Chapter 1: Fire
Disclaimer: Dragon Ball Z, and all things from that, are not created by me. If they were, I would be filthy stinking rich! They belong to Funimation, and it's creator, Akira Toriyama. However, the characters I create are mine (Duh). Now, on to the story!
A lone figure stood in the middle of a shrouded forest. Dark trees and plants stretched out in every direction, making it impossible to see more than a few feet away. There was no sign of animal life at all. The whole forest carried a feeling of dread. The man felt as if the trees were watching him, displeased that someone dare enter their forest. Despite this, he pressed on through the forest, as though he were looking for something. Like a way out of it.
This man was really a boy, about eleven or twelve years old. He was very tall for his age, and surprisingly muscular. He had long, raven-colored hair, tied back by a piece of cloth. A few stray hairs over his face remained, which fell over his eyes. Of all the boy's features, it was these, his dark, ebony eyes, which were his most distinguishable feature. These eyes were very special. This was because they showed the eyes of two people, both as different as day and night.
On the one hand, these eyes show those of a true 11-year old child. A boy with a brilliant mind, and a respect toward others. A boy that cherished life, who wouldn't hurt a fly. A boy with a happy family, and great friends. Those eyes showed kindness. Love. Friendship. Hope. Life.
On the other hand, these same eyes show those of a war veteran. A fighter who has witnessed those he had loved die in battle before his young eyes. A fighter who, himself, had been forced to take the lives of others, despite his better judgement. A fighter with a tremendous power, capable to ravage a planet to a wasteland, given the right motivation. Those eyes showed pain. Regret. Guilt. Despair. Death.
These were the eyes of Son Gohan, the Earth's most powerful being.
How did I get here? Gohan thought, as he worked his way through the brush. He already knew where he was. He remembered these woods well. They were not far from where he lived. That wasn't the problem. The problem was why he was here. Gohan certainly had not come here by choice. All he remembered was that he had gone to sleep in his own room, but had woken up here. It was still late, Gohan thought to himself, so with any luck, he could get back home before dawn, before his mother realized he was gone. He hated the way his mother would rant at him.
As Gohan made his way through the forest, he realized that something was wrong. In addition, the farther he went, the more the feeling grew. For one thing, the absence of any kind of animal struck him as odd. Gohan had lived in this area his whole life, and he knew that even at night, the forest was filled with the sound of nocturnal animals. Now, however, there wasn't one indication of animals in, or remotely near the area. No owls, no mice, nothing. Not even the boy's Saiyin sense of sight and hearing could find a trace of a single insect. It made Gohan feel very alone and vulnerable.
The other problem was the heat. Not long after he started walking, Gohan noticed that the temperature had started to rise. By now, Gohan was sweating rivers. The thing which made this temperature strange to Gohan was not just it's sudden rise. It was the fact that to Gohan's knowledge of this region, the temperature was simply not supposed to go this high, even in summer. With these thoughts in mind, he quickened his pace, wanting more than ever to just get out of this forest.
While he was running, Gohan heard a slight popping sound near his feet. He looked to the ground to see a pile of dead leaves. He noticed that the pile began to smoke and glow. "How strange." he thought. Just then, much to his surprise, when he bent down to get a closer look, the pile burst into flames. The sudden shock knocked the boy onto his back. "No way!" Gohan exclaimed, as he climbed to his feet. "Even this extreme heat couldn't cause something to simply combust." However, just as he said this, as if to prove him wrong, another pile of leaves ignited nearby. Then another. And another.
At this point, Gohan's pace increased into an all-out run. His muscles began to howl with pain, begging the boy to stop, but he simply could not. Gohan could not stay in that forest for one more moment. As he ran, around him the tress, plants, and grass all started to ignite. In a matter of moments, the whole forest was aflame. Flames began to lash at Gohan's body, and black smoke began to fill his lungs, and get into his eyes. He started to stumble, but he pressed on anyway. It wasn't long until Gohan emerged into a clearing. Once his vision cleared, the boy observed his surroundings.
