Post by Emperor Ninjin Hattori on May 20, 2015 22:44:22 GMT -5
The streets were unusually quiet as he walked down them, allowing him a peaceful stroll through the streets of Beta. It was a beautiful night, and even since he was a young child he had enjoyed the lights and life of the city. The aura from his Ascended Super Saiyan form fluttered in golden light around him, matched in brightness and intensity by the various neon signs that advertised businesses and the like. Silence had been the case since the Saiyan known as Ninjin Hattori had revealed his power and taken over Beta and the PTO. It had all happened so quickly it seemed like the residents were still coming to terms with all that had happened. Despite his rousing speech afterwards, and his helping in getting rid of Prometheus Zex and Wrath, a deed Arctic had only ever promised and dreamed of, some dared not go near the Saiyan.
Why risk the wrath of a man who could rip a creature as powerful as Arctic’s head off? Or one that could take down Arctic and Zex and change the entire face of Omega in the course of a few hours. It was for all these reasons that Ninjin was not surprised, and not hurt, to see faces turn and beings run down alleyways at the very sight of his approach. Though, to say this was the case with all would be in error. A few dozen Icejin had already shown up and pledged their new fealty to Ninjin. The woman from the crowd had not been among them, to his disappointment, but they were all strong warriors. Ninjin would need the allies he could get, and with more Icejin flocking to his power he would soon win the majority over. High ranking officials from the PTO had come and welcomed their new lord and leader as well. Ninjin had told them to prepare for changes, but the smile with which he said it set their minds at rest. None of the Iblisian’s who had come to Beta to trade and explore avoided the lord either, but instead sought him out to worship and praise. The reactions had been as varied as the people in his empire.
In space overhead hung the Iblisian World-Ship, another talk of conversation and gossip among Beta. Whispers about these newcomers could be heard nearly anywhere you went in Beta, which wasn’t surprising as it seemed there were more and more Iblisian’s coming to the station all the time. The Iblisian’s were allies of Ninjin. Though the populace of Beat seemed wary of the newcomers at first, news spread quickly that in fact not only was the Saiyan king of Beta, the PTO, and the Icejin, he was also king of the Iblisians, or as they were more commonly known, vampires. They were under the Empire as much as The Icejin were, as much as Beta was, as much as the PTO.
Truthfully Ninjin had no clue where his feet were taking him. It felt like a night to be among the people, to have his finger to the pulse of the world. When he had been the Crown-Prince of the Saiyan people he had not spent much of his time among those that he ruled, thinking himself better than they. Tsyuo and Natisha had had a hand in breeding Ninjin that way… That had been a much simpler time. A time when he was someone else, something else. Then he had not been Emperor Ninjin Hattori. Now he didn’t think he was better, he knew he was better. Still he had an urge to be among them, his new people.
There was something more exhilarating about being alive than dead. Heaven had only those that were good, or not if how the Kais were was saying something. Despite an attempt that just wasn’t who Ninjin was, not fully at least, and he was not fully evil either. This Ninjin Hattori was out for himself, neutral in all affairs of morality, the decision would lie with what suited him better. Here in the universe there were shades of grey, and that’s where he belonged best.
A sound of merry music and cheers caused him to stop short. The bar he turned to look at was a dive. A broken neon sign hung above the entrance, “Ice-Gin bar.” Ninjin chuckled at the clever play on words and shrugged. There was no one on the streets, might as well see the people in their own environment. The lights on the outside and the jovial tunes coming from inside told Ninjin that this might be the type of place to connect with his new people.
The music and laughter stopped dead the very instant he walked in. Icejin, aliens, male and female, beings of all kinds looked up at the awesome powered Super Saiyan that had just entered the bar. In his mind Ninjin thought perhaps it would have been a better idea to deactivate his Ascended Super Saiyan form, but shrugged at the patrons. Some fell to their knees, others had blank looks on their faces as their minds registered and tried to figure out what to do, a few slowly started to make their way to a different door. Ninjin smiled and they all tensed up.
“Please, carry on. Don’t let me disturb you.” Some nodded. Others rose from their kneeled positions and got back to their chairs. They carried on uneasily but it was obviously not the same atmosphere as it had been the few moments before he had entered. His cape from his armor swished behind him as he made his way up to the bar. A familiar face met him and made him stop short. The Icejin woman from the crowd before. The one he had seen during the rally. There was no mistaking it. She was taller and much more beautiful than any Icejin female Ninjin had seen before. She stood just under his own height of six feet, at five foot ten inches if Ninjin had to guess.
“Certainly know how to make an entrance huh your Highness?” She said the words so straight-faced that it took a moment for Ninjin to realize that she was teasing him. Ninjin was utterly taken aback for a moment. It had been months, what felt like lifetimes, since anyone off of the street had dared to tease him. There had been a little ribbing here and there from Willie, but Ninjin gave it back to his only friend in the universe as well. For a moment Ninjin wasn’t sure what to do, be upset or be intrigued. The woman smiled and motioned to the bar.
“See any you’d like to rip the head off of shug, let me know?” She winked as she added it. Her powerful tail swished behind her as she turned to answer another customer who was yelling at her across from the bar. That was it. He was intrigued. The atmosphere was slowly returning to what it had been before, the awesome god-like presence at the bar for the moment was forgotten in drunken revelry. Ninjin too began to relax. Before long the Icejin woman came back and leaned against the bar. She was gorgeous and she knew it, and she knew he knew it. The Emperor felt for the first time in quite some time like he was up against a worthy opponent, though this one had nothing to do with power levels.
“See anything that catches your interest, your highness?” It was pointed. There was no mistaking what it was that she was asking. There came that intense stare once more as their eyes locked together, and after a few moments she winked and the emperor blushed. Then he realized he was blushing. The revelry had grown quite loud, once again reaching the point it had before. A drunken Icejin called her over and she raised a finger to the Emperor indicating that she would be right back. Ninjin didn’t even notice the disrespect as he was too captivated by the woman. The Icejin once again sauntered away. Never before had he been so attracted to an Icejin, or an alien for that matter. Still internally he shrugged, there was a first time for everything, and he wasn’t about to deny his attraction to the woman based on something stupid like xenophobia, as that wasn’t him.
Despite the atmosphere of cheer in the room Ninjin couldn’t help but noticed some of the eyes and they flickered back and forth to the Super Saiyan. Couldn’t help but hear his name every so often and wonder just what it is they were saying about him. After a moment he stood.
