Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Ball: Chaotic Future ❯ Chapter 28: Hope Restored ( Chapter 28 )

I DO NOT OWN DRAGON BALL Z OR ANY RACES, PLANETS, OR CHARACTERS RELATED TO IT. GALDRIA, HEVA, TIRIS, IQUELA, MIURA, ZELLIS, SETH, CLEF, HANZO, TWILIGHT AND ALL RELATED CHARACTERS, RACES, OR PLANETS WERE ALL CREATED BY ME.

 

 

Dragon Ball:

Chaotic Future

 

CHAPTER 28

 

Mad God Saga, Part XVII

“Hope Restored.”

 

 

 

Trunks looked back.

 

He's so different, the Saiyan Prince thought as he watched Miura fly silently along behind him. The battle-weary warriors had left the ruins of Sea Wind City far behind them as they coursed through the sky toward the mountainous area between North and West City, where the secret bunker that had been their home for the last several months was skillfully hidden. Oh man, what's Elysia going to think? Trunks wondered as they neared the hidden refuge. Will she even recognize him?

 

He didn't think so. Clad as he was in Genjin-style armor, complete with the cumbersome black over-cloak, Miura looked like an entirely different person. That, joined with the fact that his physical appearance was so drastically altered since the battle on Tiris, was more than enough to warrant a second glance. In fact, Trunks had been periodically glancing back at the miraculously-revived Genjin-Saiyan-and-Galdrian crossbreed warrior for the entire journey. Finally, Miura commented on it.

 

“Is it really so obvious?” he asked softly, a hint of sorrow in his voice. The wind whipped around him, causing his shoulder-length, straight black hair to stream out behind him. He looked forward at Trunks, those familiar purple eyes the only indication that this mysterious newcomer was, in fact, the former Emperor of Galdria. “It's been so long, I guess I'm just used to my appearance, now, you know?”

 

“I understand,” Trunks responded, slowing his pace enough to glide through the air side-by-side with Miura. “The first time I used the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, you should have seen everyone's faces when I came out. My hair was longer, I'd put on some muscle, it must have been pretty drastic for them.” He smiled slightly as he remembered his year of intense training, and the time spent with his father. “For them, only a day had passed, but for me it'd been a whole year. By that time, I was used to seeing myself that way.” Miura nodded slightly, but it was obvious that his mind was elsewhere. “Don't worry about it; now that I've spent a little more time around you, I can honestly say that the differences aren't that much, really. You're a little slimmer, and the hair is definitely a change, but the face is the same, and the eyes.” Miura looked a little more comfortable, and he flashed his typical half-smile at Trunks, who felt relieved to know that his friend hadn't changed inside quite as much as he had outside.

 

The group flew on in silence for the next several miles, Miura and Trunks at the head of the column, followed by 16, who was carrying the injured Gabriel, and Hanzo and Clef at the rear, chatting quietly amongst themselves. Kalen and Kirien flew even with Miura and Trunks, though they were several yards further to the right of the main group, and not a word had passed between them since leaving the battlefield.

 

“Trunks, I've been meaning to ask you something,” Miura began, breaking the silence. Vegeta's son looked at his green-and-black-clad companion from the corner of his eye, and indicated that he should continue. “Z… Is she…?” A mask of indifference came over Miura's features, but Trunks could feel the worry almost emanating from the former Hunter, who was terribly worried about the fate of his adopted-sister.

 

“No, she isn't dead,” Trunks answered, picking up where Miura's voice had faltered. “But I'll be honest with you, Miura, she isn't doing very well.” The purple-haired Saiyan proceeded to recount the events of the last year to the crossbreed warrior, including the battle between Zellis, Clef, Castor, and Pollux, and its tragic outcome. “She's been in a coma ever since then, though physically she's completely healed. No one knows what's wrong with her, not even my mother or Elysia.” His next words were some of the hardest that Trunks had ever had to speak, and he found himself feeling sick to his stomach. “We don't think she's going to make it, Miura. 16 says the damage isn't physical; it's mental, or spiritual, and there isn't anything we can do to heal that kind of injury…” Before Miura could say anything in response, a new voice entered the conversation.

