A very long chapter indeed. I could have probably made it into two or three chapters itself but the words kept flowing. My writers block is definitely gone now.
Haunt 16
Wishes and Misfortune.
Gohan was pleasantly surprised to have the whole house to himself and it was so quiet. He didn't remember the last time that it was so quiet. It almost hurt his ears!
He sank into his favorite chair and opened a book and began to read slowly. Something that he had not been able to do for a very very long time. It was bliss.
Of course he knew that it had to end and it would just when he was getting comfortable and into the plot of the book. Fry and the kids would crash through the door any minute now. Videl would get home from shopping with ChiChi. Dad would be back and asking him if he wanted to spar. Goten would come over and ask him what he should do about Soyna.
He smiled.
He kind of liked having his large family always around.
But he did like the quiet.
Of course, he opened the book and the front door opened. So much for bliss.
"Mom! Dad!"
He stood quickly. That was Pan! She sounded rather upset too! "Pan?" he called.
He was shocked to see her come running in the room, looking like she had been crying. His little girl never cried!
"Daddy," she said and threw herself at him. She cried for a bit and he tried to ask her what was wrong. He tried to understand why his little girl was so upset.
Of course, when she did become coherent, he was in the mood to kill.
..........................................
"All of you! Leave me alone!" She snapped and pulled away from her brother and glared at both Vegeta and Goku so hard that they both took a step back. Dad had that stupid confused look on his face again.
"I am not a doll! I do not need kid gloves to be handled. I can take care of myself!" Her eyes were flicking quickly to everyone that was still looking at her. She looked like a rabbit ready to jump.
She was obviously very confused.
He was scared to say anything. He didn't want to upset her further and worse yet, have her upset at him again.
He bit his lip as she turned and looked at him. She froze for a moment and then shook herself out of it and stormed past him.
Was she crying?
He looked at his father who was looking as stunned as he was but did not say anything. He was pretty sure Vegeta was saying something but he didn't much care what he was saying. Junior was trying to say something also, but that didn't matter.
Soyna had just rushed past him.
He turned and went back into the house. She was seated in her chair by the window, where she always sat when she was thinking. She was curled up in on herself but sitting very still. Unfortunately, she had that stuffed cat curled up in her arms. He had wished that he had torn that think up long ago. Hell, when he first saw it. He would have loved to have destroyed it. He did not want a reminder of her past marriage around like that. Well, one that he could get rid of anyway.
"Soyna?"
She didn't even look up. "I will never see him again." He went towards her and she kept talking. "He didn't understand what was going on and now he does. He won't come back. I told him that."
He put his hand on her shoulder and felt her tense for a minute and then she calmed down. She took a deep sigh and finally looked up at him. She had a nervous smile on her lips but that was much better than a scowl. "It's over."
He couldn't help but grin widely at that. He never wanted to see Brennen again in his life.
He knelt beside her and for awhile it was like it was before she saw Brennen again. He rested her head in her lap and she stroked his hair. It was really calming and peaceful. Things were going to be okay after all.
"I should go apologize to Benot," she spoke after awhile. "I was rather harsh on him." He lifted his head from her lap and she looked so sad again. He wished that she never had to be sad. It was just not fair that she had to go through what she has gone though. She deserved so much better. She didn't do anything wrong, just the whole world was against her it seemed.
"I'll go with you," he said and she agreed but other children had different idea's. Flare woke up from her nap and was being very vocal about it. "Okay. I'll take care of Flare."
She nodded and started to head towards Benot's room.
He took care of his daughter.
.................................
"Why am I here again?" Goku said looking and Junior and Vegeta. He could never get over how much Junior looked like Vegeta and right now, they both had stunned looks on their faces. If only Vegeta was a little bigger and then they could be twins.
"Are you loosing your marbles!" Vegeta snapped at him. Thankfully there was only one person that was that vocal and Junior didn't take after him in that aspect of his life.
"What?" He looked at them. Junior was shaking his head.
"Has that dragon scrambled your brain?" Vegeta said and got right in his face. "You are acting as if Soyna is yours!"
"What?" he said and took a step back. "I don't even remember how I got here. I know I was heading home..."
Vegeta grabbed his arm again. "You are not going to get away without any answers! You have been acting strange for awhile now and I want answers, even if I have to beat them out of you."
Goku chuckled. He didn't mean to but the thought that Vegeta could possibly think that there was a chance that he could beat him was very humorous. Of course, the chuckle made him even angrier, and Vegeta's eyes flashed with a fury that he hadn't seen in him in a long time.
"Do you think this situation is funny?" Vegeta snapped and his whole skin seemed charged with energy. He was really mad. Goku knew that he was protective of Soyna, but this was... well, what right did he have to say anything? He had been acting like it was his job! That she needed protection was a joke. She was stronger than Vegeta when she was more focused that Gohan when he was studying his books.
His head hurt and his tattoo ached. He wanted to go home and forget about the weird day and how he ended up always doing something that wasn't very smart. For the first time in his life he felt like he was out of control. Well, that was not true. When he first fused with Shelong, he felt like this...
Vegeta grabbed him again and he didn't try to pull away. Vegeta was never very subtle at trying to get his point across. "You do not go near her again, do you hear me Goku. She is confused enough with out you and the dragon screwing with her mind."
Goku just blinked at Vegeta. He could feel a rage in his belly. It wasn't his rage.
"Let her have some peace. She needs her peace so why don't you let it be!" Vegeta said and let go of him. He acted as if his hands were burnt.
Junior stood there and he look as confused as he felt.
"Get LOST!" Vegeta snapped and then walked into the house that Soyna and Goten shared.
Junior looked over at Goku.
"I really don't know what I did," Goku said to Junior. "I haven't been feeling well lately."
Junior just sighed. "Everything is just so screwed up." Junior then winced and rubbed his forehead. "Man. I didn't get to tell her about..." he stopped and looked up with an embarrassed look on his face and gave out a weak chuckle. "Why do things always have to get worse before they get better?"
Goku just shrugged but he heard that other voice talking in him. Shelong. He couldn't understand it but it was there. He had to fight it. He didn't want to leave his family again.
.......................
Brennen knew that his friends were following him and he chose to ignore them. It was just easier. He didn't really want to explain to them what he now knew about himself. He knew that was what was eating him. He knew that was what was bothering him. Knowing that he could betray someone that he loved. So what if it happened in another time. It was still part of him. Especially now.
He knew that he they thought he was wandering aimlessly in the streets but that wasn't true.
He was following that boy that kept insisting on calling him dad. He had saw him jump the fence and start running away from the compound. He wasn't going to do anything about it at first but then he felt like he should.
He may not be his true father but he was a little part of him.
It was his fault that he was running.
He should do something to try to make it all better.
He knew that the boy shouldn't be out. He somehow knew that he was up to something and that it wasn't good. He didn't care that he looked like a mad man at times, running down the streets trying to keep up with the boy that could have been his son. He had to make it right somehow. He didn't want to do anymore damage to her. He could never be with her or a part of her, but he wasn't about to be blamed if that boy did something because of him. Those men that she hung around were huge and looked like they wouldn't think twice about slicing him up.
Benot stopped and looked at a desolate building. He was breathing hard and looked like he had been crying. Why the hell did he stop? This was no place.
He was close enough that he could hear him panting. "I won't let it happen. You will not hurt mom," he gasped and rubbed his eyes again. "I'll make sure it doesn't. I will stop you Ligh."
Ligh? Who the hell is that? Another player in this twisted game?
"You shouldn't be here!" It was Jamna. He was right behind him. "You really should have listened to me and gone home." He turned to see his friend and he looked at the building and he looked scared. Mart just looked confused and bewildered and -shock- speechless.
"Benot is up to something. I don't want to get blamed for him getting hurt. Did you see those guys?" He looked back to see Benot looking for a way in. He somehow got to the second story fire escape, but the ladder was still up. Well, his mother could fly, why couldn't he?
