After Every Lesson Comes a Test
By: Jenosavel
"He's HERE!"
The words barely penetrated the thick haze that had settled around his brain.
How long had it been? Would he ever break this metaphorical noose that was tightening around his neck? The thought was awkwardly hopeless, and Goku didn't often lose hope.
"Shut up you buffoon!" Vegeta snarled to his son, even though he knew the idiot boy wouldn't be able to hear him from downstairs. If these morons would only be quiet, Vegeta was sure he would be able to shake Kakarot free from the control that had ensnared him. It would be immeasurably helpful, especially since it appeared that Kakarot had also been forced into Super Saijin. It wasn't because he was the most powerful among them -the title was reserved for the King of the Saijins- that they needed him, but only because otherwise he would prove to be a great setback.
It was quite gratifying, though, Vegeta had to admit. For once, this third class warrior had been put in his place. For once he couldn't masquerade as being above the King of Saijins. Gratifying indeed.
"Father! They're here now!" Trunks flew up the stairs and into the small room where Goku was being held. "We can't stay here! It's not safe!"
"It would be a lot safer," Vegeta hissed, rising to his feet, "if idiots like you would stay quiet."
The threat, or perhaps being berated so harshly by his beloved father, got through to the boy, and Trunks silently retreated down the stairs. What was the fool child thinking? They weren't dead yet. That man wouldn't kill them. Not yet. It was a degrading truth, but there it was. That man would play with them until they begged for mercy. Then, and only then, would he kill them, and as far as Vegeta was concerned, the begging would never happen, so they had nothing to fear from that silver haired moron.
"No!"
Vegeta suddenly wondered how much time he'd lost as he quickly knelt down by the screaming Kakarot's side. If he could cure this, Kakarot would owe him. It was a chance too tempting to lose, so he couldn't afford to waste any more time.
"I can't do this!" Goku's eyes had long since been glazed over in an animalistic frenzy, but Vegeta wasn't discouraged. So the Jenova demon was even now trying to pull Kakarot to her will was she? It wouldn't happen.
"Hear her voice?" Vegeta asked calmly.
No reply.
"That is the voice of a demon called Jenova. She's trying to trick you; it's her way to control people through confusion. She doesn't have to win though. The same way she is inside you Kakarot, so you are inside her."
"NOOOO!" The words were violently spat out in a blind rage, but nothing else on Kakarot budged. Thankfully in this state the man was too dazed to see the bands of ki that Vegeta had used to restrain him, quite an ingenious idea. Someone should thank him, but as usual, the lot downstairs was composed of unthankful half-wits.
"But she is. Kakarot, I am also inside her. If you do not believe then feel. Feel your energy inside of me. We all are forced to be as one through her." It was a long shot. He didn't think he could do as the silver haired man had and use the powers of others bonded to the demon, but even so, it was possible that the part of Jenova in him held Kakarot's strength. A disgusting thought.
"You can fight her, Kakarot," Vegeta continued after a silent pause. "If you know the truth she can not confuse you. Then she can't trick you into doing her bidding. She has no real control of you. Her only control is in confusion."
"She can't?" The innocent made Vegeta growl. Who was it? There was no mistaking the edge in that voice, but it wasn't the silver haired man. It couldn't be, this was the voice of an adolescent.
Slowly rising to his feet, Vegeta faced the girl who sat on the sill of the open window. Who was she? She had the silver haired man's eyes as well, and pale silver hair to compliment it, but she had that woman's face, the infernal one who had mothered Gohan. And her hair most definitely resembled Cloud's own. Maybe the question shouldn't be who was she, but what was she.
"I think she can," The girl leaned forward, and shifted her weight as if she were chatting with a friend on a summer afternoon. Not a hint of, what was Vegeta looking for? Fear? Malice? In any case, there was nothing but that friendliness he knew must be false. "I think she is inside you, I think she has a part of herself in you, to regulate your behaviors, lead you in the right direction. Control you."
Vegeta wasn't sure what he should do as the girl stood up and took a step closer to him. What was she? How did she know the things she was saying?
Always let them wonder. That's what her brother had just told her outside. Always let their own fear answer their questions because it could create ideas far worse than any reality. People were easier to manipulate then.
Why was she trying to manipulate this man? The question flitted into her mind and she shooed it away. Her brother had said he was trying to liberate a slave, that her mother would suffer if the slave was freed. She cocked her head to the side as she looked the man facing her and sensed a strong similarity between him and the sick man. They were both slaves. Why would they try to free themselves, if this was their fate? The thought brought to mind the emotion her brother had given her, anger. It subsided quickly, though, replaced by pleasure at her success in calling up the emotion using the correct trigger.
Even as she was thinking about it, another question came to mind. How had she known that they both were slaves? Her brother had only said the sick one was. What did it mean that they were slaves? She shook her head. This was the second time she had had such a revelation since coming to this world. It was as if some part of her knew more than she did and enjoyed slipping her tidbits of information.
