi lost the bulk of her skirt in an attempt to try and free the snagged cloth. Davin turned and ran, almost reaching Goku and Chi-Chi, but one bolt of the green power snaked out to grab him from behind and began pulling him into the cyclone.
"N-N-NO!" Davin screamed in terror, and gave a powerful jerk of his body. It was just enough to get loose and he managed to reach the Saiyan and his human woman. In a blind fury, he grabbed at Chi-Chi. Goku was about to strike him away when the cyclone captured Davin once more. It grabbed his leg and began pulling, and he, in turn, tried to pull Chi-Chi with him. The flying debris continued to assail all of them, causing a severe distraction as it tore their skin and clothes. The supernatural strength of the wind alone was enough to actually start to pry Chi-Chi loose from Goku's straining hold. A stray bolt of power suddenly struck Goku's shoulder, weakening his grip. Chi-Chi started to slip from his hand, but he quickly tightened his hold again.
"DAVIN, YOU ASSHOLE! LET GO OF MY MATE!!" Goku yelled over the gale- force wind.
"CHI-CHI IS COMING WITH ME!" Davin bellowed in response, still certain he could escape and let the cyclone consume Goku instead. Chi-Chi scowled at him then with such hate in her face that for a moment he was taken back.
"I'M GOING WITH MY HUSBAND! YOU, ON THE OTHER HAND, CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HELL, DAVIN!" Chi-Chi screamed, and swung a hard kick to Davin's chest. The blow knocked the wind from him, and he finally released her. In the next second, Goku had Chi-Chi securely back in his arms, and Davin was brutally pulled into the heart of the twister; but unlike everything else it had pulled in, Davin didn't come back out. They could hear him screaming in terrible pain, but they couldn't see him anymore. A few seconds later, something wet went flying outward from the cyclone, and hit the wall next to them with a sickening splash. Before he even looked at it, the iron scent told Goku what it was; it was blood. The cyclone broke through the high ceiling and began tearing apart the upper floors, still sending grisly splatters of blood around the room. Wood, glass, crystal, paper, bits of stone, and more were flying around the two of them at high speed, tearing at their clothes, and cutting and bruising their skin.
"We have to get out of here!" Goku shouted, as he swiftly carried her through the door.
"Wait, Goku, what about Lilith, Aume, and Maruberu?" Chi-Chi said as he started to carry her toward the staircase. They were a few floors up, and he was planning on flying her to the relative safety of the bottom-most floor. Goku stopped in mid-stride.
"Oh, hell! I forgot all about them! Last time I saw them, they were down in the dungeon bringing me something to eat! They could be anywhere right now!" Goku snapped.
"We have to find them! We can't leave them here!" Chi-Chi said urgently.
"I know! Give me a moment to find their kis!" he said, and starting sending out mental feelers for their unique life forces. He wasn't about to leave those three innocent souls to be killed by that renegade magical cyclone, especially considering their selfless efforts to help him rescue his beloved Chi-Chi.
"Wait! There they are!" Chi-Chi pointed to the three frightened elf- women as they came running up the stairs towards the commotion. It looked like Maruberu was still bruised but, given the way she ran up the steps, she didn't feel as bad as she had the day before.
"What happened?!" Lilith asked quickly.
"What's that noise?!" Aume asked at the same time.
"No time! We'll explain later! Right now, we have to get out of here!" Goku answered, just as the cyclone burst through the wall and rapidly bore down on them. It was as tall as the palace now, and from somewhere inside they could still hear pained screams. As they all turned to run for the front door, praying it would let them out, a skeletal arm, stretched far out of proportion and with just a little flesh connecting the joints, suddenly shot out from the funnel and wrapped its bony fingers around Chi-Chi's right upper-arm. Chi-Chi saw and felt the horrible thing's grip and screamed in fear before she could stop herself. Goku turned his head at his mate's scream, saw the gruesome appendage, and immediately grabbed it. He crushed the wrist bones to powder in his hands, and the arm was pulled back into the cyclone, but the hand remained firmly clamped onto Chi-Chi's arm. He then pried the hand off Chi-Chi, tearing the sleeve of her dress as he did, and purposefully threw the hand back into the cyclone. "Everyone, grab hold! I'm getting us out of here!" Goku said, and the elves quickly grabbed his arms and waist. In the blink of an eye, he and his companions were outside, in the middle of the palace gardens.
