Chapter 46
After having taken a short break to re-energise the protective barrier, Ayeka gets scolded by Washu for her knee not being lifted high enough during the second part of the fusion dance. Both women are slightly embarrassed at having to repeatedly do such silly steps time and time again and now Ayeka's embarrassment rises as she is forced to alter her robes so that they are looser and less restrictive on her legs. She is glad that there are only women inside this realm, though her revealed legs are still covered by thin, pale blue stockings which make sure no skin is shown anyway. Ryoko drops her power by a small amount to compensate for the drain on Ayeka to keep the shield running, she does not like these short and frequent breaks for they give her a chance to think and right now she would rather not be left with her mind for company. It is annoying both of them how perfectly precise and synchronised they have to be, converting the simplistic 3 steps into a demanding feat of concentration and symmetry. They keep practising for a few more minutes, endlessly looping and restarting for time is short. The more they delay by letting Ayeka boost the barrier and continue practising, the more fatigued the Juraian becomes.
Kiyone and Mihoshi have been patrolling the short perimeter keeping an eye out for the white faced being but it has not shown itself again. It does not need to. It knows their shields will fall, it knows that they have no strength to combat it and it knows that this place cannot be naturally entered, also it found amusement in watching them falling apart and the cyan haired one almost complete its mission for it. Having waited for this moment it is patient enough to wait a few minutes longer until they are at their weakest. Yamcha stays in contact with them and allows Sasami to speak, it distracts Ayeka but it saves the young girl from panicking too much.
9 minutes have passed in total since Trunks and Goten took off in Ryo-Ohki. Ryoko's gift of ki has been depleted and Ayeka is warning the others that she cannot keep her cerulean shield active for much longer, however they are pulling off the fusion dance consistently. As well as Washu can see in the black realm with only the blue illumination from their protection, her analytical emeralds can find no observable faults. That does not mean that they do not exist, she cannot see their feet and toes and the detrimental lighting could be obscuring small discrepancies from being seen. Washu is almost ready to give the go ahead. Fingertips align time after time, the two women mirror the other and a slight feeling of dread and anticipation builds within them knowing that their fusion is close at hand.
One flake of blue drifts down from the ceiling of the sapphire bubble. It goes unnoticed. Ayeka cannot sense ki, even that of her own constructs, and Ryoko is focused on the technique and psyching herself up for the moment. From this one hole, darkness penetrates.
Rupturing and disintegrating in an instant, blackness consumes the 5 women. A swirling madness swarms inwards from all around. The quickest to react is Ryoko, yet her first action is to set up a red flare of ki to ward off the pervading darkness she is fearful of.
" My employer sends his regards to the traitor." The pale face appears out of the mist before Washu. It darkly grins. Shots ring off from the pitch of its back as both Kiyone and Ryoko try and blast it to no effect. The tempestuous black that it is reconstitutes as the lasers and ki hit its body. A smooth chuckle escapes from its tarry mouth as all three of its eyes lock onto the petrified victim trying to back away and then it smoothly slides a chalky talon into her abdomen.
One scream of pain later, the assassin turns to find Juraian guardians surrounding it, with a waft of its alabaster hands it sweeps them aside as if they were flies. A laser bolt strikes a glancing blow off its white face. It turns to face the two policewomen, the collateral it cares nothing for but as annoying insects go they have just placed themselves at the top of its list. Ryoko has given up blasting and has summoned her red sword yet before she can take off in a headlong charge she feels a hand gripping her shoulder, she whips her head around and sees Ayeka shaking her head at her and telling her that it is time. The princess does not like the idea of using Mihoshi and Kiyone as bait but she fails to see another option for them to have the opportunity to fuse. Both of them step away several paces from the heap of ebony that comprises the white faced hit-man to a moderately safe distance. Ryoko is on edge, they both are, yet she takes a calming breath as she drops her power to Ayeka's and takes up the beginning stance. The two rivalled women look to each other and nod.
A few more blasts ring out from the lone handgun as the assailant bears down upon the two, a waxen hand raises. Mihoshi goes to push her partner out of the way but she is nowhere near fast enough. The pistol goes sailing into the air along with Kiyone. She crashes down heavily and limp. Mihoshi stares at her friend and in the dark she can make out no movement, uncaring for the threat still next to her she goes to rush off to check on her partner. The face of white smirks at how easy this all is as it gets ready to crush the blonde. A blinding burst of light erupts out from behind Mihoshi. Lilac lightning zaps into the side of the black mass ready to strike and staggers it. The hole running through it quickly seals up but a few more bolts rapidly blast through it. Turning its three eyed face it looks in shock towards the source of power.
Ryeka has been born.
She stands taller than Ryoko, inheriting her height from Ayeka's parents, and her musculature takes on a a more toned and defined look than Ryoko's. Loose and baggy white trousers are getting altered as Ryeka removes the blue sash tied around her waist and begins wrapping up her chest with it. The standard black and gold lined Metamoran vest is all that covers her top half, and she deems it unsuitable as it is very short and would fail to cover her if she were to move. This is quite a revealing outfit she has found herself born into and with Ayeka's prim and proper modesty mixed with Ryoko's current issues and vulnerability concerning her recently attacked body Ryeka takes the time to change her belt into a make-shift bra as the assassin heals and stares in confusion as to what is going on and how it got injured. Pointed, elfin ears twitch as they poke out of the straight and long cyan hair. Purple highlights infuse their way through the threads and the roots of the hair, becoming prominent in a few streaks and within the messy and spiked fringe and side locks, a fringe that covers a tiara made from petrified Juraian wood. The new woman is pleased with this new power she has and now that her wardrobe malfunction has been corrected she raises a palm and sends more lilac blasts towards the midnight attacker. Crimson irises with feline pupils burn and glare as she confidently smirks at this enemy she has turned the tables on.
