Chapter 45
Ryo-Ohki meows cheerfully in oblivious ignorance of the oppressive and sombre mood that has fallen over the household, the cabbit can sense that the people around her are different yet Sasami is petting her and so she cares for naught else. Fluffy ears twitch in Sasami's hands as she sits down by the lakeside. The Sun is close to setting and the evening sky has taken on a vibrant orange hue. It has been over a day since it happened, and still no-one has told her what is going on. Her elder sister has holed herself up in her room and only leaves out of necessity and everyone else keeps telling her that she is too young, it is adult stuff, she would not understand or she is better off not knowing, and this is irritating the young girl. She does not like feeling left out and being the only one kept in the dark, she wants to know why her sister is so upset and Yamcha and Mihoshi are the only ones able to crack a half-hearted smile. A harsh gust of wind blows over her and her twin tails of blue go fluttering behind her and Ryo-Ohki shakes her head as her brown fur ruffles. Trunks and Yamcha are practising their swordplay against one another and so she sits outside watching them. Trunks has the natural advantage by far but neither of them are taking this sparring seriously enough to go at it with all they've got, they are honing skills not their strength.
Trunks' face is stern and serious, just like his father's, as he clashes steel against the curved sword of Yamcha. They keep to the ground and swipe and stab and riposte whilst dancing about a very small area of ground. Yamcha utilises his adult body and height by commanding a long and dangerous reach with his arcing weapon and Trunks nimbly dodges and weaves till he can close the gap to his opponent. At the beginning of this exercise Sasami tried to liven things up by cheering them on yet she went mostly ignored and now sits in silence with her animal companion. Ever since yesterday Ryo-Ohki has been needier and wanting attention more than usual. Her mistress has not been seen for a while and the cabbit has been seeking out either Sasami or Mihoshi in Ryoko's stead.
Ryoko did not spend the night anywhere near Vegeta's empty bed, or her own. Apart from a few sparse teleportations back for some belongings or a change of clothes or to check whether the Saiyan has returned, she has not set foot within several miles of the house. Trunks and Yamcha kept tabs on her movements by sensing her ki. During the night she moved off to parts of the world still in sunlight though neither of them sensed a period where she was stationary for a long period of time and so assume she has not slept. At one point Yamcha had to step out early in the morning and fly a good distance across the globe to limit some of the destruction she was causing in a fit of rage. Since he does not know Instant Transmission he was hard pressed to keep up with her as she teleported randomly about massive distances. She did not listen to any of his words about calming down or about his knowledge on how Vegeta dealt with his prior mating periods, eventually she wore herself out and he returned back to Washu. His fiancée wants to keep out of all of this but when asked she gives what advice she can.
Yamcha and Trunks have been swinging their swords about for over an hour now with no words exchanged between either and Sasami is starting to want to go back inside since the temperature has dropped and the light is dimming. Both fighters break off and look towards the house and glance at each other. Ryoko has teleported back. Trunks is ready to stop her from vandalising and attacking his home if need be. Sasami gets startled and jumps to her feet with Ryo-Ohki springing onto her head. The cabbit mews as it hears her mistress' voice in a fiery argument and Yamcha stands on guard as he hears Washu arguing back. Trunks and Yamcha look to each other, both wondering if this is their place to step in and if violence is going to come out of this argument or not. Neither of them have keen enough ears to make out the quiet voice of Ayeka in all of this which luckily prevents Sasami from going back to the house to aid her sister.
" How long till we go in and break this up? She's gonna snap any second now and you know it." Trunks sticks his sword in the ground and faces towards his home. He is none too happy with this whole mess his father has caused or what his father is doing concerning these women, yet his bias towards his family is making him put the lion's share of the blame on Ryoko for going out there in the first place. Without any adult Saiyans about the only people left on this planet that could challenge him are Piccolo, Buu, 18, 17 and Goten, he could wipe the floor with Ryoko if she proves too much of a bother to him with her antics and no-one is close enough to stop him. Once his dad returns though he would go through hell so he is not too tempted by that path. If, however, Ryoko were to start a fight with Ayeka then he has the just excuse of following his dad's orders in protecting her and then he will not have to deal with Ryoko ever again.
" Us going in won't calm her down, we go when we have to. I have faith Washu knows what she's doing in there, she's not the one to pick a fight she knows she'll lose." Walking up behind Sasami and resting his hands on her shoulders in a comforting manner, Yamcha reminds the hybrid child that violence is not the best option and since they have been preventing Ryoko's venting of anger they would only serve to exacerbate matters. Ryo-Ohki looks up at him and then back to the house where her mistress is, torn between wanting to go back and frightened of the rage reverberating out from Ryoko. A tactful counter from Washu reminding Ryoko that she was warned by Vegeta not to go there and went anyway choosing to ignore the risks silences the wronged woman for a few seconds before she roars back for her to shut up and that she of all people should not be taking Vegeta's side in this and that she could have done something to stop this. Washu matter-of-factly states if she tried to intervene her help would have been denied.
