Note: Oh, joy - I loooooovvvvveeeee ret-conning. Having to go back and fix every little fricking detail is a pain, and I'm sure that I missed a few somewhere along the way. But now, at last, all hell gets to break loose! Whee!
The lyrics for this chapter are from the way cool Disturbed song "Meaning of Life."
And the Greatest of These
Chapter Twenty-Four
The confrontation they'd all feared came the next morning when the Z Warriors awoke to Kurenai's shriek of disbelief and found that somehow, during the night, the last Dragonball had disappeared.
In a flash, all of them were searching Master Roshi's little house from top to bottom, even getting out Bulma's radar, but as had happened with the other six, the seventh ball was now gone completely.
"It was here!" Kurenai cried in dismay. "I know it was here, I fell asleep holding the damned thing! Then just as I was waking up, it vanished out of my hand!"
"But how could anyone have gotten in and out of the house without us knowing?" Goku was completely confused.
"And how could he have stolen it out of her hand if she was sleeping between Piccolo and Tien? Surely ONE of them would have heard or sensed something!" Gohan added.
"Would you think for a minute? He couldn't have been here," Piccolo said suddenly, and the others turned to look. "If he had, he wouldn't have just found the Dragonball, he would also have found Kurenai. Somehow he figured out that we had the last one, and he'd have to be a total fool to try and get it from us directly. With six of the seven Dragonballs already in his possession, he must have been able to target its exact location and summon it, rather than just randomly searching for it."
"None of that matters now," Vegeta's voice cut across everyone else's nervous chatter. "He now has all seven Dragonballs and soon Kurenai will be at his mercy."
Bulma went pale with horror. "No! No, there has to be something, ANYTHING that we can do to stop him!"
Goku shook his head. "Now it's a waiting game." He turned to Piccolo gravely. "Piccolo, I need you to ask Kami something for me. If this guy summons the Dragon and wishes that Kurenai be brought to his exact location, would only Kurenai be transported there, or would anyone connected to her go as well?"
"You mean like with your Instant Transmission?" Piccolo asked, and Goku nodded.
That's a good question, Goku, came Kami's voice inside their minds. Quite honestly, it all depends on how he phrases his wish. He knows that Kurenai has some powerful allies, so he might wish that she be transported ALONE to that site, on the off chance that anyone might have the same idea as yours.
"Damn," Piccolo cursed.
Suddenly the Z Warriors felt a tingle of energy in their minds.
Goku immediately looked at Piccolo, who was pale and striding toward the front door. "Piccolo? What is it, what's wrong?"
The Namek threw open the door, stepped out onto the shore, and stared up at the sky. "It's too late…" he said in despair.
"What are you talking about?" Vegeta snapped as he stood in the doorway.
"He's released Shenron," Piccolo whispered.
One by one, the Z Warriors and Kurenai came outside, driven by a sense of foreboding. As one, they turned and looked toward the west, focusing their ki senses. ChiChi, Bulma, Master Roshi, Oolong, and Puar all stood anxiously near the window.
"There's a really strong power over there," Yamcha said, concentrating with difficulty. "It's not anyone we know, or anyone we've fought with. I don't know who it is…"
"It feels evil," Gohan said. "Like whoever it is wants unlimited power."
Kurenai came to stand beside Piccolo, and slipped her small hand into his.
"It's him, isn't it." Her voice was flat, her face neutral as she stared into the distance.
"Yes. It's him."
"But Dad, we can't just let him take her!" Gohan protested.
"We can't stop him, Gohan. If he wishes for Kurenai to be brought before him, then Shenron will bring her there."
"YOU were able to resist it, though! Remember? Right after Namek exploded and you escaped to wherever you crash-landed!" Gohan was desperate to find a way to help his friend.
Goku shook his head. "The only reason Shenron didn't transport me to Earth was because I knew that Frieza was still alive, and I needed the Yardrats' help to train. It took a great deal of will to resist a Dragon, so much that it delayed my healing by over two months."