The first thing he saw was another boy, facing the tress strait ahead of Gohan. He wore a bright red robe, tied with an orange sash. From within the flaps of the robe, Gohan could see a black jumpsuit, and brown boots. He could also see two gold lumps on his back, coming from a hole in the back of the robe. However, he could not tell what they were. The boy looked slightly older than he did, possibly thirteen or fourteen years old. He wasn't that much taller than himself, but his body was well toned. He seemed to be in a moderate physical state. He had light skin, and very short, jet-black hair. When the boy looked to his side, Gohan saw his dark, hazel eyes. Even from a slight distance, through the smoke of the flames, Gohan could see the features in his eyes. They were kind and gentle, but still, carried a seriousness to them as well. They sort of reminded him of his own.
Just then, Gohan realized that the boy had turned his head to him. For that brief moment, as they locked gazes, the fire and the carnage around them, was forgotten to Gohan. Now that the two had a full view of each other, hazel on ebony, he could see not only his face, but in his heart as well. He could see his emotions radiate from them. He saw a love for life, and a strong will to stand up to others. He saw a staggering guilt, as if he too felt something occurred in his life, which could have been avoided, if not for him. Gohan was in total awe. Oh, my god, he thought, still staring ahead. He.he feels just as I do. At this thought, Gohan realized, he just might have found someone who knew how he felt as well. Someone who could finally understand how he felt. Someone that-
Before another thought was made, a tree trunk behind the boy exploded, bringing Gohan back to reality. He remembered the firestorm ravaging the forest. Gohan shielded his eyes, as flaming pieces of timber shot by. When Gohan looked back to see if the boy was hurt, he saw that he was turned back to the blaze behind him. The boy made a quick glance back to Gohan, and Gohan noticed his eyes were no longer hazel in color. In fact, his eyes had no iris or pupil anymore. They simply glowed a dark crimson. Then, he turned back to the fire, legs spread apart. As he stretched his arms forward, toward the fire, the gold lumps on his back unfurled, and Gohan saw what they were. He gasped.
Wings.
They were two, large wings, connected right below his neck, between the shoulder blades. Both were about twice the boy's arm length. They both were covered with long, golden feathers, each looking as delicate as glass. The boy extended his wings outward, so he showed his full wingspan.
Then, a large flame erupted from the forest, straight at the boy. Gohan ran toward him to try and help, but he hardly went two feet when he stopped. He saw that the mass of fire had stopped; not by any force, Gohan could see. It just seemed to stop. Then, the boy outstretched his palms toward the fire, and it started to change. The flames began to turn into red wisps of smoke or dust. The dust moved towards the boy, and when the dust was exposed to the boy's hands and wings, it vanished. It seemed to disappear once it touched the boy.
"He's absorbing the flames." Gohan realized, watching as more of the red smoke collected in the boy's wings. " Who is this kid?"
With a gentle brush along his neck, Gohan turned around, back to the part of the forest he came from. He saw as the flames from the trees near him- in fact, all the fire destroying the forest- started to turn into smoke as well. The smoke gathered above the clearing, and swirled together into a ball. Then, the ball lowered to the boy, who had turned around again, until it landed right in between the two. The boy walked up to the ball of smoke, and brushed his wing against it. The moment that happened, the ball dispersed, and the smoke was absorbed into the wing. To Gohan, it looked like the wing was absorbing it through pores in his wing.
When that little event was over, Gohan looked around the forest. The only remains of the fire were the burns on the trees, and a little black smoke still coming from the ashes. As Gohan looked toward the boy, he saw the boy with a grin on his face, his eyes back to hazel. He noticed that the boy looked more.refreshed. He also noticed that his wings were glowing, making them brighter.
He used the fire to make energy. Gohan realized. That's.odd.
Gohan's wonder and excitement ended abruptly by a sharp spasm in his chest. He grabbed his chest, and fell to his knees. Though he did not see it, the boy saw Gohan, and was now at his side, not knowing what to do to help. Gohan did not know this, however. All he noticed was the pain. It became so great; tears started to fall from his eyes. Then, Gohan looked down at his chest to try and see if he could see what was causing this pain. The boy did as well. Neither could breathe.
There was a huge bulge, coming outward from the ribcage. It was trying to work its way through his chest.
The moment they saw this, Gohan's vision began to darken. He could not see well. He looked up at the boy, but what he saw, to his surprise, was a look of reassurance, before he too, faded from his vision. Gohan was shrouded in darkness. The only thing he could see was his body, and the bulge coming from his chest. When he saw this again, a voice came from almost all sides. A voice, which he realized, was his own, and spoke only three words.
"Let me free."
The last thing Gohan saw was a bloody hand erupt from his chest.