" She does, she thinks herself greater than she is otherwise she wouldn't have attacked my dad." Looking to the side at the girl and Yamcha, Trunks dismisses the confidence that Yamcha has in the woman he loves. He has not seen Washu out of her lab since she helped fix the window and so Trunks is wondering to himself what her reason is for leaving now. Sensing Ryoko's flaring ki partially obscures the lesser signature of Ayeka but does not hide it from him and so Trunks assumes that Ayeka and Washu were conversing before Ryoko dropped into their midst. To make a show of himself the half Saiyan youth raises his power level to a large and significant amount. Ryoko can sense ki and so he hopes this will serve as a reminder to her that she is being watched, her rantings hesitate as she feels the presence of the two outside and then she starts turning her attention to the easier target to deal with, Ayeka.
" I'm the one to blame for that, not her, and your dad ain't exactly one of the most humble men either. I say we give this a minute and … Can you sense that?" Yamcha starts looking about the house, his eyes darting about at this foreign ki diffusing into the area.
All this talk and shouting is worrying the youngest Juraian princess and she questions Yamcha as to what is going on and why they are not stopping it. He shushes the child and reassures her that they will stop it when it needs to be stopped. His grip tightens on Sasami when she hears her sister's name shouted by Ryoko and a slew of insults sent her way. Yamcha cannot let this kid go into such a dangerous place right now even if she wants to prevent her elder sibling from being bullied, especially with this new ki signature about.
" Yeah, is … is that one of your girlfriend's things?"
" She's my fiancé not my girlfriend, and I don't think that is one of Washu's inventions. She coulda made something new though, has been working hard in there."
Neither of them are sure as to what exactly they are sensing around the house. It does not feel like a new being or such, if it did they would be in there investigating in a heartbeat, it is more a pervasive ki that is seeping into the nearby land. They do not know what to make of this, or whether to deem this a threat or if this could be one of Washu's experiments leaking out of her lab. Trunks stands on edge. He distrusts whatever this is. Yamcha is preoccupied momentarily telling Sasami that Washu is in there helping Ayeka and that she is doing a much better job than either of them could.
"I don't like it, feels different, I'm gonna go check it-" Trunks has had enough, he won't know what this is until he sees it for himself. Blackness envelops his home. "To be honest this could still be all Washu."
A viscous and swirling pitch warps and convulses into a rough hemisphere completely swallowing the lakeside house. The three outside stand shocked and confused and Ryo-Ohki lets out a forlorn mewl. Night is already beginning to set in but even against the diminishing light this blackness stands apart from the shade over the landscape. This is not good, whatever is happening Trunks and Yamcha both know this to be bad. Their ability to sense ki hits a deadness as soon as it reaches this dome, they cannot tell what is going on in there or even what is in there. Trunks rushes up to the tar-like goop and inspects it before sending his fist flying into it. His hand keeps going as if it did not hit anything. Seemingly as if there is no wall there at all he feels nothing stopping his fist and thus no impact is ever delivered. In confusion he looks down at his hand and then raises his other and fires a blast which goes straight into the tempestuous black and carries on going and going. The blazing ball of ki travels until it cannot be seen, going a distance that does not exist. Trunks has no clue what to do now.
Yamcha watches Trunks' failed attempts and growls at how none of this makes sense and that those actions should have had some effect. His priority right now though is to calm down the very scared Sasami who wants to know what is happening and where her sister is. He tells her that they will take care of this and that it is just some silly prank of Washu's and no-one is in danger. She does not buy his lie and shakes her head, nearly unseating the cabbit perched there, and she says that they were just saying that they did not know what it was. Sasami then calls out to Ayeka. The blackness does not respond. Golden light shines across the lake as Trunks goes Super Saiyan and flies about the hemisphere trying to find a weak spot or anything. More blasts are sent into the void probing for a vulnerable spot. None fired exit from the opposing side, yet none are stopped. Trunks lands back down next to Yamcha and asks for any plans on how to deal with this. Sasami tells Trunks to stop shooting it and that it might hurt the people inside, Yamcha nods in agreement.
"I got it. Gotenks can deal with this. Whatever shell or barrier that is he can bring it down, if he can break out of the hyperbolic time chamber he can break this." Trunks smirks confidently at his simple plan. Sasami seems partially consoled by his confidence at being able to destroy the blackness and watches with wide eyes glancing back at the dome as he reaches into one of his trouser pockets and pulls out a slim and black mobile phone. The illumination from the radiant super Saiyan dissipates as Trunks descends so as not to damage his phone. Yamcha ponders on whether this basic strategy will work and if they can treat this the same as breaking out of the hyperbolic time chamber but in reverse. At the moment it is the best plan they have got so until he thinks of something better he continues to act in a calm and controlled manner for Sasami whilst inside he worries for Washu.