“My people your attention!” You could have heard a mouse fart with how quiet the room grew in an instant. The Icejin woman at the bar broke the quite with teasing words.
“Ah so he can speak!” Ninjin looked back at the woman and she winked again. The others in the room stared at her incredulously as if she was going to get them all killed. Those that had been gathering by the door before made very rapid movements to leave. Those that knelt before now prostrated themselves on the ground in worship. Ninjin smiled and they all tensed.
“DRINKS ARE ON THE PTO!” It took a long second for it to sink in to the revelers what had just been said. If the cheers from before had been loud, the one that erupted from the group were uproarious. Ninjin’s name began to be chanted in celebration as people stormed behind the bar and took drinks. It felt good to give to his people. There was no reason for his people to not be happy, not when he would return them to a place of dominance in the universe. If they feared him, they would die for the fear of him, if they loved him, they would die for him. When the time to enact his revenge on the Church came they would need to be prepared to do what it would take. They were his army. The woman stared at him for a moment, not seeming to be angry, but studying him, trying to decipher what was going on in his mind.
“You’re paying for all of that you know.” She said as she crossed her arms and her tail swished behind her.
“To be honest I’m not sure I’ve ever had more zeni. Taking over the PTO and Beta was much more lucrative than I thought it would be. Don’t worry I’ll pay for it all like I said.” It felt unusual to have his smile once again on his face, after everything that happened so recently, but here and now he felt like he could relax, if but for a moment.
“So what brings you into our little place here your highness?” It felt like an honest question for the first time since he had walked up to the bar.
“That palace is not mine, the ghost of Arctic hangs everywhere. Thought I would get out among my people.”
“Your people?”
“You’ve been calling me ‘your highness’ all night, I’m sure you know what I mean.”
“Why here of all places?” As she asked her eyes flittered around the bar. It was not even top five in terms of bars and hangouts on Beta, let alone all of Omega. Ninjin had free run of the place, being allied with Zasham, leader of Alpha. Why here?
“The people in here seemed happy.” The words came out not at all as he had meant. They were filled with longing. A desire for that same thing. They were also heavy, filled with the sorrows of the very recent past. Ninjin’s brow creased as he too realized the inflection in which he had said it. Thankfully the bar was still filled with loud revelry, but the Icejin woman did not miss what had been said.
Her eyebrow ridges turned upwards. From behind her, her tail swished around and grabbed a glass, then set it in front of Ninjin. Their eyes never left each-other’s as her tail grabbed another and then a bottle and set it between them. The Icejin female grabbed the glasses and the bottle with her hands and motioned for Ninjin to follow her. With a shrug he did so, and she led them out the back door to the bar.
When she got outside she flew high into the air and landed on an oddly familiar skyscraper to Nin. It had been where he and Frigid, his first Icejin friend, had spared. Ninjin turned confused as they landed, taking the glass offered to him.
“Aren’t you worried about your bar?”
“Are you worried about your palace?” She pointed at it off in the distance. “You are no more there to protect it than I am to protect the bar, but neither of us worries. You because of your power me because… the bars not mine, it’s my brothers. When we felt you coming and saw you come in I asked him if I could play bartender.”
She said the words mischievously and a smile played at the corner of her lips as she poured the drinks for the two of them. Ninjin was, honestly, surprised by this information. Truthfully he sensed no danger or malicious intent in the woman, but that was a very sneaky thing to do. There was no way they could harm him, so if that was what this had been for it was all for naught. But… if it wasn’t… what was this? Why go through all the trouble? He asked as such.
“Why go through all the trouble?”
“Our eyes met at the rally.” She said reminiscently, and as if he should have surmised as much. Ninjin nodded. So he had not been the only one to notice that. Whatever was in his glass was strong and it nearly made the Saiyan cough. Alcohol was not a normal part of his diet, though it had been when he was younger, in another lifetime when he had been someone else. The stuff she had gotten them was favored by Icejin, Ninjin remembered Frigid having the stuff after their tournament celebration. Vil, if he were here, would be screaming at Ninjin for taking a drink offered from an unknown beautiful woman who was one of the people of the King whose throne he had taken over. Ninjin would, however, reply with the fact that Bubebolos had subjected him to such tortures to build up his poison resistance that there was no known organic poison in the universe he wasn’t resistant too. Magic was another case, but magic poisons were generally flashier.
“I remember.” He turned to face her and realized she was staring at him, the way he used to catch Endou staring at him. It made his heart flutter, even in Super Saiyan form.
“You felt it right? You felt something? It wasn’t just me? If it was just me tell me so I can throw myself off the building in embarrassment… It felt like destiny.” She turned to look at him. With the neon lights all around them and the light of the distant moon, her skin looked flawless, no doubt due to the lack of pores. Their eyes met. Ninjin nodded and a smile broke out on the female Icer’s face. There was a burning desire in Ninjin to see more of that smile. There had been a spark. Electricity.
Still that this was happening… it felt too much too soon. He had seen Earthen Romance films, and they told him situations like this could happen... but that had been media right? A large part of him screamed at him to be wary. To trust no one. Willie, Zasham, he was the only one Ninjin could trust. Yet, so desperately he wished it wasn’t the case. It was so painful to be so alone in the universe, when he used to have so many. Yet there was another side that said ‘what’s the harm?’ it was not as if she could harm anything other than his heart, and she couldn’t harm what was broken. There was a nagging question in his mind though.
“Did none of you people like Arctic?” Ninjin asked as he took another drink from the liquid in his glass. It burned going down but warmed his insides in a very pleasant way. The female looked out over towards the palace. Her face set in a look of concentration, as if searching for the proper words to understand.
“There was a reason your words inspired as they did at the rally. Beta, Alpha, hell all of Omega has been praying for a change. We thought we were going to get it when Zex moved Alpha and Arctic decided to follow him. We were coming to orbit an actual inhabitable planet! It was time for change.”
Ninjin knew all too well the events of the move of Omega. Not the specific details, but he had been around for the preparation for the departure. It had taken a great deal of doing. The Universal Church of One’s fleet would have been an interesting run-in for the dual space-stations had Ninjin and William Watson not taken care of that particular problem. Still the move had been met with a great deal of excitement for both stations.