"You have done what you were supposed to. Back off or else you will get hurt also," Jamna said. "Come on. We'll go get drunk and try to forget that all this ever happened."
He pushed away from his friend. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Jamna sighed. "Come on. Just forget about the kid. It's over with. Come on. Let it go."
"Let it go!! Did you see what happened?" Brennen said. "What do you mean 'I did what I supposed to do?'" He could see how nervous his friend was. What was all this happening now?
"He means, that you did what I wanted and now you are no more use to me." He turned sharply to see a tall lean man standing in front of him with dyed brown hair and fake colored contacts and some very pale skin. "I should thank you for driving out of her children right to me. I don't know how you did it but it seems luck has been working in my favor." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a watch. "I really don't have much time before they get here. She is rather sensitive to her children." He looked to Jamna. "I will take care of Brennen now, if you please. You will receive your payment later. Oh, and take your slack jaw friend with you. I don't need any more problems around."
Jamna was looking at the ground. "Yes sir."
"What? I don't understand. What the hell? You betrayed me!"
"I warned you to stay away from her!" Jamna said quickly. "I warned you that nothing good would come of this! Damn it. I needed the money and..."
"Enough of this," Ligh said (he assumed this was Ligh) He felt an extremely heavy hand on his shoulder and then he felt the world get dizzy around him.
...........................
"Maybe you should go over there. You know how hetic it has been in the last little while. Maybe he got a bit, you know, scared," Trunks said with a gentle smile. Poor Marron looked so distraught. "You know that she is not that sociable as of late. Maybe he just needs a little nudge and I am sure with you being there it would help."
She sighed heavily. "Maybe your right. She can't get that mad at us. I mean, it wasn't like we meant for it to happen or to keep it a secret for so long." She stood and smoothed her skirts. "I guess I should prepare myself for the worse then. Oh!" She looked startled.
He turned to see an angry looking Gohan. Oh man, what did he do to get him mad? Pan was behind him looking just as angry. He opened his mouth to ask them what was wrong when Gohan spoke. His words were full of fury. "You hurt my daughter. That will be the last thing that you have ever done." The whole room began to shake. Gohan was powering up!
"I didn't do anything!" he protested. "Pan! Stop your father."
She just stood there with an angry look on her face. She wasn't looking at him, but at Marron. He had no more time to talk or to really think. He had to defend himself from his wife's angry father.
...........................
The first thing Vegeta heard was her scream as he walked in the door. He felt a panic hit his chest. It wasn't a frustrated scream. It was a startled scream. He bolted immediately to the sound and found Goten staring blankly at her as she knelt on the floor with her hands over her eyes. He stopped in time to have a silver ball hit his foot.
The others must have heard her startled scream as well, for he could feel Goku and Junior behind him looking into the room.
"What happened?" Junior said before anyone else and pushed his way over to his sister. "Sis? What happened? Why are you crying?"
"Benot. He's gone and... the..." she pointed to the silver ball. "We have to go. We have to save him! He is doing something very stupid. We have to stop him!" she stood shakily. Junior had to help her.
"You can't go out!" Goku said from behind Vegeta. "You are obviously not well!" Vegeta was about to turn and snarl at him about what right did he have to stop her from going to save her son.
"I will do what I please!" She snapped before he could speak, but he decided that he better keep a sharp eye on him and was shocked to see that the dragon tattoo of Shelong was moving! Actually moving. No wonder he was acting strange. What the hell was the dragon doing? "We have to find where Benot went. We have to stop him from doing something stupid!" Junior was still holding her up. She was shaking so badly. He wanted to go to her. She did not deserve all this happening to her. She really didn't deserve it at all.
"Where did he go?" Goten said finally snapping out of it and looking around the room. "I didn't see him go."
She shook her head. "He must have sneaked out. I don't know where... the images... they showed... a dark building... I know... it is... it has to be in the city...but I don't know where!" She looked at the silver ball as if it were a snake that was going to bite her. "We have to hurry though. Ligh is trying to drive me mad to get back at me. He wants his revenge and if we don't hurry he will win!"
"Ligh?" Goku said. "He is nothing! You don't need to bother yourself with him. We can take care of it and you can rest before you pass out on your feet!" Vegeta glared at him. He didn't even sound like Goku anymore and he was sure that dragon was moving faster. It was giving him the creeps.
"He is going to kill my son!" She yelled at him. "I have to stop him! We have to stop him! If you cannot help Goku, then you can just leave me alone. Forever!"
Goku gulped and the dragon stopped moving. Did he get a couple of shades lighter? Was there something that he missed here?
"We have to get moving! We have to find Benot before..." She kicked at the silver ball.
They all just nodded and headed down the stairs.
...........................
Goten couldn't get a hold of his mom to watch little Flint and Flare but he was able to get a hold of Bulma as Soyna tried to explain the place that she saw in the vision that the silver ball gave her. It didn't seem to work for anyone else. She was anxious to find Benot and even he was getting worried about it. They finally decided it must be in the north district. They were sure to find such a dark place there.
"Hey! Dudes!"
The looked at the still opened front door and there stood one of Brennen's friends and he felt his anger grow inside him. Why was he back? Didn't they tell them that they no longer wanted to see them anymore. It was just the guy in the loud shirt that stood there. It looked like had been running.
Vegeta glared at him. "What the hell are you doing back here? Haven't you done enough damage around here?"
"Listen strong dudes!" He panted. "Like, that kid, with the purple hair, he is like been, kidnapped by a dude with badly dyed hair. Man... taken by the dude along with Brennen."
Soyna growled. "What? Is this some sort of trap?"
"I don't know, man-I mean miss-but, but like, I had to outrun Jamna to get here, he like, is some sort of traitor and set stuff up... really confusing stuff like, my head is bursting here."
"What the hell are you trying to say! Speak English!" Vegeta snapped.
"I'll read his mind," Goku said. "It will be easier and much quicker and we will find out if he is betraying us."
"Woah man. Don't do that voodoo stuff on me dude," Mart started but Goku's hand was on his forehead and Mart just stood there a little stunned.
"Okay. I know where to go," he said after he removed his hand from Mart's head. "Everyone hold on to me and we will teleport there."
"Wait. We have to wait for Bulma to get here. We can't just let the kids be here alone," Goten said.
"Dude," Mart said a little dizzily. "I can watch them. I mean like, man, this is really strange stuff and dude, I think you should get moving. Brennen is like my best bud. I didn't know who else to turn too."
He looked to Soyna who nodded. "Bulma won't be long," she said. "I could not bear if Benot died because of me."
"Okay, but you treat them well." Goten said and went and grabbed his dad's arm and his wives hand. She was shaking. He didn't know if she was holding back her anger or scared. Her face portrayed both.
"Dude!" Mart said and they were gone.
Standing outside a dark warehouse. He felt Soyna tense up even further. Oh yeah, they were in the right place.
................................
Things definitely were not happening like they happened in the silver ball. Instead of his brother being in the chair with the wires hooked up to his head, it was him! He didn't even see the guy that had grabbed him. He just came out of nowhere and suddenly he was in the chair!
Was he going to end up dead now instead of his brother? Damn silver ball. He planned on destroying it when he got home. If he got home.
He saw his father... well, this time's Brennen, being dragged in by Ligh and thrown into a room next to this one. He yelled for a little bit but it soon stopped.
Then the pain started. The ball didn't mention anything about the pure agony that those wire caused him. He saw the face of Ligh above him and his lips moving. He was asking questions and watching a monitor. He didn't know what was going on other than he was in a lot of pain.
Then the pain stopped and he could hear Ligh's laughter. A low chuckle. "How convenient," he said. "Thank you dear boy. You have just brought the downfall of your whole family."