" Hiya Goten- Chichi, oh, I need to speak to Goten right now … Look it's an emergency, I need to do fusion … Well I don't really know, there's some black stuff over my house and people are trapped inside and I can't break it. … Yep, only Saiyans left so it has to be us … Thanks Chichi, and yeah I'll make sure Goten doesn't get hurt." He hangs up after having to unexpectedly deal with Goten's mother answering the land-line since Goten does not have his own personal mobile and tosses his phone over to Sasami for safe-keeping. The girl fumbles the catch and apologises whilst she bends down to pick it up and as she stands golden light shines out, reflecting off of the lake. Whilst waiting for Goten to fly over, Trunks sees no harm in taking another crack at this dome with some of his more powerful attacks. Yamcha reaches out an arm and puts a hand on the lad and shakes his head. Having had a bit of time to think he does not believe a large explosion will do any good.
"Calm it, Trunks. Wait for Goten and if that fails then try the blasting again. Let's leave it as a last resort now, I mean, what're ya gonna do if the blast destroys it? You knock down that thing and your blast is going straight at them. If you're quicker than the blast then it's all fine, we don't need to risk it though." He throws in his two cents before taking his hands off the boy and going back over to the scared, young girl. Trunks descends. They both sense off into the distance to find Goten and how long it will be until he arrives. With this not being a being of high power but rather a dead zone of absolute no ki it is no surprise to these two that none of the none-Saiyan warriors are on their way. Sasami did not like that mention of harming the people inside, she is frightened by this strange occurrence and the separation between her and her family.
The girl shrieks and jumps several inches into the air as the mobile phone in her hands begins to ring. Trunks turns to look at her as his phone drops for the second time to the ground. He walks up to it, wondering who could be calling him, as Sasami apologises once again for dropping his mobile. Shrugging off her apology, he stops for a good second staring down at the screen of his mobile before he picks it up. As far as he knows this person does not have a phone. He answers the call.
"How did you get my number?"
" … Really? That is the question you ask me, the greatest scientific mind in the universe, and not how I am actually calling you in the first place. Just put me on speaker phone."
An irritated female voice plays through his phone, not impressed in the least by him seemingly not caring that she is successfully communicating through dimensions with no problem with just the personal communicator she has on her person which she had to alter to make compatible for Earth technology. Yamcha immediately calls out to his fiancé and starts bombarding her with questions, whether she is OK and what is happening, and Sasami joins in asking about her sister. Since everyone else is making noise Ryo-Ohki meows into the phone. The women inside are alive. From the phone's speakers they can hear Mihoshi and Kiyone discussing how many charges they have in their singular firearm. Ayeka calls out back to her sister and Sasami smiles, reassured now that her big sister is safe and all is well for the time being. Washu takes charge and silences the women behind her and the voices coming out of her communicator.
"Enough. Questions later, plan now, time important. Don't shoot, don't destroy, if what we're in is breached where we are will collapse and you don't have the time to get us all. Get in without damage, need Instant Transmission, Ryo-Ohki is a spaceship go have fun finding daddy. Knows where his home is, can teleport in, relative position the same, Ryoko cut off from ki outside, cannot teleport out, cannot tell where outside is from here. Go. Something in here, hurry."
The three still on Earth go silent as they process this slew of information. Trunks' plan has been discarded rather quickly and he is not too keen on this new one, and no-one else inside the black hemisphere aside from Washu seems OK with this being the plan. Ayeka stays silent, trying to remain rational and think about it logically that he is needed whilst she suppresses the fear welling inside her at his mention. A reverberating growl comes from Ryoko in the background. She will not be saved by Vegeta, she does not want to be indebted to him after what he has done, she does not want to see his face or his smug grin. Ryoko becomes very vocal very quickly about her disagreement with this plan and how she does not need him. From the phone they hear the sound of a slap and Yamcha worries that his defenceless fiancée is now on the receiving end of an enraged pirate. Washu's voice then rings out loud and clear telling Ryoko to shut up and unless she has anything helpful to say she can go and sulk outside in the darkness she is scared of. Several seconds pass as Yamcha holds his breath hoping there will not be any retaliation and then Washu talks back to them telling them she really needs them to hurry.
" You want me to fetch my Dad? But, I was going to have Gotenks save the day, it's gonna be better and safer." He scratches at his lavender hair as he weighs the risks in his head concerning his father. After yesterday the thought of getting Vegeta into a sealed dimension with 5 women does not seem wise. For a good while Gotenks would have been an excellent deterrent to Vegeta but unless his father wants to lose the fight there is not much he can do, Vegeta is cunning and after half an hour the fusion will fall apart anyway so stalling for time is not an option. On the other hand, his dad did say to him he should be expected home around today and so the danger could have passed, it is risky. From what he knows he cannot say whether the risk to the trapped women would increase or decrease from going to fetch his father.
