Dragon Ball Next Generation
The Grey Saga
Part 2: The Sacrifice
Chapter 6
I couldn't take my eyes off my hands. It was unbelievable. I held a check for ten million zeni in my hands! For a while, I just gazed at it, nothing else in the world mattering to me. In my entire life, I had never even seen any amount of money numbering more then two digits, and now I had ten million, made out to me!
As I wondered around, thinking of all the things I could buy, I saw Grimes leaning next the wall, staring at me. I sighed as I walked towards him, realizing that the money would soon not be mine. It would be sacrificed for my mission.
Charles Grimes, while not really looking very dangerous, seemed to emit an aura that made me hesitate, almost reconsider what I was about to do. He was dressed as a businessman, with a black suit, newly polished shoes, with black hair a little longer then most guys, but I knew what he represented.
I could feel his ki, which was very disturbing. He hated something very much, and although it was masked, the hate had penetrated his ki, creating a predominantly evil aura. It seemed to seep from him, so thick that I could swim in it. His ki was not great, but it disturbed me, and I knew I would have to be cautious around him.
"Congratulations on your victory." He said, then adding "child" in a voice small enough that only I could hear it. I could see it in his eyes; he knew he had made his point. I glanced around the area, and watched the few stragglers still leaving the arena.
"Could we do this someplace else?" I asked.
"Of course." Grimes said, and turned. I followed him.
When we reached the deserted combatant's area, Grimes turned towards me.
"If you would like to keep your title as World Champion, you will answer a few questions I have. Such as, where did you learn to fight, and why did you enter into the Adult Division when you were to young to do so?" He said.
"Is that all?" I asked. Grimes spread his hands wide open, displaying innocence.
"That's all." He reassured. I sighed and reached for my wrist. When we decided to use the Great Saiyaman costume, John offered to create me a watch like the one Gohan had, which would switch clothing for me. On the side were two buttons, one green and one orange. I looked at Grimes, then back to my watch, taking a deep breath. I would have to be careful. A single mistake would blow the mission. I pressed the green button on the watch. Now my role began.
I was enveloped in a bright white light that caused me to close my eyes. When I opened them again, I was clothed in a green and yellow gi, the shirt long enough to cover my tail, which was still wrapped around my waist. On the front of it was the symbol of the Crane School.
"My name is Spar Kane. I am one of the last remaining students of the Crane School." I said, hoping that it didn't sound too practiced.
"I thought the Crane School died out almost three hundred years ago." Grimes said. I involuntarily gulped. He knew more then I thought he did about martial arts. I would have to be careful.
"It disbanded, but it did not die. A few students of the school still held its traditions. I am one of those. Since my birth, I have been trained for the purpose of resurrecting the Crane School. I was given my name so that I would never forget my life's mission.
"That is why I entered the Budoukai. As you might know, in it's history, there are only two people who have won the Budoukia three consecutive times, Jackie Chung and Hercule Satan. I plan on being the third. Once I am, people will flock to the Crane School, which I will finance with the money I win from the Budoukais."
Grimes looked at me. He looked into my eyes. He was trying to see if I was telling the truth, to see if I was a good candidate for the cult's Champion. They say that the eyes are a window to the soul. Perhaps he was trying to look into mine. He was trying to see what my reaction would be once I came to the cult. From what Dende and Xander told me, any decent person would either run screaming from the place, or try to burn it to the ground. What would I do?
Perhaps he was thinking of the story I gave him. One of the reasons we chose to Crane School was because it had a history of corruption. It's students usually fought without mercy, killing when it was not necessary. Would Grimes know that? We hoped that it would help me get into the cult.
"Let me see your hands." Grimes said, saying it as if it was the most natural request in the world.
"What? Why?" I asked, trying not to sound too suspicious. Suddenly, his face changed drastically. It became a visage filled with hate, fear, but most predominantly anxiety. I realized that if he didn't come back with a suitable Champion, he would probably be killed for the failure.
