The Past Returns
Part Seventeen
After leaving Medusa's room, Goten, Trunks, and Ami walked the halls and search the rooms in finding Chi-Chi. So far, they hadn't come in contact with anyone. The palace was virtually abandoned except for the warriors and soldiers Goku and the others defeated over an hour ago. Any servants or whatever defense that was left in the palace, fled during the battles.
"It's been so quiet for so long now. We should be able to find your Mom in no time, Goten. I don't think anyone is here anymore," Ami said. She was grateful for no more fights since she, Trunks and Goten were going to be safe from now on.
"We should find Mom soon. I feel her nearby and I think…" Goten, who was in the lead, stopped suddenly. He closed his eyes in concentration finding the exact presence of his mother's ki. Ami looked to Trunks for Goten's sudden change in behavior and he could only answer with a shrug.
"YES!!" Goten shouted.
"What is it?" Trunks asked.
Goten turned around facing Trunks and Ami. His eyes were lit with joy, looking like a kid in a candy store. "Can't you feel it?!" He was trembling in excitement and Trunks could've sworn that any moment now, Goten would be jumping up and down in enthusiasm.
"No," Ami said, not following Goten.
Trunks shook his head. "I don't feel anything. What's going on, Goten?"
"It's Dad!" Goten exclaimed and jumped in the air joyfully. He soon landed to finish what he was saying. "He found Mom! He found her! I know it! I can feel their ki together!"
Ami clasped her hands in relief and elation. "That is wonderful news! Great! Once your Dad gets her, we can contact Gogeta and Vegeta and get out of here!"
"NOOO!!!"
Ami and Goten looked back to see a horrified Trunks screaming in anger and torment. In his rage, Trunks transformed into a Super Saiyan with such force that he created a giant blast that knocked Goten and Ami nearly twenty feet to the wall at the end of the hall. Goten crashed into wall first and then Ami as she used Goten's body as a cushion to crash in before they both slid to the floor.
Trunks was fine less than a minute ago when Goten said his father found his mother. He was going to express his joy and relief when he felt something in his heart. His father--Vegeta had fallen, struck with a deadly blow. Trunks could feel his father's pain flowing through his own body. He could feel two other people with his father--Gogeta and Iris. There was another power source, too. It had to have been Apollo. He was the one who hurt his father.
Goten and Ami were still clueless as to Trunks' outburst. Ami pulled herself off Goten and went to Trunks. He so enraged and scary right now that he didn't look like the Trunks he knew, but she cared for him and was going to risk approaching him.
"Trunks," Ami spoke softly as she slowly approached him. It didn't seem he heard her. "Trunks." Ami repeated. This time she was in front of him and he still wasn't hearing her. She touched his arm gently. Trunks locked his eyes with hers, finally noticing her presence. "What's the matter?"
Trunks was in such a rage that he didn't hear Ami calling for him until she touched his arm. He saw her concern and compassion for him written on her face. "It's Dad," he spoke in a pained voice. "He's been…" He didn't want to say what he feared. "I can't feel his ki! Something's happened to him. His power dropped dramatically!"
"No," Ami gasped, having a horrible feeling what that meant.
Goten sensed out for Vegeta's presence too. "Yeah, I feel it, too. Something's bad happened."
Ami didn't want to ask but she wanted to know for sure, but to ask Trunks this required for her to go around it delicately. "Trunks…is Vegeta…is… he alive?"
"I don't know!" Trunks said in more anger than panic. Ami still didn't flee. She held Trunks hand and gently rubbed it, trying to calm him down. "I can't tell if he's alive or not. His ki is too low! I need to get to him!"
"Is anybody else with Vegeta?" Ami asked the half Saiyans since they understood ki and she didn't.
"I feel my brother," Goten said.
"We can contact him with our com links to find out what's going on and where exactly they are," Ami suggested.
"Dad!" Trunks screamed in a delusion panic that he hoped his father to respond to his com link. "Gogeta! Anybody come in!" Trunks' face scrunched in confusion. "Goku?" With all that was happening with his father, Trunks completely forgot about Goku.
