Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, Z, Super, GT, and all characters belong to Shueisha, ToeiAnimation, FujiTv, and Akira Toriyama.
Cold drops of sweat slid across his forehead as he stared at the warrior in the distance. His eyes were wide open while he breathed heavily. As the flickering light grew more robust, the dreadful fear grew inside of him. It was only a matter of seconds before the one-armed warrior fired the attack. He was able to feel the messenger of death curl its arms around him, ready to take him to hell at any moment. It terrified him! He closed his gaping mouth and began to violently thrash around, trying to shake off the younger man off his back.
"Kakarot! Let me go, brother! I-I promise... I'll leave this planet and never come close to it!"
His desperate cry echoed through the green wasteland. He couldn't believe that his younger brother, a Saiyan, would sacrifice its own life for some other, pathetic race. It was so different, so unlike a Saiyan to do such a thing. The brain damage his sibling received as a child truly messed him up. Nevertheless, he was sure there was a way to get away from this; it had to be. He managed to fool his brother once; maybe the same could be done again.
However, the words that came from his brother caused the idea to fail. "N-NO! This time I won't let go of you, not a chance! Someone like you, with such evil and selfishness in their heart... I-I don't believe you and... I don't have a brother!" He stirred his head as much as he could to catch a glimpse of his brother.
There was nothing but determination in the younger man's weary eyes. He didn't know what to do; what else was there? His brain-damaged brother was serious and set to die together. There was no way to persuade him, not anymore. He pressed his teeth against each other as the panic began to swell more and more. This wasn't how the mission was supposed to end. Why did something so simple turn to such a terrible situation?
The long-haired man snapped and once again began to shake. He was scared of it, death. No matter what he went through in his life, he would instead do it again than die. He snarled as he kept moving and waving his arms around.
All of that didn't bode well for the earth's hero. The grave injuries and the constant shaking only made the situation worse. "P-Piccolo! Hurry, and do it! I-I can't hold him any longer!" With little strength left in his throat, the martial artist yelled at the one-armed warrior.
He glanced at the warrior in the distance, but an elbow struck his face, almost making him lose the grip around the invader.
His ears twitched upon hearing the scream. He lowered the hand from his forehead and smirked while the sparking energy flickered around his fingertips.
"How noble of you, Son Goku... To think I would get a chance to kill both you and your brother at once, I will enjoy this!" He shifted his body to the right side and lifted the hand.
"Take this and die, Special Beam Cannon!"
The swirling energy beam moved with high speed toward the brothers. While Goku held tightly and tried to hold on for a little longer, his older brother cried out. The older Saiyan violently thrashed around, trying to break free for the hold. He was seconds away from leaving this world to be stuck in hell for eternity. The ruthless warrior closed his eyes and smashed the back of his head against Goku's. The earth's martial artist gasped, his pupils barely visible. It was at this moment when the long-haired Saiyan felt the grip around his body loosen up.
Without a second thought, he broke free from the hold and was slowly falling. His eyes were wide open when he saw the beam going straight at him. The Saiyan stared in terror; however, the beam flew by and only gave him a deep cut on the right side of his face. As he was falling, he heard a painful cry from behind. He glanced back, only to see his younger brother with a hole in the chest.
"GOKU!" The shocked scream came from Piccolo, who couldn't believe what just happened. "N-No, the only chance we had of defeating that monster went to ruin! Dammit!" As the drops of sweat slid across his cheeks, Piccolo nervously closed his right hand.
The red ooze covered his entire cheek while he was slowly getting up. For a moment, he thought it was over, lights out, but through some miracle, he managed to survive. He didn't know how but perhaps his shaking and that one headbutt caused his younger brother to lose control. It was that, and he was sure of it now. His brother was already weakened and heavily wounded from their battle. That and his thrashing around made Kakarot lose the grip and face the beam on its own.
He was able to hear the agonizing gasps from his younger brother, but the Saiyan didn't look behind. Instead, he focused his gaze at the green warrior.
"Y-You... You'll pay for this! Not even your bones will remain when I kill you!" Consumed by anger, the long-haired Saiyan forgot about the pain and dashed at Piccolo.
