The Reality Vortex: New Roads

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Opposite of the couch Cuki sat on, Whis sat down on another piece of furniture by himself. His eyes followed Gogeta, who dragged himself over to a sofa as well, watching the fusion sprawl out and claim the entire couch by lying down with a happy, content smile.

The taller angel crossed his legs as he sat, leaning back on the cushions in a relaxed manner as he turned his head towards Zenta at the question.

"Oh goodness, no. I unfortunately did not have the privilege of handling his development in the slightest. He hails from our universe and I know him quite well, but he was trained by our universe's God of Destruction, Lord Beerus."

He kept his warm smile, eyeing Gogeta again briefly before continuing.

"It would seem my former lord's destructive habits have made a significant impression on him, but I am sure it is nothing that can't be improved upon. Do give him a chance; he has always been a quick learner, and maybe with the proper guidance, he could even surpass Vegetto."

Whis turned his eyes slowly down to Cuki, his expression unchanged for a brief moment before turning back to Zenta with a polite tone.

"But enough about that; how are you and Cuki these days? It's been far too long since I've had the pleasure of your company."
 
Panich simply growled, letting her feet drag across the tiled flooring in opposition to entering the mansion. Why the hell was she still here, no one seemed to care if she left other than the skeleton now. So why was he still dragging her around like some misbehaved pet!?
 
"Feeling out of place, huh?" A rather calm voice then addressed Panich. 

It was Brachi, having sent Bara ahead to get a room first, while she remained on the outside of the mansion for the time being, having seen Panich out there, as well as during the final battle.
 
Cross says "Pinch did betray us that means we need too determine punishment for that before she given the option to rejoin or to leave."
 
(I'll just reply real quick before Shine)

Zenta waited to see if his student replied to Whis but her silence made him speak up.

"I see! Being capable of surpassing Vegetto would be quite the feat, however, I believe under your supervision, this youngster will excel. As for Cuki, well..." Zenta hid a chuckle behind his hand before shaking his head. "As some of you might know, I was stuck as a coin for the last few years. It was a rather... unique experience, to say the least. I heard many things but unable to act on them. Honestly, it was peaceful and quiet. A perfect spot to reflect my thoughts! Although there was a moment where I lost control and did not hear anything anymore. It was as if someone had taken my mind..."

Zenta shrugged, not having a full understanding of what happened. His smile was still bright on his face.

"It was quite the adventure though not much can be said on visuals. But enough of my experience, Cuki, why not speak of what happened between you and the Breakers?"

There was a long pause between Zenta and Cuki until the young girl spoke up.

"I don't have much to say..."

"Ohoho, I think you have plenty to say soon."
 
Lucifer made a smile that was both in delight and mischievous, seeing events that are about to spill out right at this moment. The way Cuki reacted towards Zenta’s question, the sudden appearance of Whis and his connection with Gogeta and Vegetto, and the overall dilemma with Panich’s “apparent” betrayal. Biting onto a lollipop provided by his caretaker, his smile was one of happiness growing, like a flower in the spring blooming. The light of his eyes was a distinct difference from that before, where the Breakers were needlessly forced to find a different route from their usual one. At this moment, at least, he’ll have some fun.

Poking around, Lucifer turned to Spina, who haven’t said much since they all arrived at the mansion. The old Saiyan looks bothered, and with heavy thoughts weighing in his mind. Perhaps the Detective shook him? Or maybe the Saiyan was concerned about something else entirely. Based on their last, one-to-one conversation, he knew that Spina was itching for a purpose or following a path where his bloodlust cannot be contained anymore.

“Spina,” Lucifer spoke out in a child’s tone due to his appearance. “You did declare yourself as leader of the Breakers; thus, you have to bear all the responsibilities that everyone does, for now on. How about you decide the fate of Panich? And the Vortex Coins we’ve collected mostly from the Coin Hunter? And the responsibility of the Witch of Miracles, and this…” Lucifer turned to Gogeta, eyeing him for a second. “Geta? Yes, yes, Geta.” Despite hearing his name multiple times, he’d seemingly forgot just as quickly.

Spina turned to the small angel, frowning at the sudden questionings.

“You did say that we needed to resolve those issues now; might as well get this over with it and display your craft of de-escalating a lot of tangle hairs, Leader.” Lucifer asked once more. "I'm sure, there are some people that are at their boiling point, or, are you going to let others speak for you as usual?" Lucifer turned his eyes towards Cuki once more.
 
Huddled up on the chair cushion, Bernkastel made no sound besides quiet breathing from drifting in and out of sleep. Occasionally she would open an eye with a flick of an ear, but it would close back again seeing nothing about her surroundings had changed. All of the blows she'd taken to the head in one day made her skull throb incessantly.