He still felt sick and weak. His whole body was shaking. "What-what did you do to me?" He was surprised that he even had the strength to speak. It hurt and ached but it at least wasn't like pain before.
"Oh," Ligh said with a smile and looked at his watch. "Just some vital information to get those wishes out of Goku." Benot winced as Ligh did a stereotypical evil laugh. "Oh man, is revenge ever sweet."
"You can't defeat Goku," Benot said and tasted something odd in his mouth. Was it blood? Yeah. There was blood in his mouth. He tried to spit it out but ended up choking on it. Ligh just seemed to laugh harder.
"Oh, but I can. I will. I will get my wishes and you all will obey me or die... whichever pleases me. Of course, you will be dying...I had to turn up the juice on my little machine here," he patted a box that the wires were connected to it. "Even as diluted as your Saiyian blood is, I needed much more force to get the information I needed out of you than an average human."
He was scared now. "Mom will save me," he sputtered and could feel blood oozing out of his nose. He could also feel tears coming out of his eyes.
"Oh, I am counting on it," he smiled and laughed again. "Oh look. Right on time." He looked to a monitor. He could see his mom there with Goku, Vegeta, Junior and the wimp. He was even happy to see the wimp!
"Don't die yet boy. I need you for a little bit longer," he said and started to untie him from the machine.
.................
He smiled as he untied the boy and held him up. He was limp and just about gone, but he knew that he would hang on enough for him to get the wishes out of Goku. The boy had Saiyian blood. They don't just die. He knew that he would last until there was no turning back and then, he would have all that he ever wanted. He couldn't help but laugh again. He never thought he could feel such joy!
.......................
Brennen heard an explosion. It came from the room over, where he saw the boy lying on the bed hooked up to machines. The room where he had heard the boy screaming. It may not be his actual son, but damn it, no one should suffer like that. Especially not a child!
He looked up from the dust. He could hear voices yelling. The door was a jar now and he could see in the other room.
The guy, Ligh, was holding the limp body of Benot against his chest and a very sharp dark looking blade to the boy's throat. "Now, now, let's not do anything rash now," Ligh said in a taunting voice.
He crawled over to the door and saw the people that he had walked away from earlier, or at least he thought they were. A guy that looked like Soyna's husband stood beside her but with yellow hair and the other guy with the bad attitude also had yellow hair. Junior, her brother was bristling with energy and the strange dude in the orange jump suit looked like he had a snake crawling on him. But no one was moving.
"Benot?" Soyna said in a weak whisper.
Benot looked as if he was gasping for air.
"Now. I will deal with you later. I want the dragon! I want my wishes!" Ligh said. "Or I kill the boy!"
"Never!" the guy with the snake on him snapped. "They are not for you!"
Ligh laughed. "Oh come now. You can put whatever conditions you want on those wishes and you can give them to whomever you please. I will place my conditions on you. I will let you all go, even this boy here, if you can save him before I kill him. If I kill him, I get my wishes."
They all yelled at him. Soyna looked as if she was going to cry. She was looking directly at her son with pure desperation in her face. Pure desperation!
"I will not allow it!" The snake man said.
"You don't really have a choice do you. I will kill him otherwise and that would be such a waste," Ligh said. "I don't have anything to loose. You all took everything away from me. You are the ones with everything to loose. The bargin is made. Come and get him!"
Vegeta lunged.
Soyna screamed.
"NO!" he couldn't help but yell as he saw the knife slice the throat of a child! His son. And how he laughed as he fell to the floor with a sickening thunk. He wanted to cry but he wouldn't allow himself to do so. He so wanted to run out there but he knew that he would do no good.
Benot was still breathing but there was not much time left.
"As an extra bonus, I even tipped the dagger with my father's famous poison. He won't be in pain for very long though," Ligh laughed. "I will get my wishes soon."
.............................
Vegeta was frozen as he saw someone from his blood line crumble to the floor in a terrible heap. He didn't mean to lunge. He couldn't help it. It was just instinct.
"He is just a boy!" Junior yelled. "How could you!" It was the first time that he really saw true fury in his namesake. He had heard people say that he sure could look like him when he was angry. This was the first time that he saw it.
Goten was standing in front of Soyna who looked as if she was in shock. Goten looked as if he was going to lunge. Goku was just standing there like an idiot, looking as stunned as Soyna.
"Momma," a weak sound coming from Benot's throat as he rolled over on to his back to look at them. "Momma." He looked as if he was having trouble breathing and he probably was. He remember all to well the paralyzing pain of the poison that almost took his life. How could one boy have so much blood?
"It really doesn't matter to me what I had to do to get revenge," Ligh said and kicked Benot right at Goten. Goten caught the boy and Soyna rushed towards him and they all slumped to the floor.
"You can't... can't," Goku was shaking. "The wishes cannot... NO!" Goku wasn't Goku right then. Vegeta could see it. Vegeta could definitely see it. His eyes were red. There came a roar from Goku, that was like that he remembered from the dragon. Could it have been that simple as to set your own conditions to get the wishes out? Could it have been that easy? After all, didn't the boys set their own conditions to get the last batch of wishes out of Goku?
"You will not live long enough to get the wishes," Vegeta snarled and continued his lunge. He remembered him as a quick man, but not that quick. He lost him for a second and then found him again.
"I can match your speed Vegeta and it seems that the others are a little bit preoccupied with trying to save the boy's life. Come on now Vegeta, come on. See if you can catch me! I can wait a little bit before the dragon bursts out of that mad man over there."
"No one can match my speed," Vegeta said and transformed further and lunged at him.
.............................
"Benot," Soyna said and cradled her son in her arms. "Baby?" She was not hiding her tears at all. She allowed them to flow freely. "You can do it. You are strong. You can't die on me baby."
Junior looked on solemnly and was crying as hard. Goten was having a hard time containing his anger but he knew he had to stay by Soyna. He had to. Vegeta was chasing around that Ligh. God, only knew how that pest got so fast.
"Mama," Benot said, his mouth thick with blood. "I'm sorry."
"No. No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You had the right to your feeling too. I'm sorry. So, sush and don't die on me okay. Who will keep me on my toes if you die?"
Goten looked up at his father who was pulling at his hair and growling. He knew that the dragon was trying to come out or trying to stay in. One or the other. He looked back down at the kid. "Come on kid. Hang in there," Goten said.
Benot gave a weak smile. "I'm sorry."
And his eyes closed.
................................
Brennen crawled into the room. He could hear that Vegeta fellow and Ligh moving in the room but couldn't see it. He wanted to see if he could help. He felt so useless.
Then Soyna gave out a brief sob and flew into the arms of her husband. Benot was dead. He wanted to cry out himself. He hardly knew the boy, but knew that he did not deserve this!
He was able to see the spiky hared man as well as Ligh now. They seemed to be in a lock. Ligh was trying to stick the knife into Vegeta's belly.
The man with the snake tattoo suddenly screamed. His whole body glowed with a pure white light and suddenly, that tattoo began to come off that guy's skin.
"The wishes are mine!" Ligh screamed with laughter as he still continued to fight Vegeta. In the air. That should bother him, but he wasn't surprised. There was not much that could surprise him now.
Then he saw the dragon start to grow. The ceiling of the warehouse shot off and the wind grew blowing everything around the room. The dragon was huge and gave out a great roar as it swirled around them in a slow lopping motion, looking agitated and upset. "I will grant your wishes," he sounded angry. "Tell them to me now!" and demanding.
"NO!" Soyna screamed.
But it seemed it was too late.
Ligh must have said something but he didn't hear it over the roar of the dragon's movement. Every swirl the dragon made, another piece of the building would disappear. He just heard the dragon growl and say, "It shall be." The dragon's eyes glowed red and Ligh's body gave off a great white light and a wind that pushed Vegeta back.
He found himself sitting by Junior. The only guy that didn't look like was going to kill him earlier. He didn't say anything to him. He didn't need to. He just looked at the body of the boy that was so tenaciously, a couple hours earlier, about how he was his father.
