Chapter 14; The Judgment of Life

          Incarcerated remains of plant life could be found scattered along the dry, barren terrain.  The thrashing about of the two remaining competitors ravaged the last signs of life.  Now, only the arrogant prince, Vegeta, and the guardian of the flame, Christopher, were left.  They never lost a beat through their entire fight; and even now, they revealed no signs of wear. 

          Vegeta grabbed Chris' leg, in a moment where he tried to gain some air.  Before he could act, Vegeta threw the boy into the ground, a crater in his wake.  However, he launched himself back into the fight as soon as he stopped; he had been surprised, but not hurt.  When Vegeta made another charge at Chris, a quick flap of his new wings shot him upward, just enough to avoid the attack.  Caught off guard, the prince fell pray to a kick directly in the face by the guardian.

          "Quick little wasp, aren't you?"  Chris only smiled.

          I have had just about enough of this, Vegeta mused.  This battle should have ended long ago, and I will die before I let some…child…defeat me.  With that, the saiyin planted his feet, and began to power up.  His power began to make its way through his body, and then toward his palms.  He bought his hands back; Vegeta was preparing his Galat Gun.

          "Typical."  That's all Chris said. Then, standing directly in the prince's path, he brought his arms to his sides, clenched his fists, and raised his forearms.  "Energy Disruption Field!" he yelled.  His body was immediately encased in a dark red light.  The heat around him rose to even more excruciating levels than before.   Despite this, Vegeta's rising ki persevered; that weak little energy shield would not protect the guardian, in his eyes.

          "This match is over!  Time to bow to the Saiyin Prince!  GALAT GUN FIRE!"  With that, Vegeta thrust his life-force forth, and the dark blue beam lanced toward the fire guardian.  He smirked as the beam neared closer; however, it quickly faded when no explosion ensued.  In fact, the blast didn't even touch him.  Before the blast got to close, the energy seemed to weaken and disperse, brushing right past him.  He only stared as the paradoxical guardian grinned back at him.

          "Sorry, but the law of man doesn't command the law of the planet.  I'm afraid you won't be seeing these guardians bowing to you."  With that, he spread his arms wide.  "Fire Crescent!"  He clapped his hand at waist level, and opened them wide again, creating a red arc in the motion his hands made.  Several red sickles propelled from the one Chris made, sizziling the air as they passed.  Of course, Vegeta faded before the crescents could touch him.  Vigilant for the prince, the guardian raised his hand again, to strike at a moment's notice.  Then, he lowered his wings to see behind him.  When he did this, Vegeta saw his moment, reappeared from behind, and wrapped his arms around Chris, pinning his wings and his other arm.  Only the arm raised for the retaliation was free.

          "Very well.  Mabye being grounded with broken wings will persuade your attitude."  He tightened his grip, squeezing Chris in his tight embrace.

          "My attitude?  You're not exactly a chivalrous prince yourself; that was a cold trick."  Emphasizing the pun of his comment, Chris held a shout; he was hurt, but he wouldn't show it to Vegeta.  Then, he thought of a counter; using his two arms, one over his head and one held to his side, he pinned Vegeta's arms against his body.  "So how about I heat things up a little?"

          Immediately, he increased the temperature around his body.  Now stuck to the guardian, Vegeta felt his skin begin to burn and his hairs starting to singe.  The heat distracted him; he couldn't focus.  Instead, he just continued to squeeze.  Now it was a face-off; Vegeta could crush Chris, or Chris could burn Vegeta to a toasty, but still living, crisp.  It was the battle of who would fail first.

          Chris felt his chest starting to cave in; the breath caught in his throat-

          Vegeta felt the invisible force tear through his body; his head was reeling from the heat, and his skin was starting to blacken-

          "VEGEETAAAAA!!!" 

          Time froze in a single moment as the two dropped everything; Vegeta's arms separated, and Chris' heat dropped like a candle in the wind.  Chris looked off to where the rest of the Z-fighters had been watching.  "That was Bulma!"  With a flap, his stiff wings shifted to their bird-like state.  "We can finish this later; something's up with the group."  He kicked off the ground, and made flight toward his companions.

          Agitated, Vegeta powered up, and shot off after him.

          Thirteen angry faces faced ahead; the three guardians, their four students, Krillen, Master Roshi, Eighteen, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu.  Two frightened individuals, Puar and Oolong, looked on from behind the others.  Before them, the scientist Bulma stared ahead, eyes wide with fear.  A large hand blocked her mouth, and the other forced her hands behind.  This person had a strong build, with short blonde hair and a pair of sunglasses.  The other man was of a similar build, with short black hair; he had green eyes, yet they appeared clouded, almost like he was blind.  He now held the crying Trunks in his hands.  They both wore black leather, and white tee-shirts underneath their jackets.

