Through the Looking Glass

The woman spoke, Gira, a simple visitor; Zuqetta would give a small nod, listening intently as her tail swayed from side to side. "My mind, that makes sense." she say in a somewhat sage-like manner, taking that bit of info surprisingly easily. Gira asked her own questions quickly, not passing up on the opportunity to complete her mission.

"Gandigan?" Zuqetta questioned; in the distance, a door would shake violently, the chains upon it rattling rather loud but the display would happen for only a moment. Zuqetta's head had turned in the direction of the door, but she would learn back with an even more confused look on her face, "I don't, but... it seems I do?" She held a hand out, motioning towards the door that shook, yet nothing would happen, "Hm, curious... I'm small, I can't remember anything, I have a visitor in my mind, and I can't unlock my own memories." she'd muse, turning her attention back towards Gira, "Why is that?" she'd ask, as if Gira would know the inner workings of the mind.

Before Zuqetta could listen to a response however, something would catch her attention; once more, the sound of metal scraping against echoed in the distance, drawing ever nearer as the shaking of chains accompanied heavy steps.

"Ugh, not her-" Zuqetta would remark, clearly aware of the entity, "-how are they even out? Must be all the chains on these doors." Zuqetta would hop down from the door frame, her body descending slowly as if through water; gentle steps touched the ground, and she would take a few paces to another door which seem to lay upon a mountain of rubble.

The door wasn't ornate, it was simple, just a white door with a number on it; an apartment door; the rubble it lay upon being the rubble of the complex it used to be a part of. Strangely, there were no chains upon this door, but the door had still been locked; Zuqetta would lift her hand, the sound of a lock being turned sounding off before the door would crack open.

"Gandigan... hm, it's so familiar yet so unusual, ever had a feeling like that? Like, it's right on the tip of my tongue." Zuqetta would muse, "Well, we can work our way to the memory-" she'd remark, looking back towards Gira, "-you should follow, you wouldn't want to be left out with the one roaming around." Zuqetta would take a step, falling forward into the newly opened door; despite laying upon the ground, it seemed to connect to a memory none the less.

A slight illumination of light as one would travel within; eyes adjusting to a rather dimly lit room. Unlike the memory prior, this room was neither bright nor inviting; the lights were a hazy but soft yellow hue, and the walls an awkwardly rust painted color. The room was bigger, but that made sense; this was an apartment, and one in the slums of the Radditsu District at that. Gira would find she'd entered through the front door; unlike the slam from before of the memory trying to play itself out, the small Zuqetta was by Gira's legs, and had closed the door quietly as they entered.

The sight would be immediate; directly before Gira, only several feet from the door was a small couch enough for only two people. A small sat upon it, small, though not nearly as small as the child form this guiding Zuqetta had. The girl on the couch was balled up, holding onto a large helmet; she was sobbing, that much was clear, for how long though, who could say.

Gira would feel a tug at her pant leg, her small guide trying to get her attention while holding a finger to her lips, instructing the visitor to remain quiet. The little guide would move to the right of the room into a kitchen area, ensuring they stayed well out of sight of the memory. She would then begin to whisper, not wishing to alert the memory.

"Leave her be-" she'd instruct quietly, "-the memory will play out, and we can leave. Doing so, I'll sure we'll be a step closer to your quarry." she would hop up onto the counter, simply watching; a slight aura radiating off of her as she assimilated with the memory, "Ah, I see now, so that's why some of those doors were chained-"

Before she could explain further, she'd find herself interrupted, funnily enough by herself, just... the other her, the memory.

"DAMNIT!!" the young Zuqetta memory would exclaim, "Why'd you go!? Why'd you BOTH go!?!" her voice was raspy, her throat dry; clearly she'd been crying and likely screaming like this for some time, "V-Ven... Onnio... IDIOTS!!! Why... why couldn't I die too...?" she began to sob once again; meanwhile, the guide beside Gira would merely sigh, "You left me alone... I..."

