This story is a monster. After posting this, I have another chapter written and am half way through the chapter after that. (shakes head) It's unreal. Anyway, a few things to consider:
1) Goku is sited as 'the first Saiyan to truly achieve the legend' somewhere in the middle of the chapter. Don't panic. I'm not crazy. I have acknowledged that Broly embodies the legend but due to the unnatural nature of his powers, it seems to me that it was inevitable that he would reach this threshold without having to work too hard if you know what I mean. At the same time, his powers mean that he's a bit unstable, nuts. Goku retained the general essence of himself when he transformed and he was the first 'regular Saiyan' to manage it so this is what I mean when I say he's the first Saiyan to achieve the legend. I think 'achieve' is the key word here.
2) Warnings for plottings and other confusions? I hope this is all straight-forwardish to most of you. I realise that a lot of Sensou and Shorai's intentions are hidden, interwoven into badly constructed narrative, whatever you want to call it but for the most part, I hope this is at least comprehensible…unlike this author's note (sweat drop)
3) Spelling, grammar, sentence structure and other garb has been checkerinoed…but I'm pretty sure I've missed some basic things this time due to the constant need to tweak bits of this chapter. Apologies.
And now, the actual story.
9: Compendium
It wasn't just his father.
At first, Sensou favoured using a mannequin of Goku, knowing that it would promote the most effective response from the kid, but in time, the boy started to look for the telltale signs that his father had joined the fray, a flash of an orange gi, wild black hair, the battle cry in his father's familiar voice…
This completely detracted from the aim of Sensou's training, so he started switching out the forms, using more and more mannequins to make Gohan learn control…and to solidify the fear that he could hurt his family unintentionally…
The boy had seen all of his friends die in truly horrific ways, each gruesome end more elaborate than the last. He had accidentally decapitated his new friend Krillin, had incinerated his almost mentor Piccolo in a haze of rage fuelled Ki until there was nothing left but a charred husk. He'd almost driven one of his kicks straight through Yamcha's stomach but had seen him at the last minute and tried to change angle, accidentally slicing clean through his upper body.
They continued to fall one by one, again and again and again by his hands…always by his hands and when the battle was over, Sensou would vanish, leaving the boy to clean away the evidence of his repeated sins, blood tainting the black forest crimson.
Goku and Krillin stood outside the finished space ship, staring at it with judgemental eyes. It had been a good few months since Bulma had started working on the Namekian space craft (a replacement for the Saiyan space pod that the genius technician had accidentally blown up on the first day) and by now it looked almost completely different to the porcupine-like wreck that Capsule Corp had toted to Bulma's lab on the first day. Though it still retained its porcupine spikes, the ship was much larger than it had been before and had been noticeably enhanced. Weak areas in the metal body of the ship had been fortified. The Perspex material that made up the windows had been completely removed and replaced with a thicker substance. Everything had been air locked and tested, the wiring for the entire ship had been re-routed, the electrical programming examined and re-written.
As if on cue, the doorway opened and a spitting mad Bulma, complete in comedy astronaut getup, stormed down the ramp onto the grass, stalking away from her father who was looking most concerned, rubbing his head.
"Oh come on darling," Dr Briefs pleaded, following after Bulma.
"No dad, I really don't see why we would need an ice machine or a Cappuccino maker, this isn't some sort of pleasure cruise."
Goku looked from Dr Briefs to Bulma and then down to Krillin who shook his head. Best not to get involved.
"Just say…okay? Just say that when Goku's done training, he needs an ice cold lemonade to refresh him…okay? Imagine how un-refreshing that drink would be without ice."
Goku watched as Bulma's face tinted red and decided to interject, despite his best friend's warning.
"Uh…sorry to interrupt but…did you install the gravity machine I asked for?"
Bulma turned a scathing glare on him, her teeth clenched together in rage. Used to Chi Chi's spitfire attitude, Goku immediately held his hands up in a sign of surrender.
"Yes we installed your gravity machine you impatient cretin! And you better be grateful because I had to re-write a whole CHUNK of the ship's computer coding to accept the damn thing. If it wasn't for your stupid training equipment, we could have been in space a month ago!"
"Yeah Bulma I know," Goku said, purposefully keeping his expression sheepish. "But I need to keep training, what happens if we run into Vegeta on Namek? He didn't manage to get his hands on the Earth Dragonballs after all."
Bulma's eyes narrowed as she regarded one of her oldest friends but she couldn't really argue with such rational reasoning.
"Hmph," she huffed, by the way of the last word.
