Chapter 42: Heartless Immortality
"The Sword! What happened to the sword?" Vegeta choked out.
"It's in there we'll never get it back now..." Vega answered.
"Damn it all... What can we do if we can't move?" Vega closed her eyes and fell deep into thought. Pictures of the past came to her. Pictures deep rooted in the souls of Kaykora and Naros which gave her life. Memories of people and place and happy times. Memories of them being together under a set of huge willow trees by a stream staring at the sky hand in hand. A tear ran down her cheek and she wished that they were here to help them. The pressure lifted as Daricus let out a cry of surprise. Vega's eyes flashed open and there holding Daricus back was... Kaykora and Naros? United? And huge?
"What is..." Vegeta was dumbfounded and speechless. "But you can't... You're dead?"
"Hi! Yeah we're back on temporary leave..." It said cheerfully as it grabbed Daricus by one arm and flung him back away from the door.
"What the Hell do you mean temporary leave? Long is that?" Vegeta fumed rushing forward.
"No idea..." It looked back at Vega. "Hi sweetie." Vega looked at it wide-eyed.
"You get me all fucking worked up and here you come back on temporary fucking leave!" Vegeta fumed as he pounded Daricus in the face. Each punch correlating to a word. He flew up and fired a ki blast at him. "Damn you women! You're almost not worth the pain!"
"Almost Pappa almost..." Vega still stood at the doors not moving. Daricus ripped through the smoke left by Vegeta's attack ran him up into the air. They kept going up and up until it seemed there was no top.
"How high is this place?" Daricus fumed flipping over and sending Vegeta hurtling to the ground. Vegeta crashed into the ungiving ground hard and laid there a little dazed for a second. As he did Daricus launch a razor like black ki attack at him meant to slice him into pieces.
Vega sensed the attack as it formed and focused hard on retrieving the sword from behind the door. It suddenly sailed through the door and deflected the attack just before it struck. "It was a little to close..." Vegeta breathed getting up and grabbing the hilt of the sword. He sprang up into the air and Daricus formed a dark blade of his own.
"Oh what fun this should be..." Daricus beamed as he awaited the arrival of the approaching Saiyan king. Sparks of black energy spewed everywhere each time the sword hit. And so ensued a sword fight between two huge beings in a vast and almost endless arena of the Gods. "You're quite skilled with a sword." Daricus said a bit impressed.
"My father was big on the old arts of war." Vegeta offered in reply. Daricus grinned and nodded.
"What's going on?" Vega asked Kaykora/Naros.
"I don't know but I think that we HAVE to be alive right now..." It replied.
"What do you mean?" Vega asked confused. "You think you have to be alive to maintain the balance?"
"Yeah exactly. Your power will wear off after awhile so you two will be able to stay. Ours is ours..." It said following the fight above. Vegeta's smaller size gave him the clear adventage as far as speed but Daricus's hits were visibly superior in strength.
"So when Daricus dies you die again?"
"Probably."
"And you're ok with that?" Vega probed.
"Of course. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do to protect those you love... Without loved ones nothing matters... I want you to take care of Vegeta for us, ok? Make sure he doesn't train to hard and that he takes care of Bulma and Trunks and my little sister. I just know they're going to love you." It said smiling down at Vega. Vega's eyes widened again but she eased and smiled back.
"Do you think we should help him?" Vega pointed to Vegeta who practically had a ki sword in his throat.
"Nah that would only make him mad... Besides he hasn't even transformed yet..." As soon as she finished the sentence Vegeta let out a battle cry and went level one throwing off Daricus.
"Heh... This has been fun and you are a formidable opponent when properly motivated. However, I have more pressing things to do..." With one hard swiped he knocked Vegeta back to the ground forcing him to drop the sword.
"Now we help..." It said taking to the air and Vega followed.
"Well, well my precious beauty... You've returned." Daricus said with a far off tone as he looked the United over.
"For now..." It replied smiling. "Long enough to kick your sorry ass." It smirked in Vegeta fashion.
"You're to much like your father."
"I know..." It smirked even more as its golden aura engulfed it. A poke to the arm prompted it to look over at Vega. "Hmmm?"
