Dragonball M, Chapter 1: Silent Menace Aproaches!

[grampagen]

Samson Balon Time Skip:

He nods.

“Very well, I will comm you both once I have deciphered the locations. I swear upon my honor that I will not investigate them without you both.”

Ochazuke rolled his neck around his shoulders. Muttering something to himself, he raised his hands before him in the Crane's guard. Set fixed in the way ingrained to him, he turned from the waist and shift in the motions of a round block with his right hand. Taking a step forward, he fell into the Dragon's posture, winding a long path from the shoulder, hand poised to coil around, deflect an incoming strike, and weave past the defense. Yielding yet unyielding, soft in its firmament, not a clashing power, but a surge, like the fire within.

"It is a slow path, moving towards mastery. I suppose it would be the best for us all."

He wound down a step, breathing tersely as he mixed the fluidity of the Dragon's foundation into the firmament of his Sanchin stance, but mixed so unfamiliarly he'd found it difficult to breathe. Rising out of the sunken stance, he inhaled slowly and absently he'd adopted a high guard with elbows square.

It was not something he'd learned here today. He felt a coldness spread through his body on the sweat called from the fire.

"It would not do to lose the art so soon before it can be reborn."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Jack, not wanting to be a father just yet, did as instructed.

Centuries Later

Even centuries later the town of Mistletoe would tell stories of the Night of Terror. It started with strange sounds coming from the distant mountains, screams and howls that no human could possibly make, shattering what had been a peaceful night. This was followed by strange glowing balls of light, beams of pure energy, and great plumes of fire exploding against the night sky, all putting the stars themselves to shame with their brilliance.

Finally, the sounds of what could only be battle echoed down into the valley. So loud were the bone crushing impacts that each solitary blow could be heard even at this distance, and many of the towns windows shattered. If you go to Oyl's Pub you can still see a large, spidery crack put into its foundation. According to legend it was put there that very night. Great trees were uprooted and thrown hundreds of meters into the sky, boulders likewise scattered like pebbles as two furious beings fought.

Where the legends disagree is what manner of creatures engaged in combat that day. Some say it was two great army's of ancient yetis, engaging in a feud whose origins predate the existence of man. Others say that it was two great spirits, in contest to see who would claim the mountains as their territory. Some say the mountains themselves stood up and engaged in a duel that defies imagination.

Rumors and stories abound detailing the Night of Terror. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the wind that howls in those mountains still.

....

Centuries Earlier (Minus a few hours)

Jack laid in bed with Sarada. In the nearby wall there were two holes. Entrance and exit. He was breathing harder and covered in more sweat than he had ever been. Including the battle with the Battersea's, Fife, and the rest of them. Slowly, he raised a cigarette to his mouth and lit it, the smoke being caught by a draft and sent out one of the nearby holes.

"Hot damn."

Sarada didn't really know what to expect when they got down to business. She figured that Jack had some measure of experience, given his bandit lifestyle. He probably mated with random women in whatever bars and taverns he happened to find himself in, maybe the occasional brothel. She herself had never met a man that she wanted to bed, so she was basically going into this blind. Still, she was excited and nervous and a storm was brewing in her nether regions, one that was about to explode practically at first contact.

Holy ****.

She was going into it blind, but her eyes were wide the **** open by the end.

She had never experienced such voracity, so ferocity, such... such... It felt like the planet was shaking with each time their bodies collided. She didn't know what kind of collateral damage their reckless love making caused, but if the bed -- which was simply a pile of splinters and foam in the middle of a small crater at this point -- was any indication, then the toll on the environment was great.

Not that she cared a whit. It was the greatest thing she had ever done. More than mating with Avoca. More than fighting the strongest person in the world. More than... than eating everything that Zaofan put in front of her. Sex with Jack was literally the best thing ever and no one and nothing was going to change her mind.

Not that she was going to tell him any of this. She still had a reputation to uphold, and strong warriors like her didn't fawn over dick!

With each breath she took in with a greedy gulp, the more her mind cleared. The clearer her thoughts, the more she remembered of what had happened over the last few hours. After replaying the events in her mind a few times, a satisfied grin touched her face. "Holy ****," she stated in conclusion.

She rolled over, wincing slightly as a glorious pang of soreness shot through her body, until she was facing him. He was sucking on one of those funny smelling sticks again. To her fortune, the smoke was billowing out of one of the holes they created. Heh.

Her mind was still in a slight haze, so it was only able to formulate one more word. A single word that carried every ounce of the greedy intentions she had for the Earthman beside her. She turned back around and plucked another contraceptive from her tights, then placed it on his chest. "More."

[KingofPie]

Five tuna. Four tuna. Three tuna. Two Tuna. One Tuna. Now there were no tuna and Sasheem was beginning to get upset. He was getting hungry. He'd only eaten about eighty two...give or take. Where were the other tuna?! And where were the rest of the fish?!

A mystery to be sure...Wait, what was that?! A large fish seemed to dart by him. Sasheem was certain he would catch it. Diving downward, he sped up to the fish in a rapid fashion, it's speed no match for his as he shot ki blasts to propel himself forward. As he reached the large fish he wrapped his arms around it, to prevent escaping. Too bad he couldn't make a fire down here, he would've liked this fish to be roasted.

But there was a problem..this fish was already in the middle of eating a human woman, who appeared to be halfway devoured all on her own. The usual response would be to turn her into food and eat them both, but he couldn't figure out what he could turn her into that wouldn't immediately become soggy. So he figured, he'd just pull her out of the fish's mouth and let her drown.

Wait...the woman didn't appear to be drowning now...weird. In fact she seemed more irritated, then anything. Weird. Shrugging, Sasheem proceeded to try and pull her out of the fishes mouth.

"H-hey! stop that! Stop that you!" the woman spoke. ...Spoke?! How was she speaking underwater! This is stupid. Why wouldn't the fish spit her out. "That's...my...tail!" the woman finally explained in a shrill scream.

"Eh?!" Sasheem stopped, looking stunned. Her tail? ...but humans didn't have tails...monkey's did, but..." Sasheem glanced at her supposed tail. Now that he got a better look...It wasn't a fish at all! Sort of. Who was she.

Sasheem continued to glare at the woman. If that tail was a part of her, then were those clams attacking her chest. Sasheem pointed to them. "Eat?" he asked. A slap to the face was her immediate response to this.

"INTAA!" Sasheem shouted in a rage. What she was no longer concerned the Majin. Now, all he cared about was getting her back after her sudden attack. Which he would proceed to do if not for the sudden arrival of a seal. More food for later, Sasheem figured.

"Kelpie!" the seal spoke. "Kelpie, it's horrible! The Tako Tribe is back! They attacked your father's farm and beat him and your mother to a pulp! Then they wrecked everything and took your father's old crown.

"What?! We have to get there now!" the fish-woman, Kelpie apparently responded with urgency. Suddenly, her tail slapped Sasheem in the face as she and the seal sped down even further into the ocean.

"Oogh! Tutagoooo!" Sasheem spat in rage, his face stinging a bit from the slap. "Stoo...pid fish!" he grunted as he followed the two, in a fury. It wasn't long before they led him to an underwater cove. Oddly enough, fences and cow's. Cow's with fish tails? What the hell was this place?