She pushed that thought away as well. It didn't matter. She had a test to complete.
Vegeta couldn't help but shift his own weight as the girl walked right up to Kakarot and bent over him curiously as if inspecting a new pet.
"He's rather powerful isn't he?" The perfect innocence in the girl's voice set Vegeta on edge even more. It seemed too pure to be an act, too much like Gohan.
"How do you know that?" Vegeta asked as though making conversation. He wouldn't let her know what he was thinking. She couldn't be a Saijin, and she was most definitely not old enough to have studied martial arts for any period of time. So then, how could she sense power levels?
Always let them wonder, she reminded herself, but what could the harm be in telling him this? Pondering the fact she straightened up and put a finger to her lower lip.
Saijin. Saijin? Where had that come from? Confused even more by the sudden thought than how she had known the man was powerful, she took a step backwards. She couldn't let on that there was something wrong; she had to cover it. Cover it? How?!
"Saijin," she whispered slowly.
"What?" Vegeta hid behind a stoic mask. If nothing else, he could take comfort in the fact that this was only a girl after all. She couldn't be of any harm to him, no matter how many things didn't add up.
"Saijin," The girl replied, her voice gaining strength. She had to make it look as if the slip up had been intentional. What was Saijin? "He's Saijin, isn't he?" This was truly frustrating. The slight quirk of the man's eyebrow told her she was right, but how had she known that? She didn't even know what Saijin was!
Vegeta schooled his emotions to silence. Letting them get the better of him wouldn't help now. "What are you?"
A pause.
"A princess, you could say," The calm, pure expression on the girl's face made her words more convincing. "You could say that I am the heir to a mighty queen with an impressive kingdom."
A princess eh? That would explain why she knew as much as she did. Royalty always knew more than the common folk. Vegeta had been reminded of that time and time again. That still left a question though.
"If you're a princess, then of what? What does you mother rule?"
"A lot of things, a lot of people." An idea lighted upon the girl's mind for a moment. If this man knew of her mother, knew of Jenova, perhaps mentioning her would aide the fear she was trying to instill in him. "My queen was quite pleased with her most recent subjects, even if they continue to prove disobedient." She bent over the man lying in bed again and let her finger trace a line along his jaw. "This one especially. He is quite powerful."
Vegeta froze. He understood where this was going.
So the demon had an heir, did she? Well, in any case, this impudent child was nothing more than that, a child, and perhaps Vegeta could strike at the demon in her soft spot, her child.
Clenching his fists, Vegeta prepared himself mentally to blow the little bitch to hell. If he did it just right, he could power up and fire an appropriate energy blast before she could sense his power rising. He wasn't about to be humiliated again.
"So may I ask what your name is, highness?" Vegeta barely hid the scorn in his voice as he started to build his energy. He needed to keep her preoccupied enough to not notice what he was doing until it was too late.
"Name?" The girl whispered as if tasting the word.
"Yes, what are you called?" Vegeta couldn't help but laugh a little. It was obvious just how young she truly was.
What was she called? She remembered that man in the white coat shouting that her label was Jenosavel. Could that be the same thing? Something tickled her mind, but she couldn't place what it was.
"They call me Jenosavel," she replied. That had to be it.
Pain.
Sudden recognition hit her. That tickling had been the feel of power being gathered. This man was attacking her!
What to do?!
Frantic rage. Fear. Impact. Jenosavel felt her body crumble against the wall and fall heavily to the floor.
Adrenaline raced in Vegeta's veins as his sensitive nostrils picked up an all too familiar sent. Blood.
The scene before him was exalting. A dark smear marked the place where the demon child's body had been crushed into the wall. As he'd planned, the blast he'd used hadn't been enough to break her through the wall; that would have given her a chance to escape.
Raising a shaking hand before her face, Jenosavel didn't have the time to comprehend the wetness there.
Heat.
Involuntary reactions, arched back, tensed muscles, strained throat, hoarse scream.
Pain.
This sensation was new, the searing mind-consuming agony of a ki blast.
Drawing a ragged breath, she attempted to obey her instincts and flee, but her muscles would not respond.
Panic.
Vegeta could read every naked thought that manifested itself in the girl's face. Her fear, anger, and confusion all fed his soaring ego, but as the young monster stumbled to her feet, Vegeta got an uneasy feeling. All emotion had suddenly gone out of her face, and though she stared right at him, she didn't appear to be seeing anything.
It didn't matter though. Such details were frivolous, however annoying they might prove. This girl had already made a shouting banner of her weakness. A few more energy blasts would suffice to finish her off.
The panic that welled up inside, threatening to overcome her in a tidal wave of uselessness, suddenly vanished, leaving in its wake a detached consciousness. Jenosavel was no longer Jenosavel, or as far as she was concerned anyway. She wasn't standing there, staring at that man with greed etched in his proud face. Sure, she saw him, but it was through another's eyes. Someone else was controlling her body now. Not she. It couldn't be she. She didn't know how to do these things her body was doing. She had no idea how to make the air itself support her when her limbs no longer would. Not she. Couldn't be she. Though, watching what was happening, it did seem vaguely familiar, as though a part of her might have known this at one time.
