Chapter 3: Tears of Blood
Piccolo stood there with a slight smirk on his face. "I felt a disturbance in the universe. I came to settle it." He said. He placed the bag of Senzu beans back on his belt. The three demi-Saiyans stopped and looked at Piccolo. Starlight's eyes flashed purple. She gasped.
"G-guys...Help me..." She said, then her eyes turned red again and she began fighting Trunks and Gohan.
"You see Gohan? I just know she's in there!" Trunks shouted. He punched Starlight to the ground. That really pissed her off. She flew up to him and created a Star Flame. She shot it right at Trunks and Gohan. Trunks managed to dodge it in time but Gohan was hit in the leg. He fell to the floor. Starlight walked up to him the way a lion stalks his prey. She pounced onto his stomach and grabbed him by the throat.
"Die..." She said creating a small yellow energy beam in her hand. Gohan's eyes filled with tears. His best friend, his sister, was about to kill him. Piccolo came to the aid of Gohan, kicking Starlight into a nearby stream. She went under the freezing water. Piccolo helped Gohan up and gave him a Senzu bean.
"You okay?" He asked. Gohan nodded sadly. He looked at the stream and saw no sign of Starlight. Piccolo put a hand on his shoulder. "She's still alive." He said. Then, as if on cue, Starlight popped out of the water with an angry scowl on her face. She rushed towards Piccolo in hopes of killing him. Instead he grabbed her by the throat with one arm and took the jewel out of her forehead with the other. Then he took the earrings off of her and ripped the choker off. Then he crushed all four objects in the palm of his hand. Starlight went limp. Piccolo placed her on the ground and went to help Goku and Vegeta.
Trunks and Gohan ran to Starlight. Trunks sat down next to her and picked up her head. "Star?" He asked, his voice cracking. She opened her eyes ever so slightly. She saw Trunks looking down at her. She opened her eyes all the way and sat up. She looked at the battle going on between her real father and the man she wanted to be her real father. She stood up wearily and walked closer to the battle.
"Don't kill him..." She said softly to herself, "He didn't mean to..." Lettuxe was undoubtedly losing. He soon became too weak to even defend himself.
"VEGETA DONT!" Goku yelled. It was too late, Vegeta delivered to final blow. Lettuxe fell to the ground in a bloody heap. His back was broken, he couldn't get up. Starlight ran over to him and lifted his head off the ground.
"Dad..." She said, letting a tear escape her eyes and fall onto his face.
"P-please...forgive me..." He said, coughing up blood. "I-I didn't mean to be this cruel to you. When I was only a boy, Freiza killed my parents and my brother right in front of my eyes." He said, wincing at the pain in his back. "It was also the day Freiza embedded this in my forehead." He said, lifting his bangs and revealing a small blue jewel. Starlight gasped. Lettuxe's breathing became labored, "I...I was programmed to destroy. My heart was black and my soul corrupted. It just so happened that the day Freiza blew up our planet, I was on a mission to destroy all inhabitants of this planet. I destroyed them and made this my home. It was on this planet where I became darker. Then, I felt a strong power coming from planet Earth. When I got there I found that it was highly populated and I wanted to conquer it for the joy of having slaves. That's where Kakarrot defeated me. I fell onto your mother's balcony. She took me in and showed me how to love. That was the day I let some light into my heart."
"But then why did you go back to being evil?" Starlight asked. Lettuxe hushed her by putting a gloved hand on her mouth.
"I loved her with all my heart," He said as tears began falling down his face. "When I came back to Earth to seek my revenge on Kakarrot, I saw you, my only daughter. When I heard that he had adopted you I was enraged. So I figured that since you were my daughter I had the right to take you with me. Then when you told me that Sunset, the only woman that I have ever loved, died, it made me so mad that I decided to mind control you." He said as blood from the corner of his mouth mixed with his tears. He glanced ever so slightly at Trunks.
"You and that brat...boy over there have an inseparable bond. Don't ever lose it." He said. He winced at the pain and seemed to be fighting something deep inside of him. "Starlight." He said taking one of her hands and placing it, palm down on his chest. "I have shed much blood in my lifetime. Do not let me live, I don't deserve it." Starlight was crying freely.