"So is this thing ready to take off?" Krillin asked, ambling over to the entrance and peering up into the dark interior of the craft.
"Y-
"Almost," Dr Briefs cut in, ignoring his daughter's fuming at being interrupted. "I just have to install the ice machine and the Cappuccino maker…shouldn't take long once I figure out where to put the darn things…"
Goku simply stared at the technician, his eyes huge.
"You…were…actually being serious about those?"
Dr Briefs bristled, the little cat on his shoulder losing her balance as he squared his shoulders.
"Yes I was being serious! Do you know how taxing space travel can be? What if you wake up one morning and need a steaming Cappuccino to start your day off right, huh?"
"Uh…"
Goku was honestly at a loss. Living in the wilderness as he had for most of his life, he had never given luxury appliances and the like much consideration, though he was better at identifying things than he used to be since Chi Chi had assaulted her way into his life. He glanced up at the glossy Namekian craft and a sense of urgency flared in his gut.
"Dr Briefs, Bulma's right, this isn't a pleasure cruise. We have to get into space as soon as possible so I can try and rescue my son!"
Dr Briefs raised an eyebrow but his eyes darted over to Bulma, his child, who had more or less given up on the whole conversation and was stomping into Capsule Corp to gather her remaining luggage together. He couldn't really delay a rescue mission of such importance for a few luxuries after all.
"Alright then," he said, shuffling forward. "Follow me."
He led Goku over to the entrance, Krillin in tow, and clambered onto the hovering doorway.
"Piccolo," he said, making sure to enunciate the syllables in the correct places.
The doorway lifted up, levitating in the air and taking them into the newly re-furbished space craft. Goku beamed as he felt the sensation of escalation in his stomach. As soon as they were inside, iridescent lights flashed on. Both Goku and Krillin gawped in awe.
Where before the interior had been a moss-filled ruin, now it was shiny, new and comfortable. The main control room had a set of brand new monitors and the controls were labelled in both English and Namekian. There were three launch seats with harnesses and straps and leading off from the back of this control room was a corridor.
"This is the control room, through there's the sleeping quarters and the kitchen at the rear of the craft," Dr Briefs explained, pointing off down the corridor. "Goku, your gravity machine is in the first room on the left. The bathroom is the first door on the right."
"Oh cool," Goku stated enthusiastically, rocking on the balls of his feet. "Will you show me how it works?"
"Sure," Dr Briefs nodded, motioning for Goku to follow him.
"So uh…enhanced gravity training huh…" Krillin muttered as they walked. "Do you think…I should try it too?"
Goku glanced down at his friend.
"I don't see why not, the stronger we both are, the better right?"
Krillin smiled.
"Right."
Dr Briefs led them into a spacious room and Goku could see immediately that it had everything he might need. There were weights anchored in to the walls, dumb bells and various weighted clothing he could swap out when necessary, all colour coded. There was a set of rings in the ceiling he could use to swing from and even a few robots built into their own pods in the sides of the rooms that they could use to practice Ki blasts. The gravity machine took up the centre of the room, a cylindrical, complicated piece of machinery which looked like it had been melted at high temperature so the metal had bubbled and then, as it cooled, the weird shapes had solidified into definition.
"The controls are here," Dr Briefs confirmed, motioning to the control panel. "This machine goes anywhere from 1 to 100 x Earth's gravity but you need to be careful that you don't end up flat like a pancake."
"Gotcha," Goku affirmed while Krillin just nodded.
"You ALSO have to make sure that the doorway is completely sealed before you begin training or it will mess with the gravity for the entire ship and the rest of this beauty hasn't been fortified to withstand it like this room has."
Goku nodded seriously, making a mental note to double check the door before he began training at all times. He'd hate to be responsible for the death of his companions in the depths of space through his own carelessness.
"I think that's just about it," Dr Briefs mumbled, staring at the ceiling of the gravity room. "If you're honestly sure about the ice machine and the Cappuccino maker then you're good to go."
"What right now?" Krillin asked, suddenly very uneasy with prospect of space travel so close.
"Yep, the co-ordinates have already been entered into the control panel. Just have to push the button."
"Oh great, that's perfect!" Goku exclaimed, grinning wide.
"We've already got your essentials in storage. You guys just have to gather anything else you want to take, good luck charms…stuffed toys to help you sleep at night, you know."
"Oh, no we're fine with the essentials," Krillin told Dr Briefs, glancing out of the window idly and double taking when he saw Bulma struggling with a pack that was twice the size of her.
