Chapter 10 - Party Drama

Aliza

VIOLET hands restraining her hands from wiggling free, she just sat, anticipating the worst-case scenario her mind could possibly envision. "Let's get to know you better, shall we?" Beerus said.

The others watched intently at Whis, who had his staff, with a black pearl-like orb atop of it, emanate a blue-green projection. Their heads were all inclined, curious as to what the angel would say. Some of them wore confusion on their faces, clearly etched against the light reflecting off it, some in deep fascination of finding something out.

Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan, Goten, Trunks, Bulma, ChiChi, 18, Krillin, Dende, Tien, Yamcha, Puar, Oolong, Master Roshi, The Ox-King—and the others. They were all there, about to discover her secret. The clock was ticking, and the more it progressed, the more she felt like getting pulled into danger.

Satan looked unscathed, as if he hadn't been beaten up. She was thankful that there were still Senzu Beans in store.

The blonde character stared at her, lips slightly apart as it seemed that she was confused, disappointed, or both . . . with the glint of her eyes showing what a dad would to a delinquent daughter. Launch's cheers were just mere echoes, slowly fading into the abyss of nothingness.

"I only have a few information of Aliza. It seems like she's . . . not of this universe." Whis started, triggering gasps inside the dome-ceiling garden. Videl gazed at her, eyes of that of someone that would do everything to bring the foe down, a charcoal of hatred. Also, her fists were balled.

"Mom, is that why her eye looks weird?" Trunks asked, but was just silenced by Bulma. Goten snickered at that.

That hurt, really hurt, despite knowing that their eyes were just relatively bigger than her, especially when all of them were just anime characters. But she couldn't tell them that. She couldn't.

"Who is she? What does she want?" She asked, the same emotional hate in her voice.

"Wait, so you're saying that that girl was the one responsible?" Tien asked.

Whis didn't answer. Instead, he showed them a clip of the battle between Aliza and Satan. The part where Aliza outstretched her hands in front of Satan. A sound of an explosion could be heard right after that.

"It would seem that her control is incredibly executed. With that close of a distance," he said, zooming her hand, showing tiny glints of blue flashes as it moved in slow motion, "she managed to scatter all those tiny fragments of energy and deliberately miss Satan and this building; therefore, reforming into an energy blast once it went over the Capsule Corp and hitting the tree in the process." He gestured for the crater charred with black spots.

Tien nodded, bowing down.

"So she has powers?" Satan asked, stunned.

"Yes."

Yellow eyes in front of her, probably, traveling right through her conscience, searching for the answers of her secrets. "Who sent you?" Beerus asked.

"No one," Aliza replied, chills on her spine. She didn't even know she did that.

Aliza didn't mind the grip of Beerus' hands, but she did mind his foreboding gaze. All she wanted was to explain, and also getting an explanation, before facing the music.

"The only known record of her was just two hours ago, and her first appearance was set just at the same time of Goku's disappearance."

*What?*

A wave of gasps filled the silenced dome, the sounds ricocheting as it echoed. Aliza felt herself thrown into the sea of heavy realization. If that were the case, then . . .

Was he in her world? Did they switch places?

"You mean, my Goku is gone?!" ChiChi lamented.

"How is this possible?" Bulma blinked repetitively, seemingly thinking.

"What are you hiding, you witch?!" Videl screamed at Aliza, pins and needles on her voice.

"I . . . I'm not." Her mind couldn't process clear thoughts, her mind couldn't utter words.

"Calm down. We still can't blame her for that. It might be coincidence." Launch had her arms crossed.

She didn't want to listen to them fighting over her anymore. If fate would permit, please let this discussion end.

"Again, who sent you?" Beerus asked again, but she didn't dare answer.

Whis cleared his throat, stopping them from bickering further. "However, there have seemed to be two people that already knew of this: Vegeta and Piccolo."

"Vegeta!" she heard Bulma whisper to him.

"It's seemed to me that the time she appeared in here is the time when Vegeta was about to start his sparring match with Goku." A clip showed Vegeta and Goku, white flames bursting as they both leapt for an attack, and there she saw Goku shone bright, levitating and disappearing in violet light. Then that's when she saw her petite figure suddenly standing on the edge of the cliff, just the same spot where they were fighting at.