For having defeated the Coin Hunter it sure doesn't feel like it's very celebratory, Bern thought to herself placidly.
 
Whis sat comfortably in the sofa, his arm bent at the elbow on the armrest. He listened on to Zenta's speech, his chin resting on the top of his fingers in the balled up fist and his warm smile undeterred in staring Cuki down in particular. His gaze never left the younger Saiyan; his own eyes very minimally closed a bit and his tone still the same as before.

"I think you do too. It won't do any good keeping it bottled up anymore inside, my dear. Speak your mind."

In the midst of the conversation, Gogeta had clearly passed out. He made no noises in his slumber, but his mouth hung open wide in a barbaric splay on the couch he laid on, drooling from one corner of his mouth onto the sofa as he inhaled and exhaled deeply with each breath.
 
Cross says "I want that we get every one thoughts on Pinch's actions and the choice too be ultimately a group decision. So I do what you to speak your mind Cuki." 

Cross says "for context to those that came back to the group. We let Gogeta, Lucifer and Pinch join the group. Then she aided Hart in the fight." Cross did think "except fighting not fighting to the death Pinch did with I expected her to do."

Cross seems unaffected by the futile defiance that pinch showed.
 
Panich slid to the ground on her back as she was continuously dragged around by Cross. Her expression shifted to an annoyed frown when Brachi stood over her. Sitting up and criss-cross, she turned away from the fusion and remained silent.
 
"I, uhh... Like I said. I don't have much to say." Cuki felt all eyes on her and lowered herself slightly on the sofa in a desperate mean to hide. "Just don't worry about it."

Zenta let out a sigh before turning to see how the others reacted to Cuki. He noticed no indication of confusion from the others, no slight concern, not even suspicion. To everyone, Cuki seemed like Cuki, albeit grumpy and out of her usual cheerful persona. He also noticed that Cuki would not budge when pressed and her way of addressing things was entirely out of character for her, even in her current state. To everyone else, the girl would most likely be upset at the things that happened and she was probably holding them all in, but Zenta saw something else. He knew his student, both inside and out.

"Very well, I suppose there is no point to play this game of yours any longer," Zenta said sternly while leering down at Cuki. "You are not Cuki..."

Cuki's eyes widen in both shock and confusion at what her Master was saying. The impact of his words startled her enough where she sat up straight and turned to face him. Her reaction was genuine and pure as she remained shaken.

"What are you talking about? Of course, it's me!" Cuki said with a slight giggle. "I think you bonk your head a little when you came back from a Coin, Zenta. I've grown a bit since last time and my energy has changed, maybe that's why you don't recognize me?"

"Is that what you think?" Zenta replied.

"Well...yeah. Is it because I don't want to talk? I don't want to say much because I'm just a bit tired and I don't want to come off as rude to... certain people." Cuki shot a glare towards the sleeping Gogeta. "I know I'm a bit more hyper than this but we've been through so much."

Zenta said nothing and stood before Cuki, towering over his student. Cuki stared up and saw her reflection on his visor, her expression remained the same and she awkwardly gazed towards the others, almost as if seeking help. Zenta stayed still while his tails swayed behind him hypnotically, waiting for Cuki to defend herself in some way.

"Tell me, how long?" The Master said.

"Huh? How long what?" Cuki tilted her head.

"How long have you fooled them," Zenta lowered himself to meet Cuki at eye level, giving her nearly no room to escape. "Byakko..?"

Cuki's expression seemed to switch from concerned to calm before lowering her head. The youngster let out a long sigh as she gently pushed Zenta away from her space. Cuki said nothing to fight back, nothing to deny it. She didn't have to. A wide smirk smeared across her face as she made her way off the sofa to stand where everyone could see her. She immediately gazed right back towards Zenta, her eyes an icy blue that shined off his visor. Zenta remained undeterred by the action. Finally, Cuki's voice changed from the happy-go-lucky tone everyone knew to a deep and condescending male voice. The markings on Cuki's face lit up slightly while the girl crossed her arms over her chest.

"So, you figured it out, Zenta? I'm not surprised... At least someone in this pathetic batch saw through Cuki." Byakko's voice rang out as he waved a finger towards the group. "Shame, shame, shame on you, Breakers. I thought you all were friends to our little Cuki."
 
The series of questions launched by Lucifer towards Spina put him at a tough spot. Spina had been battling with his own purposes for a while. Before meeting with the Breakers, there were barely any active people in the world, and nothing that soothe his battle needs, putting him at a state of stagnation. Once again, he fell into the same place during the 3 years of idling. He wanted to do something, change something—and wanted to be content of a goal that he has worth taking on. The Old Saiyan look at Lucifer, whom had a devilish smile on his face. Taking the role of the leader abruptly, Lucifer wanted to challenge him, to see what decisions that would make or break the foundation of this group.