 

“That isn't entirely true,” Kirien said, drifting over to fly alongside Trunks and Miura. “I know of a technique that may bring our beloved Lady Zellis back to us, though it is dangerous, and the repercussions are great.”

 

“Is it the same technique you used to bring Miura back to life?” Trunks asked, his voice trembling slightly with hope. If she can snap Zellis out of her coma, and bring Miura back from the dead, maybe she can restore my father and the others, too! “How did you do it?” he asked, moving away from Miura and closer to Kirien. “Is it something that you can do at any time?”

 

“Patience, Trunks,” Kirien said with a soft, musical laugh, looking radiant as the wind blew through her lustrous, russet hair. “Your answers will come in time.” With that, the bronze-skinned Genjin woman increased her speed and flew forward, artfully twisting and soaring gracefully throughout the dark, star-filled sky.

 

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Elysia wept hysterically.

 

Miura held his crying Princess tenderly in his arms, tears of joy at seeing her unharmed running unashamedly down his own face. Despite all of Miura and Trunks' earlier worries, Elysia had had no problem identifying this strange, armored Genjin warrior as her lost fiancée. It seemed that the bond shared between the two of them was something much deeper than anyone had guessed, for she knew her beloved not by his appearance, but by the feeling she got whenever he was near. It was Miura, on the other hand, who barely recognized her!

 

Gone were the flowing, bright robes worn by all Galdrian nobility; rather, Elysia was now dressed in much the same fashion as Bulma: a pair of worn blue jeans that were a little too big for her and were cinched at the waist with a plain black belt, and a loose-fitting white tank-top. Her hair, which had just barely reached her shoulders when last he'd seen her, was now long and lustrous, hanging nearly to her slender waist. Upon further review, Miura had to admit that she looked more striking in these simple, unadorned human clothes than she had ever looked before.

 

Dorian was just as shocked to see the young nobleman alive, though he kept his composure much better than his younger sister. He merely caught Miura's gaze over Elysia's trembling shoulder and nodded once, tears of happiness glistening in his bright blue eyes. To see his sister reunited with the one true love of her life, it filled him with a relief and joy so profound that it actually surprised him.

 

After Elysia had finally cried herself out, Hanzo approached his brother, an expression that was, to Miura, entirely alien upon his severe features. The older Saiyan reached out and place his hand on Miura's shoulder, squeezing gently and locking gazes with his younger half-brother. No words were spoken, but Miura was deeply moved by the gesture, and by the faint glimmer of unshed tears that flickered within Hanzo's dark eyes. His brother, apparently, was a changed man.

 

“We've missed you,” Clef said, embracing Miura and patting him roughly on the back. “You don't know how relieved, and shocked, I was to see you.” The Namekian warrior, one of Miura's first real fighting instructors, stepped back and held the newly-resurrected Galdrian out at arms length as he grinned. “I can't believe how different you look! And your power level, it's increased so much…”

 

“I don't want to sound rude,” Bulma began, walking forward with her arm around Trunks, “but… How is this possible?” The human woman looked up at her son, who she never thought she'd see alive again, only to see the same burning curiosity mirrored in his expression. “With the Dragon Balls gone, I didn't think there was any other way to restore life to the dead…”

 

“I understand,” Kirien replied, entering the conversation for the first time, Kalen standing silently at her side. “I know of the losses you and your people endured during the destructive rampage of the artificial humans.” When Bulma raised a questioning eyebrow, Kirien laughed softly, placing a comforting hand on the blue-haired woman's shoulder. “Miura and I now share a mind-bond. It was part of the process of restoration, that parts of our minds would become one with each other; it was through this link that I learned of your misfortunes.”

