Dragonball FT, The Black Thorn Saga
Chapter 9: Truths Revealed

Xavier stared at Dende with a blank, but confused, look on his face. He didn't quite know how to react to what he had just been told and his mind began to run in circles. What is he talking about? Who would want to kill dad? And how does this guy know about it?

He then asked Dende, "What are you talking about?" Xavier's voice was laden with shocked skepticism.

Dende let out a sigh. He abruptly stopped talking, allowing Xavier a chance to get his thoughts together. "Your father was an attorney, am I correct?" Dende asked. He knew the answer to his own question, but decided to ask this to increase Xavier's trust in what Dende was about to tell him.

Xavier, still rather dumbfounded, merely nodded that Dende was correct.

"You see, Xavier, your father was an excellent attorney. To my knowledge, he won most of his cases." Dende started.

"Yeah, he did." Xavier replied. "He always said he wouldn't take a case if he didn't think he could win. He felt that it would be a waste of his time and his client's money if he thought he would fail."

Dende sighed again. "I'm afraid it was this method of taking on clients that brought about his death." Dende said. "While those clients he took were, more often than not, delighted to have him as a lawyer, he made more than a few enemies of those that he refused."

"So, what you're saying is that someone got pissed off at my dad for not taking their case, so they killed him?" Xavier asked.

"There is more to it than that, Xavier." Dende continued. "You see, there was one case where your father refused to take the defendant. The defendant, a wealthy business man, was doomed from the start - between the witnesses and the evidence, he didn't have a prayer. A few days later, the plaintiff in the exact same case sought your father's legal services. Knowing he had a sure winner, your father accepted. As a result of the case, the defendant lost a rather large sum of money, even for him, which put him on the edge of financial ruin."

"What is this guy's name?" Xavier interrupted. "I'll find him and rip his fucking throat
out."

"Calm yourself, Xavier." Dende instructed. "That businessman is of little concern of
yours. He has recently become completely financially ruined and leads a miserable life." At this, a smirk appeared on Xavier's face. "Besides, that man was not the one that had your father killed. He belonged to a group known as The Black Thorn. They are very secretive, and only a few outside their numbers know about them. As secretive as they are, they are just as protective of their members. And when they cannot protect their own, they get revenge for any damages that were caused. This, I am sorry to say, meant the death of your father."

Xavier was taken aback, but not fully convinced. "OK, you have yourself a convincing story, but it all seems like something out of a movie or something. I mean, I know you're the guardian of earth, or whatever it is you called yourself, but why should I believe you? How did you come to know this?" Xavier asked.

"How do I know this?" Dende repeated. "You answered your own question: I'm the Guardian of Earth. I have my ways of finding out information. What proof do I have? Tell me, how well do you remember your father's wake and funeral?"

"Those days were engraved in my mind." Xavier replied solemnly.

"I see," Dende said. "I want you to think back to the day of the wake. Do you remember there being a single black rose among the other flower arrangements? That is their calling card. They leave it at the wake of anyone they kill, sort of like a final insult. I personally think they only do it because they are a very vain group of people and that is their way of gloating." He asked.

Xavier stood silently staring into the clear blue sky, just over Dende's shoulder. Although he was gazing into the sky, that was not what he was seeing. He was in a crowded room. It was lit by a few table lamps that gave off an eerie glow. No light was offered by the two windows the made up the majority of one of the walls. It was dark out and the curtains had been drawn closed. Xavier was standing in one spot. He looked down at himself and saw that he was dressed like most of the other men in the room, completely in black; suit, tie, and shoes, aside from a neatly starched white, button down, shirt.

To his right, his mother was standing talking to an elderly woman that Xavier had never seen before. His mother had a tissue in her left hand which she used to wipe her eyes every few minutes. She was wearing a black dress and looked very tired.

To his left, Xavier saw a row of chairs up against the wall. Seated in most of these were more people whom Xavier had never seen before. Many of them were silently praying. Others were talking about someone, but never used that person's name. Xavier could hear bits of their conversation through the low conversations that others were having. Whoever they were talking about, they referred to only as 'he' and always in the past tense. At the end of the row of chairs, Xavier saw his sister. She stared silently at the floor, hands folded neatly in her lap. Her face, almost hidden behind her curly brown hair, was host to a sorrowful, confused expression. From what Xavier could see, her eyes had a glassy look to them, as if she was on the verge of tears. It was like she knew why she was there, but at the same time, didn't fully grasp what was going on.

Looking straight ahead, Xavier realized that he was facing the back of the room. He saw, between the mass of people in front of him, Jane and Matt were sitting in the far right corner, quietly talking between themselves. Occasionally, one of them would look at Xavier with a look of concern on their face, almost as if they were checking to make sure he was ok.

