Chapter 34

As the weeks passed, the gang started to come to terms with Trunks' death. Sure they all missed him and wanted him back, but they still had a war to fight and they couldn't afford to mope around all day. Pan was the only one who hadn't recovered. She still spent her days crying into her sheets, asking why Trunks had to be taken away. The others, especially the girls, did what they could but it soon became apparent that the old Pan wouldn't be back until Trunks returned, which might never happen.

Broly let out an exasperated sigh as he enjoyed a lollipop under the shade of a tree in Capsule Corps' lawn. Of coarse, he hadn't bought the thing; he'd stolen it from a kid who happened to walk by the building. Things always tasted better to him when he stole them. He placed both hands behind his head and relaxed against the tree while his tongue moved the candy in his mouth.

Marron had been spending more time taking care of Pan these days. It distracted her so much she hadn't even realized Broly was still out of his cell. Months ago he would have been out of here and destroying a few planets far away from Earth. But now, he found himself staying and waiting for her to notice the cell's lack of a certain psycho Saiyan. Then she would come yelling to him about how he shouldn't be out and probably hit him with her frying pan. Broly grimaced at the thought.

"Hey Broly," Goten said cheerfully as he walked up to the tall Saiyan.

"What is this time Spiky?" Broly asked, giving Goten a suspicious look.

"I was just wondering why you were out of your cell."

"Mar…That pan-happy blonde is to busy with Pan to worry about me," Broly answered, catching himself before he said her name. That might make Goten get the wrong idea.

"I came to talk to you about Marron to. I think it's time you learned a few new pointers from the lady master."

"No thanks."

"Why not?"

"Because last time you helped me I got two new lumps on my head."

"Just here me out this time."

Broly gave him a 'Go on but I still don't like you' look.

"I think you should get her a present to cheer her up. That way, she'll know you're thinking about her."

"A present?"

"Yep and I think I have a few ideas."

"This should be good," Broly said sarcastically.

"Well you could get her flowers."

"To sappy."

"Chocolates?"

"I'll eat most of them."

"A card?"

"Do I look like someone you'd find in the card section of a store?"

"Jewelry?"

"Diamonds are to pricey."

"Not diamonds. Something cheaper yet exotic."

"Like what?"

"How about a mood ring?"

"What the hell's a mood ring?"

"It's a ring with a jewel that changes color with a person's mood."

"Yeah right."

"No it really works. My dad got my mom one once. When she was happy it was blue, and when she was mad it left a red mark on my dad's forehead."

Broly envisioned Goku getting walloped by Chichi right between the eyes then it changed to Marron doing the same thing to Broly. "No mood ring or anything else that's small and sharp around the corners."

"But…"

"Beat it!!!" Broly shouted.

Goten didn't have to be told twice. He was gone within one second.

Broly still sat in place, letting his mouth take his anger out on the lollipop. Eventually, it was reduced to the stick, which Broly swallowed as well. He was a Saiyan he could eat many things. But he was still frustrated. Letting out a growl, he stood up and took to the air. Hopefully, he would find an ogre or two or better yet Claw.

Falcon watched his successor from his vantage point on top of Capsule Corps. Vegeta and Goku were using the GR so Falcon decided to relax his body. Now he could fully realize what he'd done to himself after weeks of intense training. His body now ached all over. It protested every movement with a throbbing pain that took a while to subside. He was in bad shape and he was vulnerable. He'd trained hard in Demon World but never to the point it wounded him so. There was no sense in hurting yourself badly in training when a battle could spring on you a second later.

Another thing worried him as well. Earlier today, he had been walking through the halls for a drink in the kitchen. As he rounded a corner, he bumped into Bra. She'd told him to watch where he was going and went on to wherever she'd been heading. Falcon had immediately seen a problem. He'd never been caught by surprise like that in 3000 years. Normally he would have sensed her and been able to avoid a collusion. It was a sign that his instincts, which he had honed in Demon World, were starting to weaken. If he wanted to take on Talon, he'd need them to avoid ending up like Trunks. Life here, surrounded by 'allies' as Falcon called them, had lured his body into a false sense of security.

Falcon relaxed only when he remembered the others would come to his aid if he were in trouble. He was in no danger here. So he focused on healing and turned his attention to the sky. It was late in the afternoon so sunset was starting. For hours he sat there watching the clouds change colors as the sun slowly sank into the horizon. This was something he'd never find in Demon World. Never would he find the sky take on a golden glow, then orange, and finally a fiery red before letting night take over. The sky's transformation had always fascinated Falcon since the day he'd arrived on Earth.

He now found himself looking at a ceiling of twinkling stars, many the suns of systems he'd gone to. But he soon paid them no heed as a realization dawned on him. He'd always wondered why sunsets always brought a feeling of familiarity to him, like it reminded him of someone he knew. Now he knew who that someone was.

Himself.

In a way, he'd changed and become darker just as the sky above him had. He thought about his life, slowly realizing he'd really been like four different people just like the sky had been four colors.

