Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Phoenix Chronicles ❯ Side Story 01 - Taking Over Me ( Chapter 5 )

--- The Phoenix Chronicles ---

Side Story 01 - Taking Over Me

* You don't remember me / But I remember you *

She kept her gaze on the man across from her, the man she'd been searching for, for 12 months now, as he looked back with curiosity, and a hint of suspicion, in both his face and his voice as he asked, "How do you know my name?"

All the fear, all the doubt, all the nightmare, all the pain she'd felt since he left swept over her, and only one coherent thought managed to worm it's way through, 'He's forgotten me...' She placed a hand over her heart, her face taking on a pained expression as she fought to keep her emotions under control, her voice breaking slightly as she whispered, "Don't you remember me Kaen?"

His face took on a confused expression, as if he were searching for an answer that was just out of reach no matter how far he stretched, and the confusion was evident in his voice as he said, "Um... I think I should, but I can't place your name..."

Her face falls, and she lost herself in the past for a moment, her gaze cast down at the ground, and her eyes, filled with tears waiting to be shed, hidden from his gaze.

-Flashback - 12 months (4 standard years) ago-

She looked over at him trading insults with his team, her eyes filled with tears, and when he looked back she stared into his eyes, seeing the pain he felt at leaving her almost mirroring her own, and whispered out the first words she'd said to him, or anyone, that day, [I'll miss you. Come home safe.]

He embraced her for the second time that day and wiped the tears from her eyes, seeming not afraid to show the others, who would most certainly give him hell about it, how he felt about her. [I'm coming back. I promise, I'm never gonna leave you. No matter what may happen, not even death itself is going to stop me from being with you,] he whispered back, the words meant for her ears alone.

She nodded, her eyes already full of tears again, and watched as he left after giving everyone one last goodbye. 'I believe in you Kaen, keep yourself safe,' she thought to herself, and stayed where she was until he flew out of sight, before returning home, hiding in her room, and crying herself to sleep.

* I lie awake and try so hard / Not to think of you *

Her eyes flew open, her heart racing. Ever since he'd left she'd been having nightmares, all of them to do with him. She saw him, fighting against impossible odds, and yet still holding his own. She saw him, spent and exhausted, making his last stand, and nearly winning the battle, only to collapse to the ground again, one enemy, the leader, remaining. And she saw him, defiant to the end, glaring contemptuously at his foe as the final blast overwhelmed him.

She looked outside, seeing the sun starting to rise, and knew she'd never get back to sleep that night. That meant it was two weeks she'd gone without a full nights rest. After getting dressed, she decided to go outside and train, the only thing that could keep her mind off his absence as it made her remember all the good times they shared. Rest was over-rated anyway...

She stared at the messenger, shock, pain and disbelief written all over her face, as she choked out, [What did you say?]

He looked at the people gathered, consisting of Pi and her parents, Kaen's siblings Oran and Lime, and their parents, and he looked away from all of them, not able to bear the pain in their eyes, as he repeated his message in a robotic voice, as if he had to fight to get every word out. [I said, I regret to inform you that Squad Leader Kapskaen has been killed in action, along with his entire team...]

[NO!] Pi interrupted, [I don't believe it! You're wrong! He's not dead, he can't be...] She trailed off, her voice breaking, and ran out of the room, tears streaming down her face the entire way. She eventually collapsed under the shade of a tree, the same tree they'd spent much of their childhood playing on and around, and loses herself in her thoughts.

'He can't be dead... he said he was coming back... he said not even death could keep us apart...' Soon the strain takes it's toll on her, both mentally and physically, and she falls asleep among the roots of the great tree, crying all the while.

* But who can decide what they dream? / And dream I do... *

She opened her eyes again, but she didn't see the trees, or anything else she recognized from Vegeta-Sei. She wandered around for a while, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings, noting from the craters, scorch marks, rubble and blood that a great battle had been waged here, and recently, when she saw him. Kaen, alive and well, digging himself out of a pile of rubble.

With a gasp, she remembered where she'd seen this landscape before. In her nightmares, the very same nightmares where she'd seen him die. 'This means... he's still alive... he's alive!' She saw him look around, obviously in great pain, before rushing over to the ships, climbing in his pod and lifting off. After taking to the air, he paused the ship, leaving it hover in mid air, before leaning out and blasting the remaining ships. This single attack seemed to drain what little strength he had, and he fell back into the ship, the door closing and the ship blasting out of the planet's atmosphere.