"I can't do that..." She whispered.
"Don't worry about it..." Vegeta responded floating up beside her. "We can transform enough to knock this motherfucker back to Hell just fine." He smirk and he and the United went to level two.
"This is my family." Vega mused proudly. "Strongest off them all."
"Touching really it would warm my heart if I had one..." Daricus said in mock emotion. "But it's time to end this foolishness." He roared and blasted them with a huge black ki bomb. They went sailing back and the United who was sheltering Vega hit a pillar hard.
"Why did you protect me?" She asked pulling them back off the pillar.
"Because we love you Vega... You're our child..." It looked back behind the pillar and saw Vegeta spring up off the ground and rush past them. The United sprung off the pillar and together they each grabbed an arm and railed Darcius across the faiway and into a pillar.
"We don't go quietly." Vegeta warned.
"So I noticed..." Daricus replied annoyed throwing them off. They rushed forward again and began punching and kicking but couldn't manage to land a hit.
"Time to raise the bar again Dad." The United suggested floating back.
"Good idea..." Vegeta responded going level three and lunging forward again. The United followed suit and this time they managed to land a few hits and even draw black blood.
"Aim for the chest... He truly has no heart in his body and that leaves a vulnerable hollow spot. Find it and you maybe able to do serious damage..." Pallas whispered in their minds.
"That might help." Vegeta thought and so he aimed for where a heart would be and sure enough his fist made a faint hollow sound when it hit. Vega used telekinesis to bring the sword up sent it flying towards the same spot. Vegeta and the United dodged at the last second and the sword plunged into him. He roared in pain for a minute then started laughing.
"So you discovered my little secret did you? Well it won't save you now... This love that you hold so high has forsaken me. I gave my heart to another and she never returned my love... She thought it was some cute trinket but it was my HEART!!!" He screamed ripping the sword from his chest. "I'll always live so long as it exists!!! YOU CAN'T KILL ME!!! NOTHING CAN!!!" He started laughing maniacally then threw the sword toward the ground.
---------- ---------- ----------
Nanakia's eyes shot open and she looked down at the ring shaped token on her finger. "It was him! But he disguised himself as a mortal... I... I... Thought it was an offering... A very sweet offering..." She ripped it off her finger and threw it across the lawn of Kaioshinkai. "Aarian, Goku can you really teleport anywhere you want?!" She screeched breaking their concentration on the fight. They nodded. She ran over and picked up the ring and gave it Goku. "I need you to teleport to the fight and put this back as deep that you can in Daricus as fast as you can."
They looked at her funny a moment then Goku reached out and took the finger and got off the ground.
"ARE YOU CRAZY WOMAN!!! WHAT DIFFERENCE IS THAT RING GOING TO MAKE!!!" Kaioshin screeched.
"STUPID BAKA KAI IT'S HIS HEART YOU IDIOT!!!" She screeched back. "IF WE'RE GOING TO KILL THAT REVENGER BENT HELL SPAWN WE HAVE TO GET THIS BACK IN HIM!!!" She grabbed the ring and waved it in front of his face. Then fell over weak from lack of living creations.
"EWE!!!" Goku squealed and rubbed his hand on his pants.
"Goku it's enclosed in this crystal stuff..." Nanakia sighed and handed it to Aarian. "Sometimes even Gods make mistakes." She mumbled quietly.
"You see you admit we aren't perfect!" Kaioshin beamed.
"No see the Kais not only make mistakes, they are mistakes..." She hissed giving him a death look. Kaioshin looked at her wounded. Nanakia looked at Aarian and Goku. "WHAT PART OF GO DID YOU NOT GET!!!" They jumped then I.T. off.
"No don't leave me here with her..." Kaioshin whined quietly.
---------- ---------- ----------
"Whoa he's huge!!!" Goku thought as they appeared in front of the laceration that was longer than he was tall. Aarian floated quickly into the cut and disappeared into the oozing black blood. Goku followed begrudgingly. "Why do I always have to mill around inside giant evil things?" He thought before plunging in.
"I think it would be in our best interest to get someone on the task of finding this heart of his if we want to win..." The United said warily.