 

“What `process' are you speaking of?” Bulma asked, followed by a nod of agreement from Trunks. “I'm not bragging when I say that I'm the most knowledgeable scientist on this planet, since the androids killed pretty much everyone else anyway. I've never heard of any procedure that can bring the dead back to life.”

 

“You wouldn't have, I'm afraid,” Kirien replied, her features clouded with sudden sorrow. “Bulma, this process can only be applied to those of Genjin heritage.” Her hand on Bulma's shoulder gave a soft squeeze of regret as she continued. “In all of the knowledge I possess, of two universes, the only way to truly resurrect the dead is with the Dragon Balls of Earth or Namek. I'm terribly sorry.”

 

Bulma nodded once, casting a faint smile toward the gorgeous young woman from Genji. “You have no reason to be sorry, Kirien. I'd given up hope a long time ago.” Trunks' mother gently pulled away from the comforting hand of Kirien, focusing her attention on Miura. “You probably want to see Zellis, huh?”

 

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Miura held his sister's cold hand.

 

She looks so… small. Like she's just a kid again, he thought, unshed tears glistening in his amethyst eyes. Z, I'm so sorry you had to go through this… He squeezed the small, cold hand that he held in his own, as if doing so would somehow elicit a reaction from his unconscious adopted-sister.

 

It was true, though, that Zellis looked small and childlike as she lay unmoving upon the largest bed that Bulma's emergency bunker could provide. Her hair, like Elysia's, had grown since Miura had last seen her, and it was spread out like a halo upon her pillow, a lustrous cloud of emerald green. The blankets were pulled up to her neck, and her pale face shown in stark contrast to the dark blue bedding. To anyone else, it may appear that Zellis was only sleeping, but to those who knew her intimately, it was obvious that her spark, her life, was gone.

 

“I'm sorry, Miura,” Bulma said, voice barely above a whisper. “I've done everything I can with the limited resources I have. Even if we were to get her out of this bunker, there's so little medicine or medical technology anywhere in the world right now that I doubt things would be any different.” She bowed her head slightly, clenching her fists as she cursed herself for being so useless. I can't help them fight, I don't have the resources to heal them after battle… what am I good for?

 

“She looks well enough,” Miura muttered, unable to comprehend what could still be ailing her, after so much time had passed. “I just don't understand…” Elysia clung tightly to her lover's arm, head resting lightly upon his shoulder. He smiled emptily and kissed her forehead, but his attention never left his beloved sister's face. “Kirien,” he said at last, looking across the bed to see the Genjin woman just as distressed by Zellis' condition as he was. “You mentioned, on the way here, that there may be something you could do?”

 

The young woman from Genji was seated on the side of Zellis' bed, clutching the comatose noblewoman's other hand in both of her own. “I… I think I may be able to do something, but it won't be easy.” Her brow furrowed a little as she carefully chose her next words. “Either she will recover, or she won't. There is no way to know for sure, and the energy that I must expend will leave me weakened for many days to come.” Her golden eyes suddenly lit up as an idea struck her. “Unless Kalen will lend me his strength as well! With his power to feed off of, this will have a much better chance for success.”

 

“What about me?” Miura asked, still slightly wary of the bearded warrior from Genji. “Can't you use my energy?” He looked toward the small room's doorway, where Kalen stood calmly surveying the situation, leaning casually against the wall. “Kirien, are you sure he can be trusted?”

 

“I think so, Miura,” Kirien replied, flashing her worried friend a comforting smile. “What has he got to lose, anyway? You know as well as I do that we can't open the gateway again, we used up too much power last time. He's not going anywhere, so he has no reason not to help us out.” Her expression softened a little as she glanced at Kalen out of the corner of her eye. “Besides, we're the closest thing to home that he's seen in over ten years.” She locked gazes with the worried crossbreed and graced him with a soft smile. “We can trust him, Miura. I know it.”

 

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The main room was silent.