Bulma stopped at the base of the ship and sunk down against the pack. She'd worked up a good sweat hauling that across Capsule Corp's substantial lawn, not exactly a good thing to do when you were stuck in a thick astronaut suit.
"Piccolo," she wheezed, glowering at Goku and Krillin as they hopped off of the descending doorway to help her.
"Yeesh Bulma, what have you got in here? Bricks?" Krillin asked, picking up the pack.
"None of your business," she snapped, taking Goku's offered hand and dusting herself off. "I assume you talked my dad into letting us leave now? Have you guys got everything? Remember, it's not like we can turn around and come backb."
Both Goku and Krillin nodded, feeling a lot like little kids told to watch out for their exit buddies on a school trip.
It took a while to get everything settled, Bulma pulling up graphs and charts and anchoring down her colossal pack while Goku and Krillin made sure they were strapped in and ready. The rumble of the space ship's engines started up beneath them and Goku felt calmer than he had in weeks.
They were finally getting to go into space; he would finally be able to get pro-active in the mission to rescue his son.
Beside him, Krillin was doing everything he could to keep in his lunch.
"Ready?" Bulma asked, not waiting for a response. "Dorigalop craptca."
The monitors on screen blinked and there was a momentary pause where the chaos of the launch was silenced. Krillin could hear his heart beat throbbing in his ears.
'I'm gonna be sick.'
The ship took off in a burst of speed, parting the atmosphere as it shot up into the stratosphere and beyond. Goku could feel the application of G Force to his system but was completely unbothered, used to the harsh pressure of increased gravity he had felt living on King Kai's planet. His eyes sparkled with furious exhilaration as the blue sky slowly disappeared through the window to make room for an endless black, pin-pricked now and then by a blazing star.
"Woohoo!" he cried, launching himself out of his seat as soon as the monitor told him it was safe to press his face against one of the windows.
Krillin hadn't coped with the take off nearly as well as his best friend. He slipped out of his seat into a boneless puddle on the floor where he curled up, clutching at his stomach and sporting a green pallor reminiscent of Piccolo.
"Don't get comfortable down there," Bulma told him, her voice still abrupt as their ascent stabilised and they started to cover some real travelling distance. Unbuckling her harness, she ran a quick scan of the system to make sure there were no anomalies to be seen to.
"Now if you don't mind, I'm going to sleep. I pulled quite a few all nighters working on this little project and I'm exhausted. If you know what's good for you, you won't wake me up until dinner."
Goku turned to watch Bulma go, silently grateful for all the effort she and her father had put in to make this trip possible. He already felt closer to his son than he had in a while and he knew, he just knew that when he slept the night, for the first time since he had been wished back to life, he wouldn't be riddled with nightmares of that recurring memory, the moment when that strange warrior had grabbed his son's tail, causing his son's face to twist in agony.
Bulma's slamming door reverberated through the whole ship making Krillin wince and then breathe out, relaxing muscles that he hadn't even realised had been tense. He rolled his eyes as he stood up and walked over to Goku, contemplating how even Piccolo had never managed to elicit such an intimidated reaction from him.
"I hope she wakes up in a better mood," he said off-handily, blinking as Goku chuckled.
As if on cue, something dropped out of Bulma's enormous moored pack and caught the little monk in the centre of his bald head. Yelping painfully, he rubbed at the throbbing bump and stared at the offending hair brush, noting that a few of Bulma's stray hairs still clung to it.
"Guess I deserved that," he muttered causing Goku to crumple into a laughing heap.
Sensou keyed in his destination on the number panel by the side of the dimension door and waited as the Ki connecting dimensions shifted, lost in thought. As soon as the new dimension had settled into place, he stepped through, entering into what appeared to be a stuffy, high ceilinged library.
It was an interesting dimension as far as these things went, with a distinct lack of definition that made the place feel unfinished. Though he appeared to be inside a very large building, Sensou knew that if he was to find the door to this building, it would open up onto an empty white void, similar to the void that he and Shorai had stepped into when the council had first been called to discuss the fate of Gohan Son not so long ago.
The windows were a mis-matching array of stain glass elaborate pieces of art work and plain transparent frames. Light poured in from an unknown source to pool on the chaotic stacks of written work that littered the floor and shelves of the building. Sensou took a moment to appreciate the general disarray. Though there were shelves with engraved letters in gold leaf, none of the tomes or scrolls had been sorted in this place in over a century, not since the old librarian had gone mad, disappearing into the furthest reaches of the building never to return.
