Dragon Ball Yugure Z by Son Goharotto
Welcome to Dragon Ball Yugure Z, my personal pet project. This is what I like to call a "multi-generational alternaverse epic." Expect a complex story spanning several volumes that are littered with cliff-hangers and titanic battles. The series is currently undergoing its second revision. Nothing major, I just felt the need to take out all that sloppy 'otaku japanese'. I disliked having to look up words after re-reading my own stories, so it should now be that much easier to follow.
DISCLAIMER: As much as I might wish it otherwise, DBZ does not belong to me. It's the property of Akira Toriyama, TOEI, FUNimation, et cetera ad nauseam. I'm not trying to make any money off of this and it's just a way for me to show my love of all things Dragon Ball. Well, except maybe GT. Bleah. I is teh poor, so don't sue me.
WARNINGS: As a whole, this series contains mature language, graphic violence, brutality, mature situations (non-lemon), and a touch of angst.
"Spoken Dialogue"
"'Layered Voice, a la Fusion'"
/Foreign Language/
Thoughts, Memories, and Telepathy
Volume I – The Nagareboshi Saga
Episode 02 – Meeting For The First Time! A Violent Encounter!
It was nearly midday when Goku was forced to wake again. The light of the sun angling just so, it peered through the window and penetrated the fabric pulled over his head. Goku was caught in the familiar act of tossing aside the sheets when a deafening rumble erupted from his stomach.
"I'm starved..."
Goku scratched his stomach with one hand as he covered a yawn with the other. He heaved himself out of bed and walked across the room to a large chest. Taking out some clothes, he pulled on his usual orange gi. It was pretty much the only clothing he had. What was once comforting to don now only reminded him of painful memories. He covered up the clan kanji by slipping on an old, worn jacket, setting it in place over his shoulders with a shrug.
The air outside was crisp as Goku walked through the door, taking in a deep breath. Normally, he enjoyed days like this. They were excellent for sparring, not that he had anyone to spar with. Far and away from any civilization, Son Gohan's pagoda offered a training ground void of distraction. Goku's eyes wandered the scenery, unconsciously skirting around the abandoned lot where he had once lived with his wife and son. Now there was nothing but the foundations, everything else having been moved upon Chi-Chi's insistence farther north, closer to major roadways.
Goku sighed and pushed off from the ground, heading west and slightly north to the nearest remaining city. As he flew, Goku dug around in his jacket pockets and sure enough, there was some money; perhaps remnants of his winnings from the 23rd Tenka'ichi Budokai. He started buying food instead of hunting for it not long after...
He decided he would got to a restaurant today, though there weren't that many left. He needed a change of scenery. The mountains of Paozu reminded him too much of his family.
His family. Goku remembered the first time he went flying with Chi-Chi. Not on Kinto'un which unfortunately, seemed to be ignoring his summons. It was on their wedding night. Goku had just taken his wife into his arms and flew off, wanting his bride to see the world the way he saw it. Chi-Chi was scared out of her wits at first, but as they passed over the ocean, she grew solemn. The moonlight was shimmering on the roiling surface of the ocean and the sky was clear, the light of the stars illuminating them both...
"Goku..."
"Yeah, Chi-Chi?"
"Goku, this is so beautiful. Thank you..."
"What's wrong Chi-Chi? We're married, just like you want. Ain't you happy? I thought–"
"I am! It's just...we'll probably never spend a night like this again..."
"What d'ya mean?"
"I... I have this feeling. Like you'll be gone, leaving me all alone..."
"Naw, I won't do that."
"How can you be so sure of everything? I wish I was as strong as you. I wish–"
With a sob, Chi-Chi buried her head in Goku's chest and proceeded to cry. He stopped in midair to comfort his wife. "Shhh, Chi-Chi, don't cry!" he murmured stroking her hair. Eventually, Chi-Chi's weeping subsided and she looked up at him.
"...Goku– "
But the memory faded as Goku arrived at West City. It was devastated from the monster's attack, the skeletons of once tall skyscrapers standing as silent monoliths. They towered over the 'suburb' that was set up for refugees at the city limits. Rows of nothing ran through the city, lined on either side by empty, broken buildings, looking for all the world like a procession of the dead.
Touching down, Goku walked through the doors of a bar-and-grill into the inviting glow, head hanging solemnly.
-----
The sun was high in the sky; late morning enroaching on noon. Goten ambled down a dirty street, not paying attention to the bustle about him. Breakfast at Capsule Corp had been the usual awkward affair. He was tired and irritable from having his questions remained unanswered and was still in a bad mood, just waiting for a fight.
Walking past a small restaurant, Goten collided roughly with a man exiting.
"Hey, idiot, watch where you're going!" Goten blurted. He immediately wished he hadn't when the man turned to face him. He was a head-and-a-half taller than Goten and had a wicked scar across the left side of his face. Goten couldn't sense any power coming from him, but the man's very presence was overwhelming.
Goku leveled a stare at the teen, appraising him with tired, bloodshot eyes. There was something familiar in the shocked visage, but the Saiyan brushed it off. When the teen failed to speak, he grunted and turned to leave, mumbling incoherently.
