1Chapter 10 - Full Circle

(Here it is, ladies and gentlemen…. It's the final chapter in the saga of true love, true friends and one seriously heated rivalry between not two guys but three of them. Koji's a raving lunatic, Yamcha's become more obsessed, and Goku's life may be in jeopardy. But in this final fight, only one of them will walk out of Orange Star High… Alive!)

The school was more than abuzz when everyone heard about how Koji tried to use foul play to take Chi Chi away from Goku. But even more interesting than the use of foul play was the fight that came with that buzz around school. It caught the attention of two old "pals" that have been plotting for a long time… Yamcha and Rene. The reason why they haven't been around school is because the two of them were expelled. Seemed Yamcha tried to take out the principal with Rene's help. "I can't believe we both got kicked out of school. I still wanted my shot at Goku and Vegeta for what they did to me," he whined as he and Rene walked home. "Don't worry, sweety. You will get your chance to fight them soon enough. But it seems Koji Takamura has also the same thing in mind…Revenge against the one person who made our lives a living hell. But it seems Takamura will have to be taken out as well as Goku. No one should be "king" of this school except for you, Yamcha," she reassured him as they walked. A sly smirk came across Yamcha's face as the idea of taking out both Koji and Goku at the same time ran through his head. "Not only will I kill Koji Takamura, but to kill Son Goku will be the sweetest thing in the world. And I'll do it right in front of his little angel," he thought.

Meanwhile, sitting in detention for his actions, Koji was contemplating his plan to get rid of Goku as well. He knew there was someone else who wanted Goku dead, so he also felt that they both should be dealt with. "So there is another who has a bone to pick with Goku, eh? Well then, it seems that I'll have to do away with them both and then I will become the top man in this school with no equal," Koji thought as he sat. If spiking someone's punch weren't low enough for Koji, this plan would put him in the record books. Koji had a brilliant mind for someone who got his butt kicked by Goku, and it pushed him over the edge because he'd never been beaten in a fight. Now that Goku has tarnished that perfect record of his, Koji will stop at nothing to get his revenge on Goku. But for him to fight two opponents would be even more fun for Takamura and he reveled in the thought of such a battle. And it was this thought that awakened something else inside Takamura… in his last fight before Goku, he did kill his opponent without mercy even though the other guy had been beaten. And Koji knew he would have to do it again to not just Goku, but to Yamcha as well. "I will have my revenge on you, Goku. I'm going to bury you once and for all," he spoke since he was the only one in the room, and laughed maniacally. "All I need to do now is arrange a time and place to finish them both off. And once they are out of the way, I will rule Orange Star High with an iron fist!!"

It wasn't until later that day that Goku and his friends were on their way to lunch when he saw two notes sticking from his locker. Chi Chi grabbed them both and read them one by one to see whom they were from. Her facial expression turned to horror as she read each note in turn, and then gave them to Bulma and Vegeta to read. "Goku, I don't think you should do it. Something's not right about the whole thing," she said almost bursting into tears. Bulma read the first note, "It's time to settle this once and for all, punk. Because of you, I got kicked out of school, and I'll never forget the beating you gave me. This will be a fight to the finish, and only one of us will walk out alive. Yamcha." Vegeta began to read the second note as Bulma clutched onto his arm, "You ruined my perfect fighting record, and you will pay for exposing me like you did. I'm challenging you to a death match where winner takes all. If you fail to answer, you'll be labeled as a coward. Koji." Vegeta crushed the note in his hand and looked at Goku with angry yet concerned eyes. "They're both wanting to fight you to the death, Kakarotto. But something is bothering me about this. If they both wanted you dead, wouldn't it be easier for them to team up against you? I think something is up," he said as Bulma looked up at him. Goku nodded as he held Chi Chi who began to sob softly. "I know what you mean, Vegeta. Sounds to me that they both want me out of the picture, but then it will be between them once it's over. You know how I fight, Vegeta. I've never been pushed that far to where I'd have to kill someone before," he said as he looked down at Chi Chi. "But if I have to do it, then I have no other choice. This has to end once and for all. I'm tired of them trying to take away the very things I hold dear."

As he spoke, Chi and the others knew what he meant by that. Koji and Yamcha have both tried to either kidnap or physically hurt his friends. Goku knows that Vegeta is as tough as they come, but having to fight one then the other can be pretty exhausting. And when Bulma came close to being snatched away while Vegeta was gone was too much. Finally what broke Goku was when Koji tried to make Chi like him. It began to push Goku's buttons to a point where his emotions had to be held in check. He lifted Chi's head up to look into her eyes, and spoke to her. "This nightmare of Koji and Yamcha will come to an end, my love. I will come back to you and we can be happy together. I will also be careful too," he said as she stopped sobbing and looked up at him. "Goku, promise me that you'll come back to me safe and sound. Please tell me that you'll come back," she wept. Goku nodded as he kissed Chi Chi's forehead and looked at his friends. He knew it would be easy to fight one on one, but with two opponents it would be a problem.