"The book's containment spells must have broken when he lost control of his magic!" Aume observed as she looked over her shoulder to the palace, which the cyclone was engulfing in its destructive vortex.
"Can you guys get us out of this bubble world?!" Goku asked quickly.
"The three of us together might be able to," Maruberu answered, pulling the pouch out of her belt. "And I still have some of Poshun's powder."
"Fine! Let's go!" Goku said with a nod, and they flew to the edge of the reality bubble. Once they landed, Lilith rapidly sprinkled the last of the powder around them, and the three elf women began chanting in unison.
"Hurry!" Chi-Chi urgently cried as she saw the cyclone approaching them, violently uprooting trees as it went. Davin's palace and the grounds around it were gone; only the small, false forest remained of his realm. Maruberu, Lilith, and Aume began pressing with their combined might against the reality's wall, and it broke almost instantly, sending them all tumbling into the real world once more. The cyclone roared like an enraged animal as it devoured the last of Davin's world. To their collective horror, it followed them through the breech into the real world, reaching high into the sky and pulling real trees lose.
"How do we stop this thing?!" Chi-Chi cried as she clung to Goku for dear life. Aume had grabbed hold of an old oak, and Lilith was embracing a nearby maple's trunk with Maruberu hugging it on the other side.
"I--I don't know!" Goku answered in growing frustration. "Maybe. . ." Goku's mind raced for some kind of solution, but he was a warrior, not a wizard! All of this magical stuff was beyond him. He backed up quickly with Chi-Chi in his arms, desperately trying to think of something, anything. His acute Saiyan vision saw something flickering in and out of view inside the storm's whirling winds; it looked a little like a book cover. A brief, insane inspiration struck him, and he spun around, releasing his grip on Chi-Chi. "Okay, one idea. Chi-Chi, stay behind me!" Goku said to her as he spun back around, still positioned between his Chi- Chi and the magical storm, and began building up a ki ball. Chi-Chi held tightly to the back of Goku's shirt with both hands, refusing to go far. "HAAA!" he bellowed, sending a beam of ki into the heart of the cyclone. The two forces struggled with each other for a moment, but the ki lanced through, knocking something loose from inside the storm. The small object flew from the storm and hit the ground, half-burying itself in the dirt. It was the cover of the Ahdicionious; its pages all ripped out, the leather of the cover torn and burned. It trembled for a few moments - Goku was sure the movement was caused by the still-blowing wind, regardless that its shaking looked like a living thing writhing in pain - and then fell apart into ashes, which were blown away by the cyclone's lessening winds. As they all stood there and watched, the cyclone slowed, stopped its forward movement, and began rapidly shrinking. Like a real cyclone, it spun slower and slower, and then just blew itself out, dropping a few final objects as its fury dissipated. Bits of trees and debris fell in disarrayed clumps onto the ground, along with a torn, blood-stained piece of cloth wrapped around a piece of white bone. Goku could only assume it was all that remained of Davin.
The five survivors stood and stared at the place the storm had just been for several long moments, breathing deeply. Then the three elf-women broke into wild, tearful cheers of joy and relief.
"We're free! We're FREE!" they cried, falling into a group hug. Goku and Chi-Chi also embraced. He gently he told her what Davin had revealed to him; even while in Davin's enchanted thrall, she had refused him when he came to her room. She hadn't been raped. Chi-Chi let out a small sob of relief and, after only a few minutes, had cried herself dry. The jubilant elf-women suddenly surrounded Goku and Chi-Chi and included them in another group hug. They were so full of happiness at being released from Davin's control, none of them noticed Goku wince painfully from the crush of their overly-enthusiastic hug.
"Oh, thank you, thank you!" Lilith said, her cheeks wet with grateful tears.
"You saved us! Thank you so much!" Maruberu said, fresh tears of gladness falling down her cheeks.
"You're welcome! And thank you for finding and bringing Goku to help me!" Chi-Chi answered, almost ready to cry herself as a result of their thankful outpourings.
"We'll never be able to thank you enough! Is there anything we can do for you?" Aume said cheerfully, right before she noticed Goku's pained expression. Startled by his grimace, she asked, "Are you all right?!"
"You're all very welcome; now, would you mind letting go?" Goku said through gritted teeth. The three elf-women promptly released their embraces and backed up a step or two.
