Pawsy: More disclaimers! I don't own DBZ! WAAAAAAHH!!! *sniff* Okay, I'm better! I hope you enjoy this piece of the story as much as the first part. I definitely want to thank the people who reviewed: Chibi Binasu-chan, Silvertress, and Morgan! *my cuz* Check out their stories too, now! Don't be stingy on tastes! Ahem…so let's continue, hmm? And remember, hamsters can dance! *Hampsterdance song starts up*
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Another Place?
Funny how things work: you have the power to control anything and anyone you want, but you never get to use that power. You're just a worthless life, a wasted chance for another. Babidi stirs from his thoughts slightly. Trying to move, he collapses onto the ground again. Damn, that android hits hard! At least I'm not dead…metaphorically speaking, that is. After a few more moments, the spinning sensation in his head stops and he's able to focus on trying to stand. It takes a while, but he is successful…with the help of a dead tree.
"Well, that didn't go so bad. Must be in one of his better moods," Babidi mutters to himself. Taking a second to adjust on standing, he finally makes a few painful steps away from the spot. He is desperate to get away. It won't be long before Cell returns for another 'game.' The thought causes a burning anger.
"That's all I am! Someone's punching bag that they can take their anger out on! That's all I've ever been!" He suddenly stumbles and hits the ground, letting a whimper of pain as he lands on his probably broken arm. Weak, that's all I've ever been. Hot tears threaten to break loose, but the wizard forces them back and tries to stand again. He can't stay out here, especially with nightfall coming upon them.
Night is a dangerous time, even in hell…especially in hell. Babidi remembers the last time he was out in the darkened area…
It is his first night upon his coming to hell. The darkness is just enough to shadow the realm, allowing all figures to disappear with only their outlines to distinguish them. He is at the height of popularity, what with everyone believing him to be some master fight trainer. He laughs at the irony of the situation.
"If they only knew…" he says quietly. His thoughts are quickly scattered by the scream. Before he can wonder what it is, one of the guardian ogres fell before him. Its throat slit, its stomach disemboweled, and its face twisted into a painful scream. Backing away from the corpse, Babidi felt a chill brush by him, causing a sensation of fear to burn inside of him.
Alone at night, are we? a voice hisses from nowhere. He quickly turns to see who is there when…
That's where the memory ends. As far as Babidi could tell, he awoke the next morning, scratch free and alone. There was no body, not a single trace from the murder, anywhere. He just shrugged the whole incident off as nothing. But he never could shake that feeling of fear away, a sense he felt that was forced into him, as strange as that sounds. Sitting and leaning against a cave wall, caves being the only true shelter for 'body keepers' like him, Babidi looks out into the darkness. Seeing figures move in the shadows, he dismisses it as nothing more than the ogres looking for escapees.
"As if, anyone could escape," Babidi scoffs. Even with that thought, he can't help but remember the newcomer's words.
"I'm getting out of this hellhole!" He really believes there's a way to escape from hell? Please!
"…I'm going to become more powerful than any of these bastards." Apparently, he's never met Cell…
"I'm leaving here and I'm not looking back." Even if that is true, where will he go, huh? Heaven? Heh! He wishes! It's either Heaven or hell, no other choices!
"I happen to know that if I hadn't committed suicide, I'd be in a better place." Then again, he did seem awful confident in that belief…
"A place where I wouldn't have to take crap from these Hell beings!" It could be believable…Damn! It would be good to escape from them!
"A place where I belong." If only…
Babidi shakes every thought of the newcomer out of his mind.
"What am I doing? Am I really going to believe such mindless dribble? It's just a load of shit!" He presses deeper into the cave wall, as if he could. I can't believe I even considered such things… There really isn't a point to leaving hell. Hell is, well, hell! Torment is just part of the deal once your sent here! Everyone suffers in hell!
"Then why am I the only one being tormented?" Babidi snarls viciously. "I hate this! I hate this place! I hate the people! And I certainly hate…" he quickly calms down and with a saddened tone adds, "…me…" In hell everyone is against him, even he is against himself. He always has been. Over time, he's managed to hide that emotion from everyone with a confident, yet cowardly appearance. He could care less what everyone thinks of him. Besides, it's all true, anyway.
He has the edge in his hands, just like before. If only he could disappear and be out of everyone's way. His enemies, his allies, his father, whom he hasn't seen once in hell so far, thankfully; they could care less if he was gone. Make their afterlife a little happier.
The thought is extremely tempting. Drawing the spike up, he holds it before him. A quick stab in the throat should be quick, he thinks.
"…Nonexistence is worst than death." Once again, that man's voice rings clearly!
"Still into killing yourself, I see…" ….a little too clearly! Babidi looks deeper into the cave. There is the newcomer leaning against a way. He shifts his gaze over to the wizard and a sarcastic smile appears. A mock look of surprise highlights his deathlike features.
"My, my, we must stop meeting like this! People will talk!" the man bursts out laughing. Babidi hardly finds anything amusing.
"Shuttup! Just shut the fuck up!!" the wizard screams. The man immediately falls silent, but that smile remains.
"My word! What a temper!" the man gets up and walks over to the entrance where Babidi immediately gets onto his feet, but stumbles back down slightly. His body still hasn't healed from earlier. The newcomer turns his lightly ashen face out into the night.
