I hope you're comfortable, cause this one is looonnggg. And I know the end may be a bit confusing, so e-mail me or review and I will explain.
Disclaimer: .... what? You want me to say it again. Apologies for the blunt 'disclaimer,' it just gets boring. I know I'm not saying anything any other author has before so... I'll shut up now.
Ch 12 Greatest of Crimes
The ground trembled. Shin widened his stance and braced himself. He clenched his teeth as the smoke charged toward him. Buu's insane chuckle reached his ears. ~*Steady, do not move until- what the?!*~ Buu burst through the dust and slammed his fist into Shin's face. He rocketed back into a small formation, each of his limbs plowing their own trench. ~*Blast it! I can't see!*~ He blinked to clear the dust from his eyes then looked up to see Buu sprinting for him. Shin's eyes widened as Buu stopped and thrust his hand out. Light blinded him ~*What? Torres?!*~
He opened his eyes to see the kindly man standing between him and death. "Dai Kaio!" he cried.
Torres didn't turn his head. He leaned into the light and a black dome shield flashed as the energy wave bounced off it. Buu threw his arms up in front of his face and the wave exploded at his feet. Torres leaned back and filled his lungs then unleashed a vivid light from his mouth that minced Buu into tiny squares.
Torres sighed as the smoke rose. Bibi-Dee screamed, "what have you done?!" He clenched his fists and shook them wildly in the air. "I'll get you for that! Desdelona!...." He watched the pink smoke begin to move and collect high in the air. He grinned. "Never mind. Enjoy your rest."
"Thank you sir," she replied and leaned back against the cliff. She shifted her eyes to Zari. She smirked, "I hope you're not thinking about helping your former masters." Zari turned her head and glared at Desdelona. "Are you?"
"Heh! Those fools are beyond help, even mine," she said with a cocky tone. Looking back at the forming smoke she added, "besides, I really would rather not go toe to toe with that slobbering beast."
She raised and eyebrow and nodded, "seems that's one thing you and I agree on." She cocked her head and smiled, "although it's not his strength I'd be worried about-"
"It's his breath that would knock you into your grave."
She laughed, "indeed."
Zari let a sigh escape through her teeth then jumped down from the ledge. Desdelona darted to the edge and peered over. No sound of Zari hitting the ground reached her ears. No sign could be seen. Desdelona scowled.
"Now where have you run off to?!"
The smoke constricted and kneed into itself, forming a tight ball but no longer smoke. Torres clenched his fists and turned to Shin, "get ou-"
"Torres!" Shin cried.
Too late. The ball came down on him and draped over him in a thick mass.
"NO!" Shin screamed. He thrust his arm from the trench and reached as if to pull Torres from the ooze. "I'm the one you wanted! Let him go!"
The ooze worked itself into a ball then exploded into dust. Shin felt himself jerk like a worm on a hook. His side collided with the rock then he was still, his head on something soft and moving. Two tender bars crossed his back, holding him close. "Shhh..."
~*Who the hell-*~
~*I said be quiet! He'll hear you!*~
His heart skipped a beat. "Zari..." he whispered.
She withdrew her arms and turned her head away from him. "You must be ashamed of me... I betrayed you..."
"I don't know what else you could have done."
"I do..." she whispered. "There's still a way to get you out."
His voice rose, "I'm not-"
In a blur she turned and caught his lips in hers. ~*Dammit you talk too much!*~ His hands moved around her middle to her back. ~*Why can't you... just...*~ He drew her into him and gave her a taste of his longing. ~*... shut.... up?....*~
"Buu!" cried a infantile voice.
Reality rushed back to her and her heart tore itself in two. In one half she longed for him to stay with her, shield her from fear. It screamed at her not to leave him. But deep inside, within the other half... she knew what she had to do. She jerked away and cupped his face, "whatever happens, know I love you and I will not abandon you."
"Zari..."
His eyes bolted wide open when she vanished. Pain and despair hit him like a spear through the heart.
"Buu hungry!"
"There you are!" cried a voice from the sky.
Shin turned his face skyward to see Zari turned sideways, beams of red light escaping through her crooked fingers. "Is this really her?" His eyes grew cold as he turned to Bibi-Dee and stood up, exposing himself to the wizard. ~*Or has he taken control of her?*~
"Lesson six!" He turned his eyes toward her but stood motionless. "Never cower before an attack!"
Shin smirked and closed his eyes against the light.
Her eyes scanned the ground for signs. The dust clouded everything. "Lesson seven," he whispered in her ear then looped his arms under hers and locked his hands behind her neck. "Do not repeat lesson four."
Careful you fool!
~*Now what do you want Kai?*~
You're breaking her! Shin saw his counterpart appear in the back of his mind. Do you not remember the feel of her heartbeat against your chest?
~*Yes, and there was nothing odd-*~
You're completely certain then that there was only one?
His eyes widened again as he remembered. With his own ears when his head rested against her chest, he heard it. Quiet as a whisper within the voice of a scream, but it was there. Hidden deep inside Zari was a second life.
His grip failed and she twisted to be free. "Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered.
She stretched her hand out until her palm was inches from his face. "There was nothing to tell, nothing your ears needed to hear."
"So you would deny me the very air that gives me life as well?"
Her hand trembled. "Of course not."
"Enough!" a voice hissed in disgust. "I should have known you wouldn't be able to slay him Amethyst."
"You're Amethyst?" Shin asked in disbelief.
Her eyes darkened in sadness. "There's still much about me that you don't know."
"To bad he won't have the time to learn about us," Desdelona sneered. "But as for you..." She appeared behind Zari and drew her sword. Shin's eyes blazed and he pulled Zari away then rocketed in the other direction. He could sense Desdelona following on his heels.
"Shin what are you-"
"You're coming with me! I'm taking you somewhere where you'll be safe."
"No Shin you can't!"