Kurenai looked at Goku, standing nearby at the water's edge. "But it can be done?" The Saiyan nodded.
"It looks like that's my only choice left," she sighed and let go of Piccolo's hand to clench her fists at her sides.
I know I can do this... I know that there is something within me, a power I've only just begun to understand. And I can't let him take me... I won't!
She imagined chains connecting her to the ground beneath her, saw herself as unmovable, as fixed and solid as a mountain. As the Z Warriors watched, she stretched tendrils of her energy into the earth to anchor herself to one place.
But no sooner had she begun to bind herself to the ground than Shenron's voice boomed from all around them.
"The one called Kurenai, you are summoned."
She could feel the Dragon's energy trying to grab hold of her, but she dug in her heels, yelling aloud, and refused to budge. Fire shot through her veins, and she nearly screamed in pain. "No," she gasped, sending more strands of energy from her into the earth. "I will not go."
"You must," Shenron insisted darkly. "You have no choice." The burning intensified, twisting and aching inside of her, pulling at her soul.
She bit her lip so hard that it bled. "I… said… no!" Goku and Vegeta moved to stand behind her, each resting a hand on her shoulder, lending her their Saiyan strength.
Kurenai winced at the heaviness weighing on her body and spirit, but she knew it was the only way to keep Shenron from teleporting her away. She nearly crumpled to the ground from the agony searing her soul as the Dragon redoubled his effort to grant the wish. I must focus… I must find the strength to resist… Please… if there is a great energy within me, let me remain where I am… do not let him take me…
Suddenly incandescent blue flames surrounded her body, and her voice rose in an unearthly and defiant roar. "YOU HAVE NO DOMINION OVER ME, SHENRON!" she howled. "AND… I… WILL… NOT… GO!"
Then she abruptly felt Shenron lift his focus from her, and she withdrew her energy back into herself, falling to her knees and sobbing in relief.
"Is… is he gone?" Krillin asked, hurrying over to Kurenai, who was gasping in deep breaths of sea air.
"I... don't know. I felt his attention move away from me, but I don't know why."
"It's only a matter of time, though, before he comes up with another wish," Piccolo growled. "And when he does, it might not be one that Kurenai can resist."
"This just isn't fair!" Yamcha yelled. "There has to be some way we can stop him from making his wish! If he succeeds, then it'll be a whole year before we can use the Dragonballs again!"
Kurenai clenched her fists once more. She knew, as they did, that in a year's time, they would be fighting the Androids, and the last thing in the world that she wanted was for the Dragonballs to be inert if and when they were needed. No... we need that wish...
Suddenly Kurenai's head came up.
"OH OF COURSE!" she shouted as she leapt to her feet and whirled to face Goku.
"We have to leave RIGHT NOW! All the fighters and me! LET'S GO!"
"What are you talking about?" Vegeta asked her, but she waved away the question as she stared at Goku.
"We don't even know where he is, Kurenai! We can't go anywhere!" he protestsed.
"You have to know who you're looking for to use your Instant Transmission, right?"
The Saiyan nodded, not sure what she was getting at.
Her eyes never left Goku's. "Can you use your Instant Transmission if you focus on the Dragon Shenron?"
"What?" he stammered.
"Please, Goku, we have to go to him. Trust me."
As much as he hated the idea of endangering her like this, he did trust her. He held out one hand to her, and raised the other to his forehead as he began to focus on the Dragon's energy.
"Damn it, this is going to get ugly!" Piccolo cursed as he stood beside Goku. Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien were quick to follow, and Gohan came soon after them, over the loud protests of ChiChi.
"Take care of Mom, Master Roshi!" Gohan called as they vanished. "We'll be back soon!"
▲▼▲
One moment they stood in front of Kame House, the next they were on another large island over a hundred miles to the west.
On the ground before them lay the seven Dragonballs, with Shenron spiraling up from them in all his green and gold magnificence.
A stranger stood in front of the Dragonballs, completely oblivious to the eight figures that appeared nearby. He looked human, and he was tall, almost as tall as Piccolo, with cropped black hair and dusky skin. Built like a fighter, he wore a black gi with a symbol on the front and back.
