Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Mystery Within ❯ Powerful Mystery ( Chapter 2 )

The Mystery Within

Part I - Prelude to Terror

Written by Namek Kaia

Disclaimer: I own nothing except original characters and attacks. And don't use any of them without my permission. You won't like the consequences. * I stress that a lot, so get used to it. *

**Author's note**

Hey it's me, Namek Kaia (NaK for short, just so you know). Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Please email me with any suggestions or comments you may have. Also, this chapter begins featuring my original characters (which are mine, ALL MINE! So, ABSOLUTELY NO stealing), and if you have trouble pronouncing anything, there's a pronunciation guide at the end. Enjoy!!

Chapter Two

Powerful Mystery

It had been a year since the battle with Cell. Everything was mostly the same as it was before, except for the fact that Goku had not wanted to be wished back. That was Goku though, always being the hero who sacrificed his well being for the things he loved. But he was still there, in the hearts of all his friends and family still on Earth.

On this particular morning, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the forest was filled with its usual sounds of life. Not too far away, Piccolo levitated Indian style with arms crossed above his favorite meditating place. His trance was soon broken by loud voices nearby. 'Great,' he thought, 'the entire reason I chose this place for meditation was because it was miles away from anything. Whoever that is has got some serious explaining to do.' He stood a moment to sense their exact location and leapt into the sky in the direction of the voices, his agitation still growing.

When he arrived, he chose to land on a high cliff to get an overview of the scene. He looked below him to see two girls arguing. Both seemed to be in great physical condition and both stood taller than most humans he had seen. The one to his left sported short blonde hair and wore what seemed to be some sort of armor. Her armor included metal shoulder guards, breastplates, and leg guards that came about mid-thigh. Her boots seemed metal as well, but were made of a more flexible material that he couldn't identify from his distance. She seemed to be carrying something across her shoulder. At a closer look, he saw it was a man, but he wasn't human. The man rested limply on the girl's shoulder making it harder to distinguish his features, but from what he could see, the man had bluish skin and short, red spiky hair. He was also built well, but more so than the girl on which he was held. It amazed him that she was able to carry the man and keep her posture.

The girl to his right was much like the former. Instead of armor, her dress consisted of a small black tank top and tight jeans. She wore light brown hair that was held in a ponytail, except for a few select strands that fell lightly onto her face. His interest grew as he listened to the two girls bicker.

"You let him go now, Zia!" the girl standing to his right shouted.

"Back off, Niko," the other scowled. "I'm taking him back with me. He will pay for what he has done, and I intend to make him. And as for you, you half breed scum, I'll kill you if you try to stop me." Zia then turned her back to Niko and proceeded to walk off.

Niko's anger rose. Her blood burned in her veins until she thought her skin would burn. Her ki skyrocketed. Her aura blew so fiercely around her that it caused her hair to rise and come loose from its ponytail. "I said let him go NOW!" she repeated, charging Zia with blinding speed.

Zia stopped and curved her head toward the oncoming girl. "So, you think you can stop me, do you? Well, we'll see," she said and blocked Niko's punch with her arm. Niko took a few steps back and prepared another attack.

"No," she answered, "I know I can stop you." She smirked and once again made an attempt to attack Zia. Zia threw the man's limp body off her shoulder as she easily dodged the attack and connected a blow to the back of Niko's head, sending her stumbling forward. They continued to throw kicks and punches at each other, most of which were blocked. The ones that made actual contact did little damage to either.

Zia, getting annoyed at their little spar, hit Niko with an energy blast. The blast sent Niko flying back and into a large boulder. As the rocks encased her opponent, Zia smirked then concentrated on her mission, to bring back the man that betrayed her and many others… to bring her people's pain to justice. She soon froze in her tracks when she noticed the sound of rocks tumbling to the ground. She turned to see Niko slowly making her way to her feet through the rubble around her.

"Look at you. So… pitiful. Tisk, tisk, Niko. Really. What did you think you could accomplish by attacking me, huh? Did you think I would just give him to you? It's laughable to think that a half-ass mutt like you could stop me, a warrior. It's quite funny don't you think? ..."

"Stop it," Niko whispered, barely audible.

"I'm taking him with me, just like I have said before. I'm taking him to headquarters, where he'll be punished for what he's done. You'll never see blue boy over there again. He'll be ours to torture forever..."

"Stop it," Niko demanded.

"Do you have any idea what we're going to do to him? Do you? Well, allow me to give you a little insight. First, I think I'll take the privilege of beating the living shit out of him with my bare hands. Then I'll give him to whoever is next in line on his list. And believe me Niko, that's one hell of a long list. We'll make him our slave for the rest of his life. That is, if he lives through the beatings!" She stopped, amused with herself, and released an evil laugh.

"Stop It!!"

"Oh, oh, and here's the best part." She paused again to catch her breath, grabbing her sides from the pains of laughter. "We'll put him on public display and let the common folk have fun with him. Whatever they want to do: stone him, poke him, assault him, it's theirs for the choosing..." She paused once more to release another menacing laugh.

"STOP IT!!!!" Niko screamed with rage. Her hair rose from her shoulders, changing a reddish-orange tone with her eyes following the same suit. As her muscles bulged, the flaming red aura that now surrounded her exploded with raw energy. Most of her tight jeans were torn to pieces, her muscles and power too much for them to remain intact. Zia and Piccolo's eyes almost shot out of their sockets. They couldn't believe that such power could come from a girl who, just minutes ago, had been thrown back by a small ki blast.