"Just give me a second ..." The pink haired scientists who is rushing them to hurry up and save them calls for a pause and the sound of air whooshing across the communicator's microphone gets broadcast to the three waiting for Goten. They hear Mihoshi's voice as she catches the communicator and she says hello to Yamcha, Trunks and Sasami but then falls silent.
Ryoko stands there under the blue light of Ayeka's shield holding her stricken cheek and her feline eyes throw sharp daggers at Washu. Her lip quivers momentarily. Her golden eyes dance around the 4 other women trapped in this inky realm of nothing but black, she can feel their eyes on her, judging her. Ayeka has her back turned, trying to stay as uninvolved in this as she can for whenever she gets dragged in it only serves to hurt her. A fist clenches and unclenches as Washu walks calmly up to Ryoko.
"You … You don't get to hit me. No-one gets to hit me! I – I won't be treated like this. You're – he – I could kill you all. Right now!" Ryoko aggressively steps forward and squares up to the scientist who dares to hurt her. Washu is not intimidated. Her analytical mind can read the weakness and vulnerability plainly written all over Ryoko's face, she believes she can play this game and win.
" Ryoko, we need you now so try and keep it together. You are not going to kill any of us." The pink haired scientist holds out her open palms in a calming manner and speaks in a soft tone. Defusing this bomb is a necessity if they are to survive, they require Ryoko's strength and, if need be, her ability to teleport them inside this midnight realm for safety. Ryoko hesitates, her golden eyes still flashing about at the others within this shield with her.
"I can! Don't hit me, no-one hits me, never. … Why, why me?"
" You know why. Ryoko, we are on your side here, we have to work together now. Shh, calm down, it's OK. You aren't going to get hurt again, I promise you."
" Liar! You want to bring him here, how am I not gonna get hurt if he's here? You saw, you all saw. He will kill us and enjoy it. I won't let you. I'll kill him first. I don't need him." Both her hands lash out and Washu is hoisted off her feet by her collar. Ryoko is not buying it, she will not allow this woman to bring her attempted rapist to her.
Vegeta's name terrifies her, in the dark with him laughing at her and all her struggling and strength doing naught, just like Ayeka the mere thought of seeing him is petrifying her. Neither women have any want to be stuck in a hostile environment with a potentially dangerous Saiyan. Acting out due to fear is something Washu was anticipating though, she grabs at the hands holding her up and easily pries them from her as Ryoko puts up little resistance. Washu was watching yesterday, and her predictions about Ryoko's violence are proven correct. Traumatised from the experience that broke her and her heart, Ryoko does not have it in her to deal that same pain to a helpless woman like she was, her hatred towards Vegeta burns too brightly for her to allow herself to mirror his actions. Washu will take this as a safety net though being mindful that this woman's emotional stability is compromised and thus abrupt spouts of violence might erupt from her if pushed. She rearranges her collar and clears her throat whilst looking straight at Ryoko, and Ryoko realises her bluffs are being called. Mihoshi has started trying distract herself from this scene by informing Trunks and Yamcha about their situation and Kiyone joins in also.
" Vegeta has threatened my life far more than he has yours and even so I have no fear about using him as a tool for our escape. He won't do anything. Trust me, Ryoko."
"No! No, no, he will. You weren't there, you didn't see-"
" You seem to be forgetting that you aren't the only one Vegeta has played with. I have seen. I have also studied Saiyans for a long time, whilst they were taking my planet. I know all about this and I know that it is over, 60 hours absolute maximum, he is safe now. You are safe, Ryoko. Hell, after he saves us you can have your revenge right there and then, the sooner the better, right?"
"No. Keep him away. I … I won't be saved by a bastard like him. … You don't know, you never know. You were wrong before about him, you're gonna be wrong about him now and get me killed. I'm not giving him that satisfaction, keep him the fuck away from me." Ryoko backs away from Washu and wafts her arms about for the scientist to stay back. One of her arms stays raised and a glimmering appears.
For all her want to not hear this, Ayeka is taking notice of this potential blast and watches it for she knows that she will have to drop her barrier for that or else an explosion will go off inside a very confined area. The blast never comes. Ryoko's hands go protectively to her chest and to the old wound that won't stay closed: her infertility. It has been plaguing her mind like an insipid locust gnawing on her sanity. Vegeta called for the fertile one. She despises him and yet she loathes this fact that part of her cares greatly for him choosing another. Her hatred is diluted with these emotions she cannot rip out of her as much as she tries, like an ivy wrapped around her very bones. A pained growl claws from her throat in remembering when Washu told her of her incompatibility and how it meant the world to her when Vegeta consoled her fears.