Her crying increased as she buried herself into the helmet she held tightly to; Gira's guide however, was unamused, yawning first before giving a small remark. "Heh, what a silly girl trying to rationalize things; pay her no mind, she's merely a runaway." the guide would give a nonchalant wave of her hand, "She made new family, they're dead now; she wants to die too, but you've met a future me, so you know she doesn't. It's fine, people die; let the memory carry on and we'll be out of here shortly."

The little guide smiled, only a bit surprised that Gira could hold herself back so well; she'd expected the visitor to interfere as she had with the previous memory, but that wasn't the case. Eventually, the two would see the memory of Zuqetta fall over on the couch, her crying finally ceasing as she wore herself out. "Sounds wise, I wonder if this girl has anything like that." the guide would muse, hopping down from the counter and making her away over towards the couch, "She was forcibly isolated for fifteen years, knowing nothing more than the perceived hate of her father. She finally escaped but had no where to go, Vennel took her in and took care of her like a sister, along with a boy around her age who she thought of like a brother." The guide would explain, arms crossed as she looked over the sleeping face of the memory, "The two being Saiyan soldiers, the were sent off on a subjugation mission to another world, just the two of them. Zuqetta actually went with them, she could fight well enough, but in the end she couldn't handle doing what needed to be done. She couldn't kill, and so she was sent back."

The walls began to fade, like a light going out; color washed first, before eventually the surroundings began to become nothing. The guide treated it like it was normal, and for an event happening in the mind it may as well have been. Eventually the couch, along with the memory of Zuqetta would fade, and Gira would find herself momentarily in perpetual darkness, her guide as well now having vanished. She would still be able to feel a solidness beneath her feet, and mere moments after everything had vanished, the world around her would light up again and she'd be back in the mindscape of doors.

"Only a couple more boring moments before you can reach your quarry-!" the guide's voice would call out from behind, casually walking past Gira; though unlike the child she was, the guide now appeared in the form of the teen Zuqetta the two had just witnessed.

She gave a big stretch, her tail swishing about playfully behind her; she'd look over the surrounding doors, so many now freed of the chains that once bound them. "Ahhh, it feels nice to be tall!" the guide would sigh happily, turning back towards Gira with a smirk, "If I was this tall at fifteen, I'm sure to be taller than you by the time we reach that future memory you're searching for." she'd tease, though little did she know, she couldn't have been further from the truth.

"Well then, onward friend!" the guide would cheer, making her way over towards another door, "What should we call these? Core memories? Hmm, pretty sad if THESE are her core memories, but they seemed to be events that changed her as a person the most." she'd muse, stepping before a rather futuristic door hesitantly, "Be on your guard with this one; my memories are reforming, and if I'm right, this will be a tedious one to watch." she reached for the door but would pause, turning her attention back towards Gira yet again-

"If it wasn't clear, memory or no, you can interact with Zuqetta herself. She'll notice you, because it's her. It's easy for one to picture or recall themselves doing or saying something they didn't, it's not so easy to do the same for others, such is why you broke down that first memory so splendidly!" she'd laugh, "Still, if you interact you run the risk of altering her memory, creating a false event. If that's not your goal, then there's no reason to interact-" she'd say with a firm nod before giving the door beside her a couple taps, "-that said, in here she's... not quite herself, so go nuts but, hmmm, try not to win. There's no telling how messed up you'll make her if you do."

On that strangely ominous not, the door beside the guide would slide open with a standard sci-fi swoosh, and the guide would walk on in without another moment of hesitation, the light within too bright to allow one to peer into the memory without entering.

Gira would enter, the room shining bright, illuminating all around her until suddenly... darkness. As her eyes would adjust to the extreme change, she would find herself not merely in a darkened room, but a foggy one at that; unnaturally, as if intentionally made to set ones senses of balance. A moment of adjustment would give her the full picture; the ceiling of the room towered leagues above, the walls capable of being seen, though they were an incredible distance away. By all accounts, a room this large defied engineering common sense, and yet here it was.

A thin mist, more unnerving than inconvenient permeated the air; it created a transparent white fog that stretched the entirety of the room. The further one attempted to peer through the veil, the thicker the fog would seem; though strangely, it seemed to stay at just above the height of the head, easy enough to simply fly over. Should that have been Gira's intention however, she'd find herself interrupted as a voice called out from the furthers side of the room, deep within the fog.

