Dragonball M, Chapter 2: Lighthouse! Across the Shores of Shattered Time!

[rhyvurg]

"Hooo...." Erosa raised an eyebrow. "....You want me gone already? Your no fun at all....."

Putting on a serious face, Erosa cross her arms and stepped up to Adam. ".........and worst of all you and Sarada seem to be ignorant of the hierarchy here. Midori is my consort, first and foremost, and her time is mine to take before anyone else....If you object, then challenge me for that right instead of hiding away and stealing it like a coward."

"You cannot appeal to a sense of pride that does not exist, Erosa. You are incapable of provoking me. If Midori wishes me to defeat you first, I will. If she does not deem it necessary, your opinion becomes irrelevant."

[MrSandman]

"Hierarchy, huh? Midori is your consort and you get first dibs, huh?" She scratched her chin lazily and let out a soft laugh. "Oh yeah? Where was all this high and mighty bullshit when I proposition her right in front of you? Huh? Oh, let me guess: you were just restraining yourself, right?"

Tapping her fingers together, Erosa tilted her head back to stare at Sarada, a half smile returning to her face. "I'm sorry...I can only service one rival at a time, and I already have you lined up...so I didn't feel the need to go so soon. But if you really want me to....I could take you both.....Ehehehe.....a threesome with a ball of goo and a monkey. Trying new things is fun you know."

"You cannot appeal to a sense of pride that does not exist, Erosa. You are incapable of provoking me. If Midori wishes me to defeat you first, I will. If she does not deem it necessary, your opinion becomes irrelevant."

Turning back to Adam, Erosa let out a sigh. ".......Oh dear.....just hearing you talk is boring me to tears." TO emphasis, Erosa had to attempt to stifle a yawn with her large metal land.....which looked slightly cumbersome. "You talk like having no pride is good....but would you ever feel pride with Midori. You say you'd never answer to provocation....does that mean you'd never fight for Midori? Are you just a soulless sex toy, with no true feelings for her? If you were.....I might be convinced not to care.....but you'd have to sell it too me."

Erosa learned in and giggled. "Its that, or at the next stop we make.....I have my way with you...."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Tapping her fingers together, Erosa tilted her head back to stare at Sarada, a half smile returning to her face. "I'm sorry...I can only service one rival at a time, and I already have you lined up...so I didn't feel the need to go so soon. But if you really want me to....I could take you both.....Ehehehe.....a threesome with a ball of goo and a monkey. Trying new things is fun you know."

Hm. A threesome between herself, Adam, and Erosa?

Given Adam's capacity to change its body at will, there was little doubt it could satisfy her every desire. It could give change its body so that it could have big boobs and big manhood at the same time.

Hm.


Hmm.

Hmmmmmm.

Nah.

She already had all the meat she could handle with Jack. If he would come out of hiding, she could give him some love and attention, since she had been paying exclusive attention to Ishtar ever since they woke up on the Junjo ship. She made a mental note to find him and give him the necklace she bought for him on Turrip a few weeks ago. It wasn't anything special, but he didn't look like the kind of guy who required lavish displays of affection. Just a little gift to show him she had been thinking about him a lot during their time away from each other.

But, that was later.

"I'll pass. Nothing against Adam, but I already have all the dick I need with Jack. You two can have all the fun you want."

Turning back to Adam, Erosa let out a sigh. ".......Oh dear.....just hearing you talk is boring me to tears." TO emphasis, Erosa had to attempt to stifle a yawn with her large metal land.....which looked slightly cumbersome. "You talk like having no pride is good....but would you ever feel pride with Midori. You say you'd never answer to provocation....does that mean you'd never fight for Midori? Are you just a soulless sex toy, with no true feelings for her? If you were.....I might be convinced not to care.....but you'd have to sell it too me."

Erosa learned in and giggled. "Its that, or at the next stop we make.....I have my way with you...."

Oh? Well, what was this? Erosa switched from appeasing to Adam's pride to calling its sapience into question. A bold move, one Sarada was interested in seeing the outcome of. Would Adam buckled under the weight of Erosa's accusations and fall directly into her trap, or would it keep its head held high and proceed as planned and make Midori's toes curl in passion right in front of his would-be rival.

Sarada awaited its response with bated breath. I wish I had some of that popped corn.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

A sudden tapping is heard as Tran and Tron, the two GP officers, aound off over the ship’s comm. Neither sound particularly happy.

“Alright, everyone out, this ship is......”

The other twin, Tron, clears his throat and shushes his brother.

“Besides, we have need of Adam’s services. P-sta has informed us you’re quite the mechanic and engineer. Our ship was damaged when it was first captured and we need repairs. Our engines are running at barely fifty percent. If we want to make it to Chroma before Miss Meagan’s friend, Jinzi, does and come straight into a fight we need it fixed soon. Now, preferably.”

Tran chimes in again.