That symbol... Goku thought. I've seen it before... but where? Then he remembered the folder he had taken from the lab after rescuing Kurenai from the scientists.
The symbol Omega.
Standing behind Goku, Kurenai stared at the stranger.
A voice echoed in her head.
'I've never seen anything like it. Her energy reserves are almost unfathomable. No matter how I drain her, I can't seem to hold on to it.'
"Goku!" she whispered hoarsely. "I… know him. He… he was there… in the lab."
"What?" he whispered back in disbelief. "He couldn't have been, Vegeta killed everyone there!"
"He left before you found me and rescued me, but I swear to you, I know him. That's the man who was hunting me."
And another door in her memory opened, another glimpse of a past that she had long since forgotten...
"In a thousand years," she whispered aloud, speaking words she barely understood herself, "the worst threat of all, a wizard and warrior who brings death and destruction for his own ends...The secret of creation will be at risk... The wizard will undo time and space if he succeeds..."
"What did you just say?" Goku said in shock, turning to her.
This... this is why I've been kept alive so long... to stop him.
"So what do we do now?" Vegeta hissed at her. "Should we attack him?"
"Not with the Dragon summoned, he could wish for anything to stop us."
The Z Warriors paused, staring up into the sky where Shenron loomed over them all, then at the stranger who had stolen the Dragonballs and summoned the Dragon.
Kurenai, however, didn't hesitate. She raised her voice and cried out to the Dragon.
"Eternal Dragon, I wish that Omega had never summoned you!"
Too late, Omega turned at the sound of her voice and noticed the Z Warriors standing behind him.
"Your wish will be granted," boomed Shenron, drowning out Omega's frantic shout of "NO!"
The Dragon's eyes flared brightly, and the glow from the seven Dragonballs became blinding, causing all nine present to cover their eyes. Shenron's roar echoed in their ears as his power flashed once, then dimmed and finally vanished. Then as one, the Dragonballs rose into the sky and shot in seven different directions, scattering across the world once more.
Instinctively, Goku pushed Kurenai back, but she held her ground. "I'm not a coward, Goku. I can fight too."
At first, the stranger seemed utterly furious at losing his wish, but as he assessed the group, his eyes filled with unholy delight as his gaze fixed on Kurenai, and he laughed in triumph. "Wonderful! You stopped me from making my wish, and yet you brought the immortal right to me!"
At that, Goku stepped back, forcing Kurenai further behind him. "What do you want with her?"
The man turned to look at Goku. "Ah, yes, I know you. Son Goku. The winner of the World Martial Arts tournament. One of Earth's strongest fighters, if one were to believe all the rumors. I assure you, the woman standing behind you is the immortal I seek. And you will hand her over now."
"Look, mister, I don't know who you are and I don't care," Piccolo rasped, "but I suggest you leave before things get ugly here." The stranger looked at Piccolo with interest.
"Your name is Piccolo, if memory serves. You also fought in the World Martial Arts tournament, along with Son Goku here. But it seems I should introduce myself." The warrior bowed with a flourish. "I am Omega." He touched the symbol on his chest, and like Goku, the Z Warriors recognized it as the symbol worn by the laboratory guards when they'd rescued Kurenai. "The end of all."
Krillin boldly stepped before Omega. "Look, I don't care who you are. You're not taking the lady away, and that's final!" The fighter sneered and backhanded the monk out of the way, then continued as if there'd been no interruption.
"She has something that I want. And should any of you have some foolish notion of stopping me, I assure you that while it seems that some of you defeated the scientists I had working for me, you will not best me that easily."
Krillin and the others growled when they learned that this man had been the one who'd ordered the kidnapping and torture of Kurenai. Tien and the others took up fighting stances, forming ranks between Omega and Kurenai.
"Kakarot." Goku glanced at Vegeta, who was whispering at him. "I suggest you get her out of here. This is hardly the most advantageous place for her. Take her some place safe, then I can defeat this clod without distraction."