The days passed and finally Friday had arrived just as the notes said. But Goku wasn't dressed in regular clothes like everyone else. He was in his fighting clothes—a simple orange uniform with a weighted blue undershirt on underneath along with his heavy fighting boots and wristbands. This was going to be an intense fight for him and he knew it. "I've never had to kill anybody in a fight before, and these guys really want me dead because of their bad habits. I don't want to have to do something I'll regret later if I don't have to," he thought as he walked to where the fight would be. What Goku didn't know was that Yamcha and Koji sent each other notes challenging each other as well as Goku. The designated arena where the three would meet was the most unlikely of places—the school's obstacle course. Goku stood waiting for his two opponents with only his courage and his fists, but it didn't take long for the first to arrive. To Goku's surprise, Yamcha showed up with what appeared to be a confident smile on his face. "Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up," he said glaring at Goku, "You arrived just in time to see my surprise. I hope you like it. Rene… bring her out." And when Rene came out, Goku went into a state of shock. She came out with a gurney of sorts with a nearly conscious Chi Chi on it strapped down. Her clothes were ripped in a few places and her body was riddled with scars from a fight. Rene also had a few scars on her face thanks to Chi Chi but with Yamcha's help knocked her out. Goku's anger began to swell inside of him as they wheeled him out. "Yamcha you bastard. What have you done to her?!" he roared at the two of them. Yamcha snickered as Rene wheeled Chi Chi between them. "It's really quite simple, punk. Once I beat you to a bloody pulp, I'm going to have her watch as you die before her very eyes. Then once you're out of the way, I'll take out Takamura as well. It'll be a battle that nobody will stop talking about," he said as he laughed hysterically. Yamcha was wearing a yellow fighting uniform mocking Goku's outfit, but without the weighted clothing because he believed lighter meant better. But his laughter was cut short as a rock smacked Yamcha in the face meaning that Koji had also arrived. He grinned at both of them evilly as his knuckles cracked getting ready to put a serious hurting on both Goku and Yamcha. His outfit was completely dark in color with the exception of a red symbol on its back translated as "Killer". "So, you're both here at last. And I see you've brought an audience with you as well. I was hoping that we'd have a crowd to do this thing," Koji said as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. But Rene and a nearly conscious Chi Chi weren't the only ones in attendance at this fight. Bulma, Vegeta and a few dozen of their classmates show up but well out of sight. "Kakarotto and Chi Chi both will have to be taken out of here when the fight's over. No one is to know what happened to these guys when we go back to school," Vegeta said to the others watching. Bulma knew that if somebody told what happened here and Goku survives, he too would be kicked out of school.

As Chi Chi's vision cleared up, Koji threw a punch at whoever was closest to him…and that happened to be Yamcha. The fight had begun, and it wasn't long before all three fighters were throwing punches and kicks at each other. Koji's punch landed on Yamcha's jaw hard while Yamcha landed a kick to Goku's ribs. When Goku caught himself after receiving such a blow, he managed to grab the back of both Koji's and Yamcha's heads and slammed them together with a head butt that could be felt some distance away. Vegeta just watched the battle go on, as did everyone else who was watching from a distance. Bulma used a two-way radio as Vegeta chose to get Chi Chi out of harm's way. "All right, Vegeta, you know what you have to do. I just hope Chi is all right," Bulma said, as she was worried about her best friend as well as her boyfriend. "Don't worry, Bulma," he said as he got closer to where Rene was, "I'll have Chi Chi back with us safe and sound. Then Kakarotto can fight with the best of his ability without worrying about her safety. Just leave it to me." The closer Vegeta got to his buddy's girlfriend, the more violent the fight got. He could see every punch and kick being dished out by each fighter along with the result it gave out. All three were still standing while covered in battle scars. Yamcha had gotten a black eye and a swollen jaw, Koji had his nose broken with his forehead bleeding, and Goku's ribs felt like they were on fire as his nose was bleeding too. Vegeta thought to himself, "That's the way, Kakarotto. Fight the pain and stand proud as a true warrior. And when this is all over we'll all go somewhere and rest while your wounds heal. You're going through hell right now, and I promise this nightmare will end when you walk away from it." Instead of standing around waiting, Goku charged as Koji and Yamcha just stared at each other. It was too late for Koji as Goku landed a punch to his face so hard that Koji's jaw had become dislocated. Yamcha then launched an attack on Koji as well, landing a kick to the back of Koji's head slamming him into the ground. It appeared that Koji wasn't moving once that kick made contact, which left Yamcha and Goku standing. "Well Goku, it looks like this battle is down to you and me," Yamcha said as he took his stance ready to fight Goku to the death. Goku also took his stance but noticed Koji getting up from that vicious kick to his head. After resetting his jaw, Koji sprung his plan and attacked Yamcha from behind landing an even more sinister punch to Yamcha's back. Yamcha never saw it coming as Koji's fist emerged…from Yamcha's stomach!! Koji had done what he said he would do; he was going to kill his opponents and become the best. Yamcha gasped as he looked down to see Koji's fist coming through his body, and he knew that his fight was indeed over. Koji pulled his hand out of Yamcha's stomach and snapped his neck right in front of Goku with a big grin on his face.

