The Last Warrior
Chapter 18:The Challenge
Slade was absolutely unapproachable the next day. He was constantly angry and would snap at anyone who tried to talk to him. No one got too angry with him because of this, but they didn't like this behavior either.
"Snap out of it Slade." Aiden told him,
"Leave me alone." Slade snarled.
"You can't be mad at yourself for what happened." said Nax.
"Well I am." Slade said.
"Slade, don't do this to yourself." Eve said, concerned
"I'll be fine." Slade said quickly. He sensed all their concern, but he couldn't stop himself from being angry about the incident. He had nearly killed all of them, and he couldn't have done anything about it. He felt lucky that they had managed to cut his tail off in time, who know's how many people he could have killed. Slade finally walked out to the lake and stood on a rock, looking at the sky. He ran over what happend on and on in his mind, agonizing over every single detail. Eve and the others could only watch and hope he came back to his senses. Whenever they approached him now, he would ignore them compleately.
"Can you sense the anger he's feeling?" Eve asked them all.
"I could tell even if I couldn't sense his feelings. What I feel most is the sadness." Said Alex, "He can't stop blaming himself for what happened."
"He seems to have alot of these issues with himself." Aiden commented. "I wish he'd let us help him." Suddenly, the sky began to grow darker and darker, they all looked around and saw Slade standing with his fists clenched and his power level rising tremendously. Tiny bolts of lighting seemed to branch off of his body as his power continued to grow. He then began to yell. An angry, frustated yell that made all of them freeze on the spot. The rock Slade was standing on began to crumble and break. The entire place was shaking. Eve looked at Slade and was stunned for a moment, could it have been...no, that was impossible, but then again, could it have, did Slade's hair change color? Slade suddenly stopped yelling and powered down. The sky turned back to normal and the earth stopped shaking. Slade turned around and saw all of them staring at him with expressions of fear and surprise at this sudden outburst. The sight made him laugh, a warm, happy laugh. He walked over to them.
"Sorry for the way I've been. I guess I was just scared by the fact that I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if something happened to any of you." He said.
"Well you weren't really yourself anyway." Nax said.
"I may have been a beast, but it was still me who would have killed you. It was my partially my fault, but then I thought, Why did I have to use that technique anyway? What caused me to have to put my friend's lives in danger. I thought and thought, and finally came up with the person responsible for it, Kane. It's always been the bastard. If he had never created those androids, those innocent people would never have been attacked and I would never have had to transform. I'm going to kill him if its the last thing I ever do!"
"Slade, be calm." Aiden said calmly.
"Calm!?" Slade yelled, "I'll show you calm! I'll go to Kane's palace, walk right up to him, and calmly RIP OUT HIS SPINE!!!!"
"Get a hold of yourself!" Eve said.
Slade tried to calm down, but it didn't work as much as he wanted it too. He was still very angry, but had gotten better.
"Alright. I need to train a bit more before I can do that." He conceded.
Everyone let out a silent sigh of relief.
"Everyone! Come to the com room right away! This is an emergency!" Page's voice blazed over the PA. They all rushed to the com room and found Page looking at a screen with a very nervous expression on his face.
"What's wrong?" Slade asked.
"Kane's about to make an announcement." Page said.
Slade was about to say something, but the screen immediately came on. Kane's smirking face came on as he prepared himself. He then spoke,
"This is a message to the Saiyan Slade. Or more precisely, a challenge. I have grown tired of your antics and wish to end it now. Come to my palace by 6:00 today. Not a minute less. If you don't show up, I'll destroy one city every hour until you do. You have about...," He looked at the clock on his scouter, "3 hours. I suggest you hurry." The screen then went blank. Everyone turned and looked at Slade. His crooked half-smile was now on his face and everyone knew that he only smiled like that when he was going to fight. He turned and left the room. He went down the hall to his own room, shut the door, and went over to his pack. He pulled out the Saiyan combat suit and began putting it on. He had just slipped his breastplate over his head when the door burst open. It was Eve. He didn't turn but said simply,
"Don't try and stop me."
