**Authors Notes**
This story is the re-write of a Dragon Ball Z and Care Bears crossover of mine originally titled "Shadow Heart Saga: The Fall of Mankind", that I first began writing almost fifteen years ago under a different username. The plot is more or less the same but with several alterations to the storyline, development, and interactions. I believe that I have grown much as a writer since then and I hope this re-write reflects that. That said, let's begin.
Chapter one: When Worlds Collide.
"We're now live in front of Satan City General Hospital where the ER's are full but the explanations are scarce. Good afternoon everyone, I'm Basil Everhurst for SCTV News. Its been two months since the discovery of Sopor Aeternus Syndrome, the so-called "Sleeping Sickness" but doctors here and abroad still don't have an explanation for the cause of the disease."
The camera cut to a middle-aged man in a lab coat as he sat at a cluttered desk apparently going over test results. "Its frustrating...its very frustrating. You'd think with medical science as advanced as it is that "We don't know" wouldn't be something heard when talking about the cause of a disease." The header on screen identified the man as Dr. Esen Tyllis, Director of Internal Medicine.
"For now, all authorities can agree on are the symptoms of Sopor Aeternus, which are sudden and profound loss of motor skills, acute lethargy, and rapidly diminishing speech and sight, followed literally minutes later by loss of consciousness and entry into a sort of pseudo-coma. The victims are reported to become unable to respond to pain or other stimuli almost as if they had entered a persistent vegetative state. From there doctors say the prognosis varies from case to case. We'll have more-"
Bulma sighed as she used the remote to kill the TVs power.
When the first few people fell ill, nobody noticed. With as many people that see doctors and hospitals in any given day, a few people suddenly fainting and going comatose could easily be overlooked even with no apparent cause. When it started happening repeatedly at the same hospitals and then spread to new ones, however, then it began to attract attention.
City officials had come to her early after discovering SA to ask for help in identifying a cause, but despite having some of the best scientific minds in the country on her payroll, Bulma had zero to offer them thus far.
To her, having no explanation was even worse than having a bad explanation.
The number of cases in Capsule City were thankfully low despite it being a mid-sized population center. Not that that was very comforting to the people with friends and family sick.
"I see they forgot to mention the part about certain death." came a mans voice behind her.
Bulma jumped slightly and looked over her shoulder to see her husband leaning against the doorway.
"Vegeta! You scared me for a second there."
Wearing a pair of black training pants with a matching black tank-top, the Saiyan Prince just smirked slightly but didn't move from the doorway. From his attire, Bulma was pretty confident he was leaving for yet another sparring session with Goku.
It had been almost a year since Majin Buu had been defeated. Vegeta, however, seemed to be stuck in the same cycle of perpetual training he had been in before the World Tournament. Whether it was for preparation for the next attack by God-knows-what, or simply a way to avoid his family, Bulma wasn't sure.
"Humans... its no wonder they left that part out. Wouldn't want to cause a panic after all. Earthlings scare so easily it seems." he continued.
Bulma groaned and rubbed her temples slowly. The Prince already had a penchant for downing and ridiculing humans, but after the 'Sleeping Sickness' made headlines it seemed to have worsened considerably. It was his opinion that humans were one bad-word short of stampeding themselves to death and he seemed to be fond of sharing this opinion with her at every opportunity.
"You're right Vegeta...the mortality rate for Sopor Aeternus IS very high, but there's no point causing a panic when people are upset enough as it is. I admit humans by and large DO have kind of a sheep mentality going on, but in the end I guess that's what makes them human." she said.
"Its what makes them weaklings." Vegeta countered, "A few of them get sick and die and the whole country wets its collective bed. This sort of childish squabbling would NEVER have happened on my planet."
Bulma turned around at her desk, facing him with an irritated look, "Oh and I suppose Saiyans never got sick? No one ever died outside of getting themselves blown up, blasted, or beat to death?"
He looked at her in silence for a few seconds before answering, "Of course some Saiyans fell to sickness, but the difference is we didn't feel we needed a press conference when it happened because it wasn't a big deal to us."
"Oh so if I get sick and die, is it not going to be a "big deal" for you?" Bulma shot back.
"Depends on how much your life insurance is worth." he answered with his trademark arrogant smirk.
Bulma's angry screaming was clearly heard even from outside where Goku was waiting.
"Wow...whats she so mad about?" he asked after Vegeta finally exited.
"None of your business Kakarott. Shes just being a female, that's all." he replied gruffly before taking flight towards their usual battlefield. Goku, knowing that he wasn't getting anything else out of Vegeta, kept his questions to himself and followed along silently.
...
In the clouds far above Capsule Corp, there are others who too were concerned with the current events on Earth. The Care Bears,who make their home in Care-A-Lot,were currently having a conference in the Hall of Hearts regarding the troubling turn of events.
"Current estimates put the number of sick at around 15,000 and growing. There is still no word on whether a cause has been identified." announced Bright Heart Raccoon, reading from his notes.
