--- Disturbance, Book 2: Divergence ---

Chapter D05-B - With My Mind

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.

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-In a violent world, where deception's free-

When Pi first witnessed Kaen being affected by Babidi's evil magicks, she had faith that her mate would be all right. When he had flown away from the World Tournament arena, and led her to the frozen wasteland around them, she kept her faith. Throughout the entire fight, she still believed. And as the fiery blade in his hand halted less than an inch from her neck, she found her faith rewarded. She just grinned, commenting, "You can't kill me."

"What the hell?" Phoenix shouted, before clutching his head, a cry of pain being wrenched from his mouth, as he felt like his head was being slowly sawed in two. In an instant, he realised his mistake: with the bond between Kaen and Pi, his body instinctively could not kill her, regardless of who controlled it, and by trying, he had given Kaen the opportunity to escape the prison in his mind.

As the shadowy quality of his body faded, Pi asked tentatively, "Kaen?"

-Things I can't control, taking over me-

He blinked a few times, before his eyes focused on her, "Pi?" With that one syllable, he rushed over to her, pulling her to her feet, asking, "Are you okay? I could see what was happening but I couldn't stop myself; I didn't hurt you did I?"

"Hurt me?" She asked, grinning broadly, before replying, "Kaen, that was the best spar we've had since, well, ever. If we didn't have that whole 'saving the world' thing to take care of, I would ride you into the dirt." She paused, looking at him curiously before asking, "Are you... blushing?"

"I... Uh..." He shook his head, and yanked his jaw back up; he always knew Pi was hiding something behind that girly-girl exterior, but this... Coughing once to compose himself, he asked tentatively, "Uh, Pi, before the fight, that stuff you talked about..."

-Did they try to take my identity-

When he trailed off, she prompted, "What about it?"

"Was it just to buy time, or was it the truth?"

"Both." Before he could react she pulled him close, pressing the button on his wrist to deactivate his armour, before using her tongue and lips to slowly trace the bite mark on Kaen's left shoulder. That done, she whispered hotly into his ear, "Never doubt that I was made only for you."

Honestly, Kaen had no idea how to deal with the information he'd received so far, and as long as he had that bastardly alternate personality monkeying around in his head he knew he'd never have time to sort it out, so he did the truly male thing of simply filing it away for later and going with the flow, pulling her mouth to his and kissing her for all he was worth.

-So what the hell have they done to me!-

Breaking away, she asked, "So, is it over then?"

Kaen shook his head, "I can still feel him in there, waiting to take control again, and if he does, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop him a second time."

"So," she started, her voice still retaining the deep, sultry quality from before, showing she was still in business-mode, "How are we going to solve this little problem, hm?"

"I am going to solve it using the original idea I had," Kaen replied, stressing the 'I'. Before she could berate him for that, or ask him what the idea was, he continued, "I'm going to go into the Mindscape and confront him."

"What the hell are you talking about?" She asked irritably, "You're going to go into your head to fight an alternate personality? Are you even listening to yourself - you can't fight something that isn't real!"

-I will take your thoughts away-

"He's very real Pi," Kaen replied gravely, "He even has his own soul." At the shocked look on her face, he added, "Nijuushin intended this technique to be a way to be reborn, so the only way I will be free is if I can eject that soul from my body. To do that, I need to defeat him on the Mindscape."

"You mentioned that before," Pi interrupted, "What, exactly, is the Mindscape?"

Kaen nodded, his voice taking on the lecturing tone she recognized as his father's, "Alright, you've heard of the theory of mental sparring, right?" When she nodded, he continued, "Basically, the Mindscape is where people who, through meditation or some other means, leave their body go to. It's a place that exists in every person's subconscious, and a gateway to a global consciousness that most people will never know exists, let alone be able to reach. It's also where mental sparring takes place." He grinned, adding, "Although, mentally sparring with yourself is something no-one's ever tried before, so..."

-And I'll ignite your fear today-

She knew there were risks and dangers he wouldn't mention, or even acknowledge existed, and she knew that, regardless of what she said, he would do this anyway, so she just nodded, kissing him again before saying, "You die, and I swear on our love, I will follow you to Hades and drag you back, then beat the shit out of you for leaving me. Understand?"

Rather than grinning, or giving her a smart-ass remark, like she expected him to, he kissed her back, replying solemnly, "I swear, on our love, that I'm not going anywhere. I will return to you, even if I need to kill God and the devil both to do it." That said, his eyes closed, and she could 'feel' him leaving his conscious mind, the perpetual echo through the bond fading to deathly silence. It was only then she let her confident mask slip, revealing the worried look behind.

A single tear slipping from her eye, she whispered, "Stay safe..."

-Well I can take you far away-

He cast his gaze at the landscape around him, musing to himself, "Not quite what I expected..." The area around him seemed heavily industrial: thick-looking steel walls, I-beams and girders, corrugated iron awnings, and so on. There was something strikingly familiar about the surrounding area, but, for some reason, the memory didn't come; like his last bout of deja vu, there were too many memories to sort through.