He felt so helpless.
........................
Goten heard the wish that Ligh had made. The typical selfish wish of a villan. Pure power and strength and invulnerability. Soyna still clung to him but weakly. Her eyes turning back to the body of her child. He could only imagine what she was feeling. The boy was a pest, but he never ever would wish death upon him. Not like this. No one deserved what Ligh did to him.
"I have to go fight," he whispered to her. "I have to stop him," he said. He knew that he didn't have to tell her that. She understood. She would be fighting along side him if her son was not dead and she was weakened by her current state.
She just nodded. "It has to end." She went back to holding Benot in her arms, as if that would bring him back. "One way or another. It has to end."
He looked up and saw Brennen crouching beside Junior who was getting ready to fight as well. He didn't feel any anger towards him at this time. It wasn't his fault. Ligh orchestrated this whole thing. He remembered him from school. He remembered that he ignored him quite a bit and hurt him in gym class. He knew that the girls swooned over him and he heard he was quite a manipulator but never really thought anything of it. Well, he was supposed to be dead.
Well, he proved himself to be a masterful manipulator and he was going to end it. Soyna did not deserve to be the brunt of every attack. She did not deserve to be in pain. She deserved to be happy and not have to worry about her past haunting her any further!
He screamed with pure fury and felt a great energy in his body. It felt wonderful and different. He had felt this before and that was when he was fused with Trunks and they ascend to level 3. He had made it there without Trunks.
Ligh was still busy laughing. "Oh. Am I supposed to be scared of you Saiyian's now." He was twirling that poisoned knife in his hand in a precarious manner. He would not allow himself to be touched by that poison again. He only needed to rub his neck to remember how painful that part of his life was. "I made my first wish and nothing can stop me from making the others.
Vegeta snorted. "We have defeated the likes of you before!" He was angry and at level 3 himself. He seemed to be trying to get past that, but was struggling to do so. In the last couple of years he had seen his wife and Vegeta go at it at Level 4 before, even without the artificial moon light. He still didn't understand why she could get that far and he couldn't, even though he could match their strength at Level 2... This was not the time to think of such things. He had to get rid of Ligh for good.
"Blah. Blah. Blah," Ligh chuckled and then called out to the dragon, "I would like to have my second wish dragon!"
"No!" Goten yelled and lunged at Ligh. "We will not let you make any more wishes."
The dragon's roar was deafening as it continued to swirl around them. Something that he never remembered the dragon doing before. He lunged at Ligh and planned on ripping him to shreds! He saw that Vegeta was joining him and even Junior was by his side. That was fine by him. Everyone could have a part of him.
...............................
Brennen looked at Soyna and the boy in her arms. "I am sorry that I could do nothing to stop this from happening."
She looked at him with tear filled eyes. "You could do nothing and I was blind to the going on." She said as she wrapped a scrap of cloth around her son's neck so that they wouldn't have to look at the horrible wound any more. "You were just a pawn that he used to get to me. You would have never known about me in this time, if he didn't place you near me."
The dragon roared above him and he couldn't help but cover his head. He could see the three men fighting Ligh and Ligh seeming to have no problems in attacking and eluding the three. He even seemed to be enjoying it.
"MAKE YOUR NEXT WISH! I AM GROWING IMPATIENT!"
"What can I do to help? Can I do anything to help?" he said.
"No. You cannot. Neither can they," she said as she looked up at the fighters.
"Dragon!" Ligh's voice full of glee as he was in the fight. "My next wish is that I want to...ooph." Goten was able to plant a fist into Ligh's jaw. The first hit.
"Just tell them, that I had to and I will come back when I can, so don't worry," she said with new tears running out of her eyes. He wanted to comfort her so badly that it hurt. "Shelong has asked something of me that I was going to refuse him. Now. Now." She rubbed the forehead of her boy. "I could not live knowing that I could change it so that this will never happen again."
"What are you talking about? Shelong? Is that the dragon?" Brennen said and reached out to her. He touched her arm. "No one should have to sacrifice themselves!"
"Tell them that Shelong has found a way out of the vicious circle that has been created by the wishes. He has asked that his soul be placed into a mortal body, so he could live a normal life, without granting such evil things as Ligh asks. There will be no more wishes from him. No more dragon. His soul will become mortal and he will have peace. We all will," she said as she looked up at the dragon. "It is a great gamble. It may not work and I just may end up being the carrier of the dragon, instead of Goku. It may destroy us all. It has never been done with something so poweful."
Brennen looked at her confused. "I don't understand."
"I am pregnant and the child is still young enough in me, that Shelong can move his being in. I did not want this. I did not!" If it was possible her tears came harder. "I love all my children and did not want to sacrifice one, but now I am forced to decide between two... Brennen you will tell them that I will be back when I can."
He just nodded. He really didn't understand all that much.
"I wish that my father..." Ligh started and was hit by Vegeta. He turned and saw that. But he also saw Ligh take the knife and slice the arm of Vegeta. He saw the man fall almost instantly to the ground and the yellow hair turn to black and began to wheeze for air.
Junior flared up with a scream and he saw his hair turn gold.
"Dragon!" Soyna yelled.
The dragon stopped swirling around them and stopped and looked at her. "Tell them all that I will be back when I can, okay Brennen. You tell them."
He nodded. What else could he do?
"WHAT IS THE NEXT WISH!"
"I will grant you yours if you grant me mine!" She said still stroking the forehead of the boy.
The dragon gave out a satisfied laugh and came closer to her. He doubted that he could be more scared.
"NO!" Ligh said. "I called you! I get the wishes!"
"SO BE IT!"
Brennen could not believe what happened next.
.............................
"What?" Goten said stunned as he watched the whole body of the dragon start to glow red and pulse. "What did she just do!"
Junior, who had just transformed for the first time, lost control of the power that he gained. "Sis! What are you doing?"
Ligh suddenly dropped from the air with a scream. His body was enveloped by the same red light. "No! No!" He was chanting. "My strength! My strength! You cannot take it away from me."
Vegeta glowed next. It was brief but he was no longer gasping for air and his wound no longer bleed. He sat up from where he was and looked around stunned.
The next to glow was the boy.
"SOYNA!" Goten yelled as the glow started to envelope her.
................................
Benot couldn't believe that he was alive. He opened his eyes and saw his mother! His head still hurt and his throat ached but he definitely was alive. "Mom?" he said and blinked a few times. "What? Didn't I die?"
"Be quiet now," she said in a soft voice and a little smile. "You be a good boy now. Don't be such a pest for Goten. He means well, you know."
"Mom?" he said and tried to reach for her but he couldn't. He had no strength in his arms. They felt like rubber. Then he noticed that her body was glowing red. "Mom?" He felt a panic in his chest.
"Be good," she said and suddenly the glow changed to a brilliant white and he felt her move away from him. He saw the dragon around him, now glowing white also.
He felt another set of hands on him. Brennen. What? He looked to see his mom standing above him with tears in her eyes and then all there was was a bright flash of light. No sound. Just light.
Then it was just done.
"Mom?" he whispered. He couldn't see her.
"Soyna!" Goten yelled and came from his place in the sky. "SOYNA!" he screamed. "YOU CAN"T LEAVE ME!"
Brennen helped him sit up. "She told me that she would be back as soon as she could. She made me promise to tell you that."
"Where did she go?" he asked Brennen and only got a shrug.
"SOYNA!" Goten screamed again. Wow. He didn't know that Goten could make it to level 3. Maybe he wasn't such a wimp after all. He even looked like he was powering even higher.
Ligh was whimpering in a pile of rubble. "All my plans. All my well laid out plans ruined by her!" It looked like Vegeta was going to take care of him and was eager to do so.
He closed his eyes. He didn't want to see anymore.
Mom was gone again.