No, not she. She was not the one who caught the third energy blast as it sped towards her, suspending it in midair like a miniature sun.
Not she. She was not the one who saw the waves of energy radiating from her foe as he pulled even more to himself in a burst of anger.
The fool! So she could learn could she? Well, halting the energy blast would do her no good. He was a Saijin warrior after all; Vegeta let his instincts run wild.
Falling forward into a headlong rush, he did what he knew best. One smooth, uninterrupted motion brought Vegeta's elbow in hard on the girl's spine, knocking her forward into the glowing ball before her. She may have stopped it from hitting her, but as much damage could be done with her hitting it.
It wasn't she. Not she. She did not try to dissipate the energy gathered in that deadly ball as a last attempt to save herself. It was not she who screamed out in frustration as her efforts were incomplete. It was she, however, who felt the deadening pain and its accompanying blackness wash over her.
Waves of energy felt on the horizon brough mixed feelings to Gohan. He was overjoyed that Vegeta had indeed found a way home, and at the same time he was uneasy. It was unmistakable what was happening. Vegeta was fighting someone. Gohan didn't want to think of who, but it was a relief to not feel his father powering up. That much, at least, was a good sign.
"I don't like this Mr. Piccolo," Gohan's voice remained steady, determined.
"Me neither," Cloud added as he flew alongside the boy.
"Of course you don't!" Yuffie piped up as she hugged Gohan tighter, refusing to let herself fall. "You have to carry us!"
Cloud looked at Yuffie for a moment before deciding to ignore her, "Gohan, you said we're going to a small beach island with a house on it, right?"
"Yeah, that's right," Gohan barely let his attention avert from the power that surged just out of view. What was happening?
Cloud nodded grimly. He recognized this area from long, tedious hours of exploring it by chocobo. He may not have realized what he was doing at the time, but the planet could indeed be navigated by the feel of its spirit energy. It was the underlying force behind all creature's subtle sense of direction.
Arriving in this time, Cloud had finally understood what Gohan and Vegeta had mentioned earlier about knowing this place, yet not. Cloud recognized the planet instantly, but there were differences. Here, the lifestream patterns he had only subconsciously been aware of back home were vividly apparent.
That was how he knew where they were going, and it wasn't a thought that sat well with him. They were headed straight for the Round Island. That could not be a good equation as far as Cloud was concerned.
"That beach island's gonna be turned into a crater," Cloud stated simply. It was the truth.
"What?" Piccolo demanded.
"Just trust me," Cloud responded simply. "The crater will be deep enough that Mako from beneath the planet's surface will seep up over the coming centuries."
"Well with that fight that's going on right now, I believe him." Gohan's voice grew soft, "Daddy, I won't let you die again."
With an explosion of neon light that made Vincent sheild his eyes, Gohan was nowhere to be seen. The accusatory trail of fading color said he would be at that island in no time.
"A fight," Cloud murmured. He would not miss his chance at Sephiroth.
Vegeta snarled at the energy that he felt, suddenly jerking his eyes from the limp body lying in front of him to the window where Gohan was already visible.
"Blasted child," He growled, lowering the hand he had raised over the girl. One final ki blast would have finished her.
"Vegeta!" Gohan shouted, slipping through the still open window and ignoring the angry shouts from Yuffie who had been dumped on the front lawn. "We have to get out of here!"
"I take orders from no one, half-breed."
"But this whole place is gonna go!" Gohan urged.
"The only threat here is about to be eliminated." Vegeta assured Gohan, raising his hand again and preparing to finish the job he'd started.
"Stop!"
Gohan was startled by Cloud's voice. How had the man kept up? Gohan had been flying nearly at top speed. He shook his head suddenly. He didn't have time to ponder the subject further.
"And why should I listen to you?" This time Vegeta's hand remained steady.
"Because she cannot be killed," Cloud's answered flatly. He didn't need to hide his emotions; he'd had precious few of those to go around as of late. "Besides, fighting Sephiroth is enough already. We can't afford to have her as an enemy when she could be an ally."
"Are you underestimating the strength of a Saijin warrior?" Vegeta seemed to have forgotten everything that had happened. Back on his home turf his overzealous pride had been restored in full. "Or are you delusional enough to believe that this rat would betray her own blood?"
"What you're doing will ensure that she stays loyal to Sephiroth," Cloud still felt nothing. He was simply relating facts to Vegeta. If the man didn't stop this insanity soon, though, he would have to use force. "The wise choice would be to show her we're on her side."
"I am on my own side," Vegeta replied, turning his attention fully to his victim. He smirked. It was past time to end this.
Dim thoughts broke through the darkness as consciousness began to return to Jenosavel.