"Let me see your fucking hands!" He screamed, his voice filled with desperation. Reluctantly, I held them out. Grimes grasped them, his face instantly changing back to the cool, confident face he wore before. He ran his thumbs around my hands, feeling them. He raised them toward his face, bringing them to his nose, and began sniffing them. I swore that if he licked them, even at the cost of the mission, I would incinerate him. Finally, he dropped my hands.
"As far as I can tell, you are telling the truth." He said. I realized what he had been doing. He was looking for signs on my hands that would prove my story. Over the past year, my hands had become raw as I trained, and had developed calluses, making them tough, as a martial artist's hands would be.
"You plan to resurrect the Crane School has one major flaw." He said. A look from me told him to continue. "If you succeed, it will take you at the very least fifteen years. That is a very long time."
"I realize that. It is why I entered the Budoukia now, instead of waiting until the next one." I told him.
"What if I told you that there is a way to achieve your goal in only a few weeks?" He said. I stared at him, trying to look like he said he was going to double the check I had gotten.
"How could you do that?" I asked.
"I belong to an organization, which soon will become very powerful. But, many people do not approve of what we do there. In fact, just a week ago, we were attacked by a very strong individual, who tried to shut us down. He defeated our Champion, a person who was supposed to defend us from such an attack. We now need a new Champion, who can truly protect us." He explained.
"But how could you help me resurrect the Crane school?" I asked again.
"I would rather not go into the details here. Come with me, and see it for yourself. But, I can guarantee you, if you become the new Champion, you goal will be reached sooner then you could believe." He said.
"What do you do that would make it necessary for a Champion?" I asked.
"Would you judge us, even though we are going to help you attain your life's goal?" He snapped. "You have spilled your fare share of blood. I can smell it on your hands."
"Very well. If what you say is true, I will become your Champion, for the Crane School." I said. Grimes grinned.
"Follow me." He instructed. He led me out to a limo awaiting his arrival, the driver already opening the doors for us.
"Do you have any baggage, Master Kane?" The driver asked. It disturbed me how he knew my "name".
"No, I have everything I need with me." I said, and climbed into the car. I sat in the opposite seat to Grimes.
"By the way, any organization needs funding from someplace." Grimes said, leaving me to make my own conclusions. I handed over the check, the pain of it almost to great to bear.
***
We drove for hours, speaking very little. I meditated to pass the time, Grimes just stared out into space, a vicious gleam in his eye. The terrain soon turned mountainous as we traveled farther and farther away from the nearest city.
Grimes pointed toward our destination as soon as it came into view. I couldn't help but gasp. It was very different then I imagined.
It looked like a giant castle, not quite as high, but very large. It was dark, and looked very imposing with the mountains as a background. As we neared it, I began to see more detail. It looked like something out of the Middle Ages, comprised entirely out of stone and wood. The limo pulled into a kind of courtyard. It had stone pillars in two rows, leading up to the castle. They seemed to serve no real purpose, there just for decor.
The limo stopped and I stepped out, stretching my limbs and working out a cramp in my leg. Grimes went to the trunk, and pulled out two large pieces of dark brown cloth. He tossed one too me. It was a cloak.
"Modern attire isn't accepted here." He said, pulling on the cloak. I did likewise. We walked along the grounds, past the rows of stone pillars. I looked around and didn't see a single living thing. No plants, animals, or even insects. It disturbed me.
"Please, wait here." Grimes said. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, and went into the large doors leading into the castle, leaving me outside.
I walked to the wall of the castle, and ran my hand over the stone. It was cool, cold in fact, sucking out the heat from my hand. I pulled away. A pit in my stomach grew as I waited, becoming further disturbed by my surroundings. The place gave off an eerie, almost evil feeling. I wrapped my cloak around me as I shuddered. I considered giving up then, maybe making an assault on the castle, or maybe just by flying away.
I shook my head. I had to learn more about how Garlic Jr. was going to be resurrected. If I attacked now, I might miss something, allowing someone else to take Turmeric's place, and bring the demon back later. I didn't even know what kind of beings lived in the castle. If I attacked, I could be killed.
