A/N (8/21/2015): Chapter 12 has been updated due to a minor inconsistency. Also, please bear with me if it takes a little longer than normal to write past chapter 16. If I continue following my outline as I intend to, then by that point the chapters may end up becoming a bit lengthier and more directly connected to the main story arc. (In other words, poop's going to hit the fan in the story reeeaaallllyyy soon and I don't want to screw it up by rushing to put out something, I want to make sure you all have the best quality content I can provide.) I appreciate your patience!
Also, I just wanted to thank everyone who has been keeping up with my story and providing me honest opinions and comments. Without your interest and awesome feedback, this fanfic would've been nothing more than a one-shot. So, thank you for your continued support, and thank you for helping me to make 'Scorned' what it is today... it really means a lot.
As Raditz passed through the doorway of the Room of Shadows, he steeled himself to what awaited him in the frightening darkness that made up the void. In the stream of light emanating from outside the open door, Raditz watched the gentle wafting of the heavy grey fog that coated the thick stone floor as it ominously rolled across the room. As Dende closed the doorway behind him, Raditz was trapped in the vast expanse of what seemed like eternal blackness; the echoing of the door's heavy clang reverberated all around him as it sealed. The Saiyan rubbed his eyes, hoping to hasten the time it took them to adjust to the new setting, but his vision remained obscured by the darkness. Frowning, Raditz grew irritated from the situation and began cursing under his breath as he held his hand aloft. Summoning his ki into his palm, Raditz used the bright yellow aura as a sort of makeshift torch. The light from the energy lit the area around the Saiyan, but only barely.
Raditz raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the apparent thickness of the darkness surrounding him. He knew the thought was insane, but it felt as if the black was weighing down on his chest more and more as he pressed forward. He put aside the thought and continued on, hoping to find the end of the room so that he could accurately map out the strange location. Soon, he felt the same heaviness on his eyelids with his every breath as he pushed further and further inwards. As his ki evaporated back into his body, Raditz felt as if the dark were somehow spinning around him. Soon rings of bright colors began apperating in front of the drowsy warrior, rotating in such a manner that he felt evenenvelop groggier as he followed them towards destinations unknown.
"Oh…shit…" he slurred as he felt his legs give way.
Raditz looked up, dazed and confused, watching the incandescent rings envelope him as he slowly drifted out of consciousness and into an impenetrable slumber.
Android 17 leaned against the wall with his arms crossed as he looked worriedly at the door. Despite his inability to sense power levels, he felt as if Raditz were in some sort of trouble. He turned his attention to Dende, who smiled upon meeting his gaze. Somehow, he heard the God's comforting thoughts in his head, causing him to relax slightly, but only just. Dende then turned to Piccolo, who nodded to him. 17 tilted his head curiously at the action. Was telekinesis a trait of Namekians? Dr. Gero had uploaded a limited number of files on the alien race, most of which were more than likely incorrect, but 17 felt as if it were a distinct possibility. Then again, Piccolo had merged with the previous God just before their own battle; did the previous abilities of the old guardian pass along to Piccolo? 17 furrowed his brow, confused as to which was more likely. He almost giggled at the absurdity of the thought. He, a cyborg, was wondering the telekinetic abilities of an alien race versus that of a god. Were he anywhere else with such ideas, he'd either be in a rubber room, or work for the History Channel…maybe both.
Dende twitched his prominent antenna as he closed his eyes. "Raditz is asleep now, let us enter," the guardian announced mysteriously.
17 and Piccolo followed him through the doorway as Popo slowly closed the door behind them. An aura of bright white light encompassed Dende as he guided them through the room to Raditz, whose body dangled limply in mid-air, encompassed by several energy rings which orbited around his axis, their bright colors shifting every few seconds to another brilliant hue as they circled Raditz's body.
"Is he OK?" 17 asked, his stomach turning at the sight.
"He's fine, just in a deep sleep," Dende replied knowingly as they reached the slumbering Saiyan.
Piccolo looked over to 17, whose cobalt eyes were still locked onto his trapped friend as he allowed himself to smirk. He found the cyborg's friendship with the annoying Saiyan strangely heartening. At times, it almost seemed parallel to his own relationship with Gohan in a weird way.
With outstretched arms, Dende closed his palms, causing Raditz's body to slowly rotate until he hung horizontally and begin to lower until he hovered only a few inches above the fog which covered the floor. Dende gently slid his clawed fingertips along on Raditz's temples, causing red sparks to begin concentrating along the sides of the Saiyan's head from his nails. Dende closed his eyes as if in some sort of trance as he continued moving downwards until he reached Raditz's armored chest and halted his advance. The sparks continued to intensify as they traced along the indents of his face and the grooves of the armor until finally concentrating between Dende's hands before manifesting fully into a small mass of intensely bright swirling matter.
17's mouth hung agape as he gazed at the smoke-like substance. The sight reminded him of his brief stint at the check-in station in Otherworld. He'd seen by similar forms as they marched in line towards their eternal judgement at the hands of King Yemma, but this one was somehow different; it felt alive, vivacious. Unlike the muted semi-transparent 'clouds' in Otherworld, this one beamed with a light-red hue, so brilliant it lit the area with its energy alone.
"That's—that's his soul?" 17 asked, not taking his eyes off of the spectral sight.