In the center of the fences, lay a disheveled house of stone. It's roof appeared to have collapsed in on itself. Sasheem spotted a man laying underneath all the rubble. Did he have a tail too?

"Farther!" Kelpie screamed, rushing towards the man. Guess that answered that. She immediately began shoving stone off of her father and the seal helped. Sasheem simply watched blankly, wondering what the hell all of this was.

"Your majesty!" the seal gulped, shoving rocks off the man with his nose.

"Please, Seal...I am king no more..." the man answered as the rubble was removed, revealing that he was cradling a another woman-fish.

The woman he was cradling coughed. "Kelpie..."

"Mother...father..." Kelpie cried, before embracing both of her parents, now removed from stone. "You're alright!"

"...?!" Sasheem wondered how the fish people could talk underwater. In fact, how could he talk underwater...?! As these things began to perplex him, he sensed something emerge from the sands. Two somethings. A giant lobster from the looks of it along with a giant swordfish.

"Heh, heh, heh...Boss Tako weren't wrong..." The princess is beautiful..." the lobster grinned.

Grilled lobster tail...

"Ain't a princess any more, 'member? Boss collapsed King Mahi's kingdom a looooong time ago," the swordfish responded with a chuckle.

Seared swordfish...

"Too bad, he's reduced to nothin' but a seacow farmer now..." the lobster guffawed. "But now we get to take the whole family out to pasture..."

Sasheem didn't understand what was going on at all, but he couldn't let himself starve. He shot forward, grabbing the swordfish by the tail and swinging him with enough force to slice the top of the lobster's shell open. He then swung the swordfish as hard as he could above him.

"Holy ****! What the hell is-," the lobster screeched. Sasheem responded by shooting dual ki blasts. One hitting the swordfish above and the other blasting beneath him at the lobster's exposed back.

Seconds later both were suitably cooked....well, maybe they were lacking a couple side items, but Sasheem considered them a quality meal. Ignoring the stunned people-fish, Sasheem began to munch on the swordfish first.

"Sir...sir!" The so called King Mahi called to Sasheem. "You...you took out two enforcers of the Tako Tribe!"

Sasheem continued to eat, ignoring the man.

"I think....I think he could get the crown back. He seems strong enough...the strongest inhabitants of these seas have fled but, maybe he could...Sir, what is your name?" the Queen asked.

"...Sasheem," Sasheem answered, before finishing the swordfish.


"Mother...father...you sure he could help?" Kelpie asked questioningly. "I've been to the surface more than either of you, you know...that thing he's trapped in is a-,"

"A throne! You think he may be a prince of some sort?" the King asked, causing his daughter and the Seal to hide their faces in shame. "Sir Sasheem...mayhap you could aid us in ending the threat of the Tako Tribe once and for all!"

Sasheem looked at the King briefly...or so the King thought. Sasheem was actually looking at the lobster. Now that he was done with the swordfish, he moved on to the lobster, again seemingly ignoring the king.

"The crown is gone missing....It seems petty, yes but...it's the last remnant of the Kingdom we once ruled. The Kingdom that terrible Tako destroyed!" the Queen pleaded.

Sasheem continued to eat, ignoring the woman.

"We can give you a map to the Tako Tribe's castle..." the Queen continued, not giving up on the Majin just yet. "It is a long trek, but...if you can defeat King Tako for us and return to us the crown, we would greatly appreciate it."

"You cannot miss it," the King stated. "The crown that is. Golden, ever shining like the setting sun...Embedded in it's center is a green gem of unimaginable beauty. It is said to be magic in nature, but I wouldn't put much stock into would but old seer used to-"

"Oh!" Sasheem suddenly exclaimed, nearly spitting out the lobster. "Green!" he exclaimed.

"Indeed, it is!" the King continued. "Surface or sea, I don't know what land you hail from...but if you help us, the jewel is yours...the crown is what's truly important to us."

Could this be...if it was...the Majin's luck was truly looking up. Sasheem grinned. He'd agree...for now. "Oho! Sasheem...help," he nodded greedily, much to the joy of the King and queen...and much to the chagrin of their daughter.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"If you wish to speak of it ... I will listen, Sarada ... yet only if you wish to ... I would not force you to relive such pain to sate ... curiosity .. now now."

Sarada nodded slowly. Like the ebbing waves sliding up the sands of a lonely beach, unease and anxiety crept up on her as the realization of what she had just offered to tell Ishtar finally dawned on her. She promised a few days ago to tell her about what happened in the Meat Market, but she had no intention on telling her until she could go home and deal with the source. In that case, this conversation shouldn't have been happening for another six or so months, at the earliest. Instead, in her desire to repay Ishtar's willingness to open up to her, she brought herself to the brink of baring her soul to another person.

This was an experience she had only recounted in its entirety just once, with her best friend, Avoca, a few months after it happened. She hadn't meant to tell her, but she was having a breakdown and her friend forced her down and made her tell her. In the end, she felt better about telling it, but baring her soul that completely hurt far too much for a young child to even consider doing it again. Fast-forward eight years, and she still hadn't told anyone. Not Maiz, not her mother or father, no one.

Ishtar was a relative stranger, despite the bond they now shared and despite the decadent union they enjoyed just moments earlier. Perhaps it was easier to pour her heart out to someone who didn't know what she was supposed to be, only what she was right at that moment. Someone whose heart was filled at that moment with fright and vulnerability.

"If you've been observing my home at any point in the last five hundred years, then you already know what the Meat Market is," she began, voice calm and steady. She paused to stomp down on the negative feelings and tried to project a feeling of apathy. It was the only way she was going to get through this. "It's possibly gotten worse in the last two decades or so, since they've decided to just do their own thing down there. A lot of bad people live there. Criminals, gangbangers, thieves, murderers; it's like... anything goes there. Weak are devoured by the 'strong', or enslaved to serve those better than them."

The notion of slaves enslaving other slaves was as hilarious as it was pathetic. It was like one toddler making an infant do his chores under threat of beating him up. It was ridiculous, but it worked.

"It's not a place for children. Even the ones born there either stay inside their homes or spend as much time at the Academy as they can." She swallowed and sighed deeply. "Despite knowing this, my sister decided one day to take me there." Suddenly, Ishtar could feel a swell of anger rise in Sarada. She remembered clear as day begging her sister to take them home. Even at the tender age of eight, she knew that the Meat Market was no place for even the strongest, oldest Saiyans; two children had no business being there unsupervised. But, Parsley didn't listen. She never listen to anyone. A power level of 600 at age 12 went straight to her head. She was arrogant.

Sarada, despite all evidence to the contrary, had a feeling that there was more than just arrogance at play that day.

"She claimed that it was to give me motivation for when I started training in two years. I thought that she would protect me from all the bad people who stayed there. I thought she would look out for me. Something happened, someone stole something from the food market or something, and we ended up getting separated." Her anger was growing into a fever pitch. There was no way in hell Parsley would have let them get separated if she actually wanted to stay together. She was so far above everyone else there, it wasn't even funny.

"She just vanished. I looked everywhere for hours, but she was gone." The anger started to subside, and was replaced by a feeling of dread. "It was dark. No one with any sense of decency was on the streets at that time of night, only bad people. I wanted to go find somewhere to hide until morning, but someone grabbed me from behind and took me inside a building." Her heart started to beat a little faster as the feeling of dread was accompanied by one of helplessness.

