Keys - Epilogue.
SAP WARNING! If you do not like sappy stories, leave this chapter at once, but be warned, this is where I tie up all the loose ends and tell you what the hell just happened!
~*~*~
There were several minutes of silence in which Krillin and Marron just sat there, quiet, confused, but not afraid anymore - there was no need to be. Chi-chi sat up unsteadily and looked around. "Krillin?" she asked, seeing him first. "What happened? Where are we?"
The angel known as Kylik landed gracefully next to one of the other girls, a redhead, and helped her up. "It doesn't matter now. You'll never have to come here again."
"Kylik," Krillin interjected. "I really would like to know what's going on that's so important that we all could have died."
Kylik sighed almost unnoticeably, then motioned toward the gigantic doors. "Those doors lead into the Vale of Shadows. The greatest powers of darkness reside in that Vale. Greater than the monsters you have seen, like Frieza or Cell." He looked up at nothing in particular. "Greater than all of them combined."
"Whoa."
"OH MY GOD!" Chi-chi screamed, suddenly noticing Gohan on the ground near the aforementioned doors. "Gohan! What happened to -" She didn't finish her sentence as she ran over to his motionless body.
Kylik landed on the ground nearby. "Move." In fear, Chi-chi did, as the angel leaned over her older son and laid his hands gently on his chest. Gohan started to glow a faint cyan, and as they looked on, the holes in his skin closed up and knitted together.
His eyes slowly opened, but he was by no means expecting the first thing he saw to be his mother giving him a big bear hug. "Oh Gohan!" she cried.
"YIIII!" Gohan shouted. "Mom, get off!"
"May I continue?" Kylik asked patiently and impatiently at the same time.
"Absolutely," Krillin responded. He was seated in a cross-legged position, Marron in his lap.
Kylik cleared his throat slightly. "The demon you fought has been trying for millennia to overthrow Lucifer as Ruler of Hell. Once she had done that, she would have assembled every demon everywhere to take over Heaven. She doesn't understand that her side has never had even a chance of winning. We have God himself on our side. Lucifer is nothing but a fallen archangel, and he is their most powerful warrior." He took a deep breath. "It would still be for the worst if she did manage to unlock the power of the Vale, though. The earth would never see the end of the torment."
"Hell on earth," Krillin breathed.
"Exactly," Kylik replied with a nod. "There are six Keys to the Vale on the planet, always. To prevent something like this from happening, the locks change every so often. That demon got lucky. She managed to collect all six Keys while they were still the Keys."
Krillin nodded. "And two of them were Marron and Chi-chi."
"Yes." The other suddenly adopted a stern look. "If it weren't for you, she actually would have acquired the dark power behind those doors."
"What do you mean?" he asked. "If it weren't for you, I would be dead." Marron snuggled up to him, not wanting to think of the idea. "It's all right, Marron-chan, I'm not dead," he reassured her, hugging her back.
"No, Krillin. You bought enough time for the locks to change again," Kylik said with a smile, his eyes closed. "And if the locks had changed an hour later than they actually did, you still wouldn't have died."
Krillin gave him an odd look, then remembered his close encounter with the talon. Pushing Marron out slightly, he looked down at his stomach, where there should have been a gaping hole. Sure enough, his shirt was torn there, but he was completely unscathed. He looked up at Kylik again, totally bewildered.
"She couldn't kill you, Krillin," Kylik continued. "None of her kind can." He motioned with one finger. "Come here."
Krillin stood, his daughter clinging to him like Velcro, and walked toward the angel. Kylik placed one hand on Krillin's head, and the latter started to glow.
"Daddy, what's happening?" Marron asked, fear in her voice.
"It's all right, Marron," Krillin responded, gently closing his eyes. Somehow he knew that the angel was changing something within him, as if allowing him to see something he'd known all along. Then a feeling rose up, and for a second, he couldn't tell what it was, but then he realized…
Truth.