"Dad I...I can't. I wont. You don't deserve it. No one deserves to die, no matter how bad they are. We can take that jewel out of your forehead, everything will be okay you can live in pea-"
"No. It has been with me for so long that it is a permanent part of..." He screamed out loud in pain. "Just kill me! Do not prolong my death! Hurry before it's too late!" He said. Starlight closed her eyes.
"I love you Dad." She said one last time. Then she shot him in the chest, killing him instantly. Starlight brought both of her hands to her face and wept freely. Goku walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Starlight..." He said, trying to console her. She wiped the tears from her face and picked her father up. She looked Goku in the eyes.
"He deserves to be buried." She said in a quivering voice. Goku nodded. Starlight took Lettuxe's lifeless body to a lonesome shady oak tree overlooking a river. She shot a hole in the ground. She kissed Lettuxe's forehead and lowered him into the ground. Then she began placing dirt on top of him.
"I forgive you..." She said as she pat the last few clumps on dirt on him, "It was all you knew how to do." She said standing up and wiping the sweat and tears from her face. By now everyone, even Piccolo and Vegeta, was emotionally moved somehow. Starlight looked one last time at the grave. "I barely knew you." She said as she allowed one last tear to roll down her face. She walked over to Goku.
"I'm ready for you to be my father again." She said. Goku smiled warmly and wiped the tear off her face. He hugged her and brought his power level back down to normal. Then everyone walked back to the spaceship and went back home, not saying another word.
******BACK ON EARTH*******
"OH STARLIGHT I AM SO GLAD YOU'RE BACK!" Chichi exclaimed, hugging her daughter tightly. It was already one o'clock in the morning. Chichi and Bulma had stayed up all night waiting for the others to return. Starlight gasped for air.
"Mom. You're crushing. My lungs." She said in between breaths. Chichi stopped and looked her over.
"What did that man do to you?" She yelled looking for scratches or bruises. She found only a few. Starlight got a far away look in her eyes.
"He was my father. And he didn't do anything to harm me...I ended up having to kill him...It wasn't his fault that he was a bad person." She said. Chichi looked at her with a puzzled look in her eyes. Starlight sighed and explained the whole thing. When she was done, Chichi and Bulma were in tears. Apparently the story of Lettuxe was very moving. When all was told the weary warriors decided to sleep at the Capsule Corp. Starlight walked up the stairs to the room designated for her when she spent the night at the Capsule Corp. Trunks walked with her. Starlight looked at him.
"Thank you...for...for being there." She said, not trying to sound awkward, but not trying to sound ungrateful either. Trunks hugged her. She hugged him back. He kissed her lightly on the forehead and gazed into her eyes.
"You know that I would never let ANYTHING happen to you. I love you." He said. Starlight smiled sheepishly, still tired from the whole ordeal on Floraz.
"I love you too." She said opening her door. "Goodnight." She shut Trunks and the rest of the world out for the night. She closed the door and sighed. She plopped down on her bed and curled up into a ball. She began crying. Her body was shaking uncontrollably.
"Dad..." She whispered in between sobs. "If it was the right thing to do then why do I feel so bad?" She asked. Her body ached. All her life she had wanted to meet her real parents. Ever since Sunset had told her the truth, (that she was her mother and that her father was a Saiyan named Lettuxe) she had wanted to meet her father. When Sunset died the feeling of want grew stronger. That morning when he had told her who he was she had been so happy. Then she had to kill him. Now she felt so incomplete for some reason. She felt depressed, putrid, and horrible. She needed to wash all those feelings away. The soft friendly glow from the night-light in the bathroom was inviting. Starlight found herself walking towards it. She figured that if she took a shower than all of those bad feelings would wash away.
She undressed and turned on the water. The water was warm and kind. It washed away all the pain. Her tears mixed with the water and when she was finished, the tears were extinct. She got into her pajamas and folded the blankets on her bed back. She lied her head down on her pillow and sighed.
"At least..." She said, trying to look on the bright side, "At least my parents can live together in peace." She said. She knew that her father was probably in hell, but decided not to give it anymore thought. She fell asleep immediately. That night her dreams were about her parents. In a happy place together.