Lucifer chomped down on the candy as let out a small chuckle. “What are you going to do with defects of the group, Spina?” The angel’s eyes darted to the left towards Cuki and Zenta’s direction.

Spina narrowed his eyes, clears his throat, and became firm in his stance. He opened his mouth to give an answer—but stop the moment he overheard the tone of Cuki’s voice changed dramatically. The old Saiyan turned around to face the Young Saiyan in utter confusion.

“What... what the hell…?” Spina spoke out, seeing Cuki speak in a different manner of tone. “Byakko…?” Spina couldn’t quite recall the name at first. “Who the hell are you?”
 
Panich's eyes shifted quickly at mention of the name. She didn't say anything, but quietly observed while thinking to herself. 

Byakko... That's the person that "chosen one" was talking about... Cuki is that host...?
 
Whis' eyes followed after Cuki during the movements, his position unchanged on the sofa. His soft stare remained the same as well, but the warm smile also flattened and in addition, he spoke with a flat tone in following Spina's question.

"A strange entity that seemed to live within her body. I had meant to question Zenta more on this once he returned, but I suppose the best way to learn is asking directly now."

He lifted lips in a warm smile once more, his tone polite.

"So I concur with Spina; who the hell are you?"

As soon as Byakko spoke the word, "friends", Gogeta's loud dual voice rung out in an audible snore. A snot bubble soon expanded out from his right nostril as he snored a second time, popping once it grew too big shortly.
 
"I am not surprised you fail to remember me, little Spina. Then again, we barely had time to talk the first time." Cuki-Byakko said as she flicked specks of dirt off Cuki's arm. "Maybe I should finally make a proper introduction to you all..."

Cuki's eyes quickly faded to white and her body instantly dropped to her knees. An odd mist started to appear around the Breakers seemingly out of nowhere while Cuki's body began to show cracks. The girl's breathing got heavy until she jutted her body around slightly before placing her arms in front of her to hold her up on the ground. Finally, a ghost-like apparition surrounded by the mist appeared behind Cuki's back and floated up to show his true form. The spirit morphed into the shape of a man with long white flowing hair, icy blue eyes, large cat-like ears, markings identical to Cuki's, and an extravagant looking Kimono. His presence was chilling, but, oddly enough, empowering. 

"Ah, much better," Byakko said as he gazed down towards the others. "I believe you might remember me now, Spina. Cross might remember when we had our fun game of tug-o-war with that Orb during the Doom fight."

"I will ask again, how long have you fooled them?" Zenta said.

"Ugh, you and your persistent questions... If you must know, about three years or so. After you were graciously erased, Cuki completely lost her mind. From there, I took over and remained dominant ever since. I had to protect her, after all." Byakko said as he held out his hand, a long smoking pipe materialized from the mist and landed in his hand. "I made a deal with Cuki after the fight, saying that if any of her so-called 'friends' can identify me, I would return her body. I am a man of my word, but I'm upset it was you of all people to figure it out..."

Cuki's body shivered before her blank eyes showed her normally green pupils. She gasped loudly before falling into a coughing fit, this time in her normal voice. The young girl continued like this for several seconds before finally letting out whimpers of sorrow. She wallowed in her spit and tears as she was heard holding back her tears. It wasn't long until she painfully pushed herself up to her feet, struggling to just stand. However, one look towards her Master and it was all it took to make her crumble down into tears. For the first time in three years, Cuki, the real one, saw her Master return, something she thought would never happen. She rushed towards him and instantly wrapped her arms as tightly as she could around his waist, burying her face into his fuzzy chest that muffled out her cries of joy.

"How touching, but I still cannot see how she can like a vile creature such as yourself..." Byakko said as he took in the fumes of his pipe. He turned to Spina and the others. "To those unaware, I am Byakko, the being who resides within Cuki. She was the being I picked to be my host and she is incredibly precious to me. I am rather disappointed in you, Breakers... I thought Cuki meant more to you. She had so much faith in you lot."

As Zenta comforted his student, the girl sniffled and hiccuped to ease her crying. She was still shaken but mostly back to her senses. She turned to face the Breakers and her sad face quickly shifted to rage. 

"For three years none of you saw anything wrong with me?! Nothing at all?! Nothing to hint that, oh, I don't know, maybe it wasn't me?!" She shouted before coughing and catching her breath. "I thought we were friends!!"

"Now, now, Cuki..." Zenta tried to comfort the girl.