Disclaimer: Dragon Ball Z, and all things from that, are not created by me. If they were, I would be filthy stinking rich! They belong to Funimation, and it's creator, Akira Toriyama. However, the characters I create are mine (Duh). Now, on to the story!
A lone figure stood in the middle of a shrouded forest. Dark trees and plants stretched out in every direction, making it impossible to see more than a few feet away. There was no sign of animal life at all. The whole forest carried a feeling of dread. The man felt as if the trees were watching him, displeased that someone dare enter their forest. Despite this, he pressed on through the forest, as though he were looking for something. Like a way out of it.
This man was really a boy, about eleven or twelve years old. He was very tall for his age, and surprisingly muscular. He had long, raven-colored hair, tied back by a piece of cloth. A few stray hairs over his face remained, which fell over his eyes. Of all the boy's features, it was these, his dark, ebony eyes, which were his most distinguishable feature. These eyes were very special. This was because they showed the eyes of two people, both as different as day and night.
On the one hand, these eyes show those of a true 11-year old child. A boy with a brilliant mind, and a respect toward others. A boy that cherished life, who wouldn't hurt a fly. A boy with a happy family, and great friends. Those eyes showed kindness. Love. Friendship. Hope. Life.
On the other hand, these same eyes show those of a war veteran. A fighter who has witnessed those he had loved die in battle before his young eyes. A fighter who, himself, had been forced to take the lives of others, despite his better judgement. A fighter with a tremendous power, capable to ravage a planet to a wasteland, given the right motivation. Those eyes showed pain. Regret. Guilt. Despair. Death.
These were the eyes of Son Gohan, the Earth's most powerful being.
How did I get here? Gohan thought, as he worked his way through the brush. He already knew where he was. He remembered these woods well. They were not far from where he lived. That wasn't the problem. The problem was why he was here. Gohan certainly had not come here by choice. All he remembered was that he had gone to sleep in his own room, but had woken up here. It was still late, Gohan thought to himself, so with any luck, he could get back home before dawn, before his mother realized he was gone. He hated the way his mother would rant at him.
As Gohan made his way through the forest, he realized that something was wrong. In addition, the farther he went, the more the feeling grew. For one thing, the absence of any kind of animal struck him as odd. Gohan had lived in this area his whole life, and he knew that even at night, the forest was filled with the sound of nocturnal animals. Now, however, there wasn't one indication of animals in, or remotely near the area. No owls, no mice, nothing. Not even the boy's Saiyin sense of sight and hearing could find a trace of a single insect. It made Gohan feel very alone and vulnerable.
The other problem was the heat. Not long after he started walking, Gohan noticed that the temperature had started to rise. By now, Gohan was sweating rivers. The thing which made this temperature strange to Gohan was not just it's sudden rise. It was the fact that to Gohan's knowledge of this region, the temperature was simply not supposed to go this high, even in summer. With these thoughts in mind, he quickened his pace, wanting more than ever to just get out of this forest.
While he was running, Gohan heard a slight popping sound near his feet. He looked to the ground to see a pile of dead leaves. He noticed that the pile began to smoke and glow. "How strange." he thought. Just then, much to his surprise, when he bent down to get a closer look, the pile burst into flames. The sudden shock knocked the boy onto his back. "No way!" Gohan exclaimed, as he climbed to his feet. "Even this extreme heat couldn't cause something to simply combust." However, just as he said this, as if to prove him wrong, another pile of leaves ignited nearby. Then another. And another.
At this point, Gohan's pace increased into an all-out run. His muscles began to howl with pain, begging the boy to stop, but he simply could not. Gohan could not stay in that forest for one more moment. As he ran, around him the tress, plants, and grass all started to ignite. In a matter of moments, the whole forest was aflame. Flames began to lash at Gohan's body, and black smoke began to fill his lungs, and get into his eyes. He started to stumble, but he pressed on anyway. It wasn't long until Gohan emerged into a clearing. Once his vision cleared, the boy observed his surroundings.