~FINSIHED
Piccolo stood there with a slight smirk on his face. "I felt a disturbance in the universe. I came to settle it." He said. He placed the bag of Senzu beans back on his belt. The three demi-Saiyans stopped and looked at Piccolo. Starlight's eyes flashed purple. She gasped.
"G-guys...Help me..." She said, then her eyes turned red again and she began fighting Trunks and Gohan.
"You see Gohan? I just know she's in there!" Trunks shouted. He punched Starlight to the ground. That really pissed her off. She flew up to him and created a Star Flame. She shot it right at Trunks and Gohan. Trunks managed to dodge it in time but Gohan was hit in the leg. He fell to the floor. Starlight walked up to him the way a lion stalks his prey. She pounced onto his stomach and grabbed him by the throat.
"Die..." She said creating a small yellow energy beam in her hand. Gohan's eyes filled with tears. His best friend, his sister, was about to kill him. Piccolo came to the aid of Gohan, kicking Starlight into a nearby stream. She went under the freezing water. Piccolo helped Gohan up and gave him a Senzu bean.
"You okay?" He asked. Gohan nodded sadly. He looked at the stream and saw no sign of Starlight. Piccolo put a hand on his shoulder. "She's still alive." He said. Then, as if on cue, Starlight popped out of the water with an angry scowl on her face. She rushed towards Piccolo in hopes of killing him. Instead he grabbed her by the throat with one arm and took the jewel out of her forehead with the other. Then he took the earrings off of her and ripped the choker off. Then he crushed all four objects in the palm of his hand. Starlight went limp. Piccolo placed her on the ground and went to help Goku and Vegeta.
Trunks and Gohan ran to Starlight. Trunks sat down next to her and picked up her head. "Star?" He asked, his voice cracking. She opened her eyes ever so slightly. She saw Trunks looking down at her. She opened her eyes all the way and sat up. She looked at the battle going on between her real father and the man she wanted to be her real father. She stood up wearily and walked closer to the battle.
"Don't kill him..." She said softly to herself, "He didn't mean to..." Lettuxe was undoubtedly losing. He soon became too weak to even defend himself.
"VEGETA DONT!" Goku yelled. It was too late, Vegeta delivered to final blow. Lettuxe fell to the ground in a bloody heap. His back was broken, he couldn't get up. Starlight ran over to him and lifted his head off the ground.
"Dad..." She said, letting a tear escape her eyes and fall onto his face.
"P-please...forgive me..." He said, coughing up blood. "I-I didn't mean to be this cruel to you. When I was only a boy, Freiza killed my parents and my brother right in front of my eyes." He said, wincing at the pain in his back. "It was also the day Freiza embedded this in my forehead." He said, lifting his bangs and revealing a small blue jewel. Starlight gasped. Lettuxe's breathing became labored, "I...I was programmed to destroy. My heart was black and my soul corrupted. It just so happened that the day Freiza blew up our planet, I was on a mission to destroy all inhabitants of this planet. I destroyed them and made this my home. It was on this planet where I became darker. Then, I felt a strong power coming from planet Earth. When I got there I found that it was highly populated and I wanted to conquer it for the joy of having slaves. That's where Kakarrot defeated me. I fell onto your mother's balcony. She took me in and showed me how to love. That was the day I let some light into my heart."
"But then why did you go back to being evil?" Starlight asked. Lettuxe hushed her by putting a gloved hand on her mouth.
"I loved her with all my heart," He said as tears began falling down his face. "When I came back to Earth to seek my revenge on Kakarrot, I saw you, my only daughter. When I heard that he had adopted you I was enraged. So I figured that since you were my daughter I had the right to take you with me. Then when you told me that Sunset, the only woman that I have ever loved, died, it made me so mad that I decided to mind control you." He said as blood from the corner of his mouth mixed with his tears. He glanced ever so slightly at Trunks.
"You and that brat...boy over there have an inseparable bond. Don't ever lose it." He said. He winced at the pain and seemed to be fighting something deep inside of him. "Starlight." He said taking one of her hands and placing it, palm down on his chest. "I have shed much blood in my lifetime. Do not let me live, I don't deserve it." Starlight was crying freely.
