Corridor of Time, part I of the Bibidi, Babidi, Buu Chronicles.
BY MARA ROBERTS
Author's Notes and Clarifying Points:
Firstly, I plan on putting any responses to reviews I hopefully get at the end of each update. Keep in mind, however, I may not have time to respond. School can keep a girl pretty busy. (And this is my senior year, too.) Ah well. Life is good despite all that. (Thinks ahead to college and shudders. "I'll have to learn… how to do… laundry!" Breaks into wails.)
There are also many flashbacks in the course of this story. This is to tie the plotline together, and hopefully to entertain. Not all flashbacks are directly related to the plot, but simply fit the mood and story. Some are just funny little anecdotes to amuse my audience. (Panics) I do have an audience, don't I? Is anyone reading this? (Looks around wildly.) Ooh! There you are. (Gives a little wave)
I will have little notes throughout the chapter. They will be marked with an (x) (where 'x' is really a number) and will be answered at the end of the chapter. I am human, so I may mistakenly put explanations at the end of the section instead. Sections are changed when there is a shift in time and/or place, such as flashbacks. I ask here and now to be forgiven for any errors, regardless of type. Please inform me of any grammatical errors – no matter how insignificant, and especially tell me of plot holes.
* * This denotes a shift in place * *
The year (if applicable) will be here.
~ ~ This denotes a flashback ~ ~
Here will be a year or indication of how far back in time it is.
When I get to the fights, most of which take place at the tournament, I merely have the place centered without asterisks or any other symbol. For instance, when I go from the Qualifiers, to the Stands, to the Arena, and so forth they are as follows:
The Arena
The Stands
I do not consider this to be a terribly AU fic. The setting that is used is in the actual series. To me AU means a completely different setting, such as putting the DBZ characters in the American Revolution or having major themes changed. Mine actually fits the mold of the series.
Finally, a warning: (No, I don't mean this is NC-17). However, this fic may contain plenty of spoilers for dragonball and the Majin Buu saga of DBZ. Also, it may be graphic (depending on how much one can handle) in some fights. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I mostly have a weak stomach so I think it's pretty mild except for the opening scene. (That was hard to write in good conscience, but it had to be done). I want to show Gohan as a serious, well-developed character and not as a back up like in the series. Gohan's portrayal in the series was changed mid-way. Gohan was to fill Goku's shoes forever after a certain point, and not bring Goku back. The writer changed his mind, thus making Gohan's character very fickle and flat. It makes no sense to have Gohan rise to the occasion then have him become a weakling again. Worse, he barely does anything. He's a useless weakling. In the Buu saga the audience is all hyped up about seeing Gohan fight and he fails miserably, making things worse than ever.
I want to change that. In my fic Gohan is a much stronger, more capable character.
Side note: About the Buu saga, had anyone out there read 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' yet for school, too? Does the battle between Gotenks and Buu seem reminiscent of Tom and Huck freeing Jim? So much playing around, it drives me mad! Gohan was so much more serious than Gotenks, and he was younger in his first battles as well.
One last thing: I've heard questions and comments regarding Vegeta's hair color before he came to Earth (it was a reddish-brown) and after, and the colors of his clothes and Nappa's had 'changed'. I actually have a very realistic theory about that: the planet he and Nappa were on had a red sun. Didn't anyone else notice the orange and red tint to everything? That planet had a different light spectrum than Earth's, so the colors appear different than in the 'visible' or 'white' light spectrum that we humans enjoy. There were no magic or weird explanations involved.
Oh, I was just wondering… what is the difference between an R-rated story and an NC-17? I've never quite figured it out.
Disclaimer: This is for all the chapters. I do not own Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Gohan, Goku, Bulma, Yamcha, Puar, Oolong, Tien, etc. Other people got rich off of them. All I only is little Miss Mie and the plot line. Don't steal them. If you ask nicely I may lend them to you.
That's enough for now I suppose. On with the story!
Corridor of Time
BY MARA ROBERTS
Prologue Spring, Year of 686A girl stood there, silent. Her shoulder-length brown hair fell was tucked neatly behind her ears, and her deep green eyes sparkled with pride and tears she would not shed. The girl bowed from the waist to a young man, her friend at her side. "It has been an honor, sir. A true honor."