Mihoshi keeps running towards her downed partner as a hail of lavender pounds into the pale faced triclops. She reaches her and brushes the teal hair from her face as she checks her breathing, Mihoshi sighs with great relief as shallow breaths warm her bronzed skin. Having been taught so in the academy, she knows not to attempt to move her concussed partner in case of any spinal injuries and so she quickly makes sure her airways are clear and there are no other injuries before she makes the hard decision of leaving Kiyone and running back off towards Washu. Her blonde ponytail bobs up and down as she skirts around the battlefield and she tries to keep an eye out for their gun but she cannot see it, it has been lost to the inky blackness. The vibrant and pulsating lavender lighting abruptly stops and a nearly opaque shield of dark amber encases Mihoshi as she approaches Washu's side. Ryeka hovers on the opposite side of the shield and warily senses about for her foe managed to skulk off during the barrage. The shield flickers and Kiyone's limp body gets teleported inside the protective barrier.
Ryeka calls out to her foe who forced her to become this and now has fled to lick its wounds. A sword of blue materialises in her hand and she launches it into the dark where she senses it to be. The fluffy bauble attached to the rear of Mihoshi's uniform gets yanked off and it changes into a clear cube which she hurriedly starts to fiddle with and rotate its many segments. Her adrenaline is riding high and she was never good at using this to begin with and so Mihoshi drops the cube and takes her jacket off and unbuttons the reddening shirt of Washu. Mihoshi presses firmly onto the large open wound to try and stem the bleeding as the scientist groans in pain and coughs on her own fluids. Her hands become slippery and wet and the bleeding isn't slowing down, she removes one hand and goes back to working the cube so that she can spawn something of use from its inventory. Fingerprints of blood stain its transparent surface and Mihoshi begins talking to Washu to keep her awake and partially to calm herself down from a state of panic that is rising within her. Eventually, she gets some bandages to spawn and keeps working at the cube before she remembers that they used their supply of healing gel on Trunks after Vegeta defended Ayeka from him. She tightly wraps the bandages around Washu's exposed stomach, they quickly turn dark red and Mihoshi applies pressure onto the wound again and continues talking but Washu is not responding to her. Blue eyes spy something and a filthy hand darts out, grabs it and holds it to Washu's ear whilst the other presses firmly on the bleeding wound.
"Washu? Washu, can you hear me? What's going on in there? Please be OK, c'mon Washu speak to me." A very worried Yamcha calls out through the communicator. Radio silence has left him thinking the worst and his fiancé is in there without any way of defending herself, he has the strength but he just cannot reach her or help her. Emerald eyes flicker open at the sound of the man's voice. Washu weakly smiles and moisture builds in her eyes.
"I've been got, Yamcha." She whispers out these words and the man on the other side freezes with dread. He tries to distance himself from Sasami but she follows him as there is no-one else around. He does not want her to hear this kind of conversation, he truly does not want to be having this talk at all. With a defeated look on his face he tries to reassure the woman he loves that everything will be fine and that she will make it.
" … I'm losing a lotta blood here, and Vegeta isn't due back for around 10 minutes to get me out. I'm sorry Yamcha, I'm sorry. I … I really wanted to be your bride." Her speech is quiet and Yamcha has to strain to hear what she is saying.
Each word is a punch to his gut, a blow threatening to take him out as he listens to his lover as she resigns herself to her fate. He shakes his head in denial. This is not something he can cope with. Yamcha sinks to his knees beside Sasami at that last wish from his bleeding fiancé. He tries to choke back the tears and stay strong in front of this scared young girl but he cannot, not when he hears her speak like this. On the other side of the blackness Washu's eyes have started watering as she stares blankly up at the amber shield around her. Her calculations do not lie, a wound this large and with no proper medical treatment means she has only a slim chance of making it the required 10 minutes, and even then they still have to escape and they will have to find some-place to heal her. She would like to hope that she will live. She wants to get married, she just cannot see it happening with this agony in her abdomen.
"Don't, please, don't. We're getting you out of there Washu, you're gonna be fine, just hold on a bit longer, a couple more minutes, please."
" Can we … can we still get married after you wish me back? I … I … I love you, Yamcha." Washu's weak smile warms, though it rips at her to hear her lover in so much agony over her it means a lot to her in these moments how much he cares for her and feels for her. A year does not sound too long a delay. In her head she is trying to ward off this maddening fear of dying with the rationalisation that with the dragonballs it will not be permanent, she speaks the words even though they do nothing to convince her. She does not want to be separated from Yamcha and have him grieve for her. Mihoshi is trying her best and Washu can see and feel this but she knows it will not be enough. She is scared but she cannot let it show, not to Yamcha. The terror within her builds as chills seep into her bones. Washu reaches out with her arm to Mihoshi, to the one trying to save her life, and her hand gets tightly held by this policewoman. It feels wet. Washu takes a few seconds to realise that it is her own blood she is feeling on this woman's hands.
"Washu, we're getting married now, not next year, don't … if-if you keep talking like this you're gonna make Sasami cry. Fight it, please. I love you too." Driven to his hands and knees as all the strength has been stolen from him, Yamcha adamantly keeps on at his betrothed to stay positive. One hand trembles as it holds the communicator up to his ear and the other hits into the splintering ground beneath him. So wrapped up in the sorrow of having to listen to and talk to his fiancé as she slowly loses her ability to live, he does not notice that Sasami has wrapped her arms around him, is hugging him tightly and is trying to soothe this crying man.