"The Caring Meter continues to slowly drop as well. As more and more people get sick, more and more of their family and friends begin to lose hope and give up." Cheer Bear added.
"How long will it take to fall to zero?" Tender Heart Bear asked from the podium. Friend Bear turned her head to the side as Secret Bear whispered in her ear, "Secret Bear says if it keeps dropping like this..."
She suddenly paled and looked at him with an astonished expression, "You sure about that?" she asked. Secret Bear nodded in response, so Friend Bear cleared her throat, "If it keeps dropping like this then...two months...three at best."
Everyone gasped in shock and disbelief. "That CAN'T be right! There's no way everybody on Earth could get sick in 3 months!" Good Luck Bear replied.
"They don't have to, there just has to be enough sick for the people around them to abandon hope. Loss of hope means loss of caring." Friend Bear answered.
Good Lucks expression changed from shock to sadness. It made perfect sense if viewed that way. Even in a large family, one terminally ill member could easily be enough to crush the hope out of the rest.
With a growl, Brave Heart Lion got to his feet. "We can either sit around feeling helpless or we can go find a way to help. The Caring Meters not going to quit dropping if we're here doing nothing!"
"But...what are we going to do?" Birthday Bear asked. At that moment the doors burst open and Wish Bear came running in with her Star Scope.
"Everyone! I've got an idea!" Wish Bear declared loudly. She took Tender Hearts spot at the podium and began to speak.
"I've come upon a woman named Bulma Briefs with my Star Scope. Her family appears to be the owners of a science and technology based company called Capsule Corporation and it looks like -" Wish began before being cut off by Swift Heart Rabbit.
"They have a cure and can fix everything?" he cut in hopefully.
"Ehh... sorry Swift Heart but...no." Wish answered.
"Of course not...that'd have been too easy." Grumpy Bear replied with a scowl, crossing his arms in annoyance.
"They're making progress though and probably know a lot more about it than we do. I think we should send someone down to meet her and try and get some answers." Wish finished.
After a few seconds of murmuring and discussion, Tender Heart banged his gavel on the podium. "I think she's right, its worth the trip down there if for nothing else than to see whats going on for ourselves. Who wants to come with me to-" .
At that moment he was interrupted by a sound like a thunderclap and the slight rattling of the windows and clouds. It almost felt like a small cloud-quake but subsided as quickly as it began.
"Yawwnnnn...wish I knew why it did that so often..." Bedtime Bear yawned from her seat.
"We'll have to worry about finding out later Bedtime. And I'll go Tender Heart." Brave Heart answered while getting to his feet.
"Ok then. Wish us luck everyone, we'll be back soon." Tender Heart announced. Wish ran outside to ready a cloud car for them as the meeting adjourned.
It was near dusk when the two Z fighters finally decided to stop their sparring session. "You don't have to be so rough you know, Majin Buu HAS been defeated you know." complained Goku as they landed back at Capsule Corp. He was still bleeding slightly from a cut on his forehead and had ruined yet another orange gi, though this one was at least still more or less in one piece.
Vegeta dropped to the ground beside him, looking about equally as roughed up as Goku. "Yes Kakarott I remember. But peace never lasts long on this planet, you of all people should know this. It is a Saiyans duty to stay sharp for battle..." he started to say but trailed off as he looked at his backyard where Trunks and Gotens toys were scattered everywhere.
Giving a disgusted snort, he continued, "Unlike our sons... Your youngest spends all his time with Trunks screwing off, and your oldest spends all his time either with his nose in a book, or with that unfortunately-named human female."
"Oh come on Vegeta shes a nice girl and has a good head on her shoulders...even if she IS Mr. Satans daughter." Goku replied.
Vegeta shuddered uncontrollably. The kind of arrogant boasting Mr. Satan showed during the battle with Cell was matched only by the depressing level of chickenshit cowardice he showed with Kid Buu. The entire Earth was seconds away from being obliterated (again) and this pitiful excuse for a human couldn't even muster the balls to talk to the same people he'd been fleecing and lying to for years.
"I suppose Gohan does at least have SOME taste in females, even if they were sired by that buffoon." Vegeta remarked while walking on the sidewalk up to his usual back entrance of the Capsule Corp building.
Goku followed, stepping over and around the numerous toys belonging to their sons that lay scattered everywhere. "Someone could get hurt back here, its dangerous to leave so much stuff just lying around."
Turning around in irritation, Vegeta glared at the taller Saiyan as he walked backwards up the walk. "This is EXACTLY what I'm talking about Kakarott! You waste time kissing up to your shrieking harpy of a wife, you half-ass your training just because we've had a few months of peace , and now you're describing our lazy sons toys as if they were some sort of booby traps! What'd you do, forget that you're a Saiy-AH!"
At that moment, Vegetas lack of attention and mockery of Gokus concerns caught up to him. Stepping blindly on his sons skateboard, he was completely unprepared when it slipped out from underneath him, bringing his rant to a dead-stop as he lost his balance and landed flat on his back on the ground.