Sensou sighed and closed his eyes, seeking the faint Ki signature of the author of the work he was looking for. No matter who they were, they always left a trace of themselves behind on their own work and Sensou was highly skilled at finding even the barest signature.
Eventually, he found it, tucked away in a corner by one of the stain glass windows, a thin leather bound book hidden beneath two other works of no interest to the warrior god. He picked his way through the disorderly piles, skirting around particularly perilous mountains of badly tessellated books.
As he advanced, he thought hard, remembering the unnerving display of power Gohan had showcased in that first day of training, that weird half ascension to Super Saiyan long before he was strong enough.
Just what had that been about?
He had known that using a mannequin to impersonate the boy's father in the first pivotal battle would evoke a strong response but he had never imagined that the boy's power would jump so dramatically. It was both impressive and worrying in equal measure. Though he knew it was important to push Gohan to reach that level, now was definitely not the time. If the boy ascended too quickly, he could become dangerously ill or lose his mind and there were some things in the lay-lines of fate and destiny that couldn't be changed, events that acted like support beams for existence itself.
The fact that Goku was to become the first Saiyan to truly achieve the legend was one of those things that had to remain untouched. Shorai had made sure that Sensou understood that before he and Ma had even left to collect the boy.
With this in mind, Sensou decided, following Gohan's drastic leap in power, to consult the compendium of Saiyan knowledge found in the forgotten library so he could better understand the signs to watch out for, how to stop the transformation before it changed destiny or killed his super weapon.
He stepped into the light, ignoring the dust particles shimmering on the air, and glanced down at the pile of works he had been heading towards. He frowned, the expression marring his features.
Carefully, he crouched down, staring with analytical eyes at the topmost book, noting that there was a noticeable absence of dust on the surface.
This stack had been recently disturbed.
Sensou let a smug smirk run over his lips as he shifted the books and picked up the tome he was after and sure enough, he could see that the spine had been recently bent, the pages didn't hold the smell of neglect as they did in the other tomes.
'So Shorai's been doing a bit of research as well. This is very interesting,' Sensou thought to himself as he thumbed through the compendium, searching for the necessary passages on Super Saiyan transformations. He paused when he found what he was looking for.
"Lets see…hair changed for a moment…aura shifting between white and gold…no change to eye colour…"
Sensou skim-read the passage, pausing only to concentrate on the story regarding the first ever Super Saiyan, the legend against which all legends were pitted. He smiled to himself, thinking of the astronomical power Gohan had shown in Shorai's vision, ending everything. When he was finished, there would be a new legend overtaking that of even the very first Super Saiyan.
Eventually, he found what he wanted, a detailed breakdown of the transformation to Super Saiyan including all pathways. The compendium denoted a particular faze of transformation called the 'False Super Saiyan' and it matched the description of Gohan's momentary power surge exactly.
Sensou breathed a mental sigh of relief. Though the mechanisms to kick start the transformation had been set in motion, it would be a while before the boy managed to break that particular barrier. He read on, noting with both pleasure and caution that the tail he had decided to let the boy keep would make the transformation smoother, easier to achieve and would enhance the boy's final output substantially.
He paused, sinking back onto one of the stacks, using it as make shift seat.
'Did Gohan have his tail in Shorai's original vision of the end of everything? I don't think he did…does that mean, when we get to that stage, he has the potential to become…even MORE powerful? It's not possible…'
He stayed frozen on the stacks, contemplating the pros and cons of letting the boy keep his tail indefinitely. If he let the child keep it, he could have access to a power beyond imagination…but if he let the boy keep it and Gohan decided to turn on him at any point, he could have a serious nuisance on his hands…
In the end, it was a risk, a gamble and the warrior god decided he would play it by ear. For now, it couldn't do any harm. The boy was still aeons away from matching Sensou's strength so he had plenty of time to right the situation if it turned out letting the boy keep the tail was a mistake. He grunted, satisfied with his decision and snapped the compendium shut.
The boy had reached the false Super Saiyan stage, that was fine. Sensou would just have to be vigilant in preventing the boy from going further, breaking that barrier before his father had managed it. To be honest, he felt like he had worried for nothing. The boy's power had been pushed to the surface because of his exposure to Sensou's new training regime and he had showed nothing of the like since. As the compendium stated, the transformation was usually triggered by a 'need' and as Gohan became familiar with the training pattern, that 'need' lessened.
Running a hand through his hair, he stood and stretched, appreciating the light streaming in through the stain glass window, warming his skin. Replacing the tome where he had found it, he started weaving his way back the way he had come feeling a new sense of invigoration when he thought about Gohan's training and the day ahead.