"How do we know he's telling the truth and not just stalling? Maybe he is heartless but maybe we can kill him still." Vegeta replied heatedly as he powered up and mighty attack.
"That isn't a risk we can take right now and energy we can afford to waste!" It shouted grabbing his arm and pulling it down. "We need to think things through before you attack sometimes my King. Something you have lacked in the past."
"Vegeta you must wait! We've already located the heart and Goku and Aarian are putting it back as we speak." Nanakia pleaded.
"See... You could have killed them... again."
"All right but I'm only giving them ten more seconds to get out. Kakorrot knows better than to sloth around a battle when I'm involved." Vegeta conceded arrogantly.
"Ahhh... Blast him. You only have 7 seconds to get out you two now drop the thing and go." Nanakia warned.
"Right we're out of here." Goku replied and they I.T. out of Daricus. A faint heartbeat started pounding for the first time in hundreds of years.
"No... It... It can't be!!!" Daricus hissed in disbelief. "She kept it all these years? And never intended to tell me she was uninterested? THAT SELFISH BITCH!!!" Daricus fumed wildly as his eyes took a blood red glow and his black aura grew massive.
"Sir, we're losing power and as it is we're going to have to give everything we got in order to beat him now... I don't want to risk Vega in this..." The United said gravely.
"She is just as much a part of this as we are an if she wants to stay and fight I say she can. She knows the gravity of this fight and the possible outcome." Vegeta replied. "She knows as well as I do that none of us are coming out of here alive the least of all you..." He looked at it a moment the turned his gaze back to Daricus. There was a bright blue glow from one side and when they looked over they saw Vega in all her glory but there was an odd look about her. She had overheard every word and it was just starting to sink in... Her parents loved her even though they had spent no more than a week with her. Not only that but they wanted her to live and be happy. They had sacrificed themselves without a second thought for the people they loved... For people like her... A bright golden flash filled the vastness as Vega took hold of her heritage and ascended.
"Come on if we're going to do this let's do this. And at the very least we're going to go down together as a family..." She said floating towards them. "It's now or never and honestly I'd like to try and live to see what a real life is like." She finished with a smirk.
"The Sword! What happened to the sword?" Vegeta choked out.
"It's in there we'll never get it back now..." Vega answered.
"Damn it all... What can we do if we can't move?" Vega closed her eyes and fell deep into thought. Pictures of the past came to her. Pictures deep rooted in the souls of Kaykora and Naros which gave her life. Memories of people and place and happy times. Memories of them being together under a set of huge willow trees by a stream staring at the sky hand in hand. A tear ran down her cheek and she wished that they were here to help them. The pressure lifted as Daricus let out a cry of surprise. Vega's eyes flashed open and there holding Daricus back was... Kaykora and Naros? United? And huge?
"What is..." Vegeta was dumbfounded and speechless. "But you can't... You're dead?"
"Hi! Yeah we're back on temporary leave..." It said cheerfully as it grabbed Daricus by one arm and flung him back away from the door.
"What the Hell do you mean temporary leave? Long is that?" Vegeta fumed rushing forward.
"No idea..." It looked back at Vega. "Hi sweetie." Vega looked at it wide-eyed.
"You get me all fucking worked up and here you come back on temporary fucking leave!" Vegeta fumed as he pounded Daricus in the face. Each punch correlating to a word. He flew up and fired a ki blast at him. "Damn you women! You're almost not worth the pain!"
"Almost Pappa almost..." Vega still stood at the doors not moving. Daricus ripped through the smoke left by Vegeta's attack ran him up into the air. They kept going up and up until it seemed there was no top.
"How high is this place?" Daricus fumed flipping over and sending Vegeta hurtling to the ground. Vegeta crashed into the ungiving ground hard and laid there a little dazed for a second. As he did Daricus launch a razor like black ki attack at him meant to slice him into pieces.
Vega sensed the attack as it formed and focused hard on retrieving the sword from behind the door. It suddenly sailed through the door and deflected the attack just before it struck. "It was a little to close..." Vegeta breathed getting up and grabbing the hilt of the sword. He sprang up into the air and Daricus formed a dark blade of his own.