She watched the blast head towards the ships, and dived out of the way just in case it might hurt her too. When she heard the explosion, she looked back, but wasn't prepared for what she saw. Among the flames of the ruined craft was what appeared to be a bird, it's entire body either covered in, or made of, flame, and she opened her eyes in shock as it seemed to stare straight at her. Without warning, the bird seemed to streak towards her, and she closed her eyes and awaited impact.

With a start, she opened her eyes again, this time finding herself in the forest near her home, but her mind still dwelling on her recent dream, almost a vision. 'He's still alive, I know he is! But... then why isn't he coming home... doesn't he want us to be together anymore...' She shook her head, ridding herself of this doubt before it could take root. 'No, he said that nothing would keep us apart, that means that something must be stopping him from coming back. Well, if he can't come back to me, then I'm just going to have to go to him!'

Her face a visage of determination, she stood up and headed home, her mind already planning ways to begin her search. She paused in her walk upon seeing a cloaked figure step out of the shadowed woods, beckoning her. She walked over, wary enough to keep her distance, but curious enough to follow him as he walked deeper into the woods. He stopped in a clearing, and she gasped a little upon seeing a space pod there, seemingly ready for launch.

The man turned back to her, and said in a voice clearly not Saiyan, "You know, don't you? That he's still alive?"

She started to nod, but then paused, and couldn't hide the curiosity in her voice as she said, "How do you know about... him?"

She could almost see the man smirk in the darkness his hood provided, and he replied, "Let's just say that I've seen what he's capable of, and believe the rumours of his demise to be greatly exaggerated." His face turned serious, and he said, "I know what you plan to do, and I can help you."

She raised an eyebrow, and her voice was laced with suspicion as she asked, "What kind of help?"

He flashed a grin, his teeth seeming to gleam in the light, as he explained, "I know you're too young to go off world. What I offer is the use of my ship if you can be back here with what you need within the hour."

She thought it over for a moment, her mind shouting hundreds of reasons not to trust this guy, but her heart crushed them all. She nodded her head fiercely before turning on her heel and running back home. In her haste, she didn't notice the man begin to chuckle to himself.

* I believe in you / I'll give up everything just to find you *
* I have to be with you to live to breathe / You're taking over me *

The four adults and two children looked up in surprise as she raced into the house and upstairs to her room. They looked at each other for a moment, the adults concerned and the children curious, before getting up and following her. What they found wasn't what they expected. Instead of a heart-broken girl coping in her own way, they found a determined girl packing what appeared to be all the possessions she would need for a trip into her backpack.

They looked at each other for another moment before April, Kaen's mother, spoke up. [What are you doing?]

She didn't so much as glance at any of them as she said, [I'm leaving.]

Her father was next to speak, although he sounded a little worried. [What do you mean you're leaving? Where are you going?]

This time she did stop, and she looked over all of them for a moment before stating firmly, [He's alive. I know he is. And I'm going to find him.]

Her mother walked over, putting her hands on her daughter's shoulders in a comforting manner, and she shook her head a bit before saying quietly, [Dear, I know how much he meant to you, he meant a lot to all of us, but you've got to accept it. he's...]

[NO!] Pi yelled, [He's not, I know he's not! I can feel it!]

Avarrdo, Kaen's father, looked at her soothingly, and said, [I know you want to believe he's still alive, but I don't see how...]

[Did they find his body?] she interrupted, [Or his ship?]

[No,] he sighed, [all the ships were destroyed in the fight, and by all reports his body was destroyed by the killing blast.]

[No, they're wrong,] she whispered. [The ships survived the fight, and so did he. It was he who destroyed them, 9 of them, to cover his escape.]

Her father looked at her, his face showing both curiosity and disbelief, as he asked, [Oh, and how do you know that?]

She shook her head and started packing again, muttering, [You wouldn't believe me if I told you.]

He reached out, grabbing her arm, and turned her to face him, saying softly, [Try me. I might surprise you.]

She dropped her head and sighed, before looking him in the eyes and saying, [I saw it.]

[What do you mean 'you saw it'? How could you have seen it when you haven't left the house for more than an hour in two weeks?] April snapped angrily.

[In my dreams!] Pi snapped back. [Ever since he left I've been having nightmares where I've seen him die, the same dream every night, and just before I saw what happened after I usually woke up. Somehow he managed to survive the blast, and I saw him dig himself out of the rubble on the planet, climb in his ship, and destroy the rest, OK?]