" I will admit I was wrong about him then, but that was an estimate about a personal opinion he might hold and this is basic biology. Ryoko, try and think about this and the situation we are in. You are not strong enough to kill that thing, you cannot get us out of here, we need help and there ain't many out there who can teleport in." What Washu needs is not Ryoko's acceptance of this plan, she needs a willing Ryoko to buy the time until Vegeta can arrive. She has to continue pushing this and avoid causing her any pain that might send her spiralling back down into a state at which Ayeka becomes their only line of defence. If she can get Ryoko thinking about more than the horrors of yesterday and more on what is currently in here possibly trying to kill her then they might just live to see another day, and Washu is not about to let some pained and broken woman come in between her and getting to walk down the aisle. Under her breath Ayeka is reciting prayers to Tsunami to help her get through this safely.
"Get Goku. You say it ended, then get Goku, he's safe, he … he isn't some sick and twisted monkey, he won't hurt m- us. Kakarot is better anyway!" Shouting out that last line in hope that he will hear it and have his undying pride wounded by it, the cyan haired woman tries whatever she can to continue pushing for Vegeta to not return. Something in the darkness catches her attention, she freezes and stares out into the inky depths but there is nothing there. Everyone else has followed her gaze and gone on high alert for Ryoko's sensing abilities are their only early warning system. Mihoshi narrates this to Yamcha and Trunks and tells them she needs them to hurry, to which Trunks argues he can't go anywhere without his friend Goten. The blonde cop looks to her side at her own best friend and weakly smiles at her.
" It is good to see your mind is still working but your logic is flawed, Goku relies on Vegeta's ki signature to teleport here, he is not familiar enough with this location to use instant transmission to get inside here. … Go on, be angry if you want, but if you want to be angry then put it to good use on whatever that thing is out there. We get Vegeta, or we die, the choice is made whether you want to have a tantrum or not."
" He tried to rape me. This is not a tantrum, he nearly raped me! H-h-he is a m-monster."
Crimson light mixes with the blue hue from the Juraian barrier. A small, fiery aura blazes around Ryoko as her sword points towards Washu, the one who dares to belittle her pain and bring her torturer back to her. Her voice cracks with emotion and her breaths seethe out from gritted teeth. The shield falters and flickers before stabilising and gaining its strength. Ryoko looks about again, whipping her head side to side as the other apparently roams about their weakening defences. All she can see is the swirling mists, that and Ayeka with her eyes firmly shut and shaking her head in denial. That insult cut through her. She does not want to believe that her prince, her fiancée, is what they all say he is, she has seen his other side and she is trying her best to hold onto it yet this dark event keeps turning her head towards the murderer, the Saiyan, the barbaric killer she loves. Washu's emerald eyes stay on Ayeka for awhile. Despite this whole situation she feels a want to chuckle for finally she can empathise with Vegeta's situation of these two women and the fine and dangerous line he walks with every word he says, she needs Ryoko's greater power more than this defensive shield. This is dangerous, if the barrier drops then the two cops and her could drop like flies, yet Ayeka cannot keep this shield up indefinitely and Ryoko can buy a lot more time for them with her fighting abilities than by them cowering in here. Washu risks it.
" Preaching to the choir. He is a monster with a use though. Get yourself together and get ready to defend us. He was going to return sometime, you stayed on this planet and so you do intend to see and speak with him again whether you want to admit that or not, we don't get him then we die and you will never have your revenge."
A pure white mask of a humanoid face, bar the third vertically aligned eye in its forehead, appears as the cerulean shield quivers again. Mihoshi squeals and Kiyone aims their single firearm at it as it grins at the trapped women before it disappears back off into the blackness. Slight trembling has entered Ayeka, part due to her mental turmoil but most due to the strain she was just under as her shield was being tested and taxed. The thing was probing for a weakness and it has left with the knowledge that it will not be long before it can easily break through and achieve its goal. Ryoko nods at Washu and faces off towards where the pale face was. The scientist starts walking back over to her communicator, feeling happy that her plan just then worked and the shield held. Ryoko has a target, an enemy who is threatening her and her ability to get her own-back for the wrongs done to her and for now she can distract herself with it, Washu was banking on whatever was in here appearing when she insulted Vegeta again. Now that the enemy has a face and she can see it Ryoko can push some of her negative emotions onto it, she can make it a scapegoat, and her fighting instincts have kicked in with this threat appearing. She raises a hand and signals for her communicator, Mihoshi throws it over and she resumes her call after that long delay.
" If Gotenks can teleport, fine that would be a better option, but he can't so I need Vegeta. Gotenks is closer in power to Vegeta anyway so he is the safer choice if anything were to go wrong or we need to force him back, it should have ended hours ago anyway, get in Ryo-Ohki and start flying Trunks." Speaking as if there were not a major interlude since they last spoke, Washu reaffirms to the son that the father is a necessity for their survival. Gotenks should not be needed for Vegeta, if he is then getting Vegeta to come here will be dangerous. However, Washu is thinking back through what she knows of Gotenks and recalls his ability to scream open dimensions and how that might be useful. She nods to herself, agreeing to the use of Gotenks.
"Goten is almost here, and from what I've been hearing I think you need a little advice, I have a plan for you."