Still a bit peeved, Goten scratched the back of his head, darkly muttering, "Piece of trash!"
Goku turned back, the mischievous glint returning to his eye. "I heard that," he remarked with a hint of fire in his voice. "Watch yourself, brat. I'm not in the mood."
"Spare me, old man. Now outta my way!" Goten barked, attempting to push past the man.
The scarred man planted his palm against Goten's chest and pushed, forcing the teen back half a dozen paces. "Someone should teach you not to talk like that to your elders," Goku drawled with a smirk. Something had clicked, bringing back a vigor he hadn't felt in years.
"That so? We'll see!" Forgetting himself, Goten threw a punch aimed at the older man's head. Goku easily caught it. "What the?"
He quickly pulled back and struck out at random, each blow deftly avoided. Goten wasn't using anything even close to his full strength, but even a fraction of Saiyan speed should have been more than any human could handle. Surprised, Goten mixed up his attack with a roundhouse kick. Goku stopped it with his forearm and drove his fist into the teen's stomach. Goten fell back, landing on his butt, gasping for breath.
"Winded already?"
"N-nice–shot!" Goten coughed, trying to catch his breath. He got to his feet and dusted himself off. "I'd–like to–see you–try that again."
And he did.
Goten found the man standing next to him, his fist buried up to the wrist in his stomach. By Kami! He's fast!
The teen warrior slapped his hands down on Goku's shoulders, driving the older man's feet into the ground and using the leverage to spring-board over him. He spun and drove his heel between the Goku's shoulder blades. Shrugging it off, the scarred warrior leapt, swinging his leg around to connect with Goten's shoulder. Goten flew through the restaurant, smashing through walls and startling patrons, but immediately performed a hand-spring, landed on his feet, and launched into the air.
Following him up, Goku covered his move with a ki blast. Goten swatted it away, only to find Goku right in his face. Barely defending a jab, Goten countered with a right cross, which Goku easily caught.
Unable to pull his hand from the man's grasp, Goten realized his mistake. Goku swung a close-fisted backhand into Goten's ribs, elbow-jabbed him in the chin, and backhanded him again, this time in the face. Spinning with the force of the blow, Goten wrenched his arm from Goku's grasp. He recovered, kneeing the older man in the face, then following up with an axe kick.
He's got some talent, Goku thought with amusement as he flew through the air.
Goten suddenly appeared just ahead of him. Clasping his hands together, Goten swung them down in an overhead smash, but Goku caught them and used the momentum to flip over, smashing his shin between Goten's shoulder and neck, sending him crashing into the ground twenty stories below. He tried to rise, but Goku landed on him, smashing his feet into the young man's spine. Dazed with pain, Goten coughed up some blood.
Goku reached down, grasping Goten's hair, and yanked him up. "You through?"
"Not a–chance," Goten gasped, coughing up more blood. He seized Goku's fist and pulled up his legs, driving both feet into the man's face. Goku stumbled and Goten's Saiyan reflexes kicked in. He performed a mid-air turn and kicked hard into Goku's chest, sending him flying into a condemned building. Steel beams and concrete bricks crashed around him in a dusty pile.
Goten nearly collapsed, barely able to stand, clouds swirling around him. He put his full force into that last kick and now he was paying for it. Ankle sprained, his foot hurt something awful; as if he had kicked a mountain. As he righted himself, something clicked in Goten's mind. Hold on a minute...
Debris littered the ground and fell from the air. As the dust settled, an eerie calm fell over the battlefield. Goten realized he wasn't breathing. He winced at the pain in his ankle as he resumed a fighting stance and began gathering ki.
Reflecting momentarily on his 'victory', Goten realized that the man had been pulling his punches. The man's skill hid it at first, but the ease of his abilities didn't match the strength being used. Goten wasn't at all surprised when the man's ki jumped as the building exploded every which way. Goten watched in horror as Goku's ki settled at level far higher than his own, a red battle aura flaring about the man like a super nova.
A smirk spread across Goku's face. He hadn't used the Kaiou-Ken technique in years. The 'Fist of the Worlds' technique became useless after he attained the Super Saiyan state, but this kid was really pushing him and he deserved a little something extra. Amazing, he thought. Brat's tenacious. He fights like Vegeta.
"Im-impossible! He's too strong!" Goten growled between clenched teeth. "You MONSTER!" Goten launched his attack, a massive ki beam that tore through the air, ripping up the ground below.
Goku thrust his hands forward, his battle cry drowned out by the roar of the blast. Goten's attack exploded upon impact, creating a shockwave that pushes back against him. As the ringing cleared in Goten's ears, he strained to see the results of his attack.
"Yeowch!" Goku exclaimed. He stood half crouched, with both hands locked about a foot from his face, palms red from the heat of the blast. He let the burning aura fade for the moment. "Haha! 'Zat all?" he asked, smirk held firm. "Let me show you how it's done!"
Cupping his hands over each other, Goku pulled them to his side, concentrating his ki between them. "Kaaaaa... meeeee..."
"W-w-whoa!" Goten stuttered, "Who is this guy?"
"Haaaaa... meeeee..."
As a last ditch effort, Goten gathered more ki on the off-chance that he could counter the man's own attack.
"HAAAAA!"