"That's one down and one to go. I told you that I would beat you by any means necessary, and I intend to prove it once and for all. You lack the killer instinct, Goku, which is why I'm going to win this fight," Koji said sounding like a madman possessed. Goku was in pure shock as he saw Yamcha's lifeless body fall before Koji's feet. "I was hoping we could have resolved our differences without fighting, Yamcha. Now I'll never get that chance to do so," Goku said as he paid his respects to a fallen Yamcha. It was then he looked Koji dead in the eyes with a look that could burn through steel. "This ends here, Koji. One of us is going to walk out of here alive. I just wish it didn't have to come to this," Goku says as he clenched his fists ready to fight Takamura. Koji just grinned as he too took his fighting stance as Rene mourned her lover's loss and looked over to Chi Chi realizing she would be suffering as well if Goku were killed. She goes over and releases the straps that held Chi down. "Listen, as much as I hate you, I don't want you to suffer like I did. Now go, get out of here to where it's safe," she said as Chi Chi regained her ground. Chi Chi couldn't believe that her archrival released her, especially since she watched Yamcha die right in front of her eyes. "Rene, what will you do now that Yamcha is gone?" she asked as she began to make her way towards where Vegeta stood. "It's simple, Chi Chi, very simple indeed. I'm going to join Yamcha in the great beyond," Rene said as she produced a dagger. Chi Chi's eyes widened as Rene plunged it into her chest, then fell limp to the ground. By this time, Vegeta had arrived next to a very shocked Chi Chi who was still looking at Rene's body. "Come on, Chi, we have to get out of here before Koji comes after us. Kakarotto will have to handle this on his own," he said as Chi Chi went with him back to where Bulma was. It was then that she saw Goku and Koji collide as their punches connected with each other's faces while they did battle. Chi Chi whispered a few words that hoped he could hear in his own way, "Please come back to me, Goku. I don't want to live without you by my side."

It was then that those very words she spoke managed to find their way to Goku's ears, and he began to fight with a fury he's never felt before. Every time Koji tried an attack, Goku countered with a more effective one. Koji had no idea where Goku got this newfound energy but he was determined to carry out his plan. By this time Chi Chi and Vegeta was back with Bulma and the other onlookers while Goku and Koji fought to the death. It was all Koji wanted… he wanted Goku dead and reign over Orange Star High. But instead, Goku has done what he could never have done in his entire life. Goku had done the impossible… he not only beat Koji Takamura, but he killed him in self-defense. As Koji's body fell to the ground, an exhausted Goku started to limp away from the battlefield. But he was too exhausted to even make it far from the obstacle course as he too collapsed on the ground. Vegeta, Chi and Bulma were the ones who made it to his side, and they all carried him away from the scene. "Is…is it over now?" Goku asked once he was helped up off the ground. Chi Chi took his beaten-up face in her hands and kissed his lips. "You came back to me, Goku, just like you said you would," she said as she held him and cried. Vegeta and Bulma sat with them relieved that this nightmare finally came to an end. "Once we're all out of here, we'll get you cleaned up and patched up so you can heal," Bulma said as she helped Vegeta carry Goku. Everything that happened came to a head, and it ended with one man standing even if he is beaten and broken. But it wasn't his strength and skill that won this fight… it was his love for the woman in his life and the loyalty of his friends that helped him win this fight. Goku was willing to risk it all to save his friends from both Koji and Yamcha, and he was also realized that his love for them was stronger than anything on earth. In the end, Goku proved that he was willing to lose it all, but in exchange for the love of his friends and his sweetheart he triumphed over immeasurable odds. That's what it means to either lose it all, or to continue with the love you earned.