"Dad?" Goten spoke in through his com link. "Do you feel it, too?" He listened as his father told him he did. Goten had to ask the next thing that was running in his mind. "Mom is with you right, Dad?" Goten asked to be sure. He smiled when his father confirmed Chi-Chi was with him. "How is she?" Goten's smiled turned to an immediate frown. "Yeah, I know. I had to kill the woman--Medusa--who erased Mom's memories. She wouldn't tell me where Mom was and she almost killed Ami and Trunks."
"Goten! Shut up!" Trunks blasted angrily at his best friend. "Your mother is all right! She may not have a memory but she is all right!! But my father…" he couldn't say what he didn't want to feel.
Goten started to argue about his concern for his mother but Trunks had a point. Chi-Chi may have lost her memory but she was alive and in a better condition than Vegeta was right now.
"Gogeta! Iris! Anyone come in!" Trunks shouted in the com link trying to talk to anyone who was near his father. "Why isn't it working?!" Trunks glared at Ami upset. "Why aren't your com links working?! You're a technological genius like my mother! What's wrong?!"
Ami remained calm since Trunks was upset about his father. That's why he was shouting at her even if it did hurt Ami consoled herself. She had to forget about her feelings now and think fast. She designed the links so everyone would be in contact with the other. "It must've gotten damage in the fights the others were in," Ami said, coming to a reasonable solution to the problem. "We can't get in contact with them now. You and Goten will have to find them with ki."
Goku began speaking through the com link. He was telling Trunks to calm down and ordered them all to find Vegeta and get back to the ship. Goku asked about senzu beans.
"No, Korin didn't have anymore," Goten said. "I went to him before we left but he and Yajirobe mainly ate most of them and we couldn't wait until Korin grew new ones."
The situation looked hopeless. Even if Vegeta were alive, there was no nearby hospital to take him. That was until Ami had an idea.
"I'm a scientist but I am familiar with some medical matter even if it is very little. We do have a sickbay on the ship," Ami added. "There are medical supplies there. I might be able to do something."
The three again listened to Goku's orders on finding Vegeta and getting him back to the ship. Goku added he'd join them as soon as he could.
****
Chi-Chi pressed her hands on Goku's chest as if trying to push him away, but Goku tightened his hold on Chi-Chi and as they continue to kiss, Chi-Chi felt a familiarity in the kiss. In her nightmares when Goku kissed her, it was rough and emotionless, but now she was feeling care and dare she think it love? It was a different feel to what she had in her nightmares. Somewhere inside herself, Chi-Chi felt something--a part of herself Chi-Chi wasn't aware of--coming alive and a new stream of emotions and memories pouring into her. A different life--a life far different of the darkness and evil she thought she suffered--was coming to surface.
Chi-Chi was seeing herself on a cloud with Goku in the sky and they were kissing. Chi-Chi was shocked to see she was enjoying it. She saw herself in a wedding dress happy about marrying Goku. More images poured in. She saw herself pregnant with Goku's child and they were both very happy about it. She saw herself happily playing with the newborn with her husband. Many more happy memories followed from Gohan's first steps, the family flying on Nimbus and passionate images of Goku making love to her. Then she learned of Goku's death and Gohan being kidnapped and Chi-Chi saw herself shocked and horribly saddened by the news. The last image she saw of herself in the hospital with Goku tell him she accepts him being a Saiyan and doesn't care because he wasn't the barbaric type like his ancestors but she loved him for who he was.
What was this? All the memories she had of Goku and her were herself suffering, in pain. Where did these happy memories of her and Goku come from? What about the child--Gohan? She never remembered having a child. Was this some type of spell Goku placed on her? That had to be it.
Chi-Chi broke away from Goku and slapped him hard across the face. "What are you trying to do to me?"
Goku was lost. That was a weird question. "I'm trying to get you to remember me. Don't you remember anything now?"
"No, it's lies. You're planting false memories in me."
Goku blinked in confusion. "False memories? What are you…" Goku then smiled at the realization. "Are you remembering something?" Goku saw in Chi-Chi's eyes that she was remembering. 'Wow. Vegeta was right. Our bond is powerful.'