“We would also like Miss Midori and Miss Shiro’s help on the bridge. We’ve encountered a rather strange issue we think you’ll be suited in solving.”

They both then sound off.

“Please.”

[Tami]

A sudden tapping is heard as Tran and Tron, the two GP officers, aound off over the ship’s comm. Neither sound particularly happy.

“Alright, everyone out, this ship is......”

The other twin, Tron, clears his throat and shushes his brother.

“Besides, we have need of Adam’s services. P-sta has informed us you’re quite the mechanic and engineer. Our ship was damaged when it was first captured and we need repairs. Our engines are running at barely fifty percent. If we want to make it to Chroma before Miss Meagan’s friend, Jinzi, does and come straight into a fight we need it fixed soon. Now, preferably.”

Tran chimes in again.

“We would also like Miss Midori and Miss Shiro’s help on the bridge. We’ve encountered a rather strange issue we think you’ll be suited in solving.”

They both then sound off.

“Please.”

Meagan seemed pleased, if they hadn't done this she was thinking of going to them and suggesting that they should. It would not surprise her if the whole ship was wired with cameras and for sound, and that the two Police Officers had been observing the goings on from the deck. If so, she really felt sorry for them, that they had to witness it.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

A sudden tapping is heard as Tran and Tron, the two GP officers, aound off over the ship’s comm. Neither sound particularly happy.

“Alright, everyone out, this ship is......”

The other twin, Tron, clears his throat and shushes his brother.

“Besides, we have need of Adam’s services. P-sta has informed us you’re quite the mechanic and engineer. Our ship was damaged when it was first captured and we need repairs. Our engines are running at barely fifty percent. If we want to make it to Chroma before Miss Meagan’s friend, Jinzi, does and come straight into a fight we need it fixed soon. Now, preferably.”

Tran chimes in again.

“We would also like Miss Midori and Miss Shiro’s help on the bridge. We’ve encountered a rather strange issue we think you’ll be suited in solving.”

They both then sound off.

“Please.”

"Hehehe," Sarada chuckled.

It seemed that the fun was over the moment the police showed up. Some things didn't change regardless of where I'm the galaxy she found herself.

"That was some grade A cockblocking. Is that a racial skill, or is it taught at the GP Academy?"

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

From a distance, Maiz listened to Totoma explain his reason for being there. He intended on traveling to Chroma, but didn't specify why. Unless she was mistaken, there was a Chromakai in the group Sarada found herself involved in months ago, so it stood to reason that he intended on visiting the girl. Not a lot of recent information was available about Chroma, she noticed. Any data they had dated back to around six or so years ago. Anything after that was a mystery. Perhaps that was why he planned on visiting, to learn more about the place and the people who inhabited it.

It would behoove Vocado to send a scout or two to study the planet so they could update their lessons. Surely things had changed somewhat in the last six years, if this planet was any indication. Maybe I'll plan a trip there when the children have some time off, she thought to herself.

His second reason was to meet with Mato to offer his support in the inevitable battle against Jagam. It improved their chances somewhat, but not nearly enough for her to feel confident in their victory. Too many unknowns about the monstrously evil hybrid were floating on their edge of their consciousness; the greatest of which was whether or not he was a Super Saiyan. Tasure suggested that he was. Sarada seemed to be proceeding under the assumption that he was. A smart strategy for a battle they were incapable of planning as thoroughly as many would like.

Still, Maiz could feel that Totoma had grown leaps and bounds since they last time they met, and she could feel even more power below the surface. Between that, Sarada's own startling progression, Mato, and whatever hidden techniques they had been developing just for this occasion, they stood a good chance of at least making Jagam sweat. Whether they could win depended on whether the Super Elites could put their pride aside and work in tandem. That was the only way they were going to make it out alive.

"Big Sister is really worried about Jagam," Pinach said with a melancholy frown. "She keeps saying he's a Super Saiyan and that we need to train really hard to stop him."

"That's why we've gotten so strong," Rutaba noted. "She trained us herself when she was here. She's gotten really strong herself."

"Yeah. I could hardly believe it when she told me her power level. Then she blew up a mountain with a energy blast!"

Maiz couldn't help but smile at the memory. The look of smug elation on her daug-- ward's face when people realized her power had grown substantially in just three months would forever be etched in her memory. The rate at which she grew in power was shocking, almost supernatural. To go from gaining 30 points on her power level to gaining 500 in just a few weeks, to gaining nearly 6500 in just a few months. There was more to it than simply having the pressure of pending slavery, or being away from her sister's influence. If this was Sarada's true potential, then Parsley was far more influential than even she knew.

"But, we'll stop him for sure! Justice always prevails, and Jagam is the on the opposite side of justice, so he's destined to lose!" Rutaba clenched a fist heroically. "I know that you and Sarada will team up to put a stop to his wicked schemes once and for all!"