"As the remaining Supreme Kai, yes I can. Unfortunately all power now lies on my shoulders. I am ordering you to stay low until this is over."
"You won't win on your own," she said lowly.
He sighed, "if it is my destiny to die at his hands then so be it. I swore to myself that I would lay down my life before harm reached you, and I could not hold true to my vow. The worst damage has been done."
"The worst damage will be if I lose you." He didn't say anything. ~*What?! She's gone?*~ She looked over her shoulder, expecting to see the jade green aura still in hot pursuit. ~*What's that? It feels like a pocket of emptiness.*~
"Buu!"
Shin cried out and stopped. His eyes burned as he glared at the new fat Buu and pulled Zari behind him. Buu danced in front of them, using provoking gestures to lure Shin into anger. Fear had claimed him first. His senses were blinded by emptiness. ~*How is it that it can absorb the two more powerful Kais and not have an inkling of a power increase?!*~ Zari's hand was growing cold in his grasp. "Zari? Are you alright?"
"Perfectly perfect," she growled.
Buu stopped and looked at Zari. A childish grin reached from side to side of his round pink face. He squealed with delight and pointed at Zari. "Buu know! Buu know! Buu know what purple girl gonna do-ho!"
"Oh?" Zari asked blankly.
Buu nodded and pointed at Shin. "Purple girl gonna kill purple boy! Buu know! Buu know!" He chuckled and Shin began to tremble.
~*She's stronger than that. She can control herself. I just have to get her far away from here so Bibi-Dee won't claim her again.*~
Buu giggled and wrapped his arms around his fat belly. Suddenly his gleeful giggling ceased and he straightened himself out; arms at his sides. "But Buu kill purple boy first!"
"Oh no you don't," Zari said with a gleam in her eye. Shin gasped as he felt her wrap her arm around his neck. "I told Desdelona now I'll tell you! This one's mine!"
Buu broke out again, "hehehe no! No! Buu...." There was a long loud growl and Buu patted his stomach. "Buu so very hungry," he said in a sad tone. "Buu make purple boy into... into...."
"You won't touch him!" Zari growled.
"Buu know! Buu make purple boy chocolate! Or cake! Yippee cake!"
"Sorry Buu," Zari said slyly as she pulled Shin back. "I have a better plan for this one."
Bibi-Dee looked on from miles away. Desdelona stood by his side, an anxious smile on her face. "What is Amethyst doing?" Bibi-Dee asked in a I-still-don't-care-about-it tone.
"She's going to take him," Desdelona said as she took a step forward.
"She's already taken him.... unless you mean."
"Yes! Exactly! She's going to rip the crystal straight out of his chest!"
"Sounds interesting. I'd like to see this closer."
"It would be my pleasure."
Desdelona took her master on her back and took off. The pace was annoyingly slow, but she knew she would be punished if she caused her master just the slightest bit of discomfort.
"What purple girl gonna do?" Buu asked curiously.
"Heh heh, watch closely." Buu leaned in close. Zari turned her eyes to Shin and held her hand out in front of him, eye level. Long claws took the place of delicate fingers as the metamorphosis drew on. "You should feel honored," she whispered in his ear. "Your soul will be the first I have withdrawn."
~*What the hell are you talking about?!*~
"When you reach hell... ask the devil to tell you about the Jewel Lights. Until I see you there, farewell."
Dark crimson fumes appeared out of nowhere and collected in a line from her palm to the center of his chest. He felt his heart pound. His lungs ached. His mind raced in circles as he felt every pain he had ever received in his life. The muscles in his back, stomach, and chest contracted until he felt them rupture. He instinctively crossed his arms in an X over his chest as if he was trying to hold something in. Then he felt the vapors penetrate and his energy washed out of him. He hung limp in her grasp.
~*Dammit no! Don't give in!*~
His eyes blurred into the deathly gray color as when she had first found him.
~*Shin please don't give in!*~
Buu watched curiously then dropped his jaw. "What dat light?"
Zari trembled as she saw white sparks poured out of him and travel through the fumes to her hand. ~*Shin please...*~ Her voice was a pleading whisper in his mind. ~*Don't give in... fight me! Kalilo...*~
His eyelids closed over his eyes and his eyebrows furrowed. Buu cocked his head and Zari gasped.
"A pitiful display," Desdelona growled. "You are not worthy of your title."
"I still have yet to understand what it is she is doing exactly," Bibi-Dee said.
Zari did not turn. She knew one of them would read into her eyes and see her worry. "He's harder to take than you might think Jade," Zari growled. "His spirit is stronger than I gave it credit for," she continued forcing her voice to feign a struggle.
"Then give him to me," Desdelona said as if it was the simplest course of action.
"You've had enough," Zari growled. "This one's mine!"
She shrugged, "do as you will, but if he escapes you he's fair game."
"If he escapes me he'll escape us all."
She loosened her grip on the sparks in her palm and they slowly floated back through the fumes and disappeared as they reached his chest. He groaned and his eyes flashed back and forth between black and ghostly gray.
~*Take it back! Take yourself back and flee!*~
"I... won't...."
~*You have to!*~
"... die...."
~*That's it!*~
"... like... thisss..."
~*Now break free!*~
Desdelona's mouth hung open. "Impossible... how can he call it back?!"
Zari forced a disbelieving look on her face and in her eyes. The fumes scattered like burnt leaves in the wind and Shin's aura blazed. "I... have had... ENOUGH!"
Zari screamed as she lost her hold.
