SHONEN ALLIANCE
RE:BIRTH
OPENING THEME: KU ZEN ZETSU GO (Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters)
Buildings smoldered and rubble littered the streets of what had once likely been a vibrant city. Now, Teresa floated in the air, looking down at a decimated ghost town that stood where only a short time before, the city she had called home since her childhood had been.
If any survivors hadn't fled the city, they were in no hurry to show themselves. Ichigo and Yugi had seen no signs of life after nearly an hour of searching through the city's rubble covered streets. At a four-way intersection, they met up with Moka, Clare, Naruto, and Luffy who had been searching elsewhere. None had had any luck.
"If anyone survived this, it looks like they didn't wait to see if the Dark Saiyans were coming back," Ichigo admitted.
"Assuming anyone survived," Clare said cynically, "this place looks as though it was completely decimated.
"Some people had to have gotten away, right?" Moka asked. Her rosary had been reconnected, following the battle with Devour, restoring control to the gentle Outer Moka, "I haven't seen any bodies."
"Given the nature of those creatures, it's possible they don't leave bodies behind," Clare admitted.
"What do you mean?" Moka asked.
"The monsters of my world devour human flesh," Clare explained, "some of the larger ones won't even leave bones to be buried. These creatures may be similar."
"That's horrible!"
"You're from a world where monsters are common," Clare reminded her, "even if you yourself would never cause harm to humans, are all monsters so kindhearted?" Moka's silence and discomfort both answered Clare's question and made her regret asking it.
"I thought so to," Ichigo admitted, "but even then, shouldn't there be blood if that's the case? I haven't seen a drop of blood on anything."
"Whatever happened here," Yugi spoke up, "the quiet here is making me uneasy."
I understand what you mean, Yami's voice echoed in Yugi's head, we should tread carefully. I have a bad feeling about this.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Yami wasn't the only one who felt uneasy. Piccolo and Gohan shared the feeling as they flew over the city with Goten, Trunks, and Krillin.
"It's unnaturally quiet here," Piccolo admitted, "something about the atmosphere makes me feel… uneasy."
"I agree," Gohan admitted, "all of this destruction, but there aren't any signs of casualties. Not even any real signs anyone was ever here."
"Wrong. Look inside the homes," Piccolo ordered. Gohan did as he was told and quickly saw what Piccolo meant. Several homes had tables set with dishes and silverware topped with food that had begun to rot, as if abandoned some time ago.
"What happened here?" Gohan cursed, his unease growing.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
At the city's center was what had likely been an immaculately built palace of finally carved stone, though now it was as ruined as the rest of the city. Unlike in the city outside, however, there was no question what had happened to those who had been in the castle. The corpses of both soldiers and palace workers were strewn across the palace grounds, telling the story of a terrible battle against a foe that had been truly overwhelming.
Kakashi looked sorrowfully down into the eyes of one of the deceased soldiers. He had been a young man with chocolate colored hair and brown, now lifeless, eyes. Half of the young mans face was frozen in a terrified expression. The other half was gone, obliterated by whatever being had engraved this horrified look onto the youth's features in his final moments. Reaching down, Kakashi used his hand to close the youth's remaining, lifeless eye, bringing some semblance of peace to the decimated features of the tragic youth, brutally taken despite barely being more than a child.
Kakashi stood and looked over the corpses surrounding the youth. Other young faces of young men and women were peppered among the faces of those who had lived to become grizzled old veterans. It hadn't mattered. Whatever had torn through had done so as indiscriminately as it had brutally. No one had been spared.
"It looks like the Dark Saiyans completely overwhelmed them," Miria admitted, walking up from behind to stand beside Kakashi.
"It would have done the same thing to us if Goku hadn't arrived when he did," Kakashi admitted.
"Not just Goku," Miria revealed, "from what I saw of them, I'm certain Vegeta or Piccolo could have destroyed Devour just as easily. It's a bit terrifying to think, but at this point, I think we're dealing with entities that can vaporize a planet as easily as a man. They're like gods."