"Good, it seems your next opponent has arrived-" it was a familiar voice most like, venomous and deceptive, though such perceptions were likely only to the owner of the memory, "-now then, attack."

Without warning, without a moments hesitation, a blade would split the fog just before Gira, aimed mercilessly towards her throat. Though no energy could be sensed, a killing intent certainly would; as the fog parted by the strike, the form of the familiar owner of this memory would be revealed. Zuqetta, her eyes narrowed with a lack of emotion on Gira, her motions much slower than the woman she'd encountered back in reality. She was clan in a Tuffles armor of all things, form fitting for an assassin; around her neck, a piece of jewelry that clashed with the outfit, a medallion with an embedded, glowing green gemstone.

The guide was no where to be seen, though in the back of the room where the previous voice had called out, the figure of it's owner would be revealed. A man standing six feet in height, wearing a Tuffle armor similar to what the attacking Zuqetta memory wore. Though the mans hair was short, and his build far larger, he would certainly be familiar to Gira; face half scarred from an old would, white tail around his waist at the base of his upper armor, the man was Yangcong, a Yangcong from a mere few years prior.

"Your adversaries will use tricks and colored words to deceive you, ignore them my apprentice, and kill them."

Yangcong stood firmly, his arms crossed as he peered down upon the arena with his arms crossed. Though it had not yet been apparent, if gira had any form of ki sensory ability she'd certainly have taken notice by now; bodies strewn about across the room, their energies faint. The final blow had not yet been dealt thanks to Gira's interruption, but it was clear with the intent was should Gira have been defeated. The emotionless Zuqetta before Gira was focused solely on one thing, the medallion around her neck pulsing with magical energy with Yangcong's every word; kill the opponent before her, Gira.

The blade hit its mark, successful as always, but... her target still stood!? The memory would leap back, her previously emotionless face giving way to a minor confusion. There was clearly a cut upon her adversary's neck, yet it may as well have been no more than a paper cut... Gira began to speak, she began to reference Zuqetta's father, something that only served to confuse the memory further. The distant walls would flicker, the first of the tell tale signs that the memory was being tampered with, just as before.

"Ignore them." Yangcong's voice would call out loudly, "Don't waste my time, unleash your power and finish her!"

Zuqetta's posture would lower as she brandished her blade out before her; the element of surprise was lost, which meant she would need to overpower her opponent. A shimmering blue energy would flare up and push out from Zuqetta as she accessed her Raging Spirit form, her expression strained as she forced the power out; compare to the Zuqetta back in the real world who could so effortlessly access her Super Saiyan form, it was clear this memory was from a ways back, when similar transformations were still new to the girl.

"Gooooooood." Yangcong would remark with a satisfied smirk; his scouter getting a read on Zuqetta and Gira both, "You've exceeded her, now destroy her!"

Zuqetta would pull a second blade from her hip, charging without hesitation; as she did, Gira continued to speak while displaying her neck. She made for an easy target, and Zuqetta would capitalize on that; her blade was nearly upon her mark before-

"W-who...?"

Zuqetta muttered, her voice strained; the tip of her dagger just barely touching Gira's neck. Her hands shook, her expression a mix of confusion and disbelief. Once more the walls would begin to flicker, like static from a television; neither Zuqetta nor the Yangcong of the memory seemed to take notice of the slowly distorting room however.

"Pr... ince...?" Zuqetta dropped the dagger from her left hand, taking instead to clutch her head as she stumbled back a step, clearly pained, "You're... wrong. Yangcong... he'll help, he said-!" she'd reply, lifting the blade in her right hand and pointing it at Gira defensively.

"That's right my apprentice, don't listened to them, they seek to take away everything you hold dear. Remember what you lost, use that anger, that hate!" As Yangcong spoke, the amulet upon Zuqetta's neck would begin to glow with a brilliant, terrible light; yet, it seemed to flicker and waver at the same time, "Only with my help can you claim the throne, we can save everyone if we work together."