And running away was almost unthinkable. How would I face the others? They put so much faith in me, especially Dende. If I ran, even if they forgave me, I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to Heaven, and wouldn't be able to achieve my ultimate mission, which was to fight the Greys.
I tried to prepare myself for what was to occur. Dende told me that if I was going to be a part of the cult, if they were to trust me, I would have to become like them. Whatever they did, I would have to imitate.
I tried to concentrate on the feelings I got from the place, tried to absorb them into me. But I stopped soon, the task to disturbing to complete. So I stood there at the castle doors for what seemed like hours, until they finally opened.
Grimes appeared, hood pulled back, followed by at least a hundred cloaked people. I instantly felt like throwing up. The combined ki of all those people literally sickened me, it seemed so cruel, so dark, it felt like it was going to absorb me.
I regained my composure, trying not to show my disgust. Grimes approached me, and to others made a wide circle around us. It made me very nervous.
"It has been decided." Grimes said. "You will become our new Champion if you defeat our current one." With that, he donned his hood, and walked away, joining the circle. I realized that they were making a ring for me to fight in.
The ring parted as out of the castle came a figure. He wore a black cloak, lined with gold fringe. His hood was pulled up, and I could not see his face. The figure walked toward me, in the center of the ring, and threw off his cloak. I gasped.
The man before me was well muscled, but his ki was weak. Even some of the other participants in the Budoukai could have beaten him. But what caused my surprise was his condition. He was bruised all over, his features hardly distinguishable through all the bruises. His bare chest was cut deeply in many places, now covered in scabs. His pants had bloodstains all over them, probably from broken scabs on his legs. Xander had done all this to the man.
Despite his injuries, the man faced me. He watched me, as I threw my own cloak away. I heard a collective gasp of surprise.
"He's brought us a child!"
"What kind of joke is this!"
"Kill the boy!"
"Let him live, and give him to me!"
"Fresh meat!"
I ignored their comments, focusing on my opponent. His surprise was gone, a smirk replacing it. He thought he would be able to keep his position. I watched him as he ran at me, his fist cocked to strike me. He swung. I raised my hand, and grabbed it.
You have to become like them.
I squeezed, feeling the bones in his hand shatter. Blood squirted out from between my fingers. I dropped his hand, and the man grasped it, howling in pain. I felt guilty, adding to the man's injuries, and the fact that he would probably never be able to use the hand again didn't help. But I had to convince them that I was ruthless, and wasn't afraid to cause pain, or they would reject me.
My opponent looked up at me, his eyes filled with pain, and fear. I realized that if he lost to me, he would most likely be killed. His eyes looked just like Grimes' when I refused to give him my hands.
Despite his wounds, the man stood up, now fighting for his life. I knew what I had to do. As the man aimed another punch, with his good hand, I gave his a swift belt to the gut. His eyes opened wide, and gasping, he fell back, unconscious. I hoped that was enough.
"Kill him!" The others in the ring began to shout. Many brought out curved daggers from their cloaks, and began waving them in the air. Others gave the thumbs down. I turned my head and looked at Grimes. He nodded his head, a gleam in his eye.
The man lay there, unconscious. I didn't want to kill him. It didn't matter what he had done, or what cult he belonged to, he couldn't defend himself. It was wrong.
So was the robber in the bank. Said the voice I thought had been silenced outside of Satan City.
But, I couldn't. I didn't mean to kill him. I didn't want to.
You've killed before; it'll be easy. The voice said.
No!
You have to.
I pulled up the hood of my cloak, to hide the tears I hoped I could hold back. I stretched out my hand, a ball of ki dancing in my palm. Holding back the vomit that was surging up my throat, I let it loose. Charred limbs and blood splattered all over, and the others in the ring cheered.
What have I done!?
What you needed to do. The voice stated.
Grimes walked up to me, and put his hand on my shoulder. He threw the previous Champion's cloak in my hands.
"Congratulations. You are now our new Champion." I nodded, pulling back my hood. No tears had come forth.
"Now, you will meet our master, and he will tell you how we will revive the Crane School." He said, and we followed the crowd into the castle.