"And by comparison, these soldiers were all just bugs to be crushed," Kakashi sighed, "I wonder if this is how they felt when they realized just how hopelessly outmatched they were."
"This place is completely wrecked," Goku's voice drew their attention to the approaching Saiyan. He was looking over the corpses, anger and disgust apparent in his eyes. "These people… they could barely even put up a fight. I swear, they'll pay for this."
"No sign of our mother, alive or otherwise," Renee declared as she and Silphia joined them. Flora, Kayla, Isabella, and Rinoa had been left at Capsule Corporation for safety as the heroes and the older princesses had travelled to the princesses' home, the kingdom of Lunaria, to learn its fate.
That fate was crueler then any of them yet realized.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Valeria had gone straight to a large lab in the basement of the castle. It was in bad shape. Stone and rubble covered the floor and the lab was filled with fallen and broken equipment. Exposed wires sparked violently and pools of liquid covered the floor. Valeria felt despair grip her heart as she scanned the ruins.
"She may well have been captured, alongside your mother," Kiwi Magician Girl's voice spoke comfortingly to her mind.
"Right! Sure this place is a total mess, but…" Lemon Magician Girl's voice came next, "I mean…"
"We're talking about Karina here! She's way to smart to let these losers get the better of her!" Chocolate Magician Girl cut in to save the floundering Lemon Magician Girl.
Then, Valeria saw something that made her and her Duel Spirit comrades fall silent. Lying amid the rubble, a broken pair of black rimmed glasses lay abandoned on the floor. Valeria ran to them, picked them up, and searched desperately for their owner.
"Debauchery wouldn't have let a trophy like Karina get away from him," Kiwi Magician Girl's mature voice echoed, calming the duelist princess, "keep your wits about you, Valeria. We must not act rashly!"
Unfortunately, Valeria was of a very rash mind. She closed her eyes as pink light engulfed her. The light flashed and Valeria was gone.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Teresa's eyes widened with absolute horror. The homes and buildings of her kingdom, despite seeming empty, had suddenly seemed to come alive as a small swarm of the Dark Saiyans creatures had appeared suddenly. Her heart sank as the heroes began to engage the monsters all across the city of Lunaria. She had hoped desperately that this outcome might have been avoided, but it was now painfully clear that it wasn't meant to be.
Last time the heroes had fought these creatures, they hadn't had Miria or her Claymores, never mind Goku and Vegeta. With them added to the heroes' ranks, it was hard to see how the battle could progress more smoothly.
"Chaos Scepter Blast!" Yami ordered as Magician of Black Chaos decimated a small horde of creatures. Despite the duelist himself being vulnerable, he was hardly in any danger with Clare and Moka at his back. The silver-eyed and silver-haired maidens made a strikingly beautiful sight as they eviscerated any beast that got close.
"GUM GUM WHIP!" Luffy roared, sending an entire horde of monsters flying with a single swinging kick from his elongated leg!
"CLONE SPINNING AXE KICK!" A dozen Naruto's shouted as each landed a bone shattering axe kick to members of a horde encroaching on the Gum Gum pirate from behind, driving them into the ground with earth shattering force!
To the heroes' surprise, the horde began to thin much quicker then the previous ones they had faced. Equally surprising, as Vegeta's Galick Gun atomized the final beasts, everyone realized that this was the first horde they had fought that had not summoned a more powerful foe when their defeat had clearly become inevitable.
"Not much of an attack force," Renji admitted, "I would've thought they'd send everything they had at us here."
"These creatures weren't sent here by a Dark Saiyan," Teresa lamented, dropping to her knees, "they were waiting here for a Dark Saiyan to claim them."
"Claim them?" Yusei repeated, "what do you mean?"
"This is what the Dark Saiyans do to the people of the worlds they conquer. They turn them to mindless beasts and add them to their armies. My kingdom was too recently conquered. They were waiting…" Teresa tried to explain, only for emotion to overcome her before she could finish.
"These were your people," Gohan was the first to realize the truth, his haunted expression spreading like a virus from hero to hero as the gravity of the situation dawned on them.