"T-Thats right... together-" Zuqetta shook her head, seemingly coming to her "senses", though it was the senses Yangcong manipulated her to have, "I don't know you, and I'm not listening to anyone BUT myself!" she'd defy, the flickering light of the amulet becoming stable once more, "I don't need saving, Yangcong's a hero, he's helping me to protect Plant!"

Her words were firm, as thought she truly believed them; yet the expression on her face was still a tangled mess of confusion. Despite the amulets brilliance, the memory within the memory could not be contained. As it had when Gira interfered with the first memory, images and scenes would begin to play out along the walls and floors.

They seemed to move in reverse, showing the constant weeks of fighting and ambushes Zuqetta had endured until now, showing Yangcong personally battling her, only to use the amulet to cause her pain just as she would gain the upper hand. A landscape of nothing but junk would be shown, with Yangcong praising Zuqetta's skill and granting her the amulet. Amongst the plethora of stray memories and images, was a familiar one hidden deep within; a falsehood by all accounts, though one now real enough to Zuqetta. A memory of her father being launched away, while a small Zuqetta herself was caught and rescued by a mysterious golden haired woman. Even and every memory seemed to be filled with a haze, as if something was trying to forcibly suppress them.

"Enough talk, kill her!" Yangcong would shout; causing the amulets magic to pulse once more.

Zuqetta leapt back further, her tail sweeping the ground in an instant to toss up her previously dropped blade. She was armed with both blades yet again, her gaze narrowed on Gira with a murderous intent. Kicking off from the ground, Zuqetta would rush in a circle around Gira, seeking to catch the woman off guard. She'd speed towards Gira's back, though just before attempting to make contact, she would vanish with a feint; once more, she was before Gira, slightly above her. Both blades were drawn back, pulled into the air and ready to be brought down upon the woman. There would be no more hesitation, the blades would be brought down in an instant; they would strike true, a spread of blood expelling across the floor.

Of course, it would not be Gira that was struck-

"What are you doing!?"

Zuqetta would drop to her knees, tears in her eyes as she held her hands firm upon both the daggers in her left leg. On the distant wall, a memory played, one with far less haze, one that Zuqetta seemed to focus on. A small child, herself, excitedly showing off a book and bringing over a plushie to someone.

"T-Tira...?" Zuqetta questioned, looking up towards the woman with a pained expression.

"You DARE to defy me again?"

Yangcong would uncross his arms, the room now glitching and warping severely; he would leap down from his perch, lifting a fist and clutching it. His hand would glow with a demonic magic, as it did, the amulet around Zuqetta's neck would begin to give off the same glow before sparking with a dangerous energy. Zuqetta would find herself overwhelmed by something akin to an electrocution, collapsing from the pain.

"No matter, we can start over, just as before."

Zuqetta had collapsed, but in her state of near consciousness she would feel a warmth. A caring caress, accompanied by words to Zuqetta's defense. She felt herself placed upon the ground, while the words of the one who held her were directed towards another; vengeance became their fuel as she spoke with a determined tone. Gira challenged Yangcong, cursing his folly as she vowed his defeat. Zuqetta's head would turn, her eyes opened just ever so slightly to witness the display; a wash of golden light overtaking the girl, Gira had once more returned to her Super Saiyan form, but for Zuqetta, her memories of the Prince who saved her in the past would become clear as day.

Yangcong would look down at the significantly smaller girl, showing no acknowledgement to her transformation. "You? I don't even know who you are." He'd remark, adopting a cynical smirk as he tapped his scouter.

Far from a look of horror however, as the numbers skyrocketed, Yangcong would quickly remove and toss his scouter aside; the device exploding mere seconds after it was removed. His eyes were wide as he looked over Gira, being a memory himself however, he could only play his role the way Zuqetta remembered him--

"Extraordinary, you impress me girl!" He would cheer, "Zuqetta's actions are her own, I've never lied to her. You should join us, surely there are those you seek to protect, join us and we can-"

Unfortunately for the memory, Gira had no intention of putting up with him; the room was bathed entirely in her golden light, the fog pushed aside in an instant. The surroundings would glitch and warp as Yangcong's expression finally began to change to one of surprise and regret; though Zuqetta had never seen such expressions on his face, which would cause the man himself to begin distorting.