"Even then, I knew that something bad was going to happen. I wanted to leave, to run away, but he was bigger and stronger. There was nothing I could to stop him." She let out a humorless laugh. "He kissed me and stuck his tongue down my throat," she stated tersely. A wave of panic and fear rose in her chest. She knew what was going to happen next, but it was like she was experiencing it all over again. Suddenly, she was an eight year old girl in a scary man's home with no one there to protect her. She was completely at his mercy, with no hope of escape or seeing her family again. "He ra..."

She couldn't say it. It was a simple, four letter word and she couldn't force it out no matter how hard she tried. Her lips started quivering. No! I will NOT starting crying!! She sucked the lip into her mouth and bit down on it hard. Her eyes squeezed closed, but shot open when all she saw was his smiling face looking her in the eyes. "He... he took my... he made me..."

Her voice was thick and warbled. Her throat felt like she had just tried to eat a dragonball, but couldn't swallow it all the way.

She remembered it, the pain. So much pain. White hot, searing pain that drew tears. "I screamed for him to stop, but he only... it made him go harder. He said that he liked it when little girls screamed." Wetness cascaded down her cheeks, against her will. Her breathing hitched. She balled her fists in a desperate attempt to hide her vulnerability and protect what little dignity she had left.

She had already forgotten the bond. There was no hiding it from Ishtar. She could feel, to a lesser extent, the underlying rage that was buried under a mountain of dread, helplessness, and disgust. She was disgusted with herself, how dirty and defiled he made her. "He bred me," she continued quietly. "So many times." Bile rushed up her throat, forcing a hand to her mouth to keep from spewing it all over the bed. She breathed in deeply and out slowly to calm herself down. "It hurt so much. I've never felt that kind of pain before, even when Chris stabbed me in the gut. I'd rather suffer that a million times than go through... that ever again. That was just the first night. It was worse the second night. He... kept breeding me... for hours... against my will. I begged him to stop, but he kept going."

More tears fell, until her cheeks were soaking yet. At that point, she didn't care anymore. There was no point in trying to hide the outward consequences of what she was feeling on the inside. The immense sadness and lurching disgust she felt. She wasn't clean. She hadn't been clean in years, and she never would be again. Her skin felt like it was alive, alive and trying to crawl off her body.

"Every time he finished, he would say again, and then start again. I screamed and screamed, but he never stopped. The third day, he made me undress so he could take pictures of me. Then, he poked my..." She couldn't say it. She couldn't tell Ishtar what she knew he would have done to her had her sister not shown up at that moment. The pain [I]that/I] would have produced would have made everything else she had suffered up to that point seem gentle by comparison. "Parsley showed up three days late. She beat him to an inch of his life and carried me out of his house. I never saw him in person again, but I see him every time I close my eyes. I can hear his voice whispering in my ear, telling me how beautiful I was and how... how... fresh I was."

Disgusting. The things she was feeling at that moment were sickening. To show this kind of weakness to anyone, to strip away the false sense of strength and dignity she had spent years building up to protect herself, made her feel ill.

She hated herself. She hated how weak she was. She hated how she wasn't strong enough to fight him off. She hated how she was still losing sleep over something that happened eight years ago, when she was as close to certain as possible that he hadn't lost a wink of sleep since. He was probably still kidnapping and mating with children in the Meat Market, and it made her sick that she was here, enjoying her life and enjoying mating with Jack and Ishtar while they were suffering the same damn thing she had.

She hated how she just tried to bury it deep down inside and pretend it didn't happen instead of doing something about it. She hated how she wanted to kill him, but just couldn't muster up the courage like a real Saiyan to look him in the face for even a second.

"You know Jack is the first man I've mated with since then? I don't even know why. I just... wanted to." She shrugged.

With everything out there in the open for Ishtar to digest, she felt empty. Empty and alone. Ishtar had her own issues, her own trauma, but Sarada doubted she wanted to be burdened with this. There was little doubt that the Oni would feel a swell of guilt at having inadvertently unearth this dark trauma, even though she shouldn't. Sarada meant what she said; this was her fault for not resolving this sooner. It was her fault for bottling it up.

It was her fault for being a victim in the first place.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Looking up at it, "I'm impressed. can't wait to look inside," Meagan nudged him playfully, "but of course you'll have to teach me how to operate it." she smiled, then became serious, "We'll have plenty of time for that, I won't be ready to leave until I'm finished with my training."

She then walked aroudn it, and back to Jinzi, "Are you sure this craft can make it all the way to Chroma? How long will it take?"

Jinzi grins.

“I.....may have gotten my hands on a new class of engine from the Galaxy Police. Let’s just say that this bad boy will get you there in, oh, a day or two.”

[Tami]

Jinzi grins.

“I.....may have gotten my hands on a new class of engine from the Galaxy Police. Let’s just say that this bad boy will get you there in, oh, a day or two.”

"You really are a miracle worker. Now all I need is flying lessons." Meagan nearly laughed at that, "That's something I haven't asked for in a long time. Eva usually has me constantly working or training, but I'm free now if you want to show me how it works?"

[Lord Falcon]

She kept staring at her hand, green synthetic flesh that practically looked and felt natural covering wires, touch sensors, and 'bones' made of nitinol, a thoughtful frown on her face. Her body was exactly like that, from the top of her strangely shaped synthetic blonde hair to the bottoms of her feet, nothing but metal, wire, and devices to simulate a natural humanoid's.

And Midori wanted to use that to argue against what Asha'rah was saying, but couldn't. The elder android was right, she did focus on her unchangeable flaws. She knew she shouldn't, but it was so difficult not to when you can see your hard set limits while everyone around you could grow and change and push past theirs through hard work, determination, and whatever caused Sarada to become a giant monkey and Totoma some kind of monkey/human hybrid.

She also knew she could go to her creator to learn how to grow and evolve, but he'd hurt her deeply by considering using the fact she was wire, machines, and programs, and changing part of what made her her by altering her mind, good intentions or no. And he would have done so, had Kami not engaged in literal divine intervention and rewrote fate so that he decided not to. How could she possibly trust him not to do something like that, to make her forget how he hurt her and make her love him like she used to.

And then there was Shiro...

Midori's mind paused, playing over what Asha'rah had said about Shiro.

Turning from her hand to look at the android who'd decided to teach her, Midori looked confused as she asked "What exactly did you mean by Shiro spoonfeeds me easy solutions and hampered my growth?"

It was difficult to say this without sounding accusatory. Asha'rah kept her tone gentle, but she did not shy from saying what she felt Midori needed to hear. The android had asked, after all.

"You are an elite, Midori. I would be very surprised if there were fifty people born on this planet alive today who are stronger than you. Yet people who climb the ranks are generally either born with such immense talent that they still haven't needed to push themselves to the limit, or have tempered their will to overcome such adversity by believing there is a solution and working tirelessly, desperate to grasp it. I sense neither from you. Shiro is out there getting parts for your next upgrade yes? Are you working on the upgrade after that? Are you trying to envision how to get stronger, or continuing to canvas for ideas? I have only known you for a short time, so it may be that I missed some of the things you've done in the face of adversity. But it has seemed to me that you either know what to do and move forward with enthusiasm, or you don't know what to do and start to despair. And who swoops in to save you from such trouble every time? Shiro. She cleans up after you, doing everything you don't feel up to yourself. Eventually, the chick needs to learn to fly. Or at least fall in the learning of it. Shiro loves you too much to let that happen, and it seems you have been happy to take those solutions until you need her to spoonfeed you the next."