Washu impatiently queries what the plan is but Trunks cuts her off and talks about Ryo-Ohki and how to get a cabbit to work as a spaceship. The scientist says that Ryo-Ohki should be able to manage most things without a pilot and she will naturally transform when thrown upwards. Trunks picks up the cabbit and pets her. A golden comet zooms across the horizon and lands by the swirling dome of black with a very confused look. Goten looks to his friend and questions what is going on and why he is needed, Trunks explains as quickly and as briefly as he can and Goten nods at the plan. Trunks smiles confidently back to the communicator and asks if Washu is ready for her plan. It is giving him great pleasure just to think this idea.
" Look if you want to humble me 'cos I'm getting advice from some kid it ain't working. You have a plan as to how we can last until Vegeta arrives? Let me hear it." Washu states quickly. She is getting annoyed by the tone of voice she is being addressed in when she is in a perilous situation, it is reminding her of a specific Saiyan prince and his attitude.
" Kaioken won't work, it would kill them and can't even be taught in that time, no techniques or abilities can, except one. One that I am a master of. C'mon Washu, you must know how it's done and how to get it to work in such a short amount of time, so this is your one choice: Fusion. Ha."
Trunks starts laughing as he hears dead silence on the other end of the line and he tosses the cuddly creature high into the night sky. Brown crystalline spikes jut down. The half Saiyan kid rapidly escapes into Ryo-Ohki with Goten before hell erupts. Sasami is staring up in amazement at the silhouette of the animal she cuddles so often, the four mahogany protrusions around the cream centre housing the pink bio-dome. With a loud meow the craft takes off towards the far off ki signature it knows to be its destination, leaving the dust to settle as Washu winces at the repercussions she will have to deal with now. She knows he is right. She has not thought of any other way to gain the strength to protect them, and she has studied it enough to hopefully teach it to the two unwilling subjects. Washu sighs for she had just dealt with Ryoko and all of that is now undone.
"Miss Washu, he surely does not mean for … for that. There has to be another way, you have to have thought of another solution. I will not abide for this course of action, I absolutely will not." After having seen the pale face that nearly broke down her shield, Ayeka is mindful to keep as focused as she can on the defences as her incredulity leaves her aghast at the technique Trunks said. She defiantly and resolutely shakes her head in rejection at even giving this strategy any thought whatsoever. The cerulean shell quivers as her emotions get the better of her yet as soon as she sees the flickering she sends more power into it, trying to not let herself get distracted. Ryoko stands there, blankly scowling down at the ground, not wasting her breath on this topic.
"Look, just listen-"
"No. It's – this is too much. First … and now you want me to join with her! He should know better than to make such horrid jokes, after all that has happened we cannot do this. We simply can't, you know why so do not ask this of me." As soon as Washu starts trying to argue for fusion, Ayeka snaps back. She will not join her body to that of her nemesis, they both intensely dislike the other and can barely be in the same room together never-mind the same body. She cannot let herself become one with a woman who was nearly raped by her prince. Her maidenhood that she prides herself on and protects will be greatly tarnished by her joining her body to that of an experienced woman, Ayeka does not want her body to be spoilt, she has to remain pure or she will be eternally shamed and Jurai's aristocracy will shun and berate her. This fear concerning her own body becoming a shared commodity is a far greater deterrent to her than her rivalry towards Ryoko. After yesterday she pities and sympathises with her more than previously, yet still her animosity towards the rogue is high and a new hatred towards her has appeared in the form of partially blaming her for the incident that occurred and the pain she suffers because of those reckless actions.
" Do you want to die?" Washu is stern as she puts her foot down, trying to quell this mutiny quickly and efficiently for the clock has started ticking now that Trunks and Goten are on their way. She does not have the time to stand around arguing with these two mule-headedly stubborn women till she is blue in the face. This question is all that really matters. They are in a life or death situation. No alternatives are present, they can choose life, or they will never make another choice again. Ryoko's eyes lazily go up to the emerald ones of the scientist, a dangerous undercurrent swirling beneath her feline pupils and Ayeka stands there opening and closing her mouth as she tries to think of a counter argument. Kiyone clicks her fingers and catches the communicator thrown her way by Washu, the cop is not going to get herself embroiled up in their feud or this debacle instead she asks Yamcha how Sasami is faring in all of this.
" … It isn't like that! Do not simplify this matter down to that, there are always other options, however I will not join bodies with her and she will not with me."
"I can speak for myself, bitch. And Washu, I'll give it a yes to death if it means I won't become her." The danger that has been lurking beneath her eyes has surfaced as Ryoko glares with loathing at Washu. This pink haired woman from her viewpoint has been harassing her for several minutes now and she is not going to put up with it when she is barely keeping herself together.