~*RUN SHIN!*~
He turned and glared at Bibi-Dee. ~*Hear me wizard!*~ Bibi-Dee's eyes widened as Shin's voice struck a familiar cord. ~*Should your magic have drawn my blood alone, I would have shown mercy. I might have granted you amnesty in the end. But your sword has pierced deeper than any blade of steel, iron, or natural ore. You have tainted the purest gem Ledena ever pained to create. That... I will never forgive!*~
Bibi-Dee floated back, trembling. "So he is the one..." he said tersely. He floated forward and glared at Shin. "I say this before we once again part. You have shown your... passion for this gem of yours. And I see now that she..." he paused to watch Shin's expression. "Is your one treasure. Pity for you. Only a fool would send his lover to combat his enemy!" He threw his head back and laughed. "Don't fret Kai. I assure you... Amethyst is in good hands."
Shin growled and clenched his fists.
Zari hovered below them, her hand resting on her abdomen and her eyes quivered in fear.
Desdelona curled her fingers around her sword and watched Shin closely.
Buu looked around at each one repeatedly and scratched his head. "Buu no get it."
"Never mind!" Bibi-Dee snapped. "Your mind is too restricted to comprehend. Just kill him!"
Buu threw his arm up in the air. "Buu do!" He hesitated as he watched Shin rocket toward the ground where Junid's sword lie.
"What's wrong with you?!" Bibi-Dee screamed. "Kill him!"
Buu put a finger to his chin, "then... does Buu get cake?"
"Huh?" Bibi-Dee's jaw dropped (sweat drop). "Yes! A room full of cakes now get him!"
"Yay!" Buu turned sideways like a pitcher about to unleash a fast ball, his eyes on Shin's shrinking figure. "Buu go..." He yelled the last word when smoke exploded behind him. "ZOOOOOM!"
~*Shin look out! Behind-*~
"No more of that now," Desdelona whispered in her ear. Zari could clearly make out the warning tone.
"Desdelona!" Bibi-Dee called from above.
"Aye?" she called back.
"Take her back and throw her in my quarters!"
"Certainly sir..." Desdelona said to herself with a hint of disgust. She wrapped her arm around Zari's neck.
"Oh no you don't!" Zari growled. "Not yet!"
"He's beyond your help!"
"And you're beyond anyone's..." Zari's hand slipped to her belt and withdrew her longest dagger. It glinted in Titus's light though Desdelona didn't notice until she felt it bite through her ribs. "Keep it!" Zari shouted as she let go of the hilt and rocketed after Buu's smoking trail.
Shin landed on the ground and ran to where Junid's sword lie. His hand brushed the hilt when he heard an infantile squeal and barely managed to dive out of the way. Buu fell into the ground, forming a narrow crater. Shin sheathed the blade and took to the air. Buu popped his head out of the dirt and shook it to get the dust off.
Shin didn't look back but felt his heart scream. ~*I can't leave her! I have to go back.*~
"No," came a soft whisper beside his ear.
"Zari!"
He took her hand in his. He could hear her mournful gasps.
"What is it?"
"He knows..."
"It doesn't matter!" he said giving her hand a tight squeeze. "I'm taking you away from this to a safe place. I'll find someone to cure you... I swear."
She shook her head and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the yellow feline eyes of her disguise were gone. He stared into the deep sadness flooding her black orbs. "There is no cure for me... but there is one comfort."
"Anything."
She stopped and pulled him into her. Releasing his hand she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him savagely. Tears cascaded down her cheeks when she felt him return her touch. Her mind stretched in all different directions, but each thought revolved around him. She tried to saver this moment, knowing deep inside that it would be the last. Her mind screamed at her that Buu was coming up fast.
He didn't care that death was charging them. He didn't seem to even sense Buu at all. His entire concentration was wrapped up in her. Only five days had passed and it felt like an eternity. He refused to think of how he had survived his entire life without her. It drove him to the brink of insanity knowing deep inside that she would not go with him. He knew she would do something, form a portal, push him away, anything! He felt her rapidly tensing in his arms and sent his hand to search for her wrist. He would drag her with him if he had to, her and their child.
She stretched out a hand and a deep magenta ring rolled off her fingers and opened, a glimmering surface filling its void. Upon feeling her hand leave his back he tightened his grip on her waist. Her hand slipped to his chest. ~*Forgive me...*~
~*Kalila no! Come with me. I'll protect you!*~ He tightened his grip around her waist and glared over her shoulder at Buu. "I'll protect you," he said firmly and stretched his hand out toward Buu. "I won't let him harm you."
"Buu make purple boy dead!"
She could feel him tremble and could sense the energy wave forming in his hand. She stared over his shoulder at the portal. "But I can't watch him kill you."
Shin gasped as he felt her disappear in his arms. She pressed her hands against his chest then unleashed a harmless energy wave that was still enough to knock him back through the portal. He saw Buu appear behind her transparent form and he unleashed the wave. Zari closed her eyes and let down her guard, becoming once again flesh and blood. Her eyes shot open and she saw the wave crash into her shoulder, knocking her back into Buu's rubbery belly.
Shin saw it hit. His Kai half whispered in the back of his mind. "Now there is no sanctuary for her."
"... I'll find her."
"Not in time to save your son."
"My...?"
His back collided with the broken soil of some far off planet in the mortal realm. He stared up at the black night sky and lie still.
*****
"Purple girl okay?" Buu asked.
"Hm?" Zari said sleepily. She looked up at Buu's childish face and smiled. "I'm okay. My shoulder's just a little sore."
"Dammit Buu!" Bibi-Dee screamed. "You're incompetent! And you!" he hissed, spurring at Zari. "You will pay for that with your very life!"
"No!" Buu screamed roughly. "Purple girl just tried to kill purple boy. Mean man no kill!"
"I am your master you overgrown excuse! I created you to be a cold blooded killer, not some fat baby with the mental capacity to match!"
Buu scratched his head and looked down at Zari. "What mean man say to Buu?"
"He's just disappointed. More so in me than in you."
"I'm not disappointed!" Bibi-Dee screamed, flailing his arms in the air. "I'm furious!" He turned sharply. "Desdelona!"
