Chapter Fourteen- China doll breaks
No one was going to object. Sure, the guy had been mad when goku died but at least he had sacrificed himself and got the job done. Yamcha hadn't exactly sacrificed himself but he was gone now all the same. Even though the saibamen had been taken with him, it didn't do any justice. It was just one saibamen, and another four equally strong ones were still here. That was without the saiyans. I didn't have the heart to say it was to be expected.
Not even a self-pretentious idiot deserved that.
"Alright then, next saibamen" Nappa prodded the closest one in the back, pushing him forwards by a few centimeters. It smiled but only reluctantly.
"Didn't you hear me!? I'm taking you all on!" The words ripped out of clenched teeth before a massive storm of energy blazed high and exploded into four separate beams. The saibamen cawed and attempted to scatter each being a target. The extreme light seared through my eyes and I had to force my eyelids shut before they burnt out.
For sixty seconds, all there was was death screams. The ground tore itself up from underneath and it was all I could do to believe I wasn't going to plunge straight into the molten planet core.
Another sixty seconds before the land stopped thundering and it was quiet enough to hear my shallow breaths. I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder, and my body tingled.
"He did it" His tone was quiet, with a hint of awe. My arms wanted to clamp around him but I refrained, somehow disbelieving it was over. Piccolo should know by now that things were not this easy. My eyes slid open and embraced the natural light of day. It was less raw than the feral ki. I tipped my head side to side, taking in the debris. Krillin was breathing heavily where he had stood before, exhaustion dragging his stumpy frame down. Piccolo and Gohan flanked me, whilst Tien and Chiatzu spoke with gaze only besides Yamcha's still body.
The saibamen were eradicated, and the saiyans were now just a massive dust cloud. Yet it still felt like I'd seen this before.
Behind me a rock crumbled and the air seemed to screech as something launched itself at Gohan.
The saibamen had its arms outstretched, the kid almost within reach before a green limb clamped down out of nowhere.
Piccolo flashed teeth before flinging the saibamen up high and spitting a ball of ki. He was dead before he knew it, and all within a split second. Gohan trembled as saibamen skin melted and Piccolo straightened his spine.
"Well that's the last of them, Nice one Krillin" Tien said, breaking into a slight curl of the lips for the first time since he'd been here.
I was still in shock from being paralyzed to help Gohan, and even worse so as two figures made their way out of a disassembling dust cloud. Piccolo's hand returned to my shoulder and squeezed with nails as the saiyans chuckled to themselves.
Neither of them had a single burn, not even on their uniforms.
"Well that game ended rather quickly don't you think?" Nappa's eyes narrowed as he watched our reactions.
"I guess I'll have to do the dirty work then, if that's okay with you Vegeta?" He looked down his side at Vegeta, waiting for his consent. How strange that the smaller one was in charge. Maybe they went by looks rather than brawn.
"Do whatever you want Nappa, just don't kill the namekian" Vegeta scowled and stormed over to a jutting stump of rock, plonking himself down and placing his heads within his hands. He portrayed a very bored man.
"How dare they treat our lives as a game!" Krillin was his boisterous self again, but his words died out in volume as Nappa strutted a cat walk length in front of us.
"So, who wants to be first?" His eyes slipped and found Krillin who gaped at the rippling mass of muscles. "How about you?.." Krillin gulped, his adams apple bobbing. Nappa winked and air smacked my nose as Nappa suddenly flew past. Piccolo roared and slammed his side, Nappa swatting him away like he was nothing but a pesky fly. A rib snapped as Piccolo hit the ground groaning.
"Mr piccolo!" Nappa turned his back on Krillin, setting his eyes on Gohan and me. The muscles rippled like a shock wave, and yellow ki crackled around the bulked form. His grinning only got wider as the sun disappeared behind endless black clouds.
The planet shook as lightning began throwing itself around the clouds, and Nappa beamed a full on grin as it crackled down to meet his skin.
Chiatzu's small frame trembled as he floated up high, Tien watching from the corner of his eye. He wanted to say something, but it was too risky. Nappa sweeped his eyes over us again as if noting the tension, and his view caught on chiatzu.
