Her Return

Chapter Fourteen

The black candle went out. A wind blew everywhere blowing the other candles out and everyone back. Vegeta and Aya covered their faces as Goku pulled Dende to his feet. Everyone looked towards Areiko watching her slowly stand up as the wind continued to blow. The hood of the robe that Areiko was wearing was blown off as the wind died down.

"What the hell happened?" Vegeta asked. Dende's eyes widened in fright as he brought himself closer towards Goku, Vegeta, and Aya.

"The Purification Ritual was a complete failure." Dende replied looking at Areiko as she stood there hunched over. "We probably pissed it off!"

Areiko suddenly lunged herself towards Dende. Dende screamed, but then Goku stepped in the way grabbing onto Areiko's wrist holding onto her as tight as he could. He looked into her eyes to see that the iris wasn't really white, they were red. He looked within them weirdly as Areiko brought up her foot kicking his side.

Goku was thrown to the left rolling against the floor of the Time Chamber. He quickly got to his feet when he saw Areiko charging towards him. He leapt over her but Areiko caught him in the leg. He gritted his teeth landing on his feet but quickly collapsing to his knees. Goku looked down at his leg to see blood pouring out onto the floor.

"Goku look out!" Aya shouted and pointed. Goku's eyes widened as he looked up at Areiko to see her coming for him. Goku ducked as Areiko leapt right over his head. She turned around quickly lunging at him again.

Aya lunged herself forward jumping onto Areiko's back wrapping her arms tightly around her neck. Areiko clenched her eyes tightly as she began to leap around like a bucking mustang. Aya held on tightly as she could as Dende rushed over to Goku. Goku lifted up the end part of the robe revealing to himself and Dende long and deep gashes all the way down his leg. They were so deep Goku could've sworn that he saw a little bit of bone.

"Damn," Dende started, "she got you good…"

Goku nodded trying to ignore the pain. He then watched as Dende began to heal his leg. He looked up now seeing Vegeta and Aya both on Areiko's back trying to push her down to the ground. But it didn't really work or go to well. Vegeta and Aya were thrown like dolls being thrown against a wall. Vegeta and Aya hit the ground at the same time. But Areiko turned her head looking over her shoulder at Goku.

Areiko placed a smirk onto her face. "I think I'll go for him."

NO! Areiko's voice rung in her head, instantly her wild side was annoyed. She clenched her eyes shut gripping her hair a little.

"Shut up! No one wants to hear you talk!"

You can't hurt him! Don't hurt him!

"Don't make me laugh! You can't stop me!"

Areiko lunged herself forward at Goku and Dende. Dende was nowhere near done with healing Goku's leg. Vegeta and Aya were having trouble standing up since they hurt their backs badly when they were thrown against the floor. Goku spotted Areiko coming and instantly shoved Dende to the side. Dende nearly smashed his head to the floor.

"Ugh!"

Aya, Dende, and Vegeta instantly turned their eyes onto Goku. Goku was standing up with all of his weight on his good leg. His eyes were clenched shut tightly with Areiko's claws dug deep within his flesh. Areiko grinned wickedly baring her fangs at Goku as she lifted him up without using her hands, but her claws. Goku winced in pain.

No! Goku! Leave him alone!

"Make me! I think I might wanna eat him!"

NO!

Areiko's eyes widened as she got this sharp pain within her head. She screeched loudly then tossed Goku into Aya who was running over. Goku crashed into Aya throwing both of them against the floor. Areiko's eyes widened as she suddenly passed out collapsing to the floor on her back.

Goku rolled himself off of Aya then sitting himself up with Aya's help. She looked over Goku's body. She sighed in relief, glad that he wasn't hurt badly. She double checked his leg seeing that it wasn't nearly healed when he was getting attacked by Areiko. Vegeta stood up from his place on the floor and slowly approached Areiko.

He stood to her right looking down into her face. Her eyes were now white, and wide open. Her chest heaved up and down indicating to the saiyan prince that she was breathing hard. Vegeta tapped Areiko's cheek with his foot, but she didn't respond to it. Her head ended up rolling over to the side resting against the floor. Little did they know, Areiko was having a conversation within herself.

Areiko looked around. Everything was dark, really dark. She was lucky that she could see her nose. Suddenly a random light shined down onto the floor in front of her as someone came walking into the light standing under it.

A woman stood there with her arms crossed over her chest. Her hair was brown but just a little darker. Her red eyes peered at Areiko who was standing before her. She began to tap her right claw against her flesh cutting her skin a little. Her fangs hung over her bottom lip slightly, and her ears were a little bit pointed, but not so much, it was only noticeable if you were looking for it. Her black tail swished back and forth from behind her as she stared. She was wearing a jet black robe with a gray rope tied around her waist. As the light shined directly down onto her; the shadows that were cast upon her gave her this weary look.

