Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Mistress of Wishes ❯ Confrontations ( Chapter 24 )

Author's Note:

 

Oh my gosh thank you Aquasage!! I had completely forgotten what the Eternal Dragon's name was (which I'm sure was apparent since I kept calling him Eternal Dragon…)… I…I love you… I also thank you for all your insight on the story, your reflections are what help me realize where the holes in my story are, and what I need to do to fill them. Just to clarify, its not literally the crimes of her mother she's being tried for (the wording was my bad) Ices is being tried for what she is…it'll hopefully make sense after this chapter.

 

 

Goku stood before the Supreme Kai, his features speaking barely suppressed rage. After much deliberation between the Z senshi after Ices' telling of her story they decided that they had missed some sort of important detail, and the only one who could clear it up, would be the Supreme Kai himself. Needless to say Vegeta hadn't been at all easy to convince, insisting that he stay there to `keep an eye' on the villains and dragon. They could not budge him, and so Goku left everyone on that planet, transporting only himself to the Supreme Kai.

 

Apparently the Kai had been expecting him.

 

“Hey there Goku!” He greeted, friendly enough. The saijin's features did not waver, if anything they became even harder.

 

“Why are you trying her for crimes she did not commit.” He didn't feel like small-talk, and he knew the Supreme Kai would understand who he meant. Immediatley the Kai's face turned serious, almost sad. “Why?”

 

“Goku.” He sighed at last, “there are things in t his universe that are hard for even me to understand.” The Supreme Kai gestured for Goku to take a seat next to him, but the saijin remained standing. “To explain this, I need to tell you the history of the Draconic race. Or more specifically: how their personality is determined.” The Kai hesitated here, as if he expected Goku to say something, but continued when no exclamation was forthcoming.

 

“Elemental Dragons are physical beings, not like your Wish Granting Dragon, Shenron, who resides on his own magic and therefore lives an immortal life. Elemental Dragons are far from immortal, though their lifespans stretch for thousands of years. But we're getting off subject. An Elemental Dragon's entire attitude is usually based upon that of their parents. If the parents were evil, the infant will be evil. Its that simple, no amount of outside influence can change that. Usually. Alanis, Ices' mother, was no exception. Being a full Elemental Dragon. Because she was born from chaotic destruction she followed the path lain before her by her parents, slaughtering and tormenting others with cares only for herself.” The Kai interrupted his own monologue to take a sip of his drink and lay back in his chair.

 

“But Ices is not a full Elemental Dragon.” He continued. “As I'm sure she told you, I raised her with utmost care to believe strongly in morals and principle. I had hoped to override her mother's influence, but I could still sense the darkness in her heart, undiscovered, but no less there. It only took two hours in her Mother's presence to awaken that darkness. And that is why the other Kai's had voted unanimously to have her soul destroyed. They could not risk having another being so evil as her mother had been.” He paused. “But Ices heard of their plans and escaped, in her absence I was able to convince my comrades that she would do no harm. And she seemed to back that statement up with her actions in the outside world.” The Kai took another drink, seeming thoughtful. “We didn't even think twice about her wanderings after the first five centuries…”

 

Goku waited patiently, his eyes a bit less hard as his brain rushed to digest this information.

 

“But once she entered Hell and granted life to some of the most vile beings there are, the other Kai's grew nervous. They suspected that she was building a dark army to overthrow us. We did lie to her, afterall, and make an attempt on her life. It's perfectly natural for her to see us as traitors and try to kill us…” The Kai caught himself mid-ramble. “To sum it all up, Goku, they believe that she has become caught up in the ever-repeating cycles of the Elemental Dragon's physiology. In short, they are condemning her simply for being the daughter of an evil creature.”

 

“You said `they,' does that mean you don't believe the same thing?” Goku's voice was kept stoic, and the Kai shook his head.

 

“I know differently.”

 

“What do you know?” Goku prompted, curiosity coloring his voice slightly.

 

“I know that Ices did not resurrect the villains because she wanted revenge.” The Supreme Kai continued.

 

“Then why did she do it?” His entire hard façade seemed to melt into confusion.

 

“Because even though she didn't realize it, she was in love with Cell.” At his words the Saijin almost lost his feet.

 

“How is that even possible?!”

 

“Now Goku, didn't you come here to try to dissuade the Kai from prosecuting the Dragoness?” Supreme Kai diverted the subject away from something so personal.

 

“But I thought you didn't want to prosecute her in the first place.” The confusion was raging within Goku's voice.

