A/N: I don't have much warning to give, except for the foul words, possible yaoi scenes, the occasional random crap and whatnots.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball nor do I generate any profit from this. This is for entertainment only.
Game ends
"What are those?" someone pointed in the direction of the wreckage.
It started with one then more appeared as shimmers of light came pouring out from the ruins of the fallen keep, disappearing moments after.
"The previous gamers" Sharpner took a guess, feeling an overwhelming sense of liberation as more light orbs emerged then faded; they were finally free, all of them, even himself.
"Everyone should begin waking-"
All heads turned then as a sudden blue glow appeared before them; a savepoint.
"Guess it's time to leave" Sharpner turned to face the savepoint, not willing to turn to the faces of all who were present; it was hard enough saying goodbyes, it would only get worse later when the necessary had to be done. No, it was best he just leave; so he could not face the guilt that ate at him. Everyone here survived the war, but soon he would destroy their existence along with everything in this world.
Not everyone was ready to leave.
For one, Goku noticed how Vegeta ignored the savepoint; pretending he had not noticed its existence. Then he saw the downcast faces of Tarble and No. 17 and he knew they could not leave yet, not like this.
"Coming?" Sharpner asked the other two gamers behind him, not the least bit surprised when they declined.
"Well in that case, see you guys on the other side when you get back" with that Sharpner touched the blue savepoint, his ingame body transformed into a familiar orb of light, fading as he exit the game.
After days of travelling they've finally arrived. For Vegeta, this was where his adventure officially started; when he met Turles, back at the forest the rogue loved and lived his whole life. It had been some time since Vegeta was here. Grass had grown and seedlings were already sprouting; the forest slowly but surely would return to its former glory.
Vegeta took a few steps forward.
The camp site was long gone, but even he remembered it clearly. He clutched the staff tightly, his steps as heavy as the weight in his heart. All that once belonged here went up in flames that day, everything except the staff in his hands; Vegeta took one final look at the staff.
Gaia of Earth, Mother Earth, she who nurture and watch over nature. It was here she had lend him her strength but now it was time to give it back; it was time she returned to where she belonged.
Without a word, Vegeta placed the staff where the camp originally stood.
"It's done" he nodded to the others as he started to walk towards them.
"Vegeta. The staff"
At their words, Vegeta halted his steps and turned around. Just in time to see a familiar blue glow as the Gaia of Earth staff morphed into a savepoint.
It was time for them to depart.
…
"I guess this is where we say goodbye" Goku said with much difficulty, his sorrow shown on his face. Vegeta found it hard to convey his own thoughts so naturally he allowed Goku to take up the lead, his words mirrored his own even though he would not say it out loud.
"Thank you… for your help, for all the joy and trials we've faced together… for everything" Goku tried to smile.
Tarble smiled softly as he took a step forward, nodding to Vegeta before giving Goku a hug; he pressed his face in his chest as he hid the tears in his eyes.
"It was fun… to be able to travel with you… I won't say goodbye… if fate is kind… I hope we can meet again" he hiccuped, wanting to believe in that even though he knew otherwise.
"Please don't forget us, even if we're not real… if you do… then we would truly never exist. Please keep us alive in your memories…" Tarble hands tightened around Goku.
Goku wrapped his arms around Tarble then slowly removed one of his hands and rested it against his own heart.
"I'll keep you all here" he tapped on his head. "…and here" he squeezed Tarble's hand, the one he held against his own heart region.
Tarble's tears streamed like a river.
"Goku, Vegeta" No. 17 came forward next and Tarble wiped his tears as he awkwardly removed himself from Goku's embrace.
"What are your plans? Vegeta asked. Now that the king's reign was over, what was No. 17 going to do?
"The tavern owner from the Village of Beginnings offered me a place there, but I haven't decided if I would take up on his offer. For now, the war's over but there's still work to be done… Many are now homeless and scattered across the continent. I'll travel to the affected areas and help them rebuild, as atonement for the atrocities I've done and those I've failed to stop. They'll probably be wary of me and hate me but it doesn't matter, and hopefully one day, I hope they would be able to forgive me.
"I know you'd be able to do it, good luck" Goku nodded.
"I doubt we would meet again, so thank you. I consider it an honour to have met both of you" No. 17 extended a hand out to them, clasping their hands in a firm handshake.
"Tarble, I'm heading to the Magic Guild first. Do you want to come with me?"
No. 17 made an excuse to give Tarble a lift. An excuse that Tarble was grateful for; a wizard travelling alone could attract trouble. Also two people travelling together would lighten the depressing mood; Tarble could use a friend now, he had already lost one and was going to lose two more on the same day.
…
"Are you alright, Vegeta?"
"What do you think, Goku? Tch! How do you draw the line between reality and fiction in this case? I'm having difficulty telling them apart even now" Vegeta sighed. "This is really fucked up"
"I know what you mean" Goku nodded with a solemn look on his face. "Everything here's supposed to be virtual reality, a game that simulated reality... But the times we've spend here... with Turles, Tarble and No. 17... All of it seemed too real to be a simulation programme. The good times, bad... the laughter and all those fights and quarrels..."