Goku nodded, touched two fingers to his forehead and concentrated on Kami. In that moment, Omega sprang forward and tried to seize Kurenai, but Goku grabbed her hand and Instant Transmissioned them away to Kami's Lookout. Omega shouted in rage and turned to see where they'd gone, but Vegeta only scoffed at him.
"Idiot, do you really think they're still here? He's gone to hide her, then he'll be back to fight you. Pointless on his part, really, since I'll have finished you off by then."
"I doubt that."
▲▼▲
In a flash, Goku and Kurenai arrived at Kami's Lookout, where Mr. Popo and Kami stood anxiously waiting for them.
"No, Goku, you can't leave me here!" Kurenai cried as Goku immediately turned to go.
"Listen to me, Kurenai, this battle is no place for anyone who's not a fighter!" Goku exclaimed, preparing to Transmission away, but she grabbed his arm and yanked him around to face her.
"You're going to need all the help you can get! Even one person can make a difference in a battle, isn't that what you taught me? Please, Goku, please let me help," she begged him. "It's because of me that he's here anyway, and I won't have you all get hurt just for me."
Goku shook his head, however, and again prepared to disappear. "No, Kurenai, you can't. From what I saw of his power levels, it would take a tremendous amount of energy to withstand such a powerful fighter, more than even you could stand! You'd have to be infinitely stronger than any of us!"
She shook her head as well. "But I am stronger than any of you. Don't forget…" she touched her chest where Vegeta had blasted her so long ago…"I have one more trick up my sleeve."
Goku jerked out of her grasp almost violently. "Oh, no, no you don't, you're not going out there! What happens if you lose? You'd be giving him the secret of immortality! He'd be absolutely unstoppable if you did that, no matter how hard any of us tried! It's out of the question!" She stopped him with a finger on his lips.
"Remember you saw by the river, Goku. And you'll know why I must do this. You can't always catch me when I fall…" She glanced at Kami, and then back at Goku.
The Saiyan flinched at the reminder of his own words a few months before.
"No, Kurenai! I would do anything for you, but I will not let you fight Omega! Ask me for something else, anything else and I would say yes!" Goku said harshly, unwilling to let her go out there to fight.
Kurenai nodded. "Yes, there is something you can do. Tell me you love me."
A desperate and heartfelt mantra ran through her mind in that endless moment, as she and Goku stood staring at one another. Oh, God, please, if there is a God in heaven, please let him love me… I know the others don't, but please tell me you do… Please… I don't want to die so alone… Goku, PLEASE say it… say it and mean it…
Goku could only stand and gaze at her, the woman who had turned his life upside down. His mind was filled with the memory of Kurenai standing in his arms as they had shared that sweet, sad kiss.
He felt a terrible hopelessness clutch his soul. All this time, he was certain she had known that his heart belonged to her, but now, he saw that he was wrong, that Kurenai had no idea how deep his feelings were for her. Without realizing it, he moved forward to place his hands on her shoulders. The words were on his lips as everything within him cried out for her…
Kurenai, lying dead in his arms, having killed herself to save his life.
The single image suddenly flashed before his eyes, nearly blinding him to the woman before him.
And the memory of Shiryu's voice – 'When Kurenai loves, she will die...' – nearly stopped the Saiyan's heart.
No! I swear by all I hold dear, and that includes you, Kurenai, that I will break your heart if it means saving your life! Not telling you will destroy both of us, I know, but I won't say it, I WON'T!
His hands dropped from her arms and he stepped away, his face sorrowful but resolute. It was the hardest thing he ever did.
Neither of them could speak, staring helplessly at one another, then Goku turned on his heel, raised two fingers to his forehead, concentrated on Gohan, and vanished.
"Good luck to you all," Kami murmured quietly.
"Oh dear," Mr. Popo fretted.
Kurenai closed her eyes as her heart died within her.
▲▼▲
"Before we begin," Omega said casually, "I would like to offer you all a proposition."
"A proposition? About what?" Gohan asked.