She floated down to him, her eyes on Zari, her hand holding a wad of her cape to the gash in her ribs. "Aye sir," she said in a quivering whisper.
"What did I tell you to do the first time?"
"Take her to your chamber."
"And why didn't you?"
"She... broke away from me."
"Buu see all!" Buu cried. "Green lady tried to hurt purple girl and purple girl fight back."
"I don't care!" Bibi-Dee growled. "I will not accept failure!" His eyes glowed crimson and Desdelona screamed while Zari merely flinched. "Now take her back to my chamber!"
Desdelona panted laboriously and stretched out her hand to Zari. "Come with me, or he'll punish us both."
Zari didn't reply. She looked up at Buu and said softly, "I have to go. Thank you for breaking my fall."
Buu smiled and giggled delightfully. "Buu see nice girl later yes?"
Zari smiled and nodded. "Of course."
Bibi-Dee sneered and watched Desdelona form a portal beneath their feet and raise it up with her hand.
Shin bolted upright. "What was that?" He bolted to his feet and on reflex, curled his hand around the hilt of his sword. "Emptiness? ... Buu..." he growled. ~*No doubt Bibi-Dee has Zari with him. I can almost sense her. Heh! Seems Desdelona is having a bit of trouble.*~ A sly grin spread over his face. "I may not be too late after all."
*****
Desdelona grabbed Zari's arm and threw her onto the small bed in Bibi-Dee's chamber. Zari sat up and growled in disgust, "you've got to be kidding."
Desdelona grinned and shook her head. "My master has had a few sleepless nights recently-"
"Visions no doubt."
She nodded. "He has foreseen his own demise."
"I wish I could say I was sorry, but I'm not very good at lying."
She shrugged then cringed. "You're teeth go deep Amethyst. Never before has a mortal or a light pierced me so."
Zari couldn't help but smile slyly.
"But the deepest wound will open in your heart. He will make you bear his successor." Zari's eyes widened. "To ensure that all the Kais will fall."
She shook her head. "That will never happen."
"Oh, so long as you're alive?" Desdelona said mockingly. "Who says you'll live after you give birth? It's a pity. You'll first have to loose your own descendent. And I'll be sure to tell him you already carry another's."
"Bitch!" Zari screamed but Desdelona just laughed and closed the door.
"So..." Bibi-Dee said blankly. "She already carries another's child."
Desdelona smiled down at her master. "I'll give you two guesses as to who's it is but I guarantee..." She cringed as the pain jolted. "You'll only need one."
Bibi-Dee grinned. "Tend to your wound. I'll see to her."
"Thank you," Desdelona said tersely and slowly staggered down the narrow passage to her chamber.
He listened to her door open and close then stretched his mind into Zari's.
Buu whined, "Buu so hungry!"
"Huh?" Bibi-Dee said as he lost his concentration and looked up at Buu.
"Where can Buu get eats?"
"That way!" Bibi-Dee cried as he threw his hand out to point down the narrow passage. "Follow the corridor that way and you'll find a whole room full of cakes."
"But Buu didn't do what Bibi-Dee wanted..."
"That wasn't entirely your fault," Bibi-Dee said calmly. "Besides, no one can operate on an empty stomach. Indulge yourself."
"Yippee cake!" Buu squealed happily and rushed down the corridor. "Yay!"
Bibi-Dee sighed and snapped his fingers. He heard Buu's delightful squeal and the sound of his sloppy eating. "Disgusting..." He looked back at the door. "No matter."
*****
Shin raced toward Zari's signature. ~*It's faint but I can still- what?!*~ He skidded to a stop as he caught a glimpse of a faint silhouette atop a high cliff. It jutted out into the night sky then hooked over the edge. "That has to be it!" he whispered.
*****
Zari shifted in her nervousness, trying to find a comfortable situation. Inevitably she stood and paced around the room, looking for some way out. "This was really smart," she said to herself. She let out a sigh to calm her nerves, but it only made them coil tighter. She nibbled at her lip and rested both hands over her abdomen. "Easy ol' girl easy..." she whispered to herself. "He's coming. He'll get here in time."
~*No... he won't*~
Zari shut her eyes tightly and wrapped her arms around her middle. "You won't take him from me," she said firmly.
~*You have no power here in this dimension.*~
"Dimension?"
He didn't reply but she could hear him whispering an incantation from the other side of the door.
She shook her head. "No... you won't take him!"
~*What was that? I could barely hear you.*~
Tears ran down her face. "You won't... take him." She felt her child turn under her hands. She looked down. "No..." She winced as her swelling stomach was checked by her belt. Her fingers fumbled with the fasten. Her child stretched. The belt wouldn't come loose. Desperate for relief she snatched on of her daggers and cut the strap. She sighed and slowly settled herself in a corner and drew a blanket from the bed to pad her shoulder. ~*What is he doing to me?*~ Her child stretched again and she felt a moment of pride. ~*This must be nearing the seventh month now.*~ She stared at the door. "Was that your plan? Force me to bear my own child then plant your seed?"
~*Oh no... do you think I would let you off that easily?*~
She leaned her head back against the wall. The room suddenly felt hot and palpable. She panted for breath then gasped as a fire suddenly ignited in her womb.
She closed her eyes and heard an infant scream. Fire blocked her mind's eye and the anguish jolted up her spine. ~*What are you doing to me?!*~
~*Open your eyes and see.*~
The fiery curtain lifted to reveal a young boy turning in circles inside a ring of fire. Zari screamed and the boy turned to see her. His eyes widened and he threw his arms out to her. His voice was silent but she could read his lips. "Help me! Mother save me!" The fire closed in around him then ran up his short legs. Her heart pounded and ached as the fire circled around the side of his face, scorching his pale lavender skin. Tears streamed from his black eyes. "Mother please!" he cried but his voice was silent. Bibi-Dee's laugh overcame the crackling as the fire swallowed the boy in a column of flame. She saw his silhouette shrink and scatter like burnt leaves in the wind.