"That's enough!!" Niko yelled. "I will not let you take him away from me! You're gonna have to kill me first," she snapped.

Zia recovered from her initial shock and smirked at her new challenge. "That can be arranged," were her words as she charged Niko.

Niko stood in place, preparing for the oncoming attack. She allowed Zia's fist to get only inches from her face before stopping her with mere use of her energy. Zia was then thrown back as Niko's aura flared once more. She skidded across the ground, creating a small trail of ruptured earth in her path. When she stopped, she made no immediate attempts to stand. Niko, her aura still whipping around her, slightly levitated and cautiously began her way to Zia.

After some time, Zia's limp body began to move again. A slight moan escaped her mouth as she struggled to get up against the protest of her burning cuts and bruises.

"You know, it doesn't have to be this way," Niko said in a softer voice, descending closer to the ground where Zia stood. "You can forget about your mission. You could live here with us. No one bothers you here. You have no obligations, free to live the life you choose. Please Zia. What would our mother say if she saw us at each other's throats like this? Think about it Zia, please," she begged.

"No!!" Our... my mother was damned the minute he stepped into her life," Zia shouted, pointing at the unconscious man still lying on the ground. "Because of him, her whole family was ashamed of her. We were forced to move away from our home. And it was all because of him!" she cried and powered up. "Now you'll both pay… with your lives!!" She charged a ki blast, firing it at Niko.

Niko readily knocked her blast away and charged a blast of her own. "Don't make me do this, Zia. I'm begging you to just forget about the past. I'm giving you another chance at life. I suggest you take it!" she said, more serious than before.

"Never!!!" Zia called back and flew at Niko once more, desiring to crunch her face in. But her attack was in vain. Niko launched her blast, which engulfed Zia's entire body. Niko turned her head and grimaced as she heard the shrill scream of pain come from Zia. When the blast dissipated, there was nothing left but dust.

"Zia..." she sighed and fell to her knees, her enormous aura fading. After a few moments of complete silence, she abruptly hit her fist hard on the ground, creating a tiny crater on impact. Upon seeing this, Piccolo recovered from the surprise of seeing the amazing display of power. He flew over to where she was still kneeling.

Niko noticed footsteps coming from behind her and quickly turned to see her intruder. When she saw Piccolo approaching her, her eyes widened in fear. She stumbled to her feet and ran over to the unconscious warrior, whose life she had saved. Piccolo ran after her and caught up just as she was lifting her blue companion and leaving.

"Wait! Where did you learn to fight like that? How could you possibly have that much power without me sensing it before?" he asked.

"You shouldn't concern yourself with things that are none of your business," she stated coldly.

"It is my business. Now tell me what you're doing here. And why you would fight so fiercely for him."

"He's my father," she said and continued to leave the scene. Piccolo stared after her in awe.

"Her father? What kind of twisted family is this?" he asked himself.

Piccolo watched her fly away, a strange, twisted expression on his face. 'I haven't seen such hidden power since Gohan was a child. What amazes me most is that I've never felt her ki before. How could she have that much power and no one know about it? She's hiding something. I know it. And I'm finding out what it is.'

Piccolo then raced through the air to catch up with her. When she came into view, he sped up, and then stopped directly in her path. "You know, it's very rude to walk away when the conversation isn't yet finished," he stated smugly.

She looked up in surprise, but her expression quickly moved to one of annoyance. "Our conversation is finished. Now leave me alone," she snapped.

"No," he growled and grabbed her by her arm as she attempted to leave. His scowl changed to a smirk as he freed her arm. "I could use a sparring partner," he said, arms crossed again. "You could prove to be a great fighter if you learn to control that power of yours."

'I don't ... want your help. I just want to be left alone... to live a life of peace. So just leave. Stop bothering me," she said, shifting her father's weight on her shoulder and trying to continue.

"Fine. I'll never understand you humans. You have great potential as a martial artist, and you want to let your talent go to waste. I don't know why I even bothered to waste my time following you."

"My whole life has been a fight!" she cried. Tears slowly rimmed her eyes, blurring her vision. "It never stops. Every time I get a moment of peace, someone else comes along and ruins it. I'm tired of fighting all the time. I just want to live my life in peace." She paused, fighting the tears that wished to flow down her cheeks, but she kept her composure. She continued, her voice becoming more somber. "Besides, I'm not staying here much longer, so what's the point? I have to leave.... again. So if you'll excuse me..." she finished, pushing past Piccolo.

Piccolo hovered in mid-air a moment longer, thinking about what Niko had told him. "Wait. You still haven't explained how...." he turned to ask her, but found that no one was there. She had disappeared. He tried to search out her ki, but felt nothing. 'Why can't I sense her? She obviously has a strong ki, but I can't sense it anywhere.' He growled in anguish and started to fly back the way he came. 'I'll find you, Niko,' he vowed. 'I'll find you.'

**Rules of Pronunciation**

Okay, in this story, if you aren't sure how to pronounce something, then use the following rules. Rules may not always apply.

*All A's have a short A sound as in "cat".

*All E's have a short E sound as in "pet".

*All I's have a long I sound as in "ice".

*All O's have a long O sound as in "so".

*All U's have a long U sound as in "tuba".

*All consonants have their original sound (C's will not sound like S's). Also note that the letter "Y" will vary in sound. Use the pronunciation guide for original names or terms that contain "Y".

If these basic rules don't apply, I'll still provide the Pronunciation Guide to help you.

Pronunciation Guide:

~ Niko: nee-ko (I know that most people spell it "Neko" but hey, this is my character, right?)

~ Zia: zi-uh