Krillin was upside down, one hand on the floor, the rest of his body taut as he fought to retain his balance. He could feel his muscles tightening and decided to push his limits, struggling to lift himself up onto his fingers.
His arm ached like hell but he kept pushing it until his whole weight was resting on one index finger. He smiled inwardly.
"Krillin, you moron!"
The door to his room flew open and Krillin lost his balance, tumbling bald head first into the side of his bed where he cracked his ankle against the hard metal frame. Automatically, tears sprung into the corner of his eyes.
"How many times do I have to ask you not to leave your stuff in the control room?"
Bulma stood in the doorway waving a magazine with a questionable picture on the front back and forth. Krillin's face burned crimson.
"Hey, I've been looking for that!" he exclaimed, jumping up and grabbing at the corner, aiming to yank the magazine out of Bulma's grasp before she could start flicking through the contents (of which the images were much less tasteful than the cover art).
"Where did you find it?"
"On top of the atmospheric scanner of all places. Seriously Krillin, if I have to tell you again, I'll make sure that every girlfriend you ever get knows you read filth like this."
Krillin felt the burn in his cheeks drop down into his stomach, forming into a hard ball of dread.
"Oh no Bulma, do you know how hard it is for a guy like me to get a girlfriend in the first place? That's just too harsh, you can't condemn a man like that!"
"Make sure I don't find any more of your junk around, and I won't," Bulma said, satisfied.
Krillin opened his mouth to say something snarky back but a loud boom interrupted them. Turning to glance back along the corridor, Bulma let her eyes lock onto the door to the gravity room.
"Hey Krillin, I thought you and Goku were gonna train together."
Krillin shrugged, pulling on his baseball cap and ambling towards the door, peering out at the gravity room along with Bulma.
"Yeah we might do eventually but Goku's kind of got a bit of an advantage at the moment."
"Oh? How come?" Bulma asked, frowning.
"Well you see, when Goku was dead and training on King Kai's planet, he was actually already training at 10 x Earth's gravity so he's starting now at 20 x Earth's gravity whereas I have to start off in 10 because I've never gravity trained before."
Bulma formed an 'o' with her mouth but said nothing, nodding slightly. The two of them remained staring at the door for a good 5 minutes but neither of them heard any other sound.
"Do you think he's alright in there?" Bulma asked, a sudden horrible image of Goku hurt and unable to call for aid springing to mind.
"Yeah, sure…he's fine…" Krillin said uncertainly, thinking along the same lines as Bulma.
"Are you sure we shouldn't…you know…check?" Bulma asked, shoving Krillin out into the hall.
"Hey, you don't have to push me out like that! It's not like we're fighting any bad guys here," Krillin complained, taking the initiative anyway.
"As a beefed up muscle head, I expect you to be able to handle the gory details if Goku is in trouble," Bulma offered, falling in behind Krillin as they advanced along the corridor.
"Feeling squeamish are we?" Krillin ribbed as they drew level with the door and the bald monk peered through the little window into the gravity room.
What he saw nearly made his jaw drop. The gravity machine was flashing out the number '50' and Goku was in the middle of the room, a look of utmost concentration on his face. He was upside down as Krillin had been but both hands were on the floor. Above him, a heavy weight rested on the dents in his boots. Sweat trickled down his face making him blink as it neared his eyes, every muscle in his body was tense.
"I bet that loud bang we heard was Goku dropping that weight," Krillin guessed, blinking through the little window.
Bulma bristled beside him.
"Hey, he can't just go around dropping weights all willy-nilly. This ship isn't exactly indestructible, even if my dad and I were the ones working on it."
Krillin nodded absent-mindedly, watching as Goku slowly lowered himself down and then pushed up again, all the time keeping the impossibly heavy weight in perfect balance. His eyes moved from the weight on his friend's feet to the expression on his face and the bald monk shook his head.
Goku had seemed to be coping exceptionally well with his son's disappearance, laughing and joking like nothing was different, but that really wasn't the case at all. Krillin recognised the mission in his friend's eyes and estimated that he was in training with the goal of challenging Gohan's kidnappers, should the dragon be able to grant his wish.
Typical Goku really. Instead of falling into a pit of self depreciating depression, he'd picked himself up and decided to do something about the situation, training himself with such ferocity so he would never again be rendered useless when his son's life was on the line. Krillin hadn't seen Goku this into self improvement since Piccolo had last challenged him at the Tenkachi Boudokai, though he obviously couldn't speak for the year spent in Otherworld.