"Dad I...I can't. I wont. You don't deserve it. No one deserves to die, no matter how bad they are. We can take that jewel out of your forehead, everything will be okay you can live in pea-"
"No. It has been with me for so long that it is a permanent part of..." He screamed out loud in pain. "Just kill me! Do not prolong my death! Hurry before it's too late!" He said. Starlight closed her eyes.
"I love you Dad." She said one last time. Then she shot him in the chest, killing him instantly. Starlight brought both of her hands to her face and wept freely. Goku walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Starlight..." He said, trying to console her. She wiped the tears from her face and picked her father up. She looked Goku in the eyes.
"He deserves to be buried." She said in a quivering voice. Goku nodded. Starlight took Lettuxe's lifeless body to a lonesome shady oak tree overlooking a river. She shot a hole in the ground. She kissed Lettuxe's forehead and lowered him into the ground. Then she began placing dirt on top of him.
"I forgive you..." She said as she pat the last few clumps on dirt on him, "It was all you knew how to do." She said standing up and wiping the sweat and tears from her face. By now everyone, even Piccolo and Vegeta, was emotionally moved somehow. Starlight looked one last time at the grave. "I barely knew you." She said as she allowed one last tear to roll down her face. She walked over to Goku.
"I'm ready for you to be my father again." She said. Goku smiled warmly and wiped the tear off her face. He hugged her and brought his power level back down to normal. Then everyone walked back to the spaceship and went back home, not saying another word.
******BACK ON EARTH*******
"OH STARLIGHT I AM SO GLAD YOU'RE BACK!" Chichi exclaimed, hugging her daughter tightly. It was already one o'clock in the morning. Chichi and Bulma had stayed up all night waiting for the others to return. Starlight gasped for air.
"Mom. You're crushing. My lungs." She said in between breaths. Chichi stopped and looked her over.
"What did that man do to you?" She yelled looking for scratches or bruises. She found only a few. Starlight got a far away look in her eyes.
"He was my father. And he didn't do anything to harm me...I ended up having to kill him...It wasn't his fault that he was a bad person." She said. Chichi looked at her with a puzzled look in her eyes. Starlight sighed and explained the whole thing. When she was done, Chichi and Bulma were in tears. Apparently the story of Lettuxe was very moving. When all was told the weary warriors decided to sleep at the Capsule Corp. Starlight walked up the stairs to the room designated for her when she spent the night at the Capsule Corp. Trunks walked with her. Starlight looked at him.
"Thank you...for...for being there." She said, not trying to sound awkward, but not trying to sound ungrateful either. Trunks hugged her. She hugged him back. He kissed her lightly on the forehead and gazed into her eyes.
"You know that I would never let ANYTHING happen to you. I love you." He said. Starlight smiled sheepishly, still tired from the whole ordeal on Floraz.
"I love you too." She said opening her door. "Goodnight." She shut Trunks and the rest of the world out for the night. She closed the door and sighed. She plopped down on her bed and curled up into a ball. She began crying. Her body was shaking uncontrollably.
"Dad..." She whispered in between sobs. "If it was the right thing to do then why do I feel so bad?" She asked. Her body ached. All her life she had wanted to meet her real parents. Ever since Sunset had told her the truth, (that she was her mother and that her father was a Saiyan named Lettuxe) she had wanted to meet her father. When Sunset died the feeling of want grew stronger. That morning when he had told her who he was she had been so happy. Then she had to kill him. Now she felt so incomplete for some reason. She felt depressed, putrid, and horrible. She needed to wash all those feelings away. The soft friendly glow from the night-light in the bathroom was inviting. Starlight found herself walking towards it. She figured that if she took a shower than all of those bad feelings would wash away.
She undressed and turned on the water. The water was warm and kind. It washed away all the pain. Her tears mixed with the water and when she was finished, the tears were extinct. She got into her pajamas and folded the blankets on her bed back. She lied her head down on her pillow and sighed.
"At least..." She said, trying to look on the bright side, "At least my parents can live together in peace." She said. She knew that her father was probably in hell, but decided not to give it anymore thought. She fell asleep immediately. That night her dreams were about her parents. In a happy place together.
~FINSIHED