"Oh what fun this should be..." Daricus beamed as he awaited the arrival of the approaching Saiyan king. Sparks of black energy spewed everywhere each time the sword hit. And so ensued a sword fight between two huge beings in a vast and almost endless arena of the Gods. "You're quite skilled with a sword." Daricus said a bit impressed.
"My father was big on the old arts of war." Vegeta offered in reply. Daricus grinned and nodded.
"What's going on?" Vega asked Kaykora/Naros.
"I don't know but I think that we HAVE to be alive right now..." It replied.
"What do you mean?" Vega asked confused. "You think you have to be alive to maintain the balance?"
"Yeah exactly. Your power will wear off after awhile so you two will be able to stay. Ours is ours..." It said following the fight above. Vegeta's smaller size gave him the clear adventage as far as speed but Daricus's hits were visibly superior in strength.
"So when Daricus dies you die again?"
"Probably."
"And you're ok with that?" Vega probed.
"Of course. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do to protect those you love... Without loved ones nothing matters... I want you to take care of Vegeta for us, ok? Make sure he doesn't train to hard and that he takes care of Bulma and Trunks and my little sister. I just know they're going to love you." It said smiling down at Vega. Vega's eyes widened again but she eased and smiled back.
"Do you think we should help him?" Vega pointed to Vegeta who practically had a ki sword in his throat.
"Nah that would only make him mad... Besides he hasn't even transformed yet..." As soon as she finished the sentence Vegeta let out a battle cry and went level one throwing off Daricus.
"Heh... This has been fun and you are a formidable opponent when properly motivated. However, I have more pressing things to do..." With one hard swiped he knocked Vegeta back to the ground forcing him to drop the sword.
"Now we help..." It said taking to the air and Vega followed.
"Well, well my precious beauty... You've returned." Daricus said with a far off tone as he looked the United over.
"For now..." It replied smiling. "Long enough to kick your sorry ass." It smirked in Vegeta fashion.
"You're to much like your father."
"I know..." It smirked even more as its golden aura engulfed it. A poke to the arm prompted it to look over at Vega. "Hmmm?"
"I can't do that..." She whispered.
"Don't worry about it..." Vegeta responded floating up beside her. "We can transform enough to knock this motherfucker back to Hell just fine." He smirk and he and the United went to level two.
"This is my family." Vega mused proudly. "Strongest off them all."
"Touching really it would warm my heart if I had one..." Daricus said in mock emotion. "But it's time to end this foolishness." He roared and blasted them with a huge black ki bomb. They went sailing back and the United who was sheltering Vega hit a pillar hard.
"Why did you protect me?" She asked pulling them back off the pillar.
"Because we love you Vega... You're our child..." It looked back behind the pillar and saw Vegeta spring up off the ground and rush past them. The United sprung off the pillar and together they each grabbed an arm and railed Darcius across the faiway and into a pillar.
"We don't go quietly." Vegeta warned.
"So I noticed..." Daricus replied annoyed throwing them off. They rushed forward again and began punching and kicking but couldn't manage to land a hit.
"Time to raise the bar again Dad." The United suggested floating back.
"Good idea..." Vegeta responded going level three and lunging forward again. The United followed suit and this time they managed to land a few hits and even draw black blood.
"Aim for the chest... He truly has no heart in his body and that leaves a vulnerable hollow spot. Find it and you maybe able to do serious damage..." Pallas whispered in their minds.
"That might help." Vegeta thought and so he aimed for where a heart would be and sure enough his fist made a faint hollow sound when it hit. Vega used telekinesis to bring the sword up sent it flying towards the same spot. Vegeta and the United dodged at the last second and the sword plunged into him. He roared in pain for a minute then started laughing.
"So you discovered my little secret did you? Well it won't save you now... This love that you hold so high has forsaken me. I gave my heart to another and she never returned my love... She thought it was some cute trinket but it was my HEART!!!" He screamed ripping the sword from his chest. "I'll always live so long as it exists!!! YOU CAN'T KILL ME!!! NOTHING CAN!!!" He started laughing maniacally then threw the sword toward the ground.