Piccolo nodded. "The Room of Shadows is a lot like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber; right now we're standing in a completely different dimension. Here it's easier to manifest one's spirit outside the body than it would be in our normal dimension, also, significantly less dangerous."
17's eye twitched uncomfortably as Dende manipulated Raditz's soul, causing it to expand twice its original size as he peered deeply into the mass. "I just figured it would have been a more introspective look like with Korin, not quite so literal…"
"In order to reveal scars suffered by the spirit, it's necessary. Whenever a supernatural force 'touches' the mind or body, like the dragon balls for instance, our souls are forever scarred by the experience. While it's not anything that will negatively affect us, it enables those with the skill to manipulate such energy to uncover the source of such scars."
"Huh."
Dende gasped as he discovered the blemish on Raditz's soul; it was a long black scar hid underneath the center mass, as if etched there with a blade wielded by one with cruel intent.
"This is it!" Dende exclaimed as he closely examined the scar.
"Well?" 17 snapped, growing weary of the suspense.
"It appears demonic in origin...whatever made this mark was very skilled, as well as cruel," Dende spoke aloud, more to himself than anyone else as he closely examined the jagged blackness of the tear.
"So Raditz wasn't exaggerating about the nightmares then," 17 said as he turned to Piccolo.
"This does present a problem though," Piccolo replied.
"Such as?"
"Whether he's being tormented or not, Raditz was brought back by demons. We have to fully investigate his mind if we're to rule out that he's acting under their influence. If he is, it could endanger us all and we'll have to deal with him while we have the chance."
"What?!" 17 growled, growing defensive.
"Look, I know you've become close to Raditz, but you've got to see this for how it is. Even the Kais know extremely little about the Makaio race…all we know from the glimpses we've seen of demons is that they're dangerous, and apparently more powerful than we realized if they have the ability to resurrect the dead without the aid of dragon balls."
17 scoffed as he turned away from the Namekians. He knew they were right, if Raditz was a threat to the people of Earth then he should be killed, but it still felt wrong to him. The cyborg himself had been such a threat once, it was only fitting that he should sympathize with Raditz's position. He was sure Piccolo understood that as well, after all, he'd been the one trying to kill him.
"Whatever," 17 muttered.
"Go ahead, Dende, have a look."
Dende looked to Piccolo and nodded before turning his attention back to Raditz's soul. In the midst of the circling aura the Saiyan's inner turmoil became increasingly clear as they watched Raditz's last nightmare unfold. Dende swallowed hard as he was hit with the full impact of the warrior's grief upon killing Goku, but the intensity continued growing exponentially as Raditz was suddenly surrounded by the corpses of those he cared for. However, the previous feelings were nothing compared to witnessing Android 17's lifeless body.
An air of sadness overtook the room as they watched the Saiyan barely contain his despair as he reached for 17's hand; his trembling voice cracking as he quietly whispered, "No…not you too…" 17 felt the stinging of tears as the words echoed deep within him, the emotion behind them. He looked to Piccolo, whose face bore a similar expression. They watched the rest of the scene play out as Raditz found himself brutally slaughtered by the demon. Following the conclusion of the dream, Dende clapped his hands together, causing Raditz's soul to dissipate back into his body. The rings began to slowly fade as Raditz fell to the floor, still unconscious. Dende turned to Piccolo and 17, his cheeks streaked as he exhaled sharply in an attempt to regain his composure.
"By manifesting the soul and accessing these memories, Dende feels every emotion felt by Raditz, doesn't he?" 17 asked as the Namekian wiped his cheeks.
Piccolo nodded as he crossed his arms. "With the same intensity as well."
Dende smiled sadly as he rubbed his hands together. "While the demonic force is certainly powerful, it appears Raditz's stubbornness is even more so. While he definitely seeks to become as strong as Goku and Vegeta, if not stronger, it's more out of a deep-seeded longing to be seen as an equal rather than a desire to kill them. The Saiyan is lost; a warrior without a cause, but he's trying to find answers, both within himself, as well as around him. While he may be a little rough around the edges, Raditz seeks no quarrel with Earth or its people."
Piccolo sighed. "That's all well and good, but can the demon return him to his less 'loving' state?"
"We can't know for sure, all I can say is that right now, Raditz is innocent. I can't allow you to harm him."
Piccolo frowned deeply. "You do realize that he's a ticking time-bomb, right?"
Dende grimaced. "I know better than you how he is, and what he isn't is a threat, at least not at the present. I'm going to allow him to remain here and train if he so wishes. Should this demonic force find a way to infiltrate our dimension, we'll need all the help we can get; he could prove invaluable."
"And if he's the vessel for such an attack?"
Dende looked back at the unconscious Saiyan and frowned. "Then it would be Goku's responsibility to kill him…not ours."
17 knelt beside Raditz and smirked. "Look at you, impressing God. Who would've thought?"
Lifting the tall Saiyan over his shoulder, 17 couldn't help but sigh in relief as he carried him to the exit just behind the others. Had there been an obvious corruption in Raditz's soul, he wouldn't have made it out of that room alive. The very thought caused 17 to sneer. He didn't know who the demon was, but if he had the chance, he'd gut the bastard for attempting to turn Raditz back to his old ways. It reminded 17 too much of the programing forced into him by Gero…and it caused his body's physical augmentations to ache with hatred.