" I am fighting, but … I've seen this before and-a-an-and it hurts, Yamcha. It hurts. When – I mean - after we get married can … can we start a family?" Her stark green eyes close as her silent weeping intensifies. Mihoshi squeezes her hand. She has not discussed this topic at all with Yamcha, but she has little time left and she needs him to know that this is how much she loves him and how she feels. Back on Earth, Yamcha goes silent for several seconds. He has heard her tell him her painful story of her past and her first child. Even after all these millennia it is still very painful for her, the way in which she failed so completely as a mother and lost her chance at having a family. For her to say that she wants to have children with him does not frighten or scare Yamcha in the slightest at the thought of that commitment or prospect, through his tears he manages to force a smile onto his face.
" I … Only if you make it out of there, ya hear me, no kids for you unless you fight through this, OK? You're gonna be a great mother so hang in there. … If anyone else is there pass me to them, I wanna know what's happening." Yamcha wipes at his eyes and rises to a kneel, wrapping Sasami up in one of his arms and hugging her back. He does not want to waste what precious little time he has left with Washu, yet he has to know what else is going on. There is a weak sound of acknowledgement on the other end of the line and after a bit of fumbling and rustling about he hears Mihoshi's voice greeting him. Not having let got of Washu or her wound, the cop is leaning forward and holding Washu's hand which holds the communicator to her face. Specks of red have entered her blonde hair. Before the cop can say any-more however Yamcha speaks and cuts her off. "If … if it starts looking bad, which it won't, pass me back to Washu, Mihoshi. Thank you."
Shushing Sasami and gazing up at the stars above the void of pure darkness, Yamcha listens as Mihoshi explains what is happening, how they got taken by surprise, that Kiyone got injured and that the attacker has fled for the time being. As she starts outlining more details such as the lost gun or how she is caring for Washu, Mihoshi breaks down and starts sobbing to him through the communicator about how hard she is trying and that she is doing her best but the bleeding is not stopping. She had to sit there and listen to this woman say a heart-rending goodbye to her fiancée as her blood spills onto her hands. Someone is dying and she cannot stop it. Her efforts are not enough, she could not even do anything to help her best friend. She is responsible. Washu is going to die and Yamcha is going to be heartbroken because of her failings. This overburdening guilt crushes down on her. No blame comes her way though. Yamcha speaks calmly to her to keep going and not to give up. He tells her that her efforts are making all the difference, that he has faith in her and that none of this is her fault. She nods though his words alone will not shift this burden from her shoulders.
Ryeka listens to the exchange as she patrols outside the barrier. She senses its energy again off in the distance, fires another warning bolt its way and she lowers her hand as it disappears and the ki signature vanishes yet again. This is testing her patience. After all this trouble and all the damage it has caused the thing has the nerve to flee from her, it caused her birth and her power is not even being needed. Ryeka hovers up and seats herself on top of the amber shield, some of her hair falls over her shoulder and she goes to brush it back before she gets distracted by it. She holds it up to her face and looks at the silvery-cyan strands with a rare hue of dark purple dotted here and there, only being a couple of minutes old and having the combined vanity of princess and pirate she wonders to herself what she looks like. A minute passes as her elfin ears eavesdrop on the continuing conversation between Mihoshi, Washu and Yamcha and her eyes are busy checking her body and appearance. Her blue sword clashes against the white hand crashing down behind her. Ryeka smirks as her becoming distracted and dropping her guard lures the assassin back out.
A second sword of sapphire blazes in her left hand, it swipes away the clawed talons locked with her other blade and Ryeka then somersaults backwards and plants a foot firmly on the scowling white face. It howls as it gets kicked, and then kicked again in its third central eye and as its target vanishes when it lashes out. Ryeka levitates behind it and tauntingly goes to tap it on its back to draw its attention, for she cannot fight at her fullest when so close to the ones she is protecting, with a hiss she withdraws her finger. Touching the blackness burnt her. It twists around rapidly and goes to crush this woman between its two hands. A small, personal sized amber barrier protects Ryeka as she looks at her burnt finger and tuts. She lowers her defences and flies backwards as it begins an onslaught of slashes and hits. Ryoko's ability of teleportation leaves her untouched as Ryeka nimbly evades all of its attacks. The extreme overconfidence natural to fusions is leading her to not end this quickly, and thus she simply dodges and infuriates her opponent whilst occasionally sending a blast through it.
Flying through the air, teleporting, and moving at speeds greater than the hit-man can follow, Ryeka inflicts blast upon blast into the misty bulk of black. Each hole heals slower than the last. With a wicked gleam in her crimson eyes she decides to finally take the offensive. She goes to summon a swarm of small guardian logs yet they fail her, leaving her wondering whether her impure Juraian blood is the cause of this technique no longer working. Ryeka falls back in this moment of being on the off foot on summoning another dark orange barrier, but this time encapsulating most of her foe instead of defending her from it. A grin forms on her face as she shrinks the barrier, constricting the ethereal midnight one inside. She drops the barrier and flies swift and true at her staggered enemy. A gush of purple spills to the floor as an arm is severed, or what she believes to be an arm for it ends in a white hand. The assassin roars in pain as blackness enshrouds its amputation. Ryeka dismissively throws one of her blue swords into its pale face. It reels as the burning lance sticks in its head and then a hard kick from the fused woman sends it straight through the other side and cracks the alabaster face as if it were a mask. For a split second she sees a dark fanged maw underneath the splitting white face.