"As it has been mine," the man replied, bowing in kind. His shaggy black hair fell over his brown eyes before he straightened.
"And now we must leave."
The man's head fell as drops of water formed in the corner of his eyes. He blinked them back, and looked at the girl's companion, who remained silent. The boy nodded in complete and perfect understanding of all the things he wanted to say, all the questions that could not be asked. The boy stood, tall and proud, before the man. The young man abruptly stiffened his posture in response, nodding a warriors' acknowledgment. He stepped back and searched the boy's onyx colored eyes one last time before turning and walking away. He had a quest to fulfill, a legend to find.
* * Interlude * *
A man drifted in a sea of stars, in a silent ship roaming amid the heavens. He left a strange planet with even stranger tales, not understanding how he had come to be there, but knowing he was headed for home. Unbeknownst to this traveler, his ship approached a strange cluster of nothingness, around which time and space were warped. Unaware of this distortion, he slept on in drug-induced slumber, his pod noting and correcting its course automatically across the light years. This man had a quest, though he knew it not, to create a legend for which a young man back on Earth was searching for, a search that would last for decades.
* * Earth * *
Fall, Year of 737An old man wandered in a sea of green that made up the wood he hoped to make his home. His black hair had long since faded to gray, and he was sure his brown eyes no longer shone as they once did. The old man was weary, and doubtful. What was he doing, on this fool of a quest? He shook his head and traveled on twixt the trees and traps of the forest when a strange sight beckoned his eye, and his feet, that it might be more closely examined. He gasped in shock and the realization that the legend he never expected to find laid before him. That girl was right, he chuckled to himself. But how, I will never understand.
The old man picked up what would close his quest, to find a proper place to begin the next stage of his mission. At this age, it would be one heck of a task. Unbeknownst to him, excitement lit up in his bright brown eyes at the thought of this new adventure.
He walked away with this legend. The man among the stars had done well, completed his quest, still in ignorance of having ever completed it. Through this legend the two were bound. Neither was aware of this connection, had long since forgotten the other. The man who had once drifted through space, drifted past time, was back in the place where for him the adventure began. For most, it was an ending. For the people of Earth, it was their savior, sanctuary, though most only knew of the latter half. None would know the former till long after the old man was dust.
Who would remember, but Time Itself? Who could know the shifts and turnings of the wheel and essence of Life? Who indeed?
* * * *
Alone, on her perch among the heavens, leaning out over a sea of green, a little girl smiled to herself. Here, she thought with irony, was an ending. But for others, herself among them, it was the beginning of a great adventure. How strange, her lip curled up in a smile. How strange this Realm must be to those who observe it from afar. How strange that the ending of a tale should come before its own beginning.
She stood and turned and walked away, satisfied that the quest had been completed. She bent sideways through the flow and ebb of Time to return to her proper Place in the Universe, as Time had both long ago, and yet in a distant future, decreed her Place to be.
* * Namek * *
Year 761Somewhere on the planet, countless miles across dessert and sea, a fierce battle was being fought. He could sense it, could sense their energies rise and fall, as his own heart dipped and soared, depending on who had the upper hand. And then his heart dropped like a stone down the abyss of sorrow. The power was gone. That one great, shining Ki – his father's life force, was gone. The other one was still there, severely weakened, but pulsing with just as much evil as ever, replete with anger and rage.
"I hate to say it kid, but if Goku's dead we have to get out of here before the planet explodes."
Gohan was startled, not having realized he'd spoken aloud his father's demise. The boy shook his head, sadly. He knew what he had to do. Stepping to the hatchway, he pressed the button, releasing the ramp.
"I'm staying," Gohan said, calmly, firmly.
"Gohan are you crazy? This is suicide!" Bulma hollered at him.
"No way, this is life! Piccolo would understand. Dad would too. Besides, Frieza's got to be hurting after fighting my dad. Maybe I can still beat him!"
And with that, he took off, hurtling into the wind. The planet was dying; he only had two minutes. But would it be enough? No, it wouldn't be. Piccolo and Bulma were still on the ship, and Bulma was loyal. She didn't always show it, but she was, and she wouldn't leave without him. Gohan had gone no more than a few feet when he turned around and headed back to the ship. Bulma sighed with relief.
