--- Disturbance, Book 2: Divergence ---
Chapter D02-C - Meaning of Life
Disclaimer: The fun about this sentence is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything, it's too late to stop reading it. Also: See first chapter.
Additional Disclaimer: To those who find the character Pi endearing, I take no blame for what's about to happen. Complain to the character's creator, my beta Ninja. Send him angry emails, he likes them.
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-Get psycho / I wanna get psycho-
The two fighters stood motionless, unheeding of the frozen wasteland around them, or the icy wind that tore through the valley, threatening to chill the blood in their veins; the pair had long since trained themselves to withstand such temperatures with ease. On the Western side of their impromptu arena stood the green-clad female known as Pi, glaring at the man across from her, the 'M' branded on his forehead seeming to mock her.
-Get psycho / I wanna wanna wanna wanna-
On the Eastern side stood the black-clad man once known as Kaen, but now calling himself 'Dark Phoenix'. If the glare his female counterpart threw his way bothered him, he didn't show it. Instead, he just grinned callously at her, his arms folded in front of his chest, as his visage seemed to waver a bit, like a TV lacking focus, a testament to what Babidi's magicks had done to him.
-I wanna get psycho / Run you little bitch-
The standoff continued in silence, the only noise being the whistle of the wind. At the edge of their senses, they could feel Goku and Vegeta fighting somewhere to the West, or East depending on which way you looked, as well as Gohan, Dabura, and Shin to the South-East, clearly still near Babidi's ship. None of these mattered however; all that mattered was the person before them.
-I want your power glowing, juicy flowing, red hot, meaning of life-
Eventually, it was Pi who broke the silence, asking wistfully, "Oh Kaen, what did that toad Babidi do to you..."
"What did he do to me?" Phoenix echoed, before laughing mockingly. After a brief burst of laughter he sobered again, replying simply, "He set me free."
"What do you mean?" She asked, "Free from what?"
-It's not enough to have a little taste-
"From you," he replied simply, if coldly. "Thanks to Babidi, I have been freed from the prison in Kaen's mind, where I was locked away when you came back into the picture. And once I kill you, we will return to our peak again, free of weakness." From the look on her face he could tell she didn't get it, so he explained, "You don't know who I am, do you? I am what Kaen became when he had nothing to lose and everything to gain. I am what Kaen became to survive. I am Kaen's true strength."
-I want the whole damn thing now / Can you dig it?-
"You're insane," she commented abruptly, cutting off any more egocentric babble. Internally, Pi was a little surprised that Kaen had actually had split personalities, or at least something that degraded into split personalities. 'Explains a bit though...' she mused to herself, making sure to block the thought; she wasn't sure whether or not this facet of Kaen could hear her thoughts or not, but she wasn't taking any chances.
-Need to get psycho / Wanna hear you say it-
He just grinned at her, but the look never met his eyes. "Maybe I am. That won't stop me from killing you, however."
"You can try," she commented mockingly.
-Say, you want it, need it / Don't wanna wait until we finish the show-
"I don't need to try!" He shouted back. "When I stomp you into the ground, you will see once and for all that I am the source of Kaen's true strength!"
"You're also delusional, it seems," she added, folding her arms, "Without me, Kaen never would have ascended."
-It's not enough, you hunger for more-
"You are nothing," Phoenix commented, unfolding his arms and holding them out to the side disinterestedly. "I will admit you were the transformation's trigger, but you are hardly the cause of it." He grinned coldly again, adding, "You were fun to have around though. You've been a good little bitch, but we always did keep your leash a little long, so it's time to put you down."
-You're one twisted little fuck / And now you wanna get psycho with me-
He never saw her move, not until he heard, and felt, the resounding crack of the back of her hand striking his face; Pi had had quite enough of his derogatory remarks. Her voice took on a deeper tone, more sultry, one he'd not heard since his first altercation with Vegeta - or what would have been an altercation had she not stopped him - when he had insulted her, as she barked out, "Enough Kaen, Phoenix, or whatever bullshit you're calling yourself now. I've had enough."
-Give in, give in, decide, give in-
She folded her arms again, the glare on the face proving once and for all she was her father's daughter, as she continued, "All those years since we were young, all those times that I acted like the scared little weakling, the weakling you fought hard to protect. That was all for you, all of it, an act; nothing more than a ruse to make you stronger, to make you feel more empowered. I gave up my pride, for you, I gave it all up for you."