A deep laugh broke his musing, as it echoed across the landscape. Kaen grinned to himself; he knew that laugh anywhere. Turning to face the speaker, he commented, "Love what you've done with the place."

-With my mind-

Phoenix grinned back at him, although the one on his face was a touch more sadistic, "So, you finally came. You are a fool." Black fire burst into life around his hands as he added, "And when I kill you here, the first thing I'll do is finish that bitch off once and for all."

Kaen growled, "Over my dead body!"

Phoenix face-faulted, the flames dying out as he spluttered, "Well, that's the po-" He was cut off abruptly by a fist impacting his chest, followed quickly by an elbow to the right temple, a kick to the left, and an uppercut, the last of which sent him stumbling back a few steps, before a mule kick to the chest knocked him flying, to crash into the steel wall behind. Phoenix growled to himself, glaring up at the grinning form of Kaen, still on the ledge he had been knocked off. "Cheap..."

-With my mind-

Kaen just grinned, "You're just jealous you didn't think of it first."

Standing up, Phoenix turned to one side, spitting out some blood, before muttering sourly, "That's besides the point..." Wiping the thin trail of blood from the side of his mouth, he added, "So, should we skip the warm-up then?" With mirrored grins, the two clenched their fists, ascending into Super Saiyan with a rising shout, one that continued as their auras bled from golden to red. The technique was such a part of him now the words were no longer needed, but still, they declared them. "Rage Pyre!"

-This life, for me, changes everyday-

The two mini suns stood silent for a moment, the only sound the crackling of flames, before the two leapt into action, Kaen diving down to his opponent, as Phoenix jumped up. The two exchanged blows for a while, before with a resounding crack, the pair both made contact, separating the two of them in a very violent manner to collide with the steel walls behind them. Kaen quickly threw his hands behind him, bracing himself against the wall he collided into, before leaping off again, fist outstretched to strike Phoenix where he landed, but his opponent quickly dived out of the way, his fist driving itself close to a foot in the metal wall.

-I will stand up tall; I won't be betrayed-

Bracing himself against the wall with one leg, he raised his left arm to deflect the incoming blows, Phoenix pressing his advantage, before Kaen ripped his arm out of the wall, bringing a good chunk of wall with it, and clocking his opponent around the head with the lump of twisted metal. Leaping off the wall again, he landed on the cliff he'd leapt from before, spinning in mid air to face his dazed opponent, before wrenching the chunk of metal off his arm and soccer-kicking it at his opponent.

-If you play with fire I'll control the flame-

The ball of steel slammed into Phoenix's chest, rebounding off and back in Kaen's direction. Grinning, he punched it back again, before it rebounded off Phoenix's head, flying back towards him. Still grinning, Kaen leapt into the air again, spinning around rapidly before delivering an almighty roundhouse kick to the steel ball, the lump of metal travelling at such speeds it began melting, before impacting with Phoenix's chest with a sickening crash, sending the dazed fighter back down to the ground again, no doubt with many a fractured rib.

-I'll do anything to make you believe!-

All too soon, however, Phoenix was back on his feet again, the 'M' on his forehead glowing briefly, before his collapsed chest reinflated with an audible pop. Grunting sourly, Kaen commented, "Now that's cheap."

Phoenix just grinned coldly. "My turn." Kaen didn't even see him move before he felt the blow land. It was the first of many.

-I will take your thoughts away-

Ever since Kaen had entered his own mind, Pi had kept holding his body close, hoping that, in some small way, she could lend her mate support through her presence. Somehow, even without being able to witness the fight, she could tell Kaen was winning; right up until she felt his body recoil as if struck, his head snapping to one side, and a slick of blood fleeing his mouth. Then his body started jerking around, as though he were having an epileptic fit standing up.

-And I'll ignite your fear today-

Pi just held him tighter, using one arm to lock his body in place, and the other to hold his head beside hers. She was reminded suddenly of a line she'd heard in some movie she watched with Kaen, about how, in situations where the mind fights and the body doesn't, 'the mind makes it real'. She realised that this must have been one of the unspoken dangers in battling on the Mindscape.

-Well I can take you far away-

She just wished there was some way she could help... Not noticing the streams of tears trailing down her cheeks, she racked her brain, trying to come up with a way to assist. Unbidden, her mind came to focus on what so recently had saved her life, and returned her mate to her, if only for a short while; the bond. Even now, she could still feel him through it, if only faintly...

In a flash of inspiration, it hit her. If Kaen had gone into the depths of his mind, and she could still 'feel' where he was, maybe she could follow him. A smile on her lips, she buried her face into his shoulder, closing his eyes as she sought him out.

-With my mind-

Kaen was rocked by attack after attack, the strikes coming with speeds he never would have expected from his own power, just showing how much of a boost the Majin magic was; it proved it was a multiplier, not a fixed bonus, because he didn't remember being this strong in his past life. With a massive shout, Kaen's aura roared to life again, proving to be anything but harmless as it expanded outwards into an orange sphere of pure energy. Everything within a thirty-metre radius of Kaen's location was liquefied, the metal floors, walls, and pillars melting under the intense heat.