The reincarnation of the Demon King Piccolo was only able to blink before welcoming a strong punch to the face. His battered body crashed against the solid ground. He wasn't even able to think of a way to escape because a massive kick landed into his rib-cage. Piccolo was able to feel several bones break while he got sent rolling for a couple of steps. He stopped with his face against the ground, breathing laboriously as each muscle in his body kept aching.
Piccolo clenched his sharp teeth as he tried to push himself from the ground. He was on his knees and facing down when he heard a voice.
"To think I would suffer such humiliation by a bunch of nobodies! You'll pay the price for it, you better be sure of it!" He swallowed hard as the shadow consumed his body.
The tall Saiyan held his right cheek and tried to prevent the bleeding while he spoke to the kneeling warrior. "I'll fix everything by killing you first. After I make sure there's nothing left of you, I'll get rid off of that half-breed. He may be powerful, but it would take too much time to convert him into a cold-blooded warrior... Besides, if left alive, he might try to avenge his father one day, and I don't want to take that chance..." He moved the hand away from his cheek and lifted it above the head.
Purple sparks appeared around his palm as he stared at the back of his prey. "And for my foolish little brother, well, he'll eventually die on its own. His life is already at its end... Now, your life ends here, you green bastard!" With a tremendous loud growl, the Saiyan forced his hand down, to pierce through Piccolo's body and end it once and for all.
He was able to feel the Saiyan's intent from the very beginning; he just tried to buy some time and recover as much as possible, enough to evade the death blow. Before the finishing move came, Piccolo swiftly took away the Saiyan's balance by kicking the leg. While the Saiyan was off balance and surprised, Piccolo, got up and fired a close-blank ki blast. While the blast was carrying the enemy away, Piccolo took a stance and began yelling. Only ten seconds later and Piccolo regenerated his arm. Piccolo took it upon himself to take down the now undoubtedly weakened Saiyan with barely any strength left.
The Saiyan cursed loudly as the blast started to burn his skin. He took too much damage from the half-breed and the previous attack. His mind was cloudy while his body was barely responding to any orders. However, he was a warrior, and his firm will for survival pushed him forward. The Saiyan threw away the blast with a piercing cry, but once he glimpsed to the left, he saw the green warrior.
A loud bang echoed through the wasteland as Piccolo smashed his strong fist into the Saiyan's cheek, only to follow a second later with a knee to the gut. While the long-haired Saiyan puked some blood, Piccolo caught the man by the hair and took a step forward. The demon king's son released a growl as he lifted the Saiyan above his shoulder and forced him to crash against the ground.
The ground beneath the Saiyan cracked under the pressure while Piccolo took three steps back. He observed the Saiyan for a few seconds, but it seemed like it was over; the monstrous warrior wasn't moving anymore.
Just at that time, a yellow aircraft approached the battlefield from above. The small vehicle was piloted by a blue-haired woman who didn't seem to notice the warriors on the ground. Luckily enough, the men behind caught the presence of the warriors.
He closed his hands tightly when he saw them. "T-There! It seems like it's over, but... Bulma, hurry and take us down!" The young martial artist raised his voice as he pointed to the ground.
The engine's sound caught Piccolo's attention, but the warrior didn't take his eyes away from the Saiyan. "Humph, all of that and you're still able to move... However, the tables have turned, Saiyan." Piccolo grinned with satisfaction when he saw the expression on the man's face.
The tall warrior moved his head left and right, forcing his neck to create a cracking sound. "Let me tell you something before you leave this world for good. Unlike you, who will rot in hell forever, your brother will come back in a few days." He slowly approached the trembling Saiyan, who seemed very confused.
"Yes, I can see your confusion but let me explain. In this world, we have a way to cheat death. A set of wish-granting orbs called dragon balls which can grant any wish... even to revive a person." Piccolo's smirk grew when he saw the shock in the Saiyan's dark eyes.