Goku immediately broke out in a fit of laughter, doubling over and pointing teasingly at the Prince, "Guess they qualify as booby traps after all huh?"
With a loud snarl, Vegeta threw out his hand at Goku and fired a ki blast, clipping some of the taller spikes of hair and missing the Saiyans head by inches.
"Whoa! Vegeta relax its just a joke!" Goku cried in alarm. Getting to his feet, Vegeta grabbed the front of Gokus gi and literally pulled him down to his level. "How DARE you mock me Kakarott... I AM YOUR PRINCE YOU MORON!" he yelled in Gokus face.
Up in the skies over Capsule Corp, unknown to the Saiyans, Tender Heart and Brave Heart were descending in their cloud car towards Capsule Corp. Catching a glimpse of something very bright shining beneath them, Brave Heart leaned over and looked down at the Earth.
"Uh Tender Heart...shooting stars don't sometimes decide to fall up instead of down... do they?" the lion asked. "Of course not." Tender Heart answered, a little confused by the question.
"Then what is THAT?!" Brave Heart replied, pointing to the ground. Tender Heart looked over the side of the car and was greeted by what looked like an extremely bright shooting star coming towards them at high speed.
"That is NOT a shooting star!" the bear replied in alarm. Exchanging horrified looks, he and Brave Heart had no choice but to simultaneously unbuckle themselves and dive out of the cloud car. Just seconds after jumping Vegetas stray blast hit their car, vaporizing it entirely in a roaring explosion.
Watching through her star scope, Wish Bear could only gasp in sheer panic. Hearing her startled cries, Cheer Bear had come running over after noticing the alarm on her friends face.
"The car did WHAT?!" she asked after Wish relayed what happened. She grabbed the Star Scope and, sure enough, Tender Heart and Brave Heart were free-falling to Earth.
"Oh no oh no oh no oh no Cheer Bear do something quick!"
Closing her eyes in concentration, her symbol began to glow brightly. Seconds later, a rainbow materialized underneath the two falling Care Bears, saving them from certain death. Brave Heart breathed a shaky sigh of relief as he and Tender Heart slid towards the ground.
Vegeta, meanwhile, was still in full rant mode while Goku tried, unsuccessfully, to calm the angry Saiyan down (or at least get him to relax his grip on the front of his uniform). "Arn't you overreacting a little bit? Come on, I was just trying to be helpful!" Goku offered weakly.
"No I am NOT overreacting Kakarott so save the ass-kissing for your man-hating shrew of a wife! You show up wanting to spar but then act like a total pussy the entire time we're fighting! Its embarrassing to even acknowledge you're a Saiyan, do you know that? I don't CARE that it was your Spirit Bomb that destroyed Majin Buu, you've become softer than vanilla pudding ever since! And let me tell you something else-" Vegeta began but never got to finish.
At that moment a flash of light appeared, accompanied by a rainbow appearing out of thin air. "What the?!" both Saiyans said in unison. As confused as they were about a rainbow suddenly appearing in a cloudless sky at sundown, they were even more confused when a child-sized bear and lion came sliding down and crashed into the ground in a heap.
"Owww...my head.. you ok Tender Heart?" the lion asked, rubbing the back of his head. The bear nodded, "At least we landed on this instead of the street." He and Brave Heart slowly climbed to their feet, noticing for the first time that they landed right beside someone.
"Oh... uh...hello there." Tender Heart said in a greeting.
Goku looked at them in confusion for a moment before his face suddenly lit up. "Wow! Its the Care Bears! Man its really been a while huh?" Vegeta was stunned speechless but, predictably, it didn't last long.
"Kakarott, explain this at once!" Vegeta demanded, letting go of his gi and pointing to their unexpected visitors.
"You've met us before?" Brave Heart asked in surprise.
"Well yeah, but not you two. It was a white bear but she had a star emblem instead of a heart." Tender Heart looked a little surprised to hear this, "Are you talking about True Heart?" he asked.
"I think so... she came to visit once a long time ago when I was just a little boy. I didn't really have many friends as a kid..." Goku explained.
"Who'd have ever guessed..." Vegeta muttered sarcastically, "Have fun with your...things...I'm going to the gravity room, assuming Bulma actually got off her ass and fixed it."
"Bulma...Briefs?" Brave Heart asked. With a surprised look, Vegeta turned back around to face the lion. "Why do you ask?"
"Shes who we've come to see. Im Brave Heart Lion, and this is Tender Heart Bear, we're from Care-A-Lot." he explained. "Well I'm Goku, and this is Vegeta." Goku introduced. Vegeta rudely rammed his elbow into the other Saiyans gut, giving him a clear "Shut your hole" glare.
"I don't care where you're from or what you're called, why are you asking about Bulma?" Vegeta asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"We've been watching the sleeping sickness that's going around from Care-A-Lot but don't know what to do about it. Then we found out a woman named Bulma Briefs was looking for a cure so... we came to see how its coming along." Tender Heart explained.