Throughout the crowd, Xavier could pick out familiar faces - relatives that he knew, friends of the family, and his own handful of friends from school. No one was smiling and many appeared about to cry. Xavier was unsure of exactly what was going on. His mind was in a daze. Someone who appeared to be in their thirties walked up to Xavier, put his hand on Xavier's shoulder reassuringly, and continued to walk past him. Xavier stood motionless for a moment longer. When he did move, he tuned himself around and gasped at the sight he witnessed. The polished wood of the casket reflected a faint light. The top of it was opened and in it, Xavier saw his father. His father was wearing a dark blue suit and appeared to be sleeping. His hands were folded neatly over his stomach. His legs were hidden under the bottom half of the coffin lid. Kneeling in front of the casket, apparently in prayer, was a man with white hair. He was attired like most of the men in the room, all black. What was different about this man was that, in his folded hands, he held a black, long-stem rose. The man silently rose to his feet and set the rose on the lower half of the coffin lid. He then walked across the room and out the door, all the while keeping his back to Xavier.

Xavier snapped back to reality when he realized the truth to Dende's words. Dende had been silent since Xavier had begun staring off into space and was quietly waiting for the teen to return to his senses. Xavier, who by this time had remembered where he was, looked at Dende and said, "OK, I believe you."

Dende smiled, He needed Xavier's help and was glad that Xavier was willing to.

"One more question, though, before I agree to fight." Xavier said.

Dende's smile quickly disappeared. "And what might that be?" He asked.

"Exactly how are the Tenkawachi Boodaky.." Xavier started before Dende interrupted. "Tenkaichi Budoukai."

"Right," Xavier resumed. "How exactly are the tournament and the Black Thorn related?"

"Well," Dende started. "They are the ones sponsoring it, through different members. The prize money and any other expense is coming out of their own pockets."

"Why the hell would they be willing to do that, if this tournament hasn't been held in over 200 years?" Xavier asked.

"I've already told you about how the Black Thorn is a very arrogant group." Dende began. "They are also very powerful. Their influence runs deep, all across the globe. Many powerful world leaders are members. The Black Thorn has been around for centuries, but they are only now putting their most vainglorious plan into action. You see, the leaders of the group have become tired of hiding from the public eye. They want the world to know of their existence, but they want their announcement, which will take place at the beginning of the tournament, to be an intimidation. That is why they set up the tournament. The Black Thorn's two greatest warriors will be entered into the tournament as a show of their physical power. The entire tournament is just one big ego trip on their part, but if they do gain the popularity of the general public - you know the old saying, "everybody loves a winner." - I fear that they will possess the ability to bring great corruption across the world. They will have greater freedom to do as they wish, since their actions will not have to be shrouded in secret."

Xavier thought for a moment about what Dende had said, and then asked. "So, let me get this straight: This whole tournament is just a ploy by some group of egotistical assholes to prove to the world that they possess some sort of power? And, if I have the power you say I do, I have a chance to win a heap of cash?"

"You are correct." Dende replied, starting to get worried that Xavier was thinking about not competing.

"Alright, I'm in." Xavier said with a smirk on his face.

"Glad to hear it," Dende said with a huge smile on his old face. "We can start your training as soon as you're ready."

"OK, but just remember, I've got school and work...I'll train as much as I can, probably after school and on weekends, but I can't do it all the time." Xavier told him, half apologetically.

"I understand. You have a life to live." Dende replied. "And I assume you will want to keep this a secret, correct?"

Xavier hadn't thought about this. There would be no way for him to explain all this to his
mother. "Yeah, you're right." At this, Xavier chuckled dejectedly. "I guess, for once, it's a good thing that my mom has to work so much."

Dende was silent for a moment, not sure what to say. Then Xavier spoke again after looking at his watch. "Ummm...I think I better be getting home. I've barely eaten all day and I've got to make dinner."

"Alright, but before you go..." Dende walked over to Xavier and placed his hand on Xavier's head. Suddenly, a white light surrounded Xavier. Just as Xavier thought that his muscles were about to tear away from his bones, the light faded and Xavier asked, "What did you just do?"

"I've unlocked some of you power. I would not have done this, but I thought it was necessary for you body to begin to get accustomed to an increase in your power. You should now be stronger, but I warn you to take care and not to break anything...or anyone." Dende told him.

"Awesome," Xavier replied while stretching his arms.

"Now, it is time for you to go home." With that, Dende extended his hand towards Xavier, as he had done earlier. Xavier closed his eyes as he shook Dende's hand. When he opened them a second later, he was in his apartment, alone. He then heard Dende's voice.

"I will contact you again soon."

With that, Xavier glanced at the clock again. Six o'clock...I gotta get dinner started. He thought.