Asha'rah chuckled softly, picturing Midori straining not to snap under Ochazuke's stern words and sterner gaze.

"And I can think of few things more bracing than surviving under Ochazuke's tutelage for a while."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

A few days after her return, she was half-watching the news while training when a report came on that tore her attention away from her exercises.

“In an update to the story we brought to you last night, investigators have apprehended suspected child molester Dishar this afternoon. It's suspected that Dishar has molested upwards of 150 young children over the last thirteen years in his residence in the 600 residential block of the Meat Market. Investigators are asking any past victims to come forward and make a statement so they can determine how they wish to proceed before the case goes before tribunal.”

Sarada felt numb. That was him. They showed a picture of his mugshot when they were reporting his arrest. It was him. She could still see his unnerving, spine-tingling smile every time she closed her eyes. She could hear his voice in her ear, whispering to her how beautiful she was and how much he loved her.

'Again', he kept saying that second night. 'Again', he would say every time he took another piece of her innocence away. For hours, he tormented her, made her do things that no little girl had any right to do. There was nothing she could do to stop him. She was powerless, helpless, weak, and vulnerable.

Looking at his face, her mind hearing his voice, it all suddenly came rushing back to her at once.

“Please stop,” she begged wobbly. “I don't like this.”

“But, I do,” he argued. “And that's all that matters.”

Like an unstoppable waterfall, the memories of those three days bombarded her one by one, each one chipping away bit by bit at her composure and sanity.

“I wanna go home.”

That angered him, leading him to slap her across the face. “This is your home. You'll be staying with me from now on, understand?”

“NO! I WANNA GO HOME!” She shot out of her chair and made a mad dash for the what she hoped was the front door. She made it halfway before he grabbed her. His fist sunk into her stomach, knocking the breath from her chest.

“I just told you. This is your home now.” He picked up her sagged body and carried her to the bedroom. “Scream all you want. No one cares around here. It's every Saiyan for themselves in the Meat Market.” He tossed her onto the bed and locked the door from the outside, trapping her there.

She remembered the pain. The searing, white-hot pain that spread through her body like a disease. Her screams of agony and for mercy were ignored at best, and used as encouragement to keep pressing onward at worst. Those nights, she laid in bed, crying and praying that her sister would find her. For the first two nights, those prayers went unheeded.

“You look so fucking hot, Sarada.”

“Why are you doing this?” she whined.

“I told you last night. I like kids. Especially little girls like you.” He grabbed her and shoved her down on the bed. “See, grown up Saiyan women are too aggressive. They don't like guys like me. Those bitches just pass right over nice guys like me. But, little girls like you, you don't know what you want, so you'll go for anything.”

She started crying. “But I don't like this.”

“And yet, you haven't stopped me yet. So, you must like it deep down.” He grabbed her and...

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” she shrieked. She collapsed to the floor, the weight of the horrible memories plaguing her mind everyday proving to be too much when coupled with the face of her tormentor right there on her screen. She gripped the sides of her head tightly, as if trying to squeeze it all out of her brain. “Please stop,” she mumbled through gritted teeth. Hot tears streamed down her face; she was precariously close to breaking down as everything she had been bottling down for eight years was surging up like an active geyser.

There were no gods. If so, then how could they let that happen to a child? How could they stand idly by on their heavenly perches and watch someone so young and innocent be used and defiled by a monster? What sick enjoyment did they derive from watching the sadistic, demonic ministrations of a molester? If none, then what had she done to them to anger them so? Why didn't they help her?

A pair of firm hands picked her up off the ground and wrapped themselves around her shoulders. Her body shook and quivered as she was wracked by violent sobs into the shirt of whoever was holding her. “Shh,” the person said. Her mind was too scattered to recognize it, though it was obviously someone she knew. Whoever it was, she was more than happy to give in to her weakness and use them as a pillar of support.

Half an hour passed before she finally calmed down. So much was bottled up inside, that once she started crying, she couldn't stop. Despite how such an action would and should have been viewed, she felt better. It felt great to finally let it all out and stop pretending to be stronger than she actually was. She wiped her eyes, not quiet ready to put up the pretense of invulnerability she had worn for years.

“Feel better?” the person, a woman, asked her.

Sarada naturally assumed it was Maiz, so when she saw the golden irises of her mother looking down at her with a rare look of genuine concern, she was surprised. “Y-yes.” She immediately looked away, automatically feeling ashamed of her lengthy moment of weakness.

“Don't be ashamed,” Lettise said firmly. “It's better to show weakness and grow from it than to hide by false strength and stagnate. A lesson I learned the hard way.” A ghost of a smile appeared as she gently wiped the remaining tears from her daughter's eyes. “I take it you were one of his victims.”

She couldn't speak – equal parts shocked by how sentimental her mother was being and not wanting to think about it any more – so she just nodded.

“I... I see.” It was clear the very notion that a child of hers was abused by that monster disheartened her worse than the notion of any child of hers being a slave. That in and of itself made Sarada feel better; the idea that her mother cared more about her than her absence in her life would provide evidence of. “I won't tell you what I would do in this situation, since you aren't me.”

Meaning, she didn't want her to kill him? The idea had crossed her mind more than once, especially during her training on Earth. When she told Ishtar what happened, she resolved in her heart to kill him when she got home. When she found out how much stronger she was when bonded with her, the idea of torturing him settled in her heart, as well. Yet, the idea of seeing him stripped of all his presumed power, his sins laid bare before the gods and the world, and to witness him humiliated in a court of law before being sent away to an off-world prison intrigued her.

More than that, actually. It sounded far more appealing than murdering him – no matter how justified she would have been in doing so – every could. “I want to see him humiliated. In public. I want to know that he's in prison, being raped every day like he did me,” she spoke coldly.

When she finally looked up at her mother again, she found her smiling. The kind of cold, heartless smile one wore before engaging in a lengthy torture session. “Then, we make that happen. You know what to do.”

She nodded. She knew exactly what to do. But first, there was something she needed to know. Something that only he would know, and something he would readily give if given the opportunity to trade that information for his freedom.

Later that day, she traveled to the World Police Headquarters to make her statement. Shoulders square, head held high, and eyes unwavering, she recounted every last detail, all the gory, sordid details of what happened those three days. She left nothing out, and left nothing to the imagination. She didn't want even the possibility of him getting off on a technicality to be present before him.

After signing her statement and heaving out a silent sigh of relief, she made one request. “I want to talk to him.”

The detective hesitated for a long time, her sharp black eyes searching her golden irises for any hint of apprehension or ulterior motives. She found neither, so she nodded. “You have ten minutes. Lay one finger on him and—”

“I won't.”

The detective nodded again and left. Minutes ticked by one by one, and slowly but surely, her iron will was being eroded by the crippling nag of doubt. No. I.. need to know this. I'll only ask him this one thing, then I'll leave.