“Then this golden hair being with the power of gods, a power that most of those that live and work on Beta can’t even fathom, appears, throws the head of our old leader down at our feet and declares us protected and the chosen people?” Her head tilted to the side as she inspected him.
“They fear you, but they will grow to love you if you let them, and if you keep true to your words. Protect them. Strengthen them. Bring us back glory and you will never have known such devotion.”
She truly believed her words. Ninjin wondered if all Icejin thought the same, but then he had never been in such a system of government before, where might makes right. The Hattori line had been through blood, that they were the strongest was correct, but not what had given them the throne. At least not all of them, Akassa had recently bucked that trend. Still it had been that way for quite some time with the Icejin and the PTO.
“Arctic rose to power through power. As did the monarch before him, and so on and so on. Our people respect power. They respond to it. It has been how all of our leaders have been chosen and there are none more powerful than you Ninjin, as least as we’ve all seen.”
Ninjin nodded and took another drink from his glass. The female’s tail snaked over holding the alcohol bottle and she refilled it.
“You’re king of the Icejin, right? You want to win over my people, our people, get them to work for you? I can help. I want to help.” She said the words excitedly and nodded.
“How would you go about doing that? Before we get anywhere further there’s one thing I need to know.”
She cocked her head in question.
“Your name.” He said with a smile.
Her hand came up and she smacked herself on the forehead.
“It’s Aella. How have I not told you that yet? Aella’s the name, it’s an honor to formally meet you your highness” She laughed and gave a slight curtsey, and Ninjin too smiled.
“Call me Ninjin.” There was a great part of him that wanted to be swept up in whatever was happening between the two of them. She hadn’t been wrong, it had felt like destiny when they had met. Even further proof was that they were here and now together. There was another large part that reminded him that he shouldn’t be trusting anyone, especially so soon after killing the Icejin king and taking over. They had been raging against each other throughout their conversation. There was another part that wouldn’t stop thinking about the events with Azuki. How could he be sitting on a skyscraper drinking with a beautiful Icejin woman and not out there enacting his revenge? Another part of him, the logical part, said that he needed time to enact his revenge, and shouldn’t be punishing himself for trying to be happy.
Aella seemed to notice all the things happening inside Ninjin’s mind as the emotions no doubt played across his face.
“If I’m moving too fast or coming on too strong of if they’re someone else…” She began, her voice nearly cracked with worry. Ninjin shook his head.
“No, it’s none of that.” The Emperor’s glance returned towards that of his palace. His new palace. It was nothing like the one he had had on New Vegeta, but in a lot of ways that was better. Whereas the old palace on New Vegeta had always been Tsyuo’s palace, this one was his. Or would be when he tore down Arctic’s old palace and put up a new one of his own. The design had been in his mind since he was a child, and it would now come to fruition.
“Do you feel like exploring?” Her eyebrow ridge raised at the question. She crossed her arms and her posture grew defensive.
“I know Beta better than the back of my hand, I’ve grown up here, I’ve explored every inch.” She said defensively. Ninjin laughed and pointed.
“I bet not every inch.” She followed his pointing finger right to the palace, which doubled as the PTO headquarters.
“Oh. Yes. Yes. I would like to explore, very much yes.”
-Later-
They had still not left each other’s company, no doubt to the annoyance of anyone who wanted an audience with the emperor who wasn’t Aella or William Watson. The PTO board had called several times and left messages. They had not stopped exploring, and then had not stopped combing over the building, every inch of Arctic’s palace had been combed over at great lengths, first by Ninjin and Aella, and then by the construction teams that Ninjin had hired. They had found some wild antiques and relics, things that Ninjin could not even fathom the use for, and some he realized he really didn’t want to know the use for. The most curious of their finds was a journal written in an ancient code, or what Ninjin thought at first was a code. They dated back farther than even Arctic’s reign, and detailed the three most powerful moves in the Icejin arsenal as well as some of the Icer’s and the PTO’s history. Aella had had to translate them, the language was nothing that Ninjin could read.
“Listen to this, long ago the Icejin were one of the most feared races in the galaxy.” They were climbing a grand staircase up to the second floor of the building. “The greatest of all was the King, named Kold. He had two sons, Freiza, and Cooler.”
Ninjin smiled, the names of ancient Icejin kings meant little to him, but Aella was fascinated. It would be for the best for him to learn their history regardless, as they were his people and the more he knew the more he could relate to them. As she continued though he realized why he had heard the name Frieza before. That had been the Icejin that had long ago wiped out his people. Still that was thousands of years ago, and now a Saiyan was king of the Icejin people. Frieza could suck it.
As she continued the stories grew more and more, each one becoming less likely to be historically accurate as they became less tales of the past and more about the current lives and events of the rulers of the PTO and the Icejin people. She closed the journal with a sigh as they entered the training room and Ninjin flicked on the lights. It was an inviting space. Training and fighting had always been two passions of his, so much so that when he went to Heaven it was all he did. There had been some amazing teachers in Heaven, past heroes and legends, as well as members of his family and former Iblisian Kings. In his life before that he had been taught by masters, by the Saiyan Academy, and by the best that the Saiyans had had to offer. There were few martial artists in the world as proficient in their craft as Ninjin Hattori, and none as powerful. His boots thumped heavily against the ground as he made his way out to the center of the room and took one of his many fighting stances. Slowly he began to go through meticulously practiced motions. Aella watched from the side in wonder as Ninjin punched, kicked and flipped through the air. Though he was not in either of his Super Saiyan forms Ninjin was still quite powerful, and in her base form Aella’s eyes could barely keep up with his movements.
“That’s beautiful.” The words echoed in the domed space of the training room. Ninjin stopped and turned with a smile and a bow from the waist.
“I have had years of experience, as well as a great deal of real-life testing.”
She walked over to him and motioned for him to continue as she circled around him.
“Do you not use weapons?”
Ninjin shrugged and gripped his wrist, aiming at the ceiling. A rapid-fire volley of red orbs of ki flew out.
“Not what I had meant.”
Ninjin raised his hand and from within his belt a dagger flew to his hand. He drew the blade across his palm and Aella winced and drew breath in through her teeth as if he was cutting her instead of himself. Her eyes widened as no blood fell from the wound, though there was still a cut in his palm.
“W-what?”
Ninjin flicked his hand at the wall and a thin spear of blood shot from the cut and impaled it. Then blood seeped from the cut on his hand and out over his hand making a gauntlet. Aella nodded.