Gold was like Falcon in his early years. He was just like any Saiyan child, adventurous, mischievous, and eager to learn way to increase his power. He'd had a head start with his power, heck by the time he was five he had a power level of 15,000. Life had been simple and happy; he lived with his family in a modest household far away from any Saiyan city. No one bothered them and they bothered no one else. Life was ruff in an isolated place like that but they managed to live a comfortable life. They had been his Golden Years.

Orange was knight Falcon after age seven, when his Golden Years were brought to a violent end. He was a darker version of himself, living to push his limits in order to right the wrongs done to him. The S Knight took him in as his own son and became Falcon's sensei training Falcon at how to fight to protect himself and others. With each passing day, he became more and more powerful. Eventually that drive made him S Knight after his sensei, who had been a second father to Falcon, was killed by the same violent forces that took Falcon's family. Falcon was the model Saiyan, living to serve the king without question. He preformed many duties like a bodyguard, general, and advisor. His best skill was as an assassin, when he'd go to enemy planets to kill key figures. But he still had good things in life. His fellow Royal Knights and others became friends, even family to Falcon. And after meeting Vega he had experienced love. It looked like he would once again enter another period of Golden Years.

But one thing stopped that from happening, the Super Saiyan, the red in Falcon's sunset. The Super Saiyan was a giant ape covered in golden fur and with red eyes that glowed with an unsurpassed rage. It was the perfect monster, living only to destroy anything that moved. Nothing could control it not even itself. Its power was greater then anything the universe had seen before. It was the most unique of Falcon's forms because it didn't have a single period of existence like his others. It came into the world sporadically, whenever Falcon was to weak to stop it. Every time it left a wake of destruction and death. Entire solar systems were wiped out in a matter of hours, sometimes minutes. It was rage in physical form that couldn't be stopped. In the end, the only thing that could destroy it was its own power.

And then there was night, darkness, Shadow Reaper. He was the model assassin, cunning, elusive, emotionless, focused, and ruthless. He lived to survive in a world where chaos reins supreme. Shadow Reaper had no use for emotions, seeing them as something that would hold him back. So, he got rid of them just as he had gotten rid of his tail, to prevent him from every becoming the monster he had once been. This allowed him to attain levels such as normal Super Saiyan and False Legendary Super Saiyan. Just like knight Falcon, he was skilled with a sword but became deadlier with it in Demon World. He would do whatever it took to win a battle, even pull dirty moves. Whatever it took to survive. And he did just that. He lived and fought alone, seemingly invincible to all others. But when he was alone, he would wallow in the atrocities he'd committed and mourn those he'd failed to protect. Even though he never became the Golden Ape again, he still considered himself a monster who deserved to die. He became the most feared being in Demon World, sending entire armies running when he was nearby. Though some offered him a home and even friendship, he denied them to avoid the pain should he ever lose them. This was who Falcon considered himself to be.

But Falcon saw one crucial difference between him and the sky. No matter how dark or how long the night there was always a dawn, when a new day would begin with new opportunities. Falcon hadn't had a dawn, when he could finally live a happy life. Just like everyone else in Demon World, his life was darkness, where no new opportunities were possible.

He'd denied himself such feelings but now another part was surfacing. That new part yearned to be surrounded by friends, to fall in love, start a family, or even simply smile again. But Shadow Reaper still denied it any control. Falcon knew that only Shadow Reaper could stop Chaos Kai's invasion. But when it was all over and Earth was safe, who would he be? He thought he would stay Shadow Reaper and return to Demon World but the new part begged him to stay with the people who'd accepted him and considered him a friend. This caused a new battle to start between the two with the Super Saiyan taking its opportunities when it saw them.

Who am I? What part of me is truly in control? Falcon thought as he gazed at the stars. Maybe Broly did have the right idea. A battle would probably help Falcon get his thoughts straight. He was a Saiyan and fighting always solved things for Saiyans.

He slid down the round sides of Capsule Corps, stopping at the first window he came to, which he opened and went through. He instantly regretted it when he saw that he'd ended up in Bra's room. If there was one thing that made her yell loud enough to shake the building, it was when someone went uninvited into her room. He was standing in the two and a half foot gap between her bed and the wall with the window. To his left was her nightstand with a purple heart-shaped digital alarm clock, a lamp with an equally purple shade over it, a few hair clips, and a small jewelry box. He was somewhat amazed at the amount of stuffed animals and cloths littering the room.

He was about to leave when the doorknob turned and the door opened. He quickly and silently ducked behind the bed, lying down in the space he'd been standing in. He couldn't see who it was but could tell it was Bra since she was talking to someone, most likely on the phone. He could only see her feet from his vantage point o the floor and on the other side of the bed.

"He really said that to you?" Bra asked whoever was on the other end of the phone. "Don't worry, I'll come over and make you something he couldn't resist." She then hung up and set the phone on her dresser. "Now to change out of these rags."

Falcon's eyes widened somewhat. He definitely didn't want to be discovered now. He looked at her feet again and saw what he thought to be her spandex shorts fall to her feet before being kicked to another part of the room and followed by her top. He'd learned from Trunks of her bad habit of throwing her cloths somewhere in her room and leaving a big mess. Falcon closed his eyes and tried to think of a way out of here. Then something landed right on his face so he grabbed it, feeling something silky, and pulled it off. He raised an eyebrow at the pink thong he now held and quickly tossed it to his side, making a note to wash his hands and face once he got out of there.