"Well, come on, I'll take you to her." Goku offered but was stopped when Vegeta raised his hand as a signal to halt. "No you won't Kakarott. Shes supposed to be fixing my gravity simulator, not playing petting zoo."
"I'm SUPPOSED to be doing whatever I think is important." Bulma suddenly called from the back door. Apparently she'd caught on they had visitors and wanted to have a look for herself.
"Bulma, this is Tender Heart Lion and Brave Heart Bear." Goku introduced, inciting a mocking snort from Vegeta before he turned around and left.
"Eh...other way around huh?" he asked sheepishly.
"So what brings you two here? And what ARE you two anyway?" Bulma asked.
After a quick explanation of where they're from, the two Care Bears filled her in on why they're here.
"Well, I don't want to ruin your trip but I don't really have much to tell you. Some health officials asked me to help find a cure but to be honest, we haven't really got far. We still don't even know the cause yet." Bulma admitted.
"How many here are sick?" Brave Heart asked. "Well in THIS city not many, thankfully. The ones that are are in an isolated wing. The staff has to look in on them almost non-stop and that's easier to do if all of them are in one place." Bulma answered.
"Can we go see them?" Brave Heart asked.
"Like...now?" Goku asked. The two of them nodded, "If possible. I know its sudden but we have to hurry if we're going to beat this anytime soon."
Bulma excused herself to place a call to the hospitals director. A couple of minutes later they had his approval and Goku volunteered to get cleaned up a little and take them using Nimbus.
A short time later. the Care Bears and Goku were walking down the isolated hospital wing in numb silence. Although a hospital isn't really thought of as a fun place to be, most of the time there's still laughter and happy people to be found whether its nurses joking with patients or vice-versa or people happy to be going home or happy an operation went well.
But not in this wing. No laughing, no smiling, just cold silence mixed with the electronic beeping of life support systems. If the presence of two small animals and a tall man in an orange training gi caused any alarm, nobody showed it. Anytime Goku or the Care Bears tried talking to the staff they were either ignored outright or told politely they were too busy to talk.
It was like everyone had retreated into themselves emotionally, and seeing this Tender Heart fully realized how correct Friend Bear was when she said one sick person could kill the hopes of many.
Despite living a short distance from the hospital (and having heard all about SAS), Goku was stunned to see it in person. His carefree attitude had taken a nosedive and was replaced with a kind of solemn sadness as he wondered what must be going through the minds of these peoples family and friends.
As if on cue, a loud beeping then low-toned flat-line came from few rooms down. Normally in the movies this is where the entire staff comes together to save the person at the last second possible. In the movies the person is revived to the smiles and cheers of the family and the medical staff. In the movies the impossible becomes possible and miracles happen.
But this wasn't the movies, and there were no miracles to be had.
One of the nurses got up and walked towards the patients room in the same casualness one would use if going to look in the fridge. She walked in and the tone stopped only to be replaced by the loud crying of the female visitor in the room as the nurse informed her that her husband was gone and there was nothing more that could be done. The nurse then came back to the station, crossed off the room number, and went back to her computer.
Over the years the Care Bears had seen many people die from their viewpoint in the clouds. Seeing it a few feet away, however, proved to be more difficult. Tender Heart sat slumped against the wall, his head in his paws. Brave Heart put a paw on his shoulder reassuringly, telling him that its a long way from over and that he shouldn't lose hope.
Goku's head suddenly snapped up as if he had just heard something. The orange-clad Saiyan strained his ears with clear confusion on his face. "What is it Goku?" Tender Heart asked as he was getting to his feet.
"I'm not sure... it sounds...odd.." he replied. A few seconds later part of the ceiling just a few feet away collapsed. The Care Bears jumped back in shock and seconds later another section collapsed, this time on top of one of the nurses. Tender Heart started to run to her but Brave Heart grabbed his arm and pulled him back, saving him from the same fate as another section collapsed right where he would have been standing.
By now the isolated wing was in a panic as nurses and staff ran wildly to escape the multiple cave-ins. "Run Care Bears!" Goku yelled. He didn't have to tell them twice. Both of them bolted desperately towards the exit, clearing the double-glass doors mere moments before the rest of the ceiling collapsed.
Out of breath from exertion, it took them a few seconds to realize that Goku didn't make it out before the cave-in. They looked at each other and shared the same panicked expression.
"Did he...did he make it out in time?" Tender Heart asked fearfully.
"Yeah, but some weren't as lucky." came Gokus voice from behind them.
Once he realized that the ceiling was like-it-or-not going to collapse, a combination of his Saiyan physiology and Instant Transmission allowed him to save a few of the closest people. Though his heart was overjoyed for the ones that made it, it was also heavy for the ones who didn't.
Four saved versus...who knows how many less fortunate. Whatever the death and injury toll was, Goku was willing to bet the numbers were going to be rather one-sided.
Brave Heart looked at Tender Heart with an astonished expression, but decided to shelve the questions for now. There were bigger issues and questions more important than asking how he managed to save 4 people and still escape a collapsing building that they were almost certain he didn't make it out of.