Purple rips through the top half of the maimed assassin. Ryeka lands and starts walking back towards the other women as inky black smoke billows behind her. She stops, pauses and pivots about looking unimpressed as she still senses life from the thing she just blasted apart. Tendrils of midnight writhe and swarm into the air as a giant mass of black begins to take shape. One last blast that finally makes use of a fair amount of her power ends it and rattles the darkened realm. Ryeka heads back with her job done. She managed to waste a bit of time toying with it, knowing that she could end it at any given second if she needed to, and is in no hurry to reach the others. After a minute or so of ambling back through the tarry mists and viscous black, she reaches her barrier and disperses it into many floating lights of amber so they have at least some illumination in here. Washu's skin is turning pale and Ryeka looks down at the two injured women and how she failed to act in time to save them. Her birth did not occur in time.
Suddenly, Ryeka freezes and shrinks in on herself as golden rays blare out from behind her back and her amber candles flare out of existence. Two supremely massive ki signatures have entered the realm. Mihoshi turns to stare at her saviours, Washu blinks and squints at the bright light as the delirium of blood loss leaves her unable to make a connection between the brightness and her salvation. Ryeka stands there, immobile, with her back turned as icy dread shoots through her veins.
He is here.
For the first time in her short life, Ryeka feels very acute pain and fear. She can feel his black eyes boring holes in her back. A man roars out behind her and she violently recoils at the sound. Gotenks in his third Super Saiyan form flies up and above the group, looking about for this enemy he was promised. Timidly, Ryeka glances over her shoulder.
Doubled over as he clutches at the small of his back where the ascended version of his fused son kicked him, Vegeta stands, snarling. He looks rough, with a few days worth of stubble growing on his jaw, stained and torn clothing and heavy bags under his dark eyes that turn and look her way. The Saiyan prince rises to his full height with his eyes fixed on this new woman and immediately the fusion begins fearing the worst, the bringer of pain is staring at her and then he begins briskly walking towards her.
"Darn it, there's nothing here. So much for the Grim Reaper of Justice having a moment in the spotlight, guess you already took care of it for me, fusion buddy. Don't worry 'bout dad, I got him covered, he's just grumpy." Gotenks begins lazing about in the air as he speaks to the other fusion but is totally ignored. He struck his half-father as a reminder and watches as the woman starts to tremble and shake as Vegeta approaches. His eyes show no signs of redness yet all she knows is this man's mere presence is hurting her, this man she has never met but knows all about.
He stands a clean foot shorter than her and the blue sash she is using for modesty's sake does not feel enough any longer. Her arms cross over her chest. Staring up at her for a second, Vegeta moves on past Ryeka without a word and kneels down next to Washu. As Mihoshi starts talking to him about her efforts and how she has been trying, Vegeta takes control of the situation and starts by removing the bandage. The cop makes a move to prevent him from doing so but he stops her and replies saying he knows what he is doing.
" V … Vegeta? I … I made it?" She cannot feel what he is doing, her body is going numb, and so Washu dumbly smiles up at the Saiyan above her. Elation is washing over her, she never thought there would be a day when she would be so happy to see a Saiyan but her life is in his capable hands now and she trusts his abilities. She holds the key to his training room remaining operational and so she is as good as saved already. A grunt of pain coughs out of her throat as she feels his hand inside her wound.
" Yes, lucky for you I can deduce that if my son is flying towards me there must be a dire need for it. This will hurt, a lot." Vegeta explores her wound and is quick in examining the damage and learning Tuffle anatomy at the same time. The 10 minutes that Washu estimated have not passed at all, she underestimated Vegeta and him sensing and teleporting out to his approaching son thus enabling him to get here whilst she still draws breath.
" Thank you. Thank you, Vegeta, guess I … I really owe you one now."
"I own your life already, be thankful I have use for you."
Washu's stomach begins to feel warm and most of her lethargy leaves her as Vegeta gifts her a small amount of ki to keep her body running and out of danger. Her emerald eyes open wide and her body begins to feel alive again. The side of a calloused hand gets shoved into her mouth and her teeth firmly clamp down upon it as Vegeta's promise of pain comes true. Acting quickly, he wields a small orb of ki on the end of one finger and burns at the open veins and blood vessels to stem as much of the bleeding as he can. She begins to wish she was less lucid again as the pain swells with the stench of roasting flesh. Her teeth ache as she clamps down hard on his hand, the hand he placed so she would not bite her own tongue and choke on her blood. Vegeta sends additional ki into her as he starts work on sealing up the wound by melting the flesh together as he tries to keep the scientist from falling into a state of shock. This primitive and brute force approach to first aid is all of what he can do to buy her more time, he stands with blood dripping from one hand and saliva from the other and looks across to Kiyone. He sees nothing visibly wrong with her and so he can do nothing for her.
From several metres away Gotenks calls out to Vegeta that he is ready and is going to start destroying the wall between dimensions. The aura around the fused half-Saiyan grows and pulses as he charges up his power and the Saiyan prince bends down and puts a hand on both injured women with Washu still groaning in pain at the cauterisation she received. Ryeka jumps when she sees Vegeta looking up at her. He tells her to grab Mihoshi and to be ready to teleport out as soon as she can, she does as he says and looks across to the Super Saiyan 3. Then the screaming begins. Both Mihoshi and Ryeka hold their spare hands over their ears to block out the destructively loud vocals roaring out of the Super Saiyan 3. Vegeta flares up to Super Saiyan and uses his ki to shield the injured from the immense power and the ear-splitting noise. Sparks arc about the air, lightning freely flies with the thunderous screaming and then a single crack is all they hear. With their ears still ringing from the ridiculously loud yelling, they barely hear Gotenks shouting at them that he has saved the day. The Super Saiyan 3 holds out a peace sign with one hand before flying through the small crack between dimensions.