[This is absurd!] April cried, [You're willing to leave home and go on a wild goose chase based on a DREAM!?!]

[You don't get it do you?] Pi yelled back. [Without him here this doesn't feel like home, and I don't just think he's alive, I know he's alive. I will find him.]

[I think you're still dreaming girl...] April huffed.

[You're awfully quick to believe he's dead,] Pi quipped.

[You think I don't want to be wrong?] she replied, her voice filled with pain. [I've already lost one son, and I don't want to lose another, but losing Korin taught me that wanting him to be alive won't make him come back...] Her voice cracked, and she trailed off.

[But that's just it,] Pi said softly, [I don't just want him to be alive, I know he's alive. I can feel it all the way to the very depths of my soul. And I saw something else too, something I can't explain...]

[What was that?] Avarrdo asked, his voice showing his hidden pain.

[I saw... a bird of fire...] she whispered, [I've never seen anything like it...]

Everyone heard Avarrdo gasp out [A phoenix...] and turned their gazes on him, urging him on with their eyes. [I heard this legend when I was off world one time. A phoenix, a bird made of fire, that rises from the ashes, defying death with its very existence, and setting right the balance...]

The twins, having been silent up until now, walked over to her and hugged her legs, looking up at her face and saying as one, [We believe you, and we know that if anyone can find him, you can.]

She knelt down, pulling them into a hug, and whispering, [Thanks guys. Look after them while I'm away.]

They nodded, and she stood up, glancing over the adults. Kaen's parents both looked a little disbelieving, albeit with a spark of hope in their eyes, but her parents eyes showed nothing but support.

[Go on,] her mother said, [I'll bet he's waiting for you to find him.]

Tears in her eyes, she gave her parents a hug, as well as Kaen's, before saying her last goodbye, and heading out of her home, knowing that she may never see it again. She spared it one last look before heading to the forest clearing.

She raced back to the clearing, and felt a great weight lift off her heart when she saw the cloaked man was still there, albeit looking a little impatient. "Well well well," he chuckled, "I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up."

She glared at him, a glare that had even scared Kaen on occasion, as she said, "Are you gonna give me the ship or not?"

He chuckled again, and bowed mockingly. "But of course m'lady. The ship is ready to go."

She hurried past him and into the ship, deciding to ignore his attitude seeing as how he was helping her.

He turned and addressed her one last time as the hatch closed. "I wish you luck in your search..." She nodded as the hatch finished closing, wasting no time in launching. Such was her hurry she didn't see him pull something out of his cloak, watching it in glee as it traced her ships location, and continuing his goodbye, "...because it will make my search all the easier. Hehehehehe. If anyone can find the monkey, it's her, and when she does I will be right there to return the favour." He finished by clenching his fist, and were anyone around, they would have noticed the metallic *clang* it made.

* Have you forgotten all I know / And all we had? *

Pi touched down, landing on the planet she'd seen in her nightmare, and looked around the battle scene. Everything was as she remembered, and she headed to where she'd seen him leave, trying to find which direction he'd left in, and where he might have gone. Her star map showed that the closest planet was a shipping hub, and so she set off, determined that that's where he'd go.

Upon landing, she immediately began asking everyone she could stop if they'd seen a wounded man come in, a man in a space pod like hers, a man with flame-like black hair, and everyone she asked said the same thing: "Sorry, can't help you." She was just about to give up on finding anything here and set off for a new location when she heard some girls, well she assumed they were girls by their voices, talking about a 'hot mercenary'

Girl 1: "Did you see the new guy? He's, like, totally hot."
Girl 2: "He eats a bit much though..."
Girl 3: "So, he's, like, so awesome. You haven't seen the guy fight."
Girl 4: "You got to see him fight? Tell us, tell us!"
Girl 3: "Well, I didn't see much, but he seemed to be able to shoot fire from his hands. And I'm not just talking blasts like the Cold Empire troupers do, I'm talking real fire."
Girl 2: "Wow, that's, like, so cool!"
Girl 4: "Like, what's his name?"
Girl 3: "I'm, like, not sure. I don't think he gave a name..."
Girl 1: "Oh, like, I heard some of the merchants from Delta Sector calling him Phoenix."

At this, Pi's head snapped up, and she ran over to the girls, blurting out, "This guy, Phoenix, what did he look like and where did he go?"