"He looks so intense," Bulma commented quietly beside Krillin, peering through the window. "I forget that Goku has to work hard to be as strong as he is, that it isn't just natural for him."
"He took Gohan's kidnapping hard," Krillin confirmed, turning away from the window.
Bulma let her gaze linger for a moment longer, thinking about the little boy she had met in the mountains so many years ago. Goku had come such a long way since then, changing from that naïve little kid into a pure-hearted adult, still carefree but with an awareness of the world he had lacked before. Having a child of his own had helped to mature him immeasurably and it was obvious to everyone that he loved his son more than anything. In a way, she envied Gohan. Though she loved her own parents with all her heart, Goku really did make the ultimate dad, serious and loving, fun and protective in equal measure.
'You've got a great daddy kiddo and he's coming for you,' Bulma thought to herself as she too turned away from the window, leaving Goku to train undisturbed.
Shorai blanched, feeling a pain like a drilling spike stabbing the back of his skull. He grasped at it, his hands balling into fists in his black hair. Beside him, Tonbo glanced up in concern.
"What's the matter master?" he asked nervously.
Shorai clung to the sound of his pupil's voice and his eyes fell open. Tonbo squeaked when he saw the dull colour, recognising the lightening of the irises for the sign it was. Shorai was trying to keep himself from falling into a vision.
Tonbo had learnt about this in his studies. For the most part, seers were able to slip easily between their visions and reality. Every once in a while, there would be a jar in the process and when that happened, things could get very complicated very quickly. In that instance, there was a fail safe that could be implemented though it drained the seer immensely to try and pull it off.
Shorai's breathing was becoming shallow and rasping. He fell face forward on the dirt gripping violently at his head and the grass around him, tearing up handfuls of greenery. Tonbo knew that the best thing to do was to keep talking, to give his mentor something to fixate on, something to anchor him. If he became confused, caught as he was between lucid dreaming and true awareness, he could get stuck like this.
"Hang in there Master Shorai," the boy encouraged, rubbing the seer's back. "Just focus on my voice, follow it."
Shorai could only comprehend the stabbing pain in the back of his head and the warping vision failing to resolve itself into true definition. Every time he almost got a clear picture, it would jolt and become unfocussed, sometimes scattering into thousands of tiny coloured dots before his eyes. Nausea gripped his stomach making him want to heave but he had no idea where he was in relation to anything and was afraid to vomit without really understanding where he was.
When he heard Tonbo's voice, he attached to it gratefully, following it back into reality until he was left gasping in the grass, his hand slackening on the back of his head as the pain finally relinquished its hold.
"Are…are you alright?" Tonbo asked as Shorai sat up, sweating and shaking.
The seer took a moment to breathe before answering his anxious pupil. He smiled weakly.
"Yeah, I'm alright, just need a moment."
He frowned as he tried to regulate his breathing, ignoring the burning in his gut as his breakfast churned unpleasantly. None of it had really made sense but he'd caught a glimpse of a golden aura, a blonde boy offset against a sky of green.
'There's no way Sensou's managed to push him to that already,' Shorai thought to himself, shuddering at the thought. 'I warned him that Goku's ascension to Super Saiyan was an existential staple. What is he playing at?'
"You know what might be fun?" Shorai asked semi-rhetorically, standing on shaking legs.
Tonbo knew that the seer didn't require an answer but shook his head anyway out of habit.
"A trip to visit Gohan and Sensou," Shorai declared, somewhat pleased when Tonbo's eyes lit up.
The two of them set off immediately, Shorai picking at auspicious strings in the weave of fate to find out where his brother was currently keeping the demi-Saiyan. Tonbo trotted out ahead of Shorai, elated that he would get to see his friend again. Though they had only really gotten to hang out once, Tonbo rarely got to meet anybody his age and Gohan was so likeable, so disarming and friendly.
They stopped outside the dimension gate as Shorai re-set their destination and waited. There was an almost imperceptible movement in the doorway as it shifted locations and the two of them stepped through.
Tonbo's excitement ebbed away. The dimension they had entered was dark with sharp shadows and sinister intent. Moving swiftly behind Shorai as they walked forward, Tonbo swore that he could hear strange sounds on the air, things creeping alongside them hidden expertly in the darkness. He whimpered.
"What a place to bring a child," Shorai muttered solemnly to himself, shaking his head and putting a re-assuring hand on Tonbo's shoulder, squeezing gently.