"Do you always have to ruin my fun?" the woman asked keeping her arms crossed over her chest.

Areiko glanced down at herself seeing that she was wearing a white robe with a golden rope tied around her waist. She then looked up at the woman with the light shining on her. Suddenly a light shined down on Areiko as she began talking.

"Yeah! I do! You were going to kill Goku!"

"Why do you even care?" the woman asked moving across the darkness, with the light following her, "You were such a bitch to him."

"Don't give me that!" Areiko shouted. "You were going to kill him! And I wasn't going to allow that!"

"Do you realize what you tried doing to me?" the woman asked glaring her red eyes at her. "You were going to kill me as well."

"I don't want you here!" Areiko shouted pointing at her. "I just want you to disappear and leave me alone!"

"Sorry," the woman smirked. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"So I've noticed."

Areiko then realized that she was talking to a woman that was sharing the same body with her, she didn't even know who she was. It was like she was just there, just there to torture her, just there to be part of her, just there to kill.

"Who are you? And why are you in my body!"

The woman laughed, "don't tell me that you're THIS stupid!" the woman bellowed lowering her arms to her sides. "We used to be one you know."

"What…?"

"You heard me," the woman continued. Areiko didn't know how this could be possible, but a wind started to blow blowing Areiko back. She crossed her arms in front of her face listening to the woman speak to her.

"I am part of you, and you are part of me. I am your darkness, your evil," the woman continued, "I'm the one in the back of you mind that you ignore. I'm the reality that you have to face. I am a killer. A demon. A monster. And I live here in your mind. You are me, and I am you."

Areiko shook her head. "No!"

"Yes."

Areiko lifted her head realizing that this woman looked a LOT like herself. The only things that were different was the color of her skin was darker, the color of her eyes, the color of her tail, her slightly pointed ears, and the color of the robe that she was wearing.

"Don't you see?" the woman asked opening her arms. "We are each other."

"I am no demon!"

"Yes you are."

"I am no killer!"

"Keep telling yourself that."

"You're not me!"

The woman quickly moved across the darkness grabbing onto Areiko's chin holding onto her face tightly. Areiko looked into the woman's eyes with fright. She smirked.

"I am what you fear. Something that you don't want to become. I am the animal."

Areiko clenched her eyes.

"I am you. No matter how much you tell yourself that we're nothing alike… but we are!"

Areiko pushed the woman off of her. "We're nothing alike! You enjoy killing! I don't!"

"You say that," the woman said. "But deep down inside… there's that side of you that enjoys it. Craves it. Wants it."

"Shut up!"

"Why? Can't take the truth?" the woman asked. "We would've still have been one if that damn punk kid named Ziyan didn't interfere with Orx's plans."

Areiko's eyes widened. "How do you…?"

"I know everything you know, there's nothing that you can hide from me."

Reiko-chan?

Aya's voice rung within the dark empty space surrounding them.

"Aya?"

Is she alive?

She's breathing.

I don't know… she looks dead to me.

Areiko wake up. Can you hear me? Areiko?

"Looks like those weaklings are calling you." the woman said as she stepped back out of the light and into the darkness. "Enjoy them while they last Areiko…"

Areiko watched as she disappeared. Then suddenly a flash of light blinded Areiko.

"Look she's waking up."

Areiko's pupils and iris returned to her as she blinked. She glanced around to see Dende, Goku, Aya, and Vegeta surrounding her looking at her. Aya placed a grin onto her face. "Good you're not dead!"

"Told you," came Vegeta's voice. "Her chest was heaving. There's no way you can be dead and still have your chest heave."

Aya shrugged a little. Goku smiled helping Areiko sit up. "Are you alright?"

"The ritual…" Areiko started looking at Dende. "It didn't work did it?"

Dende sighed shaking his head. "No Areiko… it didn't."

"What did it do?" Areiko asked looking at Dende curiously. All eyes were on Dende and Areiko as he went to answer her question.

"Well… possibly it made your tainted side a lot worse." Dende replied resting his hands in his lap. "It could've separated you from your wild side internally instead of physically."

Areiko nodded. She turned her head away. She stood up but stumbled, instantly Goku caught Areiko in his arms. "You alright?"

Areiko nodded, "yeah, just a bit dizzy, that's all. What about you?"

Goku placed a smile onto his face, "I'm fine, Dende healed me." Goku then pulled something out of his pocket. It was a senzu bean. He held it out towards Areiko gesturing for her to take it. Areiko shook her head and waving her head. She told them all that she just wanted to rest now. She said sorry for them all being in danger and then left heading to her room.