"Aliza," someone called her.

"Yes?"

"I want you to know that you can tell us whatever or whoever that's put you into this situation. We can work this out together. It's for the good for all of us." Bulma stared at her directly.

"I don't know . . . I don't know!" Aliza closed her eyes, tears filling her eyelids again. "I've got no clue!"

Then the staff projected another clip, showing Aliza, Piccolo, and Vegeta flying toward Capsule Corp.

"Stop lying and tell us!" Videl shouted, pointing at her menacingly.

"Videl, don't jump to conclusions yet. We don't know what she's been through," Gohan said.

At least he was understanding . . .

"Can you stop this!" 18 had her hands against her daughter's shoulder. "You're ruining my daughter's birthday!"

"Mom, it's okay! Really." Marron said.

"I think it's better if we think this through. We don't know what this girl is capable of and we don't know her intentions." Piccolo looked at her, and to her, no amount of empathy was within those black eyes.

"Piccolo, don't you think it's too much? She's probably hurting inside." At least Krillim knew what she felt.

"Too much? Just keeping on an eye on her while she secretly plans for her attack is even too less! I say we punch the answers out of her!" Vegeta thumped his fist against his palm.

The way they talked about her, it's just the same in school. As if she was the subject of interest.

"Hey, everything cannot be solved through battle, Vegeta," Bulma scolded.

"My dad is gone, and you're all acting like a decent conversation can solve this!" Goten shouted, his fingers tightened into a first, energy bursting. Then the next thing he did was attack, right in front of her.

She shut her eyes closed, waiting for the painful impact, and then a sound of glass breaking. That's it. She opened her eyes, and her arm was free. Beerus was standing by her, arms behind him, head held high. Goten was seen through the gaping glass hole of the dome, rubbing his forehead, as he hopped with one leg and the next, repeatedly.

"Why did you do that?!" ChiChi asked, enraged. She went for him, but was held back by the others. Her arms extremities quaked, demanding to be set, her glare directly in front of Aliza.

"Calm down, lady!" Oolong said.

She stopped resisting, and then faced him. "Shut up, you stinking barbecue!" ChiChi shouted, her mouth gaping tremendously wide, inhumanely, with a jugular vein on her forehead.

Whis moved by Aliza's side, smiling at her. Clueless, she smiled back.

"I see that you're hiding something great within you, and great control, not to mention. That's why it didn't surprise me why Satan still survived."

"What are you trying to say? That I'm strong?" Aliza asked, her throat dry from the thought of The Beast.

"The strength of energy differs greatly from owner to owner. Some people can take years to reach a certain level of energy, while another person can take just a month to achieve it. However, vigorous training for the body and the mind is necessary to maintain the energy at that level to channel. Another factors are involved, like extreme emotions: anger, love. They can be used as multipliers. But in your case, it's different," Whis explained.

Aliza couldn't believe this. No, she just couldn't. She didn't have powers like them! This just wracked her brains more, and the ongoing dispute of the others didn't even make her chuckle.

But what happened earlier made her believe him, also when she learned to fly, when she caused the mirror to break, when she fixed it,when she threw away Cole . . . Well, there was no harm in asking, she guessed. "Different how?"

"It seems like you create the energy and channel it, at rapid speed. Your fight with Satan, that wasn't a fight a person with unnoticeable energy can handle. That may be the reason we can't sense you: it's too little, but it can rapidly grow overtime."

Thoughts were locked inside her head, unable from being processed into words. This explanation made her want to just end her existence. All this confusion surrounding her. It's not that she didn't understood him, not at all, but—

*Why me?*

"Try looking at this?" Whis continued.

She looked at the blue-green projection. The girl was bending on her knees, looking at the wall of water surrounding her. That girl was her.

"It takes a huge amount of energy to channel that kind of control."

Faint footsteps reached them, making her look up, his green face showered with blue light, mixing it. "What he's saying is maybe theoretical, but it is possible."

She just nodded, staring at deep space of nothingness, sighing.

"Aliza, listen, you have to tell us where you came from, and your intentions. Or we'll have to do it the hard way."

The last sentence brought her attention, before heaving a powerful sigh. "I'm telling you the truth: I don't know!"