"So, the wind knocked some sense into ya, huh kid?" Bulma asked. When Gohan walked towards her she started to get nervous.
"Sorry, Bulma, but I don't have a choice. You have to live, and keep Piccolo alive so we can use the dragonballs." With that, Gohan tapped Bulma lightly on the head, sending her into unconsciousness. The ship was already programmed to return to Earth; all he had to do was activate the program. He did so quickly, leaving the ship before the doorway closed.
Twenty seconds. That was all the time he had taken. Amazing what could be done in twenty seconds. Gohan was in the air, flying at breakneck speed when he reached out with his senses. Frieza was still on planet. Gohan heaved a mental sigh of relief. Frieza was far enough away from his ship, and in no hurry to get there, not aware Gohan's presence. Frieza thought he would reach safety in time.
For some unfathomable reason, Gohan glanced down. And saw his father's seemingly lifeless body sprawled out below him, still bleeding. Which meant his heart must still be pumping. Which meant..! Gohan rushed to his father's side and scooped him up, checking for a pulse. He saw a ship close by – it was the Ginyu's ship! No time to program it. He placed his dad gently inside and had it take off, praying his father would land someplace safe and get the medical attention he needed. Gohan had bigger things to worry about right now, like keeping Frieza on planet. He had wasted ten seconds with his father. No, they weren't wasted. His father had a chance to live. Those seconds were precious, though, and Frieza was closer to his own ship, a lot closer. Gohan pushed hard, going faster than before, not bothering to fly around such miniscule obstacles as mountains or cliffs but instead plowing right through them. Frieza was right in front of him, and so was the ship. He didn't have time to reach the monster. So he powered up and leveled a ki blast… right at the ship, causing a massive explosion. No choice. Now he was stuck on planet, but so was Frieza. No choice.
He had Frieza's attention now, oh yes; he'd definitely say that. Problem was, Gohan realized, that Frieza could survive in space, so he had to keep the monster detained.
Without giving Frieza a moment to think, to relax, to plan, Gohan charged at him, bringing all his anger to bear. Kicking and punching in a flurry of repressed emotion coming to the fore. Just keep him busy, not much time left. Frieza was beginning to recover.
Crack! Gohan felt that one all right. Some of his ribs were cracked. Not allowing himself to give into the pain, he stopped in midair and went swinging back. He flew right into Frieza's punch, and then right through it, as he phased out and back in. Frieza turned around, expecting an assault from behind when Gohan delivered a roundhouse punch to his right temple.
Frieza barely felt it, and only because he had been so badly hurt by Goku. Gohan had only kept him occupied this long because of fatigue and shock, but no more. His tail whacked Gohan right in the face, and he plummeted to the ground, sliding in eight feet under. Gohan pulled himself out and climbed unsteadily to his feet, all the while keeping his eye on Frieza, awaiting his next move.
A minute ten, he counted in his head. Great, he thought sarcastically to himself. Frieza took his dear sweet time floating down before the boy in order to gloat. Gohan almost laughed. A minute and five. Five seconds was a long time in battle, especially intense ones like these where warriors could move faster than the eye could follow for most normal beings. He hoped the staring contest would last. Gohan had no desire to end up as a mutilated corpse in Otherworld. It was bad enough he was going to be fried. He chuckled under his breath. At least he'd die with a tan.
It was strange. Gohan knew he should be afraid, and yet somehow he wasn't. He felt as though his whole entire life led up to this very moment. This was where he was supposed to be, doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing. He thought back to his dad's fight with Raditz. His father hadn't been afraid of death either and so Gohan refused to be.
And yet, he had been afraid, in other battles. Perhaps because this time death was a certainty, he had made peace with it. Maybe it was because he had someone to protect, a purpose in his death. He shrugged off the thought. It didn't really matter, he reflected to himself, just so long as Frieza went with him. A fresh surge of anger washed up through him as he recalled the many people Frieza had killed, savagely murdered: Dende, Krillian, his friends. He had failed them, but their deaths would not be in vain.