The Grey Saga
Part 2: The Sacrifice
Chapter 6
I couldn't take my eyes off my hands. It was unbelievable. I held a check for ten million zeni in my hands! For a while, I just gazed at it, nothing else in the world mattering to me. In my entire life, I had never even seen any amount of money numbering more then two digits, and now I had ten million, made out to me!
As I wondered around, thinking of all the things I could buy, I saw Grimes leaning next the wall, staring at me. I sighed as I walked towards him, realizing that the money would soon not be mine. It would be sacrificed for my mission.
Charles Grimes, while not really looking very dangerous, seemed to emit an aura that made me hesitate, almost reconsider what I was about to do. He was dressed as a businessman, with a black suit, newly polished shoes, with black hair a little longer then most guys, but I knew what he represented.
I could feel his ki, which was very disturbing. He hated something very much, and although it was masked, the hate had penetrated his ki, creating a predominantly evil aura. It seemed to seep from him, so thick that I could swim in it. His ki was not great, but it disturbed me, and I knew I would have to be cautious around him.
"Congratulations on your victory." He said, then adding "child" in a voice small enough that only I could hear it. I could see it in his eyes; he knew he had made his point. I glanced around the area, and watched the few stragglers still leaving the arena.
"Could we do this someplace else?" I asked.
"Of course." Grimes said, and turned. I followed him.
When we reached the deserted combatant's area, Grimes turned towards me.
"If you would like to keep your title as World Champion, you will answer a few questions I have. Such as, where did you learn to fight, and why did you enter into the Adult Division when you were to young to do so?" He said.
"Is that all?" I asked. Grimes spread his hands wide open, displaying innocence.
"That's all." He reassured. I sighed and reached for my wrist. When we decided to use the Great Saiyaman costume, John offered to create me a watch like the one Gohan had, which would switch clothing for me. On the side were two buttons, one green and one orange. I looked at Grimes, then back to my watch, taking a deep breath. I would have to be careful. A single mistake would blow the mission. I pressed the green button on the watch. Now my role began.
I was enveloped in a bright white light that caused me to close my eyes. When I opened them again, I was clothed in a green and yellow gi, the shirt long enough to cover my tail, which was still wrapped around my waist. On the front of it was the symbol of the Crane School.
"My name is Spar Kane. I am one of the last remaining students of the Crane School." I said, hoping that it didn't sound too practiced.
"I thought the Crane School died out almost three hundred years ago." Grimes said. I involuntarily gulped. He knew more then I thought he did about martial arts. I would have to be careful.
"It disbanded, but it did not die. A few students of the school still held its traditions. I am one of those. Since my birth, I have been trained for the purpose of resurrecting the Crane School. I was given my name so that I would never forget my life's mission.
"That is why I entered the Budoukai. As you might know, in it's history, there are only two people who have won the Budoukia three consecutive times, Jackie Chung and Hercule Satan. I plan on being the third. Once I am, people will flock to the Crane School, which I will finance with the money I win from the Budoukais."
Grimes looked at me. He looked into my eyes. He was trying to see if I was telling the truth, to see if I was a good candidate for the cult's Champion. They say that the eyes are a window to the soul. Perhaps he was trying to look into mine. He was trying to see what my reaction would be once I came to the cult. From what Dende and Xander told me, any decent person would either run screaming from the place, or try to burn it to the ground. What would I do?
Perhaps he was thinking of the story I gave him. One of the reasons we chose to Crane School was because it had a history of corruption. It's students usually fought without mercy, killing when it was not necessary. Would Grimes know that? We hoped that it would help me get into the cult.
"Let me see your hands." Grimes said, saying it as if it was the most natural request in the world.
"What? Why?" I asked, trying not to sound too suspicious. Suddenly, his face changed drastically. It became a visage filled with hate, fear, but most predominantly anxiety. I realized that if he didn't come back with a suitable Champion, he would probably be killed for the failure.