A couple of minutes later the first sirens were heard as first responders converged on the scene. A rescue helicopter was called in to hover overhead with its search light in an effort to speed up the rescue of how ever many survivors they could find. Watching from the hospital parking lot, Goku could only sigh sadly at what had happened. Probing the wreckage with his ki, he knew that the vast majority of people still inside were dead and that the ones that miraculously survived the cave-in were likely to join them shortly.
Still, he kept this to himself. People need hope at times like this and Goku wasn't going to take it from them. He thought about all the people who would undoubtedly be devastated when they got the news. He thought back to the crying he heard earlier when a patient flat-lined, and about how most likely that woman's family had more than one person to plan a funeral for now.
"Goku?" Bulmas voice said from his side. He didn't even notice her walking up to him until she was right next to him. "I got a call telling me what happened but...I thought it'd be best if I came and saw it for myself." she continued quietly.
"All those people...its just... unfair.." Goku said with a sigh. Bulma forced a smile, putting her arm around his back, "Its not your fault you know...You did everything you possibly could to help, and you saved four people that would have almost certainly died if you hadn't been there."
"Yeah.. I guess you're right." he said bitterly. Hearing approaching footsteps, he turned to see the Care Bears coming up to him. "You two ok?" Bulma asked.
"Yes, thanks to Goku." Tender Heart answered, "We need to get back to Care-A-Lot as soon as possible but I think we're a little stranded since our cloud car kinda blew up on us ".
"Blew up? How did that happen?" Bulma asked. "We're not sure, we think it was because that weird thing that kinda looked like a shooting star hit it." Tender Heart replied.
Despite being known for catching on slowly, Goku immediately figured out that the 'weird shooting star' was the stray blast Vegeta fired after Goku laughed at him. But at the moment, he decided it was probably best to keep quiet about it.
"How about this: come back to Capsule Corp with us for the night and tomorrow we'll figure out a way for you to get home. Sound good?" Bulma offered.
After accepting Bulmas offer, agreements were made that Goku would use Instant Transmission to bring him and the Care Bears back to Capsule Corp while Bulma would fly back in her copter. Brave Heart and Tender Heart held onto Goku as instructed and he brought his fingers to his forehead.
All of a sudden, Goku felt a presence unlike anything he'd ever encountered in his entire life. It felt very cold and, for lack of a better word, hollow. If he had to describe it, Goku would have called it "frozen and devoid of emotion or life". But as quick as it appeared, it vanished just as quickly.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Goku dismissed it as just a result of being too tired physically, emotionally, or both. After they teleported away, unknown to Goku or Bulma or anyone else, something else that had been watching decided to visit Capsule Corp also.
An hour later, Brave and Tender Heart were joined by Goku, Bulma, Chi-Chi, Goten, and Trunks in one of the more spacious lounges in the Capsule Corp building. Having heard Goku talk about them more than once in the past, Chi-Chi had a special interest in meeting their unusual visitors.
Sitting on couches and chairs, the group took turns telling stories about their respective lives. The Care Bears talked about being raised in Care-A-Lot by Noble and True Heart, Goku talked about being a Saiyan who landed on Earth, Bulma and Chi-Chi talked about the many adventures they had when they were younger, and the kids talked about how they impersonated a little-known fighter named Mighty Mask at the last World Martial Arts Tournament.
Gohan, being a typical high-schooler, was off with his girlfriend instead of at home.
Vegeta, being a typical arrogant prick, had no desire to socialize and instead was raiding the fridge of everything inside.
Goten and Trunks, being typical kids, quickly got bored with sitting in the lounge telling and listening to others stories and decided that a little nighttime skateboarding would be much more interesting.
For Trunk's 9th birthday, Bulma had a small section of the backyard walled off and turned into a skate park. It was a simple design; a few elevated areas, a couple of ramps and rails, and a half-pipe, but Trunks absolutely loved it even though it was smaller than the parks owned by the city.
"Come on Trunks, let me have a turn now." complained Goten from the sidelines. "Just a second ok? I'm gonna try and land that grind I've been working on." he replied. Going down the half-pipe to build momentum, he waited until he felt he was at the right speed before launching himself into the air and landing perfectly on the rail.
'Oh yeah! Who's the man? I'm the man!' he thought, doing a mental victory dance. It was cut short however when he was forcefully shoved off the rail, landing face first on the concrete.
"Oowww..." he groaned in pain as he got to his feet, "Goten you jerk why'd you go and do..."
To his surprise, Goten was still sitting on the sidelines where he'd been before his failed skateboard trick.
"Are you ok Trunks? That looked like it hurt a lot." he asked.
'Ok wait a minute...if he didn't push me off the rail, then what happened?' he thought in confusion. Before he could give it any more thought, he felt himself falling flat on his back as if someone yanked his feet out from under him.