The enthusiastic vote of confidence from two children may not have seemed like much, but perhaps it would serve as the bolster Totoma would need when they battle turned against him and his allies. Knowing that these two, and millions more were depending on him and Sarada could be more motivation to surpass their limits than anything else.

When her name was mentioned, she perked up. What followed was an offer to spar with the two, with her permission, of course. She had no reason to reject the offer. Sparring with someone as powerful as Totoma would do them more good than any possible harm that could arise.

"Us? Spar with you?" An excited grin reached their faces as their tails started to wag uncontrollably. "You bet, Just Saiyan! We have so many new techniques that Sarada taught us that we can show you!"

Totoma shared their apprehension about Jagam. He had, after all, experienced his power--or a portion of it--firsthand, and he knew just how terrifying and evil an opponent he was. However, he did not let it show, for the kids' sake. Losing morale at just the mention of the bastard's name wasn't something a hero would do, so he forced a cocky grin. "Right you are! Now that our people know, at least to some extent, what to prepare for, if he tries to go for any of the main Saiyan worlds, I do believe he'll be in for quite the nasty surprise! The longer he hides, the more swift and absolute his punishment will be!"

Most Saiyans weren't going to be of use against Jagam, but the top-class ones--Mato, Toma, his mother, and, yes, Sarada and himself... well, if they could somehow catch Jagam with all of them together, they might be able to win. After all, his mom was... well, he had no idea how strong she was after her training in the afterlife, other than really freaking strong. She seemed to be keeping her true power under wraps until it was truly needed. Like against Jagam.

Now, since Maiz didn't seem to have an issue and the kids were more than up for it, he had to go find one of the designated sparring areas. If memory served, just... fighting in the streets wasn't technically against the law, just... discouraged, since two (or more) Saiyans going at it was a recipe for property damage, even with advanced building materials. He walked over to Maiz and tossed her his capsules.

"Some of my grandfather's cooking, just in case we have any injuries. A few bites and we'll be back in fighting shape in no time!" One of these days, he was going to learn the art of "Coo-Ki", so that he too could craft dishes with healing and health-promoting effects. Why hadn't he thought to do that during the past six months? Damn it.

Anyway, sparring area... let's see... if memory serves, there should actually be one nearby. Big open field near the palace and CTC--a favorite for rivals and even lovers since, shit, at least his grandparents' time. He began walking towards where he recalled it being and, after a short trip, discovered it, just as he remembered.

He began stretching and loosening up as he entered the field. There were already a pair or two here, pounding away at each other. Their powers were... not particularly impressive, and he expected that once he and the kids got going, they'd put their fights on hold to watch.

"Now then, if Sarada's been training you, I better be careful," said Totoma, turning to face the two. "Six months ago, due to a terrible battle before we met, I was... unable to use the power I displayed. Now, however, I've recovered, at least in part, and able to use that power... and more!"

He clenched his fists and his aura, a calming, gentle blue, erupted into existence around him. Gradually, however, flecks of verdant green seeped into the aura, intermixing with the blue, and the overcoming it entirely. His aura became brighter and brighter, and then exploded outwards as his power swelled to the full extent.

The sphere of light cracked, then broke, and shards of ki floated upwards, dissipating into nothingness. Totoma stood there... surrounded in an aura of green flames, a foot taller, and even bulkier than he normally was. For a moment, his eyes lacked pupils, but they quickly returned, though they looked... odd, somehow.



Those with keen ki sensing abilities would note that his ki felt... different from before. It was larger and more intense, of course, but it felt... more aggressive, more primal, than before. Those nearby wearing scouters would get a reading of approximately 18,000.

With one word uttered in a voice reverberating with an oozaru-like bellow, he bid the young heroes to attack.

"Come."

[The Dog]

Midori stared as first Erosa, then Sarada showed up. Erosa was claiming her as her consort and that she belonged to her first and foremost, and seemed to be wanting to challenge Adam for the right to teach her. Then Sarada showed up, though thankfully not arguing her right to go teach her first. Though she did seem intent on antagonizing Erosa.

And it seemed that she was rapidly getting shoved out of wherever this conversation was currently going, with Erosa suggesting an Adam/Erosa/Sarada threesome.

All the while Adam kept his current 'teaching' form.

Looking from one to next, Midori cleared her throat and said "Ummm, can I say something-"

A sudden tapping is heard as Tran and Tron, the two GP officers, aound off over the ship’s comm. Neither sound particularly happy.

“Alright, everyone out, this ship is......”

The other twin, Tron, clears his throat and shushes his brother.

“Besides, we have need of Adam’s services. P-sta has informed us you’re quite the mechanic and engineer. Our ship was damaged when it was first captured and we need repairs. Our engines are running at barely fifty percent. If we want to make it to Chroma before Miss Meagan’s friend, Jinzi, does and come straight into a fight we need it fixed soon. Now, preferably.”