Disclaimer: .... what? You want me to say it again. Apologies for the blunt 'disclaimer,' it just gets boring. I know I'm not saying anything any other author has before so... I'll shut up now.
Ch 12 Greatest of Crimes
The ground trembled. Shin widened his stance and braced himself. He clenched his teeth as the smoke charged toward him. Buu's insane chuckle reached his ears. ~*Steady, do not move until- what the?!*~ Buu burst through the dust and slammed his fist into Shin's face. He rocketed back into a small formation, each of his limbs plowing their own trench. ~*Blast it! I can't see!*~ He blinked to clear the dust from his eyes then looked up to see Buu sprinting for him. Shin's eyes widened as Buu stopped and thrust his hand out. Light blinded him ~*What? Torres?!*~
He opened his eyes to see the kindly man standing between him and death. "Dai Kaio!" he cried.
Torres didn't turn his head. He leaned into the light and a black dome shield flashed as the energy wave bounced off it. Buu threw his arms up in front of his face and the wave exploded at his feet. Torres leaned back and filled his lungs then unleashed a vivid light from his mouth that minced Buu into tiny squares.
Torres sighed as the smoke rose. Bibi-Dee screamed, "what have you done?!" He clenched his fists and shook them wildly in the air. "I'll get you for that! Desdelona!...." He watched the pink smoke begin to move and collect high in the air. He grinned. "Never mind. Enjoy your rest."
"Thank you sir," she replied and leaned back against the cliff. She shifted her eyes to Zari. She smirked, "I hope you're not thinking about helping your former masters." Zari turned her head and glared at Desdelona. "Are you?"
"Heh! Those fools are beyond help, even mine," she said with a cocky tone. Looking back at the forming smoke she added, "besides, I really would rather not go toe to toe with that slobbering beast."
She raised and eyebrow and nodded, "seems that's one thing you and I agree on." She cocked her head and smiled, "although it's not his strength I'd be worried about-"
"It's his breath that would knock you into your grave."
She laughed, "indeed."
Zari let a sigh escape through her teeth then jumped down from the ledge. Desdelona darted to the edge and peered over. No sound of Zari hitting the ground reached her ears. No sign could be seen. Desdelona scowled.
"Now where have you run off to?!"
The smoke constricted and kneed into itself, forming a tight ball but no longer smoke. Torres clenched his fists and turned to Shin, "get ou-"
"Torres!" Shin cried.
Too late. The ball came down on him and draped over him in a thick mass.
"NO!" Shin screamed. He thrust his arm from the trench and reached as if to pull Torres from the ooze. "I'm the one you wanted! Let him go!"
The ooze worked itself into a ball then exploded into dust. Shin felt himself jerk like a worm on a hook. His side collided with the rock then he was still, his head on something soft and moving. Two tender bars crossed his back, holding him close. "Shhh..."
~*Who the hell-*~
~*I said be quiet! He'll hear you!*~
His heart skipped a beat. "Zari..." he whispered.
She withdrew her arms and turned her head away from him. "You must be ashamed of me... I betrayed you..."
"I don't know what else you could have done."
"I do..." she whispered. "There's still a way to get you out."
His voice rose, "I'm not-"
In a blur she turned and caught his lips in hers. ~*Dammit you talk too much!*~ His hands moved around her middle to her back. ~*Why can't you... just...*~ He drew her into him and gave her a taste of his longing. ~*... shut.... up?....*~
"Buu!" cried a infantile voice.
Reality rushed back to her and her heart tore itself in two. In one half she longed for him to stay with her, shield her from fear. It screamed at her not to leave him. But deep inside, within the other half... she knew what she had to do. She jerked away and cupped his face, "whatever happens, know I love you and I will not abandon you."
"Zari..."
His eyes bolted wide open when she vanished. Pain and despair hit him like a spear through the heart.
"Buu hungry!"
"There you are!" cried a voice from the sky.
Shin turned his face skyward to see Zari turned sideways, beams of red light escaping through her crooked fingers. "Is this really her?" His eyes grew cold as he turned to Bibi-Dee and stood up, exposing himself to the wizard. ~*Or has he taken control of her?*~
"Lesson six!" He turned his eyes toward her but stood motionless. "Never cower before an attack!"
Shin smirked and closed his eyes against the light.
Her eyes scanned the ground for signs. The dust clouded everything. "Lesson seven," he whispered in her ear then looped his arms under hers and locked his hands behind her neck. "Do not repeat lesson four."
Careful you fool!
~*Now what do you want Kai?*~
You're breaking her! Shin saw his counterpart appear in the back of his mind. Do you not remember the feel of her heartbeat against your chest?
~*Yes, and there was nothing odd-*~
You're completely certain then that there was only one?
His eyes widened again as he remembered. With his own ears when his head rested against her chest, he heard it. Quiet as a whisper within the voice of a scream, but it was there. Hidden deep inside Zari was a second life.
His grip failed and she twisted to be free. "Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered.
She stretched her hand out until her palm was inches from his face. "There was nothing to tell, nothing your ears needed to hear."
"So you would deny me the very air that gives me life as well?"
Her hand trembled. "Of course not."
"Enough!" a voice hissed in disgust. "I should have known you wouldn't be able to slay him Amethyst."
"You're Amethyst?" Shin asked in disbelief.
Her eyes darkened in sadness. "There's still much about me that you don't know."
"To bad he won't have the time to learn about us," Desdelona sneered. "But as for you..." She appeared behind Zari and drew her sword. Shin's eyes blazed and he pulled Zari away then rocketed in the other direction. He could sense Desdelona following on his heels.
"Shin what are you-"
"You're coming with me! I'm taking you somewhere where you'll be safe."
"No Shin you can't!"
"As the remaining Supreme Kai, yes I can. Unfortunately all power now lies on my shoulders. I am ordering you to stay low until this is over."
