Ichigo: "… *looks a bit underfed* Hi… everybody… MCcH is gone at the moment, watching Weiß Kreuz… so I can write my part of the chapter… before I… aaarrgh… *goes cross-eyed* Have to hold through… X.x…"

[MCcH in background: "AYA-KUUUUUN!!! KEN-KUUUUUN!!!"]

Chapter VI, Part I: Shattered innocence

(Subtitle: The murdering ice-cold angel)

*Flashback*

Suddenly the heat increased and energy began to crackle around Goku's body, making his hair float upwards, only leaving a few bangs in his face to cover his eyes: "There is nothing to wonder… Ouji-sama…", his voice was ice cold and held sarcasm, that Vegeta shivered.

Vegeta clenched his hands to fists: "Ohayoo to you too… Phoenix."

*End Flashback*

Ember Dragon,

Flashing eyes of fire,

Might of paragon,

Rising higher.

Green-eyed Phoenix,

Flashing eyes of emerald,

Movements fix

And feral.

Both alone a danger to fear,

Together they bring death near.

Deadly hot red,

Beautiful killing green,

Never to trust, never seen.

['Ember Dragon, Green-eyed Phoenix']

The formally cheering crowd fell silent again. The sounds returned to their senses, but neither took notice. They just stared at each other, emotionless.

Concern and confusion tore through Tenshinhan's veins as he looked at Vegeta and then averted his gaze towards Goku: "What's going on? Why did Vegeta just call Gokou 'Phoenix'?"

"I don't know… but… I can't move… I'm so scared I can't move…", Krillin muttered: "I never feared Gokou, but suddenly his aura is so – I don't know."

Yamcha leaned onto the wall for support: "I know what you mean. As if he has lost all of his kindness."

"Idiots, all of you."

They whirled around at the new voice and faced Beelzebub, who had his arms crossed and was staring at the two opponents in the ring intently: "Don't you know a bit of your pathetic history?"

"We all weren't schooled. We learnt everything we know from our Senseis.", Tenshinhan answered.

"Hmph… ask your clown friend. He looks as if he knows enough.", Beelzebub snorted gruffly.

"Wha?", they turned to Chao-zu. He seemed even paler than usual, a hint of panic glistening in his eyes: "It… can't… be…"

Tenshinhan kneeled down to his childhood friend, worried about him, but also curious: "What, Chao-zu?"

The green-skinned warrior sneered: "Tell them… tell them the truth about your 'hero'."

A shiver went through the smallest of them. Neither of them knew if it was Beelzebub who scared him or the two in the arena, but it could have easily been both. The boy took a deep, quivering breath before beginning to explain his assumption: "You have to know… Gokou and Vegeta are Saiyajins, an almost extinct ancient warrior race, born to fight and kill. Vegeta is the prince, his family or so-called clan has always ruled above all. His clan name is Sendosha, meaning leader. I didn't know of which clan Gokou originates, but if I was correct, he is the average Saiyajin, most probably a half-breed of the Ryoshi, the hunter and the Tan'itsu, the 'normal' Saiyajins. A breed like that is absolutely normal in the Saiyajin community. Well… that's what I assumed before he, sort of, transformed. I dearly hope he is not of the clan I think he is… because then… everything we thought he was, has never been true. All I know for now is that he's fire-elemental and judging Vegeta's character, he is too."

"Aren't you keeping something away from your friends? Something important they should know about your Saiyajin friend?", again Beelzebub sneered: "Tell them before I tell EVERYTHING and I mean it!"

Again Chao-zu quivered, then he said, merely above a whisper: "I… can't…"

"As you will.", the warrior hissed: "Gokou or rather Kakarotto has been keeping a very dark secret. He told you he can't remember his family or his past, but he lied. He remembers every single day of his childhood as a Saiyajin, as a TRUE Saiyajin. Guess what else I found out? He isn't a mere half-breed between two considered weak Saiyajin clans… no… he comes from the eldest, mightiest and most dangerous clan of all. The Satsugaisha, which plainly means murderer. His name says it all. Kakarotto is the poetic Saiyajin term for cold-hearted angel. His name completely translated means…"

"The murdering cold-hearted angel.", Chao-zu nearly chocked on the sentence: "And if Vegeta didn't joke about Gokou's second name… then we have been befriending the most dangerous above all Saiyajins. The Green-eyed Phoenix."

Krillin whirled around towards Chao-zu, his entire face flushed with anger: "Don't you dare compare Gokou with a killer!! He wouldn't!! Gokou never would kill innocent like a murderer!! And he isn't cold-hearted!"