          "Listen, buddy," Roshi snarled.  "I don't know who you think you are, but get you're hand off the girl."  He stepped forward, and coiled his fingers to pose an attack.

          "Do not attempt an attack, Master Roshi of the Turtle Hermit fighting style; our business is not with you."  Quietly, the green-eyed man leaned his head to the side, releasing a loud snapping noise.  "Guardians of the earth, wind and water; the Grand Kami Mori has requested your presence."

          The guardians and students froze.  It's Mori's influence!  He's already begun taking the souls of Earthlings, Danielle thought.  Under closer recognition, she identified the two as those she had seen in West City; the ones she believed had been the two that tried to previously assault them.  In haste, the seven assumed a defensive position. 

          Brian asserted himself to the front of the group, and outstretched his arm.  "Soulless drones! This planet is under our protection.  If you make any hostile action toward Bulma or the rest of these people, I will open fire!"

          The one with shades grinned.  "You will not.  You would risk injuring the scientist, Ms. Bulma Briefs.  Are you willing to chance her safety?"  Pause.  "I thought so.  Now; where is the guardian of fire?"

          "Right here!"

          Shades' expression only had time to turn to shock, his mouth opening slightly.  At his neck, a dark red hand burst forth, scolding the skin around it.  His head was thrown back, and his sunglasses fell off; It revealed to brown eyes, also clouded over.  The rest of the group stared in horror.  Using the distraction, Bulma quickly knocked herself away from him.

          "Incinerate!"  Chris let out a scream, and Shades was engulfed in a pillar of fire.  Alarmingly, no scream or sign of pain was emitted.  Also, the green-eyed man only looked startled at the new development; he seemed not to notice (or care) for the fate of his companion. 

          Soon, only a puff of ash remained.  Without missing a beat, Chris propelled himself forward, grabbing Bulma.  He flapped his wings, and carried her into the air.  Despite the scientist's screams at her sudden condition, he managed to carry her to a safer altitude.  //BRIAN, NOW!//

          Brian smirked.  "Pebble Storm!"  A yellow hole opened up in his hand, and a barrage of pebbles released from it.  At the rate they were released, the rocks tore strait into the second man's flesh.  Red holes seemed to simply appear on his body.  Oolong covered his mouth, and Chi-Chi screamed; the rest just watched in terror as the last of the stalkers fell.

          Chris softly landed on the ground, Bulma in tow.  As they did, Bulma turned on the fire guardian.  Apparently (from his confused expression), whatever reaction she would have given him, he did not expect anger.  "HOW COULD YOU?!?"  She was fuming.  "You just murdered two people!  Even if you are guardians, you have no right to do that!  In fact, you have the least justification for that!"

          "And why is that?"  Danielle spoke up.  "Miss Bulma, why do you believe Christopher and Brian should not have killed those two men?"

          The scientist blanched.  "Well, I th-thought that maybe we, we could try to, to…" However, she could think of nothing.

          "Exactly.  These people are no longer people; they are zombies, their bodies raped of the minds and spirits they once held.  They probably did not even know what they were saying; they were given instructions on what to say, based on our reactions and own words."  The wind guardian continued.  "There would be no point in detaining or capturing them; they would simply continue to attempt carrying out their original task.  There souls are forever lost."

          The whole group felt a chill run up their spine.  "So then, the only way to stop Mori's forces, is to kill them?" Chi-Chi looked like she was about to cry.

          Chris lowered his head.  "Yes, I'm afraid so.  The four of us must resort to death to stop his assault.  And, even more to the point, we will have to call upon you four to do the same."

          Piccolo knew this would not be easy.  He glanced to the Son family.  This will be hard to take for them, especially considering who they are.  Goku…who holds the preservation of life in the highest regard.  Chi-Chi… who in her lifetime, has never brought the hand of death upon another human (or in that sense, intelligent) being.  Gohan…

           "Gohan?"  He looked around.  "Where is he?"  The others scanned the area, until Chaiotzu spotted him; a blazing red rocket firing away.  He used his flame aura again; noone had noticed his departure.

          "Oh no."  Andre stared after the demi-saiyin.  "I guess that was a big blow to him."

          Piccolo closed his eyes.  "I'll follow him."  With that, he gathered his energy and shot into the sky.

          Chris glanced after the namekian.  "I believe we should try to aid as well."  He turned to his comrades.  "Guardians!  We're moving out!"  At that, the planet overseers prepared to leave, Danielle apologizing to Chi-Chi and Goku for making Gohan leave.

          Andre looked around himself, and sighed.  Now where's Brian?  He didn't go already did he?"

          Some distance off from the rest of the group, a certain prince glared at them.  Weaklings.  A true warrior should know that in battle, humanization, as they call it, it too risky.  Kakkarot and his mate will have to see their opponents as nothing more than obstacles.