The surrealistic impression passed in only a second or two, but he held on to it for a long, long time. In fact, he barely noticed when Kylik removed his hand. He didn't even seem to be conscious until Marron started tugging on his pant leg. "Daddy? Daddy, are you okay?"
He almost jumped. It was like he'd forgotten the world was there. But he quickly came back to reality and picked up his daughter. "Yeah, I'm fine." He looked up at Kylik again.
"Truth," the angel said. "That's why she couldn't hurt you. Always, throughout your life, you have fought for truth and light, and that alone sets you apart."
Krillin just watched him with an air of understanding.
"That alone," Kylik continued, "makes you strong."
~*~*~
It was the next day. Krillin, Marron, and Gohan were outside the door to Bulma's lab. Bulma was inside working on 18. Goten was still weak, so Goku and Chi-chi were home with him.
Suddenly, the door swung open. Gohan yelped as it came within half an inch of his face.
"Come on in, guys," Bulma said cheerfully. "I'm about to flip the switch." The other three obeyed.
Juuhachigou was laid out on a table, a wire or two attaching her head to the computer terminal. Bulma sat down in front of said terminal and typed a little. 18's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up.
"What…?" she mumbled, like she wasn't sure how to put her questions into words.
"Mommy!" Marron yelled, jumping up onto the table and hugging her tight.
"Marron-chan," 18 replied, holding her daughter close with the hand she wasn't using to support herself.
"I'm so glad you're okay," said Marron, a tear running down her face.
18 sat up the rest of the way and took her in both arms. "I'm glad you're all right too…"
Krillin was still standing by the door with his arms folded across his chest. "Hey," he murmured. "Anyone gonna say hello to me?"
Gohan laughed. "S'ok, Krillin, she just couldn't see you over the counter!"
Krillin promptly bonked him hard. "For one thing, there IS no counter!" he shouted.
18 laughed. "I could see you just fine. You just haven't been as enthusiastic to see me."
"Well then, let's fix that," he smiled, ran over and took her tightly in his arms. "I was worried," he whispered.
She hugged him back. "So was I."
~*~*~
*story end*
SAP WARNING! If you do not like sappy stories, leave this chapter at once, but be warned, this is where I tie up all the loose ends and tell you what the hell just happened!
~*~*~
There were several minutes of silence in which Krillin and Marron just sat there, quiet, confused, but not afraid anymore - there was no need to be. Chi-chi sat up unsteadily and looked around. "Krillin?" she asked, seeing him first. "What happened? Where are we?"
The angel known as Kylik landed gracefully next to one of the other girls, a redhead, and helped her up. "It doesn't matter now. You'll never have to come here again."
"Kylik," Krillin interjected. "I really would like to know what's going on that's so important that we all could have died."
Kylik sighed almost unnoticeably, then motioned toward the gigantic doors. "Those doors lead into the Vale of Shadows. The greatest powers of darkness reside in that Vale. Greater than the monsters you have seen, like Frieza or Cell." He looked up at nothing in particular. "Greater than all of them combined."
"Whoa."
"OH MY GOD!" Chi-chi screamed, suddenly noticing Gohan on the ground near the aforementioned doors. "Gohan! What happened to -" She didn't finish her sentence as she ran over to his motionless body.
Kylik landed on the ground nearby. "Move." In fear, Chi-chi did, as the angel leaned over her older son and laid his hands gently on his chest. Gohan started to glow a faint cyan, and as they looked on, the holes in his skin closed up and knitted together.
His eyes slowly opened, but he was by no means expecting the first thing he saw to be his mother giving him a big bear hug. "Oh Gohan!" she cried.
"YIIII!" Gohan shouted. "Mom, get off!"
"May I continue?" Kylik asked patiently and impatiently at the same time.
"Absolutely," Krillin responded. He was seated in a cross-legged position, Marron in his lap.
Kylik cleared his throat slightly. "The demon you fought has been trying for millennia to overthrow Lucifer as Ruler of Hell. Once she had done that, she would have assembled every demon everywhere to take over Heaven. She doesn't understand that her side has never had even a chance of winning. We have God himself on our side. Lucifer is nothing but a fallen archangel, and he is their most powerful warrior." He took a deep breath. "It would still be for the worst if she did manage to unlock the power of the Vale, though. The earth would never see the end of the torment."
