I am known as many things, but to you, I'm your creeping death.
Bubun: Go
Trunks scoffed at the pale woman in front of him. "Who do you think you are? Acting like you're better than me?"
She laughed, a sweet and beautiful clear laugh, yet the sound send shivers running down Trunks' and Vensu's spine.
It's a shame you can't remember...
"Can't remember what?" Trunks asked, suddenly remembering what Kokoro had said about her. How she knew everything about them, things they didn't even know themselves... Could that be possible? Trunks pushed the thought out of his mind. It didn't matter what she knew. However, he couldn't push out the fact that she seemed familiar... too familiar.
"She's toying with you," Vensu said.
Do you want to remember?
She asked, an evil grin on her face. She took a step towards Trunks, and Trunks quickly took a step back.
"You wanna fight me!" Trunks couldn't explain why, but he felt so completely unnerved around her. She seeped of evil and held secrets in her eyes, secrets Trunks knew she could use only to benefit herself.
The real question is, do you want to fight me?
"YES!" Trunks yelled as he began to power up. Vensu had to take a step back. She looked at him with awe on her face as Trunks' hair began to turn golden and although she couldn't read his power, she could tell that it far surpassed her... that it far surpassed any power that she had ever felt.
This was it, this is what Bulma had been talking about. This was a Super Saiyan, a thing of legend, standing before her eyes. Did this mean that Vegeta was one too? What about the other saiyans?
"You better believe it," Trunks said, a grin not unlike his father's on his face. "I wanna fight you."
Manako smiled.
"Goku, do you feel that?" Piccolo asked.
"Yes," Goku nodded, his face now serious. "Trunks must have found this girl."
"I can't sense her power..."
"Well she has to have a strong power."
"But we can't sense it..."
Goku and Piccolo looked at each other worried. Two things came to mind, either Trunks had powered up without having found her, or that this girl could mask her own powers. They couldn't read how strong she was.
"Manako's powers are different from yours, that's why you can't sense them." Kokoro tried explaining as they raced through the dreamscape towards Trunks.
"Trunks is pushing pretty hard, Vensu too, though she's pretty weak compared to him." Gohan said, trying to fly as fast as he could.
"The good news is that it's not a full moon. She's her most powerful she it's a full moon."
"Is there any bad news I should know of?"
"It's not a new moon either..."
"What you're telling me is that she's powerful."
"Yes."
"How powerful?"
"Out of the dreamscape you could all kill her."
"And inside?"
"... You should leave the killing part to Nin and me. We're the only people who can kill her now."
"We're almost there."
"PUT ME DOWN! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!" Nin screamed, as high as she could.
Goten cringed and came to a halt, letting go of her arm.
Nin took a deep breath and threw herself on Goten, punching, kicking and swearing at him. Between all that Goten managed to make out the sentence: "don't do that EVER again" - albeit the sentence had been much longer, filled with words that Goten weren't too sure existed.
"Look, we have to get to my friend."
"No, we don't." Nin said and sat herself down.
"What are you doing!" Goten looked exasperated. "We can't just stay her, Trunks may need my help!"
"Look, I'm not here to fight. I'm here to perform a spell." She took the bookbag off of her back and began rummaging through it.
"A spell?"
"What are you? Jacob Two-Two? A spell! A spell!"
"What are you? A witch?" Goten tried to be mocking, pretty sure that he didn't like this girl.
"Yes! That is exactly what I am! And I am here to perform a spell that will kill Manako. So I stay here and do my thing and I don't care where you go, because I really don't like you!"
Goten wanted to yell back, but his curiosity got the better of him. "You do spells a lot?"
Nin rolled her eyes. "Oh my Gaia! It's like talking to a five-year-old!"
"It's Dende actually," Goten corrected her on who the proper deity was.
Nin looked up at him, a mixture of confusion and anger on her face. "That's what Kokoro says."
"He knows who Dende is?"
Nin shrugged, holding strange smelling herbs and reading a page of a book with drawing designs beyond Goten's comprehension on the bright white floor. "He knows a lot of things that I will never understand. I guess you two know each other."
"Nope, just met him. We all did."
"... Strange... The way he talked about you guys, I thought you'd worked together on something before.
Trunks didn't wait for Vensu to power up, he took it for granted that she was probably just as strong as his father was, and so Trunks didn't skip a beat. He just rushed forward and threw a punch at this strange woman with all his power. The sooner this was over, the better. He wasn't too sure if he could stand being around her any longer.
Manako didn't move, she made no reaction at all to the fist coming towards her face.
The punch found its target right in the middle of her face. Vensu was sure this girl's head would rip off, but nothing happened. The punch landed... but nothing moved. She didn't scream, didn't fly across the dreamscape, didn't die...