Tran chimes in again.

“We would also like Miss Midori and Miss Shiro’s help on the bridge. We’ve encountered a rather strange issue we think you’ll be suited in solving.”

They both then sound off.

“Please.”

Sighing in defeat, Midori muttered "Nevermind. We'll have to continue this conversation later."

Exiting the hole where a door once was, she walked toward the bridge, feeling deeply confused and annoyed by whatever just happened and getting called away as she walked.

Meagan watched as Erosa stormed off, then to Shiro, "Between your sister and Sarada, this ship is turning into an orgy." she then glanced back at the ship full of rescued former slaves, before looking back at Shiro, "You know, this really isn't the time or place for such things. We have a ship load of already traumatized people, some of them too young to understand what is going on."

"But, I guess there isn't really much we can do about it."

Shiro nodded as she said "I'm hoping that sending Erosa there will stop whatever is being planned without me having to get directly involved... Of course, there's a chance that she could make the entire situation worse and more traumatizing. I didn't really think it through, I was too busy rationalizing how this isn't sheltering or smothering Midori."

Then Tran and Tron made their message and Shiro looked up to the comm and said "And just like that, everything is resolved."

[Tami]

Shiro nodded as she said "I'm hoping that sending Erosa there will stop whatever is being planned without me having to get directly involved... Of course, there's a chance that she could make the entire situation worse and more traumatizing. I didn't really think it through, I was too busy rationalizing how this isn't sheltering or smothering Midori."

Then Tran and Tron made their message and Shiro looked up to the comm and said "And just like that, everything is resolved."

"For now. Perhaps, after Midori gets it out of her system, she'll find something else to be curious about, and hopefully she'll be a little less overeager to make herself available. I really don't think she wants to spend the rest of her life as a slave to sex. though you know her better than I do."

[rhyvurg]

Turning back to Adam, Erosa let out a sigh. ".......Oh dear.....just hearing you talk is boring me to tears." TO emphasis, Erosa had to attempt to stifle a yawn with her large metal land.....which looked slightly cumbersome. "You talk like having no pride is good....but would you ever feel pride with Midori. You say you'd never answer to provocation....does that mean you'd never fight for Midori? Are you just a soulless sex toy, with no true feelings for her? If you were.....I might be convinced not to care.....but you'd have to sell it too me."

Erosa learned in and giggled. "Its that, or at the next stop we make.....I have my way with you...."

Adam actually smiles. "Oh, I never said I could not be provoked, just that you were incapable of it. But I'm sure you're used to dealing with..." it glances at her chest. "Inadequacies. But you overcame that one admirably, maybe someday you can overcome this one as well."

A sudden tapping is heard as Tran and Tron, the two GP officers, aound off over the ship’s comm. Neither sound particularly happy.

“Alright, everyone out, this ship is......”

The other twin, Tron, clears his throat and shushes his brother.

“Besides, we have need of Adam’s services. P-sta has informed us you’re quite the mechanic and engineer. Our ship was damaged when it was first captured and we need repairs. Our engines are running at barely fifty percent. If we want to make it to Chroma before Miss Meagan’s friend, Jinzi, does and come straight into a fight we need it fixed soon. Now, preferably.”

"Of course you do. This entire endeavor would fail without me. Midori, I apologize but we must continue later. Sarada, you are acceptably attractive if you wish to participate." Assuming it's usual androgynous form, Adam departs for the engine spaces.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Ishtar never did explain what a date actually was. Given the context of their conversation, it was when two people did something fun together? That seemed a little broad; if that was the case, she literally went on a date with a different person every day. In the end, she supposed it didn't matter what they called it, as long as she was together with Ishtar, doing something that they both could enjoy. Something they didn't have to take their clothes off to enjoy, that was.

The subject shifted to one the Oni was uncomfortable with discussing with her. A wave of anxiety swept through her at the words. She feared the worst, that this was the inevitable conversation about if their relationship had to come to an end eventually for one reason or another.

That was one that Sarada wanted to put off for as long as possible, even if she still knew that they had to have it eventually. With their supposed deaths on the horizon, plus her have only a few short years left before she had to start looking for a mate, their time together was limited. It sucked, but the truth was the truth, and there was no point in trying to ignore it.

Thankfully, however, that wasn't it. It was something far more immediate and far more distressing. The woman who competed with her and some other guy at the auction for the crate of katchin weapons was named Genesis. According to Ishtar, she was far more powerful than everyone else on the asteroid combined. That fact was too staggering to be true, yet she knew it was. The Oni didn't lie and wasn't prone to exaggeration. If she said it, it was exactly as she said.

That was unnerving in and of itself. Added with the fact that Genesis' power scared Ishtar made the entire thing that much worse. She was afraid for the first time in her life.