"Separated me internally instead of physically…" Areiko repeated. She sighed shaking her head knowing that wasn't possibly since she's always had that voice in her head. But she wondered if that woman was actually someone living with in her mind along with herself.

Kira was sitting on a gigantic piece of rubble chewing on a bone. She stared at a church clock watching it. Ten days have officially passed since she had left the lookout, now there was an hour left till she returned to the lookout about to finish this war that has started.

Kira tossed the bone to the side licking her fingers. "I wonder how hard they trained." She smirked. "Doesn't matter," she hopped off of the rubble landing on her feet. "They'll be dead soon enough."

She turned heading down the street looking at her wonderful work. Everything in West City was gone, even though she hasn't touched anything. It was the fires that had destroyed everything, she did nothing. She could smell a few living humans here and there, but she kept them alive so she could hunt later.

"It's ashame that Sister Lekira's human friends aren't still alive." Kira said looking over her shoulder spotting a human running and then dashing underneath a piece of rubble as if Kira didn't see anything.

"It would've been fun to shape shift into Sister Lekira and then eat them, what torture it would be for them to see Lekira before they died. Just like those others back in that other city."

Kira sighed. She looked at her claws and began to lick them licking off the dried blood that was stained on them. She was really bored. She was beginning to regret ever making that deal with Areiko. She should've finished things right there and then.

"Meh… I'll just walk around."

And that's what she did. She walked around the destroyed city for about an hour. When she looked up at the church clock, it was time for her to leave. She smirked wickedly and levitated herself into the air. She turned to the right then shot herself upwards in a ninety degree angle.

When she arrived on the lookout platform, the kids were outside. Goten and Trunks instantly scooped up Bulla and Pan holding them close to their chests. Kira smirked crossing her arms over her chest looking at them. She licked her fangs staring at Goten and Trunks.

Trunks placed his sister onto the floor placing his hand onto her head. "Bulla… go inside."

"But Twunks…"

"Do it Bulla." Trunks demanded of his little sister keeping his eyes on Kira. Goten looked at his little niece placing her next to Bulla.

"You too Pan. Go find your mom." Goten demanded of his little niece. Since Bulla was older, she took Pan's hand and led her into the lookout calling out for her mother.

"Aww," Kira pouted. "Those girls looked good enough to eat!"

"You won't be eating anyone!" Came a familiar voice behind Goten and Trunks. The boys turned around to see Areiko dressed in some new saiyan armor. She stood there with her hair a little longer then it was before. She looked a little taller but not by much. Appearing next from the hallway was Aya. She didn't really grow that much, her hair just got longer and she has an extra piercing in her ear that Areiko had done for her since Areiko did all of her own. Then came Vegeta and Goku, who also didn't change that much.

Kira smirked wanting to laugh since they were all wearing saiyan armor. "What are you guys? Dorks? You're all dressed the same."

Areiko rolled her eyes. She then started to take off her chest armor, her picture floating to the floor in front of Kira. Kira looked down at the ground and smirked. "What's this?"

Areiko looked into the chest armor that she had just taken off realizing that her picture was missing. She even looked within her jumpsuit. Her eyes were now locked on Kira as she bent down and picked up the picture. She smirked looking at it for a few moments then looking at Areiko.

"Why do you keep this picture?" Kira asked.

Areiko didn't answer, all eyes watching them closely. "You know that its useless, I mean," – Kira glanced at the picture – "they basically betrayed you."

"It's your fault that they're dead! Not mine!" Areiko shouted.

"I never said that you betrayed them." Kira stated looking up and ripping the picture in two. "I'm saying that they betrayed you."

Areiko growled. Kira tossed the two sides of the picture to the side looking at Aya, Vegeta, Goku, and Areiko as Trunks and Goten moved behind them. "I'm picking our battlefield."

Areiko shook her head. "No you're not, knowing you as well as I do you would choose this place. Down in the city is fine."

Kira shrugged her shoulders. She smirked wickedly turning to the side gesturing her hands to them telling them to lead the way. Areiko didn't trust her.

"We'll meet you there."

Everyone placed their hands onto Goku or Areiko's shoulders as they teleported down there with Kira following.

When they appeared, Kira didn't hesitate with any battle agreements. She lunged clawing Aya's face throwing her to the right. She blasted Vegeta's midsection after catching him off guard and tackled Goku backwards leaving Areiko standing. She turned quickly and grabbed onto the back of Kira's shirt pulling her directly off of Goku and tossing her.

Kira flipped and landed on her two feet looking at Areiko. "You're not dragging them down. You're fighting me first."