-Give in, give in, decide, give in-
A small, fond smile found it's way to her face. "When we first met, the pretty little dress you torched, hah, it was all for you. I was raised for you Kaen. I was born and bred for you." She shrugged, "Many would call it innocence, others call it weakness, but it was all for you. I may have taken a different tract of pride, one that was not quite the following of Saiyan heritage, but it was all for you."
-Give in, give in, decide, give in-
Unfolding her arms again to hold them at her side, she closed her eyes, continuing her tale, "The day you ascended, my purpose was given more meaning, because that was the true reason for my being, to give you more strength. And I felt pride that my purpose was fulfilled." She paused as, with a flash of light, the green gi she wore was replaced by a copy of that Kaen himself wore, only with a green torso instead of the normal red. A scowl on her face, she finished her little spiel, "I sacrificed many things just for you Kaen, so much, but I will never let you disrespect me; that is one thing I will never take from you, or anyone else. You will respect me Kapskaen, willingly or begrudgingly."
-Give in, give in, decide, give in-
To a normal person, her speech seemed to have no affect on the Saiyan male before her, but Pi knew better. She could see the subtle signs that spoke louder than any words ever could have; he was worried, worried that she spoke the truth. Deep inside, under the bravado, despite who or what he was now, he was still her Kaen, and the words she spoke shook the very core of his world to it's foundations, just like she'd planned.
-Get psycho / I wanna get psycho-
On the outside however... "Are you quite done?" Phoenix commented, ignoring the dull red mark on the right side of his face. "He can't hear you, you know. This body is mine now, and I don't plan on giving it back. You're wasting your breath if you think you can talk me around."
-Get psycho / I wanna wanna wanna wanna-
"Oh, that's not why I said that," Pi replied offhandedly, "That would merely have been a nice side-effect."
"Oh?" He asked, genuinely curious, "Then why?"
-I wanna get psycho / Scratch my itch-
She grinned, "To give me time to charge enough energy to do this." With a rising shout, a translucent white sphere of energy began expanding, centred on her. Before he could react, the light washed over him, proving to be seemingly harmless, and kept expanding. By the time the light faded, the dome had expanded to cover the entire island continent, and much of the ocean surrounding it.
-Give me your power glowing, juicy flowing red hot, meaning of life-
Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "And what was the point of that?"
Still grinning, she supplied, "You and I, along with this entire island, are now out of the time stream. This way, there will be no outside forces interfering, and none of our energy will go to reviving Majin Buu. Once I knock some sense into you Kaen, time will return to normal again, but until then..."
-It's not enough to have a little piece-
He could see the point of her actions, although he would never admit that, least of all to her; he may have been effectively a Majin now, but that didn't mean he wanted to see Babidi's plans come to fruition. Still, he had to comment, "When I kill you - and I will - Kaen and I will become one again, but until then, he is merely a spectator in his own mind, like I've been these past few months. And he will get to watch as I destroy you, once and for all."
-I want the whole damn thing now / Can you dig it?-
She nodded, all business, "So how do we do this then? We both know if we resort to energy attacks, we'll never get anywhere."
Phoenix grinned, reaching up to draw his sword, before replying, "I was thinking of something a little more... old fashioned."
-Need to get psycho / Wanna hear you scream-
"No ki?" She asked curiously. At his nod, she drew her own sword, and the two fell into their respective stances. Having both been trained by her father, it proved to be a most interesting bout. The silence returned, as the standoff began again, before, with a silent signal, the two leapt into action; the battle was on.
-Tell me to take you, scare you, fuck you / After we finish the show-
There was a shower of sparks as the two blades met, Pi's green blade locking into the notches on Phoenix's red. Simultaneously jumping back, the two leapt again, strike meeting strike, as Pi was slowly forced back, towards the wide chasm behind her. Breaking apart again, the pair leapt into the air, their blades ringing against each other's three times, before the fourth strike, an 'uppercut', sent her flying backwards, and into the chasm.
-It's not enough, you listening whore?-
As she fell, refusing to use her ki to fly, she mused to herself that it was no coincidence 'Phoenix' had chosen this particular spot to fight in; he knew the terrain, and that had her at a disadvantage. She cast her eyes around quickly, trying to locate her missing opponent. Hearing a crack sound to her right, she sent her gaze that way, only to see, a second too late, Phoenix spring-boarding horizontally off a column of ice towards her. Cringing inside, she quickly brought her sword up to block the strike, and as the two blades met, she was sent flying backwards, crashing through the ice wall, and sliding a few metres in the cavern behind.