Goten got up to run over and help his friend. Before he'd taken even 3 steps, something grabbed the back of his collar and forcefully slung him backwards against the wall. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Rubbing the back of his head, his hand came back blood stained from a gash caused by the impact.
"Goten!" Trunks yelled as he scrambled to his feet. "Whats going on Trunks?!" Goten yelled in a panic.
"I don't know but come on!" he replied, grabbing Gotens hand and hauling him to his feet.
"Leaving already?" said a voice behind the two half-Saiyans. Although they had no way of knowing, the empty coldness they were feeling now was the same that Goku felt earlier after the accident at the hospital. Both boys turned around and stared in shock as what looked like floating red eyes appeared, followed by a body that could only be described as a living, moving shadow.
"My...what rude little children." the shadow said in a mocking tone. The creatures voice almost sounded like it was inside their heads instead of spoken out-loud. For all the boys knew, it could have been both.
Giving an angry yell, Trunks piston'ed his fist out in an attempt to attack their unexpected enemy. To his and Gotens shock, his fist went right though his target without even touching it. The creatures eyes flashed brighter for a moment and, as if attacked by an invisible hand, Trunks was literally slapped to the ground. Seconds later, Goten suffered one of the hardest blows he'd ever felt and joined his friend down on the concrete.
Trunks got to his feet first, shaking his head to clear his mind and restore his focus. By now, Goten had pulled himself up to a sitting position and was reaching out for Trunks hand. The moment their hands touched, the shadow materialized behind them. Half-dragging his younger friend, Trunks gripped Gotens wrist tightly and sped back through the same door they used to get outside. Too panicked to even bother opening it, the two half-Saiyans went right through it instead.
Despite not having Saiyan hearing, the crash was loud enough to catch the attention of everyone in the lounge, humans and Care Bears included. Feeling the spike in their sons ki's, Goku stepped out of the lounge just as Vegeta rounded the corner from the kitchen.
"What the hell are you little brats..." Vegeta began in irritation that quickly turned into shock after noticing his and Goku's sons were both bloody and terrified.
"Goten whats wrong son?" Goku asked, leaning down so he was more on the boys level. Visibly shaking, Goten recounted how him and Trunks were skateboarding when Trunks suddenly wiped out, then got attacked by an invisible enemy who then took the form of a living shadow with red eyes.
Vegeta looked at Trunks expectedly and the boy confirmed his friends story, showing his father the rapidly-forming bruise on his face where he'd been violently struck by the creature. Bulma and Chi-Chi, hearing their sons panicked voices, stepped out of the lounge into the hallway with their husbands.
"Are you two ok?" Chi-Chi asked with a worried expression as she and Bulma hurried to their children. "They're fine, you can go back to your freak show now." Vegeta answered rudely before turning to his son, telling him in simple terms that if this turned out to be one of their little pranks he'd have a lot worse things to fear than a red-eyed shadow.
Without a word, Vegeta turned and proceeded down the hallway and through the broken-down door the kids used to get inside. Goku just sighed, giving both boys a reassuring smile. Children in tow, Goku followed Vegeta outside to the skate park in Capsule Corps back yard.
Taking their time, the two Saiyans combed the backyard and the skating area in search of the "ghost" that attacked their children. A few minutes later, Vegeta turned to Trunks and Goten with an irritated glare.
"Didn't I tell you two brats this better not be a prank?" he asked in annoyance.
"But Vegeta look, there's blood splotches all over the place." Goku retorted as he showed the angry prince the blood spots on the ground and wall.
"How do we know thats not there because our kids are clumsy?" Vegeta challenged. Goku suddenly turned, looking around in confusion as the same cold, empty presence he felt earlier came back.
"Vegeta..."
"Don't bother Kakarott, I feel it too".
With their senses now on alert, the two Saiyans probed the area with their ki, trying to pinpoint the location of the strange presence. Just like earlier, it vanished entirely an instant later like it had never been there.
"Whatever it was it's gone now, so I'm going back inside." Vegeta grumbled as he turned to make his way back to the building, "I've got half a mind to make those little runts fix the door themselves".
"Dad look out!" Trunks yelled behind him. Vegeta turned around just in time to see floating red eyes right behind him. Seconds later he yelled in pain as several cuts suddenly appeared on his arm, chest, and shoulder, almost as if he'd been slashed with an invisible claw.
"What the?!" he bellowed. Moments later, the rest of the creature materialized into the living shadow the boys had seen earlier.
"So careless..." the shadow mocked. Before his eyes, Vegeta saw the shadow seem to condense until it took the form of a man. Easily over 6 feet, the man was hairless and grey skinned with what looked like pure black orbs for eyes. It was toned and somewhat muscular despite being very thin and though it wore no clothes (that Vegeta could see at least) it appeared more gender-less than nude.
Goku fazed out and re-appeared by Vegetas side. "Are you ok?" he asked without taking his eyes off the creature.
