DB Multiverse

The pain rekindled by the memory of this horrible day got a muffled sob from Mr. Satan... The furious beatings of his mistreated heart reminded him of those that had deafened him during this dreadful break.

Back then, added to the unspeakable fear to see his little girl's life hanging withing reach of the greatest killer of all time... there was also the fear that these noisy intra-body jerks could reach the cybernetics ears of these two horrors.

What to do?... Oh my God, what could he do?!...

The ex-champion had then found himself feeling the rubble getting deep into his knees as he had religiously bent so that his forehead lied on his joined hands that he kept strongly clutched so that they wouldn't shake... And he had prayed...

Him, a believer?... He had never really been one... Not more than what convention required to be normal... But at this crucial moment... Need had been stronger than bias.

Yes, that day, in the middle of the dusty ruins, he had fallen on his knee to pray as a penitent... his fingers were tense, his heart wasn't beating properly anymore... That day, he had wanted to believe that a divine hand could come and save his child, life of his life, the reason his heart kept beating... The only thing that really mattered to him!

He prayed, suddenly willing to believe with all his might into the divine power of an all mighty God... Because he had no other choice, because fate couldn't be so cruel, because it was completely unthinkable that nothing and none couldn't do anything to avoid the foretold tragedy!

Far from here, in another devastated city... Another heart jammed under a burden of despair, the same kind than the one that tortured the ex-champion's mind, prisoner of his gruesome memories.

Bulma slowly woke up and, at first, she had trouble understanding what she was doing here... curled up into a ball on the ground of her workshop, one of Trunks' jacket tight into her hands she kept close her chest...

She looked up and an incredible migraine immediately slashed her skull with its claws of steel... Her lids were heavy and gave her a hard time opening up on shady eyes... Her throat was painful and she suffered from strange stiffness in all her facial muscles, even the dry skin of her face seemed to be caught into a clay mask.

She remembered everything all of a sudden! She understood the reason of all these strange aches... And why some of them were, unfortunately, so familiar.

A sob came from the deepest corner of her soul and she buried her face into the jacket's inner coat... She filled her nostrils, her lungs, all of her being with the warm smell that emanated from the silky cloth... The scent of life, the scent of joy... of gone happiness.

The young woman took a long time delighting in the hint of her gone child's presence.

Then she looked up as she took a deep breath... as if to swallow and repel all these sobs, this sorrow, this horror.

She then got up... Her eyes seemed stuck on this jacket, tepid with her own warmth.

A raspy growl, almost a she-tiger's growl, suddenly tore the silence of the shelter apart, that had been disturbed only by the soft purr of the computers/

“I won't let it be like this!!”

No! It should never had happened like this!

Mr. Satan was raging against himself.

He knew at what time the point of no return had been reached... And what was worse was that he was aware that, at this moment, HE had the power to change fate... to move aside death's cold hand.

He had had his daughter's life in his hands, the hands of a father... and he had let go of it... He had proved to be too weak, not swift enough... Not authoritative enough, once too many.

A growl invaded this shelter too... but it was the muffled sound of explosions that seemed to increase somewhere near.

“You damned bastard! You'll never have your fill?!!” He then mumbled, his eyes dark and rage on his lips. “Don't you have killed enough? Destroyed enough?”

He rose the picture to look at it again... And his vision got blurry as tears invaded his eyes.

“The city is in ruins... You've slaughtered my followers by the thousand... maybe even millions... destroyed every stadiums...” His choked. “You've taken my dear Videeeeel...”

The former champion let his head fall on his chest, he had closed his eyes... He'd like not to think of anything... he'd like to forget everything...

But the memories, the feelings, the images were stronger than him and invaded his mind once again... The muffled sound of explosions that were shaking his poor refuge gave way to the much cruder one of 18's voice.

“It's your girlfriend?”

Mr. Satan looked up, livid... That slut didn't see that his little Videl was still a child? That she was far from being of age to be anybody's girlfriend? And especially not the girlfriend of a one-armed monster!

But if those two idiots could believe such rubbish... Then his daughter really was in great danger!

Good thing, that other big oaf refuted it when he blushed... Eh, by the way, why had that stupid guy blushed? If ever it meant that this true wonder wasn't good enough for him...!!

The old man sighed... His big thumb rubbed the glass protecting the beloved picture... That was the only worry that the father of a young girl of that age should have... To protect her from the desires of these arrogant young roosters... But yet, there he was, reduced to dwelling on unpleasant memories, crying over a small picture in its small frame with that black ribbon... Why was life so unfair?

Why had it to be HIS Videl that found herself right under the nose of that death in trainers?... Why?

He then remembered that he had actually been wondering the same thing, kneeling a bit farther from the couple of killers and his beloved daughter... When everything had suddenly and dramatically changed!

In a hellish breaking, and animated with a surprising renewal of strength, the young fighter in orange had first pinned 18 on the ground... Then he had disappeared in one static sound to suddenly throw the cyborg, who yet was several meters away, with a dreadful kick...

Before the two machines could come to, he was here, right under his nose, putting his daughter down, before leaving, still with that sound... Mr. Satan had the feeling that he already was gone when he heard him say:

“Go away... quick!”

