Better left Beyond Memory

Chapter 3

The guard blinked sleepily, suppressing a yawn as yet another uneventful night rolled on. His body had long since stopped complaining about the cold, and was now in an almost pleasant state of numbness.

"I don't even know why we're doing this. No one is going to come here. Hell, nobody probably even remembers this planet exists," his watch partner groused, rubbing his arms in an attempt to return feeling to them.

"Maybe tonight will be different," he said without any real conviction. They had guarded this tower faithfully for months at Darela's command. They might as well have been doing something else for all the action they'd seen.

His eyes wandered habitually back to the deserted plains. A low fog was rolling in, blanketing the ground with smoky tendrils and reflecting their torchlight, creating an interesting light show in the distance. He watched the lights, grateful for even the slightest break in the monotony of the landscape. Some trick of the light even made it seem as though they were coming closer.

"Intruders! Defend the tower," someone further down the wall shouted, jolting him out of his cold induced stillness. He looked about frantically for any kind of verification, but saw nothing except the odd lights bobbing eerily in the fog. A moment later he realised that the lights weren't just reflections from the fog, but the glowing forms of the enemy, who were approaching at an alarming speed.

For a moment he was torn between the thrill of the battle, and fear of the determined assault these attackers were making. It would be stupid for them to attack blatantly unless they were sure they would win.

Or maybe they were just stupid.

Drawing his weapons, he glanced briefly at his partner, who was still in shock at the news of any actual intruders.

"Are you coming?" he tossed over his shoulder, before racing off without waiting. There was no way he was going to miss out on this.

***

Gohan pulled back slightly, allowing his Dad and Vegeta to take the lead. The two full-blooded Saiyans had transformed to increase both their speed and the visual impact of their presence. They had lost at rock/paper/scissors and had become the delegated distractions. Gohan, having won the game, was to accompany Kibito and Piccolo into the tower where potentially more interesting opponents would most likely be.

Cries of confusion preceded their arrival to the wall. Guards scattered in all directions without any organization as the two Saiyans breeched the wall, pummeling anyone stupid enough to get in their way.

Following in the path of destruction, the other three made their way to the base of the tower. Two guards were stationed in front of the entrance, torn between guarding their post and assisting their comrades. The choice was taken from them as Piccolo, who was in the lead, rendered them unconscious with two quick strikes.

Racing through the doors, the small group emerged into the ground level of the tower. It was a large circular space, with only a single narrow staircase opposite the door to furnish it. The room was lit only by the weak glow of candlelight, but it was obvious the room was void of life, a fact that immediately set off alarm bells in Gohan's head.

He eyed the room with suspicion, "This can't be as easy as it seems."

"No," agreed Kibito, but was unable to see anything amiss.

Cautiously, Gohan stepped forward. Nothing happened. A few more careful steps brought him to the center of the room, but everything remained as it was. Maybe it really is this easy, he thought. To his surprise he made it all the way to the other side of the room without a single mishap.

"I guess it's safe," he told the other two who hadn't moved, watching his progress across the room and expecting the worst. Shrugging, he placed his foot on the first stair but halted when a brief hiss caught his attention.

Piccolo was the first to notice the brief illumination of strange symbols on the step Gohan had touched. Without thinking he was at Gohans' side in the blink of an eye and yanked the boy out of harms' way. A moment later the staircase exploded into a fiery inferno, one that would have incinerated the Saiyan.

Kibito walked quietly up behind them, examining the staircase as the flames slowly died, "Apparently Darela had placed a few wards of his own. That was no mere trap, but magic."

Gohan nodded, still stunned from his near charbroiling. Shaking his head to clear it, he started climbing the stairs as quickly as caution allowed. Every time they seemed to be getting somewhere they seemed to run into yet another problem that slowed them down. What if they were already too late? Shin may already be beyond their help, injured, perhaps even dead….

He forced himself not to think about it. Besides, he was fairly sure there would have been some noticeable sign if he had been killed. The death of a god was pretty significant after all.

This place must be getting to me, he thought to himself. He wasn't usually so pessimistic, but this world made him feel so powerless. He couldn't fly, form energy or sense anything. It was disconcerting to have those abilities, which had been natural to him from childhood, suddenly beyond his reach.

He glanced over his shoulder, interested to see how the other two were holding up. Unsurprisingly, Piccolo looked as calm and collected as he always did. Only the hint of tension around his brow gave away his unease, and even that small gesture was visible only to those as familiar with him as Gohan was.