"Before you stole her away from my laboratory, I was trying to learn the secret of her immortality. But… if you let me take her so I can finish my work… I would share that secret with any or all of you."
"WHAT?" Krillin gasped. "You… you would…"
"Is it possible?" Vegeta asked curtly. "Can you learn such a thing from her?"
"Yes," Omega said eagerly. "It would only be a matter of time before I found out how to do it. Imagine… a mighty warrior like yourself, immortal. You could fight and conquer as you chose."
An icy shudder went down Gohan's spine. He knew how badly Vegeta wanted immortality, ever since he had come to Earth to find the Dragonballs.
But would he really turn Kurenai back over to this monster in order to become immortal? He wouldn't do that to her… would he?
Vegeta was silent.
Then a hand rested on Vegeta's shoulder.
Piccolo.
"Don't do it, Vegeta," he said softly, too quietly for the others to hear. "Because if you do, I promise, I will kill you before he ever comes close to learning that secret."
"Let go of me, Namek," Vegeta hissed, shrugging Piccolo's hand off. "No one tells me what to do." Then he looked over at Omega.
"Vegeta! You can't do this!" Krillin shouted. "You can't be serious about even considering such a thing! Don't you remember what we went through trying to save her four months ago? What she went through during those weeks this bastard had her! If you give her to him now, it won't just be torture! You'll be condemning Kurenai to a fate worse than death!"
"Shut up!" Vegeta yelled. "All of you, just shut up!" But Gohan came up to him and stood before him, looking up into the Saiyan prince's face.
"Vegeta… please don't," Gohan begged quietly. "Please…" Then he shocked all present with what happened next.
He fell to his knees before Vegeta and bowed his head.
"She's my friend. Please… don't let him hurt her, Vegeta."
Inside, the prince was reeling.
What… what is Gohan doing? Even Kakarot has never knelt before me! But Gohan, he's… begging for a favor… from his prince. Begging for mercy, not for himself… but for her.
And Vegeta bowed his head in response.
I couldn't do it anyway… I care for her as well.
"Forget it, Omega!" he called instead. "When I'm through with you, you'll be begging the Dragon just to put you back together again!"
Omega merely shrugged. "I was only trying to make things fair. But have it your way." With that, he flew straight at Vegeta. As the punches flew, the Saiyan was surprised to find that the stranger was nearly as strong as he was. With an unfamiliar fighting style and what Vegeta suspected was magical assistance, Omega soon put him on the defensive.
"Damn you, stop playing with me!" the prince shouted, and launched himself at Omega. Suddenly the tide of the battle seemed to turn in Vegeta's favor, and the sorcerer went on the defensive as Vegeta threw attack after attack at him. "And you call yourself a fighter!" He blasted Omega in the side, and the magician cursed in pain.
"I'll just have to even the score," he growled and threw the same attack at Vegeta, who dodged it just in time. He did not see the blast come back, however, and it slammed into him from behind, knocking him to the ground as he grunted with pain.
"Vegeta!" Krillin shouted, but Piccolo held him back.
"Don't interfere, Krillin, it won't help." They were all surprised to see Omega refuse to follow up the attack and turn to address them.
"Now, as I was saying before, allow me to explain something that will probably change your attack strategy. I will fight you, one on one or even all at once. If one of you should fall, I will restore that person's energy, but only if one of you surrenders your energy in its place. You can bring any person's energy back as often as you have energy."
He gestured at where Vegeta was getting up from the dirt. "You see, I can channel energy quite well." He threw another energy blast at Vegeta and knocked him backward into a hillside with a loud crash. Then he looked back at the Z Warriors.
"So what stopped you from just taking her energy when you had her captured?" Krillin shouted.
"It was not for lack of trying, I will tell you. What I could normally do in a matter of moments, even after days, I could not break through. Something about her energy made it impossible for me, hence the need for scientific research and finding a way to extract it."
This statement certainly didn't improve the Z Warriors' opinions of him, as all of them save Gohan could still remember with nightmarish clarity the hell from they'd saved her.