But she said she would be back.
But when?
........................
Next Chapter:
Home
Haunt 16
Wishes and Misfortune.
Gohan was pleasantly surprised to have the whole house to himself and it was so quiet. He didn't remember the last time that it was so quiet. It almost hurt his ears!
He sank into his favorite chair and opened a book and began to read slowly. Something that he had not been able to do for a very very long time. It was bliss.
Of course he knew that it had to end and it would just when he was getting comfortable and into the plot of the book. Fry and the kids would crash through the door any minute now. Videl would get home from shopping with ChiChi. Dad would be back and asking him if he wanted to spar. Goten would come over and ask him what he should do about Soyna.
He smiled.
He kind of liked having his large family always around.
But he did like the quiet.
Of course, he opened the book and the front door opened. So much for bliss.
"Mom! Dad!"
He stood quickly. That was Pan! She sounded rather upset too! "Pan?" he called.
He was shocked to see her come running in the room, looking like she had been crying. His little girl never cried!
"Daddy," she said and threw herself at him. She cried for a bit and he tried to ask her what was wrong. He tried to understand why his little girl was so upset.
Of course, when she did become coherent, he was in the mood to kill.
..........................................
"All of you! Leave me alone!" She snapped and pulled away from her brother and glared at both Vegeta and Goku so hard that they both took a step back. Dad had that stupid confused look on his face again.
"I am not a doll! I do not need kid gloves to be handled. I can take care of myself!" Her eyes were flicking quickly to everyone that was still looking at her. She looked like a rabbit ready to jump.
She was obviously very confused.
He was scared to say anything. He didn't want to upset her further and worse yet, have her upset at him again.
He bit his lip as she turned and looked at him. She froze for a moment and then shook herself out of it and stormed past him.
Was she crying?
He looked at his father who was looking as stunned as he was but did not say anything. He was pretty sure Vegeta was saying something but he didn't much care what he was saying. Junior was trying to say something also, but that didn't matter.
Soyna had just rushed past him.
He turned and went back into the house. She was seated in her chair by the window, where she always sat when she was thinking. She was curled up in on herself but sitting very still. Unfortunately, she had that stuffed cat curled up in her arms. He had wished that he had torn that think up long ago. Hell, when he first saw it. He would have loved to have destroyed it. He did not want a reminder of her past marriage around like that. Well, one that he could get rid of anyway.
"Soyna?"
She didn't even look up. "I will never see him again." He went towards her and she kept talking. "He didn't understand what was going on and now he does. He won't come back. I told him that."
He put his hand on her shoulder and felt her tense for a minute and then she calmed down. She took a deep sigh and finally looked up at him. She had a nervous smile on her lips but that was much better than a scowl. "It's over."
He couldn't help but grin widely at that. He never wanted to see Brennen again in his life.
He knelt beside her and for awhile it was like it was before she saw Brennen again. He rested her head in her lap and she stroked his hair. It was really calming and peaceful. Things were going to be okay after all.
"I should go apologize to Benot," she spoke after awhile. "I was rather harsh on him." He lifted his head from her lap and she looked so sad again. He wished that she never had to be sad. It was just not fair that she had to go through what she has gone though. She deserved so much better. She didn't do anything wrong, just the whole world was against her it seemed.
"I'll go with you," he said and she agreed but other children had different idea's. Flare woke up from her nap and was being very vocal about it. "Okay. I'll take care of Flare."
She nodded and started to head towards Benot's room.
He took care of his daughter.
.................................
"Why am I here again?" Goku said looking and Junior and Vegeta. He could never get over how much Junior looked like Vegeta and right now, they both had stunned looks on their faces. If only Vegeta was a little bigger and then they could be twins.
"Are you loosing your marbles!" Vegeta snapped at him. Thankfully there was only one person that was that vocal and Junior didn't take after him in that aspect of his life.
"What?" He looked at them. Junior was shaking his head.
"Has that dragon scrambled your brain?" Vegeta said and got right in his face. "You are acting as if Soyna is yours!"
"What?" he said and took a step back. "I don't even remember how I got here. I know I was heading home..."
Vegeta grabbed his arm again. "You are not going to get away without any answers! You have been acting strange for awhile now and I want answers, even if I have to beat them out of you."
Goku chuckled. He didn't mean to but the thought that Vegeta could possibly think that there was a chance that he could beat him was very humorous. Of course, the chuckle made him even angrier, and Vegeta's eyes flashed with a fury that he hadn't seen in him in a long time.
"Do you think this situation is funny?" Vegeta snapped and his whole skin seemed charged with energy. He was really mad. Goku knew that he was protective of Soyna, but this was... well, what right did he have to say anything? He had been acting like it was his job! That she needed protection was a joke. She was stronger than Vegeta when she was more focused that Gohan when he was studying his books.
His head hurt and his tattoo ached. He wanted to go home and forget about the weird day and how he ended up always doing something that wasn't very smart. For the first time in his life he felt like he was out of control. Well, that was not true. When he first fused with Shelong, he felt like this...
Vegeta grabbed him again and he didn't try to pull away. Vegeta was never very subtle at trying to get his point across. "You do not go near her again, do you hear me Goku. She is confused enough with out you and the dragon screwing with her mind."
Goku just blinked at Vegeta. He could feel a rage in his belly. It wasn't his rage.
"Let her have some peace. She needs her peace so why don't you let it be!" Vegeta said and let go of him. He acted as if his hands were burnt.
Junior stood there and he look as confused as he felt.
"Get LOST!" Vegeta snapped and then walked into the house that Soyna and Goten shared.
Junior looked over at Goku.
"I really don't know what I did," Goku said to Junior. "I haven't been feeling well lately."
Junior just sighed. "Everything is just so screwed up." Junior then winced and rubbed his forehead. "Man. I didn't get to tell her about..." he stopped and looked up with an embarrassed look on his face and gave out a weak chuckle. "Why do things always have to get worse before they get better?"
Goku just shrugged but he heard that other voice talking in him. Shelong. He couldn't understand it but it was there. He had to fight it. He didn't want to leave his family again.
.......................
Brennen knew that his friends were following him and he chose to ignore them. It was just easier. He didn't really want to explain to them what he now knew about himself. He knew that was what was eating him. He knew that was what was bothering him. Knowing that he could betray someone that he loved. So what if it happened in another time. It was still part of him. Especially now.
He knew that he they thought he was wandering aimlessly in the streets but that wasn't true.
He was following that boy that kept insisting on calling him dad. He had saw him jump the fence and start running away from the compound. He wasn't going to do anything about it at first but then he felt like he should.
He may not be his true father but he was a little part of him.
It was his fault that he was running.
He should do something to try to make it all better.
He knew that the boy shouldn't be out. He somehow knew that he was up to something and that it wasn't good. He didn't care that he looked like a mad man at times, running down the streets trying to keep up with the boy that could have been his son. He had to make it right somehow. He didn't want to do anymore damage to her. He could never be with her or a part of her, but he wasn't about to be blamed if that boy did something because of him. Those men that she hung around were huge and looked like they wouldn't think twice about slicing him up.
Benot stopped and looked at a desolate building. He was breathing hard and looked like he had been crying. Why the hell did he stop? This was no place.
He was close enough that he could hear him panting. "I won't let it happen. You will not hurt mom," he gasped and rubbed his eyes again. "I'll make sure it doesn't. I will stop you Ligh."
Ligh? Who the hell is that? Another player in this twisted game?
"You shouldn't be here!" It was Jamna. He was right behind him. "You really should have listened to me and gone home." He turned to see his friend and he looked at the building and he looked scared. Mart just looked confused and bewildered and -shock- speechless.
"Benot is up to something. I don't want to get blamed for him getting hurt. Did you see those guys?" He looked back to see Benot looking for a way in. He somehow got to the second story fire escape, but the ladder was still up. Well, his mother could fly, why couldn't he?