Kibito did not appear to be holding up so well. Beads of sweat had formed on his face and he seemed out of breath, despite their relatively slow pace. Belatedly, Gohan realized that the bodyguard was probably still weakened from his first encounter, but was too intent on finding Shin to give his own body time to recover.

The Saiyan frowned, wondering if he should suggest the large man stop and rest while he and Piccolo kept going, but at that instant Kibito looked up and caught his gaze. A scowl hardened his features, and Gohan realized that stray thought must have been loud enough for the Telepath to hear, for the message in his expression was clear. Thank you for your concern, but if you say anything or try to stop me I will never forgive you.

Gohan quickly turned his concentration back to the task at hand, watching the staircase for traps. He was slightly spooked by the fierce emotion in the Kai's usually taciturn expression. Although, he reflected, I shouldn't be so surprised. Even he could sense the powerful bond that Kaioshin and Kibito shared, although it's exact nature and depth were still a mystery to him. He wasn't entirely sure that he ever would understand it either, that a mortal such as he could even begin to perceive the depth of a friendship that had spanned millions of years.

Regardless, Kibito wasn't going to be deterred by something as trivial as his own exhaustion. He was going to continue his mission until he was reunited with Shin, or until he was dead. Gohan desperately hoped it was the former.

***

Darela paced restlessly in his tower. Something was happening down in the courtyard, but the guards were too occupied to answer his mental probes. In addition, he had felt the subtle magical pulse that indicated one of his wards had been activated. Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing if the trespasser had managed to avoid the trap or not.

He snarled in frustration at his ignorance, kicking a defenseless chair across the room, smashing it against the unforgiving stonewall. He was unable to deal with the problem himself as the ritual was due to begin any minute. This planets' orbit brought it within the gravitational field of another. For a brief interval, the two planets would exert a tremendous force on each other as a result of being too close, and at this point the innate magic of this world would be intensified, allowing him to draw on that power to increase his chances of surviving the strenuous demands of the ceremony. 

He was realistic enough to admit his own limitations, that without assistance he would invariably fail to complete the task. The unusual manifestation occurred only once every five hundred years, and he had no desire to wait until the next juncture just because a minor problem arose this time.

He tried to contact the guards in the courtyard again, only to receive the mental equivalent of a busy signal. At the same moment he was aware of the sudden disconnection of his link with the sentries on the second floor of the tower, his second line of defense.

"Useless creatures," he growled. It could only mean they were dead or unconscious, and that there was still an intruder in the building.

"Perhaps you should let me handle this," a new voice suggested. The magician turned to find a tall, green skinned being leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe. The being grinned, baring sharp fangs, "These pathetic excuses of soldiers aren't going to anything more than inconvenience our unwelcome guests."

"Manic," the Magician greeted. As usual, the warrior had managed to enter unnoticed, despite his impressive size. Manic had to duck slightly to avoid knocking his upswept horns on the doorframe as he fully entered the room.

The large creature bowed, "Master. Let me deal with this problem for you. You shouldn't concern yourself with anything but the ceremony."

Darela considered this. Of all those under his command, Manic was the only one he believed was competent enough to take care of the problem. On the other hand, the warrior was the only one left on this level of the tower. If the intruders managed to get past Manic, he would have no one to defend him if they made it to this room. Of course they could be delayed long enough for him to complete the ritual. Or if they magic energies were increased as much as the ancient book had suggested, he may be able to defeat them on his own as well as concurrently performing the ceremony if they got this far.

One look at Manic's eagerness decided him, "Fine. Go have your fun." He waved the warrior away, turning to face the altar on which Kaioshin still slept. Manic departed as silently as he had come, leaving Darela with his own thoughts. He could feel the power of the planet growing. Very soon this matter would be decided, one way or another.

***

"How high is this thing anyway?" Gohan grumbled as they climbed yet another flight of stairs. Thankfully, the magical defenses had been few, and the guards little more then inconveniences. The tower seemed larger than it appeared from the outside, and Gohan's wild imagination suggested that these endless stairwells might just go on forever.

"I believe we are almost at the top," Piccolo stated, following closely behind his former student.