The first thing he saw was another boy, facing the tress strait ahead of Gohan. He wore a bright red robe, tied with an orange sash. From within the flaps of the robe, Gohan could see a black jumpsuit, and brown boots. He could also see two gold lumps on his back, coming from a hole in the back of the robe. However, he could not tell what they were. The boy looked slightly older than he did, possibly thirteen or fourteen years old. He wasn't that much taller than himself, but his body was well toned. He seemed to be in a moderate physical state. He had light skin, and very short, jet-black hair. When the boy looked to his side, Gohan saw his dark, hazel eyes. Even from a slight distance, through the smoke of the flames, Gohan could see the features in his eyes. They were kind and gentle, but still, carried a seriousness to them as well. They sort of reminded him of his own.
Just then, Gohan realized that the boy had turned his head to him. For that brief moment, as they locked gazes, the fire and the carnage around them, was forgotten to Gohan. Now that the two had a full view of each other, hazel on ebony, he could see not only his face, but in his heart as well. He could see his emotions radiate from them. He saw a love for life, and a strong will to stand up to others. He saw a staggering guilt, as if he too felt something occurred in his life, which could have been avoided, if not for him. Gohan was in total awe. Oh, my god, he thought, still staring ahead. He.he feels just as I do. At this thought, Gohan realized, he just might have found someone who knew how he felt as well. Someone who could finally understand how he felt. Someone that-
Before another thought was made, a tree trunk behind the boy exploded, bringing Gohan back to reality. He remembered the firestorm ravaging the forest. Gohan shielded his eyes, as flaming pieces of timber shot by. When Gohan looked back to see if the boy was hurt, he saw that he was turned back to the blaze behind him. The boy made a quick glance back to Gohan, and Gohan noticed his eyes were no longer hazel in color. In fact, his eyes had no iris or pupil anymore. They simply glowed a dark crimson. Then, he turned back to the fire, legs spread apart. As he stretched his arms forward, toward the fire, the gold lumps on his back unfurled, and Gohan saw what they were. He gasped.
Wings.
They were two, large wings, connected right below his neck, between the shoulder blades. Both were about twice the boy's arm length. They both were covered with long, golden feathers, each looking as delicate as glass. The boy extended his wings outward, so he showed his full wingspan.
Then, a large flame erupted from the forest, straight at the boy. Gohan ran toward him to try and help, but he hardly went two feet when he stopped. He saw that the mass of fire had stopped; not by any force, Gohan could see. It just seemed to stop. Then, the boy outstretched his palms toward the fire, and it started to change. The flames began to turn into red wisps of smoke or dust. The dust moved towards the boy, and when the dust was exposed to the boy's hands and wings, it vanished. It seemed to disappear once it touched the boy.
"He's absorbing the flames." Gohan realized, watching as more of the red smoke collected in the boy's wings. " Who is this kid?"
With a gentle brush along his neck, Gohan turned around, back to the part of the forest he came from. He saw as the flames from the trees near him- in fact, all the fire destroying the forest- started to turn into smoke as well. The smoke gathered above the clearing, and swirled together into a ball. Then, the ball lowered to the boy, who had turned around again, until it landed right in between the two. The boy walked up to the ball of smoke, and brushed his wing against it. The moment that happened, the ball dispersed, and the smoke was absorbed into the wing. To Gohan, it looked like the wing was absorbing it through pores in his wing.
When that little event was over, Gohan looked around the forest. The only remains of the fire were the burns on the trees, and a little black smoke still coming from the ashes. As Gohan looked toward the boy, he saw the boy with a grin on his face, his eyes back to hazel. He noticed that the boy looked more.refreshed. He also noticed that his wings were glowing, making them brighter.
He used the fire to make energy. Gohan realized. That's.odd.
Gohan's wonder and excitement ended abruptly by a sharp spasm in his chest. He grabbed his chest, and fell to his knees. Though he did not see it, the boy saw Gohan, and was now at his side, not knowing what to do to help. Gohan did not know this, however. All he noticed was the pain. It became so great; tears started to fall from his eyes. Then, Gohan looked down at his chest to try and see if he could see what was causing this pain. The boy did as well. Neither could breathe.
There was a huge bulge, coming outward from the ribcage. It was trying to work its way through his chest.
The moment they saw this, Gohan's vision began to darken. He could not see well. He looked up at the boy, but what he saw, to his surprise, was a look of reassurance, before he too, faded from his vision. Gohan was shrouded in darkness. The only thing he could see was his body, and the bulge coming from his chest. When he saw this again, a voice came from almost all sides. A voice, which he realized, was his own, and spoke only three words.
"Let me free."
The last thing Gohan saw was a bloody hand erupt from his chest.