"You won't win on your own," she said lowly.
He sighed, "if it is my destiny to die at his hands then so be it. I swore to myself that I would lay down my life before harm reached you, and I could not hold true to my vow. The worst damage has been done."
"The worst damage will be if I lose you." He didn't say anything. ~*What?! She's gone?*~ She looked over her shoulder, expecting to see the jade green aura still in hot pursuit. ~*What's that? It feels like a pocket of emptiness.*~
"Buu!"
Shin cried out and stopped. His eyes burned as he glared at the new fat Buu and pulled Zari behind him. Buu danced in front of them, using provoking gestures to lure Shin into anger. Fear had claimed him first. His senses were blinded by emptiness. ~*How is it that it can absorb the two more powerful Kais and not have an inkling of a power increase?!*~ Zari's hand was growing cold in his grasp. "Zari? Are you alright?"
"Perfectly perfect," she growled.
Buu stopped and looked at Zari. A childish grin reached from side to side of his round pink face. He squealed with delight and pointed at Zari. "Buu know! Buu know! Buu know what purple girl gonna do-ho!"
"Oh?" Zari asked blankly.
Buu nodded and pointed at Shin. "Purple girl gonna kill purple boy! Buu know! Buu know!" He chuckled and Shin began to tremble.
~*She's stronger than that. She can control herself. I just have to get her far away from here so Bibi-Dee won't claim her again.*~
Buu giggled and wrapped his arms around his fat belly. Suddenly his gleeful giggling ceased and he straightened himself out; arms at his sides. "But Buu kill purple boy first!"
"Oh no you don't," Zari said with a gleam in her eye. Shin gasped as he felt her wrap her arm around his neck. "I told Desdelona now I'll tell you! This one's mine!"
Buu broke out again, "hehehe no! No! Buu...." There was a long loud growl and Buu patted his stomach. "Buu so very hungry," he said in a sad tone. "Buu make purple boy into... into...."
"You won't touch him!" Zari growled.
"Buu know! Buu make purple boy chocolate! Or cake! Yippee cake!"
"Sorry Buu," Zari said slyly as she pulled Shin back. "I have a better plan for this one."
Bibi-Dee looked on from miles away. Desdelona stood by his side, an anxious smile on her face. "What is Amethyst doing?" Bibi-Dee asked in a I-still-don't-care-about-it tone.
"She's going to take him," Desdelona said as she took a step forward.
"She's already taken him.... unless you mean."
"Yes! Exactly! She's going to rip the crystal straight out of his chest!"
"Sounds interesting. I'd like to see this closer."
"It would be my pleasure."
Desdelona took her master on her back and took off. The pace was annoyingly slow, but she knew she would be punished if she caused her master just the slightest bit of discomfort.
"What purple girl gonna do?" Buu asked curiously.
"Heh heh, watch closely." Buu leaned in close. Zari turned her eyes to Shin and held her hand out in front of him, eye level. Long claws took the place of delicate fingers as the metamorphosis drew on. "You should feel honored," she whispered in his ear. "Your soul will be the first I have withdrawn."
~*What the hell are you talking about?!*~
"When you reach hell... ask the devil to tell you about the Jewel Lights. Until I see you there, farewell."
Dark crimson fumes appeared out of nowhere and collected in a line from her palm to the center of his chest. He felt his heart pound. His lungs ached. His mind raced in circles as he felt every pain he had ever received in his life. The muscles in his back, stomach, and chest contracted until he felt them rupture. He instinctively crossed his arms in an X over his chest as if he was trying to hold something in. Then he felt the vapors penetrate and his energy washed out of him. He hung limp in her grasp.
~*Dammit no! Don't give in!*~
His eyes blurred into the deathly gray color as when she had first found him.
~*Shin please don't give in!*~
Buu watched curiously then dropped his jaw. "What dat light?"
Zari trembled as she saw white sparks poured out of him and travel through the fumes to her hand. ~*Shin please...*~ Her voice was a pleading whisper in his mind. ~*Don't give in... fight me! Kalilo...*~
His eyelids closed over his eyes and his eyebrows furrowed. Buu cocked his head and Zari gasped.
"A pitiful display," Desdelona growled. "You are not worthy of your title."
"I still have yet to understand what it is she is doing exactly," Bibi-Dee said.
Zari did not turn. She knew one of them would read into her eyes and see her worry. "He's harder to take than you might think Jade," Zari growled. "His spirit is stronger than I gave it credit for," she continued forcing her voice to feign a struggle.
"Then give him to me," Desdelona said as if it was the simplest course of action.
"You've had enough," Zari growled. "This one's mine!"
She shrugged, "do as you will, but if he escapes you he's fair game."
"If he escapes me he'll escape us all."
She loosened her grip on the sparks in her palm and they slowly floated back through the fumes and disappeared as they reached his chest. He groaned and his eyes flashed back and forth between black and ghostly gray.
~*Take it back! Take yourself back and flee!*~
"I... won't...."
~*You have to!*~
"... die...."
~*That's it!*~
"... like... thisss..."
~*Now break free!*~
Desdelona's mouth hung open. "Impossible... how can he call it back?!"
Zari forced a disbelieving look on her face and in her eyes. The fumes scattered like burnt leaves in the wind and Shin's aura blazed. "I... have had... ENOUGH!"
Zari screamed as she lost her hold.
~*RUN SHIN!*~
He turned and glared at Bibi-Dee. ~*Hear me wizard!*~ Bibi-Dee's eyes widened as Shin's voice struck a familiar cord. ~*Should your magic have drawn my blood alone, I would have shown mercy. I might have granted you amnesty in the end. But your sword has pierced deeper than any blade of steel, iron, or natural ore. You have tainted the purest gem Ledena ever pained to create. That... I will never forgive!*~
Bibi-Dee floated back, trembling. "So he is the one..." he said tersely. He floated forward and glared at Shin. "I say this before we once again part. You have shown your... passion for this gem of yours. And I see now that she..." he paused to watch Shin's expression. "Is your one treasure. Pity for you. Only a fool would send his lover to combat his enemy!" He threw his head back and laughed. "Don't fret Kai. I assure you... Amethyst is in good hands."