“Very impressive. I had no idea you knew blood magic.” Ninjin nodded and smiled, and perhaps for the first time Aella noticed how pointed his canines were.
“It is from my Iblisian side. I was turned, though I will never be as powerful as a full blooded, those are exceedingly rare. Most of the people in my kingdom have been turned, and have left behind their former lives to live on the World-ship. Before I took over Beta it was largely the only place in the universe where Iblisians, vampires as the universe calls them, were truly accepted.”
“It’s still not quite what I had meant. Are you purely a fist fighter, no swords?”
Ninjin winced as she said the word sword. Ninjin hated swords. It stemmed back from when Zeke Necross had impaled him in the Universal tournament. It had changed Ninjin though, and for that he had thanked Zeke. Now that Ninjin that had become was dead as well, and he was left another person removed from the bratty crown-prince he had once been. Aella noticed as his hand snaked up to his shoulder, where the blade had gone through and impaled him to the ground, just barely avoiding killing him.
“No. Not a big fan of swords. I use myself, my ki, and my environment. Swords… I have a distaste for the things.”
Aella nodded, though she did not understand. With a start Ninjin realized she must not have seen the tournament. Was she one of the only ones who hadn’t?
“Show me more.”
Ninjin spent the next few hours showing Aella all of the various techniques that he had learned over the course of his life. It had taken a few hours because it had taken quite a bit of energy to go through each individual one, and it had required a few feast breaks in between so that he could rebuild his energy. The foods that Aella cooked him were delicious. In Heaven he had not had to eat, but when he got back to Omega his ravenous appetite had come back in full force.
After their third meal and Ninjin had finished showing off all of his “weapons” They sat around a fire place. Aella seemed deep in thought.
“I have never seen a warrior like you Ninjin Hattori. The universe has never seen a warrior like you before Nin, but something bugs me. I hope you don’t take offence to this.”
“What is it?”
“You’re techniques are… decidedly missing an Icejin element. Your Saiyan race, as well as your Iblisian race, are well represented.”
“What do you suppose I do?”
She offered to try and teach him one of the greatest techniques the Icejin’s had, one of the ones contained within the journal. There were diagrams and instructions, evidently this journal was not supposed to fall into the hands of anyone other than the Icejin king and leader of the PTO. He greedily took her up on the offer. The strongest moves in the Icejin arsenal? Who should wield those if not the king? Ninjin Hattori had never been one to let something like that go to waste.
Ninjin stood once again in the large expansive room in the castle that had once served as Arctic’s personal training area. Aella stood off to one side as Ninjin pointed a single finger at a large pot they had found that stood on a pedestal some ten yards in front of him. The pointing grew more and more aggressive and animated, but nothing was occurring, despite Ninjin’s glowing finger.
“You’re telling me he just pointed at things and a thin line of ki would come out and pierce it and kill it just like that?”
The Arctic whose head he ripped off had had no such power, or if he didn’t he hadn’t been able to use it to react in time, so much greater was the Saiyan’s power. Aella shook her head.
“It was more than that. This wasn’t just some attack that Arctic, or any of the line of kings, had. This was on another level. This book says this move was used and made such a symbol by one of the greatest leaders of the PTO and he used it to kill some great heroes, but the names of those heroes are lost in translation. This move is a symbol of our people Nin, of our roots. They may not be the best roots in everyone’s view… but we can only move forwards, not backwards. Perception is reality, and if you want to be perceived as true Icejin King you should use the Icejin King’s most potent symbol of power.”
Ninjin nodded and channeled his ki into a point at the very tip of his finger. Once more he aggressively pointed at the pot but the beam was large and thick and shot wide past it.
“Focus. Precision. Maybe it would work if you tried calling out the name of the attack.” She walked over and whispered the words into his ear, and then gave him a kiss on the cheek for luck. It brought a blush to his face but it certainly did help him focus more. They had been at this for hours and despite all the power he had he still didn’t seem to be able to get the technique down.
Still having Aella there was fantastic. Ninjin had told her everything, his entire tale, in the time they had spent in constant company with each other. It had been quite a lot of talking. At first she had been understandably surprised by his entire tale. It took a long while to tell it all, some parts were hard to be believed, even by Ninjin who had lived through them. Others, especially those concerning Azuki, hurt to bring up again. She told him everything about her as well, but her story was much less adventurous than that of the Emperor’s.
Ninjin once again pointed at the pot.
“What is the name?”
With the feeling of the kiss still on his cheek he pointed at the pot. She walked back over to the other side of the room and said the word.
“Death beam.” Though she said the words from across the room, it was as if she had whispered them into his ear.
Ninjin pointed at the pot. The name of death many conjured images for him. At first he thought of Leke, and Vil. They family that he had lost, they were still in Heaven, safe. With all his might he hoped they never left. The universe was a horrific place. If Leke was in Heaven, if Vil was in Heaven, they had no chance of having their souls removed from their body and eaten by demons. Ua, Bilge-Bir, Yasai, their faces flashed in his head next. Those who he had met in Heaven, those who had been dead for quite some time. Death was not such a terrible thing. Not when considering the alternative. Before he could stop them his thoughts turned towards Azuki. His son. The one he would never know. The one he would never be able to raise. The one he had failed to protect. The face of every member of the Universal Church of One he had ever faced appeared on the pot. So too did that of Obadiah Roxxon and Barakyel. Ninjin gritted his teeth as his aura flared and angry tears bit at his eyes. Death? They would soon know death. They would soon know a bitter and cold and lonely death, yet it would be mercy compared to what they had done to Azuki. Then again Ninjin had no idea what Hell would hold for them. Death Beam was appropriate. Death Beam would be their end.
“DEATH BEAM!”
A thin line of red ki shot from his finger tip as his yell cracked with emotion. The beam pierced through the pot, leaving a smoking hole going through the porcelain. The power contained within the attack was greater than any Ninjin had felt. The potential was amazing, as was the speed and force of which the attack hit. At Ninjin’s power it would be difficult for any to avoid. It would be perfect for enacting his revenge. The back wall stopped the beam as it was reinforced to do just that, though the impact had left a large bent portion buckling out of the side. Thankfully they were remodeling soon anyway, the entire structure was coming down. Aella rushed forwards and threw her arms around Ninjin’s neck and held him as he stared at the pot. It was only a matter of time.