"No! I spent three years watching them walk by and see nothing wrong! I thought I meant something to them! I thought I was a friend! But no! Instead, what do I see? A bunch of idiots who care more about their dead universes than what they have now! A traitorous swine who nearly killed me in my weakest and most vulnerable point! And best of all, the leader, our beautiful Witch of fucking Miracles, befriending the very man who dragged her name and everyone else's to the damn floor! And he's not even one of us!!!"

Cuki was in no condition to move around but she hastily made her way towards the sleeping Gogeta, her breathing getting heavier the longer she stared at his carefree, stupid face. Never had Cuki looked more threatening and serious than now, even during the Doom fight. Some of her wounds reopened and it was clear she was in extreme pain. 

Cuki glared down towards the sleeping Gogeta, nearly whispering to him.

"You know what Hart told me..? She said that even the good things I did don't matter simply because I'm a Breaker..." Cuki took a sharp breath and balled her hands into fists before holding down Gogeta by his hair and pulling her other fist back. "I stopped you from outright killing Hart and Ultraman! I saved the city from you when you were drunk! It means nothing now!"


Cuki began to punch Gogeta's face while pinning him down by his hair, not caring if he woke up. As she assaulted the Saiyan, she turned to stare at Bernkastel, eyes wild with rage and loathing for the Witch.

"You have no idea how hard I screamed for you, Kettles. I wanted a miracle! I NEEDED one! But you never heard me..! Instead, you turned your back on me and took this... this garbage! This man ruined our lives and you stuck your neck out for HIM? He destroyed the entire city twice and you continue to defend HIM?" As Cuki made her points, she would punch Gogeta, not caring if the man fought back or not. She stared intently towards Bernkastel as she abused the Saiyan. She was entirely out of breath but she continued anyway. "And yet you continue to fight through everything to defend HIM after everything he's done to us?!"

Cuki stopped punching the man and quickly wrapped her hands around his throat, shaking him violently.

"You gave HIM a miracle but not me?!"

"Well, she did say she wanted to be the cruelest Witch of all time, I believe she fits that statement quite perfectly." Byakko chuckled. "Tossing aside those she cares little for simply because they bore her... Is that not what you said a long time ago, Ms. Bernkastel?"
 
Whis’ smile quickly faded as Cuki erupted into her rage. He sat still, his face flat in watching on in his unchanged position on the sofa. His eyes followed the movements, and he slowly uncrossed his legs.

From the first initial hits, Gogeta’s head visibly bounced along the cushions from the blows thrown down onto his face. His cheeks and nose contorted from being struck and just after the third hit, blood began to trail down his nostrils.

It wasn’t until Cuki applied the choke that Gogeta finally woke up, his eyes wildly darting around the room. His hands instantly shot up to try and pry Cuki’s arms away and off his throat in vain, visibly squirming on the couch.

His dual voice rung out hoarse and barely audible over the ruffled sounds of the cushions being kicked around.

“Bern!! Bern help!!”

At the cries from Gogeta, Whis also turned his head slowly towards Bernkastel, his eyes staring her cat form down in anticipation of her response.
 
Panich simply watched on almost in horror as Cuki attacked Gogeta like a wild beast. It seemed like a repeat of before when she had broken his arms, only... He was awake now. 

The princess had her issues, but this group was on a whole other level.
 
Even Brachi was blinking at the sudden act of rage which Cuki displayed, before she noted a pink blur passing by and hiding behind her.

"Bara?" Brachi asked.

"W - w - what's going on?!" Bara asked.

"I know as much as you do..." Brachi said, clearly confused.
 
Bernkastel's eyes were wide throughout Cuki's ranting, immediately cringing away as soon as she began swinging at Gogeta. What could she even say as an answer-- there would be nothing to calm Cuki's rage, in fact, even if she tried to put anything into words, it would only make it worse. Bernkastel only chalked up the change in her demeanor as a result of Zenta being turned into a Coin with no definite answer as to when he would have returned; it came as a shock to hear such words of contempt coming from someone normally so reserved.

Her paws tightly dug into the cushions, trying to so much as attempt some kind of retort but she didn't have one. At least, any thought that began stopped when Bernkastel was forced to look up and see Cuki outright strangling Gogeta. Clumsily leaping out of her chair, she scrambled over to the couch before getting in between the two, trying to scratch at Cuki's wrists in a bid to get Cuki to let go of him.

"If it's me you have a bone to pick like everyone else, then take it out on me, not him!" She hissed in a mix of desperation and anger. "Have you forgotten that woman plotted to kill us?! I risked my life for you all to save you from her insane plan-- That we're even in one piece should be enough of a miracle, especially now that Zenta returned to you, shouldn't it?!" Instinctively, the cat bit down on one of the girl's hands with a loud rebellious yowl. "So let him go!"
 
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