Now that his attacker was in physical form, Vegeta got his first look at what he'd be hit with. Although weapons made of ki were uncommon, he'd seen plenty of them while growing up under Frieza. Malices reminded him of a movie he'd seen about mutant humans that featured a character with retractable claws. Add a hilt. another foot or so in length, and an ominous red glow and one would have a close approximate to the weapons design.
Gripping his bleeding arm protectively, he answered the taller Saiyan without looking away from his attacker, "I'm fine Kakarott, I don't need your help so don't meddle in my affairs." he ground out angrily. "Vegeta we don't know what this thing is! Come on, let me help you!" Goku implored.
"I...said...NOOO!" Vegeta roared in response as his hair and aura exploded into the bright gold of SSJ. The tremor produced by his immense power rattled every window on the block. If Bulma and the others weren't alarmed before, they certainly were now as they abandoned the lounge and made a mad dash for the backdoor.
Vegeta charged the creature headlong, slamming his fist directly into its face. It grunted loudly as the force of the blow threw him backwards, only to have Vegeta blur into existence behind him and axe-kick him to the ground. Less than a second later, Vegeta grabbed the grey man by the arm and flung him straight into the air.
Aiming his arms into the air, his hands glowed brightly for a moment and he released a blindingly bright yellow ki blast that detonated the moment it stuck his enemy. Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Brave and Tender Heart were knocked off their feet entirely while everyone else was left standing but squinting against the blinding flash of light, trying to determine whether Vegetas blast had worked or not.
Vegeta kept his hands at the ready in case he needed to fire again. Goku and the boys probed and glanced everywhere but could find no trace of the shadowy creature. After about a minute had gone by, Vegeta relaxed out of his SSJ state, his trademark smirk now back on his face.
"I told you I didn't need your help." he told Goku arrogantly.
"Come on, I''ll see if I can go get you a Senzu Bean." Goku offered but was waved away.
"No need Kakarott, these wounds are superficial at best. The Prince of all Saiyans would never lose his life to such petty childish tricks, its an insult that -AAARRRGGHHHH!" he suddenly screamed as out of nowhere what appeared to be a red bolt of lightning hit him from above. Milli-seconds later Goku, Goten, and Trunks all suffered the same fate, their howls of agony mixing with Vegetas.
A few feet above the ground, the shadow reformed and materialized back into the figure they'd seen moments ago. "Disappointing..." it taunted,shaking its head back and forth. Vegeta ground his teeth together, reaching his hand up at the figure in a slow and painful attempt to grab hold of its leg.
"I..am going...to... destroy you..for ..this.." Vegeta growled in pain. The figure just smiled sadistically in response. "Somehow... I think not. I am, however, a little surprised you still draw breath. Must be your Saiyan body that allowed you to survive...however..." the shadow said then paused.
Seeing Bulma and Chi-Chi still lying prone in the doorway, the creature smiled and raised a hand towards them. Moments later, it began to crackle with red electricity.
"I think it will be quite different for those two"... he said with a cold smile. "No! You can't -GGGGHHHH!" Goku cried out-loud as he was suddenly shocked again with red lightning. No matter how hard he, Vegeta, or the boys tried to stand, the agony was simply overwhelming and they were forced back to the ground.
"Oh by the way, just so you know..." the creature raised its black eyes to stare at Bulma directly, "Sopor Aeternus...is my creation...my way of restoring humanity to its true purpose."
Bulma gasped in fear, paralyzed on the spot, "No...it can't... there's no...you COULDN'T have..."
Chi-Chi wanted desperately to get out of the way, but shock and fear was over-rode her brains command to her body to get her ass up and run for it.
"Good-bye..." the creature called out before his red electric aura flared and he fired on the two helpless women who didn't even get time to scream.
There was a blinding flash of light, followed by a strangely warm, peaceful sensation. Bulma squeezed her eyes shut, 100% convinced she was dying for the second time.
Except...
'Wait a second...this isn't what death feels like.' she realized suddenly. Opening her eyes a crack, she could see Chi-Chi shielding her eyes from the incredibly bright light surrounding them. She glanced upward and to her amazement saw two breathtakingly beautiful beams of light shining on the shadow.
'That's... is that coming from those two!?' she wondered in her mind. A few seconds later the creature de-materialized out of sight and the light beams faded away.
She heard groans in front of her and looked up. Trunks was helping Goten to his feet at the same time Goku was helping Vegeta to his. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she looked up to see Brave Heart holding a paw out to help her up, and Tender Heart doing the same to Chi-Chi.
Though normally he'd never in a million years say it in front of someone, Trunks sprinted forward and grabbed Bulma in a half-hug/half-tackle, telling her how much he loved her and how scared he was he was about to lose her. Still a little embarrassing but since Goten was doing the same thing but making an even bigger fool out of himself than he was, he figured he broke even, if not came out a little ahead.
As soon as Goten let go, Chi-Chi ran to her husband in the same hug/tackle way her son did. Goten joined his mother, knocking Goku off his feet and into a sort of semi-sitting, semi-lying position.
When Trunks and Bulma started to run to embrace Vegeta, he held up a hand to stop them.