“They’ll get what they deserve Nin.” She whispered in his ear, and he nodded. They would. They all would. And then maybe he would know peace.
The faces were gone, but they would soon feel the Death Beam technique far more than the porcelain ever would.
Technique acquired
Death Beam** - A thin, very strong beam that can pierce through enemy’s skin. Unlike the Dodon Ray, this attack does NOT explode on impact.
** This technique is Monarch level.
Pl please
Why risk the wrath of a man who could rip a creature as powerful as Arctic’s head off? Or one that could take down Arctic and Zex and change the entire face of Omega in the course of a few hours. It was for all these reasons that Ninjin was not surprised, and not hurt, to see faces turn and beings run down alleyways at the very sight of his approach. Though, to say this was the case with all would be in error. A few dozen Icejin had already shown up and pledged their new fealty to Ninjin. The woman from the crowd had not been among them, to his disappointment, but they were all strong warriors. Ninjin would need the allies he could get, and with more Icejin flocking to his power he would soon win the majority over. High ranking officials from the PTO had come and welcomed their new lord and leader as well. Ninjin had told them to prepare for changes, but the smile with which he said it set their minds at rest. None of the Iblisian’s who had come to Beta to trade and explore avoided the lord either, but instead sought him out to worship and praise. The reactions had been as varied as the people in his empire.
In space overhead hung the Iblisian World-Ship, another talk of conversation and gossip among Beta. Whispers about these newcomers could be heard nearly anywhere you went in Beta, which wasn’t surprising as it seemed there were more and more Iblisian’s coming to the station all the time. The Iblisian’s were allies of Ninjin. Though the populace of Beat seemed wary of the newcomers at first, news spread quickly that in fact not only was the Saiyan king of Beta, the PTO, and the Icejin, he was also king of the Iblisians, or as they were more commonly known, vampires. They were under the Empire as much as The Icejin were, as much as Beta was, as much as the PTO.
Truthfully Ninjin had no clue where his feet were taking him. It felt like a night to be among the people, to have his finger to the pulse of the world. When he had been the Crown-Prince of the Saiyan people he had not spent much of his time among those that he ruled, thinking himself better than they. Tsyuo and Natisha had had a hand in breeding Ninjin that way… That had been a much simpler time. A time when he was someone else, something else. Then he had not been Emperor Ninjin Hattori. Now he didn’t think he was better, he knew he was better. Still he had an urge to be among them, his new people.
There was something more exhilarating about being alive than dead. Heaven had only those that were good, or not if how the Kais were was saying something. Despite an attempt that just wasn’t who Ninjin was, not fully at least, and he was not fully evil either. This Ninjin Hattori was out for himself, neutral in all affairs of morality, the decision would lie with what suited him better. Here in the universe there were shades of grey, and that’s where he belonged best.
A sound of merry music and cheers caused him to stop short. The bar he turned to look at was a dive. A broken neon sign hung above the entrance, “Ice-Gin bar.” Ninjin chuckled at the clever play on words and shrugged. There was no one on the streets, might as well see the people in their own environment. The lights on the outside and the jovial tunes coming from inside told Ninjin that this might be the type of place to connect with his new people.
The music and laughter stopped dead the very instant he walked in. Icejin, aliens, male and female, beings of all kinds looked up at the awesome powered Super Saiyan that had just entered the bar. In his mind Ninjin thought perhaps it would have been a better idea to deactivate his Ascended Super Saiyan form, but shrugged at the patrons. Some fell to their knees, others had blank looks on their faces as their minds registered and tried to figure out what to do, a few slowly started to make their way to a different door. Ninjin smiled and they all tensed up.
“Please, carry on. Don’t let me disturb you.” Some nodded. Others rose from their kneeled positions and got back to their chairs. They carried on uneasily but it was obviously not the same atmosphere as it had been the few moments before he had entered. His cape from his armor swished behind him as he made his way up to the bar. A familiar face met him and made him stop short. The Icejin woman from the crowd before. The one he had seen during the rally. There was no mistaking it. She was taller and much more beautiful than any Icejin female Ninjin had seen before. She stood just under his own height of six feet, at five foot ten inches if Ninjin had to guess.
“Certainly know how to make an entrance huh your Highness?” She said the words so straight-faced that it took a moment for Ninjin to realize that she was teasing him. Ninjin was utterly taken aback for a moment. It had been months, what felt like lifetimes, since anyone off of the street had dared to tease him. There had been a little ribbing here and there from Willie, but Ninjin gave it back to his only friend in the universe as well. For a moment Ninjin wasn’t sure what to do, be upset or be intrigued. The woman smiled and motioned to the bar.
“See any you’d like to rip the head off of shug, let me know?” She winked as she added it. Her powerful tail swished behind her as she turned to answer another customer who was yelling at her across from the bar. That was it. He was intrigued. The atmosphere was slowly returning to what it had been before, the awesome god-like presence at the bar for the moment was forgotten in drunken revelry. Ninjin too began to relax. Before long the Icejin woman came back and leaned against the bar. She was gorgeous and she knew it, and she knew he knew it. The Emperor felt for the first time in quite some time like he was up against a worthy opponent, though this one had nothing to do with power levels.
“See anything that catches your interest, your highness?” It was pointed. There was no mistaking what it was that she was asking. There came that intense stare once more as their eyes locked together, and after a few moments she winked and the emperor blushed. Then he realized he was blushing. The revelry had grown quite loud, once again reaching the point it had before. A drunken Icejin called her over and she raised a finger to the Emperor indicating that she would be right back. Ninjin didn’t even notice the disrespect as he was too captivated by the woman. The Icejin once again sauntered away. Never before had he been so attracted to an Icejin, or an alien for that matter. Still internally he shrugged, there was a first time for everything, and he wasn’t about to deny his attraction to the woman based on something stupid like xenophobia, as that wasn’t him.
Despite the atmosphere of cheer in the room Ninjin couldn’t help but noticed some of the eyes and they flickered back and forth to the Super Saiyan. Couldn’t help but hear his name every so often and wonder just what it is they were saying about him. After a moment he stood.
“My people your attention!” You could have heard a mouse fart with how quiet the room grew in an instant. The Icejin woman at the bar broke the quite with teasing words.
“Ah so he can speak!” Ninjin looked back at the woman and she winked again. The others in the room stared at her incredulously as if she was going to get them all killed. Those that had been gathering by the door before made very rapid movements to leave. Those that knelt before now prostrated themselves on the ground in worship. Ninjin smiled and they all tensed.