Sarada had been scared before. It was a useless, disgusting feeling that had no place in the heart of a warrior. Yet, for it to permeate Ishtar so complete just by talking about Genesis... Sarada felt her brows furrow into a deep frown. Her hand reached out and squeezed Ishtar's gently, a rare showing of comforting affection that she wouldn't show to too many other people.

"If she becomes an issue, then I'll take care of her," she said reassuringly. "I don't know how, but I will. Who knows, maybe by the time she shows her face again, I'll be a Super Saiyan." She was, of course, talking out of her ass. If she was more powerful than Murduk, Kenbo, herself, Ishtar, and everyone else put together and then some, then Sarada highly doubted she stood much of a chance as she was right then.

Then again, at the rate she had been gaining strength, there was no telling how strong she'd be by the time they crossed paths again. And unless that inevitable meeting took place after Genesis found the power she was looking for, then she was confident in her odds of winning.

She was a Saiyan after all; their entire race was known for rising to the occasion and overcoming the odds.

"When the time comes, we'll beat her and anyone else she's with. Why do you need to meet with her again?"

The gentle squeezing of Ishtar's hand offered by Sarada, went a fair way towards calming the mess of negative emotions that struggled against the coherence the Oni had all but forced. Yet it was obvious enough to both that, despite such warmth, the foreign emotion that was fear, had Ishtar deeply troubled.

The comments that Sarada offered in addition to the comforting touch however, did cause the golden-eyed Oni to lift her gaze.

In the end it was a token gesture, surely. As they all were now, Marduk alone had been nearly too much, and while he had been well and beyond even Ishtar's best ... she had drawn blood, and broken bone. With hope, and perhaps her own sacrifice, it might have been possible to stop him without intervention ... yet Kenbo had been far beyond ... and Genesis was so far beyond that, it was terrifying. Still, the words had their intended effect, and offering the ghost of a smile, Ishtar bobbed her head weakly.

"Then you will need to train ... and circumstances permitting I would ... train with you. I am ... not near as strong as I should be ... need to be, for what is coming."

A statement that itself opened the way toward explaining what it was Sarada then asked, when Ishtar mentioned a meeting with Genesis:

Why do you need to?

A question with a simple enough answer, and yet it was one the Oni had actively avoided making more than veiled mention of since coming into contact with the group she now considered more than fleeting acquaintances ... but with the acceptance with that aspect of herself, little over a month prior, as she used the energies of annihilation to release the corrupted soul fragments of the Moonsworn coupled with the knowledge that she was far too weak as she was now to fully realize such a task ...

Ishtar shuffled slightly in place, before offering a soft sigh.

"Meeting her is ... quite likely ... intertwined with my own fate," she started to explain. "And while Genesis at least proved she does not kill as ... wantonly as Marduk ... Jagam ... should she prove to be a threat I will- in time- be the one held responsible ..."

Ishtar paused a moment, more for the purpose of allowing Sarada time to digest what was offered then; that the golden-eyed Oni felt ... believed ... that her fate would be to see threats such as Marduk, and Jagam, handled.

"Yet time and again this day- alone- it has been proven that I am not strong enough to be this ... God of Destruction. Too weak ... to do what my entire life until now has been building toward." The Oni said then, all but blurting out what had been slowly gnawing away at the back of her mind.

"In an alternate timeline, I die either because I was not who I am, or because I never realized the fate set for me ... and in this timeline, the one that matters ... I do not have the strength to protect those I care for ... let alone fulfill the duty that cost me the chance at a ... at a ..." Ishtar trailed off, eyes finding their way back down toward the GP Cruiser's floor.

What was she doing?

In the end, nothing more than offering Sarada her own weakness, and a swelling of negative emotions- something she was not sure Sarada would even care for- that had been somewhat successfully beat back by keeping her mind distracted ... and ultimately, she had come away- a fair bit- from the question that had instigated this rambling mess of a response.

Ruining whatever good mood there had been before, besides ...

And so stopping short of finishing that tangential train of thought, Ishtar fell silent for a time before mentally clawing her way back to the question Sarada had asked. Why was meeting with Genesis so important?

"I need to meet with her, Sarada ... when the time comes ... becuase it will prove whether or not I am strong enough to be, who I know I must."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Anyway, sparring area... let's see... if memory serves, there should actually be one nearby. Big open field near the palace and CTC--a favorite for rivals and even lovers since, shit, at least his grandparents' time. He began walking towards where he recalled it being and, after a short trip, discovered it, just as he remembered.

He began stretching and loosening up as he entered the field. There were already a pair or two here, pounding away at each other. Their powers were... not particularly impressive, and he expected that once he and the kids got going, they'd put their fights on hold to watch.

"Now then, if Sarada's been training you, I better be careful," said Totoma, turning to face the two. "Six months ago, due to a terrible battle before we met, I was... unable to use the power I displayed. Now, however, I've recovered, at least in part, and able to use that power... and more!"