---------- ---------- ----------
Nanakia's eyes shot open and she looked down at the ring shaped token on her finger. "It was him! But he disguised himself as a mortal... I... I... Thought it was an offering... A very sweet offering..." She ripped it off her finger and threw it across the lawn of Kaioshinkai. "Aarian, Goku can you really teleport anywhere you want?!" She screeched breaking their concentration on the fight. They nodded. She ran over and picked up the ring and gave it Goku. "I need you to teleport to the fight and put this back as deep that you can in Daricus as fast as you can."
They looked at her funny a moment then Goku reached out and took the finger and got off the ground.
"ARE YOU CRAZY WOMAN!!! WHAT DIFFERENCE IS THAT RING GOING TO MAKE!!!" Kaioshin screeched.
"STUPID BAKA KAI IT'S HIS HEART YOU IDIOT!!!" She screeched back. "IF WE'RE GOING TO KILL THAT REVENGER BENT HELL SPAWN WE HAVE TO GET THIS BACK IN HIM!!!" She grabbed the ring and waved it in front of his face. Then fell over weak from lack of living creations.
"EWE!!!" Goku squealed and rubbed his hand on his pants.
"Goku it's enclosed in this crystal stuff..." Nanakia sighed and handed it to Aarian. "Sometimes even Gods make mistakes." She mumbled quietly.
"You see you admit we aren't perfect!" Kaioshin beamed.
"No see the Kais not only make mistakes, they are mistakes..." She hissed giving him a death look. Kaioshin looked at her wounded. Nanakia looked at Aarian and Goku. "WHAT PART OF GO DID YOU NOT GET!!!" They jumped then I.T. off.
"No don't leave me here with her..." Kaioshin whined quietly.
---------- ---------- ----------
"Whoa he's huge!!!" Goku thought as they appeared in front of the laceration that was longer than he was tall. Aarian floated quickly into the cut and disappeared into the oozing black blood. Goku followed begrudgingly. "Why do I always have to mill around inside giant evil things?" He thought before plunging in.
"I think it would be in our best interest to get someone on the task of finding this heart of his if we want to win..." The United said warily.
"How do we know he's telling the truth and not just stalling? Maybe he is heartless but maybe we can kill him still." Vegeta replied heatedly as he powered up and mighty attack.
"That isn't a risk we can take right now and energy we can afford to waste!" It shouted grabbing his arm and pulling it down. "We need to think things through before you attack sometimes my King. Something you have lacked in the past."
"Vegeta you must wait! We've already located the heart and Goku and Aarian are putting it back as we speak." Nanakia pleaded.
"See... You could have killed them... again."
"All right but I'm only giving them ten more seconds to get out. Kakorrot knows better than to sloth around a battle when I'm involved." Vegeta conceded arrogantly.
"Ahhh... Blast him. You only have 7 seconds to get out you two now drop the thing and go." Nanakia warned.
"Right we're out of here." Goku replied and they I.T. out of Daricus. A faint heartbeat started pounding for the first time in hundreds of years.
"No... It... It can't be!!!" Daricus hissed in disbelief. "She kept it all these years? And never intended to tell me she was uninterested? THAT SELFISH BITCH!!!" Daricus fumed wildly as his eyes took a blood red glow and his black aura grew massive.
"Sir, we're losing power and as it is we're going to have to give everything we got in order to beat him now... I don't want to risk Vega in this..." The United said gravely.
"She is just as much a part of this as we are an if she wants to stay and fight I say she can. She knows the gravity of this fight and the possible outcome." Vegeta replied. "She knows as well as I do that none of us are coming out of here alive the least of all you..." He looked at it a moment the turned his gaze back to Daricus. There was a bright blue glow from one side and when they looked over they saw Vega in all her glory but there was an odd look about her. She had overheard every word and it was just starting to sink in... Her parents loved her even though they had spent no more than a week with her. Not only that but they wanted her to live and be happy. They had sacrificed themselves without a second thought for the people they loved... For people like her... A bright golden flash filled the vastness as Vega took hold of her heritage and ascended.
"Come on if we're going to do this let's do this. And at the very least we're going to go down together as a family..." She said floating towards them. "It's now or never and honestly I'd like to try and live to see what a real life is like." She finished with a smirk.