“DRINKS ARE ON THE PTO!” It took a long second for it to sink in to the revelers what had just been said. If the cheers from before had been loud, the one that erupted from the group were uproarious. Ninjin’s name began to be chanted in celebration as people stormed behind the bar and took drinks. It felt good to give to his people. There was no reason for his people to not be happy, not when he would return them to a place of dominance in the universe. If they feared him, they would die for the fear of him, if they loved him, they would die for him. When the time to enact his revenge on the Church came they would need to be prepared to do what it would take. They were his army. The woman stared at him for a moment, not seeming to be angry, but studying him, trying to decipher what was going on in his mind.
“You’re paying for all of that you know.” She said as she crossed her arms and her tail swished behind her.
“To be honest I’m not sure I’ve ever had more zeni. Taking over the PTO and Beta was much more lucrative than I thought it would be. Don’t worry I’ll pay for it all like I said.” It felt unusual to have his smile once again on his face, after everything that happened so recently, but here and now he felt like he could relax, if but for a moment.
“So what brings you into our little place here your highness?” It felt like an honest question for the first time since he had walked up to the bar.
“That palace is not mine, the ghost of Arctic hangs everywhere. Thought I would get out among my people.”
“Your people?”
“You’ve been calling me ‘your highness’ all night, I’m sure you know what I mean.”
“Why here of all places?” As she asked her eyes flittered around the bar. It was not even top five in terms of bars and hangouts on Beta, let alone all of Omega. Ninjin had free run of the place, being allied with Zasham, leader of Alpha. Why here?
“The people in here seemed happy.” The words came out not at all as he had meant. They were filled with longing. A desire for that same thing. They were also heavy, filled with the sorrows of the very recent past. Ninjin’s brow creased as he too realized the inflection in which he had said it. Thankfully the bar was still filled with loud revelry, but the Icejin woman did not miss what had been said.
Her eyebrow ridges turned upwards. From behind her, her tail swished around and grabbed a glass, then set it in front of Ninjin. Their eyes never left each-other’s as her tail grabbed another and then a bottle and set it between them. The Icejin female grabbed the glasses and the bottle with her hands and motioned for Ninjin to follow her. With a shrug he did so, and she led them out the back door to the bar.
When she got outside she flew high into the air and landed on an oddly familiar skyscraper to Nin. It had been where he and Frigid, his first Icejin friend, had spared. Ninjin turned confused as they landed, taking the glass offered to him.
“Aren’t you worried about your bar?”
“Are you worried about your palace?” She pointed at it off in the distance. “You are no more there to protect it than I am to protect the bar, but neither of us worries. You because of your power me because… the bars not mine, it’s my brothers. When we felt you coming and saw you come in I asked him if I could play bartender.”
She said the words mischievously and a smile played at the corner of her lips as she poured the drinks for the two of them. Ninjin was, honestly, surprised by this information. Truthfully he sensed no danger or malicious intent in the woman, but that was a very sneaky thing to do. There was no way they could harm him, so if that was what this had been for it was all for naught. But… if it wasn’t… what was this? Why go through all the trouble? He asked as such.
“Why go through all the trouble?”
“Our eyes met at the rally.” She said reminiscently, and as if he should have surmised as much. Ninjin nodded. So he had not been the only one to notice that. Whatever was in his glass was strong and it nearly made the Saiyan cough. Alcohol was not a normal part of his diet, though it had been when he was younger, in another lifetime when he had been someone else. The stuff she had gotten them was favored by Icejin, Ninjin remembered Frigid having the stuff after their tournament celebration. Vil, if he were here, would be screaming at Ninjin for taking a drink offered from an unknown beautiful woman who was one of the people of the King whose throne he had taken over. Ninjin would, however, reply with the fact that Bubebolos had subjected him to such tortures to build up his poison resistance that there was no known organic poison in the universe he wasn’t resistant too. Magic was another case, but magic poisons were generally flashier.
“I remember.” He turned to face her and realized she was staring at him, the way he used to catch Endou staring at him. It made his heart flutter, even in Super Saiyan form.
“You felt it right? You felt something? It wasn’t just me? If it was just me tell me so I can throw myself off the building in embarrassment… It felt like destiny.” She turned to look at him. With the neon lights all around them and the light of the distant moon, her skin looked flawless, no doubt due to the lack of pores. Their eyes met. Ninjin nodded and a smile broke out on the female Icer’s face. There was a burning desire in Ninjin to see more of that smile. There had been a spark. Electricity.
Still that this was happening… it felt too much too soon. He had seen Earthen Romance films, and they told him situations like this could happen... but that had been media right? A large part of him screamed at him to be wary. To trust no one. Willie, Zasham, he was the only one Ninjin could trust. Yet, so desperately he wished it wasn’t the case. It was so painful to be so alone in the universe, when he used to have so many. Yet there was another side that said ‘what’s the harm?’ it was not as if she could harm anything other than his heart, and she couldn’t harm what was broken. There was a nagging question in his mind though.
“Did none of you people like Arctic?” Ninjin asked as he took another drink from the liquid in his glass. It burned going down but warmed his insides in a very pleasant way. The female looked out over towards the palace. Her face set in a look of concentration, as if searching for the proper words to understand.
“There was a reason your words inspired as they did at the rally. Beta, Alpha, hell all of Omega has been praying for a change. We thought we were going to get it when Zex moved Alpha and Arctic decided to follow him. We were coming to orbit an actual inhabitable planet! It was time for change.”
Ninjin knew all too well the events of the move of Omega. Not the specific details, but he had been around for the preparation for the departure. It had taken a great deal of doing. The Universal Church of One’s fleet would have been an interesting run-in for the dual space-stations had Ninjin and William Watson not taken care of that particular problem. Still the move had been met with a great deal of excitement for both stations.
“Then this golden hair being with the power of gods, a power that most of those that live and work on Beta can’t even fathom, appears, throws the head of our old leader down at our feet and declares us protected and the chosen people?” Her head tilted to the side as she inspected him.
“They fear you, but they will grow to love you if you let them, and if you keep true to your words. Protect them. Strengthen them. Bring us back glory and you will never have known such devotion.”