He clenched his fists and his aura, a calming, gentle blue, erupted into existence around him. Gradually, however, flecks of verdant green seeped into the aura, intermixing with the blue, and the overcoming it entirely. His aura became brighter and brighter, and then exploded outwards as his power swelled to the full extent.

The sphere of light cracked, then broke, and shards of ki floated upwards, dissipating into nothingness. Totoma stood there... surrounded in an aura of green flames, a foot taller, and even bulkier than he normally was. For a moment, his eyes lacked pupils, but they quickly returned, though they looked... odd, somehow.

*snip*

Those with keen ki sensing abilities would note that his ki felt... different from before. It was larger and more intense, of course, but it felt... more aggressive, more primal, than before. Those nearby wearing scouters would get a reading of approximately 18,000.

With one word uttered in a voice reverberating with an oozaru-like bellow, he bid the young heroes to attack.

"Come."

As the three young Saiyans flew at speed to the Battle Field -- the large, spacious field scientifically enhanced to rejuvenate after every battle -- Maiz lagged behind just a touch to contemplate what she had heard. Not about Jagam; she had heard and ruminated all she could on that front.

There was food that could actually heal injuries and replenish strength. It was beyond her wildest dreams, yet it didn't surprise her that a human had come up with it. They always had the most bizarre and unique uses for their latent ki, if they bothered to develop it, that was. "Amazing," she muttered, a small smirk touching her lips.

Pinach and Rutaba touched down around twenty yards away from Totoma on the Battle Field. They noticed a few other Saiyans enjoying a nice afternoon fight, but didn't pay too much attention to them. They weren't that impressive to be honest. Likely some of the newly freed slaves getting in some extra training after a session at the CTC. If so, then today was their luck day. It wasn't often they got to see three Super Elite Saiyans fighting full-out!

They started to stretch, then walked in opposite directions to gain some distance and a strategic advantage. When fighting two-on-one, they learned, it was best to attack from two different sides, as well as stagger their attacks. Doing it this way would force the lonesome opponent to focus on the first, thus losing sight of the second.

With this in mind, they powered up in unison. Sarada taught them how to store and build an inner pool of ki by holding themselves back. Before, they were walking around at full power. Nowadays, while they still walked around at the same level, they had a much deeper ki reserve to fall back on. "Now, behold the true power of the Heroes of Justice!! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

Pure white auras exploded around them like flames. Gradually, Pinach's power increased by nearly half, while Rutaba's nearly doubled. They were sitting at 5000 and 4500, respectively. Their smirks told the tale; they were proud of this newfound power they had developed. If they were this strong at such a young age, there was no telling how strong they'd be when they were Just Saiyan's age.

Then, it was Totoma's turn.

It wasn't possible. His power just kept going up and up! He was already stronger than Mato -- that in and of itself was unbelievable -- but now, he was nearly twice as strong as the Saiyan king. Rutaba and Pinach watched with unabated awe as his entire frame bulked up and was enveloped with a bright green aura. His eyes disappeared, then reappeared, but all weird looking.

Suddenly, their foolproof plan didn't seem so foolproof. But, they couldn't disappoint their hero. Even if he was stronger than both of them combined, they had to show him they were worthy of being called heroes. That meant giving it their all no matter what.

"Get ready!" Pinach shouted, a confident grin on his face.

"Here I come!" Rutaba charged in first, throwing a barrage of punches and kicks at Totoma. He would notice the rudimentary signs of Sarada's Crimson Fist form in Rutaba's attacks.

-------------------------------

Totoma's power hadn't gone unnoticed. Those nearby, including the Saiyans that were fighting in the Battle Field when the three arrived, all stopped what they were doing. It wasn't every day that a power that immense and primal just appeared out of nowhere, so of course everyone took note.

Among these was King Mato. He, of course, felt Totoma when he touched down. He had been keeping track of him, just in case he was there for malevolent reasons. Once he determined he meant no harm, he let him be. That was until he powered up. It was high enough to give him pause. "Hm. So, this is Tasure's son," he muttered to himself.

Slowly, he rose from his throne and quickly walked to the nearest ledge and took to the sky. This was something he needed to attend to personally.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The gentle squeezing of Ishtar's hand offered by Sarada, went a fair way towards calming the mess of negative emotions that struggled against the coherence the Oni had all but forced. Yet it was obvious enough to both that, despite such warmth, the foreign emotion that was fear, had Ishtar deeply troubled.

The comments that Sarada offered in addition to the comforting touch however, did cause the golden-eyed Oni to lift her gaze.

In the end it was a token gesture, surely. As they all were now, Marduk alone had been nearly too much, and while he had been well and beyond even Ishtar's best ... she had drawn blood, and broken bone. With hope, and perhaps her own sacrifice, it might have been possible to stop him without intervention ... yet Kenbo had been far beyond ... and Genesis was so far beyond that, it was terrifying. Still, the words had their intended effect, and offering the ghost of a smile, Ishtar bobbed her head weakly.