"Hell on earth," Krillin breathed.
"Exactly," Kylik replied with a nod. "There are six Keys to the Vale on the planet, always. To prevent something like this from happening, the locks change every so often. That demon got lucky. She managed to collect all six Keys while they were still the Keys."
Krillin nodded. "And two of them were Marron and Chi-chi."
"Yes." The other suddenly adopted a stern look. "If it weren't for you, she actually would have acquired the dark power behind those doors."
"What do you mean?" he asked. "If it weren't for you, I would be dead." Marron snuggled up to him, not wanting to think of the idea. "It's all right, Marron-chan, I'm not dead," he reassured her, hugging her back.
"No, Krillin. You bought enough time for the locks to change again," Kylik said with a smile, his eyes closed. "And if the locks had changed an hour later than they actually did, you still wouldn't have died."
Krillin gave him an odd look, then remembered his close encounter with the talon. Pushing Marron out slightly, he looked down at his stomach, where there should have been a gaping hole. Sure enough, his shirt was torn there, but he was completely unscathed. He looked up at Kylik again, totally bewildered.
"She couldn't kill you, Krillin," Kylik continued. "None of her kind can." He motioned with one finger. "Come here."
Krillin stood, his daughter clinging to him like Velcro, and walked toward the angel. Kylik placed one hand on Krillin's head, and the latter started to glow.
"Daddy, what's happening?" Marron asked, fear in her voice.
"It's all right, Marron," Krillin responded, gently closing his eyes. Somehow he knew that the angel was changing something within him, as if allowing him to see something he'd known all along. Then a feeling rose up, and for a second, he couldn't tell what it was, but then he realized…
Truth.
The surrealistic impression passed in only a second or two, but he held on to it for a long, long time. In fact, he barely noticed when Kylik removed his hand. He didn't even seem to be conscious until Marron started tugging on his pant leg. "Daddy? Daddy, are you okay?"
He almost jumped. It was like he'd forgotten the world was there. But he quickly came back to reality and picked up his daughter. "Yeah, I'm fine." He looked up at Kylik again.
"Truth," the angel said. "That's why she couldn't hurt you. Always, throughout your life, you have fought for truth and light, and that alone sets you apart."
Krillin just watched him with an air of understanding.
"That alone," Kylik continued, "makes you strong."
~*~*~
It was the next day. Krillin, Marron, and Gohan were outside the door to Bulma's lab. Bulma was inside working on 18. Goten was still weak, so Goku and Chi-chi were home with him.
Suddenly, the door swung open. Gohan yelped as it came within half an inch of his face.
"Come on in, guys," Bulma said cheerfully. "I'm about to flip the switch." The other three obeyed.
Juuhachigou was laid out on a table, a wire or two attaching her head to the computer terminal. Bulma sat down in front of said terminal and typed a little. 18's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up.
"What…?" she mumbled, like she wasn't sure how to put her questions into words.
"Mommy!" Marron yelled, jumping up onto the table and hugging her tight.
"Marron-chan," 18 replied, holding her daughter close with the hand she wasn't using to support herself.
"I'm so glad you're okay," said Marron, a tear running down her face.
18 sat up the rest of the way and took her in both arms. "I'm glad you're all right too…"
Krillin was still standing by the door with his arms folded across his chest. "Hey," he murmured. "Anyone gonna say hello to me?"
Gohan laughed. "S'ok, Krillin, she just couldn't see you over the counter!"
Krillin promptly bonked him hard. "For one thing, there IS no counter!" he shouted.
18 laughed. "I could see you just fine. You just haven't been as enthusiastic to see me."
"Well then, let's fix that," he smiled, ran over and took her tightly in his arms. "I was worried," he whispered.
She hugged him back. "So was I."
~*~*~
*story end*