"Let me see your fucking hands!" He screamed, his voice filled with desperation. Reluctantly, I held them out. Grimes grasped them, his face instantly changing back to the cool, confident face he wore before. He ran his thumbs around my hands, feeling them. He raised them toward his face, bringing them to his nose, and began sniffing them. I swore that if he licked them, even at the cost of the mission, I would incinerate him. Finally, he dropped my hands.
"As far as I can tell, you are telling the truth." He said. I realized what he had been doing. He was looking for signs on my hands that would prove my story. Over the past year, my hands had become raw as I trained, and had developed calluses, making them tough, as a martial artist's hands would be.
"You plan to resurrect the Crane School has one major flaw." He said. A look from me told him to continue. "If you succeed, it will take you at the very least fifteen years. That is a very long time."
"I realize that. It is why I entered the Budoukia now, instead of waiting until the next one." I told him.
"What if I told you that there is a way to achieve your goal in only a few weeks?" He said. I stared at him, trying to look like he said he was going to double the check I had gotten.
"How could you do that?" I asked.
"I belong to an organization, which soon will become very powerful. But, many people do not approve of what we do there. In fact, just a week ago, we were attacked by a very strong individual, who tried to shut us down. He defeated our Champion, a person who was supposed to defend us from such an attack. We now need a new Champion, who can truly protect us." He explained.
"But how could you help me resurrect the Crane school?" I asked again.
"I would rather not go into the details here. Come with me, and see it for yourself. But, I can guarantee you, if you become the new Champion, you goal will be reached sooner then you could believe." He said.
"What do you do that would make it necessary for a Champion?" I asked.
"Would you judge us, even though we are going to help you attain your life's goal?" He snapped. "You have spilled your fare share of blood. I can smell it on your hands."
"Very well. If what you say is true, I will become your Champion, for the Crane School." I said. Grimes grinned.
"Follow me." He instructed. He led me out to a limo awaiting his arrival, the driver already opening the doors for us.
"Do you have any baggage, Master Kane?" The driver asked. It disturbed me how he knew my "name".
"No, I have everything I need with me." I said, and climbed into the car. I sat in the opposite seat to Grimes.
"By the way, any organization needs funding from someplace." Grimes said, leaving me to make my own conclusions. I handed over the check, the pain of it almost to great to bear.
***
We drove for hours, speaking very little. I meditated to pass the time, Grimes just stared out into space, a vicious gleam in his eye. The terrain soon turned mountainous as we traveled farther and farther away from the nearest city.
Grimes pointed toward our destination as soon as it came into view. I couldn't help but gasp. It was very different then I imagined.
It looked like a giant castle, not quite as high, but very large. It was dark, and looked very imposing with the mountains as a background. As we neared it, I began to see more detail. It looked like something out of the Middle Ages, comprised entirely out of stone and wood. The limo pulled into a kind of courtyard. It had stone pillars in two rows, leading up to the castle. They seemed to serve no real purpose, there just for decor.
The limo stopped and I stepped out, stretching my limbs and working out a cramp in my leg. Grimes went to the trunk, and pulled out two large pieces of dark brown cloth. He tossed one too me. It was a cloak.
"Modern attire isn't accepted here." He said, pulling on the cloak. I did likewise. We walked along the grounds, past the rows of stone pillars. I looked around and didn't see a single living thing. No plants, animals, or even insects. It disturbed me.
"Please, wait here." Grimes said. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, and went into the large doors leading into the castle, leaving me outside.
I walked to the wall of the castle, and ran my hand over the stone. It was cool, cold in fact, sucking out the heat from my hand. I pulled away. A pit in my stomach grew as I waited, becoming further disturbed by my surroundings. The place gave off an eerie, almost evil feeling. I wrapped my cloak around me as I shuddered. I considered giving up then, maybe making an assault on the castle, or maybe just by flying away.
I shook my head. I had to learn more about how Garlic Jr. was going to be resurrected. If I attacked now, I might miss something, allowing someone else to take Turmeric's place, and bring the demon back later. I didn't even know what kind of beings lived in the castle. If I attacked, I could be killed.