Trunks pulled his fist away, and Manako smiled. Her face just as perfect as it had been before.
Well I know I'm stronger than you.
Her smile turned far more evil and faster than Vensu's eyes could see, Manako landed a kick in Trunks side, and he did go flying into the ground where he stopped, unmoving.
Vensu looked on in horror and Trunks laid there for a second and then slowly managed to lift himself up, all the while Manako laughed her terrible cold laugh.
Nausea swept over Trunks. He felt so much deja vu that moment that he couldn't just dismiss it; this place, that girl... her power. He knew it, he knew it all too well, and yet... He couldn't remember... Had he dreamt this before?
Flashes of the nightmare he had had a year before swept through his head. She was there, he was sure of it... But what had happened in that nightmare? He knew it was bad, that it had been terrible... But what had happened? Whatever it was, suddenly instinct told him that it was important.
Trunks looked up at Manako and Vensu. Why was Vensu just standing there? Why didn't she fight her? Could she even fight?
"How far can they possibly be!" Goky asked after they'd been flying for what felt like hours, they were heading towards Trunks and yet they felt like they were getting no closer. Goku had tried Instant Transmission, but for some reason it hadn't worked.
"She must be hindering us," Piccolo had said, talking about Manako. It seemed like she was still hindering them, not letting them get any closer. For all they knew they had been flying around in a circle for a month, trapped in this horrible dream.
"We're getting closer," Piccolo grumbled. "I know we are."
"I hope you're right Piccolo!" Goku said and they continued, trying to fly faster and faster.
"Are you done yet? Trunks needs me!" Goten whined and Nin still went about her business.
"No I am not done, and can't even do the spell until Kokoro makes his way here.
"He's probably going to Trunks as well!"
"He'll find me, no worries there."
"But we have to help Trunks!"
Nin looked like a nerve was about to pop in her head. "What did I say, huh! LEAVE ALREADY!"
Goten cowered away from her. "I can't leave you alone, you might get attacked!"
"I can take care of myself little boy!"
Goten could actually feel his sanity slipping away. "Boy! Look! If some crazy nightmare thing shows up and you're all alone, you'll probably die! I can't just leave you alone!"
"With the amount that you speak, I think I'd rather be dead than have to listen to you anymore!"
"Just hurry up!"
Trunks got onto his feet, feeling like he weighed 1000 pounds. Manako continued to stare at him with a playful smile on her face.
"Vensu," Trunks said, not taking his eyes off of Manako. Vensu quickly snapped out of her shock and looked towards Trunks. "If you're gonna fight, there's no better time to start."
Vensu nodded, a look of fear in her eyes. If this boy, this Super Saiyan, couldn't phase her, what chance did she have against this woman? But she couldn't just stand by, she had to fight, taking a fighting stance, she waiting for Trunks.
Trunks glared daggers at this woman. She had kicked him hard, but that was his fault, because he had let his guard down. That mistake wouldn't happen again. He wouldn't let her do that again, because now he was ready.
Without another thought Trunks launched himself at Manako and Vensu quickly followed.
Manako was ready for them, and she let it be known by her growing smile. Every punch or kick they made, she could easily block it and barely made an effort to do so, especially against the far weaker Vensu.
There was no way she could lose. Not like last time...
How easily Vegeta had killed her, too easily. With just two words he ended her life in the physical plain. But here things were different. Here she was a God among insects. Vegeta probably couldn't even hurt her here, and her son definitely couldn't even touch her.
This was her time, her age and nothing, nothing, would stand in her way now. She would get rid of these two bugs and then take care of the only real threat, Kokoro and his bitch Nin.
Yes, it was time to end this.
With her left hand, she quickly elbowed Vensu in the stomach. She didn't even look at the saiyan as she doubled over in pain, spitting blood out, and then her left palm shot to her right, hitting Trunks square in the nose and sent him flying once more.
Vensu fell to the ground, doubled over, her arms wrapped around her stomach. She could only stare at the ground in pain, watching as drops of blood fell from her mouth. She felt like she was dying. Nobody had ever hit her so hard in her entire life. She could barely believe it had happened. A lifetime of royalty had made her almost ignorant of such pain. She couldn't move it hurt so much.
Trunks, on the other hand, had felt pain like this before and probably would a hundred times more. He got up on his knees, blood poring from his broken nose. She could hit hard, that was for sure, but Trunks had to wonder if that was as hard as she could hit. They could beat her, he knew they could, because they had to.
They couldn't lose.
They can never lose.
Trunks got up, ready to kill her he was so angry, but Manako was right there, smiling her evil smile and she didn't even let Trunks stand up straight before she punched him in the stomach, and as he started doubling over, she held her hands together and brought them down on his back, sending him crashing into the ground.