A slight illumination from up ahead propelled Gohan quickly around the curve of the staircase. They emerged into another round room, the fourth floor of the tower. Surprisingly, there was only one person present to oppose them. The large being shifted slightly at their entrance. He was easily as tall as Kibito, with dark green skin and slitted yellow eyes. Gohan watched his movements carefully, noticing the ease with which he shifted his weight into a ready stance. Unlike the previous opposition, this creature moved with self-assurance and a warrior's grace, though unfortunately he was unable to sense anything from him.

He didn't immediately notice Kibito's reaction, a stiffening of recognition, because he was suddenly struck by the feeling that he had seen this creature before. It was not his appearance that was familiar, but the subtle nuances of his movements, the easy stance he had fallen into and some of the features he possessed. Yellow eyes broken by thin slits of black, horns… and it suddenly clicked.

"Doesn't he… look a bit like Dabura?" he asked, scrutinizing the stranger. The more he thought about it, the more sure he was.

"It's Manic," Kibito said, finally finding his voice. "He's a demon, used to be one of Dabura's generals."

Gohan looked confused, "So what's he doing here?"

"I wouldn't know except…" Kibito's eyes widened with realization, "Of course! I can't believe I missed it. Darela was also a demon."

"And you didn't think to mention this before," Piccolo growled, eyeing the enemy with new wariness.

"I didn't realize. Darela's aura is so tainted by the magic he uses, it was impossible to recognize his race in the time we had to examine him," Kibito's mind worked quickly, "But that doesn't explain why he's here. Demons are rarely in servitude to others."

"I think I could guess," Gohan pointed to the demons' forehead where a stylized M symbol was clearly visible. They all recognized it. Babidi's symbol, also used by his son when he came to Earth to resurrect Buu, anyone baring that symbol was dominated by a wizards' control, forced to serve their wills.

First magic, now demons, history seemed to be repeating itself. There had to be some sort of connection between the events a year ago and the confrontation unfolding now, but Gohan was clueless as to what it might be.

"Are you just going to stand around all day chatting?" Manic called out, capturing their attention again. Although he seemed outwardly calm, there had been a hint of impatience in his voice.

Gohan slid easily into a fighting stance, "Right, there's one of him and three of us, this shouldn't take too long." Manic grinned widely at this comment, and decided to prove how wrong they were. The three fighters looked on in surprise as the demon formed a simple ball of ki in his hands. He locked eyes with them as if to say, 'See this?'

Piccolo frowned, "Doesn't he realize that ki doesn't work here?"

They were all surprised even more when he threw the ball at them, and it took a moment for them to realize it showed no signs of fading out of existence like Gohan's had. They hastily scattered to avoid it, and were blown off their feet and the ball connected with the floor where they had just stood, releasing a powerful shock wave.

"No way," the Namek said, quickly climbing to his feet. "How did he do that?"

Kibito stood more slowly and stiffly that the other, cursing his weakness, "It must have something to do with his connection to Darela. Perhaps because his own power is increased by Darela's magic, it allows his energy to survive in this worlds' atmosphere."

Any further questions were interrupted by the sudden upheaval of the ground under their feet. Once again the fighters were thrown to the floor, and even Manic was knocked off balance, although he recovered quickly.

"It's too late," he called, fighting to stay upright on the trembling floor. "The ritual has already begun!"

"Ritual?" Gohan whispered, but Kibito shook his head, indicating he didn't know. He could only guess that it was nothing good.

Piccolo thought quickly, there was only one probably choice of action. He drew himself to his full height in preparation. "You two must continue to the top of the tower. I will hold off the demon," he told them quietly.

"You can't be serious," Gohan gasped. Manic might not be as strong as Dabura had been, but he was still powerful, especially with the ability of projecting his energy when they could not. Piccolo would be at a serious disadvantage, and if they left he would have to face that danger alone.

"Don't argue. What ever this 'ritual' is, it can't be good for Shin. If you don't go now he may die," he gave his student one last hard look, "Go!" Before he charged into battle with the demon.

Manic was pleased, finally they had decided to challenge him. The green warrior rushed him, aiming to hit him while he was still contending with the shaking floor. To give him credit, the fighter was fast, and Manic was only barely managing to block the furious strikes that were sent his way.

However, he knew he had the advantage of energy blasts, and quickly fired one at his enemy, forcing some distance between them. He smiled in satisfaction when he realized the blast had disintegrated one of his opponents' hands, leaving the warrior in an intense amount of pain.

He caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of his eye. The other two intruders had sneaked past him and were making their way to the top of the tower. No matter, he thought. It would only take him a moment to finish with the injured warrior, then he would go after them. He was caught off guard when his opponent lunged at him again with both fists? Apparently he had regenerated one while Manic's attention was elsewhere, and the demon was forced to go on the defensive again.

Maybe this would take longer than he expected.

***

Power coursed through his veins, greater than he had thought possible, despite the claims of the ancient texts. Darela marveled at the magnitude of it. The hum of magic filled the air even as the floor buckled under his feet. He had never imagined there would be so much of it! Regretfully, he shook off his fascination to focus on the altar before him. If he became too distracted, the ritual would fail.

Anticipation gnawed at him, true the magical energies he now felt manifesting was great, but it would be frail in comparison to the power he would absorb from Kaioshin during the ritual. The ties that bound the energies of the universe to the small god would be transferred to him, giving him control over reality itself. He would then tear holes in the boundaries between dimensions, causing the demon universe and the mortal one to collide. Armies of demons would spread across the universe, conquering, killing, controlling, all under his command. Where the former magicians had failed, he would succeed.

But he had to forget that now, it would all come to nothing if the rite failed. Clearing his mind, he raised the knife above the still from on the altar, chanting the words he had memorized from the text. The knife would once again act as a focus for his power, and at the completion of the chant he would thrust it into Kaioshin's heart. At the moment of his death, all the gods' power would be his.

He tried to ignore the sweat on his brow as he concentrated on focusing his magic. The words of the chant increased the sensation of magic in the air until it was an almost thick enough to breathe. He was faintly aware of Kaioshin's eyes fluttering open. He had stopped maintaining the spell keeping him asleep so it wouldn't drain his power when he needed it most. The God wouldn't be able to recuperate quickly enough to save himself before the spell was complete.

He was almost finished when he became alert to another presence within the range of his senses. Apparently someone had slipped past Manic, too bad for them. It took only a second for him to call fourth a bolt of power to fire at the presence, and he was dimly aware of a cry of pain. Without giving them a chance to recover, he thrust down with the knife, aiming for Kaioshin's chest.

Without warning the Magician was knocked aside, the knife striking the edge of the altar instead, leaving a deep notch in its' surface. For a moment he almost lost control of the spell, like a mad thing it struggled against his will, wanting to break free. Darela managed to focus again, bringing it back under his command. The last words had not been said, the Kaioshin was still alive, there was still a chance he could accomplish these things before the magic receded.

Scowling, he faced his attacker. He was amazed to discover a human, for he had heard of these creatures from when Majin-Buu had risen for the second time, and this one had the stamp of youth clearly on his features. Behind the boy, another being was trying to stand, clearly the victim of the Magicians' first assault. He instantly recognized Kaioshin's former fusion partner, the one who had escaped.

He turned back to the boy, eyes dark with hatred, "Leave now, and I'll consider postponing your death."

Rather than answer, the dark haired human launched a punch at his face. Sneering in contempt, the demon lashed out with a wave of power tossing the boy back into the wall with enough force to have it crumble slightly beneath him. A second more powerful wave had him writhing in agony and he collapsed weakly to his knees. Darela's expression melted into a smile as, like all demons, he took pleasure in the pain of others.

"As much as I'd like to extend your suffering, I have a ritual to complete. So I'll make this quick," he raised the knife which had remained in his hand, intending to slice the boys throat. Before he could commit the action, the blade was suddenly pulled from his grasp and thrown across the room out of his reach.

Enraged, he turned to the other intruder, but he was still in pain from the Magicians' first attack and had obviously not been the one to interfere. With sudden realization, he turned to regard the now conscious and apparently irate Kaioshin. Obviously the god had awoken and assessed the situation while he's been contending with the boy, allowing him to take knife from the Mage with a burst of telekinetic force.

The next thing he was aware of was the pain in his gut as the human boy announced his own recovery with an impressive punch. The blow sent him staggering back a few paces, but he recovered speedily and assessed his options. Not only had he lost the knife to aid in directing his power, but he was now faced with three opponents, decreasing his chances of getting to the Kai and completing the rite. Judging from the ire in their expressions, it was probably better to cut his losses and live to fight another day.

"This isn't over," he hissed, before teleporting away.

Relieved, Gohan collapsed back down to the floor. Apparently, Darela's magic was more potent then he expected. He grinned weakly at Shin, "Thanks for the rescue. He almost had me there."