Piccolo, in particular, was seething inside at Omega's casual statement of Kurenai's torture.
What I wouldn't give to make this bastard go through the same traumas Kurenai suffered, he thought viciously. Too bad he's not immortal, it wouldn't last nearly as long as it should.
Omega shrugged. "When you lose, I will take the immortal. Try and defend her if you wish, for all the good it will do you. She belongs to me," he said with utter calm and conviction. Piccolo spat at him.
"You demented freak, you'll never get your hands on her. We beat your goons, we can certainly take you down!" He turned to Yamcha. "Yamcha, give your energy to get Vegeta up. I know you don't like him, but he's stronger than you are!" Yamcha scowled but he stepped forward to Omega and stood with his arms crossed.
"Okay, Omega, take energy from me to bring Vegeta back to par," he said with defiance, but before Omega could take it from him, Vegeta came blazing out of the hillside to attack Omega with renewed energy, and Omega and Vegeta continued to slug it out. The stranger was too fast for Vegeta, however, and he soon had him gasping for breath on the ground.
Omega turned to Yamcha and raised one hand, and Yamcha flinched as a chilling wave of weakness swept through him. At first, he thought it was some kind of attack, meant to drain his life force. Then, slowly, a white haze seemed to gather around him like smoke to flow from him across to Omega, and through him to Vegeta, who climbed back to his feet.
For the Saiyan, it felt as though he'd woken up from a restless sleep, with his energy feeling slightly off balance, but Vegeta mentally shrugged and put it down to the fact that it was a lowly human's energy.
Now the others jumped into the fray from where they'd stood at the edge of the battlefield, throwing attack after attack. Occasionally one of them would step back to surrender energy and bring one of the others up to fighting power, but soon it began to catch up to them. No matter how hard they fought, they were being overwhelmed by their decreasing energy.
As the battle wore on, none of them were ever sure exactly how long they'd been fighting. It felt like hours had gone by, but things happened so quickly that they simply couldn't tell.
Still they came at him, all six resolute. Omega looked them over and smirked.
"So, you still plan to fight me! Do try! You will all fail! And when you do, she will be mine at last!" But the Z Warriors refused to be intimidated.
Then a brilliant golden light flared across the battle.
Goku stood nearby, the Super Saiyan glow surrounding him. The Z Warriors all moved back, watching to see what Goku was going to do.
The Super Saiyan remained still, looking at Omega, the one who sought to take a woman who had touched the lives of all she knew, including his own. He felt a cold rage the likes of which he had not felt since Frieza had attacked him with the energy Goku had given him.
"I don't care what it takes, but you are not going to take her away from us!"
Normally, he would have fought it, preferring to fight with a clear head, as it was not in his nature to kill. But now, he did nothing to stop it coursing through his blood. Now, when one he cared for was facing death or worse if he failed, he wanted nothing more than to blast Omega into oblivion.
Goku did not know what these feelings meant, nor did he care. He knew only that killing Omega would be the one way to save Kurenai.
"YOU ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!"
He cupped his hands together and brought them close to his side…
"Kaaaaa…"
The others backed away, not wanting to get caught in the power of Goku's deadly attack…
"Meeeee…"
Omega was laughing at this petty effort. What could they possibly do to him? He would stand here and resist this attack, and when they were thoroughly demoralized by their failure to defeat him, he would crush them…
"Haaaaa…"
The bloodlust was pounding through Goku's veins. Power like he had not felt since he had become Super Saiyan for the first time filled him and gathered in his hands…
"Meeeee…"
He could hear her laughter, smell her perfume, feel her skin, see those haunting eyes, and they incensed him to push his power further and further, until it could not be held back anymore. It came out as a deafening howl filled with wrath as Goku thrust his hands forward and the energy surged from his hands in a flare of blue straight at Omega.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The Kamehameha wave plowed straight into the sorcerer, who dropped into a defensive posture at the last instant, and the other Z Warriors shielded their eyes from the intense glare. The smell of ozone flooded their senses, thunder roared in their ears, and heat flowed over them like a raging river. Then suddenly, there was silence.