"No," Chi-Chi said quickly shaking her head.
"Chi-Chi, you've never lied to me before. Don't start now."
Chi-Chi started to say something but Goku's visage changed before her. He suddenly looked horrified as he felt something horrible happened. To Chi-Chi, it looked as if Goku knew someone close has died. Chi-Chi felt a pain in her heart. For some reason, she didn't want Goku to look this way.
"Vegeta," Goku whispered. "His ki…"
"Who?" Chi-Chi asked completely baffled.
Goku stared at Chi-Chi. She of all people should know who Vegeta is. 'They completely wiped her memory out, didn't they?' "Vegeta…" Goku stopped himself. He was going to say he was the father of her third child but Chi-Chi was confused enough already. "He's one of our friends. He--" He was cut off from speaking anymore when he heard Trunks' voice screaming in the com link.
Goku placed two fingers on his ear and talked like Ami instructed on how to use the com link. "Trunks?" He then heard Goten speaking. "Yeah, I just felt it." He stared at Chi-Chi pensively. "Your mother is with me. She looks all right, but the people here erased Chi-Chi's memory." Goku listen as Goten explained about Medusa. "Medusa? So, that's how Chi-Chi's memory was erased."
Chi-Chi stared at Goku. It looked as if he was talking to someone with some device in his ear. What was he talking about her memory being erased? Her memories weren't erased and why was he mentioning Medusa. She remembered seeing the woman once and it gave her an odd shiver and made her completely uncomfortable. Wait. Goku addressed her as mother.
'Could those memories I was having when Goku kissed me be real? Am I really a mother? Was I really happily married to this man?'
This was all so confusing right now that Chi-Chi was getting a headache from all the flooded memories and thoughts running in her mind. She was having doubts on believing which memory was real--the one where Goku was kind or evil?
"Trunks, I know you're angry. Calm down," Goku told Trunks after he yelled at Goten. He listened to Ami speaking. "Since their com links are broken, you will have to find them as Ami suggested. Once you find Vegeta, get back to the ship. If Vegeta is still alive, he may be revived by senzu beans. Did we bring any with us?" Goku listened to Goten explaining about them. All hope of reviving Vegeta, if he was alive, seemed lost until Ami brought out her suggestion. "That's a great idea, Ami! Okay, boys. Get Vegeta and go to the ship. We'll wait for Gogeta. I think he can handle himself now. I'll bring Chi-Chi."
At the thought of Goku taking her with him to a ship, Chi-Chi panicked. She didn't know this man and he was going to take her with him to whatever this ship was with whomever he was talking to. Chi-Chi tried to make a run for it, but Goku easily grabbed her and threw Chi-Chi over his shoulders.
"Put me down!" Chi-Chi screamed.
"I can't. It's time for us to go. We have to get to the ship and get you home!"
"There is no home! You destroyed it! Earth is gone!" Chi-Chi screamed pounding Goku on his back with her fists.
The pounding didn't hurt him, but Goku did place Chi-Chi back on her feet. "Oh, Chi-Chi," he spoke softly, "what did they do to you? Earth isn't gone."
"Of course it is!" Chi-Chi argued. "You Saiyans destroyed it!"
"Chi-Chi, what they told you was a lie. Earth is safe. It's not destroyed. It's been peaceful since Majin Buu." Maybe he shouldn't have said that since Chi-Chi wouldn't have a clue about him thanks to Apollo's minions erasing Chi-Chi's memory.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but you're not taking me anywhere without--" Chi-Chi yelped in surprise as Goku threw her over his shoulder again and proceeded to walk out of the room.
"You'll find out once we get home. I promise," Goku assured a very reluctant and protesting Chi-Chi. "For now, we got to go."
****
Gogeta held Vegeta in his arms. This wasn't happening. Vegeta couldn't be… Gogeta shut his eyes stopping any tears from falling. This wasn't how it was suppose to be. He was to get to know his other father. He never got a chance to apologize to Vegeta for his behavior towards him when he learned he was his father as well.
"Enough already," Apollo said impatiently. "Can't I get on with your death now?"