"Slade, come on, we'll make some kind of plan. Don't leave!" She said.
"I have to." He slipped on the right glove.
"Not alone."
"You're not coming." The left glove was on.
"Slade! Be reasonable!"
"I am." He put his trenchcoat on.
"You can't go! What if you die!?"
"If I don't go, he'll kill innocent people. Their lives mean nothing to him. I know he'll do it." He slung his sword on his back and turned to leave. Eve caught him at the door. She put her arms around his waist and held him hard.
"Slade please!" She said crying into his chest. "Don't you know what would happen to me if you died!?"
"Eve, I have to go. I promised my family I would avenge them. And I'm not going to stand by and watch as Kane kills more people and makes their loved ones feel what I did." Slade said as he put his hand on her head.
"But what about me? Don't I amount to anything?" Eve said with her face buried in his chest.
"You amount to the most. I want to kill Kane so he doesn't kill you someday. That's why I joined your group, that's why I became your leader, and that's also why I have to go."
"Slade! You can't bring your family back! They're gone! But I'll still be here if you die!"
"I told you Eve, I promised them."
"Alright then." She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes but a smile on her face, "If you're so good at promises, then make one to me."
"What?" He said.
"Promise me that you'll come back alive!" She said, now wearing a very hard expression.
"Eve, I..."
"PROMISE ME!!!" She said angrily.
He looked into her deep blue eyes and saw the concern for him, the affection, the love. He put his hand on her cheek and bent his head down. They kissed each other on the lips for what seemed like forever. Finally Slade brought his head back up and smiled at her.
"I promise." He said. Then he gently pushed her aside and went out the door. He then made his way outside and flew off for Kane's palace. Kane meanwhile just sat on is throne and laughed, seeing the arrival of the last Saiyan on his scouter.
"It's time." He said.
Chapter 18:The Challenge
Slade was absolutely unapproachable the next day. He was constantly angry and would snap at anyone who tried to talk to him. No one got too angry with him because of this, but they didn't like this behavior either.
"Snap out of it Slade." Aiden told him,
"Leave me alone." Slade snarled.
"You can't be mad at yourself for what happened." said Nax.
"Well I am." Slade said.
"Slade, don't do this to yourself." Eve said, concerned
"I'll be fine." Slade said quickly. He sensed all their concern, but he couldn't stop himself from being angry about the incident. He had nearly killed all of them, and he couldn't have done anything about it. He felt lucky that they had managed to cut his tail off in time, who know's how many people he could have killed. Slade finally walked out to the lake and stood on a rock, looking at the sky. He ran over what happend on and on in his mind, agonizing over every single detail. Eve and the others could only watch and hope he came back to his senses. Whenever they approached him now, he would ignore them compleately.
"Can you sense the anger he's feeling?" Eve asked them all.
"I could tell even if I couldn't sense his feelings. What I feel most is the sadness." Said Alex, "He can't stop blaming himself for what happened."
"He seems to have alot of these issues with himself." Aiden commented. "I wish he'd let us help him." Suddenly, the sky began to grow darker and darker, they all looked around and saw Slade standing with his fists clenched and his power level rising tremendously. Tiny bolts of lighting seemed to branch off of his body as his power continued to grow. He then began to yell. An angry, frustated yell that made all of them freeze on the spot. The rock Slade was standing on began to crumble and break. The entire place was shaking. Eve looked at Slade and was stunned for a moment, could it have been...no, that was impossible, but then again, could it have, did Slade's hair change color? Slade suddenly stopped yelling and powered down. The sky turned back to normal and the earth stopped shaking. Slade turned around and saw all of them staring at him with expressions of fear and surprise at this sudden outburst. The sight made him laugh, a warm, happy laugh. He walked over to them.