 

It had been just over three hours since Kirien had barricaded herself in Zellis' room with Kalen, and no one was entirely sure what the Genjin woman could possibly do the heal Miura's adopted-sister. Everyone agreed, however, that allowing Kalen to participate in whatever was going on within the room was a huge risk, with or without Kirien's confidence and trust in him. It was true that the exiled Genjin warrior had done much to secure their recent victory against Tempest, but it seemed to his uneasy allies that perhaps he had an agenda of his own. Miura put their doubts to rest.

 

“I fully understand why you don't trust him,” the purple-eyed former Hunter said, breaking the uneasy silence that had descended upon those gathered. “But I owe Kirien my life, and if she is willing to trust Kalen, then so am I.” He leaned back into the soft cushions of the couch, one arm protectively encircling Elysia's shoulders. “And if, with his help, she can somehow bring my sister back to me, I'll be forever in her debt.”

 

“Arius,” Elysia began, looking up at her beloved with worried eyes. “You said that you owe Kirien your life; how is that?” A few murmurs of agreement from Trunks, Clef, Hanzo, and the others gathered around the bunker's main chamber followed the Galdrian Princess' question. “I mean… We buried you, Arius. I don't understand how you've managed to come back to us…”

 

“I don't really know all the details, to be honest with you,” Miura replied softly. “I just know what Kirien told me, and that was after I'd already been brought back. It has something to do with my Genjin heritage, some special technique that they can use.” Seeing that he'd piqued the interest of his comrades, Miura flashed his familiar half-smile. “Well, as long as we're just waiting here anyway, I suppose I can try to explain it…”

 

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One year earlier…

 

Kirien entered the palace infirmary.

 

They air was thick with emotion as she approached the low, unadorned table that held the body of Galdria's deceased Emperor. The brown-haired woman stood silently over Miura for several minutes, adjusting her senses to block out the errant waves of sorrow and misery that lingered here, emotional “static” left behind by Zellis and Elysia. She closed her eyes and laid her hands lightly upon Miura's still chest, concentrating all of her energy, surrounding the dead Emperor's body with a flickering aura of Genjin power.

 

I don't sense anything, she thought to herself, focusing more power into the nimbus of light that glowed brightly around Miura's body. Wait… Ah, there it is after all… A faint, mental “tug” drew Kirien's attention away from the corpse before her, instantly dissipating the aura of power that had been called upon. But so far from the body? she wondered, shifting her perceptions just enough to make out the small, flickering orb of brilliant purple light that hovered nearby, projecting feelings of confusion, distress, and most of all, anger.

 

This was Miura's faer, what some may call his soul, the essence of his being. It was common for the faer of a recently deceased Genjin to remain locked within its old body, until such a time as it was removed and prepared for its new body. That was the secret to Genjin “immortality,” for they were not as long-lived as many of the races of this universe, such as the Galdrians or Hevans. When a Genjin died, they had two options left to them: the first choice was true death, and many chose this when they had been revived multiple times and were simply ready to move on. When this occurred, the Genjin's faer would simply fade out, presumably taken by some greater power to dwell eternally in the realm of the dead. However, if a man or woman died prematurely, or they wished to continue living, their faer could be reborn within a host body genetically created specifically for them.

 

Kirien smiled as she drew nearer to Miura's faer, projecting strong feelings of hope and comfort toward the wayward soul. There's a chance that I can bring him back, she thought with relief. It was true; if Miura's Genjin heritage was actually strong enough, the young Emperor could be restored and returned to his loved ones in only a few short months. But such a delicate undertaking would have to be performed on Kirien's home world, for this universe didn't possess the necessary energy that would be required. And there's always that chance that his Genjin blood isn't strong enough…

 

She reached out tentatively and gathered the now-calm sphere of pulsing amethyst light into herself, reassuring it that all would be well. Before leaving the stark, emotion-laden room, Kirien reached out and delicately pulled a single hair from Miura's head. The hair would serve as an appropriate base for the body she would create for him, but she still needed a blood sample in order to do the genetic alterations that she had in mind.