Ryoko has had herself degraded and belittled and she will not let herself be again by compromising and mixing herself with Ayeka, especially not Ayeka. What will it say about her if at the first opportunity she becomes one with the woman whose name was called out whilst she was being ravaged, the one Vegeta opens up to about his wife, the one with the correct biology to bear the Saiyan's children. She has been soiled and broken, herself is her most prized possession and in this vulnerable state she will keep it from being broken down any more. Naturally detesting all of her race, Ryoko is contemplating whether death is preferable to fusion with Ayeka. She fought hard to survive this long, but then again what is the point in her surviving if she goes and throws away who she is just because they are in a tricky situation. An exasperated groan comes from Washu for they are not making it easy for her.
" You two are being unreasonable, think about it."
"Oh I am thinking, no fusion, no, never, shut up, I can kill this or I will kill you to make you shut up."
"Ayeka, there is a bigger picture here than your pride-"
"Don't ignore me! I ain't fusing with anybody, I don't need to. No point trying to win over princess here, takes two to tango and I'm not dancing." Surging forward, a fist knocks the breath out of Washu and she falls to her knees. Washu thought it smart to focus her attention on the woman whose mental state is stabler and is suffering less emotional turmoil and trauma, she thought Ayeka to be the easier one to persuade, yet Ryoko has snapped.
Ryoko will not let someone choose Ayeka over her. Not again.
"Vegeta hates fusion, Ryoko. Gain the power to have your revenge." Washu coughs as her winded self stands back up to face the angry femme fatale. The fear got to her. Her logical judgement skipped a step it normally would not and hence made a dangerous oversight. She does not have much to say to the rogue, this is all she could think up on the spot, and she is not even too sure if Vegeta's dislike for fusion will work in her favour or against it for she can tell that Ryoko still holds something for him and it is causing her distress and pain.
" … Shut your hole." Those words however did give Ryoko pause for thought, if for a moment. The thought of becoming something powerful that could hurt Vegeta tempts her for a second before the part of her mind still hanging onto rational thought reminds her that the pay-off will not nearly be great enough for it to make a difference or for it to be anywhere worth the cost. She stalks off to the far side of the shield and glances about.
Mihoshi and Kiyone reassure Yamcha that Washu is not in immediate danger as he impotently waits whilst looking after Sasami and doing his best to keep her calm. Purple hair turns its back to Washu as Ayeka goes to devote her concentration to sustaining the shield that protects them all. Ryoko throws a few choice insults towards the scientist. A middle aged woman with silver streaks in her hair stands tall with a scornful face full of thunder. Washu has had enough of playing nice, she will not be part of this game when her life is on the line, she is in danger and she is scared.
" You want it simple then, fine, you two don't fuse and none of us walk away. We die. You cannot kill that Ryoko, you said it yourself that it is several degrees stronger than you and don't even get me started about how unfit you are to fight right now. It is some sad joke you think you can take anything on, your act ain't fooling anyone, you're not even brave enough to face yourself at the minute. You both are a mess, neither of you can protect any of us or yourselves. You will both die here if you don't knock those thick skulls together and try to co-operate. I am going to marry Yamcha. You stupid, little girls are not gonna be the reason I don't make it. And you, Ayeka, Sasami, your mother, your family, the selfish princess is thinking purely of herself again isn't she? Do you want our blood on your hands? You damn ingrate, you have a family so don't stop me from getting my own now. Listen to me, you two, so you both hate Vegeta, right? Well he did fusion with Goku. He fused, a fusion he thought at the time to be permanent, and if you two don't then what does that make you? Ryoko, having fun being less than him? Being weaker than him, his bitch? Maybe you do wanna die after all and that's why you went to see him, you brain-dead bimbo. Ayeka, enjoy being more prideful and self absorbed than your rapist prince? Just fuse. I can teach you it. Just. Fuse."
" I … I am so scared right now, don't make me do all this by myself. I am not combat certified, get me the hell outta here now. We don't have the time to argue, is that how you want to spend the last minutes of your life? Please, just … for 30 minutes, save our lives and your own. Your rivalry is dead at the minute. Don't make me have a Mihoshi-Kiyone fusion as my protector."
She regresses back to her younger adult form. Standing there empty after having spewed it all out, Washu breathes deeply and looks at the two stunned women staring at her. Ayeka's eyes drop to the ground and she raises a hand to her temple. That was quite an assault both of them had to endure. Ryoko growls and stalks away. She has been hit where it hurts and those insults are already worming into her mind. Being less than the man who put her in this state makes her feel so abhorrent, she is making herself not pummel Washu into the dirt for not wanting to be like Vegeta but at the same time now this thought that not fusing like he did puts her on a level below him is shredding away at her vulnerable self. It is completely true that she stands little to no chance in a fight and death is a frightening prospect and she cannot die now before she gets even with Vegeta. Ryoko whips her head about, trying to stubbornly fight off the invading voices of reason and logic. Thinking about her family, her sister, and her own life, Ayeka realises the choice has already been made no matter how much she detests it.