Just like old times, isn't it Trunks? Sorry if I'm not as good as Hitomi.
"Hitomi?" The name swept through his dizzy head, familiar like everything else in here, before he could think on it, Manako kicked Trunks into the hair, and grabbed his collar.
You're pitiful Trunks. No wonder your father doesn't love you.
Trunks eyes went wide with rage and he quickly took a swing at Manako. Manako grabbed his fist with her free hand, her evil hollow eyes looking deep into his soul. She crushed his hand. Trunks screamed and that only made Manako smile ever more.
I can't think of a better way to hurt you, than telling you the truth.
Vensu looked over her shoulder at the two figures. Trunks needed her help, but what could she do just sitting there in pain? She had to pull herself together. She had to get back on her feet. Taking a deep breath, Vensu tried to ignore the pain.
"You're in a dreamscape," she thought to herself. "This is just a dream..." She pushed herself up. "This is just a dream." She struggled to her knees. "This is just a dream." She got to her feet and looked at the two figures. Manako with her evil smile, Trunks with blood running down his face. "This is a nightmare," she whispered to herself.
Manako brought her free hand up to Trunks' forehead.
This is going to hurt, Trunks-Kun.
"Wha-?" Trunks started asking, trying to ignore the pain he was in, but all thoughts were cut off when Manako's hand began to glow.
"LET HIM GO!" Vensu screamed, suddenly at Manako side. She punched Manako in the jaw, snapping her head to the side. Vensu paused, looking on in fear.
Manako slowly turned her head around, staring at Vensu with a look of pure detest, a bead of blood dripping from her mouth.
Vensu smiled despite of herself.
Manako didn't say a word, she quickly jabbed Vensu in the throat. Vensu staggered back, clutching her throat, unable to breath. Manako looked at her pleased for a few seconds, and then looked back to Trunks.
Where were we, my son?
She put her hand back up to Trunks, the light growing and growing. Trunks could only stare on in fear. Vensu looked on horrified, gasping for a breath and wanting to scream with every ounce of strength left in her.
Trunks went rigid. He wanted to get away from this girl, she was going to kill him, he knew it. He just knew that she was going to end his life. He could hear her laughter and it only intensified the fear he felt and the light became so bright that it blinded him.
Suddenly pain swept through him as a blackness overtook his eyes and he was sure he could hear his voice screaming out for help. He didn't want to die, not like this...
"Trunks," Vensu managed to gasp out, watching him scream in pain. She was killing him!
Then Vensu saw a flash, it happened so fast she wasn't even sure she had seen it, but suddenly Trunks was falling to the grounds and Manako... She saw Mananko's body get thrown from the force of a punch and then Vensu saw him standing over Trunks body, glaring at Manako's body with an intense fury that made even Vensu shudder.
There stood Sederi, and before him Vegeta, ready to kill Manako once more.
(OH MY GOD! I WROTE ANOTHER CHAPTER! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Insane laughter and ranting continues The last time I wrote a chapter was some time in September 2001. There's no good reason why it took me over two years to write chapter five, but I'm oh so happy with it. This story is rather dear to my heart and I really do want to finish it. The other day I made a list of all the stories I need to finish and this was at the top of the list - at the moment, I am also writing chapter 10 or 'Perfect World' - so who knows, maybe I just will finish all my Fics that have been seemingly abandoned for so long. Whether or not I'll be getting to that third Fic in this 'trilogy'... Thinks I'd like to, boy would I ever, but I'm not too sure if I remember exactly what I wanted to do with it. I can remember the plot, but the catalyst needs work on. Who knows. One Fic at a time, right? - Let's ignore the fact that I started writing this Fic before I even finished Yume Mi. Well this chapter was fun to write. It took me two days, only because I had to fence yesterday. I took out my Metallica CD, Ride The Lighting - it has 'Creeping Death' on it, which is actually about the 10th plague, so has nothing to do with this Fic at all - to sort of get into the mood, and then this morning I woke up with a nosebleed so I said to myself: "If my nose is bleeding, so is Trunks" Because hell, he really is my punching bag, init he? And as far as Vegeta and Sederi not being in this chapter, well almost not at all, I just wanted it to be more shocking when they show up. But fear not, there will be more of 'em next chapter! I re-edited the last four chapters as well, mostly changing all the Japanese back to English. See, I started using Japanese terms in this Fic, because they got screwed up in the last one, but then it dawned on me that it was just damn confusing, so it's all in English again. Woohoo. Ok, not too sure when the next chapter gets up, I guess it all depends on how many reviews I get I am such a review whore)