Girl 1: "Like, that's so rude, eavesdropping and interrupting us like that."
Girl 3: "Yeah, like, why should we tell you anything?"

Pi just grabs one of the girls around the neck, the last one who'd spoken, and growls out, "Because if he's the man I think he is, he's my boyfriend, and I have no qualms about beating the information I need out of you!"

Girl 1: "Whoa, like, chill. This guy had, like, awesome fire-looking hair, and was dressed in all black, with a wicked black trench coat, and, like, a flame-red shirt."
Girl 2: "He was a little on the short side though..."
Girl 1: "And I think I heard the merchants saying that he was headed towards some planet called Niko, or Neki, or something."

Satisfied, and knowing that this was about all of the useful information she was going to be able to dredge from their air-heads, she dropped the girl and stormed off, but not before overhearing their last comments about him: "No way he's got a girlfriend, he was, like, so flirting with me..."

Almost as an after thought, she flung a blast or two over her shoulder, her hap-hazard aim almost singeing the hair off one of them, and covering their clothes with dust and grim kicked up from the explosion of the other upon it's impact with the ground. 'Oh Kaen,' she thought to herself as she walked away, 'Please tell me that you haven't forgotten about your promise to me...'

* You saw me mourning my love for you / And touched my hand *

She climbed back into her pod, cursing all the while. [Dammit, that's the fourth time. I'm always one step behind him. It's like he knows when I'm going to arrive and takes off just before I get there!]

Calming down a bit, she records her search thus far in her diary, and continues her thoughts. [On the plus side, it seems I'm catching up to him. Last time I missed him by only a couple of hours. Maybe this time I'll get there before he leaves...]

It is with this thought that sleep claims her, the ship sailing towards it's programmed destination.

She opened her eyes, and she saw him, just out of reach, but this was nothing new. It seemed that every time she closed her eyes he was there, the sight of him taunting her, driving her on. She gave chase, like she did every time, but this time something was different. Although still out of reach, he didn't seem as far, and that distance seemed to be shrinking. Before she knew it, she'd caught him. For the first time since she'd started this search, she'd caught him

Neither of them said anything, just looking at each other. She gazed at him lovingly, tears of joy in her eyes, and she reached out to him hesitantly, afraid that he'd melt away before she could touch him. He still said nothing, but he smiled back, his love for her shining through. He reached out for her, taking her hand in his, and pressing it to his heart.

She gasped at the contact, amazed that, finally, she seemed to have caught him, and his mouth moved. While no words came out, she still heard him, loud and clear. "Come to me. I'll be waiting."

* I knew you loved me then *

She awoke, a newfound sense of hope in her heart as she gazed out the window, seeing her destination approach. Upon landing, she immediately began searching for anything resembling a landing zone. Her search paid off, and she hurried towards the ship. What she saw on arrival made her heart soar again. It was the ship she'd seen him use in her dream, the ship his father had made especially for him, HIS ship.

Thinking quickly, she planted a tracking device on his ship, something she picked up on a previous world for just this purpose, before turning her scouter to tracking him down. Picking up a large collection of Ki, she assumed a city, she took to the air, still scanning in case he were there, but knowing that she can always find him now, whichever planet he may go to.

Suddenly, as she was wandering the streets, her scouter picked up a Ki flare. A battle was taking place somewhere, and judging from the level, it could be him. She raced towards him, keeping to the ground, her footsteps ringing loudly in the quiet streets. When she got there, however, the fight was well and truly over, the purple skinned being still smoking, showing that it had indeed been Kaen, and he wasn't far away.

Without warning, she detected another flare, and hurried towards it. Once again though, by the time she arrived the fight was over. This time, however, both combatants were still there, and as she watched one of them, a green skinned being, collapse to the ground, her eyes were drawn to the other, the man she'd been searching for. She flung herself at him, shaking him lightly and calling his name. When she got no response, she just sat there and held him, trying to hold back the tears.

It wasn't long before the green man started to stir, and when he did he looked at her with mild shock, asking roughly, "Who are you?"

She didn't move, didn't so much as blink as she said, "I'm with him."

He just nodded, and moved to help carry him out of the city, and once arriving in the grasslands, set him down to heal him. With that done, she just began cooking with what she had, and awaiting his awakening...

-End Flashback-

* I believe in you / I'll give up everything just to find you *
* I have to be with you to live to breathe / You're taking over me *

All of this passes through her mind in mere moments, and she says but one syllable, her name, in response. "Pi."