"Then you will need to train ... and circumstances permitting I would ... train with you. I am ... not near as strong as I should be ... need to be, for what is coming."

A statement that itself opened the way toward explaining what it was Sarada then asked, when Ishtar mentioned a meeting with Genesis:

Why do you need to?

A question with a simple enough answer, and yet it was one the Oni had actively avoided making more than veiled mention of since coming into contact with the group she now considered more than fleeting acquaintances ... but with the acceptance with that aspect of herself, little over a month prior, as she used the energies of annihilation to release the corrupted soul fragments of the Moonsworn coupled with the knowledge that she was far too weak as she was now to fully realize such a task ...

Ishtar shuffled slightly in place, before offering a soft sigh.

"Meeting her is ... quite likely ... intertwined with my own fate," she started to explain. "And while Genesis at least proved she does not kill as ... wantonly as Marduk ... Jagam ... should she prove to be a threat I will- in time- be the one held responsible ..."

Ishtar paused a moment, more for the purpose of allowing Sarada time to digest what was offered then; that the golden-eyed Oni felt ... believed ... that her fate would be to see threats such as Marduk, and Jagam, handled.

"Yet time and again this day- alone- it has been proven that I am not strong enough to be this ... God of Destruction. Too weak ... to do what my entire life until now has been building toward." The Oni said then, all but blurting out what had been slowly gnawing away at the back of her mind.

"In an alternate timeline, I die either because I was not who I am, or because I never realized the fate set for me ... and in this timeline, the one that matters ... I do not have the strength to protect those I care for ... let alone fulfill the duty that cost me the chance at a ... at a ..." Ishtar trailed off, eyes finding their way back down toward the GP Cruiser's floor.

What was she doing?

In the end, nothing more than offering Sarada her own weakness, and a swelling of negative emotions- something she was not sure Sarada would even care for- that had been somewhat successfully beat back by keeping her mind distracted ... and ultimately, she had come away- a fair bit- from the question that had instigated this rambling mess of a response.

Ruining whatever good mood there had been before, besides ...

And so stopping short of finishing that tangential train of thought, Ishtar fell silent for a time before mentally clawing her way back to the question Sarada had asked. Why was meeting with Genesis so important?

"I need to meet with her, Sarada ... when the time comes ... becuase it will prove whether or not I am strong enough to be, who I know I must."

Sarada's gentle gesture and boastful chatter proved to only be somewhat effective in alleviating Ishtar of her fears. The woman was still very much afraid of the danger Genesis posed, and was deeply troubled over the possibility that their futures may intertwine at some point. Her only response to the Saiyan's braggadocio was that she would need to train. An obvious statement if there ever was one. Sarada knew that, if this woman could instill this kind of primordial fear in the Oni, that she herself stood absolutely no chance against her right now.

From the sound of it, even Jagam would be steamrolled.

"I'd love to train with you again," she answered. She nearly asked if there were any spells she could learn, but the answer was likely one so simple and elementary that she might as well stick with energy blasts. Besides, magic was for nerds, and Ishtar was definitely a nerd. A very beautiful, supple, and kinky nerd, but a nerd nonetheless.

With that settled, Ishtar moved on to the meat of Sarada's concerns: why she felt the need to confront Genesis again. It had to do with their fates being intertwined. Some time ago, Ishtar explained the heirarchy of the universe to Sarada: Zurvan was the God of Time, and that there was a God of Creation -- Asha'rah, she assumed -- and a God of Destruction. That was all the detail she went into, but it was enough to give Sarada a general idea of how small and insignificant she was in the grand scheme of things.

Or, that was the impression she was supposed to have. In reality, it only gave her the drive to train her ass off until she was strong enough to challenge these so-called 'Gods' and 'Angels'. Gods weren't invincible, and they weren't unbeatable. Sarada would prove this to them firsthand, eventually.

Fast-forward to now, and a little bit more of the veil was being pulled back. Ishtar's main cause of distress, she posited, stemmed from the fact that she was too weak to be worthy of the mantle of God of Destruction. That gave Sarada pause. It was blurted out haphazardly, a single admittance in a flood of words vomited out in a moment of weakness and vulnerability.

The ramifications of what she had just heard aside, she couldn't help but feel bad for Isthar. Her entire life, she had been trained by Zurvan, sent to world after world for who knew how many years to watch that civilization grow, flourish, decline, then die off. It was the natural cycle of things, yet one she was numb to. Her suggestion to eradicate the entire Junjo homeworld earlier only proved that.

For thousands of years, she had been molded and groomed to fit the mantle of this God of Destruction, then to only learn time after time that she was inadequately prepared, too weak to be worthy. There were countless people stronger than she, and that had to wear on her after having devoted her entire life and having sacrificed a life of love and happiness.