-You're one twisted little fuck / And now you wanna get psycho with me-
Picking herself, and her sword, up again, she noticed Phoenix flipping into the hole her body had broken, rushing towards her, sword at the ready. As he leapt into the air towards her, she swung her sword up to block, back-flipping over his next strike, then rebounding off the wall behind her and leaping away, aiming to put some distance between them.
-Give in, give in, decide, give in-
Jumping off the walls, floor, and low ceiling, the two played keep away for a while, Phoenix chasing Pi, a flare of light occurring in the otherwise dark cavern whenever the two blades met. After a short while, however, Phoenix leapt away from her after a blocked attack, disappearing behind an ice wall. Moving quickly through the cavern, she cast her eyes around quickly, trying to spot him before it was too late.
-Give in, give in, decide, give in-
Noticing a sudden movement in front of her she leapt up, flying over the arc of Phoenix's sword, the fire-wrought blade slicing easily through the ice wall. Landing on one hand, she cartwheeled to her feet again, bringing her sword up to block the strike she knew was incoming, then attacking with an overhanded strike of her own.
Grinning as he blocked her attack, Phoenix taunted, "Where did you find this strength?"
-Give in, give in, decide, give in-
Gritting her teeth, she replied, "I'm not about to tell you!" Tensing her muscles, she forced him backwards, and up, sending him crashing diagonally through the rock-and-ice ceiling of the cavern, into the valley behind. Leaping out after him, and landing on a minor cliff inside the chasm, she quickly looked around, trying to spot where he'd gone, before a sudden crash behind her drew her attention. Spinning around quickly, she noticed a massive chunk of ice inbound, and leapt away quickly, landing on a nearby plateau as the ice boulder demolished where she'd been standing.
-Give in, give in, decide, give in-
Turning around quickly, she spotted Phoenix leaping down, and raised her sword up to block the incoming flurry of attacks. Spotting an opening, she attacked quickly, a move he jumped back to avoid, and she leapt into the air, spinning to attack with a downward strike, the force of which sent a shockwave through the ground. Phoenix, however, had seen the attack coming, and leapt up onto the next level of the ice shelf.
-I can feel the blood, flowing through my veins, spilling on my soul-
There was the sound of ice cracking, as she heard him stab his sword into the ground on front of him. Leaping away from the chunk of ice now sliding her way, she turned in mid-air to block the attacks from Phoenix, who she'd felt jumping after her, before her brief flight was cut off as she landed on a nearby ice spire. Recovering quickly from her unexpected landing, she turned in the direction Phoenix had continued, only to duck quickly as his sword sailed through the air her head had once occupied.
-And now the hunger's getting bigger-
Grinning at her, Phoenix flared into Super Saiyan, rushing in to attack her before she could respond. Quickly batting aside the first blow, she ducked the second, using the time to join him in ascension before raising her sword to block the third strike. Still grinning, Phoenix leapt backwards, spinning as he went to slice off part of a cliff nearby, before jumping off that spire towards the massive ice mountain behind.
-Come a little closer now pretentious whore and pull my trigger-
Following him quickly, Pi sliced clean through the chuck of ice and rock he'd sent her way, her golden aura changing to green as she employed her personal power-up technique, before leaping after him. In their airborne confrontation, she, for the first time, had the upper hand, and she took advantage, blocking his flurry of attacks before kicking off him, using the extra distance to reach the small ledge underneath the massive overhang of the mountain, while sending Phoenix plummeting down the chasm.
-Free the violence that is building in me-
Thinking quickly as he fell head first down the cliff, and, like Pi, refusing to fly, Phoenix jammed his sword into the ice wall, spinning in mid-air to stand on the edge of the blade, and craned his head to look up at Pi. Looking down at him, Pi felt a grin come to her own face, commenting, "On your knees. I want you to beg for forgiveness." No sooner had she spoken than the Earth energy of her power-up caused an avalanche, the massive overhang above her crashing down. Turning to face it, she reinforced her blade with Earth energy, making a single slice in the chunk of rock and ice and causing it to almost explode into fragments of varying sizes, which rained around her, obscuring her from view.
-I say now end of the ride, murder suicide / Is how I've been feelin' lately-
As the avalanche of doom fell ever closer, Phoenix calmly reached down, utilising his sword clone technique to 'pull' a second sword out of the one he was standing on. Jamming it into the wall beside the first, he jumped down quickly, before the sword could disappear again, grabbing the pair by the hilt. Bracing his legs against the wall, Phoenix flared into his own power-up, his golden aura 'bleeding' until it became solid red, before he yanked the swords out, backflipping to face the impending stone rain.