 

“That's true, I know that she is innocent of all crimes, and that she will not continue the flow of her mother's evil. But my comrades have a hard time believing that, and so even as we speak my fellow Kais are preparing yet another tact to force her soul to disengage with those of the hell-bound, in an effort to disperse her existence.”

 

“That's horrible! They don't even know her.” Goku realized even as he said this, that he didn't know her either, and the Kai seemed to gain an amused spark, as if he were thinking along the same lines. “Even though I hardly know her, I can see that she isn't evil. Dark, maybe, but not evil…I'm sure that if they met her they wouldn't think the same thing.” At this the Kai shook his head.

 

“I wish it were that simple, Goku.” At the protest upon his lips the Kai held up a hand to silence him. “Once, maybe she could have convinced them with just a look, but that was a long time ago. That was before her innocence was lost to the darkness in her heart.”

 

“But she still feels love, which means she's not completely dark.”

 

“Did Ices tell you why she left us?” The Kai seemed tense, almost angry.

 

“Because she was going to be killed.” Replied the lost saijin.

 

“Partially, but she had a deeper reason than that. She left to find a way to regain her innocence and dispel the darkness in her heart.” The Kai sighed and leaned back in his chair once more. “That was why she became so attached to Piccolo.”

 

Suddenly the pieces fell together in Goku's mind. Ices had said she lost her dear friend Piccolo, which was likely to be true enough, but could she have meant that had been unable to force herself through the same process and in doing so was unable to connect fully with either Piccolo or Kami? Or perhaps she had opted for Kami after being rejected by the new Piccolo, because she had hoped he could help her regain her purity.

 

All this thinking made Goku's head hurt.

 

Meanwhile…

 

The dragoness curled languidly around the villains, her tail twitching like that of a watchful cat as her eyes stared across at the Z fighters. She had been cornered, she knew that. Her Rifts would not open because she was seriously injured, internally. Her warriors could not fight properly because they were outmatched. And she was far too weak to do anything against these foes. Her only chance lay with the loving heart of the one called Son Goku. She had no choice but to do so.

 

“Imbecile, she could grant us our wildest wishes!” Vegeta shouted at the Namek, who stood his ground, arms crossed, remaining silent.

 

“Enough. Your voice tires me.” Ices growled from her coiled position. Vegeta glared at her for an instant before rounding on the Namek once more.

 

“Don't even think you can convince me that you don't want something?” The Prince's voice was just as loud, if not louder as before.

 

“Actually I do want something. I want you to shut up.” Piccolo growled, eliciting a growl from Vegeta as his kai rose and lashed out at the Namek. In response to his rage Ices was set to her feet, imposing herself between the two, a deadly look in her fangs as well as her eyes. She deflected the blast with her wings, it was not particularly strong, and lashed her tail angrily.

 

“You will not harm the Namekian.” Her voice spoke of undying loyalty, and Cell found himself irrationally jealous of Piccolo. While Piccolo simply closed his eyes.

 

Inside he was confused, why would she stand up for him if he was her enemy? Yes they had been allies once, according to her story, but that had ended long before his time.

 

“And just why not?” Cell spoke in response to his jealousy. The Dragoness' eyes narrowed slightly, but the venom was gone from her stance as well as her voice.

 

“His father was my ally. I cannot overlook that.” She replied, her stance relaxing a bit.

 

“And just what kind of ally was he?” Cell's suave voice held a simmering anger, and the dragoness found her own temper raising in response.

 

“It was long before your time, Cell, and therefore none of your concern.” Her fangs were bared once more, and the venom was slowly creeping back into her voice as her attention was taken away from the Z fighters that surrounded her and to the villain. Cell's mind could not raise above the blind rage that blinded him, and he rushed at the dragoness, pinning her head easily to the earth as her bodice writhed angrily beneath him.

 

“My dear, I am making it my concern.” His magenta eyes narrowed into angry slits as a cruel smirk formed upon his lips. The dragoness' tail lashed angrily, cleanly slicing several trees in half and scattering the fighters. She snarled angrily, only to have her jaw ground into the soil beneath her.

 

“Ignorant child! Release me!” Her voice cracked with emotion as she increased her snake-like writhing ten-fold, obliterating any forestry in her bodies path.

 

Frieza and King Cold, whom had been behaving quite calmly, glared daggers at Cell, though both knew that the android would not kill her neither liked the fact that the source of their immortality was in so helpless a position before their enemies. And so, the pair rushed at Cell, who in his state of mind didn't see it coming, and threw him off the dragoness, who shot to her feet, wings spread defensively as a deep hiss emanated from her chest.

 

This was not going to end well.