She truly believed her words. Ninjin wondered if all Icejin thought the same, but then he had never been in such a system of government before, where might makes right. The Hattori line had been through blood, that they were the strongest was correct, but not what had given them the throne. At least not all of them, Akassa had recently bucked that trend. Still it had been that way for quite some time with the Icejin and the PTO.
“Arctic rose to power through power. As did the monarch before him, and so on and so on. Our people respect power. They respond to it. It has been how all of our leaders have been chosen and there are none more powerful than you Ninjin, as least as we’ve all seen.”
Ninjin nodded and took another drink from his glass. The female’s tail snaked over holding the alcohol bottle and she refilled it.
“You’re king of the Icejin, right? You want to win over my people, our people, get them to work for you? I can help. I want to help.” She said the words excitedly and nodded.
“How would you go about doing that? Before we get anywhere further there’s one thing I need to know.”
She cocked her head in question.
“Your name.” He said with a smile.
Her hand came up and she smacked herself on the forehead.
“It’s Aella. How have I not told you that yet? Aella’s the name, it’s an honor to formally meet you your highness” She laughed and gave a slight curtsey, and Ninjin too smiled.
“Call me Ninjin.” There was a great part of him that wanted to be swept up in whatever was happening between the two of them. She hadn’t been wrong, it had felt like destiny when they had met. Even further proof was that they were here and now together. There was another large part that reminded him that he shouldn’t be trusting anyone, especially so soon after killing the Icejin king and taking over. They had been raging against each other throughout their conversation. There was another part that wouldn’t stop thinking about the events with Azuki. How could he be sitting on a skyscraper drinking with a beautiful Icejin woman and not out there enacting his revenge? Another part of him, the logical part, said that he needed time to enact his revenge, and shouldn’t be punishing himself for trying to be happy.
Aella seemed to notice all the things happening inside Ninjin’s mind as the emotions no doubt played across his face.
“If I’m moving too fast or coming on too strong of if they’re someone else…” She began, her voice nearly cracked with worry. Ninjin shook his head.
“No, it’s none of that.” The Emperor’s glance returned towards that of his palace. His new palace. It was nothing like the one he had had on New Vegeta, but in a lot of ways that was better. Whereas the old palace on New Vegeta had always been Tsyuo’s palace, this one was his. Or would be when he tore down Arctic’s old palace and put up a new one of his own. The design had been in his mind since he was a child, and it would now come to fruition.
“Do you feel like exploring?” Her eyebrow ridge raised at the question. She crossed her arms and her posture grew defensive.
“I know Beta better than the back of my hand, I’ve grown up here, I’ve explored every inch.” She said defensively. Ninjin laughed and pointed.
“I bet not every inch.” She followed his pointing finger right to the palace, which doubled as the PTO headquarters.
“Oh. Yes. Yes. I would like to explore, very much yes.”
-Later-
They had still not left each other’s company, no doubt to the annoyance of anyone who wanted an audience with the emperor who wasn’t Aella or William Watson. The PTO board had called several times and left messages. They had not stopped exploring, and then had not stopped combing over the building, every inch of Arctic’s palace had been combed over at great lengths, first by Ninjin and Aella, and then by the construction teams that Ninjin had hired. They had found some wild antiques and relics, things that Ninjin could not even fathom the use for, and some he realized he really didn’t want to know the use for. The most curious of their finds was a journal written in an ancient code, or what Ninjin thought at first was a code. They dated back farther than even Arctic’s reign, and detailed the three most powerful moves in the Icejin arsenal as well as some of the Icer’s and the PTO’s history. Aella had had to translate them, the language was nothing that Ninjin could read.
“Listen to this, long ago the Icejin were one of the most feared races in the galaxy.” They were climbing a grand staircase up to the second floor of the building. “The greatest of all was the King, named Kold. He had two sons, Freiza, and Cooler.”
Ninjin smiled, the names of ancient Icejin kings meant little to him, but Aella was fascinated. It would be for the best for him to learn their history regardless, as they were his people and the more he knew the more he could relate to them. As she continued though he realized why he had heard the name Frieza before. That had been the Icejin that had long ago wiped out his people. Still that was thousands of years ago, and now a Saiyan was king of the Icejin people. Frieza could suck it.
As she continued the stories grew more and more, each one becoming less likely to be historically accurate as they became less tales of the past and more about the current lives and events of the rulers of the PTO and the Icejin people. She closed the journal with a sigh as they entered the training room and Ninjin flicked on the lights. It was an inviting space. Training and fighting had always been two passions of his, so much so that when he went to Heaven it was all he did. There had been some amazing teachers in Heaven, past heroes and legends, as well as members of his family and former Iblisian Kings. In his life before that he had been taught by masters, by the Saiyan Academy, and by the best that the Saiyans had had to offer. There were few martial artists in the world as proficient in their craft as Ninjin Hattori, and none as powerful. His boots thumped heavily against the ground as he made his way out to the center of the room and took one of his many fighting stances. Slowly he began to go through meticulously practiced motions. Aella watched from the side in wonder as Ninjin punched, kicked and flipped through the air. Though he was not in either of his Super Saiyan forms Ninjin was still quite powerful, and in her base form Aella’s eyes could barely keep up with his movements.
“That’s beautiful.” The words echoed in the domed space of the training room. Ninjin stopped and turned with a smile and a bow from the waist.
“I have had years of experience, as well as a great deal of real-life testing.”
She walked over to him and motioned for him to continue as she circled around him.
“Do you not use weapons?”
Ninjin shrugged and gripped his wrist, aiming at the ceiling. A rapid-fire volley of red orbs of ki flew out.
“Not what I had meant.”
Ninjin raised his hand and from within his belt a dagger flew to his hand. He drew the blade across his palm and Aella winced and drew breath in through her teeth as if he was cutting her instead of himself. Her eyes widened as no blood fell from the wound, though there was still a cut in his palm.
“W-what?”
Ninjin flicked his hand at the wall and a thin spear of blood shot from the cut and impaled it. Then blood seeped from the cut on his hand and out over his hand making a gauntlet. Aella nodded.
“Very impressive. I had no idea you knew blood magic.” Ninjin nodded and smiled, and perhaps for the first time Aella noticed how pointed his canines were.
“It is from my Iblisian side. I was turned, though I will never be as powerful as a full blooded, those are exceedingly rare. Most of the people in my kingdom have been turned, and have left behind their former lives to live on the World-ship. Before I took over Beta it was largely the only place in the universe where Iblisians, vampires as the universe calls them, were truly accepted.”