The door opened, and two people walked in. A man was situated into the chair across from her, his hands shackled to a hook on the table.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

It was him. For the first time in eight years, they were face to face. This time, however, she was the stronger one, she was in the position of power, and he was the one who was trapped against his will. For a very long time, she just glared at him. Miles and miles away, Ishtar would suddenly get the feeling of immense anger bolstered by smug satisfaction. Seeing her tormentor in chains, already humiliated and stripped of the relative power he had over his young victims filled her with endless, boundless joy. The case against him was as easy a win as an Oozaru against a small mouse. Him getting found innocent or not guilty or whatever was impossible. He was finally going to pay and suffer for his crimes.

A fate far worse than death.

Those same dead, frightening eyes stared back at her, unblinking, as they did eight years ago. He frowned, as if trying to remember who she was. It didn't take long; she looked the same now as she did then, just bigger and more muscular. He licked his lips, and opened his mouth, tongue poised to pronounce her name.

“Shut up,” she snarled, cutting him off before the first syllable could be enunciated. “You don't talk unless I tell you. You got that?”

He swallowed nervously, but nodded.

“I only want to know one thing.” She reached into the pocket of her pants and pulled out a holographic picture album. She activated it and scrolled to a picture of a twelve year old girl. Dashir's eyes widened with recognition. “So, you know her. From when she beat you within an inch of your life.” She smirked. It was the first and last time Parsley every did anything that benefited someone else; yet, even that worked out for her in the long run.”

“Yeah,” he spoke shortly. His voice still sent a cold chill up her spine. She could feel his hot breath brush against her ear as he whispered sweet nothings in her ear while taking her against her will.

She breathed in deeply, then exhaled slowly.

“That bitch,” he continued angrily. “She said I could have you. She said she'd keep the heat off my ass until you were forgotten about.” His hands tightened into quivering fists. “She lied to me. You know what she said when she showed up two days after pushing my **** in?” He looked at the detectives, who were busy writing what he was saying down. “That she never said how long I could have you, only that I could do whatever I wanted.” He shook his head. “She used me. See, I'm the vic—”

“Shut. The ****. Up. Never call yourself a victim because you didn't get to rape an eight year old until she hit puberty like you wanted. Not while there are over 150 of us who can't sleep at night because of you.” She stood, satisfied with what she learned. Her caustic glare never left his. When he withered under her heavy gaze, she sneered. “I hope you scream when they take your ass in prison. They love it when bitches scream.”

With that, she walked out. Shoulders square, head held high, and eyes forward, she walked out of the Headquarters and flew home. The moment she touched the inside of her apartment, she collapsed to the ground and barely made it to a nearby wastebasket before vomiting up her lunch. Her head was swimming and breathing became very difficult. The confidence and poise she carried herself with during her interrogation of the pervert was false, hallow. It took all of her strength to hold down the quivering fear and unease she felt while in the same room as him. Just know that they were breathing the same air for that short time made her feel dirty.

She struggled to her feet, sucking in copious amounts of air as she rose. She would never move past this. Even if they charged him with the death penalty and killed him the day after his trial, she could never cope with what he had done to her. To them, the other 150+ victims. Even after he was dead and gone, turned to dust in the ground, she would still have to live with the shame and disgust she felt at having her innocence ripped away from her before her life even had a chance to get started.

It wasn't fair, and it was her own fault.

No.

It wasn't her fault. It was Parsley's.

She walked to her bathroom to take a shower. As she prepared to get undressed, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. One moment, she saw nothing but her normal self, quivering slightly and breathing shakily. The next moment, she saw her eight year old self, in the same state of undress, with tear-stained cheeks and hair matted to her face by sweat.

She snarled and put her fist through the mirror. Shards of jagged glass went flying in every direction, but none of it had a chance of injuring her. Not that it mattered, the damage was done. Sarada slowly sank to the floor, once again beset by a deluge of tears. "Why?" she whimpered wobbly.

Her own sister... gave her to that monster. Why?

She could hardly believe it, much less understand it. It was no secret to her that she and Parsley didn't care for one another, but she just assumed that was a recent development. But, it was evident that her sister had hated her for far longer than that.

No, this was beyond hate.

This was evil.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

It began with a slow nod.

Sarada wished- even desired- to bare her soul, and so Ishtar would do for the girl, what she had only moments before done. Listen, and comfort, and accept the Saiyan for who she was, and not what had happened to her- or what she had done. Yet as the slow, and pervasive feelings of nervousness, and vulnerability, and even fear began to filter through their connection ... Ishtar was in no way prepared for what came next.

The first words of the recounting itself however, were of the Meat Market.

A place the Oni possessed a passing familiarity of. Where the weak were enslaved to life, and toil, and die ... Yet she had known it as that; and not the Hell that the young Saiyan explained it to be. And with the insight Maiz had offered, and the way Sarada was attempting to- already- rein in negative feelings. What followed then was expected in a way. So when Sarada revealed that Parsley had brought her there, and left her there; the golden-eyed Oni offered only calm understanding at the feelings of swelling anger the girl offered. Yet that changed quickly, when her bedmate continued.

In her frantic search to find a safe space in that hellish pit after the light of day had faded; someone had grabbed her from behind. With it came an almost overpowering feeling of dread. And for a moment there was a fleeing hope within Ishtar that what had happened was simply that in Sarada's attempt to escape, she had murdered her would-be assailant. But the dread found itself accompanied by a quickened heart-rate and an almost staggering helplessness ... the Oni slowly began to realize the truth of things.

"No ..."

Simply a statement offered by an Oni who realized too late, what Sarada was about to relive ... and what the golden-eyed Oni herself would experience for the first time.

This assailant had taken her. Overpowered her. And when the memory of what he had done then- forced his lips to hers and his tongue down her throat- Ishtar could almost feel it, and along with Sarada's own feelings of power, and crippling fear, the Oni felt sick. Yet it was not finished yet ... she could feel that too.

No ... please.

Sarada's voice faltered then, and with a quivering, the Saiyan bit down on her own lip in an attempt to stem the coming flow of tears. Yet it would not last for long, and as she labored to reword it ... attempt to give voice to the atrocity that had been in a way, orchestrated, by Parsley ... her voice grew heavy with the pain of it all; and with a final stuttering accompanied by a white-hot pain felt by both women ... Sarada gave way to tears. And only then the words came.

Ishtar managed on a moment longer then, the experience of what Sarada was being forced to relive slowly working its way through the connection to strip what little of a buffer the Oni had managed to erect; and by the time the young woman had balled her fists- a last ditch effort to salvage a dignity that did not matter now- Ishtar herself began to weep. And as the raw emotion of all of it consumed the Oni, as it had consumed- and was consuming now- Sarada, that festering rage that had given birth to Aeshma ... Anaxam, slowly began to be felt, and understood.

It was not enough however, compared to the the disgust. At the act, and at him, and at ... herself; and along with the dread and the helplessness it was nothing short of suffocating. But what was worse still, as Sarada told- and shared both in pain and emotion- of how he forced himself on her again, and again and ... again ...

Was that it was only the first night.

There was more.

No ... nonono ...

On the second night, this ... beast ... continued chipping away at the Sarada's soul. Forcing himself on her for hours; despite her begging, and pleading, and screaming. And in the end, when the second night was ended, he ... it ... had left Sarada alone, and wounded. Full of sadness, and helplessness ... feeling as if her own body was not clean- and still was not. And connected as they were; in the end Ishtar felt the same, if only to a lesser degree.