Gotenks lands victoriously, smug at how essential he was in the rescue mission and how he easily pulled off the feat that no-one else could, he looks about and sees Yamcha's figure get whisked away. The blackness vanishes. Night becomes the only shade covering the landscape as the dimensional realm dissipates and leaves the house and surrounding area as it previously was. If they had stayed in but a moment longer after rupturing the dome they would have ceased to be also. Standing there with Ryeka, Sasami and Mihoshi, he says that his dad has taken the injured to Dende for his Namekian healing magic and announces that he is going off to train. With that, the golden haired fusion vanishes and in that same second Mihoshi quietly excuses herself. There is no spring in her step as she shakily makes her way inside the house and towards the bathroom, she badly needs to clean herself.
" Who … sister?" Worried pink eyes gaze widely up at this unfamiliar woman who exited in stead of the sister she was expecting. Sasami was there as they discussed the fusion technique but with so much going on around her she is struggling to wrap her head around it, confused and still scared after everything that has happened she just wants her sister back. Ryeka looks down at the girl and opens her mouth to speak but just nods instead.
"I haven't eaten in 3 days, Sasami, one of your meals would be appreciated." A gruff voice sounds from behind the freckle-faced Juraian. Sasami turns to see a very haggard Vegeta stood behind her, his black eyes locked on the fused woman. There are what appear to be claw marks on the front of his training outfit, his gloves and boots are missing and seeing one of his hands covered in blood frightens this on edge girl. She asks him what he did. Vegeta looks down at Sasami and crouches so he is at her height. He wipes his bloodied hand on the grass before giving her an answer.
" What I did is something I am not proud of. As you would say, I was a bully. I did wrong. When Ryoko came to me I-"
" No! Don't. Say. It. Get away from him, Sasami, and let him starve. He's … he is a foul monster." Ryeka growls in her dual voice at the Saiyan and steps up, placing her hands protectively on her half sister before ushering her away. She will not abide by him saying so casually his crime and she will not have Sasami learn of it from his filthy mouth. Sasami senses the danger in this woman and the situation and out of respect for her sister she leaves them still without her answer.
Vegeta stands up and faces this tall woman, her burning crimson eyes glare down at him in a harrowing fashion. She hisses through her teeth and a great urge within her builds. The fear inside her is giving way to anger, all the terror and dread that paralysed her is now boiling and frothing into an unthinkable rage. This man has made her life torturous, he has introduced her to pain, gut wrenching agony that thrives in her head and her chest just from the mere sight of him, she detests him with a bloody passion. Ryeka clenches her fists and raises them. The Saiyan is still an indomitable mountain of power compared to her but her fury is blotting out the fact he can still easily do to her what he did to Ryoko. Vegeta takes a deep breath and maintains eye contact with Ryeka.
" I apologise for-" Five hits strike him around his jaw and throat and interrupt his apology. His raven hair flutters with each impact. Vegeta calmly inhales and exhales. Those hits did not hurt him at all. Ryeka is seething through her teeth. Though underwhelming as he did not get hurt by her attacks, Ryeka finds pleasure in this venting. "I am sorry."
A second barrage of blows hammers into the unmoving Saiyan's cheeks. She lets out a long shuddering exhale onto his face. Touching his flesh with those cold eyes staring at her is now unnerving and disgusting her. Letting out her anger through violence, she finds it mildly fulfilling but images flash in her mind of Ryoko's torture and how he laughed as he hit her. She snarls as she lowers her fists. It feels like a defeat to her, not trying to attack him where he stands, but she does not want to stoop down to his level, or aggravate him to a point he retaliates. She wants to inflict her pain back upon him, to make him know how she feels yet at the same time she does not want to show how utterly damaged she is because of him.
"What is your name?"
"My … my name? Why do you ca - … I … I am Ryeka." Taken aback by his sudden change of tact, the fused woman reluctantly gives him her name. She is wary of this change. He is a cunning and strategic man and she knows this has to be some sort of ploy on his part, she will not let him worm his way out from the fate he deserves. Ryeka wants him to continue his apologising. She wants him to beg and grovel at her feet, and she will be deaf to his pleas for mercy just like he was with Ryoko. He has to earn this forgiveness and not until he has been humbled and his pride torn from him and she is satisfied with whatever offerings he can give her will she ever even consider the notion of giving him any sort of reprieve.
"You are both Ryoko and Ayeka and neither of them at the same time. I … would it be best for me to wait this out?" Vegeta was expecting a very hostile welcome home, but what he was not expecting was this complication. He has no idea how to work around the issue of what Ryeka is and how he should act towards her. For all intents and purposes she is a stranger, someone he has just met, he cannot tell if what he says to this fusion will make it through to the women he has wronged. He has never concerned himself too much with this aspect, his son does remember the times when he was Gotenks but this is a very sensitive situation. There is a stark difference between what he has to say to Ayeka and to Ryoko and he cannot do that if they are one. Vegeta does not know how to handle a delicate issue with someone when he is not too sure as to who exactly they are.
She heavily staggers back away from this Saiyan. That suggestion is an attack on her as an individual. Ryeka's ears droop and her lip quivers. He is not thinking about her, but those two who made her instead. She might not be the one who clawed desperately at the front of his outfit but all the pain he has caused resides within her. He most certainly is not going to be allowed to hang around for the 20 minutes or so she has left. She does not care if this makes things harder for him or not and she is aware enough about herself to understand the difficulty Vegeta is having concerning her existence, he will just have to make do for she is not going anywhere and neither is he.