 

Kirien was no fool; she knew that Tempest had not been defeated on Tiris. The legend of the mad god had not faded into obscurity in the Genjin universe as it had here, and she knew all too well that the only way to defeat Tempest was to seal him away once again. Unfortunately, the technique used to end Tempest's reign of terror ten-thousand years ago required the energies of three Genjin warriors, and Kirien was certain that none of her people would be willing to risk their lives to help this universe against the mad god. And there was one other problem: the secret of the Sealing Blast had only been passed down through the descendants of those Genjins that had originally created the technique, and only one of their progeny still lived…

 

Kalen Malum, Kirien thought with disgust. I have to put my fate, and the fate of both our universes in the hands of a common criminal… Yet, despite her personal feelings against Kalen, she prayed that he had somehow survived the battle on Tiris. Clef said that Kalen vanished… That doesn't necessarily mean he was killed, though finding him may turn out to be a problem… The golden-eyed Genjin woman knew, though, that she must take this one step at a time, and the first step was to revive Miura, and to alter his genetic structure just enough to allow him to manipulate Genjin energy, without any life-threatening side-effects.

 

Kirien used a portion of her power to carefully cloak the energy signature of Miura's faer, hoping that none of his friends and allies would notice the slight disturbance in her own energy field. They mustn't know about this, she thought to herself. Why get their hopes up if I'm unable to perform the procedure? After carefully taking a small sample of Miura's blood, Kirien took a deep breath and exited the chamber, determined to bring the young Emperor back, and to defeat Tempest once and for all.

 

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Silence followed Miura's tale.

 

Elysia clung tighter to Miura's arm, as if she was afraid that, somehow now that his story had been told, he was going to simply vanish. He smiled at her reassuringly and kissed her tenderly on the forehead, holding her closer to provide more comfort. His gaze traveled slowly around the room, taking in everything he could from the expressions of his friends and allies. To a person, everyone gathered in the main chamber of Bulma's bunker looked stunned beyond words, a reaction that Miura had totally expected. Finally, Dorian spoke.

 

“Arius, this is an incredible thing that has happened,” he said quietly, barely above a whisper. “If what you say is true, then we now have a hope of stopping Tempest. Kirien is here with us, as is Kalen, and you now possess the ability to generate and manipulate Genjin power, correct?”

 

“Yes,” Miura said with a nod. “And the genetic modifications made to me by Kirien are responsible for the changes in my appearance.” He smiled slightly as he saw curiosity spark into several of his companions' eyes. “According to her,” Miura began slowly, searching for the right words, “my Saiyan heritage was much stronger than either my Galdrian or my Genjin. That was why I had so much trouble learning to use my Galdrian energy, and why I tired out from it so easily. All of my powers were… fighting each other, with the Saiyan side of my blood having obviously taken over as the dominant one.”

 

“I don't see what's wrong with that,” Hanzo said with an arrogant laugh. “It's only right that your Saiyan blood, the most powerful blood in two universes, would assert itself in such a way.” Miura was startled for a moment, until the gleam in his brother's dark eyes told him that Hanzo was, beyond all belief, joking with him.

 

“Anyway,” Miura continued, casting his half-brother an exasperated look, “by readjusting my three bloodlines, Kirien was able to strike a balance.” The crossbreed warrior reached out and ran a hand through his long, straight hair. “I suppose that by diminishing my Saiyan heritage, this was the result. It took me a while to get used to, I'll admit, but now I actually think I like it,” he finished with a laugh.