Shin growled and clenched his fists.
Zari hovered below them, her hand resting on her abdomen and her eyes quivered in fear.
Desdelona curled her fingers around her sword and watched Shin closely.
Buu looked around at each one repeatedly and scratched his head. "Buu no get it."
"Never mind!" Bibi-Dee snapped. "Your mind is too restricted to comprehend. Just kill him!"
Buu threw his arm up in the air. "Buu do!" He hesitated as he watched Shin rocket toward the ground where Junid's sword lie.
"What's wrong with you?!" Bibi-Dee screamed. "Kill him!"
Buu put a finger to his chin, "then... does Buu get cake?"
"Huh?" Bibi-Dee's jaw dropped (sweat drop). "Yes! A room full of cakes now get him!"
"Yay!" Buu turned sideways like a pitcher about to unleash a fast ball, his eyes on Shin's shrinking figure. "Buu go..." He yelled the last word when smoke exploded behind him. "ZOOOOOM!"
~*Shin look out! Behind-*~
"No more of that now," Desdelona whispered in her ear. Zari could clearly make out the warning tone.
"Desdelona!" Bibi-Dee called from above.
"Aye?" she called back.
"Take her back and throw her in my quarters!"
"Certainly sir..." Desdelona said to herself with a hint of disgust. She wrapped her arm around Zari's neck.
"Oh no you don't!" Zari growled. "Not yet!"
"He's beyond your help!"
"And you're beyond anyone's..." Zari's hand slipped to her belt and withdrew her longest dagger. It glinted in Titus's light though Desdelona didn't notice until she felt it bite through her ribs. "Keep it!" Zari shouted as she let go of the hilt and rocketed after Buu's smoking trail.
Shin landed on the ground and ran to where Junid's sword lie. His hand brushed the hilt when he heard an infantile squeal and barely managed to dive out of the way. Buu fell into the ground, forming a narrow crater. Shin sheathed the blade and took to the air. Buu popped his head out of the dirt and shook it to get the dust off.
Shin didn't look back but felt his heart scream. ~*I can't leave her! I have to go back.*~
"No," came a soft whisper beside his ear.
"Zari!"
He took her hand in his. He could hear her mournful gasps.
"What is it?"
"He knows..."
"It doesn't matter!" he said giving her hand a tight squeeze. "I'm taking you away from this to a safe place. I'll find someone to cure you... I swear."
She shook her head and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the yellow feline eyes of her disguise were gone. He stared into the deep sadness flooding her black orbs. "There is no cure for me... but there is one comfort."
"Anything."
She stopped and pulled him into her. Releasing his hand she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him savagely. Tears cascaded down her cheeks when she felt him return her touch. Her mind stretched in all different directions, but each thought revolved around him. She tried to saver this moment, knowing deep inside that it would be the last. Her mind screamed at her that Buu was coming up fast.
He didn't care that death was charging them. He didn't seem to even sense Buu at all. His entire concentration was wrapped up in her. Only five days had passed and it felt like an eternity. He refused to think of how he had survived his entire life without her. It drove him to the brink of insanity knowing deep inside that she would not go with him. He knew she would do something, form a portal, push him away, anything! He felt her rapidly tensing in his arms and sent his hand to search for her wrist. He would drag her with him if he had to, her and their child.
She stretched out a hand and a deep magenta ring rolled off her fingers and opened, a glimmering surface filling its void. Upon feeling her hand leave his back he tightened his grip on her waist. Her hand slipped to his chest. ~*Forgive me...*~
~*Kalila no! Come with me. I'll protect you!*~ He tightened his grip around her waist and glared over her shoulder at Buu. "I'll protect you," he said firmly and stretched his hand out toward Buu. "I won't let him harm you."
"Buu make purple boy dead!"
She could feel him tremble and could sense the energy wave forming in his hand. She stared over his shoulder at the portal. "But I can't watch him kill you."
Shin gasped as he felt her disappear in his arms. She pressed her hands against his chest then unleashed a harmless energy wave that was still enough to knock him back through the portal. He saw Buu appear behind her transparent form and he unleashed the wave. Zari closed her eyes and let down her guard, becoming once again flesh and blood. Her eyes shot open and she saw the wave crash into her shoulder, knocking her back into Buu's rubbery belly.
Shin saw it hit. His Kai half whispered in the back of his mind. "Now there is no sanctuary for her."
"... I'll find her."
"Not in time to save your son."
"My...?"
His back collided with the broken soil of some far off planet in the mortal realm. He stared up at the black night sky and lie still.
*****
"Purple girl okay?" Buu asked.
"Hm?" Zari said sleepily. She looked up at Buu's childish face and smiled. "I'm okay. My shoulder's just a little sore."
"Dammit Buu!" Bibi-Dee screamed. "You're incompetent! And you!" he hissed, spurring at Zari. "You will pay for that with your very life!"
"No!" Buu screamed roughly. "Purple girl just tried to kill purple boy. Mean man no kill!"
"I am your master you overgrown excuse! I created you to be a cold blooded killer, not some fat baby with the mental capacity to match!"
Buu scratched his head and looked down at Zari. "What mean man say to Buu?"
"He's just disappointed. More so in me than in you."
"I'm not disappointed!" Bibi-Dee screamed, flailing his arms in the air. "I'm furious!" He turned sharply. "Desdelona!"
She floated down to him, her eyes on Zari, her hand holding a wad of her cape to the gash in her ribs. "Aye sir," she said in a quivering whisper.