"You have done what you were supposed to. Back off or else you will get hurt also," Jamna said. "Come on. We'll go get drunk and try to forget that all this ever happened."
He pushed away from his friend. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Jamna sighed. "Come on. Just forget about the kid. It's over with. Come on. Let it go."
"Let it go!! Did you see what happened?" Brennen said. "What do you mean 'I did what I supposed to do?'" He could see how nervous his friend was. What was all this happening now?
"He means, that you did what I wanted and now you are no more use to me." He turned sharply to see a tall lean man standing in front of him with dyed brown hair and fake colored contacts and some very pale skin. "I should thank you for driving out of her children right to me. I don't know how you did it but it seems luck has been working in my favor." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a watch. "I really don't have much time before they get here. She is rather sensitive to her children." He looked to Jamna. "I will take care of Brennen now, if you please. You will receive your payment later. Oh, and take your slack jaw friend with you. I don't need any more problems around."
Jamna was looking at the ground. "Yes sir."
"What? I don't understand. What the hell? You betrayed me!"
"I warned you to stay away from her!" Jamna said quickly. "I warned you that nothing good would come of this! Damn it. I needed the money and..."
"Enough of this," Ligh said (he assumed this was Ligh) He felt an extremely heavy hand on his shoulder and then he felt the world get dizzy around him.
...........................
"Maybe you should go over there. You know how hetic it has been in the last little while. Maybe he got a bit, you know, scared," Trunks said with a gentle smile. Poor Marron looked so distraught. "You know that she is not that sociable as of late. Maybe he just needs a little nudge and I am sure with you being there it would help."
She sighed heavily. "Maybe your right. She can't get that mad at us. I mean, it wasn't like we meant for it to happen or to keep it a secret for so long." She stood and smoothed her skirts. "I guess I should prepare myself for the worse then. Oh!" She looked startled.
He turned to see an angry looking Gohan. Oh man, what did he do to get him mad? Pan was behind him looking just as angry. He opened his mouth to ask them what was wrong when Gohan spoke. His words were full of fury. "You hurt my daughter. That will be the last thing that you have ever done." The whole room began to shake. Gohan was powering up!
"I didn't do anything!" he protested. "Pan! Stop your father."
She just stood there with an angry look on her face. She wasn't looking at him, but at Marron. He had no more time to talk or to really think. He had to defend himself from his wife's angry father.
...........................
The first thing Vegeta heard was her scream as he walked in the door. He felt a panic hit his chest. It wasn't a frustrated scream. It was a startled scream. He bolted immediately to the sound and found Goten staring blankly at her as she knelt on the floor with her hands over her eyes. He stopped in time to have a silver ball hit his foot.
The others must have heard her startled scream as well, for he could feel Goku and Junior behind him looking into the room.
"What happened?" Junior said before anyone else and pushed his way over to his sister. "Sis? What happened? Why are you crying?"
"Benot. He's gone and... the..." she pointed to the silver ball. "We have to go. We have to save him! He is doing something very stupid. We have to stop him!" she stood shakily. Junior had to help her.
"You can't go out!" Goku said from behind Vegeta. "You are obviously not well!" Vegeta was about to turn and snarl at him about what right did he have to stop her from going to save her son.
"I will do what I please!" She snapped before he could speak, but he decided that he better keep a sharp eye on him and was shocked to see that the dragon tattoo of Shelong was moving! Actually moving. No wonder he was acting strange. What the hell was the dragon doing? "We have to find where Benot went. We have to stop him from doing something stupid!" Junior was still holding her up. She was shaking so badly. He wanted to go to her. She did not deserve all this happening to her. She really didn't deserve it at all.
"Where did he go?" Goten said finally snapping out of it and looking around the room. "I didn't see him go."
She shook her head. "He must have sneaked out. I don't know where... the images... they showed... a dark building... I know... it is... it has to be in the city...but I don't know where!" She looked at the silver ball as if it were a snake that was going to bite her. "We have to hurry though. Ligh is trying to drive me mad to get back at me. He wants his revenge and if we don't hurry he will win!"
"Ligh?" Goku said. "He is nothing! You don't need to bother yourself with him. We can take care of it and you can rest before you pass out on your feet!" Vegeta glared at him. He didn't even sound like Goku anymore and he was sure that dragon was moving faster. It was giving him the creeps.
"He is going to kill my son!" She yelled at him. "I have to stop him! We have to stop him! If you cannot help Goku, then you can just leave me alone. Forever!"
Goku gulped and the dragon stopped moving. Did he get a couple of shades lighter? Was there something that he missed here?
"We have to get moving! We have to find Benot before..." She kicked at the silver ball.
They all just nodded and headed down the stairs.
...........................
Goten couldn't get a hold of his mom to watch little Flint and Flare but he was able to get a hold of Bulma as Soyna tried to explain the place that she saw in the vision that the silver ball gave her. It didn't seem to work for anyone else. She was anxious to find Benot and even he was getting worried about it. They finally decided it must be in the north district. They were sure to find such a dark place there.
"Hey! Dudes!"
The looked at the still opened front door and there stood one of Brennen's friends and he felt his anger grow inside him. Why was he back? Didn't they tell them that they no longer wanted to see them anymore. It was just the guy in the loud shirt that stood there. It looked like had been running.
Vegeta glared at him. "What the hell are you doing back here? Haven't you done enough damage around here?"
"Listen strong dudes!" He panted. "Like, that kid, with the purple hair, he is like been, kidnapped by a dude with badly dyed hair. Man... taken by the dude along with Brennen."
Soyna growled. "What? Is this some sort of trap?"
"I don't know, man-I mean miss-but, but like, I had to outrun Jamna to get here, he like, is some sort of traitor and set stuff up... really confusing stuff like, my head is bursting here."
"What the hell are you trying to say! Speak English!" Vegeta snapped.
"I'll read his mind," Goku said. "It will be easier and much quicker and we will find out if he is betraying us."
"Woah man. Don't do that voodoo stuff on me dude," Mart started but Goku's hand was on his forehead and Mart just stood there a little stunned.
"Okay. I know where to go," he said after he removed his hand from Mart's head. "Everyone hold on to me and we will teleport there."
"Wait. We have to wait for Bulma to get here. We can't just let the kids be here alone," Goten said.
"Dude," Mart said a little dizzily. "I can watch them. I mean like, man, this is really strange stuff and dude, I think you should get moving. Brennen is like my best bud. I didn't know who else to turn too."
He looked to Soyna who nodded. "Bulma won't be long," she said. "I could not bear if Benot died because of me."
"Okay, but you treat them well." Goten said and went and grabbed his dad's arm and his wives hand. She was shaking. He didn't know if she was holding back her anger or scared. Her face portrayed both.
"Dude!" Mart said and they were gone.
Standing outside a dark warehouse. He felt Soyna tense up even further. Oh yeah, they were in the right place.
................................
Things definitely were not happening like they happened in the silver ball. Instead of his brother being in the chair with the wires hooked up to his head, it was him! He didn't even see the guy that had grabbed him. He just came out of nowhere and suddenly he was in the chair!
Was he going to end up dead now instead of his brother? Damn silver ball. He planned on destroying it when he got home. If he got home.
He saw his father... well, this time's Brennen, being dragged in by Ligh and thrown into a room next to this one. He yelled for a little bit but it soon stopped.
Then the pain started. The ball didn't mention anything about the pure agony that those wire caused him. He saw the face of Ligh above him and his lips moving. He was asking questions and watching a monitor. He didn't know what was going on other than he was in a lot of pain.
Then the pain stopped and he could hear Ligh's laughter. A low chuckle. "How convenient," he said. "Thank you dear boy. You have just brought the downfall of your whole family."
He still felt sick and weak. His whole body was shaking. "What-what did you do to me?" He was surprised that he even had the strength to speak. It hurt and ached but it at least wasn't like pain before.