“It’s still not quite what I had meant. Are you purely a fist fighter, no swords?”
Ninjin winced as she said the word sword. Ninjin hated swords. It stemmed back from when Zeke Necross had impaled him in the Universal tournament. It had changed Ninjin though, and for that he had thanked Zeke. Now that Ninjin that had become was dead as well, and he was left another person removed from the bratty crown-prince he had once been. Aella noticed as his hand snaked up to his shoulder, where the blade had gone through and impaled him to the ground, just barely avoiding killing him.
“No. Not a big fan of swords. I use myself, my ki, and my environment. Swords… I have a distaste for the things.”
Aella nodded, though she did not understand. With a start Ninjin realized she must not have seen the tournament. Was she one of the only ones who hadn’t?
“Show me more.”
Ninjin spent the next few hours showing Aella all of the various techniques that he had learned over the course of his life. It had taken a few hours because it had taken quite a bit of energy to go through each individual one, and it had required a few feast breaks in between so that he could rebuild his energy. The foods that Aella cooked him were delicious. In Heaven he had not had to eat, but when he got back to Omega his ravenous appetite had come back in full force.
After their third meal and Ninjin had finished showing off all of his “weapons” They sat around a fire place. Aella seemed deep in thought.
“I have never seen a warrior like you Ninjin Hattori. The universe has never seen a warrior like you before Nin, but something bugs me. I hope you don’t take offence to this.”
“What is it?”
“You’re techniques are… decidedly missing an Icejin element. Your Saiyan race, as well as your Iblisian race, are well represented.”
“What do you suppose I do?”
She offered to try and teach him one of the greatest techniques the Icejin’s had, one of the ones contained within the journal. There were diagrams and instructions, evidently this journal was not supposed to fall into the hands of anyone other than the Icejin king and leader of the PTO. He greedily took her up on the offer. The strongest moves in the Icejin arsenal? Who should wield those if not the king? Ninjin Hattori had never been one to let something like that go to waste.
Ninjin stood once again in the large expansive room in the castle that had once served as Arctic’s personal training area. Aella stood off to one side as Ninjin pointed a single finger at a large pot they had found that stood on a pedestal some ten yards in front of him. The pointing grew more and more aggressive and animated, but nothing was occurring, despite Ninjin’s glowing finger.
“You’re telling me he just pointed at things and a thin line of ki would come out and pierce it and kill it just like that?”
The Arctic whose head he ripped off had had no such power, or if he didn’t he hadn’t been able to use it to react in time, so much greater was the Saiyan’s power. Aella shook her head.
“It was more than that. This wasn’t just some attack that Arctic, or any of the line of kings, had. This was on another level. This book says this move was used and made such a symbol by one of the greatest leaders of the PTO and he used it to kill some great heroes, but the names of those heroes are lost in translation. This move is a symbol of our people Nin, of our roots. They may not be the best roots in everyone’s view… but we can only move forwards, not backwards. Perception is reality, and if you want to be perceived as true Icejin King you should use the Icejin King’s most potent symbol of power.”
Ninjin nodded and channeled his ki into a point at the very tip of his finger. Once more he aggressively pointed at the pot but the beam was large and thick and shot wide past it.
“Focus. Precision. Maybe it would work if you tried calling out the name of the attack.” She walked over and whispered the words into his ear, and then gave him a kiss on the cheek for luck. It brought a blush to his face but it certainly did help him focus more. They had been at this for hours and despite all the power he had he still didn’t seem to be able to get the technique down.
Still having Aella there was fantastic. Ninjin had told her everything, his entire tale, in the time they had spent in constant company with each other. It had been quite a lot of talking. At first she had been understandably surprised by his entire tale. It took a long while to tell it all, some parts were hard to be believed, even by Ninjin who had lived through them. Others, especially those concerning Azuki, hurt to bring up again. She told him everything about her as well, but her story was much less adventurous than that of the Emperor’s.
Ninjin once again pointed at the pot.
“What is the name?”
With the feeling of the kiss still on his cheek he pointed at the pot. She walked back over to the other side of the room and said the word.
“Death beam.” Though she said the words from across the room, it was as if she had whispered them into his ear.
Ninjin pointed at the pot. The name of death many conjured images for him. At first he thought of Leke, and Vil. They family that he had lost, they were still in Heaven, safe. With all his might he hoped they never left. The universe was a horrific place. If Leke was in Heaven, if Vil was in Heaven, they had no chance of having their souls removed from their body and eaten by demons. Ua, Bilge-Bir, Yasai, their faces flashed in his head next. Those who he had met in Heaven, those who had been dead for quite some time. Death was not such a terrible thing. Not when considering the alternative. Before he could stop them his thoughts turned towards Azuki. His son. The one he would never know. The one he would never be able to raise. The one he had failed to protect. The face of every member of the Universal Church of One he had ever faced appeared on the pot. So too did that of Obadiah Roxxon and Barakyel. Ninjin gritted his teeth as his aura flared and angry tears bit at his eyes. Death? They would soon know death. They would soon know a bitter and cold and lonely death, yet it would be mercy compared to what they had done to Azuki. Then again Ninjin had no idea what Hell would hold for them. Death Beam was appropriate. Death Beam would be their end.
“DEATH BEAM!”
A thin line of red ki shot from his finger tip as his yell cracked with emotion. The beam pierced through the pot, leaving a smoking hole going through the porcelain. The power contained within the attack was greater than any Ninjin had felt. The potential was amazing, as was the speed and force of which the attack hit. At Ninjin’s power it would be difficult for any to avoid. It would be perfect for enacting his revenge. The back wall stopped the beam as it was reinforced to do just that, though the impact had left a large bent portion buckling out of the side. Thankfully they were remodeling soon anyway, the entire structure was coming down. Aella rushed forwards and threw her arms around Ninjin’s neck and held him as he stared at the pot. It was only a matter of time.
“They’ll get what they deserve Nin.” She whispered in his ear, and he nodded. They would. They all would. And then maybe he would know peace.
The faces were gone, but they would soon feel the Death Beam technique far more than the porcelain ever would.
Technique acquired
Death Beam** - A thin, very strong beam that can pierce through enemy’s skin. Unlike the Dodon Ray, this attack does NOT explode on impact.
** This technique is Monarch level.
Pl please