"Oh no you don't" Chiatzu squealed but placed his hands out anyway, glowing with blue energy. Nappa lifted up again, streaking towards chiatzu and knocking him senseless with a flick of the wrist. Chiatzu fell and wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon.
"And your next" Nappa said before Tien hurtled forwards. The lightning crackled and Nappa's arm met Tien's elbow. The lightning sliced through like butter, separating a bellowing Tien from his lower arm. My own arm ached dully as if to share the pain. I wanted to help, but Piccolo's arm was getting so tight it was going to cut of my circulation any minute now.
"Let me fight goddamit" Piccolo shook his head.
"I don't want to see that happen to you Lessa"
"If you don't let me go you'll have to watch that happen to everyone" I tugged my shoulder but his grip meant business.
"I can't.." Tien sank to his knees, clutching the bleeding stump whilst Nappa watched with a gleam in those deep water eyes. Nappa swung his leg around Tien's torso, winding him into lying down.
"I think..if we get his tail we may have a chance of winning this" Piccolo suggested. It was then I noticed Nappa had a thick length of fur wrapped around his gigantic waist.
"Alright, then lets not waste a second" Krillin stood up tall before running over to Nappa. The saiyan; crouched over Tien, didn't even flinch as Krillin threw a ball of ki and instead threw his own wave of lightning at Krillin.
"Oh god.." I clamped a hand over my eyes, I couldn't watch anymore.
"Lessa, he's not dead" I blinked open one eye, cautiously accessing the damage of this time. He wasn't aiming for Krillin after all. His energy had instead wiped out half the planets crust in front of us. The hole stretched for a mile, and the bottom even further. It was lucky he hadn't hit the magma.
"Don't you try helping your little friend now, not when me and him are just starting to get acquainted" Another evil smirk. Krillin hovered around the simmering edge, as if unsure what to do. Apparently everyone had forgotten how to fly.
'Or maybe they just don't want to get smacked down into the never-ending hole'
"Piccolo, we have to do something"
"Well its not like we can get close enough to actually grab his damn tail" Piccolo snapped, his finger cracking as he released his grip.
"This isn't my fault!" I protested.
"Well have you got any ideas? No, didn't think so"
"Fuck you Piccolo, just cause you're the only one they don't want to kill"
"Um guys.."
"What!" We both turned furiously on Gohan, who was tentatively pointing towards Nappa.
"Um well, its Chiatzu" He stuttered, his eyes shining with fear. Nappa was still pounding into Tien, whilst Chiatzu was floating up behind him unnoticed. A quick glance at Vegeta showed him staring blankly at the dusty rocks.
"What is he doing" Chiatzu flashed a grim smile at Tien's back before latching onto a square of Nappa's rear armour. His tiny body barely covered half of the monstrosities back, but Nappa sure noticed he was there. His fists left Tien and instead went to swipe Chiatzu away but the eerie blue energy glowed and spread out, somehow resisting Nappa's arms.
"Get of me you little vermin!" Vegeta glanced up at Nappa's protest. Nappa caught his eye, and returned his arms to his front. Tien turned over just as Nappa blasted upwards. There were two gigantic pillars of rock either side of Nappa and he launched himself into one, making sure his back took the impact. As the rock's crumbled away, Chiatzu was still there, and his ki started to envelope the saiyan's back.
"Chiatzu, get down from there!" Tien cried. Nappa wasn't put of, and soon slammed into his next mountain. Gohan whimpered and lowered his head. Piccolo frowned and forcibly lifted it back up, his palm facing Gohan towards the struggle.
"Don't look away, honor him by at least doing that" But chiatzu wasn't dead..
"No! He can't" But it was fruitless. That eerie energy was going to take his life of his own will. Another suicide, but a bigger threat would be gone. I think Tien realized at the same time I did, for his expression grew a lot more desperate.
"Chiatzu! Don't do this!" Chiatzu shook his head and placed it flat on the contours of Nappa's back. Nappa had given up with the mountains and was now zooming down to us.
"Goodbye Tien.." The energy took over the whole of Nappa's body and exploded, leaving nothing but dust and a small white hat to come floating down to the ground.
A blood-curdling scream tore through my limbs, as the dust cleared and Nappa emerged wiping the dust from his nose.
"You bastard! Your going to pay for that!"
Chiatzu was gone, but Nappa wasn't.