A minute left. Maybe Frieza had lost track of time. That was good, that was – In a blur, Frieza was on him, punch aimed at his jaw. Gohan went skidding back, feet dug into the ground, spraying up dirt as he backtracked into a mountainside. He created a nice-sized hole. A little dazed, he stumbled out, working his jaw around. He still felt slightly detached; the pain wasn't so immediate. Maybe he was in shock. It didn't matter. So long as Frieza died today, nothing mattered.
Gohan jumped in the air, gaining altitude before diving down and attacking Frieza in a fury. Punch after punch connected with Frieza's head, torso and arms before Gohan levitated himself horizontally and delivered a powerful double-legged kick in the gut.
Frieza tumbled back and flipped once but quickly recovered, as Gohan was enervated (1) from the ferocity of his own attack. Frieza swiped his hand through the air, connecting once more with Gohan's jaw, this time on his left side. Spit flew out of Gohan's split lips and a little blood was mixed with it. Frieza pounded Gohan in the stomach, knocking him around like a beach ball. Before Gohan flew ten meters Frieza would phase out and in behind him, kicking him in another direction.
Fifty-five seconds.
Gohan managed to block a kick with his arm and sent one of his own at Frieza's face, leaving what would be a nasty bruise, if Frieza lived long enough for it to bruise.
They traded blows for five more seconds before Frieza went flying towards land, making a crater several meters wide and somewhat shallow.
Gohan was giving this fight his all. If someone had asked him five minutes ago how long he'd think he'd last against Frieza, he would have replied eight nanoseconds. That had been how long it took Frieza's lethal energy beam to cross the distance between his fingertip and the space where Gohan's head would have occupied if Vegeta hadn't pushed him out of the way.
Forty-eight seconds, the mental clock ticked away. Sudden realization crossed Frieza's features. Shit, Gohan thought. He'd said that out loud.
Without knowing what he was doing, acting on pure reflex, Gohan grabbed Frieza's tail as the monster attempted to pull away and orbit the planet. Miraculously, he held on, and held him back. Gohan shifted his grip to a bear hug, locking Frieza's arms next to his chest, and then pinning the monster's tail between his feet. He struggled and strained against Frieza as the monster attempted to break free, attempted, and failed.
Forty-five seconds.
"If you hold me back, we'll both die, monkey-brat!"
"Then… we'll die!"
Frieza couldn't believe a half-breed could detain him so long. That fight with the brat's father must have weakened him more than he thought. "Look, boy, I can grant you safe passage. Just let me go!"
"No way!" Gohan smiled weakly. "Trade my life for Earth? As if I'd ever sacrifice the people I love just so I could live. Besides, there aren't any functional space ships left, so I'd be stuck here."
Thirty seconds. Frieza growled. Gohan was giving it everything he had; every bit of energy that went into keeping his body functioning was used to keep Frieza from escaping. His body started shutting down from lack of energy, hurting like nothing he ever felt before. Just a little longer. The planet is about to explode; I only need to hold on for 26 more seconds.
Gohan chuckled, "How ironic, you'll die by your own attack, since you're the one who sent this planet its death blow!"
"No chance!" Frieza yelled, twisting his body to kick at Gohan. Because he had put so much effort into holding Frieza at bay, even so small an attack was enough to set him free. Frieza fell back halfway to the planet's surface before regaining his balance. Gohan hovered above him, thinking fast.
He raised his right hand and quickly gathered energy at the tips of his fingers, a huge mass of Ki, everything he had left. When it was about fifteen feet in diameter, he let it fly, right at Frieza.
Frieza dodged, smirking. 18 seconds, the monster thought. Plenty of time to kill him and get out of here.
Then he looked back, in horror. He hadn't been the target; the real target was Namek's core! The explosion would happen prematurely! He glared at Gohan, who smiled back.
"I win," Gohan said with his last breath. The core super-heated and exploded from the immense pressure; Namek fell apart.
Fire licked Gohan's body; flame engulfed his soul. It was fire and ice, all at once. It hurt. It was an instant that lasted forever. The lava from the core reached out, covered him, soaked him, chewed through his skin. Distantly he heard screaming, not his. Good, he thought. He had worried that Frieza would still have time to make it off planet, but he hadn't. He had done it. Frieza was dying, was dead. Gohan passed into welcome oblivion.
(1) enervate – to weaken