Instantly, his eyes shot open, and after staring at her for a moment he slaps his forehead and looks at her sheepishly, a look that makes her heart flip-flop, as he says "Of course! Sorry, but it has been a while."

Her mood instantly better, her face brightens, her heart still dancing in her chest, as she says "I'm glad you remember me Kaen, I've spent a lot of time looking for you."

As Kaen told his story, the story of his first, and last, mission, Pi cannot keep the awe and shock from her face. Partly this is because of just what he went through, and partly because it's exactly what her nightmares showed her. Much of the speech was new to her, as her nightmare usually contained nothing but basic noises, but the action itself is almost identical.

As they fell asleep that night, for the first time in 12 months, her dreams weren't filled with nightmarish, or even taunting, images of him. Rather, she dreamed of their time together, and of plans she'd made for their future, albeit slightly changed to fit their current situation. And she couldn't help but notice as consciousness left her that she had a smile on her face...

* I look in the mirror and see your face / If I look deep enough *

She awoke the next morning, stretching and yawning, and it took her a moment to notice she was alone. The second she did, she found a bag, placed on the rock she'd slept against, with a note underneath. She read it hurriedly, each word making her heart drop. 'No, no, I can't lose him again. I won't,' she thought, racing over to her pack and grabbing her scouter. Upon finding him, she quickly grabbed all her stuff and threw it in her pack, thankful she'd long since become accustomed to putting things back after she'd finished with them, and she took to the sky in chase, choking out "Baka."

She arrived at the sight she assumed the Namek had had his ship, and saw what she thought was Kaen standing there, but her scouter told her otherwise. Attacking it with her hyper-dimensional hammer, and a cry of "Baka!" she produced her tracker from her pack, racing to her ship to try and catch up with him.

* I look in the mirror and see your face / If I look deep enough *
* So many things inside that are / Just like you are taking over *

Five days, she, and they, had been travelling non-stop for five days. She dare not stop for even an hour lest she fail to keep up when he stopped again, and she was very glad she'd kept some rations in her pack to tide her over. Finally, they seemed to be landing, and she set a course for the same planet.

Upon arrival her first thought was to track him down again, but she realised that she'd need supplies, and, knowing that he'd probably gone five days without food, she realised that she had plenty of time to track him down. She stopped by the market, buying everything she could fit in her pack, before starting her search again, and finding him nearby.

She stormed into the restaurant she'd tracked him down to, and was beyond furious when she found another of his illusions, giving it much the same treatment she had his other one. However, the trail was still hot, and she set off again.

She caught up with him, and the Namek, and she signalled to the Namek to stay silent. Apparently though, he couldn't hold off, and Kaen spun around, frantically searching for her. By then, however, it was too late, and she slammed him with her hammer, something she'd been dying to do for a while now. "Hmph... Baka," she huffed.

She looked at him, looking up at her with that same weak, sheepish look on his face, and she felt her anger melt away. 'Dammit, why can't I stay mad at you...' she thought to herself.

"Uh... hey... um... what brings you here?" he managed to stutter out.

Trying, and almost succeeding, to continue to look angry, winding up looking stern instead, she says, "I followed you."

His nervousness is still evident as he says, "Uh... how?"

This time, she lets her happiness show through a bit, passing it off as superiority, leaning down to him and saying, "I put a tracer on your ship."

He stands up and dusts himself off, asking, "So, I 'spose you wanna tag along now?"

She nods, her insides winding themselves into knots. 'What if he doesn't want me around? Is that why he left me? What if he tries to ditch me again.' These, and many other doubts fill her mind, but she keeps them to herself as she replies, "That's what I intend to do."

Her insides tighten a bit more as he sighs dramatically before she realises he's making a show of it. He looks over at her, their eyes locking, as he says, "Well, if you insist. But I must warn you, my life isn't exactly safe, even by our standards." In that one look, she sees right into his soul, seeing just how much he does want her around, and the knots untie themselves in an eye blink.

She grabs hold of his arm, radiating happiness, as she chirps out, "Don't worry, I'll protect you!" And inside, she can't help but be overjoyed. 'I've found him. And as long as I can, I'm going to make sure he doesn't get away from me again.'

* I believe in you / I'll give up everything just to find you *
* I have to be with you to live to breathe / You're taking over me *

End Side Story 01