"Oh! Sorry!" Maruberu apologized.
"I didn't notice you were so badly hurt!" Lilith observed, now taking in Goku's numerous injuries. Wincing from the effort, Goku was taking in deep breaths to maintain control.
"Please, allow us to tend to your wounds," Aume offered, extending her hand to him.
"Can you help him?" Chi-Chi asked hopefully.
"Sure! We all know many healing charms, and with the three of us focusing our powers on just one person, they should be effective enough to heal his wounds completely!" Maruberu confidently answered.
"But. . ." Goku stepped in, looking at the still-visible bruises they all sported.
"Since we were all injured at the same time, we only had enough power remaining between the three of us to heal ourselves one at a time. And on top of that, Davin didn't allow us sufficient time alone to heal our wounds. It was part of our punishment for betraying him," Aume explained.
"Well, all right then," Goku said, half-falling into a sitting position on the forest floor. The elf-girls quickly gathered around him in a circle, ready to begin their healing charms, but he held up a hand. "Wait, I want you to heal Chi-Chi first," he objected.
"Don't be silly! I just have a few scrapes and bruises; nothing compared to what you've got. Of course, you should be first!" Chi-Chi insisted.
"But-" Goku objected again. Chi-Chi smiled and waved off his protest.
"I'll be fine; you're the one that really needs it," she replied, giving him a no-nonsense look, and Goku sighed softly. By now, he should know better than to argue with his mate. Kami, was he ever happy to have her back, safe and sound!
"First of all, we need to remove all of those crystal shards in your back," Maruberu said as she looked at the numerous green crystalline fragments embedded in Goku's skin. ((So that's why my back hurts so much. . .no wonder!)) Goku thought. It made sense; after all, he had shielded Chi-Chi with his body when the twister shattered what remained of the crystal. He just hadn't realized he'd taken several pieces of the enchanted crystal with him.
"This will sting," Aume warned as she, Lilith, Maruberu, and Chi-Chi made ready to start pulling the crystal pieces out.
"I'll be fine," Goku answered casually. Heck, he had experienced far worse than a few little cuts in his day!
"Okay," Aume answered, as they all started yanking at once. Goku pressed his mouth tightly shut to keep in the little yelps of pain that wanted to escape him.
"There are some in his tail, too," he heard Lilith say. Goku quickly maneuvered his tender tail into his lap and started pulling out the imbedded shards in it by himself. He wasn't sure he trusted any of the elves to be careful enough with his most sensitive body part. He wasn't really surprised that he hadn't noticed the shards sooner, either; his whole body hurt like a fury after the beating Davin had given him. The pain in his tail was just one more ache to add to the list. After several minutes of studious picking, the four females had accumulated a small pile of green crystal pieces sitting to the side, which sizzled a little and began to disappear. Goku's back, however, was an even bloodier mess than before. Chi-Chi noticed a few final shards stubbornly remaining in the base of Goku's tail, and pulled them out as well. Goku let out a small, involuntary noise before he could stop himself.
"I'm sorry, Goku," Chi-Chi whispered by way of an apology into his ear, as she gently pulled out the last, resistant shard from of his tail.
"It's. . .okay. . ." Goku wheezed between clenched teeth. Chi-Chi kissed his cheek gently, and his grimace lightened considerably, almost into a smile.
"All right, we're ready to cast the healing charms now," Aume said once she was satisfied they'd gotten all of the pieces out of Goku's bloody back. Chi-Chi took a few steps back from her husband, and the three elf- women moved as one to surround Goku's sitting figure. They held their hands palm-out over his injuries, and began chanting. Chi-Chi watched as a soft light flowed from their hands over Goku's skin, to first stop the bleeding. The whole healing process took longer than Dende's power would have but, little by little, Goku's cuts closed and his bruises and burns faded, until they were gone. The elf girls continued to concentrate on him, sending their power in deeper to knit the numerous broken bones he had, and soon Goku felt all of the pain leave his body completely.
"There!" Maruberu said with a satisfied sigh.
"Wow, that's great! I'm all healed! Do you still have enough power to take care of Chi-Chi, though? And yourselves?" Goku asked as he stood up and stretched the muscles in his healed body. Parts of him were still coated with damp blood, but otherwise he felt great.