"What did I tell you to do the first time?"
"Take her to your chamber."
"And why didn't you?"
"She... broke away from me."
"Buu see all!" Buu cried. "Green lady tried to hurt purple girl and purple girl fight back."
"I don't care!" Bibi-Dee growled. "I will not accept failure!" His eyes glowed crimson and Desdelona screamed while Zari merely flinched. "Now take her back to my chamber!"
Desdelona panted laboriously and stretched out her hand to Zari. "Come with me, or he'll punish us both."
Zari didn't reply. She looked up at Buu and said softly, "I have to go. Thank you for breaking my fall."
Buu smiled and giggled delightfully. "Buu see nice girl later yes?"
Zari smiled and nodded. "Of course."
Bibi-Dee sneered and watched Desdelona form a portal beneath their feet and raise it up with her hand.
Shin bolted upright. "What was that?" He bolted to his feet and on reflex, curled his hand around the hilt of his sword. "Emptiness? ... Buu..." he growled. ~*No doubt Bibi-Dee has Zari with him. I can almost sense her. Heh! Seems Desdelona is having a bit of trouble.*~ A sly grin spread over his face. "I may not be too late after all."
*****
Desdelona grabbed Zari's arm and threw her onto the small bed in Bibi-Dee's chamber. Zari sat up and growled in disgust, "you've got to be kidding."
Desdelona grinned and shook her head. "My master has had a few sleepless nights recently-"
"Visions no doubt."
She nodded. "He has foreseen his own demise."
"I wish I could say I was sorry, but I'm not very good at lying."
She shrugged then cringed. "You're teeth go deep Amethyst. Never before has a mortal or a light pierced me so."
Zari couldn't help but smile slyly.
"But the deepest wound will open in your heart. He will make you bear his successor." Zari's eyes widened. "To ensure that all the Kais will fall."
She shook her head. "That will never happen."
"Oh, so long as you're alive?" Desdelona said mockingly. "Who says you'll live after you give birth? It's a pity. You'll first have to loose your own descendent. And I'll be sure to tell him you already carry another's."
"Bitch!" Zari screamed but Desdelona just laughed and closed the door.
"So..." Bibi-Dee said blankly. "She already carries another's child."
Desdelona smiled down at her master. "I'll give you two guesses as to who's it is but I guarantee..." She cringed as the pain jolted. "You'll only need one."
Bibi-Dee grinned. "Tend to your wound. I'll see to her."
"Thank you," Desdelona said tersely and slowly staggered down the narrow passage to her chamber.
He listened to her door open and close then stretched his mind into Zari's.
Buu whined, "Buu so hungry!"
"Huh?" Bibi-Dee said as he lost his concentration and looked up at Buu.
"Where can Buu get eats?"
"That way!" Bibi-Dee cried as he threw his hand out to point down the narrow passage. "Follow the corridor that way and you'll find a whole room full of cakes."
"But Buu didn't do what Bibi-Dee wanted..."
"That wasn't entirely your fault," Bibi-Dee said calmly. "Besides, no one can operate on an empty stomach. Indulge yourself."
"Yippee cake!" Buu squealed happily and rushed down the corridor. "Yay!"
Bibi-Dee sighed and snapped his fingers. He heard Buu's delightful squeal and the sound of his sloppy eating. "Disgusting..." He looked back at the door. "No matter."
*****
Shin raced toward Zari's signature. ~*It's faint but I can still- what?!*~ He skidded to a stop as he caught a glimpse of a faint silhouette atop a high cliff. It jutted out into the night sky then hooked over the edge. "That has to be it!" he whispered.
*****
Zari shifted in her nervousness, trying to find a comfortable situation. Inevitably she stood and paced around the room, looking for some way out. "This was really smart," she said to herself. She let out a sigh to calm her nerves, but it only made them coil tighter. She nibbled at her lip and rested both hands over her abdomen. "Easy ol' girl easy..." she whispered to herself. "He's coming. He'll get here in time."
~*No... he won't*~
Zari shut her eyes tightly and wrapped her arms around her middle. "You won't take him from me," she said firmly.
~*You have no power here in this dimension.*~
"Dimension?"
He didn't reply but she could hear him whispering an incantation from the other side of the door.
She shook her head. "No... you won't take him!"
~*What was that? I could barely hear you.*~
Tears ran down her face. "You won't... take him." She felt her child turn under her hands. She looked down. "No..." She winced as her swelling stomach was checked by her belt. Her fingers fumbled with the fasten. Her child stretched. The belt wouldn't come loose. Desperate for relief she snatched on of her daggers and cut the strap. She sighed and slowly settled herself in a corner and drew a blanket from the bed to pad her shoulder. ~*What is he doing to me?*~ Her child stretched again and she felt a moment of pride. ~*This must be nearing the seventh month now.*~ She stared at the door. "Was that your plan? Force me to bear my own child then plant your seed?"
~*Oh no... do you think I would let you off that easily?*~
She leaned her head back against the wall. The room suddenly felt hot and palpable. She panted for breath then gasped as a fire suddenly ignited in her womb.
She closed her eyes and heard an infant scream. Fire blocked her mind's eye and the anguish jolted up her spine. ~*What are you doing to me?!*~
~*Open your eyes and see.*~
The fiery curtain lifted to reveal a young boy turning in circles inside a ring of fire. Zari screamed and the boy turned to see her. His eyes widened and he threw his arms out to her. His voice was silent but she could read his lips. "Help me! Mother save me!" The fire closed in around him then ran up his short legs. Her heart pounded and ached as the fire circled around the side of his face, scorching his pale lavender skin. Tears streamed from his black eyes. "Mother please!" he cried but his voice was silent. Bibi-Dee's laugh overcame the crackling as the fire swallowed the boy in a column of flame. She saw his silhouette shrink and scatter like burnt leaves in the wind.