"Y-y-y-you think I can just stand here with you on the same planet as me? You're vile, you're filth, you … I … I hate all that you are."
" And you are not them. You are not Ryoko, you are not Ayeka. I don't know how this works. I owe them my apologies and a debt, I do not know … Are you them? Will what I say now get through to Ryoko and Ayeka?"
" Do I not matter at all to you?" Pointing to her chest as she yells in protest at being discarded as a person in her own rights, Ryeka feels new personal pain being added to that she inherited from her fusees. She is the one standing in front of him and yet it appears as if he could not care less for her. She has a right to his apology as well. Ryeka does not want to be some form conjured to gain power, she wants to be Ryeka, herself. She wants to matter, and matter to him. Her head turns to face away and hide the abject hurt on her face.
" Ryeka, that – how am I supposed to answer that? Are you the same women I have wronged, or have we just met?"
"I'm new! … I'm … I'm not them. It hurts though, the pain, oh by Tsunami the pain, their pain is mine, their hate is mine. Mine! We-they- I trusted you! How could you do that?"
Answers are required and requested. Vegeta rubs at the bridge of his nose. He knows what he did was wrong and the reason why he did it disgusts and shames him. One of his great secret fears played out. The Saiyan prince lost control. He was defeated by his own body and hormones, he failed in his attempts to protect Ryoko. Though his failure could have been far more severe bringing that up will not serve him to any end. He is trying to keep his voice calm. He has decided that he will make the efforts for this Ryeka, as much as he can given who she is and the ticking hourglass that is her lifespan. Vegeta keeps his head in his hand as he thinks, trying to formulate the best way to say this, or if there are any better ways to direct this conversation or what to do for his penance.
"Look at me! Coward. Why? WHY?!" Ryeka roughly yanks away his hand and holds his head up by the throat. Delays are not what she is after. Patience was something she was not born with. Her hand trembles at the feel of his skin and she would lift him up to her height if she did not think that she would drop him out of revulsion. Vegeta knows to keep his cool and that he cannot touch this woman, if he made any move towards her or to even remove her hand from him would be disastrous. He does not like giving excuses but there is one sentence he has to say for his own sake.
" I gave you every protective counter measure that I could."
" It was a lie though, right? You played pretend, you …. You led me on, you only keep me around to hurt me, you care nothing for me or what I feel!"
" … I did fake those actions at the end of our dates. I do not know how you saw through-"
" Lust filled beasts don't tend to discriminate and go easier on fertile girls!"
" And what part of that threat told Ryoko to try and commit suicide with me as the weapon? It was a threat, it was a bribe, what else could I have done to have gotten her to stay away?"
Vegeta tried to prevent this eventuality. He did wrong, he caused hurt and harm, he did not go seeking to cause this though. There is no excusing what he did but his plan and his efforts have to be at least acknowledged. He can think of nothing else he could have done to stop Ryoko bar hurting her so she hated him, even sating her desire for him would have left her hungry for more. Vegeta sees now that the minor discrepancy in how he treated Ayeka is the cause for all this. He thought nothing of it but he should have known that Ryoko of all people would be heavily analysing his actions towards the princess. Cursing inside his head, he feels the hands of Ryeka leave him. They clench and unclench repeatedly before she knees him hard in the stomach.
" What does that matter now? You tried to rape her! You … you broke her. Why? Why, why, why!" Ryeka is hearing none of his reasons and excuses, whatever he tried to do does not matter for it did not work, not one bit. She needs to know why he attacked Ryoko, why he was incapable of controlling himself, why he had to call out Ayeka's name and why she has to feel this way towards him. He hurt her and there has to be a reason why he did it. There has to be. Just talking to him is becoming too much for her to bear. Her rage and her pain course through her more than her blood does. She needs to know.
" All of my concentration and willpower was going towards control over my strength so as not to instantly kill Ryoko, I … I was not strong enough to also protect her from my unleashed sadism." Torturing those he has defeated, breaking the wills and bodies of those who dare challenge him, Vegeta revels in the moments that his foes break. He did not live a life of killing and fighting without taking joy in his work. Nowadays he rarely has an outlet for that side of him, life on Earth has tamed him but has not eradicated the murderous Saiyan. That is not to say that he takes joy in causing pain to all, a very select few exist which he cares for and does not want to bring hurt to; his family, Sasami and the women courting him. He failed. The might of an Oozaru, he took that bestial mind and made it his own. The powers of possession that enslaved the king of the demon realm, he stole its strength and rid himself of Babidi. However, his own nature got the better of him, the mind of a prince reduced to some carnally driven animal. He failed and his honed sadistic ways were let loose on a woman who loves him. It was all he could do to spare her life and stop himself from doing the deed that his mating season urges him to.
"Your sadism? So so-so-so that's what it was then! You called her name purely to hurt me! How … how?" Ryeka sinks to her knees. He admitted it to her but the truth does not make it easier for her. For Ryoko it means those niggling doubts of him favouring Ayeka can be removed but that is not something Ryeka cares for. She has got her reason. It is not a pleasant one.
" I was in a state fixated with sating my desires and I take joy in delivering pain and killing."
"You hurt me for pleasure. You hurt me for your own sick, sick pleasure!"