What this ... animal had done ...

As if reacting on instinct, the golden-eyed Oni pulled Sarada close then. A futile attempt to protect the Saiyan from what in the end was only memories ... and yet the way it felt ... the way this felt ...

Yet it still was not done.

And when Ishtar felt her bedmate make ready to continue, she recoiled slightly.

nononono ...

On the third night ... it had taken pictures. An act that itself seemed fruitless considering the atrocities already committed ... and yet perhaps it was so that its own memories of the horror- and its pleasure- might remain fresh.

And at that realization, had Ishtar been capable, she would have vomited.

With a few words from Sarada however, what had already been the worst pain, and suffering every experienced- in passing- became somehow worse ... he had threatened to violate her further, probing at an area that would have likely killed the girl simply from the pain of it ... but thankfully ... blissfully, it was not to be. This Parsley, ... Architect of this Hell, had arrived, and after beating upon the man until he barely remained alive ... she departed with Sarada. Yet the damage was done. Even freed from the fate that had been but a flickering instant from coming to pass ... the girl would carry the weight of this horror- and the feelings of weakness, and helplessness, and dread, and fear and so much more- with her for years to come.

... And so now too, would Ishtar.

...

And then it was done.

She hated how she just tried to bury it deep down inside and pretend it didn't happen instead of doing something about it. She hated how she wanted to kill him, but just couldn't muster up the courage like a real Saiyan to look him in the face for even a second.

"You know Jack is the first man I've mated with since then? I don't even know why. I just... wanted to." She shrugged.

With everything out there in the open for Ishtar to digest, she felt empty. Empty and alone. Ishtar had her own issues, her own trauma, but Sarada doubted she wanted to be burdened with this. There was little doubt that the Oni would feel a swell of guilt at having inadvertently unearth this dark trauma, even though she shouldn't. Sarada meant what she said; this was her fault for not resolving this sooner. It was her fault for bottling it up.

It was her fault for being a victim in the first place.

Ishtar head the words.

Of how she had elected to sleep with Jack- the first since that day- without wholly knowing why ...

Yet they did not register.

Instead, Sarada would feel it as the Oni struggled to sift through the tidal wave of emotions, and pain that sought to drown her now. A labor that was slow, and difficult. And as Ishtar clung to Sarada both to comfort- and for comfort- she continued to tremble and weep for several moments in silence; until finally managing to force through to where Sarada found herself now:

Empty, and alone. With no doubt in her long-troubled mind, that this whole thing was a fault of her own making. Sure that Ishtar herself would not care, in the end, beyond a guilt that the remembrance was the result of her own questioning. And that was true in a way, it was ...

"... wrong."

A single word, softly muttered as Ishtar finally found the strength of will to move, and speak, of her own accord. And after a moment more of silence, the golden-eyed Oni continued softly.

"That guilt ... you did not bring this on yourself."

It was Parsley, more than anyone else; and Ishtar would never forget that as well.

Yet there was a more important thing to focus her attentions on, now that all of Sarada's tale had been processed. So then, slowly, the Oni slowly pulled the Saiyan close. Into as gentle an embrace as could be managed, so that new feelings- a slow, and pervasive feeling of warmth, and comfort- could begin to trickle in; and be accompanied by the warmth of Ishtar's own body.

"I am here ... Sarada. I will always be here."

And as the Oni spoke those words, and held Sarada close for comfort, and warmth; the young Saiyan would remember that the Oni could not lie.

"I am sorry you ... had to experience this. Yet I am at the same time glad, that it was me." The golden-eyed Oni said softly the, after several long minutes had passed- time enough for Sarada herself to find a measure of peace, and calm ...

"This burden you carry ... if you would have me ..."

The words failed then, for in truth the Oni was not skillful enough at the moment to weave them, yet what could be felt through their bond shone through clearly in what was intended. Sarada would not be alone in this, anymore. Ishtar was offering what she could. An ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on- should it ever be needed again- and even her heart.

"You are not alone ... okay ?"

[The Dog]

It was difficult to say this without sounding accusatory. Asha'rah kept her tone gentle, but she did not shy from saying what she felt Midori needed to hear. The android had asked, after all.

"You are an elite, Midori. I would be very surprised if there were fifty people born on this planet alive today who are stronger than you. Yet people who climb the ranks are generally either born with such immense talent that they still haven't needed to push themselves to the limit, or have tempered their will to overcome such adversity by believing there is a solution and working tirelessly, desperate to grasp it. I sense neither from you. Shiro is out there getting parts for your next upgrade yes? Are you working on the upgrade after that? Are you trying to envision how to get stronger, or continuing to canvas for ideas? I have only known you for a short time, so it may be that I missed some of the things you've done in the face of adversity. But it has seemed to me that you either know what to do and move forward with enthusiasm, or you don't know what to do and start to despair. And who swoops in to save you from such trouble every time? Shiro. She cleans up after you, doing everything you don't feel up to yourself. Eventually, the chick needs to learn to fly. Or at least fall in the learning of it. Shiro loves you too much to let that happen, and it seems you have been happy to take those solutions until you need her to spoonfeed you the next."

Asha'rah chuckled softly, picturing Midori straining not to snap under Ochazuke's stern words and sterner gaze.

"And I can think of few things more bracing than surviving under Ochazuke's tutelage for a while."

Midori listened to Asha'rah speak, turning her head down and eyes away from the elder android, shocked and ashamed by not only her words, but the continued honesty in them. She didn't want to admit Asha'rah was right, that she didn't do that. She wanted to argue that none of that was true, that she didn't sit aside and wait for Shiro to bring her solutions to her problems...

But she couldn't. The longer she thought about it, the more evidence of the truth of Asha'rah's words flashed in her mind. That every time they hit a wall, she wallowed until Shiro brought forth a solution to the problem. That she never actually tried to fix things herself, instead letting her sister do all the work for them. Shiro never complained, just doing it with a smile, seemingly happy to just help her, and Midori never did anything to help.

"You're right, Asha'rah. I do that." Midori said quietly, keeping her eyes off the other android and on her feet, her hand rubbing her arm as she spoke. But how could she do anything? She didn't have the programming or knowledge to do so. She didn't know engineering, robotics, or anything of the like, so how could she possibly...

Then an idea struck her like a bolt of divine lightning from the Heavens above. She knew what she had to do to be able to start working on upgrades herself and not just wait on Shiro to keep fixing things for her. She was an android, so all she had to do was just download all the knowledge she needed to design upgrades for herself. She had been planning to download broadsword fighting skills, so why hadn't she thought to do that before? Downloading so much information into her mind at once would be dangerous, but if she succeeded...

Looking to Asha'rah with a smile and a determined light in her eyes, Midori said "Asha'rah, I realize what I need to do. And it doesn't involve surviving under Ochazuke's tutelage."

[Lord Falcon]

Midori listened to Asha'rah speak, turning her head down and eyes away from the elder android, shocked and ashamed by not only her words, but the continued honesty in them. She didn't want to admit Asha'rah was right, that she didn't do that. She wanted to argue that none of that was true, that she didn't sit aside and wait for Shiro to bring her solutions to her problems...