In the end, Sarada was unsure of what to say. She could have just gone with the same platitudes that most people in her position defaulted to, but this was far beyond that. Again, she found her lack of wisdom and experience biting her in the ass.

"Too weak to take on this new mantle, hm? That means I need to whip your ass into shape." For once, there were no sexual connotations. She meant what she said. When they trained, she was going to push Ishtar as hard as she could for however long it too for her to meet, and surpass her limitations. "When we're done, you'll be more powerful than anyone except me." She gave her a winning grin, hoping against hope that this time, Ishtar let Sarada's boasts do what they were supposed to do and coax even a tiny smile.

[Lord Falcon]

When Asha'rah expressed that she had wished to wait, until she had seen the Oni again; Ishtar found herself at a bit of a loss.

After all, the golden-eyed Oni knew well how important it was, to Asha'rah, that return to a form that had been stripped from her all those thousands of years ago. That she had wished to wait, simply so that the two of them could experience such a change offered together was an offering approaching the level of what the former Goddess had done when she had given Ishtar ten minutes alone with Sekhmet. The time had come however, reunited now as they were, and with that brief explanation offered Asha'rah quickly opened the cylinder and returned that golden energy to her wellspring.

And the change it engendered was fantastical indeed.

All at once, the metal skeleton that had become Asha'rah's frame melted away, the old energies of her former godhood granting flesh, and blood, and bone. And with skin the color of desert sands, glowing faintly with that otherworldly aura, hair that flowed like a mountainous stream coming to rest on strong shoulders, and a shapely face set with full lips, and bright violet eyes, that shone with a comforting not seen in most; Asha'rah looked every bit as her former title implied. So when it was that the change was finished, and the woman Asha'rah was stood before Ishtar once more ... the golden-eyed Oni found herself silent for a time, simply taking in the form before her.

Even when the woman offered her hand.


It was not until Ereshkigal's soft voice offered a single word, and the Oni's small hands pressed against Ishtar's back as she hid; that the golden-eyed Oni found it within herself to respond.

"Indeed she is, Eresh ..."

A moment more passed before Ishtar realized what Asha'rah had asked then, and with a small startle, the Oni chuckled to herself before slowly reaching out to take the former Goddess' hand.

"It is, in a way ... what I had imagined it to be, Asha'rah ... and how does it feel ?"

Lungs pulled air into their welcoming sacs. Her nose smelled the faint scents of those around her, of Ishtar and Erishkigal. Her feet felt the cool deck plating beneath them. The corners of her renewed eyes turned upward as she took in Ishtar's stunned reaction with mirth and joy, even as she reveled in her own partial re-ascension. Overflowing with power as she now was, she almost felt like her old self.

A voice below squeaked out, "beautiful." Asha'rah briefly turned her gaze downwards, thanking the child with her eyes for the compliment.

Then Ishtar, having delayed a moment, took her hand. Reddish gold fingers touched blue fingers, the first hand she had held in ages. The sensations too much to handle in silence, Asha'rah gasped softly. She had yearned for this moment so many times over their journey among the stars, wanted to feel Ishtar's skin on her own as they watched the sunrise on a broken moon.

Ishtar knew just what to say in the moment. That she had imagined what the fallen god had originally looked like, and asking how it felt. Asha'rah looked Ishtar in the eye, collecting herself enough to smile with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. She raised Ishtar's hand to her lips and kissed her knuckle, a mixture of greeting and flirtation.

"I feel alive."

[MrSandman]

Despite the sincerity with with Etrina suggested it, Ishtar couldn't help but chuckle at the name that was offered in response to her own.

"I do not ... well ... I do not intend on keeping a vigil, myself." The Oni said after a moment, "nor you I expect. Though if it what you would prefer I see no reason to deny you in this ... we might be at it well beyond the day otherwise." Offering Etrina a smile then, Ishtar shook her head in regard to being asked if she needed Erosa for anything. "Need Erosa ? Beyond her opinion, and the pleasure of her company ... not at the moment. Though perhaps .." the golden-eyed Oni trailed off for a moment before shrugging. "I am sure she will comment on it should she feel she needs to. After all, she seems to be as much her own person, as she is a fragment of you, now ... much has changed, in so short a time."

"Your right....Well, that's too be expected. If I change, its only natural for her to change." Etrina clasped her hands together thoughtfully. "I'm somewhat pleased with her efforts of late....though, I can't help but notice she's been getting more and more haughty and...morally relaxed with every transformation. Should another transformation be in the works I fear there are some things that just can't get any bigger without causing problems...." Etrina didn't intend it, but a glance downward at her chest told Ishtar all she needed to know.

"Well....the name isn't a great concern at the moment. But when we return to earth...I'd like you to accompany me to meet the Administration on Magic Research. It would do our coven no favors as a unregistered rogue one. Besides....I wish to petition for access to the archives for any remaining texts on the Grey Thorns."