Ryeka has reached her limit. She can go on no further. The dams break behind her red eyes. She cries, she holds her head in her hands and lets loose her grief for her broken heart. What he has done to her hurts her so much and this knowledge that he enjoyed doing it, whether caught up in the moment or not, devastates her. Vocalising her pain in agonised wails and sobs, Ryeka shows Vegeta how much his failings have cost her. Some of her cyan and purple infused hair falls over her shoulders and hangs a heavy frame around her head. The tormenting misery she feels does not abate or lessen. Every time she thinks about his actions and those cold words she feels the knife twist a little deeper in her bosom. She has been born into pain, and she wants it to stop, she needs it to let up. The Saiyan looks down at this woman, forcing himself to see the price of his weakness. He wants to try and ease her pain and comfort her, but he cannot do that, she will not accept him to do anything of the sort.
A minute passes and another follows it, Ryeka continues to weep. Vegeta walks the few metres to the lakeside and keeps one eye on the woman he wronged to make sure she does not see this as him running away. He needs water, the rock in space he holed up on had breathable air but that was about it apart from some small pools of moisture. His thirst gets quenched by the waters of the lake and he properly cleans his right hand still stained with Washu. Standing back up and walking back near to Ryeka, Vegeta crosses his arms and sits down facing this woman he brought to her knees. He lets her cry and only after a while of waiting and her sobs quiet does he speak again to her.
" I am sorry. I failed her, you, Ayeka … I am ashamed by what I fell to. You have every right to hate me for what I have done. I swear though that I will make amends, no matter how large the debt I have to repay, I shall pay it back." Vegeta solemnly states his intentions as Ryeka raises her head to look at him. All she does is slowly shake her head back at him.
" … Not to me though, you have no intention of making it up to me, right? 30 minute lifespan, you're discarding me and my pain." Ryeka slowly shuffles herself over into a seating position as well as she faces this man, her prince. It is clear as day to her that he is only showing concern to her due to the people who will emerge when her time runs out. He cannot do or say anything within the remaining quarter of an hour that will make an ounce of difference. The pain will not stop for her even if he tries his hardest to heal her. It is a hard thing to accept, she does not like it but she has resigned herself to it. The fire within her is burning on embers and ash, her passion spilt upon the ground as tears.
"There is nothing I can do about that, Ryeka, I cannot prolong your life and you will never exist again. I cannot make it up to you in such a short amount of time."
" So you aren't even going to try, I truly do mean nothing to you. I love you too, y'know."
Her throat burns in rebellion at that confession. So much of her wants only to ever scream her hate at him, to vomit bile and insults all over him, but she is aware that she has a very limited opportunity to speak. Ryoko and Ayeka are not likely to fuse again, she will never exist and get to speak to Vegeta again. Even if she hates him and he hurts her this is her one chance to tell him her feelings. She wants him to realise that she exists. That Ryeka is as much a person as he is, that she has her own emotions whether they are borrowed from the people who fused to create her or not. Vegeta calmly nods, it is a welcome confession to him for it means he still holds at least one of the women's affections.
"I know, I can tell. My answer to you is the same it was to the parts who made you."
" Dammit. 2 months is a bit too long for me, heh … I'm superior to them in every way, aren't I? If I was an option would you care for me then?" She lets out one self deprecating laugh at her own misfortune. Her ruby red eyes lock onto his face, searching his soul for an answer to see if things were different she would every have a chance at happiness. In her mind she is the perfect woman, with all the strengths of her components and none of their weaknesses, and her beauty is divine as far as she can tell. She adjusts her Metamoran vest so it conceals more, brushes her hair back and wipes at her face.
Vegeta meets her stare. He takes a few seconds to seriously think on her question, giving it the time that it deserves. Scratching at his jaw, he can only shrug and respond that he does not want to hurt Ryoko or Ayeka further by accepting the love of another. A few more tears run down Ryeka's face.
"Now at least I have my own reason for hating you, I have something that is my own. You are a bastard, a cold hearted, monkey-fucking bastard."
Rejected. Ryeka sits there as this second crushing blow hits into her. She expected as much, thankfully her hatred towards him is dampening this rejection though not as much as she would like it to. A weak smile plays across her face as she spews some insults at him, there is little venom to her tone. For all that is said and done she knew he was going to reject her anyway, whether it be basic pragmatism or a disliking of fusion in general, but he was kind in his dismissal of her. Telling herself that it does not matter anyway, she stands and walks over to the lakeside and observes her reflection. With only starlight and the light that shines through the windows of the house behind her Ryeka sees what she looks like. She tries making the weak smile on her face grow but it cannot. Ripples dissolve her image as she adds her own saline waters to the lake.
" Ryeka, can you tell me why Ryoko visited me?" Vegeta has a question of his own he would like answered. He knows she saw through the display of false lust he put on for her but he still does not understand why she thought going to see him would be a safe idea after he went to those lengths to keep her away. A keening breath is inhaled by Ryeka. It is so obvious to her, so painfully and terribly obvious, and if Vegeta had a moderate amount of empathy then he would also know.
" Because she loved you. She loves you and she was so damn lonely without you. Your little prank made her doubt you and your threats, fancifully thinking you were all talk and it was just some ruse so that you would not betray your dead wife and sleep with her. … She only wanted to talk to you and perhaps share a kiss, did you know that? Did you know that was all she wanted as you beat her to a pulp and blasted off her arm? You called another woman's name as you ravaged her, you stabbed her with her infertility and crashed it down on her head. … How could you do that to her? How could you find that f-f-f-fun? You broke your promise to her, I feel her want to kill you and it is so strong, deservingly so."