Gogeta glared at Apollo. His teeth were clenched in anger as he growled at his most hated adversary. "You're going to pay for this!!"
"What, you're going to cry me to death?" Apollo taunted. "Toss that worthless human in your arms aside and let me kill you."
Iris took notice of Gogeta's stature. He was trembling. It wasn't in fear but anger. She felt the aura around Gogeta and it was getting higher and higher. Even Iris was getting frightened of Gogeta. She never felt this much anger let alone this much power rise from him. She nearly jumped when Gogeta turned to her, holding Vegeta in his arms.
"Take him and go!" It wasn't a request but an order.
Iris started to say something but the look on Gogeta's face told her not to question. She took Vegeta's body from Gogeta's arms. As she rose, she took one last vengeful look at her brother. Iris knew this would be the last time she saw him and she was glad. Still, it was upsetting that it came at this high price for Gogeta to take this battle seriously. With one last glance at Gogeta, Iris left the room.
Gogeta's death glare at Apollo was ferocious. He wanted the man dead. Gogeta's fists clenched in anger as he stared at Apollo like a prey, and with this prey, he was going to enjoy killing. "You're dead," he swore to his enemy. "Do you hear me?! You're dead!"
Apollo laughed arrogantly. "I've heard that before and my enemies always die after they said that. You will be no different."
Gogeta trembled in anger. Once more the floor began shaking, the tiles broke and pieces of the hard floor floated in the air. Gogeta's hair floated in the air gently as a yellow aura surrounded him. Gogeta hated Apollo so much. First, he killed his grandfather, kidnapped his mother and now he killed Vegeta in front of his eyes. It infuriated Gogeta well over the boiling point. When he last spoke to Vegeta it was in anger. He was upset to learn that he was his father as well as Goku. Goku was able to calm him down, leaving Gogeta time to think and slowly accept it but that was mainly because his mother was in danger and needed to be rescued. He wasn't going to be angry with Vegeta on this mission with his mother's life at stake. After Chi-Chi was safe and sound, Gogeta wanted to talk to Vegeta and tell him his thoughts but now it seemed he won't get the chance.
"That 'worthless human' was the greatest Saiyan Prince ever!" Gogeta yelled in emotional anguish. "He was my father!!"
Apollo was surprised. "Your father?" He soon rolled his eyes and scoffed. "No wonder you're not much of a fighter. You're just as pathetic as he is…no was," Apollo corrected with an evil smirk.
Gogeta's eyes were red in anger. No more he told himself. No more was he going to take Apollo insulting his family. It was time for revenge. "YOU'RE DEAD!!!" Gogeta roared.
Apollo shielded his eyes as a blinding light surrounded Gogeta. Gogeta's screaming and ki rising was causing yet another violent tremor to shake the room. This time the surrounding rooms fell apart and crumbled to the floor. When most of the blinding light faded, Apollo saw Gogeta standing with gold hair and surrounding his body was a bright yellow aura.
'What enormous power,' Apollo thought it awe. 'I've never seen this transformation before. This must be what a Super Saiyan looks like. He's not holding anything back this time.' Instead of being scared, Apollo smiled. 'He's still gonna lose. All that anger he has for me is sure to spoil his mind.'
Apollo got himself in a stance, ready to take on Gogeta in his highest form. "Come and kill me if you think you can, boy!"
Gogeta let out a battle cry, directing a punch at Apollo as he came towards him. Apollo grabbed Gogeta's arm, pulled him forward and punched the back of his neck. The hit rang through Gogeta's head and upper back causing blood to spit out of his mouth. Gogeta fell to the floor, near shaking in pain. He jumped up to attack again.
Gogeta flew at him with quick speed to attack. Apollo was quick to dodge and send Gogeta back into the wall again. This continued over and over for several minutes. Whatever attack Gogeta threw at him, Apollo was quick to respond and attacked even harder.
Apollo laughed at Gogeta's obvious frustration. "All that power and you don't know how to use it. Your father was a pathetic man if he taught you how to fight."