-Come a little closer my pretentious whore I'm living with a feeling that I can't ignore-
As gravity began taking hold, Phoenix swung his fire-wreathed swords to slice through any and all chunks that came his way, the avalanche falling at a faster speed than him. After dicing up three ice boulders, Phoenix watched as the next exploded before his eyes, revealing the plummeting form of Pi. Bringing one sword up to block, the force of impact sent the two down to a relatively large, flat chunk of ice. The pair landing on their feet, Phoenix was quick to try and press the advantage, flipping over Pi with an attempted strike, before landing behind her.
-Come a little closer my pretentious whore I'm living with a feeling that I can't ignore-
Turning to face him, her sword still raised from where she'd blocked his attack, the two stared each other down, before the scene was shattered by a fast moving rock impacting the platform on which they stood, cracking it down the middle and bowing one side of it. Simultaneously leaping away, the two bounded from one falling platform to another, striking at one another every chance they got, until eventually they wound up on opposite, facing platforms; from where each stood, the other was 'above' them.
-Come a little closer my pretentious whore I'm living with a feeling that I can't ignore-
The two continued to rain blows at each other, Pi easily holding her own, and even attacking herself, despite the fact Phoenix had one more sword than her. Eventually, though, at the back of their senses they could hear the first chunks of ice and rock slamming into the chasm floor, and knew it was only seconds until what they stood on joined it, which would, in turn, be crushed underneath what was yet to come. Sending one last strike his way, Pi leapt away, slicing through a chunk of ice blocking her way, and let her momentum carry her away from the avalanche. Phoenix just glared at her departing form, before following her, the sword in his left hand exploding in a gout of flame.
-And the need to get psycho is not a question to me-
Leaping from ledge to ledge, many carved out by the very avalanche she had caused, Pi eventually reached the plateau atop the mountain, mere metres above where the massive chunk of ice had once rested. There, she fell to her knees, her green aura fading back to gold; she was exhausted, whereas Phoenix, through the power of Majin magic, could probably keep going forever.
-Get, get, get, get, get psycho / I wanna get psycho-
Forcing herself to her feet, she could hear the whistling sound of an inbound body; turning quickly to face it, she rolled out of the way as Phoenix leapt back onto the scene, instantly striking out at her head. Spinning back up again, the two stared each other down, Phoenix picking up the signs of weakness in her stance, before pressing the advantage. She fought as hard as she could, but in the end, it wasn't enough, and, after dodging several blows that, no doubt, would have left nasty scars, she felt Phoenix's foot impact harshly with her hand, and her sword went flying; completing the motion, Phoenix's other foot crashed into the side of her knee, sending her to her knees before him.
-Get, get, get, get, get psycho / I wanna get psycho-
Phoenix grinned down at her, commenting, "You see now? I am Kaen's true strength."
"Kill me." Pi remarked, smiling up at him defiantly, if tiredly, "Without Kaen, my life has no purpose."
-Get, get, get, get, get psycho / I wanna get psycho-
Inside the cell in Kaen's mind, the one from which Phoenix was released, the original Kaen locked within was shocked to the core. Despite what Phoenix believed, he could hear what was going on around him, as well as see it, and true to Pi's belief, her utter dedication to him shook the foundations of his world, yet made sense for reasons he couldn't explain.
-Get, get, get, get, get psycho / I wanna get psycho-
On top of that, he felt a strange sense of deja vu about the fight. Having the memories of around two hundred and forty years of life jumbled up in your mind could give you deja vu about pretty much anything, but for some reason, he felt this was something from his life. He could almost taste it, and yet, he knew there was something different, something that separated what happened from what he remembered, but he just couldn't place it...
-Get, get, get, get, get psycho / I wanna get psycho-
Phoenix scowled at her; even now, even beaten like she was, she refused to admit he was the better. Raising his sword for one last strike, he muttered, "So be it," before bringing the weapon down, aiming to take her head off with one clean strike.
-Get, get, get, get, get psycho / I wanna get psycho-
Time seemed to slow down, and in the back of his mind, Kaen watched in horror as the milliseconds ticked by, the blade drawing ever closer to his mate's neck. Closing his eyes, he willed himself not to watch any longer, unnoticing of how his power rose, before his prison shattered as he let lose one gut-wrenching cry.
"NOOOOOO!!!!!!!"
-I wanna, wanna, wanna, wanna-
To be continued...
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Author's notes:
The fight scene was inspired/ripped-off from Final Fantasy: Advent Children.