Ryeka is joined at the lake's edge by Vegeta. She keeps her direction of focus downwards towards the water, glancing at the reflection of the prince by her side and the stars shining above them. He apologises to her and she calmly shakes her head. Words will never be enough. With her elfin ears she can hear how he means what he says and the faint trace of emotion tinting his words which allow her to discern he is sincere. Yet he did plainly break his promise to Ryoko to not let her infertility come back and bite her during his mating season, and his words were true then as well. There is no trust between her and this man. Whether he holds good intentions or not means little when she always ends up hurt due to him; some careless words brought on from his pride, an unthinking action he instinctually does because of the way he is, or an unspeakable horror due to his own biology. He can say sorry till he is blue in the face and mean every single word but it will not undo what he has done to her. Vegeta is a man of action and so only actions can gain him her favour, but he does not want her favour, and his actions will not be directed to her.
" I accept full responsibility and blame for what transpired there, my efforts were not enough and it seems my reckless plan only served to bait the trap. … Ryeka, whilst you are still here, I need to tell you a few things. First, I will make it up to Ryoko and Ayeka." Trying to make the best of a bad situation, Vegeta wants to use this time to talk to this fusion and say to her what both Ryoko and Ayeka need to know. There is nothing he can do for Ryeka. Time is necessary to heal these wounds and she has very little. She merely scoffs at his promise.
" With what? What in all the heavens could you possibly do to earn your forgiveness from this? There is no penance great enough. You think … Y-y-you think I am blind and stupid enough to accept more empty promises and hollow actions, all of which are devoid of any meaning and emotion …"
"About that, I will change. As soon as possible I, and my son, will enter time dilated training for a year. I require this training to close the gap on Kakarot, and it will give me the time I need to help me move on. I cannot make promises as to whether a year will be enough, but … it should help me be more open to their feelings."
Ryeka turns to face him. Though definitely not purely for their sake, he is giving up an entire year of his life so that he, and his son, can move past Bulma. Of course he will be training but this sounds promising. Promising for Ryoko and Ayeka. A whole year they will not have to wait, a year for him to grieve and put the past behind him, a year for him to start thinking properly about which woman he would like to spend the rest of his life with. She can tell he was going to do this anyway, this is no gesture of goodwill, this is no offering to aid her pain. She goes back to looking at her dim reflection in the lake, her tears having dried and stopped disturbing her image.
" So when you gave me that 2 month bullshit this was your plan all along then? I'm not going to complain about not having to wait a whole damn year, though this means nothing to me. You're not scoring any points with this, there is no down side to it I suppose at least."
"There is one. I am 46 now, after this 47. Saiyan life expectancy is not in the same league as that of Juraians or Ryoko's. I do not know the age that Saiyans can live to, and with my ki I can easily prolong my physique staying in its prime, but not indefinitely. As a Saiyan I also cannot allow myself to fall into decline, when my body starts to fail me there is only one I know of capable of giving me a suitable death. There is a good chance I am half way through my lifespan."
" I have you beat on that, Vegeta. Well if you ever manage to become worthy of me then I guess those dragonballs will have another use." Ryeka makes a joke about her own diminishing time to belittle the Saiyan's thoughts on his own mortality and age. This is not an issue she cares for, she will not live to see any of this and it hardly seems much of a pressing issue when he has already been wished back from the dead 3 times. With a part of her wanting to viciously rip this man apart, she cannot find much sympathy for his situation of growing old.
"Wish me longevity? It is not so simple. If I outlive my son … If I gain my victory through beating an ageing Kakarot it will mean nothing, and if he loses his wife he will become as lost as I did. There is time to find a solution, but you ought to be aware that this issue exists."
"What about a solution to the main issue though? You given any thought to anyone that isn't you?" Turning to face him now, Ryeka has had enough of this distraction and him using her as some sort of broadcast system to reach both Ryoko and Ayeka without him having to put effort in. She does not give a damn about this. She wants to know what his plan is concerning her pain and how he is going to make it up to Ryoko and Ayeka. Nothing else matters to her, this is what is important and whatever else he wants to discuss can wait until a later date. Her eyes burn into him. Some of the damp ashes within her are relighting again.
" Plenty, though that corresponds to Ryoko and Ayeka as individuals. Is there anything that you-"
"If you cannot even be bothered to devote the time or effort to think on it for me, and you have to pathetically beg me for ideas and aid in gaining your own forgiveness, then it will mean nothing, nothing at all to me." Her multicoloured hair swishes as she spins to face away and shun him, the dual voice of hers rising and letting anger seep into both of its tones. She crosses her arms and takes a few steps away from Vegeta. Red eyes shut as she tries to control the rage growing back inside her at him so flippantly asking her instead of him trying himself. All those times before that her components kindly offered him aid he declined but this one time he should be doing things on his own he has the nerve to ask for her aid in earning his own forgiveness. This grates awfully against her. Her shoulders shudder and she takes several deep breaths before turning back around to face him.
"I am truly sorry for the damage I have caused." Vegeta bows his head to her as he apologises again.
"And hell if I'm going to accept that. I … I thought this lasted half an hour, it's ending. I'm going." A worried expression dawns on Ryeka's face as she looks down at herself and holds her hands in front of her. She can feel something changing inside her and from gut instinct she can tell that her time has come to an early end. She is going to disappear. Ryeka looks down at the Saiyan, a faint sorrow in her eyes at having to leave and on this note too. Vegeta solemnly nods his head.
"I would say the amount of emotional stress and strain on you is causing this rift to open prematurely, but that is a guess. Farewell, Ryeka."
" You treat them right, if not I'll come back and kick your arse." Ryeka says one last remark and threat to the Saiyan she hates as she feels the bisection occurring. She points one finger towards Vegeta and makes a shooting motion at him with a weak smile on her face for she knows that she cannot back up her threat at all. A light engulfs her body, the light splits and becomes two and then the light fades.