"Baka… can't you feel his aura? I can feel nothing else than passion and blood lust. He has been suppressing his true side all along, out of fear of rejection. But now, that Vegeta has found a way to awaken the beast, it will be hard to put it back into place.", Beelzebub hissed at the midget, obviously peeved at the ignorance of the young warrior.

Krillin clenched his teeth, tears threatening to fall from his eyes: "It can't be!! Gokou isn't an ice-cold killer… he's as innocent as a child… he could never…" But he knew it was true. He could feel it. The freezing aura radiating off his best friend. Still he didn't want to believe it.

Sadly Tenshinhan watched the desperate monk. He too could feel the aura so unlike Gokou, that it could never have been him, yet it was. He sighed: "I heard a story about two Saiyajin once… they were only children, one merely nine-years-old and the second only five. Their clans hated each other, but these two children were best friends and did everything together, even though the father of the elder used the mother of the younger as a slave.

One day the clans decided to finally see who is the stronger and chose the two children to fight for them. In the end, the younger won, but it is said that they silently agreed to act as if they despised each other. But when one truly needed the other, their friendship was revived. Sort of a love-hate relationship.

After two years, their families killed each other, only leaving the two friends and it was the beginning of the end of the Saiyajin. The community parted into two and more Saiyajins died, day after day. That was when the two friends decided to put an end to the misery of their race. They joined forces, one a master of bow and arrow, the other master of the sword. Slowly they killed off the leaders of the rebellions, but every time new leaders were found. Nobody knew their names, so they gave them the titles 'Ember Dragon' and 'Green-eyed Phoenix'. Ember Dragon and Green-eyed Phoenix kept on killing; so long until their childish hearts became rotten from all the blood they spilled. Murder became their hobby, passion and reason to live and they almost extinct the entire race, save for a few.

That was when the younger and wiser of the two, decided to put an end to everything. He once was the ownership of elder's father, so he revived the ownership, because he had come to the conclusion if they told their friends what the other had done, the friends would hate them. So they could make sure that they would never come close to become the Ember Dragon and the Green-eyed Phoenix again."

Shock crept onto Yamcha's features: "They ensued hate for the other??"

"- I'm so glad that damn patriarch died, at least I'm disowned and can go wherever I want to, but as soon as the prince, who sadly survived, finds out where I am… I don't even want to think of the consequences."

"Seems like destiny is playing games with us, Kakarotto. Don't you remember? The first time we met, the ancient clash of the two families.-"

"It can't be…", the former bandit whirled around to the two Saiyajins facing off: "Gokou!! Onegai! You aren't the Green-eyed Phoenix, right?! You would never kill innocent, let alone your own race, just for the fun of it all!"

Ever since Gokou's aura had changed, he hadn't looked up, but now he lifted his head, reacting to Yamcha's question and they all froze when they didn't see the warm midnight gaze, but an eerie and cold emerald glare. The Saiyajin fixed his eyes upon them, saying nothing and unmoving, when suddenly long silvery, almost invisible strings started to appear behind him and attached to his back. Slowly the silver became clearer, turning to gold, then yellow, orange, red, green, blue, gray and finally pitch black. Feathers began to sprout from the strings, growing longer and slowly black wings were produced. Another pair of wings grew, glistening white, but their usual glow was matt.

Slowly, Gokou lifted his hand to reach one of his white wings and gripped it tightly where it connected to his back. Everybody wondered what he was doing, until they saw him pulling at the appendage powerfully.

The loud sound of bones cracking and being torn apart sounded over the arena, making many cringe at the horrible sound. A second time the sound reached their ears, followed by two thumps and a dripping sound.

Yamcha stared in disbelief, watching the two white wings dematerialize because of loosing their contact with Gokou's body, but still he saw the bloodstained feathers, tinting the beautiful shining white crimson. The tiles of the arena beneath Gokou were also colored by the sickening color that was seeping from the teen's back, down, soaking his clothes, to finally drip off.

Gokou gazed at Yamcha again and spoke in a monotone voice: "It wasn't for fun."

"It never was."

Everybody turned to Vegeta, who had, while they had been busy with watching Gokou, sprouted leathery wings, alike those of a demon, only in red and his eyes were dark ember: "We fought, we killed, but we never played. Think what you want, because you will never understand why we did what we did."

They faced each other and nodded. The old battle was revived.

^^°° Sorry guys… MCcH and I went on holiday together and just came back… Gomen ne. ^^° Oh well… I dunno what to do with next chap, so wait and see. ^-^ Maybe I'll write it myself, since I don't want to make it a brutal chapter. More of a flashback… Oh yeah… Gokou (or rather Green-eyed Phoenix) ripping his white wings out is symbolic, don't dwell on it. ^-^

Ja,

Melli