"Don't even think about it." he warned, still greatly un-comfortable with public displays of affection. After Majin Buu's defeat, Vegeta began making slow but gradual progress towards being more affectionate with his family. Much to Bulmas irritation, however, it was always private. He still avoided doing it publically if there was any possible way to get out of it.
He held that tough-guy facade for all of five seconds before sighing in defeat.
"Fine..." he conceded and was immediately tackled by his wife and son.
To Vegetas credit, he tolerated their little group hug longer than the 3 seconds Bulma was expecting.
Later that night after Trunks and Goten were asleep, Goku and Chi-Chi (who had been invited by Bulma to stay the night), Bulma herself, and Tender Heart and Brave Heart found themselves again in the same lounge they had used just a little while earlier. Of course, the mood wasn't quite as cheery this time.
"What WAS that thing?" Chi-Chi asked. The Care Bears had no idea, and neither Goku or Bulma could offer anything either.
"It said, "Sopor Aeternus is my creation"... does that mean the creature we saw is the cause of the disease? And did it actually create it, or is it just spreading it?" Bulma mused out-loud.
"That reminds me..." Chi-Chi began, "I'm not sure how you two managed to do it, but thank you for saving us earlier".
Goku looked down at Chi-Chi's words with a sad sigh, and it didn't exactly take a psychic to know what he was feeling. "Goku, no one would ever even consider blaming you, or Trunks, Goten, or Vegeta for that matter." Bulma told him gently.
"I've never felt so ashamed or useless in my entire life." he replied. Chi-Chi put her hand over his with a reassuring smile, "Shes right you know."
"Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz, The Ginyu Force, Frieza, Cell, Majin Buu...I've had no problem fighting any of them and more importantly, I've always been ABLE to fight them. But tonight...my whole family was in danger and I couldn't even get off the ground, much less rescue them." he replied sadly. "If you two hadn't showed up...I dont even want to know how it would have ended".
"The important thing is you are all safe." Tender Heart assured him.
"The important thing is that we destroy that freak." said a familiar Saiyans voice from the doorway.
Bulma started to get up but Vegeta waved his hand dismissively. "You alright?" Goku asked.
"I'm fine Kakarott." Vegeta answered shortly. But, Goku knew better. He may not be blowing things up in a fit of rage, but it was obvious that his Saiyan rival was not even close to "fine". His son and wife were both attacked and he himself suffered lacerations from some kind of bladed/clawed instrument plus burns where the creatures electric blast hit him.
Knowing Vegeta like he did, Goku was well aware that any damage to his body was greatly overshadowed by the damage to his pride.
To tell the truth, Goku was actually pretty impressed the Prince HADN'T blown something up by now.
"You, bear.." Vegeta said, coming over to Tender Heart, "What sort of power was that?"
"It's not really power, its called a Stare and is projected through our tummy symbols." Tender Heart explained pointing out the heart on his belly. "I guess the easiest way to explain it is its the love and caring in our hearts."
"So its love and emotion, concentrated as a beam of energy?" Bulma asked, receiving an affirmative nod from Tender Heart.
"What absurd nonsense." Vegeta muttered, crossing his arms, "Love and emotion didn't stop Frieza, Cell, or Buu...and it certainly isn't going to stop that thing."
"It just did, remember? Not every battle has to be won with violence." Bulma offered.
Vegeta snorted in irritation, "Is that so? Well then tell me this then; when was the last time any danger to the Earth was defeated WITHOUT violence?"
Looking around, he waited several seconds before giving the group his trademark smirk, "I thought so. That creature isn't gone for good, that I can promise."
Deciding to turn in for the night, the Prince turned to leave but stopped when his wife called his name.
"I'm taking Tender and Brave Heart home tomorrow. I know the answers probably 'no', but would you like to come with us?" Bulma suddenly called out. He turned around with a sarcastic look on his face, "Oh yes. I'd love to waste valuable training time and instead spend it with you on an airborne circus side-show." he replied as he was leaving.
Bulma just sighed, eliciting sympathetic looks from Goku and Chi-Chi.
"Is he always like this?" Brave Heart asked.
"You have no idea.." Bulma replied.
"I know hes hard to get along with, but right now Vegetas suffering, even if he won't admit it. Not in body, but in his pride. Look at it like this: He lost a fight to an enemy he has never seen before hat no one even knows who or what it is. Even worse, it was in front of his own family. He could easily be out there blowing things up in a rage but instead he's trying to control himself. Please try and overlook him." Goku said gently to Bulma, who just nodded.
"Ok so...how are you two getting them home?" Chi-Chi asked in an effort to lighten the mood and change the subject. After talking it over for a while, the group decided that tomorrow morning Bulma would fly the Care Bears back to Care-A-Lot in her Capsule Copter. Goku, always up for new adventures, easily agreed to Bulmas request to accompany her.
The next morning, the blue-haired scientist found out that the shadow wasn't the only unexpected night-time visitor Capsule Corp had gotten.