But she couldn't. The longer she thought about it, the more evidence of the truth of Asha'rah's words flashed in her mind. That every time they hit a wall, she wallowed until Shiro brought forth a solution to the problem. That she never actually tried to fix things herself, instead letting her sister do all the work for them. Shiro never complained, just doing it with a smile, seemingly happy to just help her, and Midori never did anything to help.

"You're right, Asha'rah. I do that." Midori said quietly, keeping her eyes off the other android and on her feet, her hand rubbing her arm as she spoke. But how could she do anything? She didn't have the programming or knowledge to do so. She didn't know engineering, robotics, or anything of the like, so how could she possibly...

Then an idea struck her like a bolt of divine lightning from the Heavens above. She knew what she had to do to be able to start working on upgrades herself and not just wait on Shiro to keep fixing things for her. She was an android, so all she had to do was just download all the knowledge she needed to design upgrades for herself. She had been planning to download broadsword fighting skills, so why hadn't she thought to do that before? Downloading so much information into her mind at once would be dangerous, but if she succeeded...

Looking to Asha'rah with a smile and a determined light in her eyes, Midori said "Asha'rah, I realize what I need to do. And it doesn't involve surviving under Ochazuke's tutelage."

Midori listened closely, attentively. She was silent for a while, taking in Asha'rah's words. They were not easy pills to swallow, and Asha'rah would not have thought particularly ill of Midori for rejecting them. But at length, she gave a simple acknowledgement.

"You're right, Asha'rah. I do that."

Asha'rah's message had hit the mark. Whatever Midori did from here, she did so with an added layer of awareness. And if the green android gained nothing else in the coming weeks, that might be enough. But of course, Midori was not one to slowly drift into success. Once she had a fire in her belly, there was little stopping the firecracker. She had a revelation, often valuable and dangerous things those. And she knew what to do, and it was different from Asha'rah's idea to train under Ochazuke. That of course, did not matter. The God of Creation did not care, or even necessarily want her creations to simply follow her instructions. She wanted the universe to grow, to form a quintillion perpectives different from her own, and equal numbers of solutions to overcome the adversities they faced.

If Asha'rah had eyes, they would have lit up with barely restrained glee. It was a temporary fire, one born of inspiration and a shift in perspective freshly made, but in the moment it burned hot. Midori was striving. Time would tell if she could sustain it when the going got tough, but Asha'rah had a soft spot for those who managed to push themselves past that first hurdle. "I am here!" They will say, "my life is but one, but it shall be full!" Such is the glory of life.

She steepled her fingers and asked, "oh? What do you have in mind?"

[The Dog]

Midori listened closely, attentively. She was silent for a while, taking in Asha'rah's words. They were not easy pills to swallow, and Asha'rah would not have thought particularly ill of Midori for rejecting them. But at length, she gave a simple acknowledgement.

"You're right, Asha'rah. I do that."

Asha'rah's message had hit the mark. Whatever Midori did from here, she did so with an added layer of awareness. And if the green android gained nothing else in the coming weeks, that might be enough. But of course, Midori was not one to slowly drift into success. Once she had a fire in her belly, there was little stopping the firecracker. She had a revelation, often valuable and dangerous things those. And she knew what to do, and it was different from Asha'rah's idea to train under Ochazuke. That of course, did not matter. The God of Creation did not care, or even necessarily want her creations to simply follow her instructions. She wanted the universe to grow, to form a quintillion perpectives different from her own, and equal numbers of solutions to overcome the adversities they faced.

If Asha'rah had eyes, they would have lit up with barely restrained glee. It was a temporary fire, one born of inspiration and a shift in perspective freshly made, but in the moment it burned hot. Midori was striving. Time would tell if she could sustain it when the going got tough, but Asha'rah had a soft spot for those who managed to push themselves past that first hurdle. "I am here!" They will say, "my life is but one, but it shall be full!" Such is the glory of life.

She steepled her fingers and asked, "oh? What do you have in mind?"

Midori grinned as she said "I need to be able to design and possibly build my own upgrades without relying on Shiro to do it for me, but I don't have the programming or the knowledge to do so. But I'm an android, so I can just download the knowledge and programming necessary to do so! It'll be dangerous, yes, but if I succeed I'll be able to improve myself and even Shiro without needing her to do all the work!"

[The Dog]

Shiro sighed as she trudged through knee-deep snow up a mountain towards her target. She was dressed normally as the cold never bothered her anyways, and she needn't worry about altitude sickness or the lack of oxygen. Though that was due to her being an android, and thus not having to deal with the negative effects of cold or lack of oxygen.

Though she couldn't shake the feeling that the higher she climbed, the more she felt eyes watching her like she was a piece of meat. Turning around to look for them, she scowled as she found nothing in sight. Sighing again, she returned to her trekking, only to stop and spin, lashing out with a kick, catching something in the side of the head as it flew through the air toward her.

As it crashed into the snow, Shiro scowled and watched it rise from the snow. It was human in shape, but with gray skin stretched over a thin, malnourished frame, arms and legs far too long for its body with bony fingers tipped by four-inch claws, and glowing eyes. She saw a bunch of jagged, razor-sharp teeth as it opened its mouth to allow a long tongue to come out and seemingly taste the air.

"What are you?" Shiro wondered aloud, then swallowed as more things like the creature popped out of the snow, all of them watching her hungrily.

The bright glow of Shiro's laser beams filled her eyes as she challenged "Alright, you want to go? Then come on!" As the first of the monsters charged her, twin beams of laser energy lanced from her eyes, piercing its shoulder and causing it to topple forward into the snow.

Lifting her hand, a white energy spear appeared in her grasp, several more appearing to float around her. With a cry of rage, she threw the one in her hand towards the strange things, the rest of them following it. Several of her challengers managed to dodge, but those unlucky enough to dodge were pierced through by the spears, squealing in pain and rage as they dropped.

But as she was doing that, another of the creatures leaped from the snow behind her, wrapping its limbs around her, pinning one of her arms down as it brought its head down and sank its fangs into her shoulder. With a scream of pain, Shiro pointed her free hand at the creature and fired a blast of energy directly into its face, sending it hurtling backward off of Shiro.

Rubbing her damaged shoulder, energy erupted from her as she roared and launched herself toward the monsters, a charge they met with their own roars of rage. Meeting them head-on, Shiro grabbed one by the arm and started swinging it around like a club, ignoring as long razor-sharp talons dug furrows into her flesh as they battled in the snow.

[KingofPie]

The King and Queen had given Sasheem a map to their old castle. A castle the leader of the Tako Tribe stole after destroying their kingdom. They told him it'd be a long trek, but....he didn't think it'd be THIS long. It didn't help that he didn't exactly know how to read a map.

Eventually, the Majin got bored and fell asleep...only for a couple of hours. "You've been asleep three days..." a familiar voice called behind Sasheem.

"Bah!" The Majin shouted in surprise, jolting awake. Turning around he saw that woman-fish, Kelpie and the Seal. "Etii! Go!" He stated, trying to get then to leave. He began to charge ki in his hand, which Kelpie seemed to not notice as her and the Seal's backs were turned.

"My parents have too much faith in you," she shook her head. "I figured you'd get lost, however.," she continues smugly. "So, seal and I elected myself to be your guides, so you won't squander your opportunity to get that gem you want so badly..."

Sasheem blinked. He didn't need her help! He wasn't even going to return the crown to her parents. He was just gonna pry the gem from it and be on his way. So he could get to the castle on his own...eventually. "Bah...no....help."