Neither he, nor his daughter had had the time to give a hint of a mere move than the improbable racket of a titanic shock could be heard... The young one armed man had just collided head on with the two machines that were rushing at them!

In the end, Videl had the good reflex to pull her father from his trance in which the renewal of the incredible fight had plunged them... Catching him by a sleeve, she carried him after her in a hole that was partially closed by the carcass of an upside down car... The entrance was really narrow... and if the girl had no problem getting in... her father had to struggle and even push a bit the wreck so that he could come in.

Fortunately, by doing so he noticed that the vehicle was laying on the roof... Actually, it easily turned around on an axis made by bent metal. So he had no problem turning the carcass to completely hide the hole... Moreover, the glass on the sunroof had been destroyed... So they could pass their head through this improvised window to watch what was going to happen next.

Taking most likely advantage from the few minutes of respite due to Videl's appearance, the young fighter managed to keep a very harsh hand to hand with the two machines... From either side of him, the cyborgs weren't really sparing any pain and didn't give him any break.

Videl looked at her father, and the tear he saw running down her cheeks seemed to be huge on this cute little face.

“Tell me he'll get through... Please, Daddy...”

He comforted her as much as he could.

“Of course, don't worry... Look at him... that boy is very strong... And it's not the first time he fights them... He's probably used to being beaten...”

Oops! Satan realised that it wasn't really what his daughter wanted to hear when he saw this so unpleasant expression back on her little face. It was so new to him.

But even if she was angry, he was happy that she was here with him, and in one piece... He couldn't help but hug her tightly.

“Don't worry, sweetie, your daddy will always be here for you!”

But Videl pushed him away, a look of disgust on her face. Mr. Satan was dismayed by her move... Until then, she had never refused him a hug!

“Stop it!”

“My dear?!...” Satan stammered, abashed.

But he had no time to go on... To his great surprise, Videl just had closed his mouth with her right hand, and had put her left forefinger on her lips to tell him to shut up...

Not far from their improvised shelter... Steps rang out in the suddenly impressive silence that had fell over the destroyed city.

Looking around, Mr. Satan noticed a pair of nice legs that back tights glorified that was walking towards them... Further, the one armed boy was struggling, his face crushed on the ground while the mechanical boy was cruelly twisting his only arm as he smashed his nape with a triumphant foot.

Right then, he threw his daughter at the bottom of the hole. Out of surprise, she emitted a faint sound that stopped the booted legs in their track... The former champion threw himself on Videl in order to cover her with his big body.

The sound of steps started again... and stopped very close to their hideout.

Satan didn't breath anymore, and he had the impression that his daughter was doing the same... All he could hear was the beating of his heart that was going at impressive speed.

Suddenly, the darkness of the shelter made way to the glaring light of the sun. Blinded for a while, Mr. Satan watched, stunned, a frail shadow standing out against the broken silhouettes of partially destroyed buildings... A slender shadow that was single handedly holding the wreck that had been protecting them.

The metallic carcass loudly crashed against the front window of some shop that it finished off.

In one motion, moved by a salutary rush of adrenalin, Mr. Satan was up, so that he could hide his daughter with his high stature... He'd have liked to go on fight stance, to insult this damned slut in skirt... But he couldn't manage to get a sound pass the lump in his throat.

The cyborg bent to look at him with amusement in her eyes.

“Well, well well... what have we here?...”

She bent a bit more to seize the man by the collar and extracted him from the hole in which he was hiding... Boosted by his rush of adrenalin as well as Videl's presence, the ex-champion growled this time.

“You'd better let go of me!”

18 disdainfully let him fall and, farther, her brother exclaimed.

“Hey! I do know this voice... And this silhouette!”

Mr. Satan retched... That was it, the other guy had already recognised him!

“But it's true... it's our champion, but the blond version...” the girl burst out laughing. She then leaned towards him, winking. “Do you want another flight?”

17 laughed, he even released his grip on his surprised opponent. “What have you done with your pants? You printed a memory of this day on them, as I recall!”

Ashamed, his face completely red, Mr. Satan looked at his daughter who was standing straight in the hole... Lack of understanding could be read on her pretty face.

It was out of question that he went through the nightmare of last time all over again... NOT in front of his sweet daughter!

“I'm not afraid of you, bitch!”

The insult had left his lips even before he had time to think of it... As lashing as the bite of the memory of the humiliation.

The cyborg's reaction was as violent... Her clear eyes going from an amused expression to incredible cruelty. She firmly caught the insolent by the throat and took him off the ground.

Satan immediately lacked oxygen... The grasp was firm and it had instantly stopped any blood and air circulation in the throat it was crushing.

Videl rushed out of the hollow to hit the murderer with all her might... Her small fist loudly crashed on the young woman's face.. .But the young girl shook her painful hand right away, a grimace on her face...

After she threw a glance on her father's face, that now was crimson, she went on with a sequence of kicks, all of them with a good aim, she put all of her strength into it, all of her heart.

“Let go of him, he hadn't done anything to you!!” she was yelling.