" You have said enough, Miss Washu. I … I was not thinking straight, I have a family who care for me and … Ryoko? Please." Weakly nodding her head to reassure herself that this course of action is indeed for the best, Ayeka looks over to her rival and asks the impossible of her as well. There are people she does not want to be hurt by her acting selfish again, Washu hit the nail on the head with that line, she can dislike the fusion as much as she wants but in the end that is just her thinking purely of herself. She cautiously begins walking over towards the cyan haired rogue, keeping one hand raised to send power into her shield. Ryoko looks at the approaching princess with hostility, frightened of this prospect of joining with her. She does not want to let herself be won over by words.
" I don't want to. I can't. I can't, I can't, I can't, I won't … I don't wanna die." Fear seeps through into Ryoko's speech. She has been dancing on the brink of sanity ever since yesterday and this horrific thought that after all this she will go and die in here as a broken shadow of her former self in the darkness is terrifying her. Fusion with Ayeka, she wants to reject it with all she has, the very fibre of her being monstrously repulsed at joining with the fertile woman however the fear of death is a most powerful motivator and has a smooth enough tongue to persuade anyone. Niggling away within her is the seed from Washu, of not being able to do something that Vegeta managed to do in a similar situation.
"Ryoko, I do not want you to die either. This will not be pleasant but if it allows us to get through this then I see little choice in the matter, please do what you know to be right."
"Fuck all of this, not you, not a Juraian. I … I'm- I- I'm not -n-not compatible. I can't." Ryoko snaps back with the first thing she can think of as she goes to teleport away yet finds there to be no real place left in this shield for her to run to. She watches warily as Ayeka outstretches a hand towards her, trying to get her to accept and save all their lives. Ayeka nods at her even though Ryoko can clearly see the doubts and worries and fears displayed on her fair face. Neither of them want to do this at all. Now Ryoko is left with the fact that when under pressure Vegeta agreed to fusion, and Ayeka did, leaving her out and now as someone worse than even her despised rival. She does not want to become this. She does not want death. She wants to seize back the Ryoko that was taken from her.
"That should not have any bearing on this technique. Please, Ryoko, you do this and I will owe you a massive debt, we all will." Being the only one who truly knows the details concerning Ryoko's biology and the basic workings of the fusion dance, Washu chimes in to disarm Ryoko of the straw she tried to clutch at. Bribery is not going to be a deciding factor in winning over Ryoko yet there is little else she can say after her verbal assault that does not run a risk of backfiring. Washu is calculating in her head the time it will take for Ryo-Ohki to fly to Vegeta and from that she estimates that they have around 20 minutes to hold out and survive for. She cannot sense Ayeka's power or how well the shield is holding up but even so she can guess that it will not last close to half that time, and so the time limit for teaching them the fusion dance will be a very measly 5 minutes or so and they cannot afford a failed fusion. Neither women are prodigies at ki or fighting, however Washu believes that as they have witnessed it, have plenty of incentive and her to teach them they might be able to pull it off.
"You can't help me get what I … Shit! Ayeka, I … I … I-I'm not weak, I'm not scared, I … I can … I can do this. One saviour coming right up."
With tentative motions, Ryoko stretches her arm out and holds onto the Juraian princess' hand. Instant regret about yielding to this fills her yet she does not want to die. Ayeka weakly smiles back at her and looks down to her hand in surprise as she feels warmth and heat spreading through her limb. A large gift of ki has been given to her from her rival, enough to keep her shield running for a couple more minutes. She thanks Ryoko for that but the pirate purposely ignores her words, she is not trying to be kind she just knows that they will need all the time they can get. Ayeka thinks of her loved ones and the other women trapped in here to reaffirm her choice down this path whilst Ryoko relinquishes her grip and sullenly crosses her arms. Trying to run away from feeling so defeated and worthless she resigned herself to a fusion, for a chance at life and regaining her self she will temporarily relinquish this wreck that she currently is. Being something pathetic and broken is not how she wants to live, Ryoko will not abide by being inferior to both Vegeta and Ayeka, she cannot let herself fall further than she already has and so if this is what it takes then so be it. 30 minutes of hell to save herself from visiting hell for a year until the dragonballs are active again.
Ayeka and Ryoko stare at each other, hoping they can both get through this quickly and then never speak of it again. They both turn to face Washu and Ayeka closes her eyes for a second as she concentrates and lowers her hand feeding the barrier, she cannot do this with one arm being used and so she leaves the barrier to slowly decay until she has to replenish it. Washu faces them and begins telling them the step by step procedure they will have to faultlessly reproduce, she also tells them that they will have to have the same level of power and so Ryoko complies and drops her own. Without utilising their ki or speaking the words, the two rivals begin practising the fusion dance and gaining synchronicity, it becomes apparent quickly that they will need all the time available to them to master this. An incredulous Yamcha listens and advises over the communicator, lending his experience of wielding ki to make up for Washu's deficit in that area. The genius scientist hopes that this will work and that she will survive this assassination attempt.