▲▼▲
Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, and the others all opened their eyes, turned and stared. Omega stood there, bruised and bleeding where the Kamehameha had burned him. But he was laughing, as if it were all a good joke.
"It's impossible!" Krillin yelped. "That was a direct hit with the Kamehameha! How could he still be alive?"
Piccolo cursed.
The dark fighter threw his head back and shouted, "Don't you see? I cannot be beaten!"
All the Z Warriors could do was stare.
"You don't honestly believe that I'd give up such a prize so easily, do you? Or could it be that you don't want to give up her secret to me, and keep it for yourselves?" Omega taunted.
"What the devil are you talking about?" Vegeta shouted. "What secret?"
"You really don't know what she's been keeping from you all this time?" Omega laughed. "Well, consider this then, my foolish opponents. By now all of you know that the woman Kurenai is immortal. But didn't any of you wonder exactly HOW that happened?"
"What's to know?" Yamcha said in disdain. "The Dragonballs were used to summon Shenron and to make her immortal."
"If the Guardian Kami has only been on Earth for three hundred years… and she's been immortal for a THOUSAND?"
And at last all the pieces fell into place for the Z Warriors.
"Shenron, the Dragon of Earth, and Porunga, the Dragon of Namek, are not the only two Dragons in existence," Kurenai said reluctantly. "There was... a third set of Dragonballs once, with a far more powerful Dragon... They haven't been seen on Earth for centuries. Nor has the Dragon linked to them."
The Z Warriors all remembered what Bulma had told them after first meeting Kurenai, the same history lesson she had given Goku so long ago in the lab.
"According to history, there were four Lords of the continent – North, South, East, and West. Suishoku was Lord of the Eastern Mountains, which covered a vast amount of territory, including the area near your home, Goku. After his death, the other lords journeyed to Suishoku's castle to crown his heir. But since his wife had died at the same time as he had, and because they couldn't find Suishoku's heirs, the other three fell to squabbling amongst themselves for control, and eventually they were overthrown in favor of the monarchy that continued up until today."
"Wait a second. Suishoku? Wow, supposedly he once tried to become Guardian of the Earth, if you believe Mr. Popo and Kami... But that was a long, long time ago."
Piccolo stared at Kurenai as Kami's memories flowed into him.
"The past and present will collide, with the future of this world and all others at stake. Dragons will battle, and even eternity will cease. Only the greatest of sacrifices will save what is, and what will yet be..."
"No... You are not just immortal… you are far more than that."
A woman who had fled and renounced her family.
A woman presumed dead for centuries.
Another woman with that same name was also the daughter of two sorcerers.
A woman with immortality flowing through her veins, who had been granted the power of a Dragon.
One and the same.
"But… if Kurenai's parents actually succeeded… where are the Dragonballs?" Gohan asked.
"That, I can tell you. When Suishoku and Shirayuri summoned their Dragon, and the wish was fulfilled, the Dragonballs shattered, consumed by the magical energy used to summon the Dragon. But…"
Off to one side, Vegeta gasped and took an instinctive step backward.
No! No, it's not possible! That energy I felt when I fought her! It wasn't Kurenai's power level I sensed! It wasn't even her immortal energy! It… It was…
Omega smirked. "Indeed… a power unlike anything this world has ever seen, a power great enough to bring even gods to their knees…"
Goku was shaking his head, trying to deny the truth of Omega's words. "No…"
"Yes, Son Goku. A Dragon far greater than even Shenron. Bound eternally to this mortal realm within the soul of one woman... Suishoku Kurenai."
"And if you learn the secret to summoning him…" Krillin whispered.
"… then the Dragon will be mine. Along with immortality."
"But what about Kurenai?" Piccolo asked, an awful chill filling his heart. "With the Dragon gone, she won't be immortal anymore! You'll be signing her death warrant!"