They started heading over the shallow land towards a thick black forest out on Shorai's right hand side and Tonbo's heart filled with fear and pity. Gohan had been asked to survive this place? The thought of his friend alone in this desolate place made Tonbo's skin break out in goosebumps.
They didn't have to walk too far. Sensou and Gohan were waiting for them, standing on the edge of the forest next to a clump of particularly dark foliage. Shorai noticed immediately that Gohan's natural expression had changed. Though he still smiled and waved at Tonbo when the two approached, he was much more reserved than before and when his eyes lifted up to meet the seer's, there was an emptiness there that hadn't been there before. A lump of regret settled on Shorai's system.
"To what do we owe the pleasure brother? I thought I wouldn't have to see you again until I brought the boy to face Frieza," Sensou hissed, irate that Shorai had dared interrupt his training.
Shorai gave his brother a heated look.
"Training him to surpass the legend are we?" Shorai asked off-handedly, his face betraying the true agitation he felt.
Sensou's eyes widened and he grunted. He hadn't really expected to keep anything from his all-knowing brother, especially not after discovering that Shorai had been doing his own research on the legacy of the Saiyans but he hadn't really expected a confrontation on the matter either.
"Gohan," he snapped, causing the young boy to look at him expectantly. "Go for a walk with my brother's brat. We shall resume training once this discussion is finished so watch for my signal."
Gohan kept his face remarkably dispassionate as he absorbed the command though he was unable to completely mask the delight in his eyes. He motioned for Tonbo to follow him, leading the young seer apprentice out into the lighter areas where he knew his friend would be more comfortable. Shorai smiled in momentary relief, pleased that Gohan was still putting the needs of his companion before his own, showing that he may have been tainted but not yet corrupted.
When he was sure the boys were out of earshot, he turned on his brother.
"I warned you about pushing the boy to Super Saiyan before his time, I specifically told you of the risks, serious risks. What's going on?"
Sensou didn't appreciate his brother's tone but worked to keep his temper in check. Losing his head was only going to make matters more complicated though he was itching to loose his fist on Shorai's stomach as he had during the Saiyan battle. That had been satisfying beyond words.
Sensou shrugged his shoulders, making sure to adjust his body language so he appeared bored, knowing it would annoy Shorai.
"The boy got a bit too emotionally involved with one of the opponents I prepared for him a while ago and accessed a stage in the transformation called 'False Super Saiyan'. He hasn't done it since. Frankly, I'm beginning to suspect that it was a fluke."
The corners of Sensou's lips curled, his eyes flashed dangerously.
"I'm surprised you didn't pick up on this sooner with your abilities brother; that happened at least a couple of months ago now, I'm disappointed."
Shorai's eyebrow twitched in vexation but he didn't rise to the bait. Years of handling Sensou had given him some immunity to his brother's provocation, even if it did still make him feel the same squirming aggravation inside.
"Don't push him Sensou," Shorai warned. "There is no way to rectify things if he breaks the barrier too soon and overrides Goku's ascension."
Sensou murmured his acknowledgement and acceptance of the warning, folding his arms over his chest and glowering hostilely.
"Anything else?"
Shorai took a deep breath. This probably wasn't going to go down well and he was playing on Sensou's home turf, always a bad idea when he was making demands but he pushed on, spurred by the deadness he'd seen lingering in Gohan's eyes.
"Yes, actually, while we're here," Shorai said, trying to appear comfortable in this unholy place.
Sensou's eyebrow quirked and for one wild moment, he was convinced Sensou was going to hit hm again. If he was truly honest, he hadn't properly recovered from the last hit, his stomach still churning unpleasantly at meal times every now and then. He braced himself but pressed on, determined now he'd set things in motion.
"Goku's appearance before schedule in the last fight has messed things up more than I originally thought it would. The hairline fracture in the weave of destiny is spreading out, leaving cracks in its wake and I'm finding it difficult to keep up with them."
Sensou's eyes were piercing, incomprehensible. Shorai licked his lips.
"I think it might be easier for me to keep an eye on the progressing situation if you let me have a couple of sessions with Gohan. Direct contact with a subject always makes things-
He was cut off as the broad side of Sensou's arm slammed into his throat, cutting off his vocal chords. Breath whooshed out of his mouth as he was pushed up against one of the tree trunks choking and spluttering for air.
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to my dear delusional brother." Sensou snapped, his eyes mad with rage, his canines bared ferrally. "You want to spare some of the boy's inherent goodness, make sure my training regime doesn't completely pollute his soul. A follow up for your idiotic mistake during the battle against the Saiyans well I've got news for you…"
He pushed his arm a little deeper into Shorai's throat, keeping his eyes on the seer's purpling face.