Gogeta felt his lip and nose bleeding. His vision started to blur and his muscles were starting to ache. 'What's wrong? I know I'm stronger than Apollo now but I keep losing. He's had the upper hand so far. How can I get past that?'
This fight was reminding Gogeta of how he fought Vegeta when he was younger. He tried time and time again to defeat him and always ended up losing badly.
Gogeta's back smashed against the steel wall of the gravity room hard before he fell to the floor. He was training with Vegeta in the gravity room and they were both in Super Saiyan forms. Gogeta put up a fight as best he could, but as usual, Vegeta beat him up.
"You're no match for me now. Our training is over. Go home," Vegeta ordered and powered down to his normal level.
Gogeta rose halfway off the floor. "No! I have to keep trying! I have to be stronger than you!"
Vegeta laughed at that. "You've got years before you can reach my level. Though I admire your goal." He kicked Gogeta in the stomach leaving the fourteen-year-old to clutch his stomach in pain.
"You've had enough for today. You're worn out, which is causing you to slack in your movements. You can't keep up with me that way but your biggest problem is your anger. You're angry now that you can't defeat me. You're a child. I am man. It's as simple as that."
"Gohan was stronger than my Dad when he beat Cell," Gogeta said sharply as he managed to stand.
"That may be true but you're different from Gohan. The times were different as well. Gohan and Kakarot were in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber where they did nothing but train for Cell. You're not training all the time." Before Gogeta could speak, Vegeta stopped him. "Don't you say that you should train all the time! The last thing I need is your mother coming after me." Gogeta laughed. Not even Vegeta wanted Chi-Chi mad at him. Heh, no one did. Vegeta smacked Gogeta on the back of his head.
"Ow!" Gogeta whined as he rubbed his head. "What was that for?"
"It's not funny," Vegeta said. "As I was saying, there's no need to be angry because you're not stronger than me. You're taking your time, which is fine." 'Besides, it gives me more time to stay ahead of him. The last thing I need is for my child to be stronger than me,' Vegeta added to himself.
"When you're angry, it blinds your judgment and causes you to make careless mistakes--more mistakes than when you're just tired. You have to be calm in a fight and not let anything outside the fight distort your concentration."
Gogeta listened intently at what Vegeta said like a student to his teacher. "You're right, Vegeta."
"Of course I'm right," Vegeta said pompously.
After taking a shower at Capsule Corp. and saying goodbye to Trunks and Ami, Gogeta flew home. He met Goku as he was walking home with a large fish thrown over his shoulder.
"Hey, Dad!"
"Hey, son," Goku said. "How was training with Vegeta?"
"Pretty good. He can still beat me."
Goku laughed and put a hand around Gogeta's shoulders. "Of course he can. You got some serious training ahead of you. Once you're through with your schooling, you can train as much as you want."
"Yeah," he admitted lamely since his thoughts were still on his conversation with Vegeta. "Vegeta said my anger can distort my training. He said I'm not concentrating properly because of it."
"I agree with him there. If you're angry in battle and not in control of it, then you already lost. Your enemy will see your anger and use it to his advantage. Even I goofed up a few times in battle because of my anger."
Gogeta looked up at his father surprised. "Really? When?"
"When Krillin was first killed, I ran into battle too angry to realize how exhausted I was and I lost when I went up against Tambourine. Once I recovered, I was able to defeat him. That's just one of many mistakes I made. Controlling your anger is one of the many ways to victory, Gogeta."
'They're right. I've been letting my anger of what happened to Vegeta get to me. That isn't a way to win. I won't make that mistake again.'
Gogeta rose to his feet. He wiped the blood from his lip and nose. "I won't let you defeat me! This time you will die! This is for my family!!" Gogeta powered up again and charged into battle once more. One way or another, this was going to end now.
To Be Continued
AN: I finally got in! YES!!! I've been having trouble getting on ff.net all week and it's so late now I haven't been able to reply to the reviews of the story and I'm just too lazy to sift through my email for them. Maybe next week. I know some people are wondering about Vegeta's fate since I didn't confirm nor deny if Vegeta is dead or not. I promise to do so in the next chapter as well as more action fights from Gogeta and Apollo. It's time to wrap this story up!