"Why should I care about the life of one woman when I'm on the verge of becoming a god!" Omega scoffed. "Her meaningless life holds no value for me once I draw the Dragon from her soul."
"NOOOOOOOO!"
The scream came from seven throats, seven hearts, seven souls.
And with howls and war cries, the Z Warriors charged, a hopeless rally against a stronger foe.
Flying straight at Omega, Krillin summoned two swirling razorblades of energy, larger than he'd ever created before. "DESTRUCTO DISCS!" he shouted, throwing disc after disc at Omega.
"MASENKO… HA!" Two voices, one rough, one clear, echoed as Gohan and Piccolo both brought their hands behind their heads, then brought them down and together in a sudden throw.
"KAIO KEN, TIMES FIFTY!" Goku felt his energy flaring a brilliant red as his speed and power went up drastically.
"All of you, get the hell out of my way!" Vegeta shouted, as he brought his left hand up, palm facing Omega. "BIG BANG ATTACK!" An incandescent blue glow shot from the prince's hand toward the sorcerer.
Yamcha and Tien fell back to lend their energy to the other five, bringing their depleted power levels back up.
But despite their combined attacks, Omega still fought back, focusing all his energy into a deflection, and the energy flowed over and around him.
When they realized that their attacks weren't getting through, the Z Warriors finally had to admit that they would need to use the heavy artillery. And that now was no time to be worrying about conserving energy.
Tien's Tri-Beam, Vegeta's Galic Gun, Kamehameha waves from Goku, Gohan and Krillin, Yamcha's Energy Bomb, and Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon slammed into him from all sides. Each attack plowed straight into the warrior, but somehow, time and again, he managed to deflect it.
This isn't happening! Vegeta thought frantically. There's just no way he can be deflecting all of these attacks! The energy has to be going SOMEWHERE!
Just then Piccolo's Makosen technique sent Omega flying, but the warrior just got up and shrugged it off.
It's like he… oh, damndamndamndamndamn, the bastard's absorbing the energy of our attacks! Piccolo realized in horror.
And in helping one another, he's been keeping a part of the energy we transfer to each other, Goku thought in dismay. With each transfer, we've been giving him energy!
Now their power levels were again diminishing from the force of their attacks, and none of them had enough power left to help.
And Omega was becoming stronger and stronger by the minute.
"Now let me show you true power!" he shouted. "HELL… FIRE… ATTACK!"
Suddenly a massive ring of crackling crimson and black energy exploded into existence around the sorcerer, creating a monstrous crater beneath him from the sheer energy contained within it. Omega laughed out loud as he threw his arms wide in an expansive gesture, and with a mighty thunderclap, the ring expanded outward.
"LOOK OUT!" Gohan screamed, but the ring scythed into all the Z Warriors, who had gotten in close for hand-to-hand attacks to save energy. All of them cried out in pain as the ring connected and expanded past them, nearly cutting the seven of them in half.
Omega hovered above the crater, as Krillin, Gohan, Yamcha, Vegeta and Tien lay in crumpled heaps around him. Goku and Piccolo were farther away and had been spared the worst of the damage, but they were both weakened greatly, and they would both need their full strengths if there was to be even a hope of stopping him. A fruitless hope, since neither of them could move.
"I am tired of these games," Omega growled. "It is time to end this. And as I can't have you still alive when I take her, I'm afraid this is goodbye."
He clenched his hands to gather energy for one last attack, and pointing at Vegeta, he said with a mocking laugh, "You really should have accepted my offer."
Vegeta's mind was focused on only one thing in that terrible moment. It was not on his own survival, or on that of anyone else on the battlefield. All he could think of was her, and the fate that faced her now.
Kurenai… I'm sorry…
A last flicker of energy he did not realize he still possessed flared within him, mingling with his thoughts.
If only…
Black fire crackled and surged around Omega's hand as he stared down at where Vegeta lay.
I could see you…
Omega loosed the attack at the prince, who was only barely conscious of the deathblow.
One last time…
The blast leapt toward the prince like a living thing, intent on sending Vegeta into oblivion.
To be continued...