He didn't know what to say. Here he was, on his knees, barely able to breathe, only seconds away from death when this information got handed to him. All he has done so far was for nothing. He will die and remain in hell while his younger brother will get another chance. It infuriated him so much that he wanted to jump and bite the man's head off, but it was just an illusion. He was too tired and without strength. The blow to the gut from his nephew, the green man's attack, even though it grazed him, it hurt a lot. And the last exchange he had with the man only exhausted him even more.
However, at least he could do one last thing before dying. "H-Hmm, he-hehe... Thanks for all the information, slug, but unfortunately for you... you doomed your life and this pitiful little world!" A tiny smirk appeared on his face as the blood dripped from his lips.
Piccolo narrowed his eyes in wonder. "What are you mumbling about down there? Did you suffer so much damage that you're starting to hallucinate? There's no way of escaping death..." Before he was able to finish, Piccolo got interrupted by the Saiyan.
He punched the ground with a weak fist, but it was enough to make the warrior silent. He hated it, he was already scared of it, but there was little comfort. His life will end, but he would fulfill his duty as a Saiyan warrior and die on the battlefield. The Saiyan forced his head up again and released a cough. While the blood dripped from his mouth, he smirked.
"I think you're already familiar with the functions of this device, right? Yeah, you're a smart one, but that's not the only thing it can do... The scouter can also act as a communication device. Even if I'm on the other side of the universe, my comrades would be able to hear every single thing."
Piccolo's eyes widened little by little as he realized what this Saiyan was getting at. The long-haired man chuckled at the expression and continued.
"The two of you had a hard time with me, but let me tell you this... you stand no chance against those two. My power's nothing compared to theirs. They will crush you and take the orbs for themselves! You're already dead, all of you! And once they're done wrecking this backwater planet, they will bring me back to life!"
He tried to laugh, but the pain was too intense.
Cold sweat slid down his bruised face as he stared at the Saiyan. "Even stronger than you, and it's two of them..." The wind carried his quiet mumbling.
Piccolo closed his hand tightly and cursed. "Damn you and your kind! I'll kill you right now!" Piccolo's angry shout echoed over the wasteland as he took hold of the Saiyan.
That look of despair and anger filled the Saiyan with at least some joy before receiving the final blow. Yes, now it didn't matter anymore. He might die here and now, but he was sure his companions would come here in search of the dragon balls. They purged and lived together on battlefields ever since their home got destroyed. He was sure they would massacre the entire planet and then bring him back.
"Humph, that would be a wasted wish."
At the same time, Piccolo and the Saiyan were taken by surprise when they heard a voice. "You think we would travel to some backwater planet only to wish a useless third-class Saiyan back to life? Haha, what a sick joke." The raspy voice that came from the scouter turned into a snicker.
While Piccolo remained silent, the Raditz began to sweat nervously. "V-Vegeta? What do you mean? Surely you would use the wish to revive me! I know I failed the mission, but I can make it up!" Fright and despair consumed the Saiyan once again.
"With enough force, we'll make Kakarot come with us after you revive me! He might be weak, but I'm sure he can improve! His son as well! The half-breed is very strong, and his potential is insane! V-Vegeta, we can also profit from selling this planet..."
He stopped talking once he heard the voice.
"Just die already... Raditz, you have been nothing but a nuisance all these years. Constantly failing and covering behind us, no wonder you ended to be such a weakling. Well, what else to expect from a low-level Saiyan. At least you will die together with your brain-damaged brother, how pitiful... However, the dragon balls piqued my interest, and it just might be worth a long trip to that rock... I look forward to it!"
The wind picked up as Piccolo and Raditz remained silent. Both warriors were troubled by this, each for their reasons. While the Saiyan was terrified and felt betrayed by his comrades, Piccolo snapped. He took hold of the warrior and lifted his other hand.
Throbbing veins appeared on Piccolo's forehead as he got consumed by anger. "Your life ends here! I had enough of you and your wretched kind for one day!" The warrior pushed his hand down, ready to finish off the Saiyan once and for all.
His hand was seconds from ripping the Saiyan apart when a weak voice caught his attention.
"P-Piccolo... W-Wait!"
The weak voice came from Son Goku, who still struggled and fought hard. His pupils were transparent, and each breath he took was almost his last.