"Thank you also," Kaioshin replied, looking a bit unsteady on his feet. He also had a hand pressed over the wound in his side.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked, examining the god for any other signs of injury.

"I think…" Kaioshin sat down with far more grace than the Saiyan had, "…I will be after I rest." He resisted the urge to just fall asleep right there. Only a little of his energy had recovered while he had been forced into a magical slumber, and he wished for noting more than true sleep.

Kibito had also allowed himself to rest now that the immediate threat was gone. At least Shin was safe, and whatever Darela's plan had been had failed. He frowned in remembrance, "I hope the others are alright."

"Piccolo!" Gohan exclaimed, jumping to his feet. Without another word, he dodged past Kibito and raced down the stairs, hoping the Namek was ok.

***

Manic was breathing hard, a fact that surprised him. How long had it been since someone had challenged him as this one had? His opponent had turned out to be more trouble than he thought, despite his advantage of forming energy beams. Both had accumulated injuries though their strengths were still evenly matched. The demon wondered how much longer either of them would hold out, but was interrupted by a voice in his mind.

Forget the fight. We're leaving, Darela's voice floated over his consciousness.

For a moment, he wanted to ignore it and continue. His principles dictated that anyone who faced him wouldn't live to do so again. The sharp pain in his head as the Magician took notice of this feeling quickly convinced him otherwise. With a scowl, he allowed the Magician to work his magic and teleport him from the planet.

A moment later, Gohan entered the room searching for his mentor. Spying the Namek still in one piece, he sagged against the nearby wall in relief.

"You're alright," he stated, and Piccolo almost smiled at the emotion in the Saiyans' voice.

"Of course," he replied, dusting himself off and unwilling to admit that he had ever doubted that he would be. "Kibito and Shin?"

"Upstairs," Gohan pointed, "They're fine."

"Then I believe it is time we return home. This place is… disconcerting."

Surprise by even this small admittance of his feelings, Gohan smiled at his friend, "I agree. Let's go."

***

The two Saiyans faced each other with a wary respect. Surrounded by the bodies of the defeated guards, they were about to face off in a battle of their own.

"You first," Vegeta said, his expression tense.

Goku's expression hardened, "Alright, you win. Thirty two."

And the tension passed.

"Yes! You lose Kakarot! Thirty-five!" Vegeta crowed in victory.

"Aw man," Goku looked crestfallen. In the unspoken competition of who would eliminate the most guards, he had emerged the loser. Never one to wallow in defeat, he allowed the other Saiyan his fun. It was rare to see disconcerting Vegeta display any obvious emotion except perhaps for irritation.

He looked around, noticing the odd trembling of the ground was beginning to subside. Nothing moved in the courtyard, nor was there any perceivable signs of life from the tower. There was a feeling of finality in the air, for better or for worse the conflict was over. It was time to track down the others.

Nudging Vegeta to get his attention, they entered the tower in search of their comrades.

***

Alone in the tower, Kibito walked over to Kaioshin, assessing the smaller beings injuries. His eyes softened when he saw the wound in his side, the only visible effect of their broken fusion. Kaioshin's eyes rose to meet his own, his familiar smile forming on his lips. As always, there was unspoken understanding between them.

Do not worry. It will heal, Kaioshin said telepathically, referring at once to both the wound and the hollow ache left behind with the loss of their fusion.

You shouldn't have made me leave, Kibito replied, kneeling down to examine the wound with a gentleness others would have found surprising.

I had no choice. He would have killed you, and I could never have forgiven myself if he had and I could have prevented it. He lightly brushed the larger beings hand away, preventing him from performing a healing. Save your strength, he advised, our troubles are not yet over.

They became faintly aware of footsteps echoing up the staircase. Gohan and Piccolo appeared a moment later, both looking weary, but otherwise fine. With a quick nod of acknowledgement to the God and his assistant, Piccolo settled himself against one of the walls to wait. He needn't have bothered, as Goku and Vegeta appeared less than a minute later.

Goku quickly checked for serious damage and, finding none, smiled at the group, "I guess we won, huh?"

"Not quite. Darela managed to escape, and I don't think we've seen the last of him."

"Oh," Goku thought about this, "A job for another day, I think. We'd better get back soon or Chi-Chi's gonna be really mad."

Piccolo looked at Kibito, "Do you think you can get us back to the lookout?"

The bodyguard nodded, gathering his power for one last effort. A moment later, the tower was empty, as if their presence had never been.

***