"Tell us the truth or else." Vegeta didn't face her, but the scorn plastered on his face was scary enough.

"I don't know!" A tug in her chest hardened. She bit her lip, restraining herself from telling the truth. She muttered something under her breath: "You wouldn't believe me."

Piccolo was about to say something when Lord Beerus interrupted.

"You can't just escape the truth. Farcical to say, but you don't seem to be the type of person that forgot what happened prior to all of this." Beerus strolled around her, not an eye on her. But she still felt like he was keeping an eye on her.

"Escape the truth more, and it will come for you more." Whis smiled, eyes closed.

"We all know the truth!" ChiChi butted in. "You're trying to keep Goku all for yourself, aren't you? There's no other explanation other than you being an absolute slut!"

Those words flooded in, drowning her heart in deep agony. The stares around her, they all were unavoidable. Wherever she would look at. And ChiChi's condescending gaze, it was just too painful. Tears burned.

"I'm not . . . a slut!" Aliza mumbled the words, trying to evoke much clarity.

"ChiChi . . ." Bulma muttered, trying to calm her down. Then she spoke to Aliza, "Look, I'm sorry; she's just stressed out."

She nodded, trying her hardest to understand. Her mind told her to accept it, that it was okay, but her heart told otherwise. It seemed that the only way to fix this from sinking was to fight back.

"Well, I . . . at least I'm not the one to—"

"To what?!" Her voice was shrill.

" . . . Nothing." She wept, turned around and ran away, not looking back.

"Where are you going—Hey?!" Beerus screamed. She could have stopped, but much to her surprise, he didn't follow her. She just took that opportunity, and not knowing where to go, she just huddled outside, crying, the grass trying to tickle her.

It would take more than that to make her laugh. Her face was probably worse now, and she knew that her face would become even more unpresentable when she would frown.

*Damn you, insecurities!*

She looked at the multiple facades of the buildings, the layered scintillating lights collectively flashing on her eyes, The wind whispered its serene words, asking for her to seek comfort in it. But those weren't enough. At least the tears had been subdued.

"Hi, Aliza." A voice of a child ringed, making her look up.

She wiped the tears. "Oh, hi, Marron. How old are you now?" She forced a smile.

"Ten, but come on, I know you're crying." She stomped, innocence radiating off her. "Feel free to cry whenever I'm around."

Those words comforted her in some way. She never knew a child could affect her like this. Her heart blossomed, as if reviving, but then the storm came again, a good one, eradicating all the bad things, flooding it again until it was too much. She was being emotional, again.

"Thank you." Tears slid her eyes, and then she was accompanied with 18, who apologized to her.

"No, don't. It's not your fault. I should be the one who's sorry, for . . . you know . . . spoiling the party."

"Oh, don't! I get you, you know. Those people, they used to hate me; I used to fight with them, too. But time works in mysterious wonders. One day, you'll probably be considered as a family to them."

Then came Launch, leaning against the wall of the establishment. "This is why I never hung out with them again."

She listened, and Launch just sighed and continued.

"ChiChi. I never liked her clingy attitude toward Goku, so whenever a party would come, I would just stay at home. I only came here for losing a bet to Tien." She laughed, and she did the same.

Finally, a smile was on her face, not for an act, not for the thirst for battle, but for happiness. To all those things about Goku, about her powers, and the others, she would let them go for now.

"You finished crying?" Lord Beerus intervened, bringing an ominous air. Why did he have to spoil this? "Let's just finish this party before anything else. I'm hungry."

Did she just hear what she think she'd heard? The three blonde girls' expressions (she just noticed the three of them were coincidentally blonde) showed that they were shocked as well. Well, she'd take that chance to make this night memorable.

"Come on, Marron. We still have more time to lose." 18 strolled inside, her daughter in tow.

Launch looked at her. "You're not bad at all."

Then she went inside. Aliza stared at the neighborhood again, breathing a fresh air, the wind caressing her, as if saying that she deserved it. She had been planning to go inside when Launch perked her head outside the door, saying, "You're coming, or not?"

Giggling, she went inside, and saw one, two, three people running outside, their faces beaming with horror.

Then there were others who followed. Piccolo was one of them and she made her stop to ask.

"It's Krillin. His energy's depleting."