"Oh," Ligh said with a smile and looked at his watch. "Just some vital information to get those wishes out of Goku." Benot winced as Ligh did a stereotypical evil laugh. "Oh man, is revenge ever sweet."
"You can't defeat Goku," Benot said and tasted something odd in his mouth. Was it blood? Yeah. There was blood in his mouth. He tried to spit it out but ended up choking on it. Ligh just seemed to laugh harder.
"Oh, but I can. I will. I will get my wishes and you all will obey me or die... whichever pleases me. Of course, you will be dying...I had to turn up the juice on my little machine here," he patted a box that the wires were connected to it. "Even as diluted as your Saiyian blood is, I needed much more force to get the information I needed out of you than an average human."
He was scared now. "Mom will save me," he sputtered and could feel blood oozing out of his nose. He could also feel tears coming out of his eyes.
"Oh, I am counting on it," he smiled and laughed again. "Oh look. Right on time." He looked to a monitor. He could see his mom there with Goku, Vegeta, Junior and the wimp. He was even happy to see the wimp!
"Don't die yet boy. I need you for a little bit longer," he said and started to untie him from the machine.
.................
He smiled as he untied the boy and held him up. He was limp and just about gone, but he knew that he would hang on enough for him to get the wishes out of Goku. The boy had Saiyian blood. They don't just die. He knew that he would last until there was no turning back and then, he would have all that he ever wanted. He couldn't help but laugh again. He never thought he could feel such joy!
.......................
Brennen heard an explosion. It came from the room over, where he saw the boy lying on the bed hooked up to machines. The room where he had heard the boy screaming. It may not be his actual son, but damn it, no one should suffer like that. Especially not a child!
He looked up from the dust. He could hear voices yelling. The door was a jar now and he could see in the other room.
The guy, Ligh, was holding the limp body of Benot against his chest and a very sharp dark looking blade to the boy's throat. "Now, now, let's not do anything rash now," Ligh said in a taunting voice.
He crawled over to the door and saw the people that he had walked away from earlier, or at least he thought they were. A guy that looked like Soyna's husband stood beside her but with yellow hair and the other guy with the bad attitude also had yellow hair. Junior, her brother was bristling with energy and the strange dude in the orange jump suit looked like he had a snake crawling on him. But no one was moving.
"Benot?" Soyna said in a weak whisper.
Benot looked as if he was gasping for air.
"Now. I will deal with you later. I want the dragon! I want my wishes!" Ligh said. "Or I kill the boy!"
"Never!" the guy with the snake on him snapped. "They are not for you!"
Ligh laughed. "Oh come now. You can put whatever conditions you want on those wishes and you can give them to whomever you please. I will place my conditions on you. I will let you all go, even this boy here, if you can save him before I kill him. If I kill him, I get my wishes."
They all yelled at him. Soyna looked as if she was going to cry. She was looking directly at her son with pure desperation in her face. Pure desperation!
"I will not allow it!" The snake man said.
"You don't really have a choice do you. I will kill him otherwise and that would be such a waste," Ligh said. "I don't have anything to loose. You all took everything away from me. You are the ones with everything to loose. The bargin is made. Come and get him!"
Vegeta lunged.
Soyna screamed.
"NO!" he couldn't help but yell as he saw the knife slice the throat of a child! His son. And how he laughed as he fell to the floor with a sickening thunk. He wanted to cry but he wouldn't allow himself to do so. He so wanted to run out there but he knew that he would do no good.
Benot was still breathing but there was not much time left.
"As an extra bonus, I even tipped the dagger with my father's famous poison. He won't be in pain for very long though," Ligh laughed. "I will get my wishes soon."
.............................
Vegeta was frozen as he saw someone from his blood line crumble to the floor in a terrible heap. He didn't mean to lunge. He couldn't help it. It was just instinct.
"He is just a boy!" Junior yelled. "How could you!" It was the first time that he really saw true fury in his namesake. He had heard people say that he sure could look like him when he was angry. This was the first time that he saw it.
Goten was standing in front of Soyna who looked as if she was in shock. Goten looked as if he was going to lunge. Goku was just standing there like an idiot, looking as stunned as Soyna.
"Momma," a weak sound coming from Benot's throat as he rolled over on to his back to look at them. "Momma." He looked as if he was having trouble breathing and he probably was. He remember all to well the paralyzing pain of the poison that almost took his life. How could one boy have so much blood?
"It really doesn't matter to me what I had to do to get revenge," Ligh said and kicked Benot right at Goten. Goten caught the boy and Soyna rushed towards him and they all slumped to the floor.
"You can't... can't," Goku was shaking. "The wishes cannot... NO!" Goku wasn't Goku right then. Vegeta could see it. Vegeta could definitely see it. His eyes were red. There came a roar from Goku, that was like that he remembered from the dragon. Could it have been that simple as to set your own conditions to get the wishes out? Could it have been that easy? After all, didn't the boys set their own conditions to get the last batch of wishes out of Goku?
"You will not live long enough to get the wishes," Vegeta snarled and continued his lunge. He remembered him as a quick man, but not that quick. He lost him for a second and then found him again.
"I can match your speed Vegeta and it seems that the others are a little bit preoccupied with trying to save the boy's life. Come on now Vegeta, come on. See if you can catch me! I can wait a little bit before the dragon bursts out of that mad man over there."
"No one can match my speed," Vegeta said and transformed further and lunged at him.
.............................
"Benot," Soyna said and cradled her son in her arms. "Baby?" She was not hiding her tears at all. She allowed them to flow freely. "You can do it. You are strong. You can't die on me baby."
Junior looked on solemnly and was crying as hard. Goten was having a hard time containing his anger but he knew he had to stay by Soyna. He had to. Vegeta was chasing around that Ligh. God, only knew how that pest got so fast.
"Mama," Benot said, his mouth thick with blood. "I'm sorry."
"No. No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You had the right to your feeling too. I'm sorry. So, sush and don't die on me okay. Who will keep me on my toes if you die?"
Goten looked up at his father who was pulling at his hair and growling. He knew that the dragon was trying to come out or trying to stay in. One or the other. He looked back down at the kid. "Come on kid. Hang in there," Goten said.
Benot gave a weak smile. "I'm sorry."
And his eyes closed.
................................
Brennen crawled into the room. He could hear that Vegeta fellow and Ligh moving in the room but couldn't see it. He wanted to see if he could help. He felt so useless.
Then Soyna gave out a brief sob and flew into the arms of her husband. Benot was dead. He wanted to cry out himself. He hardly knew the boy, but knew that he did not deserve this!
He was able to see the spiky hared man as well as Ligh now. They seemed to be in a lock. Ligh was trying to stick the knife into Vegeta's belly.
The man with the snake tattoo suddenly screamed. His whole body glowed with a pure white light and suddenly, that tattoo began to come off that guy's skin.
"The wishes are mine!" Ligh screamed with laughter as he still continued to fight Vegeta. In the air. That should bother him, but he wasn't surprised. There was not much that could surprise him now.
Then he saw the dragon start to grow. The ceiling of the warehouse shot off and the wind grew blowing everything around the room. The dragon was huge and gave out a great roar as it swirled around them in a slow lopping motion, looking agitated and upset. "I will grant your wishes," he sounded angry. "Tell them to me now!" and demanding.
"NO!" Soyna screamed.
But it seemed it was too late.
Ligh must have said something but he didn't hear it over the roar of the dragon's movement. Every swirl the dragon made, another piece of the building would disappear. He just heard the dragon growl and say, "It shall be." The dragon's eyes glowed red and Ligh's body gave off a great white light and a wind that pushed Vegeta back.
He found himself sitting by Junior. The only guy that didn't look like was going to kill him earlier. He didn't say anything to him. He didn't need to. He just looked at the body of the boy that was so tenaciously, a couple hours earlier, about how he was his father.