There it was again. That other person inside her head, controlling her. This consciousness tugged at her memory, called out to her from some dark recess of her mind, but recognition evaded her.
Her body suddenly snapped to readiness upon feeling more energy gathered, but it wasn't at her command. Nor was it at her command that the intricate threads of spirit around her would be altered to make that hateful blast of energy flow into her, instead of beating against her.
But it could have been.
She may not have known how to do those things when they happened, but now that she was paying attention to what was being done, they tickled her memory.
The blood tried to drain from Vegeta's face, but by sheer force of will he would not let it. Somehow the demon child had absorbed his ki blast, and not only that, she seemed to have used it to heal herself.
Let her absorb energy, Vegeta thought. She was still no match for his fists.
For a moment, thoughts of a foreigner inside her body vanished as Jenosavel marveled at what was now being done. The energy around her was mending her body and replenishing her strength. More than that, though, the fact that she could see and understand how it was being done fascinated her. She, no not she, this other being, was manipulating the energy, taking random flows and coordinating them into patterns with specific purposes. She would remember this carefully. There was no telling how much this other entity within her would teach her.
Vegeta wasn't sure which surprised him more, the impenetrable force he collided with in front of the girl, or Gohan's ki blast that only took a moment to knock him unconscious.
Somewhere in the back of Cloud's mind he noted that he should thank Gohan. The rest of Cloud's mind, however, was occupied by something else. This girl's power was undeniable. Already, so soon after her creation, she had managed to fend off Vegeta's attack. Her fire, her refusal to back down, reminded him of Tifa.
But this was not Tifa. This girl had had a hand in Tifa's death. The thought summoned up pain to tear at the empty void withing him, and no matter how much anger he produced, it didn't push back the pain.
She was really gone.
"Tifa..." Cloud forced his eyes closed to hold back the tears. Not here, not now. He couldn't break down now.
This time it had been she, and Jenosavel marvelled at the thought. She had called for help, reached out to her surroundings, and they had responded. The air had pulled together to deflect that man's attack. Perhaps, if she tried, she could do more.
Pain? The sensation cut off her thoughts and made her stumble. What was this? Nothing had touched her; she'd successfully blocked the last attack. Slowly pushing herself to her feet, again needing to call on her surroundings for the strength to stand, she looked around slowly.
This pain was different, more biting, and it wasn't her own. It was emanating from... the blond man that stood before her.
Things had happened so quickly that Gohan was surprised he could keep up. He had just shot Vegeta with a ki blast to save Jenosavel, but she had also protected herself somehow. That barrier she had used wasn't made of energy, though. What was it?
A moaning from the girl cut Gohan's ponderings short. He watched as she struggled to her feet and fixed her eyes on Cloud.
They couldn't be too late. Gohan's heart pounded in his ears. Some of the gentle innocence in the girl's eyes had faded.
"Are you all right?" He asked, rushing towards her. Something in the back of his mind told him to be careful, but his heart paid it no heed.
No! Defensive instincts flared up in Jenosavel's mind, alarmed by the boy racing towards her. No more attacks. No more pain!
Something else found its way into her mind, though. This boy had attempted to save her life. But I didn't need his help. I was just fine on my own. She shook her head. Still, didn't his effort count for anything?
"My enemy's enemy is my friend." Where the phrase had come from was beyond her, but Jenosavel had to admit that it made sense.
Fool. He too is our enemy!
But the boy tried to save my life! How could he be an enemy?
He seeks to kill us all. He is only trying to fool you.
No! He just saved me! If he wanted me dead, he would have let that man kill me!
Child. Listen and obey your mother!
Mother? ...but! He saved my life!
As Gohan watched the girl's eyes unfocus he knew something was wrong. It only took him a moment to guess that it had something to do with Jenova, and only one more to act on the assumption.
"Cloud, maybe we better go... Cloud? Cloud!" For the first time Gohan noticed the tears silently streaming down Cloud's face. His expression had not changed otherwise, and he watched the girl with cold indifference.
"Cloud we have to go now!" Urgency burst into Gohan's voice as he felt Jenosavel begin gathering energy to herself.
I... I must obey the queen.... but kill one who has saved me? How... how can this be right? I... I can't...! But! ...I must?
"Cloud!" Gohan screamed, grabbing the man by his shoulders and shaking him violently. "Cloud, hear me!"
In a way, Gohan got his wish as Cloud's eyes rolled down to lock onto the boy's.
A clawed hand touched Gohan's shoulder lightly. Vincent, comfortably unnoticed until now, murmured, "You can not fight this battle for him."
Gohan shook his head, not understanding, but he didn't have a choice with what to do. They had to leave, and if Cloud would not come, the couldn't forfeit the other's lives because of him. Choking back a sob -he wanted to leave Cloud about as much as he wanted to leave his father- Gohan finally nodded. He knew what he had to do.
Hoisting his father over his shoulder, Gohan flew downstairs with Vincent hot on his heels. With any luck he could safely get everyone out of here before the blast.