And running away was almost unthinkable. How would I face the others? They put so much faith in me, especially Dende. If I ran, even if they forgave me, I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to Heaven, and wouldn't be able to achieve my ultimate mission, which was to fight the Greys.
I tried to prepare myself for what was to occur. Dende told me that if I was going to be a part of the cult, if they were to trust me, I would have to become like them. Whatever they did, I would have to imitate.
I tried to concentrate on the feelings I got from the place, tried to absorb them into me. But I stopped soon, the task to disturbing to complete. So I stood there at the castle doors for what seemed like hours, until they finally opened.
Grimes appeared, hood pulled back, followed by at least a hundred cloaked people. I instantly felt like throwing up. The combined ki of all those people literally sickened me, it seemed so cruel, so dark, it felt like it was going to absorb me.
I regained my composure, trying not to show my disgust. Grimes approached me, and to others made a wide circle around us. It made me very nervous.
"It has been decided." Grimes said. "You will become our new Champion if you defeat our current one." With that, he donned his hood, and walked away, joining the circle. I realized that they were making a ring for me to fight in.
The ring parted as out of the castle came a figure. He wore a black cloak, lined with gold fringe. His hood was pulled up, and I could not see his face. The figure walked toward me, in the center of the ring, and threw off his cloak. I gasped.
The man before me was well muscled, but his ki was weak. Even some of the other participants in the Budoukai could have beaten him. But what caused my surprise was his condition. He was bruised all over, his features hardly distinguishable through all the bruises. His bare chest was cut deeply in many places, now covered in scabs. His pants had bloodstains all over them, probably from broken scabs on his legs. Xander had done all this to the man.
Despite his injuries, the man faced me. He watched me, as I threw my own cloak away. I heard a collective gasp of surprise.
"He's brought us a child!"
"What kind of joke is this!"
"Kill the boy!"
"Let him live, and give him to me!"
"Fresh meat!"
I ignored their comments, focusing on my opponent. His surprise was gone, a smirk replacing it. He thought he would be able to keep his position. I watched him as he ran at me, his fist cocked to strike me. He swung. I raised my hand, and grabbed it.
You have to become like them.
I squeezed, feeling the bones in his hand shatter. Blood squirted out from between my fingers. I dropped his hand, and the man grasped it, howling in pain. I felt guilty, adding to the man's injuries, and the fact that he would probably never be able to use the hand again didn't help. But I had to convince them that I was ruthless, and wasn't afraid to cause pain, or they would reject me.
My opponent looked up at me, his eyes filled with pain, and fear. I realized that if he lost to me, he would most likely be killed. His eyes looked just like Grimes' when I refused to give him my hands.
Despite his wounds, the man stood up, now fighting for his life. I knew what I had to do. As the man aimed another punch, with his good hand, I gave his a swift belt to the gut. His eyes opened wide, and gasping, he fell back, unconscious. I hoped that was enough.
"Kill him!" The others in the ring began to shout. Many brought out curved daggers from their cloaks, and began waving them in the air. Others gave the thumbs down. I turned my head and looked at Grimes. He nodded his head, a gleam in his eye.
The man lay there, unconscious. I didn't want to kill him. It didn't matter what he had done, or what cult he belonged to, he couldn't defend himself. It was wrong.
So was the robber in the bank. Said the voice I thought had been silenced outside of Satan City.
But, I couldn't. I didn't mean to kill him. I didn't want to.
You've killed before; it'll be easy. The voice said.
No!
You have to.
I pulled up the hood of my cloak, to hide the tears I hoped I could hold back. I stretched out my hand, a ball of ki dancing in my palm. Holding back the vomit that was surging up my throat, I let it loose. Charred limbs and blood splattered all over, and the others in the ring cheered.
What have I done!?
What you needed to do. The voice stated.
Grimes walked up to me, and put his hand on my shoulder. He threw the previous Champion's cloak in my hands.
"Congratulations. You are now our new Champion." I nodded, pulling back my hood. No tears had come forth.
"Now, you will meet our master, and he will tell you how we will revive the Crane School." He said, and we followed the crowd into the castle.