"Why didn't you tell us!?" Clare shrieked angrily.
"I wanted to!" Teresa cried in reply, "they were my people! I would have done anything to save them! But…"
"But there was nothing that could be done," Yami spared the princess from having to finish the painful explanation.
"The transformation is permanent," Teresa lamented, "all I could do for my people… was stop myself from stopping you. Let you free them before the Dark Saiyans could make them into slaves. Were I not such a coward I would have ended their suffering myself, but I… I just couldn't do it."
Everyone fell silent. The gravity of the situation felt crushing as they tried to process it. Yami was the first to break the silence, kneeling before Teresa.
"You shouldn't mistake kindness for cowardice," he consoled her, "it's clear to all of us how much you cared for your people. You would have given anything to save them. Now, you have to do all you can to ensure no other people share their fate."
Goku was somber for a moment before placing his fingers to his forehead, preparing to use Instant Transmission.
"If you're planning what I think you're planning, it'll be faster if more of us go along," Krillin pointed out, realizing quickly what Goku was thinking.
"Nah, I've got this," Goku promised, "be back soon." With that, he vanished.
"What the hell is that clown planning now?" Vegeta cursed.
"Since this planet is part of our universe, he can still sense the energy of everyone back on Earth," Piccolo pointed out, "if I had to guess, he's probably planning on gathering the Dragon Balls."
/\/\/\/\/\/\
The mood was very somber as the heroes entered the palace the eight princesses had once called home. The bodies of the kingdom's defenders still littered the hallways and courtyards of the palace, further breaking Teresa's heart.
"Bastards," Renee cursed, "how heartless can they be?"
"Why didn't they turn the soldiers into those creatures?" Clare wondered aloud, looking around.
"It's how they work. Ruthlessly slaughter anyone who stands against them, transform or kidnap any who surrender," Teresa revealed.
"Like your mother?" Kakashi inquired.
"My mother would have never surrendered to the Dark Saiyans," Teresa declared firmly, "but… to Debauchery, the Dark Saiyan of Lust, that would have only made her that much more appealing as a trophy."
"Trophy?" Piccolo questioned.
"Debauchery earns his title, perhaps even more so then Devour did," Teresa cursed, "if he loves anything more then a subservient woman, it's to subjugate a non-subservient one. He remained when his brothers left because he had intended to capture all of us, my mother, my sisters, and myself, to add to his collection. Submit and he allows you to be his slave. Refuse… and the rest of your days are spent subjected to absolute humiliation. The queens and princesses he takes prisoner are treated with no more dignity then furniture or statues. Death would be a far kinder fate."
"And this is the man who has your mother?" Clare observed. The thought of anyone being subjugated to what Teresa had described was enough to make her skin crawl.
"She's likely suffering that very humiliation even as we speak," Teresa cursed, "we must get her out of Debauchery's clutches, and if we can rid the universe of his evil in the process, all the better."
"Teresa!" Silphia's dismayed call drew everyone's attention and they went towards the voice. They quickly found her and Renee sadly standing over two bodies. One, an elderly woman with a kindly face and short silver hair dressed in black, had a hole the size of a baseball where her heart should have been. Unlike many of the soldiers, her lifeless eyes showed no signs of fear. The same could not be said of the second, a young woman in a maid's uniform, who, even in death, the elderly woman clutched close to her. The blast that had pierced the elderly woman's heart had continued through this young woman's head, killing both instantly. Teresa knelt beside the two, tears beginning to leak from the corners of her eyes. It was clear these two bodies hit the eldest princess in a far more personal way then the others.
"Who were they?" Gohan finally asked the question.
"Ursula served as my family's caretaker since before our mother was even Flora's age," she revealed, referring to the older woman, "Hannah was her granddaughter. We grew up together. She's been my… my best friend for as long as either of us could remember." Teresa was struggling desperately to maintain her strong and stoic demeanor, but this was easier said then done. At last, she failed and the tears began to flow freely.
"They're all gone. Everyone we've ever known…" she cried, "even two of my sisters are…"
Finally, it was Krillin's turn to speak up. "Hey, you can't give up yet," he ordered her, "this isn't over, and things might turn out better then you think."