"Unless you can assure that preserving his purity would benefit me directly, I have no interest in letting you undo all of my hard work."
He let the seer go, aware that Gohan was watching him with hawk eyes from his position out on the shallow, open lands. As much as he'd like to hurt his brother further, he wouldn't be able to do so whilst keeping the boy's solidifying loyalty in tact. Since his first battle with the war mannequin impersonating his father, the boy had come to terms with the idea that he would have stay longer than he had originally intended with Sensou, at least until the warrior god said he was ready to go home and that was a very big step in the right direction. Instead of setting himself goals, he was wating for Sensou's word and that change in philosophy was a monumental progression.
But there was still that irksome need to protect anyone weaker than him, to work for the greater good that Sensou had so far been unable to eradicate and as much as it pained him to admit, Gohan would still turn against him in a heartbeat if he was to bare down on someone without good enough reason.
It was infuriating being limited the way he was currently by the whims of a child with an over-developed sense of justice. Damn his over zealous father.
"You're…a fool…" Shorai gasped, pushing himself back up and pulling the warrior god's attention back to him. "Here."
The seer held out his hand and Sensou simply stared. He knew what the invitation meant but he had never actually imagined that Shorai would ever be willing to share what he saw with his violent brother. The warrior god gripped the seer's hand greedily, eager to get a glimpse of the fruits of his labour.
There was an instant of unpleasantness and then an image resolved itself, filtering over Sensou's eyes and blocking out reality. It took a moment to adjust to the displacement and he glanced around, trying to discern where he was. He caught the image of the boy out of his peripheral vision and turned to stare at the pint-sized golden warrior staring down the intimidating form of Frieza in his final, transformed state.
The air fizzled and for a moment, Sensou dismissed it as gathering Ki. Then the vision started to waver, making him feel, for lack of a better word, travel sick. He staggered, falling to the ground and shut his eyes tight.
The vision didn't disperse however and he was forced to watch with his eyes closed as Gohan leapt towards the universe's tyrant, golden aura pulsating madly.
The vision exploded, there was no other way to describe it. Sensou made a noise of displeasure as coloured dots started to pop in front of his eyelids, as Ki signatures scrambled before him, as matter exploded around him and was sucked into an unknown vacuum at the same time. It was a horrendous feeling, totally uncontrollable and through it all, there was a stabbing pain at the back of skull, like someone was pushing a spear into his brain.
"That's enough!" he barked, letting go of Shorai's hand and pulling back, relieved when reality re-instated itself in front of his eyes. He blinked, appreciating the darkness behind his eyelids.
"Now do you see what I mean?" Shorai asked, still rubbing at his throat. "The future is starting to fragment Sensou, I must be able to keep an eye on it. This is bigger than the need to preserve the boy's innocence…though I'm loathe to admit it."
Sensou regarded his brother, unnerved by the spectacle he had just been shown. Rubbing at the back of his still aching head, he thought about it, knowing he didn't really have a choice.
"How often will you need to see the boy?"
"Once a month should suffice," Shorai confirmed, exhausted but contented with his small victory.
Sensou grumbled something Shorai didn't quite catch but he paid it no heed. Now that his business with the warrior god was done for now, he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. He pivoted on one foot to glance out at the two boys who had resumed their games once they'd confirmed that Shorai was okay. Stray chuckles escaped every now and then as Gohan tried to teach Tonbo to fly.
"Tonbo, it's time we started for home," Shorai called, waving his pupil over.
He watched as Tonbo waved to show that he'd heard and smiled inwardly. While it was true he needed to see Gohan for the reasons outlined in his arguments to Sensou, he was still pleased that the boy would get to spend some time out of this nightmarish dimension. The boy was headed down a dark road with a guide that cared only for his own twisted gains and Shorai was determined to provide some light in the darkness.
Even if it was at his own risk.
Oh God…I've read this so many times I'm actually starting to get plot-ache (message me if you want to know what that is).
Will Gohan defy expectations and break through to Super Saiyan? Will Goku get strong enough to protect his son when the time comes? Will Krillin listen to Bulma and stop leaving his personal effects all over the space ship?
FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON…Once Upon a Time!
I think Rumplestiltskin is gonna pwn them all (nods) He has a hidden agenda with this curse business, I just know it!
Reviews are like Victoria Sponges, DELICIOUS…and full of jam…