He felt so helpless.
........................
Goten heard the wish that Ligh had made. The typical selfish wish of a villan. Pure power and strength and invulnerability. Soyna still clung to him but weakly. Her eyes turning back to the body of her child. He could only imagine what she was feeling. The boy was a pest, but he never ever would wish death upon him. Not like this. No one deserved what Ligh did to him.
"I have to go fight," he whispered to her. "I have to stop him," he said. He knew that he didn't have to tell her that. She understood. She would be fighting along side him if her son was not dead and she was weakened by her current state.
She just nodded. "It has to end." She went back to holding Benot in her arms, as if that would bring him back. "One way or another. It has to end."
He looked up and saw Brennen crouching beside Junior who was getting ready to fight as well. He didn't feel any anger towards him at this time. It wasn't his fault. Ligh orchestrated this whole thing. He remembered him from school. He remembered that he ignored him quite a bit and hurt him in gym class. He knew that the girls swooned over him and he heard he was quite a manipulator but never really thought anything of it. Well, he was supposed to be dead.
Well, he proved himself to be a masterful manipulator and he was going to end it. Soyna did not deserve to be the brunt of every attack. She did not deserve to be in pain. She deserved to be happy and not have to worry about her past haunting her any further!
He screamed with pure fury and felt a great energy in his body. It felt wonderful and different. He had felt this before and that was when he was fused with Trunks and they ascend to level 3. He had made it there without Trunks.
Ligh was still busy laughing. "Oh. Am I supposed to be scared of you Saiyian's now." He was twirling that poisoned knife in his hand in a precarious manner. He would not allow himself to be touched by that poison again. He only needed to rub his neck to remember how painful that part of his life was. "I made my first wish and nothing can stop me from making the others.
Vegeta snorted. "We have defeated the likes of you before!" He was angry and at level 3 himself. He seemed to be trying to get past that, but was struggling to do so. In the last couple of years he had seen his wife and Vegeta go at it at Level 4 before, even without the artificial moon light. He still didn't understand why she could get that far and he couldn't, even though he could match their strength at Level 2... This was not the time to think of such things. He had to get rid of Ligh for good.
"Blah. Blah. Blah," Ligh chuckled and then called out to the dragon, "I would like to have my second wish dragon!"
"No!" Goten yelled and lunged at Ligh. "We will not let you make any more wishes."
The dragon's roar was deafening as it continued to swirl around them. Something that he never remembered the dragon doing before. He lunged at Ligh and planned on ripping him to shreds! He saw that Vegeta was joining him and even Junior was by his side. That was fine by him. Everyone could have a part of him.
...............................
Brennen looked at Soyna and the boy in her arms. "I am sorry that I could do nothing to stop this from happening."
She looked at him with tear filled eyes. "You could do nothing and I was blind to the going on." She said as she wrapped a scrap of cloth around her son's neck so that they wouldn't have to look at the horrible wound any more. "You were just a pawn that he used to get to me. You would have never known about me in this time, if he didn't place you near me."
The dragon roared above him and he couldn't help but cover his head. He could see the three men fighting Ligh and Ligh seeming to have no problems in attacking and eluding the three. He even seemed to be enjoying it.
"MAKE YOUR NEXT WISH! I AM GROWING IMPATIENT!"
"What can I do to help? Can I do anything to help?" he said.
"No. You cannot. Neither can they," she said as she looked up at the fighters.
"Dragon!" Ligh's voice full of glee as he was in the fight. "My next wish is that I want to...ooph." Goten was able to plant a fist into Ligh's jaw. The first hit.
"Just tell them, that I had to and I will come back when I can, so don't worry," she said with new tears running out of her eyes. He wanted to comfort her so badly that it hurt. "Shelong has asked something of me that I was going to refuse him. Now. Now." She rubbed the forehead of her boy. "I could not live knowing that I could change it so that this will never happen again."
"What are you talking about? Shelong? Is that the dragon?" Brennen said and reached out to her. He touched her arm. "No one should have to sacrifice themselves!"
"Tell them that Shelong has found a way out of the vicious circle that has been created by the wishes. He has asked that his soul be placed into a mortal body, so he could live a normal life, without granting such evil things as Ligh asks. There will be no more wishes from him. No more dragon. His soul will become mortal and he will have peace. We all will," she said as she looked up at the dragon. "It is a great gamble. It may not work and I just may end up being the carrier of the dragon, instead of Goku. It may destroy us all. It has never been done with something so poweful."
Brennen looked at her confused. "I don't understand."
"I am pregnant and the child is still young enough in me, that Shelong can move his being in. I did not want this. I did not!" If it was possible her tears came harder. "I love all my children and did not want to sacrifice one, but now I am forced to decide between two... Brennen you will tell them that I will be back when I can."
He just nodded. He really didn't understand all that much.
"I wish that my father..." Ligh started and was hit by Vegeta. He turned and saw that. But he also saw Ligh take the knife and slice the arm of Vegeta. He saw the man fall almost instantly to the ground and the yellow hair turn to black and began to wheeze for air.
Junior flared up with a scream and he saw his hair turn gold.
"Dragon!" Soyna yelled.
The dragon stopped swirling around them and stopped and looked at her. "Tell them all that I will be back when I can, okay Brennen. You tell them."
He nodded. What else could he do?
"WHAT IS THE NEXT WISH!"
"I will grant you yours if you grant me mine!" She said still stroking the forehead of the boy.
The dragon gave out a satisfied laugh and came closer to her. He doubted that he could be more scared.
"NO!" Ligh said. "I called you! I get the wishes!"
"SO BE IT!"
Brennen could not believe what happened next.
.............................
"What?" Goten said stunned as he watched the whole body of the dragon start to glow red and pulse. "What did she just do!"
Junior, who had just transformed for the first time, lost control of the power that he gained. "Sis! What are you doing?"
Ligh suddenly dropped from the air with a scream. His body was enveloped by the same red light. "No! No!" He was chanting. "My strength! My strength! You cannot take it away from me."
Vegeta glowed next. It was brief but he was no longer gasping for air and his wound no longer bleed. He sat up from where he was and looked around stunned.
The next to glow was the boy.
"SOYNA!" Goten yelled as the glow started to envelope her.
................................
Benot couldn't believe that he was alive. He opened his eyes and saw his mother! His head still hurt and his throat ached but he definitely was alive. "Mom?" he said and blinked a few times. "What? Didn't I die?"
"Be quiet now," she said in a soft voice and a little smile. "You be a good boy now. Don't be such a pest for Goten. He means well, you know."
"Mom?" he said and tried to reach for her but he couldn't. He had no strength in his arms. They felt like rubber. Then he noticed that her body was glowing red. "Mom?" He felt a panic in his chest.
"Be good," she said and suddenly the glow changed to a brilliant white and he felt her move away from him. He saw the dragon around him, now glowing white also.
He felt another set of hands on him. Brennen. What? He looked to see his mom standing above him with tears in her eyes and then all there was was a bright flash of light. No sound. Just light.
Then it was just done.
"Mom?" he whispered. He couldn't see her.
"Soyna!" Goten yelled and came from his place in the sky. "SOYNA!" he screamed. "YOU CAN"T LEAVE ME!"
Brennen helped him sit up. "She told me that she would be back as soon as she could. She made me promise to tell you that."
"Where did she go?" he asked Brennen and only got a shrug.
"SOYNA!" Goten screamed again. Wow. He didn't know that Goten could make it to level 3. Maybe he wasn't such a wimp after all. He even looked like he was powering even higher.
Ligh was whimpering in a pile of rubble. "All my plans. All my well laid out plans ruined by her!" It looked like Vegeta was going to take care of him and was eager to do so.
He closed his eyes. He didn't want to see anymore.
Mom was gone again.
But she said she would be back.
But when?
........................
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