          "The voice of experience, I presume?"  The earth guardian stealthly confronted Vegeta.  He felt awkward confronting him in this gridlock, considering he was still wearing the jeans and other clothing articles Chi-Chi gave him.  Still, he maintained his rigid stance; his tail thrashed at his side.  "Why didn't you attempt to save her?"

          Vegeta sighed.  Not this again.  He sounds like Mirai.  "Who?"

          As Brian's glare changed to shock, Vegeta could almost copy the reply, said earlier by the boy from the future. "Who?  Bulma and Trunks, your son!  That's who!" 

          Vegeta glared right back.  "They are not my concern.  Your friends seemed to have full control of the situation on their own."

          Brian's retort was cut off by the arrival of said guardians.  Chris lowered to the ground, and waited for him; the others were eager to catch up to Gohan.  Knowing their desire to make haste, he turned to leave.  But before he did, he called out to the saiyin.  "I wonder if King Vegeta would approve of that as proper royal conduct."

          Vegeta's jaw dropped in shock\fury, but the four left before he could compose a reaction.

          And so, the four matches between the Z-fighters and elemental guardians ended; three wins for the guardians, and one undecided.

          Drop.  Drop.  Drop.

          Gohan watched as water dripped from the edge of his nose, into his lake.  Back at his secluded sanctuary, he had plunged his head beneath the liquid surface, his face already staring to burn up.  The realization presented by the guardians had reopened some old (and powerful) wounds.  As he landed, the emotional and mental torment caused the young demi-saiyin to fall to his knees, and expel what had previously taken residence in his stomach.  Washing out his mouth, he moved as though in a daze.

          The sleeves of his white formal shirt were drenched with the water.  Pulling them back down, he stared down at his hands.  Will I have to take more lives?  What will happen if I lose myself again?  The Cell Games… they'll happen all over again.  He curled into a fetal position, and shivered.  Will the history of my mistakes be forced to repeat themselves?

           As he sat there amidst the softly tousled grass, he hardly noticed as his first mentor landed.  Using a gentle air that he only used around Gohan, Piccolo removed his cape and wrapped it around the child.  "You could catch a cold if you don't get dried off soon."  He sat down, cross-legged, next to his pupil. 

          Turning to Piccolo, Gohan tried feudally to regain his composure in front of his teacher.  Failing, his mental wall, used to block his feelings from others, burst.  He wretched his face, and buried his face in Piccolo's lap.  The namekian soothingly ran his hand through the boy's hair, as muffed cries of misery escaped him.  "It's alright, Gohan.  Go ahead." 

          Gohan's lips quivered as he wiped his eyes.  "I…I d-don't want to… to kill again.  It only brings more killing, and then more suffering for someone else.  Why should I, or any of us in fact, have to be reduced to murder?"

          Piccolo looked across the lake.  "Gohan, you must understand that in this scenario, killing and murder are not the same thing.  Murder is considered the elimination of a living soul; with these soldiers the guardians talk of, they have no souls.  That is considered only killing; the elimination of a living body."

          Gohan stared at Piccolo as he continued.  "Think about it in this way;  The people who become soldiers of Mori go to Other World, for their souls have been lost.  And, like those who go to Other World, they could be returned to the Earth with the use of the dragonballs.  However, their bodies are still alive and being used on Earth; for a rebirth wish to take effect, the body must pass on.  As long as the bodies of the victims remain, they cannot be restored by the Eternal Dragon."

          "Therefore, you must not think of it as taking lives; rather, as allowing those lived to come back again."  The two turned behind to see Chris as he spoke.  The others were behind him.  Slowly, they walked to the edge of the lake, the grass parting below their feet.  The four sat on the edge, on Gohan's other side.  "Hey.  We thought you would be here; we didn't need to follow Piccolo to lead us." 

          Brian massaged his temples.  "We understand how you feel about killing.  Believe me, noone understands that feeling better than the five of us.  But Gohan, you must trust us here; you are not taking the lives of others."

          Gohan seemed to compose himself now, but what Brian said unnerved him for a moment.  "What do you mean by that?  When have you killed before?"

          Danielle sadly spoke.  "Well, you most certainly know how Piccolo was before he met you; he was you're father's worst enemy.  He ended many lives in his time.  And as for us…"  She swallowed a lump in her throat.  "We control the elements of nature, correct?  Well, who do you think control's its natural disasters?     The ones that take innocent lives every day?"

          A/N: I'm sorry about all of this.  I have had so much trouble with keeping up with school and this.  I just hope everyone will just hold on a little longer.

          I made a cliffhanger!  If it wasn't that great, please tell me.

          Also, I'm going to take a small break from posting new chapters for a little while (as if postings haven't already been far and few).  Recent e-mails brought to my attention the constant issue of spelling and grammar in my work.  So, I will try to repost some old chapters after revision, before moving on to the next.

          Remember, all reviews/constructive criticism/flames are welcome.