It seemed surreal. It seemed like only a moment ago, but it had actually been several minutes since Ling-Ling told Lung-Lung that she was stepping out for a bit. She wasn't sure why at the time. But the instinctive urge became clear when she found herself heading to a patch of woodland which she knew had wild fruit.
She found herself goring on a particular type of berry she had always avoided before. They weren't poisonous, just too sour for her. But for some reason, she couldn't stop eating.
Until she felt it. A deep sense of dread. She had no idea why she was so frightened. But moments later, the sky became dark rather quickly. By then, she was already rushing home. That feeling had to be an omen. She had to make sure Lung-Lung was fine.
When Ling-Ling returned home, she found Lung-Lung being escorted by armed guards. Ling-Ling insisted on knowing what was happening. She hardly heard what the guards said. It took Lung-Lung a minute to calm her and assure her that everyone transformed were being gathered for simple, individual interviews.
And now Ling-Ling watched as Lung-Lung faced the inquisition before her. Would Lung-Lung tell them what happened, or was it up to her to break the news?
Ling-Ling was scared, but she began to realize everybody else felt it too. And it most likely had to do with whatever had suddenly brought the thick, stormy clouds to the skies.
Ling-Ling told herself there was nothing to fear from her own people. That the only question was whether the two of them would raise their inbred ch1ldren here, or if they would have to leave everyone and start over together somewhere.
“What do you want?” Comb asked the horse-herm.
“I honestly wish to return to being a human woman.”
Ling-Ling's heart sank when she heard Lung-Lung's words.
“What do you say?” Trunks asked.
"No!" Ling-Ling cried out. The guards turned their attention to her, waiting for a reason to pounce.
Lung-Lung felt saddened to hear Ling-Ling protest. Had she completely given in?
"We have to do this," Lung-Lung said, "this isn't us. We are proud, disciplined warriors, not decadent hedonists."
"We can't be who we were before," Ling-Ling's eye's began to well-up, "we can't pretend it didn't happen."
"This isn't healthy," Lung-Lung said, "and you know..."
"I'm pregnant!" Ling-Ling interrupted. She ignored all the shocked eyes around her. It didn't matter to her that she was prepared to face their judgement just moments ago.
After a painful silence, exacerbated by the dread and the dark ambiance, Comb felt compelled to speak. But "your own sister" all that escaped her lips.
Those words caught Trunks by surprise. Up until that point, he had wondered what the big deal was. He glanced between the pair's faces. A crying kitsune and a stunned equinoid. He couldn't tell they were related, until he noticed their eyes. Though they were different colors, the resemblance was otherwise quite strong even through Ling-Lings flowing tears.
Comb shook her head. "I'm sorry, Lung-Lung," she said, "but if you weren't conflicted about your decision before, you most likely are now. We can't risk giving you the potion." It hurt Comb to say something so insensitive at a moment like this. But there were others waiting to be cured, and time was of the essence.
A guard leaned close to the inquisition and discretely whispered, "um, should we arrest them? I mean, for... Uh, well... You know?"
"No," Comb whispered back, "just send both of them home," Comb noticed a hint relief in the guard's face, but also another question, "there is no need to speak with Ling-Ling. Her own choice is obvious."
Trunks hardly noticed as the sisters escorted away and the next in line was brought before the inquisition. He added "taboo intercourse between siblings" to his list of reasons to be grateful that the bazaar's intrusion into his own world had been thwarted.
So far, nobody had been turned into a mindless beast by Carson's potion. Trunks hoped the inquisition would be careful to keep it that way. Then again, his Sayian blood hoped they would quickly wrap this up so he could join the fight. From what power he could sense, he knew Ranma, Miyako, Mariko and Gsling would need all the help they could get.
Thu Apr 11 01:14:23 2013
2 comments Last updated: Thu Apr 11 08:43:02 2013