"We can rest before we finish healing ourselves," Aume answered.
"I really don't need a healing spell," Chi-Chi observed. Maruberu walked around her just to ascertain for herself the extent of Chi-Chi's injuries.
"No, not really; your worst injury is that cut on your ankle. Your husband did a fine job of protecting you," Maruberu agreed, smiling cheerfully. Goku started to say something, but she added, "But, as added insurance, we'll cast a quick one on you anyway." The spell itself was minimal, but it was enough to help Chi-Chi's minor wounds to heal up in no time. In the meanwhile, Goku's ears located the sounds of rapidly moving water and handily pinpointed a nearby river in which they could wash up.
"We can't fix your clothes, unfortunately," Lilith observed when they'd finished healing Chi-Chi. Goku looked at what remained of their tattered clothing and gave an indifferent shrug in response. The borrowed shirt he was wearing was ruined, the front and back were torn wide open, and the pants were hardly more than shreds hanging from his waistband.
"That's all right; I had no intention of keeping these, anyway," he said, easily tearing off what little remained of Davin's undersized shirt and casting it aside, leaving his well-muscled chest bare for all to see.
"I did sorta like this dress, though," Chi-Chi admitted as she looked at the red tatters she wore. What she still had on could no longer be properly called a dress; the skirt was gone, torn off up to her hips, one sleeve was gone, the other was only a few rags wrapped around her arm, and the bodice was torn open, revealing most of one smooth breast. For the first time in a long while, Goku was calm enough to fully notice Chi-Chi's lack of attire and, as a result, felt a small rush of excitement at the enticing show of skin. It didn't help his rising ardor to also notice that, where the top was torn open and his mark should have been, her bare shoulder was smooth. For a brief moment, the Kakkarot part of him roared his inner demand to pull her into his arms right there and then, remove the few rags she still wore, take her, and mark her again. He forced down the desire before it nearly overwhelmed him. ((Later! Soon! But not now!)) he told himself as he reigned in his lustful Saiyan nature. Chi-Chi gave him a quick, surprised look, and he felt himself blush a little. ((She must've picked up on what I was just feeling. . .)) he thought, with more than a tinge of embarrassment. Collecting himself, he cleared his throat and said, "There's a river over there. I'd like to wash up a little before we get home," he said. "No sense scaring the boys first thing when we get back."
"That sounds like a good idea," Chi-Chi nodded. "I could stand to wash a little of this blood off as well." Goku nodded, mentally forcing his base Saiyan nature to behave itself as it pictured a naked Chi-Chi joining him in the water.
"How do you plan to get home?" Aume asked.
"I'll fly us there," Goku answered. "Or we'll just use Instant Transmission."
"All right, then; if you don't need our help," Aume said with a quick nod. "Just so you know, the two of you still have two favors you can ask of us."
"Say what? But the three of you already used your magic to heal the both of us. . ." Chi-Chi started.
"Yes, that was one favor. You put yourselves in harm's way to save _all_ of our lives; three lives, three favors," Maruberu explained calmly.
"Oh," Chi-Chi answered, a little surprised. She gave it a few moments thought, then admitted, "Well, I can't think of anything else we might need from you guys right now. . ."
"Neither can I; we're pretty much covered," Goku said, placing one hand behind his head as he always did when he felt awkward.
"All right," Aume said with a nod. As Chi-Chi and Goku watched, Aume looked at the forest floor carefully for a few moments, then picked up a small stone. The elf-women gathered around the stone sitting on Aume's outstretched palm to once more pool their powers, and within moments turned the stone into a tiny, gold bell. Satisfied with their handiwork, Aume walked up to Goku, took his hand and placed the bell gently into it. "Just ring that; we'll hear it and come," she told him, giving him a thankful smile. "That is, of course, when you _can_ think of something to ask of us."
"Right now, we need to get home to our own families. We've been missing for months; they must be out of their heads with worry!" Lilith observed, now anxious to finally get on their way.
"Of course! I promise that when we think of something, we'll ring for you! But for now, please. . .go home," Chi-Chi said gently. They nodded and smiled in return. Aume, Lilith, and Maruberu started happily chanting their homeward-bound spell and, a moment later, the three elf- women disappeared from view. **************************************************************************** ** Wait! There's more! A homecoming is still on the horizon! Be here for ch.10!
*~*NansJns*~*