"I don't see how," Clare snarled, thinking Krillin was being cruel, "even if we defeat the Dark Saiyans, you can't bring back the dead!"
"I don't know about that," Krillin declared, "after all, you're talking to someone who's died three times and here I am."
"Wait… what?" Renji was the first to stutter out a response to that revelation.
"How the…" Zoro stammered, "how does someone die three times? How does someone die twice?"
"I see, so that is what Goku is up to, then," Piccolo realized.
"Bingo," Krillin replied, "he should be done any minute…" before Krillin could finish his sentence, a light glow began to surround them, brightening until all anyone could see was pure, white light.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Your wish has been granted. Farewell," Shenron declared. In a flash of light, the dragon vanished and the seven small orbs flew into the sky before rocketing away in separate directions.
"Well, that should do it," Bulma declared proudly as she stood with Goku and the four youngest princesses on the front lawn of Capsule Corporation.
"Then…" Kayla stammered in disbelief, "does that mean everyone is okay!?"
"If Shenron says everything's fixed then everything should be fixed," Bulma admitted, "he's never lied to us before."
"Only one way to be sure," Goku declared, "thanks Bulma!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Few of the heroes gathered in Lunaria understood what had just happened. When the flash of light had faded, the decimated city seemed to have been completely made right. The heroes outside the castle were shocked to find that not only had all of the buildings been instantly repaired, but the city's civilians, the same ones that had been turned into inhuman monsters, now filled the streets, each seemingly as confused as the heroes.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
The confusion in the palace was no less substantial. Before the eyes of everyone present, the devastated structure had been completely restored. Even more miraculously, everyone watched in shocked silence as the dead soldiers and staff began to rise. Their damaged bodies had been made whole.
"What in the…" Clare stuttered, "how is this possible?"
"Good old Dragon Balls," Krillin replied smiling, "they haven't let us down yet!"
"To think something capable of just raising the dead this effortlessly exists," Kakashi admitted in awe, "I guess there's a lot you don't know when you start traveling to other universes."
The elderly woman, Ursula, coughed and groaned as she slowly rose still clutching her granddaughter in her arms. The girl stirred as well, looking around as if confused by her new life. Her eyes locked on Teresa.
"P… princess? What…" she asked, her gentle voice tinged with both fear and confusion.
"I… we died at the hands of that beast, Debauchery," Ursula spoke her thoughts aloud, "I was certain… was it just a dream?"
"It was no dream my old friend," Teresa assured her elderly comrade, "Lunaria suffered complete devastation, yet… somehow, our kingdom has received a miracle, and a second chance with it."
As if on cue, Goku arrived with Flora, Kayla, Isabella, and Rinoa in tow.
"Goku…" Teresa said gratefully, though Goku had never been one for gratitude, cutting her off before she could even get out a thank you.
"Alright," he said, punching the palm of his hand, "now that's taken care of, let's go get this Dark Saiyan!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Valeria let out a pitiful squeal as an energy blast struck her, blowing her into the back wall of the room she was in. Her foe, a light blue skinned woman with dark orange hair, seemed pleased as Valeria slumped to the ground. Behind the woman, her master, Debauchery, Dark Saiyan of Lust, watched with great amusement as the two women chained to his throne, both with black hair, one long, one short, the long haired one with green eyes while the short haired ones eyes were as black as her hair, struggled desperately to break their chains and intervene in the princess' fate. Unfortunately, their struggle was futile and Valeria was beaten.
"Not a particularly wise move," Debauchery taunted, "I didn't expect another one of Lunaria's princesses to deliver herself to me. If you want to join your mother and sister, though, I can arrange that."
The black haired, black eyed young woman, Princess Karina, closed her eyes and looked away as Valeria was taken away by Debauchery's slaves. She couldn't stand the thought that her younger sister was about to share her fate. She spared a glance to her mother, but knew it was futile. They were utterly helpless.
ENDING THEME: BACCHIKOI (Naruto Shippuden)