"It's dark out there…" his expression hardens. "Anything could be lurking out there…"
"Something does." the man looks towards Babidi. "A lot of things do, for crying out loud. They're probably creatures to slaughter those who stay out too long. It's hell, right?"
"Creatures that slaughter? Amazing…"
"What is?" the wizard asks.
"There's a creature injuring people and you're not there to greet it," the man looks back out side. "Then again, you probably inflict enough harm on yourself by yourself, correct?" Babidi has never wanted to hurt someone so much as this person. Who does he think he is! First, the guy comes out of nowhere preaching about his…habits…then he starts talking about some bizarre chant, continues with fantasies about leaving hell to a 'place where he belongs,' and now he's teasing him like everyone else does. If he had his way, this man would be nonexis…no, tormented for an eternity!
"Why would I want to meet a creature I know nothing about?!" the wizard snarls.
"Because, I do!" the man leaps out of the cave and into the unforgiving darkness. In seconds, he's swallowed by the night. Babidi can't think of anything to say at this point.
Well, there's one thing he has to admit, being a wizard is not a bad thing. Using a spell long forgotten and remembered after he died, Babidi looks at his healed body. There may be a few sore spots still, but it's better than a thrashed body. The voices quickly catch his attention. It's the Ginyu Force, and he's really in no mood to be torn apart by them, especially after just healing. The small wizard quickly ducks behind one of the dead trees and waits for them to pass. But their conversation is nothing to the one in front of him.
A distance away, he sees a few ogres are quietly talking amongst each other. Apparently, they don't want anyone to hear them. That's the only reasons the ogres come out into the territory of the 'body keepers.' Originally, Babidi could care less, but it's what one of them says that steals attention away from everything else.
"Another place? Beyond hell?" a dark blue ogre with one horn exclaims.
"That's right, Kif. And get this, the entrance is supposed to be hidden somewhere around hell!" a lighter blue ogre with a black goatee mutters.
"Oh, come of it, Dap! It's just a fairy tale!"
"What do you know, Mez? It could be real!" Dap growls.
"Please! If it is true, why have we never seen the entrance? We've all been in hell for a long time, remember?"
"It's hid-den!" Dap says slowly, as if Mez is a child. "It just doesn't make itself noticeable for anyone!"
"Oh really?" Mez, always the skeptic, plays with the glasses on his face. "Do tell me, what kind of people belong in this place? This…realm beyond hell." Dap's confident smile disappears to a confused expression.
"Well, uh, it's for…those who have been…really bad!" the ogre nods his head in triumph.
"Oh my!" Mez gasps. "Sounds almost like…hell!" The other ogres suddenly burst out laughing at the now blushing Dap.
"And tell us," Kif manages to say though giggles, "just what happens to these 'bad people?'" Dap seethes quietly.
"Depends…" a voice says in a sinister tone. The ogres suddenly fall silent and look to the left. Emerging from the dead forests is the newcomer.
"Hey! Who do you think you are? You little…I'll teach you to interfere with our meetings!" Goz, a blue ogre, snarls, but is quickly cut off by Kif.
"Wait…you act like the place exists."
"Well, that's obvious," the man stands erect and facing the ogres with a smile says, "Because it does." This comment is immediately answered with retaliation from the ogres. The man bares their retorts with a viciously calm smile.
"Now, now, let's all be gentlemen about this! No need for the screams," his voice drops dramatically. The ogres are silent. The man jerks his head to the side and stares into the distance.
"It's real. It harbors a power no mortal…" he says the word with disgust, "can comprehend. The only ones who can go have to prove themselves." The man keeps his head to the side, but his eyes drift back to the ogres. "Believe me…none of these, erh! 'Things' are nearly capable of even stepping towards the gates."
"The gates?" Goz says. "The gates of what?" A familiar smile breaks across the man's face.
"Don't worry…" he says, "The name will come eventually….but not now." The man turns and stalks off without a single protest.
"Well, uh…" Dap mutters quietly. "What do you guys think of…that?"
Babidi didn't hear the answer. The Ginyu Force found him, instead.
The newcomer leans against the same tree from a week ago. It's been six days with the setting sun ending the seventh. Today is his day to prove the existence of the other realm…the realm beyond hell. The man looks curiously at his surroundings and instead of his usual smile, a look of disgust smears across his face. Guess he won't be joining me…so I'll…
"I'm here," the man's thoughts are interrupted and he quickly jerks his sight down. Standing in front of him is Babidi, thrashed entirely from a recent fight.
"So you are," the newcomer replies.
"I want to…help you on getting out of here…" the wizard says uncertainly. The man laughs quietly.
"In other words, you want to come too." Babidi hesitates a moment before answering.
"…yes…" The man stands straight and flicks some mangled black hair out of his face.
"Well, then, let's get started…"
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To Be Continued…Pawsy: Y'ello! Er, I mean, Bya! I hope you enjoyed this little segment of the story. Well, it's not over yet! Babidi has officially decided to join forces with the newcomer, but it by the man's words, it ain't gonna be easy to leave…er…hades. *I'm a non-cusser, sue me!* So just stick around and bear with me! The next chapter's gonna be quite a show. Now if you don't mind, please review my story, thank you!