"They can't all be scripted" A sad smile appeared on Goku's face.
"Damn right" Vegeta agreed.
"Let's get going, Goku. It's time we woke up too" Vegeta started towards the savepoint, only to stop when he realised Goku had not followed.
"Goku?"
"Just a little longer, Vegeta... I want to take one final look. I'll be back soon, promise" Goku promised as he made his way towards the denser part of the charred forest.
...
After a fair distance, Goku came to a stop.
"I know you're here. Why don't you show yourself?" Goku called out to his surroundings but he was certain he wasn't alone.
He heard a rustle behind him then light footsteps as the other person slowly made his approach. Confident he was right, Goku turned around to face him; true enough his hunch was on the mark
"Turles" Goku could not stop the grin on his face. "You're alive. I knew it! But how?"
…~…
… 1st flashback…
Without the need to keep to the party's pace, Turles moved at his fastest speed; his agility served him best in his current situation. He leaped, making haste as he crossed over the crumpling floor, repeating until he was near within ground level leading to the entrance.
Fate however decided to make things difficult.
Just as he reached the last turn, reaching the arch that would bring him to the first hallway, the arch started to give way as the weight of stone and concrete became too much for it. He decided to go for it, sliding as he curved his body enough as he avoided the arch but he did not anticipate that that same arch would not just cave in like a dent, instead it broke, sending a large section of the heavy arch into Turles' direction. Unable to escape in time, the sheer weight of it came crashing down on Turles' leg with enough force to inflict serious damage.
In pain, he struggled to pull himself out but without any luck due to his lack of strength. Pinned, he could do nothing to get himself loose and things had decided to take a turn for the worse. He felt another quake, but this would be the last… as the entire ceiling along with its surroundings started falling around him.
Alarmed and without a choice, he used the only skill that came to mind; the most unpredictable skill he had, "Burrow".
It was only after everything was over that he realised he had succeeded; the skill had not backfired on him. He pulled himself out of the ground, bruised and covered in dust and rubble from head to toe but alive.
…
… 2nd flashback…
Goku's current mentality switched from grief to confusion.
He took a second look at his profile menu, scrolling towards Turles' profile. It was grey, but Goku could not help but think something was off. For one, Vegeta's profile menu of Turles' was grey just like his had shown but there was something else; a red cross, an X on Turles' face, whereas there was none on Goku's.
Goku started to wonder.
…~…
"I had a suspicion and I'm glad I was right" Goku explained after hearing Turles' side of the story.
"Luck hadn't abandoned me entirely" truth be told even he was surprised he had not failed the "Burrow" skill.
"But why didn't you show yourself then? Vegeta's back there, you shoul-" he stopped in disbelief when Turles stopped him from speaking further.
"I don't want to say goodbye to him, I can't…" he told Goku.
"But-" he stopped when he saw Turles turn around, facing away from him. "You're not being fair, Turles. Vegeta thinks you're dead… you won't even give him closure?"
"I don't want to put him in a difficult position" Turles said softly, the words spoken more for himself than Vegeta. He did not want Vegeta to leave but he also could not ask him to stay, nor would he dare ask… fearing that Vegeta would agree; to agree was to choose to stay and to stay was to choose death in order to be with him.
"You won't even see him one last time … you won't regret it?" Goku asked as he tried to change his mind; even if they were rivals he could not bring himself to deny him that.
"It's better this way" his voice was laboured despite the soft tone, he clenched his fist as he fought to hide the laceration in his heart. "It wouldn't have worked out"
He was holding himself back, Goku came to that realisation. Even though Turles was his love rival, even he could not help but feel sorry it had to end like this.
"I understand" Goku stopped trying to convince Turles and accepted his decision. "Thank you for everything Turles…" he thanked the rogue on Vegeta's behalf as well as his.
"… be good to him" without waiting for Goku's answer, Turles left as silently as he came.
He had once said to Vegeta, that he would be with him till the day he could no longer follow and today would be that day; this was as far as he could go. He had received his love in this life, but now it was time for him to leave; and so he had to let him go.
"He's up! Get the doctor, quick!"
"The other one's up too!"
Hurried footsteps exited the room.
"a…" Goku could not speak, his dry throat hoarse from the lack of moisture. He blinked, taking in the surroundings… a ceiling fan, white sheets… a hospital yukata… a hospital ward; he was in a hospital ward.
He tried to turn his head and caught a sight that made him smile. Unable to say anything beyond a few unidentifiable sounds, he smiled at Vegeta, breaking into a soundless snicker when he received a tired hn from him; we're back, we've won.
…
In another hospital ward…
"They're up?" Sharpner asked the three other people in his ward as he laid on the hospital bed, still weak from the long period of sleep.
"They're awake. Both of them" Isrina told him after confirming with the nurses in charge.