 

“I have a question,” Gabriel said, leaning back against the wall beside his father's chair. When Miura nodded for the young half-Galdrian to continue, Gabriel was silent for a moment, as if struggling to find the right way to phrase his question. “How… How did you and Kirien manage to get back here? After the gate between our realities was destroyed, we all thought that no help would be coming from the Genjin universe…”

 

“He's right, Miura,” Clef echoed, raising a questioning eyebrow. “By rights, neither of you should be here right now…” The Namekian fixed his former student with a look of interest, for he was unable to comprehend how the portal could have been reopened. Kalen told us that only one being in all of existence had enough power to blow a hole between two separate universes… Neither Miura nor Kirien are strong enough to do that. Unless… Clef suddenly wondered if, perhaps, Miura was hiding his true strength from everyone. He seemed pretty confident when facing off against Tempest earlier, like he wasn't even really trying…

 

“That was the hardest part of all this,” Miura said, his expression turning grim. “We thought that if enough people gathered together and lent us their energy, we may have been able to reopen the portal. Kirien said that only the Galdrian side had actually been resealed, and that the Genjin side was still, technically open. That would make it much easier for us to break through…” The former Emperor paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. “Unfortunately, the Tribunal that rules Genji refused to grant us permission. They claimed that so long as Tempest remained in this universe, there was no reason for any of their people to step in. `It will only call his wrath down upon us once again, as it did of old' they said.” Miura's eyes flashed with anger as he recalled their meeting with the ruling Tribunal. “Cowards,” he hissed.

 

Miura was about to continue when a slight energy shift from Zellis' room caught his attention. Genjin's were incredibly sensitive energy fields, and not just ki, either. Miura had learned since his time on Genji that the people there could actually sense and read emotional energy, both from living things and from places with strong emotional energy fields. This surge of power that he felt from the room behind him worried the black-haired fighter, for it was a sudden discharge of not ki, nor emotional energy, but life force. A quick look around the room showed Miura that none of his comrades had felt the disturbance, but it still bothered him greatly. After a long moment of silent contemplation, Miura finally continued.

 

“So we did the only thing we could do,” he said with a sly grin. “We blatantly disobeyed the Tribunal and attempted to reopen the rift by ourselves. Luckily for us, the room which holds the Genjin side of the portal is situated at the top of the highest tower of the Tribunal's palace. We were able to sneak up there without a problem, since no guards were posted there after the portal's `destruction.'” Miura stopped and nodded thanks to Bulma as she came forward and offered him a steaming mug of coffee, which he hadn't tasted since his last visit to Earth, over a year ago. “Gathering and consolidating our combined powers was difficult at first, for we had to do it slowly, or else attract the attention of the Tribunal. When we felt we had enough energy gathered, we simply let it loose on the portal.

 

“Now that definitely caught the Tribunal's eye, because barely a minute had passed when Kirien and I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs outside. We kept on pouring more and more power into the rift until finally we broke through.” He shook his head at the memory, for never in his entire life had he been part of such an overwhelming discharge of pure energy. “The sound was terrible, like a groaning, tearing, shrieking scream that cut right through your mind. We could feel the gateway resisting us, and we knew that we'd never be able to hold it open for very long, so we leapt through without hesitation.”

 

“And what did the Galdrian's think about all of this?” Trunks asked, speaking up for the first time. “They must have noticed the sudden surge of power coming through the rift, right?” The Saiyan Prince smiled ruefully as he recalled Tallein, the stiff-necked, loyal Galdrian soldier whom Elysia had left in command during her absence. The old war-dog must've been ready for the worst, I'm sure…

 

“Well, they certainly wasted no time in getting to the site where the palace used to be, if that's what you mean,” Miura responded with a grin. “You should have seen the look on old Tallein's face. Of course, he didn't recognize me at first, and I had to explain the entire situation to him before he'd agree to lend us a ship. Luckily that gave Kirien and I plenty of time to rest up, since we'd wasted pretty much all of our energy on the gateway, which happened to close back up right behind us.” A shadow seemed to pass over Miura's features, and he got a distant look in his shining purple eyes. “No, there's no going back now… Kalen, Kirien, and I are the only three Genjins in this universe. If we don't beat Tempest, there won't be another chance.”

 

Before anyone had a chance to speak, the door of Zellis' room opened up, and Kalen and Kirien exited. Miura gasped and jumped up from the couch, pulling quickly away from Elysia as he rushed to Kirien's side. The Genjin ambassador was extremely pale, and her energy signature was frighteningly low. It was obvious by the way that Kalen held her that she was unable to stand, let alone walk, for all of her strength seemed to have been drained from her. Miura tenderly took her from Kalen's supportive grasp, picking her up in his arms.