He took that moment to peek over the edge of the bed to find an escape route. Thankfully, Bra was wearing a bra and panties and rummaging through her closet to find the perfect outfit. But if he tried to get out through the window, she would see him from the corner of her eye. So Falcon lay back down and resolved to wait until she left.

Bra finally settled on her usually red top, skirt, with the gold choker but left out the gloves and boots. She instead decided on platform shoes for now. But she soon ran into a problem. "Now where's that other shoe? Oh yeah, I tossed it behind the bed."

Falcon was once again brought to attention. He looked around but realized he was lying on top of the said shoe. Bra's arm came over the edge to rummage for her lost shoe. Acting quickly, Falcon pulled the shoe out from under his back and brought it to Bra's hand. She grabbed it and drew back. After congratulating herself, Bra headed for the door and opened it. Seeing his chance, Falcon darted up and out the window. Hearing a whoosh, Bra turned to investigate but only found an empty room. But something did catch her attention. "I don't remember leaving that window open," she mumbled to herself.

By then, Falcon had found a window that led into a hallway and was on his way to his room to retrieve the S Blade. He stopped when he reached the bathroom to wash his hands and face, before heading to his room. He grabbed his sword and leapt out the window and into the night.

He jumped from rooftop to rooftop, looking out for any unusual ki signatures. He came to a stop upon sensing something just outside the city. Broly.

With Broly

Broly chuckled at the attempts one demon made to hurt him by punching his back. He spun around, bringing his elbow slamming into the ogre's face, sending it crashing into one of its comrades. Two other ogres jumped toward him but Broly brought his hand back and fired a blast that exploded between them, vaporizing them on contact. Two more attacked from both sides. He grabbed them both by the necks and slammed them together, making their heads explode against each other. He tossed away their bodies and took to the air.

A skeleton lunged at him from the front. Broly countered by doing a front flip over its claws and bringing his foot down on its back as he came out. He pushed it to the ground and crushed it with his foot. He saw a group of ogres in front of him and charged for them, swatting them away with his massive hands. He didn't notice the skeleton leap at him from behind. He turned around to find it inches from impaling his neck when a shadow slammed into it, slashing it in half.

He frowned. "That was my kill."

"You're welcome," Falcon said before stabbing an ogre's chest, then spinning around with a circular swing that sliced off a couple of heads.

Broly shrugged and brought his fist up in an uppercut that shattered one poor ogre's jaw. He brought that same fist down and across to punch another ogre on the side of the head. He lunged at an approaching giant, knocking it to the ground, and proceeded to punch it until he felt and heard stuff crack.

Falcon was being more exact, slicing and stabbing specific spots on demons. An ogre with a spear tried to stab him but dropped its weapon and grabbed its throat in a vain attempt to stop the blood spewing out of it.

The two Saiyans went about their messy work until all the demons lay dead. Falcon sheathed his sword and Broly reverted to his normal state.

"That was fun," he said with a grin.

Falcon didn't reply. He rummaged through the bodies to find any information that may be helpful. After finding nothing, he stood up and turned to Broly. The tall Saiyan was now examining a lime green crystal that was almost as big as his palm and glowed.

"Where'd you get that?" Falcon asked.

"Off the giant."

"That jewel is quite rare. And valuable."

Broly smirked and tucked it in his sash before he and Falcon took off back to Capsule Corps.

Later

"In you go Broly," Marron said to the Saiyan as he leaned against the wall next to a table.

"Took you long enough blondie."

"Watch it," Marron said, holding her frying pan threateningly.

Broly frowned and headed in, put the chains on, and sat down. "Sweet dreams," he said with a grin.

Marron glared at him and closed the door. She was about to walk to her room when she noticed something on the table. She slowly made her way toward it and gasped. The green jewel Broly found way lying on the table in all its glowing glory. She reached for it and picked it up, surprised by how light it was. When did this get here? Wait a minute Broly was standing right next to this table. Did he leave it for me? She thought. There was a time she would have chucked it out the window but she found she wanted to keep it. So, she smiled and headed off to her room, the jewel held protectively in her arms.

On the roof Falcon sat and thought about the battle. If there's one thing it proved to him, it was he needed to stay Shadow Reaper. It was the only way to protect this world. Tomorrow, he would head back in to train though not to the point of hurting himself. But he still wondered who he had been the past few weeks. He'd been training so hard the past few weeks in order to fulfill his promise to Bra of getting back at Talon. That was something Shadow Reaper would never do. And he remembered the feeling he got when he held her and let her cry against him. It gave him a feeling, one he hadn't felt since holding Vega the same way. He wasn't going to say he was in love with Bra, he wasn't attracted to her in that way (yet), but he was willing to say it may have been the need to comfort a friend in need, another urge he hadn't felt in 3000 years.

He sighed and looked back at the sky. In a few hours, he would watch the dawn sweep away the darkness. Something a part of him yearned to experience for himself.

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