"What you did was wrong, Erasa..." the younger guy turned to Isrina aka Erasa.
"I know and I'll apologise to them myself..." of course it was wrong, how could she not know; even if it all worked out, it was still wrong. Deliberately putting her 2 classmates in danger was never her intention but she did not know how else, what else to do.
"We'll all apologise to them" Sharpner affirmed it. "And guys... thanks... I mean it. I wouldn't have been able to return if not for you all..." his face reddened as he expressed his gratitude towards Gohan, Erasa and the older gentleman in the room with him.
"The cartridge?"
"I have it here" Gohan came over, placing it in Sharpner's hand.
"Delete everything." Sharpner held out the cartridge towards the older gentleman. "Be sure to destroy all traces of it"
The elder nodded as he left the hospital with the cartridge.
…
"Thank god you're both ok" Yamcha poured Goku and Vegeta a glass of water as Krillen updated them on everything that took place during their comatose period.
"You guys were out for two weeks. Scared the living hell out of us... what happened?"
"Long story... tell you guys when the throat's better..." Goku promised as he took slow sips from his glass; his throat felt slightly better after a drink and some rest.
"Is the game still in the console" Vegeta asked.
"Now that you mentioned it..." Krillen took a moment to think. "It was really chaotic so I didn't really notice. Yamcha?"
"It was there when we found you guys. I had to remove the helmets off you guys after all, but it's gone now" Yamcha answered with confusion.
"Explain" Vegeta said before Goku could.
"The police and the medics came, apparently what happened to you guys were not the first. Started asking questions like what you two did that day and whatnots. I told them you two were gaming but they told me there was no cartridge in the console. I could have sworn it was there before" Yamcha rubbed his head.
An awkward silence followed as everyone in the room tried to make sense of the whole picture. A sudden wave of comprehension jolted Vegeta hard enough that a gasp escaped his lips. Seeing this, Goku used exhaustion as an excuse; discreetly dismissing his two friends from the ward.
"Vegeta?" Goku asked once the course was clear. He turned his head in Vegeta's direction, noticing the deep frown on his face. "What's wrong?"
"They took it"
"What?" Goku had not connected the dots.
"The cartridge. They're going to delete the cartridge" Vegeta repeated himself.
"WHAT?! We have to stop them!" Realising what Vegeta said, Goku sprang up from the cot like a spring. He pushed the blanket aside as he readied himself into a standing position.
"It can't be stopped!"
Goku came to an abrupt stop at Vegeta's outburst.
"It had to be done. It's the only way to stop the AI from claiming more victims!" Vegeta explained; his own heart bled in agony along with Goku's.
"Vegeta... if that happens- Tarble, Turles, No. 17... everyone will disappear" Goku said, his mind still in disbelief; wondering if Vegeta understood what the outcome would be should the entire game be deleted.
"You think I don't know that!?" Vegeta could not help but vent his frustrations on the only person in the ward with him.
"If there was another way to stop the fucking AI- I would have stopped Sharnper too, but there isn't! Everyone's connected to that goddamn thing!" Tired and exasperated, Vegeta brought a hand upwards resting it against his temple.
Goku's heart softened at the sight. For all the time he had known Vegeta, Goku had always viewed him as a strong individual, full of confidence with a fiery temper to match, yet now that same man seemed so utterly defeated.
Wordlessly, Goku came to sit on Vegeta's cot as he pulled him into his embrace; some resistance and a half-hearted complain later, Vegeta accepted Goku's comfort.
"Everyone knew they couldn't be saved" Vegeta whispered. "That's why-"
"That's why everyone said their goodbyes. That's why Tarble said to never forget them. That way... everyone will still exist, that their short lives had meant something to us... right?" Goku continued where Vegeta left off. It all made sense to him now, the words Tarble and No. 17 said to them, and Turles...
Yeah... everyone had known.
Elsewhere...
Alone in an undisclosed dark room, the older gentleman booted up the PC. Three monitors lit up asking for the administer's log in id and password. A couple of keys later brought the iconic windows desktop screen across all three monitors.
He immediately set to work, carrying out Sharpner's instructions.
He slotted the cartridge into the memory card reader, sourcing through various folders, searching for the relevant programme files which took some time.
Unnoticed by the man, a save progression bar showed up at the bottom of the 3rd monitor screen to his right. 20%... 50%... 75%... 100%.
Backup save 100% completed. Save Backup save to Server? Y/N
Finally. The man breathed a sigh of relief as he correctly located the entire game's save data files, along with the game's programme folders from the cartridge.
He hit the delete button without hesitation. Even going so far as to use the PC's inbuilt degausser to delete the contents inside the cartridge; practically erasing the entire cartridge. After that was done, he took things another step further by degaussing the PC he used as well. Then finally, he threw the blank cartridge into the trash.
To be continued ~
1 more chapter / epilogue to go, plus an 'extra content / game sheet'
As always I hope everyone enjoyed this.
Don't forget to tell me what you think, have a great day everyone~ XD