"Sorry for the way I've been. I guess I was just scared by the fact that I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if something happened to any of you." He said.
"Well you weren't really yourself anyway." Nax said.
"I may have been a beast, but it was still me who would have killed you. It was my partially my fault, but then I thought, Why did I have to use that technique anyway? What caused me to have to put my friend's lives in danger. I thought and thought, and finally came up with the person responsible for it, Kane. It's always been the bastard. If he had never created those androids, those innocent people would never have been attacked and I would never have had to transform. I'm going to kill him if its the last thing I ever do!"
"Slade, be calm." Aiden said calmly.
"Calm!?" Slade yelled, "I'll show you calm! I'll go to Kane's palace, walk right up to him, and calmly RIP OUT HIS SPINE!!!!"
"Get a hold of yourself!" Eve said.
Slade tried to calm down, but it didn't work as much as he wanted it too. He was still very angry, but had gotten better.
"Alright. I need to train a bit more before I can do that." He conceded.
Everyone let out a silent sigh of relief.
"Everyone! Come to the com room right away! This is an emergency!" Page's voice blazed over the PA. They all rushed to the com room and found Page looking at a screen with a very nervous expression on his face.
"What's wrong?" Slade asked.
"Kane's about to make an announcement." Page said.
Slade was about to say something, but the screen immediately came on. Kane's smirking face came on as he prepared himself. He then spoke,
"This is a message to the Saiyan Slade. Or more precisely, a challenge. I have grown tired of your antics and wish to end it now. Come to my palace by 6:00 today. Not a minute less. If you don't show up, I'll destroy one city every hour until you do. You have about...," He looked at the clock on his scouter, "3 hours. I suggest you hurry." The screen then went blank. Everyone turned and looked at Slade. His crooked half-smile was now on his face and everyone knew that he only smiled like that when he was going to fight. He turned and left the room. He went down the hall to his own room, shut the door, and went over to his pack. He pulled out the Saiyan combat suit and began putting it on. He had just slipped his breastplate over his head when the door burst open. It was Eve. He didn't turn but said simply,
"Don't try and stop me."
"Slade, come on, we'll make some kind of plan. Don't leave!" She said.
"I have to." He slipped on the right glove.
"Not alone."
"You're not coming." The left glove was on.
"Slade! Be reasonable!"
"I am." He put his trenchcoat on.
"You can't go! What if you die!?"
"If I don't go, he'll kill innocent people. Their lives mean nothing to him. I know he'll do it." He slung his sword on his back and turned to leave. Eve caught him at the door. She put her arms around his waist and held him hard.
"Slade please!" She said crying into his chest. "Don't you know what would happen to me if you died!?"
"Eve, I have to go. I promised my family I would avenge them. And I'm not going to stand by and watch as Kane kills more people and makes their loved ones feel what I did." Slade said as he put his hand on her head.
"But what about me? Don't I amount to anything?" Eve said with her face buried in his chest.
"You amount to the most. I want to kill Kane so he doesn't kill you someday. That's why I joined your group, that's why I became your leader, and that's also why I have to go."
"Slade! You can't bring your family back! They're gone! But I'll still be here if you die!"
"I told you Eve, I promised them."
"Alright then." She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes but a smile on her face, "If you're so good at promises, then make one to me."
"What?" He said.
"Promise me that you'll come back alive!" She said, now wearing a very hard expression.
"Eve, I..."
"PROMISE ME!!!" She said angrily.
He looked into her deep blue eyes and saw the concern for him, the affection, the love. He put his hand on her cheek and bent his head down. They kissed each other on the lips for what seemed like forever. Finally Slade brought his head back up and smiled at her.
"I promise." He said. Then he gently pushed her aside and went out the door. He then made his way outside and flew off for Kane's palace. Kane meanwhile just sat on is throne and laughed, seeing the arrival of the last Saiyan on his scouter.
"It's time." He said.