"Oh..." Kelpie stuck out a finger. "And if you're planning on just escaping with the crown...it was forged with merpeople magic. You can't get that thing out without my dad's knowledge..."

Sasheem clutched his head in shock. Was this girl psychic?!

"Now give me the map..." Kelpie stated, not waiting for Sasheem to answer and instead snatching the map from him. "So, you're completely turned around....you have to head north," she continued, pointing towards the opposite direction Sasheem was heading. "Towards the Venom Sea..."

"Stoo...pid...fishy," Sasheem grumbled, folding his arms and looking off to the side. He didn't really want her help...but if she could read the map...

"What was that!" she stated, apparently hearing the Majin's insult and responding by grabbing his face and stretching both sides apart, yelling, "Don't you know what a mermaid is?!"

Hours later...

Sasheem continued to grumble to himself, noting that it was lucky for Kelpie that she could read that he map. "Borubopa..." he stated. The waters began that he grow darker that hehe further they traveled, no too much so, bit enough to be noticable. "Ven...om?" Sasheem asked.

"That's right!" Kelpie stated. "This sea is home to some of that heheheh most poisonous creatures on Earth...or at least it was until that Tako Tribe scared most of them off. Don't be too afraid to talk to one, though! They may be poisonous, but that's mostly to scare off predators. Besides, we'll need to ask them for directions to get through the cloud of volcanic ash."

"Zewfo..." Sasheem responded as he soon saw great, ashy clouds in the distance. Those were the volcanic ash the mermaid had talked about, eh? Probably what discolored the water too. So where were the fish the Tako Tribe hadn't scared off. Didn't seem like there were many brave ones left...

And as if arriving to prove him wrong, a fish came swimming by. One with a variety of quills sticking out of it's back.

"Ah, a lionfish!" Kelpie exclaimed. Sasheem merely stared blankly. It didn't look anything like a lion, but he'd take her word for it. "Excuse me!" Kelpie continued. "Mr. Lion-fish...which way past the ash cloud?"

"Hmm..." the lion fish spoke in an elderly voice. He pointed a quill to the west. "Ya wanna circle around that-a-way. That'll get ya to wherever yer goin'.."

"Wow, I didn't know lionfish could point like that with their quills! Must be difficult," Seal pondered.

"Aye, it's a skill we seldom use," the lionfish answered quickly. "But only for people we really like..."

"Oh, well in that case thank you!" The Seal chuckled.

And west they went around the ash....only to find themselves surrounded by...even more ash. It appeared that they were in a stretch of the sea that had become a barren wasteland.

"Stoo...pid fish...." Sasheem began to fume. "No lion....stoo...pid! It wrong!"

"Well...he was pretty old," Kelpie shrugged. "Maybe his sense of direction, isn't what it used to be..."

"He back..." Sasheem growled, believing he sensed what little ki the old fish had.

"No, he's not..." Kelpie shook her head looking slightly beneath them. "There is that sea Snake down there, though!"

"...?!' Sasheem exclaimed. A sea snake?! But he could've sworn...Bah...maybe similar power levels or something. They were just sea animals after all.

"Greetingsss, friendsss...." the sea snake greeted them, as it swam in the darkness below. "You lossst? Not many sssstep out into my neck of the sssssea. I can help you get to where you're going..."

"How kind of you!" Seal stated happily. "Most sea snakes keep to themselves, but thank you for taking the time out to help us!"

"..." the sea snake thought for a moment. "Yes...sssss. Well. It got pretty lonely put here oncccce the Tako Tribe drove my family away. Only I elected to sssstay and protect our ancccccessssstral home. It's the leasssst I can do to ass show a few ssssstrangersssss to their dessssstination," he added in a friendly tone. "Though, it is sssstay lonely. I don't sssssuppossse you can sssstay for a bit to chat?"

"'Fraud not, Snakey," Kelpie shook her head. "We're on a mission!"

"Very well," the sea snake nodded respectfully. "Sssss that plume of asssssh off where my tail isss pointing? Hang a right around the plume that looksss like dolphin...and you'll be out of thissss ssssssmog."

"Thank you!" Seal thanked the reptile. "We'll be on our way!"

Around the dolphin plume they went...and where they found themselves was an odd sea mountain that had dilapidated over time. It looked like a dead end.

"Huh...but this can't be right..." Kelpie stated, confused, checking the map. "But why would the sea snake lie, is he that lonely?" As she pondered this a large boulder seemed to unlodge itself from the dilapidated underwater mountain and begin to fall...right on top of Kelpie, who was so bisy reading the map that she didn't seem to notice until the shadow of the boulder had completely been cast over her. "Uh...S-Sasheeeeeem!" She panicked as the boulder was large for her to swim away from in time.

Sasheem sighed in irritation and stretched his arm to push her far out of the way, snapping his arm back quickly before boulder smashed into to the sea floor below. "Stoo...pid..." the Majin suddenly stopped speaking. He sensed the sea snake's ki...or was it the lion fish's?

"Hello, denizens of foreign seas..." an ethereal voice greeted them as a dark pigmented jellyfish swam before them. "I couldn't help but realize the danger you were in and I have decided to offer my assistance to you, as is my civic duty."

"That's awfully kind of you," Seal sighed in relief. "Oh, I thought jellyfish around these parts had to glow in the dark to light the way? Must been a rumor."

"Well, you see, on my mother's side..." the jellyfish began before Sasheem suddenly grabbed him by the tendrils and began to repeatedly slam him against the wall of the mountain.

"Sasheem, wait! Jellyfish are poison to the touch!" Kelpie explained.

"No jelly!" Sasheem shouted as he continued to slam the jellyfish into the wall of rock. He was used to poison anyway, but he figured that wouldn't be a problem in this case as this he 'jellyfish' soon changed shape into that of a sea snake as he continued to be bludgeoned against the mountain. "No snake!" Sasheem continued as the 'sea snake" soon changed shape into that of a lion fish. "No fishy!" Sasheem finished speaking as he continued to slam the 'lion fish' against the wall, causing it to change shape from a lion fish to a star fish, a flat fish, and some kind of half formed crustacean in quick succession.

"Okay...okay wait stop!" Whatever the thing was managed to say. "I'll tell the truth! Stop!"

Kelpie put her hands on her hips and glared angrily at what bow appeared to be an octopus. "I should've known...one of the Tako Tribe members. The little brother of the clan was always weak, but he didn't need to fight when he could deceive his enemies...isn't that right, Cephalo?"

"Okay, geeze! You got me!" Cephalo stated, holding his tentacles out for a reprieve from the constant pain. "I saw what you did to Lob and Jab," he stated, referring to the lobster and the swordfish. "So, I bid my time and hid around the Venom Sea, figuring I could trick you all into getting lost until I could get backup. There, I confessed. Happy?"

"NO WAY!" Kelpie snarled. "How about you really apologize by leading us to your big brother's castle....AKA...MY CASTLE!"

"There's absolutely no way I'd do that!" Cephalo shook his head. "Beat me up all you want, I won't lead you there!"

"No lead....die!" Sashen grinned sinisterly, energy charging up on his hand as he raised it up to the mimic octopus.

"W-well...perhaps something can be arranged....eh?" Cephalo stated, reaccessing his situation.