"What... ARE you!?" He would question in a strange, almost digital tone; the words weirdly echoing.

Then, she was upon him; fast as light itself, Gira's fist would land upon the "good side" of Yangcongs face and send him flying. There was no way he could defend, even Zuqetta had known the limits of his power back then; his body would fly and crash completely through the far wall, falling limp. He lived, but defeated; upon his defeat, the jewel within the amulet Zuqetta wore would crack from its center. The crack would shoot in all directions, before the jewel would shatter into a fine dust, free Zuqetta from Yangcong control, much as it had-

"Uh oh, that wasn't a good idea." The Guide was returned, standing beside Gira as though she'd been there the entire time, "Don't get vertigo from this trip-"

She gave a smirk, and almost on cue with her words, the room would seemingly bend completely as if folding in on itself. Memories played on the wall at high speed, though they were not of the past, but of the future that was to come. Memories of an Earth tournament, memories of the past Emperor of Arcose, memories of the moment he took hold of the amulet and shattered it. As the memories rushed, the room continued to twist and stretch; the bodies that had littered the ground had faded, Yangcongs own body with distort in a terrible sight before vanishing, and Zuqetta herself, her eye closing, would too finally vanish.

Then, like an old television being shut off, everything around would vanish and Gira would be left floating through perpetual darkness. Moving anywhere would serve no purpose, this was neither a room nor a space; neither time nor gravity existed, as it was a merely a representation within a mind.

"Don't panic, by all technicality we're still in a memory-" the guide would remark as she would float through the darkness, her arms beneath her head casually despite floating upside down, "- a broken one, but a memory non the less. Can't expect someone to so vividly remember moments they were asleep after all." she'd explain, flipping over and somehow landing upon a non-existent ground.

As her foot touched the nothingness, the world would once more snap back into existence; the inner world within Zuqetta's mind rather, her mindscape.

There was an incredibly difference to the surroundings, something that brought a smile to the guide's now slightly more mature face. She'd taken another form of Zuqetta, though one seemingly older then even the one that Gira had just fought. The mindscape itself seemed nearly void of darkness, buildings stretched high into a bright blue sky, though at street level a slight fog still permeated. One could look far and see well constructed skyscrapers, and a pristine castle even further out; where Gira and her guide stood however, the buildings would be much more worn and destroyed.

"Well now, didn't I tell you NOT to win? I didn't merely mean against the memory." the guide would say looking back at Gira, giving a sigh complemented with a shrug before examining herself, "How disappointing, you weren't kidding; a couple years older and what, an inch taller?" she'd remark, placing a hand on her own head, "Bet I'm barely five feet, well, least I made it to the club. You're not too much taller yourself."

Despite the casual exchange of banter, the guide was quick to continue her duty, and with much more effectiveness. She'd bring her hand up and give a snap of her fingers; as she did, the world would suddenly shift and move around Gira and the guide. It was as though the two were traveling through the mindscape at high speeds, while in fact they were remaining completely still. In only seconds, they would be before another door; the guide would cross her arms proudly, with a slightly smug expression on her face. Though rather than walk in immediately, she would stand before the door and then look at Gira questionably.

"Did you not say you were here for only a particular memory?" she'd ask curiously, "I'm sorry to take you through so many, but it seems to be the only way to unlock the rest safely. Still, that's two you've interfered with; this girl has nearly no ability to defend against mental attacks, if she did, she wouldn't have been mind controlled so easily. That said, you're doing a ton of damage to her with your interference, are you okay with that?"

There didn't seem to be any malice in her words, the guide merely wanted Gira to understand what she understood. The more the two went through, the more the guide was able to access herself. She glanced around to the surrounding buildings, the entire area was destroyed but one could clearly make out the location, Sadala. The door behind her as well was no ordinary door, upon it was a mark similar to a white cross or plus sign commonly seen on Earth, and while the destroyed building it was connected to was clearly that of a capsule house. One could only guess as to what kind of memory lied within, regardless of Gira's answer though, the guide had no intention of stopping her should she wish to continue.