Cloud could take care of himself.
By: Jenosavel
"He's HERE!"
The words barely penetrated the thick haze that had settled around his brain.
How long had it been? Would he ever break this metaphorical noose that was tightening around his neck? The thought was awkwardly hopeless, and Goku didn't often lose hope.
"Shut up you buffoon!" Vegeta snarled to his son, even though he knew the idiot boy wouldn't be able to hear him from downstairs. If these morons would only be quiet, Vegeta was sure he would be able to shake Kakarot free from the control that had ensnared him. It would be immeasurably helpful, especially since it appeared that Kakarot had also been forced into Super Saijin. It wasn't because he was the most powerful among them -the title was reserved for the King of the Saijins- that they needed him, but only because otherwise he would prove to be a great setback.
It was quite gratifying, though, Vegeta had to admit. For once, this third class warrior had been put in his place. For once he couldn't masquerade as being above the King of Saijins. Gratifying indeed.
"Father! They're here now!" Trunks flew up the stairs and into the small room where Goku was being held. "We can't stay here! It's not safe!"
"It would be a lot safer," Vegeta hissed, rising to his feet, "if idiots like you would stay quiet."
The threat, or perhaps being berated so harshly by his beloved father, got through to the boy, and Trunks silently retreated down the stairs. What was the fool child thinking? They weren't dead yet. That man wouldn't kill them. Not yet. It was a degrading truth, but there it was. That man would play with them until they begged for mercy. Then, and only then, would he kill them, and as far as Vegeta was concerned, the begging would never happen, so they had nothing to fear from that silver haired moron.
"No!"
Vegeta suddenly wondered how much time he'd lost as he quickly knelt down by the screaming Kakarot's side. If he could cure this, Kakarot would owe him. It was a chance too tempting to lose, so he couldn't afford to waste any more time.
"I can't do this!" Goku's eyes had long since been glazed over in an animalistic frenzy, but Vegeta wasn't discouraged. So the Jenova demon was even now trying to pull Kakarot to her will was she? It wouldn't happen.
"Hear her voice?" Vegeta asked calmly.
No reply.
"That is the voice of a demon called Jenova. She's trying to trick you; it's her way to control people through confusion. She doesn't have to win though. The same way she is inside you Kakarot, so you are inside her."
"NOOOO!" The words were violently spat out in a blind rage, but nothing else on Kakarot budged. Thankfully in this state the man was too dazed to see the bands of ki that Vegeta had used to restrain him, quite an ingenious idea. Someone should thank him, but as usual, the lot downstairs was composed of unthankful half-wits.
"But she is. Kakarot, I am also inside her. If you do not believe then feel. Feel your energy inside of me. We all are forced to be as one through her." It was a long shot. He didn't think he could do as the silver haired man had and use the powers of others bonded to the demon, but even so, it was possible that the part of Jenova in him held Kakarot's strength. A disgusting thought.
"You can fight her, Kakarot," Vegeta continued after a silent pause. "If you know the truth she can not confuse you. Then she can't trick you into doing her bidding. She has no real control of you. Her only control is in confusion."
"She can't?" The innocent made Vegeta growl. Who was it? There was no mistaking the edge in that voice, but it wasn't the silver haired man. It couldn't be, this was the voice of an adolescent.
Slowly rising to his feet, Vegeta faced the girl who sat on the sill of the open window. Who was she? She had the silver haired man's eyes as well, and pale silver hair to compliment it, but she had that woman's face, the infernal one who had mothered Gohan. And her hair most definitely resembled Cloud's own. Maybe the question shouldn't be who was she, but what was she.
"I think she can," The girl leaned forward, and shifted her weight as if she were chatting with a friend on a summer afternoon. Not a hint of, what was Vegeta looking for? Fear? Malice? In any case, there was nothing but that friendliness he knew must be false. "I think she is inside you, I think she has a part of herself in you, to regulate your behaviors, lead you in the right direction. Control you."
Vegeta wasn't sure what he should do as the girl stood up and took a step closer to him. What was she? How did she know the things she was saying?
Always let them wonder. That's what her brother had just told her outside. Always let their own fear answer their questions because it could create ideas far worse than any reality. People were easier to manipulate then.
Why was she trying to manipulate this man? The question flitted into her mind and she shooed it away. Her brother had said he was trying to liberate a slave, that her mother would suffer if the slave was freed. She cocked her head to the side as she looked the man facing her and sensed a strong similarity between him and the sick man. They were both slaves. Why would they try to free themselves, if this was their fate? The thought brought to mind the emotion her brother had given her, anger. It subsided quickly, though, replaced by pleasure at her success in calling up the emotion using the correct trigger.
Even as she was thinking about it, another question came to mind. How had she known that they both were slaves? Her brother had only said the sick one was. What did it mean that they were slaves? She shook her head. This was the second time she had had such a revelation since coming to this world. It was as if some part of her knew more than she did and enjoyed slipping her tidbits of information.
