Originally Posted by
Sub-Zero MKA
Sarada had been surrounded by darkness for a long time. It was quiet, seclusive, peaceful. Here, in this ever expansive pitch black void, Sarada could meditate without end. She could think without worry. She could finally rest. She had been so tired, so worried, so stressed for so long, that it was nice and good to finally have some time to herself.
The only downside was how this time of peace and rest came about.
She remembered only the double pinprick sensations she felt on both sides of her neck, then nothing. She could hear bits and pieces of the outside world, nothing too substantial, but enough to recognize the voices of those she knew and had enough context clues to determine what was being talked about. Two weeks, that was how much they were giving her. Surely they could have thought a little better of her than to assume she'd give up when her time limit was up. There was a promise she made to Ishtar, that she would always be there when she needed her to be.
That hadn't changed, regardless of the state she currently was in.
Aka Manah was muffled during this extended slumber, so she didn't know if Ishtar needed her right then or not. No, that wasn't quite right. She knew she needed her, because this state Sarada found herself in wasn't acceptable to the Oni. She already knew how poorly Ishtar was taking this, and how sour her mood was, even without the benefit of Aka Manah. And to hear the doctors claim she only had two weeks to live meant they didn't care what Ishtar wanted, what Sarada knew she needed - which was for her Saiyan to be alive and well.
So, she fought. She didn't know what was afflicting her, but it was no match for her Saiyan tenacity, her pride. She wasn't going to die without seeing her love again. She wasn't going to die at all. So, she fought. She resisted. She held back the cold, comforting grip of death as much as she could.
But, it wasn't a fight she was going to win on her own. Sickness spread throughout her entire body, and as paralyzed as she was, she couldn't fight that sort of damage on her own. Nothing that entered her body since that day when this began worked for very long, if at all. Sometimes, the affliction shifted tactics and bypassed an attempted cure right away; other times, it allowed the cure to believe it worked, only to ambush it when its guard was down and it was complacent in its assumed victory.
These trends continued for days. However, Sarada never gave up. Her spirit never wavered, nor did it flicker like a dying candle. She persevered, knowing the doctors or someone would pull her through.
Then, snippets of Tasure's voice trickled through the darkness. She couldn't understand what she was talking about, but soon after her arrival, there was a voice she didn't recognize, a man's voice. They said something about food - she was starving! - doing something to better her condition. She believed, and her faith was rewarded. She could feel herself becoming stronger, more aware. She wasn't there yet, but she was closer than she had been in days.
Then, him.
Held.
She didn't know how he got there, or why he was there, but she was glad he was. She knew he could accomplish things that he, frankly, had no business doing with that spear of his. Snippets of his comments trickled through. He was going to try and cure her! Was it possible? Who knew?
She was going to find out.
She was just aware enough to barely feel him touching her finger. Then, a white light pierced a small portion of the darkness. It wasn't much, but it was something. Unlike the attempts prior, this one stuck. The darkness was swallowed up by the light, and disappeared.
Encouragement.
She felt stronger! She was going to pull through and wake up!
More light poured in from all over. Holes were being punched in the darkness, spreading like acid and eating away at the pitch blackness. It was a slow process, but it was steady and consistent.
Then, for the first time in days, she was surrounded by nothing but light.
I'm okay now. She was safe. More importantly, she was going to see her Oni again.
Too quickly to comprehend, her consciousness returned to her body. She knew she was laying in a bed, soaking wet, presumably because she had been floating in a healing tank. She could hear with crystal clarity Held explaining what was going on with Maiz. She heard Maiz sigh with unrestrained relief and thank Held ceaselessly for his miracle.
"Ugh," she groaned. Her eyes flickered open, only to squeeze shut as the hyper bright and sterilized lights of the medical wing of the palace blinded her.
"Easy." A hand on her shoulder; small, but firm. It was Maiz. "Slowly."
Following her suggestion, she slowly opened her eyes bit by bit, allowing a controlled amount of light in until she could open them all the way. Held was still there, along with his unicorn. Maiz was also, her face etched with unadulterated relief and happiness. Tasure was too, as was a human she hadn't seen before. Given how closely they were standing, he must have been Bekon, her mate.
Good, he was alive again.
"What happened?" she inquired, her voice so soft and weak that she barely heard it herself.
Maiz, despite her age, apparently did. "You were attacked by an assassin. They injected you with a similar toxin that killed Parsley, but Held and Crazy Horn cured you. You've been in a coma the last four days."
There were some missing details, but those could be sussed out later. She glanced back at the Nevadian and Unicorn and gave them an expansive nod of pure gratitude. "I owe you one, Held."
Ishtar wasn't there. She couldn't feel her power; even if that was impossible, there was no way she'd be anywhere but by her side if she was on Vocado. That she wasn't only meant... she was on Earth, making the wish to revive Parsley and the other Saiyans. Great. That was great.
Aka Manah was returning full force. Immediately, she felt an immense, incredible pain at her midsection. "Agh!"
"What's wrong?!"
"My... pain... Ishtar is hurt." The agony was incredible, far worse than the painless slumber she had enjoyed the last few days.
"She went to Earth to use the Dragonballs," Maiz mumbled. "I'm sure, she's... what are you doing?!" She placed both hands firmly, but somehow gently on Sarada's shoulders when the young Queen attempted to get out of bed. "You need to regain your strength. Ishtar can handle herself. You need to rest."
"No! I have to help her." She struggled, but her strength was still meager. "Get off me!"
Maiz sighed tersely and kept holding her down. "We may need to sedate her. She's going to get herself killed if she leaves in this condition."
She was talking to the doctor, who was motioning to someone at the door. No! She couldn't let them stop her. She had to go help! "Ishtar! What's going on? Why are you hurt??"