-With my mind-

As Phoenix slammed first through a vertical I-Beam, then into a steel wall hard enough to leave a three-foot deep body impression, Kaen stumbled in midair, plummeting through the hole he'd carved in the platform to land on the ground below. Panting heavily, he spat out a spray of blood, remarking, "Can't let him catch me like that again..." He forced himself to his feet, wiping the blood from his face, while focusing his energy inwards to speed up his natural healing; it wouldn't be enough to heal all his wounds, but it'd buy him some extra time.

-I will take your thoughts away-

With a resounding thump, Phoenix flopped out of his hole in the wall, landing ungracefully on the steel ground. Dragging himself to his feet, he muttered, "That... hurt."

"Well your assault didn't exactly tickle either," Kaen commented sarcastically. As he watched, all the burns and injuries on Phoenix's body faded, the Majin magic healing him. "Dude, weak."

Phoenix just grinned, "This is my world, and you take all advantages you can get. You of all people should know my stand on that issue."

-And I'll ignite your fear today-

Kaen shook his head, replying, "I also know how that magic made me feel dirty to the depths of my soul, a filth no amount of cleaning could remove."

"A means to an end," Phoenix replied, strangely serious, "I have no doubts that the Z-fighters will kill Babidi before too long, but by then, I will have used his power to meet my own objectives." He fell into stance, adding, "Now, let's finish this."

-Well I can take you far away-

Kaen knew he wasn't healed enough, but nonetheless he mirrored his opponent's stance, preparing to meet his foe head on. The combat that followed was swift and brutal, and Kaen put up a good fight, but in the end, his battered body gave out on him, and he fell to his knees, powerless to continue.

"You see?" Phoenix asked, all signs of his earlier seriousness, and lucidity, gone, "The girl has made you weak. When you and I were one, we were strong, and nothing could stop us. Now, you have been weakened by your 'feelings' for her, and I am the stronger. Don't worry though; I will help you shed these illusions you call feelings, and together, we will be strong again."

-With my mind-

"Not so fast, phoney," a new voice interjected. Turning to face the voice, both Kaen and Phoenix watched as Pi faded into view, a determined look on her face, clashing slightly with the superior smirk she bore.

"No Pi, it's what he wants!" Kaen cried out, trying to stand, and feeling the deja vu worse than before.

-With my mind-

"Right you are!" Phoenix crowed triumphantly, "You see, my dear, you're quite right. Out there, I can't kill you. In here, however, is another matter entirely. You will die, and he will watch, as I strip him of weakness, and destroy you forever in the Mindscape."

Raising her arms to block the rapidly incoming strike, Pi countered verbally with, "If I die, Kaen's body will die out as well, as the link between us is severed."

-I'll take all your thoughts away-

"Incorrect," Phoenix retorted, continuing to attack her as she continued to block, "When you die here, any and all dependencies because of the bond will die with you, and your body will simply wither and die, your mind lost forever."

This, Pi decided, sounded truer than she wanted to believe, so she focused her mind into the fight, determined to destroy this Phoenix corrupting her mate's mind once and for all. However, despite her best efforts, the dark copy of her mate proved the stronger, the Majin magic tainting his soul proving to be too much of an advantage, and within minutes, Phoenix broke through her defences, and her injured body struck steel moments later.

-And I'll ignite your fear today-

In that instant, the deja vu he'd been having since Pi first started fighting Phoenix became clear - the nightmare's he'd had before finding his family off world. There were enough subtle differences to show he wasn't just dreaming it again, but enough similarities for him to know what came next. As he watched Phoenix prepare the killing blast, the final pins fell into place; he knew exactly what to do next.

Screwing his eyes shut, he drowned out all background noise, focusing on what he needed to do, and, as the blast left Phoenix's palm, he shouted out an almighty "NO!"

-Well I can take you far away-

The blast exploded extremely violently, kicking up massive winds and smoke, and obscuring Pi from view, but, to Phoenix's satisfaction, he felt her ki signature disappear. He fully expected to see her charred remains when the dust and smoke cleared, so when the steel wall was revealed, bowed outwards to show it had taken the brunt of the attack, he was, to say the least, surprised. Confused, he muttered, "What the hell?"

"You know," Kaen commented offhandedly, "Something you said earlier just made sense to me."

"Oh?" Phoenix asked, turning to face him, "And what is that?"

-With my mind-

"You said that this is your world," Kaen replied with a grin, "But it is still my head." At that point, the ground beside Kaen spiralled open, a platform rising to reveal Pi, fully healed by the looks of things. As a pair of electrodes rose out of the ground behind him, and began recharging his energy, he added, "And in my head, I have the home-team advantage!"

With a smirk, the Saiyan couple fell into opposite stances, preparing for their foe's next wave. This fight was just getting started.

-With my mind-

To be continued...