She pushed that thought away as well. It didn't matter. She had a test to complete.
Vegeta couldn't help but shift his own weight as the girl walked right up to Kakarot and bent over him curiously as if inspecting a new pet.
"He's rather powerful isn't he?" The perfect innocence in the girl's voice set Vegeta on edge even more. It seemed too pure to be an act, too much like Gohan.
"How do you know that?" Vegeta asked as though making conversation. He wouldn't let her know what he was thinking. She couldn't be a Saijin, and she was most definitely not old enough to have studied martial arts for any period of time. So then, how could she sense power levels?
Always let them wonder, she reminded herself, but what could the harm be in telling him this? Pondering the fact she straightened up and put a finger to her lower lip.
Saijin. Saijin? Where had that come from? Confused even more by the sudden thought than how she had known the man was powerful, she took a step backwards. She couldn't let on that there was something wrong; she had to cover it. Cover it? How?!
"Saijin," she whispered slowly.
"What?" Vegeta hid behind a stoic mask. If nothing else, he could take comfort in the fact that this was only a girl after all. She couldn't be of any harm to him, no matter how many things didn't add up.
"Saijin," The girl replied, her voice gaining strength. She had to make it look as if the slip up had been intentional. What was Saijin? "He's Saijin, isn't he?" This was truly frustrating. The slight quirk of the man's eyebrow told her she was right, but how had she known that? She didn't even know what Saijin was!
Vegeta schooled his emotions to silence. Letting them get the better of him wouldn't help now. "What are you?"
A pause.
"A princess, you could say," The calm, pure expression on the girl's face made her words more convincing. "You could say that I am the heir to a mighty queen with an impressive kingdom."
A princess eh? That would explain why she knew as much as she did. Royalty always knew more than the common folk. Vegeta had been reminded of that time and time again. That still left a question though.
"If you're a princess, then of what? What does you mother rule?"
"A lot of things, a lot of people." An idea lighted upon the girl's mind for a moment. If this man knew of her mother, knew of Jenova, perhaps mentioning her would aide the fear she was trying to instill in him. "My queen was quite pleased with her most recent subjects, even if they continue to prove disobedient." She bent over the man lying in bed again and let her finger trace a line along his jaw. "This one especially. He is quite powerful."
Vegeta froze. He understood where this was going.
So the demon had an heir, did she? Well, in any case, this impudent child was nothing more than that, a child, and perhaps Vegeta could strike at the demon in her soft spot, her child.
Clenching his fists, Vegeta prepared himself mentally to blow the little bitch to hell. If he did it just right, he could power up and fire an appropriate energy blast before she could sense his power rising. He wasn't about to be humiliated again.
"So may I ask what your name is, highness?" Vegeta barely hid the scorn in his voice as he started to build his energy. He needed to keep her preoccupied enough to not notice what he was doing until it was too late.
"Name?" The girl whispered as if tasting the word.
"Yes, what are you called?" Vegeta couldn't help but laugh a little. It was obvious just how young she truly was.
What was she called? She remembered that man in the white coat shouting that her label was Jenosavel. Could that be the same thing? Something tickled her mind, but she couldn't place what it was.
"They call me Jenosavel," she replied. That had to be it.
Pain.
Sudden recognition hit her. That tickling had been the feel of power being gathered. This man was attacking her!
What to do?!
Frantic rage. Fear. Impact. Jenosavel felt her body crumble against the wall and fall heavily to the floor.
Adrenaline raced in Vegeta's veins as his sensitive nostrils picked up an all too familiar sent. Blood.
The scene before him was exalting. A dark smear marked the place where the demon child's body had been crushed into the wall. As he'd planned, the blast he'd used hadn't been enough to break her through the wall; that would have given her a chance to escape.
Raising a shaking hand before her face, Jenosavel didn't have the time to comprehend the wetness there.
Heat.
Involuntary reactions, arched back, tensed muscles, strained throat, hoarse scream.
Pain.
This sensation was new, the searing mind-consuming agony of a ki blast.
Drawing a ragged breath, she attempted to obey her instincts and flee, but her muscles would not respond.
Panic.
Vegeta could read every naked thought that manifested itself in the girl's face. Her fear, anger, and confusion all fed his soaring ego, but as the young monster stumbled to her feet, Vegeta got an uneasy feeling. All emotion had suddenly gone out of her face, and though she stared right at him, she didn't appear to be seeing anything.
It didn't matter though. Such details were frivolous, however annoying they might prove. This girl had already made a shouting banner of her weakness. A few more energy blasts would suffice to finish her off.
The panic that welled up inside, threatening to overcome her in a tidal wave of uselessness, suddenly vanished, leaving in its wake a detached consciousness. Jenosavel was no longer Jenosavel, or as far as she was concerned anyway. She wasn't standing there, staring at that man with greed etched in his proud face. Sure, she saw him, but it was through another's eyes. Someone else was controlling her body now. Not she. It couldn't be she. She didn't know how to do these things her body was doing. She had no idea how to make the air itself support her when her limbs no longer would. Not she. Couldn't be she. Though, watching what was happening, it did seem vaguely familiar, as though a part of her might have known this at one time.