 

“Kirien, what happened?” he asked, concern making his voice sound hushed. “Did it… Whatever you did in there… Did it work?” He waited patiently for an answer from the fatigued young woman, who seemed to be struggling just to speak.

 

“Yes, Miura,” she finally replied, a faint smile playing across her lips. “It… is done. But know that… from this day… forward… Zellis and I are… life-bonded.” Kirien closed her eyes as the last remnants of strength left her, but not before speaking one more time. “Go, Miura… Go and see your… sister.” With that, Kirien finally lapsed into a deep sleep, and Miura gently laid her down on the couch.

 

“Kalen, what did she mean by `life-bonded'?” Miura asked, turning to face the Genjin exile. “I've never heard that term before…” Silence followed the miraculously-resurrected warrior's question, and for a moment he feared that Kalen wouldn't answer him. Finally, though, the exiled Genjin spoke.

 

“Kirien and Zellis now share one life-force. They are bonded, mind and soul, for the rest of their lives.” Kalen's expression was one of mixed disappointment and, possibly, anger as he continued. “Their fates are forever and irrevocably intertwined. If one dies,” he said, voice quiet, almost subdued, “so then does the other…”

 

“Why?” Miura asked, tears of disbelief and confusion filling his eyes. “Why would Kirien do such a thing?” He looked down at the slumbering Genjin woman, whose fate was now one with Miura's own adopted-sister. “I don't understand…”

 

“I cannot speak for her,” Kalen said with a shrug. “But if I were to guess, I would think that Kirien must have had strong feelings for your sister, and vice versa, otherwise the life-bonding would never have succeeded.” The Genjin-armored warrior placed a hand on Miura's shoulder and flashed him a small smile. “Go. Be with Zellis now.”

 

Miura needed no further prompting, and he nearly ran into Zellis' room, thankfully alone. The others seemed to understand that this should be a private reunion, and they all had the decency to stay out of the room while the two “siblings” were finally brought together again. Even Elysia, who seemed loath to allow her beloved out of her sight for even a moment, realized the importance of the occasion, and she simply sat quietly at the end of the couch, laying Kirien's head gently in her lap.

 

“Z?” Miura asked quietly, sitting slowly down in the single chair that sat beside his sister's bed. “Are you… okay?” No answer came, though he could hear the sound of muffled sobs, as if Zellis were trying to hide the fact that she was crying. “Z?” he prompted again, reaching out to rest his hand lightly upon her arm.

 

“She loves me!” Zellis sobbed, turning and falling into Miura's offered embrace. The young Galdrian noblewoman buried her face against her adopted-brother's chest, her body trembling almost uncontrollably. “She didn't say it, but I know! Our minds, Miura… Our minds were one! For just the briefest moment, she let her guard down, and now I know.” It took Miura a moment to realize what was occurring, but suddenly he knew that the tears being shed by Zellis were not of despair or sorrow, but tears of joy and elation. Someone loved her, in a way that a member of her family never could. Kirien loved her, that was what had made the life-bond successful. And, if her current condition were any indication of her own feelings, Zellis obviously felt the same way.

 

Miura found his own tears flowing now, a mixture of shared joy for his beloved sister's newfound love, and of unending gratitude that Kirien had taken such a risk to bring Zellis back to him. And as he held his sister protectively in his arms, deep down inside, Miura had to admit that this reunion was by far the most important to him…

 

To be continued…

 

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In the next chapter:

 

Kalen begins teaching Miura and Kirien the secrets of the Sealing Blast as Trunks and the others prepare themselves for what promises to be the final conflict against the mad god!

 

Dragon Ball: Chaotic Future

Chapter 29

Mad God Saga, Part XVIII

“Calm before the Storm.”

 

 

 

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