Saliya sighed and looked down at her hands. As of late they interested her greatly. She'd never before noticed how slender they were, how her nails were always even, her cuticles always invisible. Looking up she shook off the thought. Why was she so concerned with the quality of her hands? Sometimes silly thoughts seemed to bounce right into her mind without explanation or reason.

The room was empty. She was used to loneliness and so she was perfectly comfortable. Galvan would be back soon, that thought alone brought forth shivers. She was consumed with both hungry anticipation and harrowing fear. Sometimes Galvan was perfect. Other times...

After that first awful night, Galvan had returned of his own accord. He had begged forgiveness and soon won back her heart. Since then, he had frequented her room. Once, twice, thrice a day, his face would peek through the door.

However, his moods changed like the wind and Saliya could sometimes not keep up. Galvan liked Kryo, and so he consumed much of it. Far too much, sometimes.

She suddenly realized how alone she really was, and that isolation surrounded her like a blanket.

She was suffocating in it.

Then the door opened. She turned around and smiled, hoping against hope that Galvan would be kind. She came face to face with a haggard apparition of the man she loved. His usual assuring gait was decreased to a lazy swagger. Those bright blue eyes had now become glazed and dark. He smiled at her with acknowledgment and strode forth. She allowed him to claim her.

Putting two big hands around her shoulders she was drawn into his web. A sloppy kiss, and a few quick caresses were all the time he spent on her. Then he fulfilled his own needs. She submitted quietly and allowed him to repeat the process many times. He was too forceful but she did not complain.

'He loves me,' she thought.

Sometimes the heart will speak for the mind so that the body can sustain itself. And so, Saliya listened to her heart, even when she knew it lied.

****

"So, woman, what's your opinion on Galvan?" Bulma smiled and looked down at the bar.

"My thoughts on the universe's leading ass hole? Gee, I dunno," she replied.

"Do you think we can beat him?" She looked up and contemplated the idea. Finally, Bulma found the answer and looked Vegeta directly in the eyes.

"I think I will kill him." Her frank statement didn't seem to bother him, but her next action did. Bulma laughed. It was a clear repetitive sound that hadn't been heard from her in so long. However, it wasn't the sing song giggle of the old Bulma. It was a dark, disdainful assertion that condescended happiness. Her eyes brightened in her bleak merriment and she turned back to him. "Oh Kami," she finally said. "I will kill him! I've wanted to kill him for so long, and now I can!"

Chimera looked up at her and growled. Bulma raised an eyebrow and looked down.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked.

'You should never be so sure of yourself.'

"Chimera!" She stood up, her face bent down to the beast. "How dare you say that!" The beast looked up at her in true astonishment.

'Why are you so angry?'

"You won't stop me dammit!" Suddenly, the entire place calmed down and all eyes turned to the scene. Bulma's fists were clenched tightly as she looked down at Chimera. "Do you understand me?" She demanded, fury dancing in her pupils.

'No, Bulma, I do not.'

"I will kill Galvan, Chimera! Don't you see what he did to me? He ruined my LIFE!" Her loud talk had now ascended to berating shouts. A tear came out of her eye as she looked down at him. "He killed me, Chimera. So let me kill him." She left. After all of her words she just left. The bar remained quite for a time and then all conversation returned. Chimera rested his big head on his forepaws and looked dismally to the floor.

The other Saiyans looked at one another in confusion. Vegeta remained poised on his stool, not understanding why she had reacted so violently to the only creature who had shown her kindness.

"Umm.. Vegeta?" Goku asked, idling up beside him.

"What?" Goku smiled.

"Could you follow Bulma? I mean, it would be nice to know where she went and you DID finish eating already, but we're still really hungry, and..."

"Fine," he said, before Goku could finish.

"All right! Thanks a lot Vegeta!" With that, Goku was back to his food. Vegeta looked down at the great beast.

"I suppose you'd like to go too?" Chimera looked up at him in confusion. His eyes were filled with unspoken sorrow as they pondered Vegeta's countenance. Suddenly, a great resolve was broken. Chimera sighed with a growl and Vegeta felt him once again, touch his mind. This time, Chimera broke through the mental walls and Vegeta knew him.

'You still love her?'

'How dare you initiate this without my consent!'

'I care not for consent, I want to know if you still love her.'

'Why should I?'

'Because she is not guilty!'

'You lie!'

Chimera growled and stood up. He prowled out of the bar leaving Vegeta on his stool.

'Follow me human!' It was a command and at any other time, Vegeta would have thought of it as an insult. However, as of now, Vegeta found he was standing up and following.

****

She sobbed.

She had long ago forgotten the pain of sadness, because it had become such a constant thing. Now its dull perpetual drawl had sharpened into an unhappiness that cut her so deeply she bled. Down the alleyway she raced, feet pounding upon the concrete to the rhythm of her nightmares.

She was not living a life, she was dead.

Where had that come from? Why was this fact so true? She was really dead.

Her life no longer consisted of happiness. She lived every day to the next, only to wake up and realize that there would be yet another day of living to do. She was so miserable and it was excruciating. She wanted to be dead, be truly dead. But how?

Her desperation was unnerving and it invited this new found thought. A way to die, yes, that was what she needed. A way to end it all! She disconnected her powers from Chimera. The bond snapped easily, leaving only the slightest awareness of his existence in the hazy recesses of her mind. She turned a corner and then paused abruptly, looking from side to side.

Where could she do it? Now that her powers were gone, she was a human again. It would be easy to perish without that power.

What could she use? A knife. Something sharp. Something quick and clean, easy and reliable. She panted her exhaustion as she turned around frantically in the alley way. Her pouring tears still rained down and Bulma found she was tired.

Far too tired to die tonight, she realized. Well, perhaps she could wait. Wait, that was it, she would wait. Patience was a virtue. She had virtue, well, didn't she?

Crumbling to the ground she wrapped her arms around herself in futile attempts of shutting out the cold. Rocking back and forth ever so slightly, she fought the anger and depression that had suddenly forced itself upon her.

Had she been suppressing this for so long? It seemed like Chimera had triggered something tonight. She continued rocking, continued swaying until unconsciousness claimed her.

Darkness was her friend and she welcomed it with open arms.

****

Author's Note: Sorry about the wait! Heheh... my bad!! Will have more soon! School's been killer... VERY hectic!

Much luv to everyone!
That is all
~JZero