No, not she. She was not the one who caught the third energy blast as it sped towards her, suspending it in midair like a miniature sun.
Not she. She was not the one who saw the waves of energy radiating from her foe as he pulled even more to himself in a burst of anger.
The fool! So she could learn could she? Well, halting the energy blast would do her no good. He was a Saijin warrior after all; Vegeta let his instincts run wild.
Falling forward into a headlong rush, he did what he knew best. One smooth, uninterrupted motion brought Vegeta's elbow in hard on the girl's spine, knocking her forward into the glowing ball before her. She may have stopped it from hitting her, but as much damage could be done with her hitting it.
It wasn't she. Not she. She did not try to dissipate the energy gathered in that deadly ball as a last attempt to save herself. It was not she who screamed out in frustration as her efforts were incomplete. It was she, however, who felt the deadening pain and its accompanying blackness wash over her.
Waves of energy felt on the horizon brough mixed feelings to Gohan. He was overjoyed that Vegeta had indeed found a way home, and at the same time he was uneasy. It was unmistakable what was happening. Vegeta was fighting someone. Gohan didn't want to think of who, but it was a relief to not feel his father powering up. That much, at least, was a good sign.
"I don't like this Mr. Piccolo," Gohan's voice remained steady, determined.
"Me neither," Cloud added as he flew alongside the boy.
"Of course you don't!" Yuffie piped up as she hugged Gohan tighter, refusing to let herself fall. "You have to carry us!"
Cloud looked at Yuffie for a moment before deciding to ignore her, "Gohan, you said we're going to a small beach island with a house on it, right?"
"Yeah, that's right," Gohan barely let his attention avert from the power that surged just out of view. What was happening?
Cloud nodded grimly. He recognized this area from long, tedious hours of exploring it by chocobo. He may not have realized what he was doing at the time, but the planet could indeed be navigated by the feel of its spirit energy. It was the underlying force behind all creature's subtle sense of direction.
Arriving in this time, Cloud had finally understood what Gohan and Vegeta had mentioned earlier about knowing this place, yet not. Cloud recognized the planet instantly, but there were differences. Here, the lifestream patterns he had only subconsciously been aware of back home were vividly apparent.
That was how he knew where they were going, and it wasn't a thought that sat well with him. They were headed straight for the Round Island. That could not be a good equation as far as Cloud was concerned.
"That beach island's gonna be turned into a crater," Cloud stated simply. It was the truth.
"What?" Piccolo demanded.
"Just trust me," Cloud responded simply. "The crater will be deep enough that Mako from beneath the planet's surface will seep up over the coming centuries."
"Well with that fight that's going on right now, I believe him." Gohan's voice grew soft, "Daddy, I won't let you die again."
With an explosion of neon light that made Vincent sheild his eyes, Gohan was nowhere to be seen. The accusatory trail of fading color said he would be at that island in no time.
"A fight," Cloud murmured. He would not miss his chance at Sephiroth.
Vegeta snarled at the energy that he felt, suddenly jerking his eyes from the limp body lying in front of him to the window where Gohan was already visible.
"Blasted child," He growled, lowering the hand he had raised over the girl. One final ki blast would have finished her.
"Vegeta!" Gohan shouted, slipping through the still open window and ignoring the angry shouts from Yuffie who had been dumped on the front lawn. "We have to get out of here!"
"I take orders from no one, half-breed."
"But this whole place is gonna go!" Gohan urged.
"The only threat here is about to be eliminated." Vegeta assured Gohan, raising his hand again and preparing to finish the job he'd started.
"Stop!"
Gohan was startled by Cloud's voice. How had the man kept up? Gohan had been flying nearly at top speed. He shook his head suddenly. He didn't have time to ponder the subject further.
"And why should I listen to you?" This time Vegeta's hand remained steady.
"Because she cannot be killed," Cloud's answered flatly. He didn't need to hide his emotions; he'd had precious few of those to go around as of late. "Besides, fighting Sephiroth is enough already. We can't afford to have her as an enemy when she could be an ally."
"Are you underestimating the strength of a Saijin warrior?" Vegeta seemed to have forgotten everything that had happened. Back on his home turf his overzealous pride had been restored in full. "Or are you delusional enough to believe that this rat would betray her own blood?"
"What you're doing will ensure that she stays loyal to Sephiroth," Cloud still felt nothing. He was simply relating facts to Vegeta. If the man didn't stop this insanity soon, though, he would have to use force. "The wise choice would be to show her we're on her side."
"I am on my own side," Vegeta replied, turning his attention fully to his victim. He smirked. It was past time to end this.
Dim thoughts broke through the darkness as consciousness began to return to Jenosavel.
There it was again. That other person inside her head, controlling her. This consciousness tugged at her memory, called out to her from some dark recess of her mind, but recognition evaded her.