"D-Don't do it... t-there could b-be some o-other way..." With each spoken word, Goku felt extreme pain, but he fought just as he always did.
Hearing that, Piccolo couldn't but scowl. "Are you out of your mind!? What makes you think I'll grant your dying wish!? Besides, you'll be revived by your friends in a couple of days anyway." The tall warrior shifted his dark orbs at the fallen warrior, trying to figure out if the man's delusions came from being in such a state.
"Goku may be onto something there, Piccolo. Why not take a chance and try to learn what we can about them? It's better than blindly go into such dangerous battle."
Piccolo shifted his head to the side when he heard the familiar voice. It was the old turtle hermit, and Piccolo just growled at the man.
"Are you as brain dead as that dying fool, you old man!? How dare you even tell me what to do!?" His loud voice rang over the wasteland as he glared at the old martial artist.
The old martial arts master winced in fear but tried to reason with the demon king's reincarnation. "No, no, of course not! It's just an idea. Don't forget, Goku spared your life, and now you fought beside him and saved us all... I mean, if a guy like you managed to do that, then who's to say Raditz won't do the same thing?" As soon as he said that, the old master was scared to his bones when Piccolo approached him.
"You old moron! I only fought with him to protect the world I'm destined to conquer and rule over! Don't even dare to think I did because of something else!"
While the old master tried to calm the tall warrior and remain alive, they stirred their attention to Goku, who attempted to speak. "P-Piccolo, please... l-listen to master Roshi." It was tough; he wasn't getting any oxygen anymore.
His time was up, and he knew it. Even he couldn't lie and say that he wasn't a bit scared of death, but seeing his best friend here, his son safe and sound in Bulma's arms and the old master, it provided some comfort at least.
"Goku..."
The earth's hero smiled upon hearing his friend's voice and pushed himself for one last time. "I-I... j-just like you P-Piccolo, I don't trust him, but I'm sure that could c-change one day... E-Even after all he did, I still didn't want to take his l-life. I-I want to fight him someday, with my strength..." As soon as he said the last word, Goku's head slowly fell to the side.
While the bald earthling cried near his brother, Raditz could only stare at the lifeless body. The Saiyan was able to see, for one last time, his brother's eyes before they closed. At that very moment, he was able to feel something cracking deep inside of him. A mysterious sensation slowly began to swell inside. He was confused, irritated, and angered because he couldn't understand what it was.
While the green warrior and the older man were arguing over his fate, he kept staring at the corpse of his only sibling. "Why... Even after all I did to him and his son, he still had doubts about killing me? Why, why Kakarot!?" He wanted an answer to it.
Was he such a lowlife that even his brain-damaged brother took pity on him? Or was it something else, something he couldn't comprehend?
As soon as he thought of that, familiar laughter echoed inside his head. The image of his two comrades emerged before him, and that made him boil with rage.
"Aah!" Raditz's let out a fierce growl and punched the ground, taking everyone by surprise.
While they stared at him, he forced himself up and turned his back to them. As he took several steps forward, a voice stopped him from going any further.
"Hn, it looks like you managed to recover a little... But, tell me, just where do you think you're going? Who told you-you could leave?" Raditz moved his head slightly to the side and glared at the green warrior.
He took several deep breaths before answering. "It's not as if I can leave this stupid rock, thanks to that half-breed..." As he said that, Roshi and his pupil glanced at Goku's son, who was resting in Bulma's arms.
"J-Just leave me alone, or I swear I'll bite your head off!" Even injured and exhausted, his words managed to sound threatening.
Nobody said a word as they watched the Saiyan slowly taking off in the sky. The way the warrior moved seemed as if he could fall any second, but the man was stubborn enough to push forward. As the Saiyan disappeared from their sight, the others took it upon themselves to form some kind of idea as to what to tell to Son Goku's wife.
I apologize in advance for my poor grammar and spelling. This is my first fan fiction story, and I hope you will find a way to like it. It's an already made by the others "What if" story, but as my first ever fan fiction, I decided to go with this and give it a shot.