Times of Uprisings

A broken gasp escaped his lips as he sat up in bed abruptly. He panted raggedly, his sweat coating his torso and forehead. The images that plagued his dreams burn his mind, keeping him from forgetting what he is now meant to do. There was no escaping what was going to come, just like the last time.

Bardock sighed heavily, his head lolling forward so his chin rested on his chest. He glanced to the side, grateful someone was getting a good night's sleep. Carefully, he slipped out of the bed and made his way out of the house.

It was late, or early, as some people would say. The night sky was not as dark as it was before he went to sleep. A part of him wished he looked at a clock before walking outside. At least then he could curse the visions for ruining a good night's sleep; one he hadn't gotten in months, maybe even a year.

A hand unconsciously went to the scar on his chest. It had been two years since the defeat of Kid Buuly. Two years since peace came back and hopefully for good. Life was better for everyone now.

Krillin got him a job at the police department in Orange City. Trunks and Minako had another daughter; Bulma Leigh Briefs. Goku's farming business was booming. Hercule got a load of prize money from the tournament which he gave to the martial arts school Pan was teaching at. Capsule Corp. was still thriving. Gohan had finally taken Bulma's job offer to work there, which Chi-Chi was grateful for.

But in those two years of peace, Bardock's mental state hit a wall he couldn't climb over, making him face whatever demons he thought he defeated. Dreams of Kid Buuly and his ruthlessness plagued him, taunted him on a daily basis since the defeat.

He didn't tell anyone about it, deciding to keep it to himself so as to not ruin anyone's good life with his problems. The voice in his head, which Old Kai later told him was his previous incarnation Bardock, saw no fault in his plan. Being a warrior of Planet Vegeta meant seeing things that would later haunt you for an eternity, but if you couldn't power through it, you were weak and your enemies would take advantage of you easily.

The belief was one Bardock didn't believe in, much to Bardock's ire, but he knew that he had to deal with this alone. He placed many burdens on his friends and family with the whole Buu debacle, he wasn't going to put his stress on them as well.

This new vision, however, needed to be shared to the others. There was no way he could deal with this by himself no matter how much he wanted to.

A shirt hitting his head brought him out of his reverie. His tail reached up and removed it as his eyes met his sister's. Realization set in as he took the shirt from his furry appendage and tugged it on. Ever since his brush with death after Kid Buuly blasted him in the chest, many were reminded of the horrible day every time they saw his scar, whether on his chest or back.

At the sight of it, Goku grew somber, Trunks held back his tears, Gohan almost curled in on himself, Vegeta stared at it solemnly, Chi-Chi hugged him tightly, Bulma gave him a kiss on his forehead along with a hug, Pan forced herself not to look, and Videl almost always broke down in tears.

The others weren't so bad. Tekka politely averted his eyes whenever it was in his line of sight, Gine slowly got over the tears that would come over her, and the rest of the Z Fighters simply gave him a look that communicated their pride in him.

It didn't give Bardock visions like the one on the back of his neck did, it didn't mar his face like the one on his cheek did, but it held the worst memory of all. To him and to others, it was something they would never get over.

"Sorry," Bardock mumbled.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Pan stated as she stood next to him. "Can't sleep?"

Bardock's hand twitched; the urge to touch his scar, chest or neck, prominent. He resisted, knowing Pan would figure out what was on his mind if he did. He didn't want to worry her just yet.

Instead, he shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest, "I just had a nightmare, that's all."

"I'm surprised Gine slept through it."

"She's been tired these past few weeks," Bardock responded with a shrug. "I think she's sick. She hasn't been feeling well and she told me she's been nauseous for a while."

Pan frowned sympathetically, "I hope she feels better."

"Me too," Bardock nodded. "How's Tekka?"

The frown quickly turned into a smile at the mere mention of her boyfriend. "Of course he's well. When is ever not?"

Bardock chuckled, "I'm glad." He gazed down at the floor, gently kicking the pebbles that were near his toes. He swallowed dryly, taking the plunge into discussion that he so desperately wanted to avoid, "I think we need to go to the past again."

Pan whipped her head around, gazing at him with wide eyes, "You're kidding."

"I wish I was," He whispered, his heart heavy in his chest. "I don't want to leave again. I told you and Mom and Dad that last time was just that; the last time. But I had a vision of something big attacking the other timeline and I don't think they'll be able to defeat it by themselves."

"Well, you know me," Pan started, a small smile on her lips. "I'm not gonna pass up a chance to follow you. It's still not fair that you get to do way more stuff than me whenever we fight bad guys."

Bardock shook his head with slight amusement, "It's a curse, sister of mine; one that I won't ever pass onto you." A hint of sorrow edged onto his smile. "No matter what, I don't think I would put this on anyone else. I'm conflicted on how I'm supposed to feel about this."

Pan gazed at her brother sadly. She then moved her eyes to the sky and sighed, shaking her head as well, "It's way too early for these types of talks." She patted his shoulder as she walked back into the house. "Let's get some sleep before we call this family meeting, okay?"

"Good idea," Bardock yawned, the exhaustion finally creeping up on him. He glanced at the brightening sky, feeling his heart lift with the sun.

No matter what happened, maybe everything would be okay in the end.