Her body suddenly snapped to readiness upon feeling more energy gathered, but it wasn't at her command. Nor was it at her command that the intricate threads of spirit around her would be altered to make that hateful blast of energy flow into her, instead of beating against her.
But it could have been.
She may not have known how to do those things when they happened, but now that she was paying attention to what was being done, they tickled her memory.
The blood tried to drain from Vegeta's face, but by sheer force of will he would not let it. Somehow the demon child had absorbed his ki blast, and not only that, she seemed to have used it to heal herself.
Let her absorb energy, Vegeta thought. She was still no match for his fists.
For a moment, thoughts of a foreigner inside her body vanished as Jenosavel marveled at what was now being done. The energy around her was mending her body and replenishing her strength. More than that, though, the fact that she could see and understand how it was being done fascinated her. She, no not she, this other being, was manipulating the energy, taking random flows and coordinating them into patterns with specific purposes. She would remember this carefully. There was no telling how much this other entity within her would teach her.
Vegeta wasn't sure which surprised him more, the impenetrable force he collided with in front of the girl, or Gohan's ki blast that only took a moment to knock him unconscious.
Somewhere in the back of Cloud's mind he noted that he should thank Gohan. The rest of Cloud's mind, however, was occupied by something else. This girl's power was undeniable. Already, so soon after her creation, she had managed to fend off Vegeta's attack. Her fire, her refusal to back down, reminded him of Tifa.
But this was not Tifa. This girl had had a hand in Tifa's death. The thought summoned up pain to tear at the empty void withing him, and no matter how much anger he produced, it didn't push back the pain.
She was really gone.
"Tifa..." Cloud forced his eyes closed to hold back the tears. Not here, not now. He couldn't break down now.
This time it had been she, and Jenosavel marvelled at the thought. She had called for help, reached out to her surroundings, and they had responded. The air had pulled together to deflect that man's attack. Perhaps, if she tried, she could do more.
Pain? The sensation cut off her thoughts and made her stumble. What was this? Nothing had touched her; she'd successfully blocked the last attack. Slowly pushing herself to her feet, again needing to call on her surroundings for the strength to stand, she looked around slowly.
This pain was different, more biting, and it wasn't her own. It was emanating from... the blond man that stood before her.
Things had happened so quickly that Gohan was surprised he could keep up. He had just shot Vegeta with a ki blast to save Jenosavel, but she had also protected herself somehow. That barrier she had used wasn't made of energy, though. What was it?
A moaning from the girl cut Gohan's ponderings short. He watched as she struggled to her feet and fixed her eyes on Cloud.
They couldn't be too late. Gohan's heart pounded in his ears. Some of the gentle innocence in the girl's eyes had faded.
"Are you all right?" He asked, rushing towards her. Something in the back of his mind told him to be careful, but his heart paid it no heed.
No! Defensive instincts flared up in Jenosavel's mind, alarmed by the boy racing towards her. No more attacks. No more pain!
Something else found its way into her mind, though. This boy had attempted to save her life. But I didn't need his help. I was just fine on my own. She shook her head. Still, didn't his effort count for anything?
"My enemy's enemy is my friend." Where the phrase had come from was beyond her, but Jenosavel had to admit that it made sense.
Fool. He too is our enemy!
But the boy tried to save my life! How could he be an enemy?
He seeks to kill us all. He is only trying to fool you.
No! He just saved me! If he wanted me dead, he would have let that man kill me!
Child. Listen and obey your mother!
Mother? ...but! He saved my life!
As Gohan watched the girl's eyes unfocus he knew something was wrong. It only took him a moment to guess that it had something to do with Jenova, and only one more to act on the assumption.
"Cloud, maybe we better go... Cloud? Cloud!" For the first time Gohan noticed the tears silently streaming down Cloud's face. His expression had not changed otherwise, and he watched the girl with cold indifference.
"Cloud we have to go now!" Urgency burst into Gohan's voice as he felt Jenosavel begin gathering energy to herself.
I... I must obey the queen.... but kill one who has saved me? How... how can this be right? I... I can't...! But! ...I must?
"Cloud!" Gohan screamed, grabbing the man by his shoulders and shaking him violently. "Cloud, hear me!"
In a way, Gohan got his wish as Cloud's eyes rolled down to lock onto the boy's.
A clawed hand touched Gohan's shoulder lightly. Vincent, comfortably unnoticed until now, murmured, "You can not fight this battle for him."
Gohan shook his head, not understanding, but he didn't have a choice with what to do. They had to leave, and if Cloud would not come, the couldn't forfeit the other's lives because of him. Choking back a sob -he wanted to leave Cloud about as much as he wanted to leave his father- Gohan finally nodded. He knew what he had to do.
Hoisting his father over his shoulder, Gohan flew downstairs with Vincent hot on his heels. With any luck he could safely get everyone out of here before the blast.
Cloud could take care of himself.