Chapter Twenty Three: A Sayian Prince's Duty

Shin sent hopeful glances back and forth through the crowd that stood about him. Each person looked clouded with rage or bewilderment. Not one of them looked like they would defend him. Even Piccolo was keeping his head low, refusing to look at anyone but the newly dead child in his arms.

"Look," Shin began in a small voice. "It was either to kill him or to let his soul get carried into purgatory."

"Then why didn't you just tell us that at the beginning!" Krillen shouted in exasperation. "Why did you lead us on?"

"You didn't need to kno-"

The Z team didn't let him finish. They all let out exclamations in protest or snorts of dark amusement at his comment. When did the Z team ever not need to know?

The other Gohan, who had remained unusually silent since his wrath nearly exploded upon the Supreme Kai, sat numbly upon the grass. His sudden motion brought the whole group to gaze at him uncertainly. The area rang with a certain silence until Goku piped, "You alright, Gohan?"

Gohan kept his shadowed face bowed low to his knees. He didn't look up causing Goku's face to pale slightly. The sayian knelt beside his son in apprehension, shaking him softly.

"Gohan? Gohan?"

He kept his eyes shut tightly, too weak to push his father off. Goku found Gohan's skin was strangely cold the touch and his ki was practically depleted. Goku glowered up at Shin furiously, "What's wrong with him?"

"Don't worry, Goku," Piccolo muttered darkly. "As Gohan said himself… He used up almost all his own energy to silence that of his counter part. He's worn out. Let him rest."

"There is a way to bring him back," Shin added softly.

All eyes fell upon the man again. He cringed at their questionable glares. Shivering slightly, Shin continued.

"We'd have to hurry… And…" Shin trailed off somewhat. "It involves the life energy of someone who would never normally save a life."

"Who the heck could we find-" Yamacha began angrily.

"Piccolo!" Krillen interrupted. "Piccolo could bring Gohan back, right?"

Shin sent a inspective gaze to the namekian gently cradling Gohan in his arms. He smiled softly and shook his head.

"He cares too much for Gohan," Shin whispered.

The other members of the Z team's faces flared with annoyance but Piccolo merely nodded in agreement. The child Gohan was whimpering softly in his dreams. Shin was starting to look desperate.

"We have to find someone before he wakes. Or else it would be too late."

"You should have consulted us sooner, so we could have more time!" Tien snapped. "Now who do we know who would normally never save a life…"

The Z team looked about their numbers pensively, as if hoping one of them may be more malevolent then they appeared. Seconds wove into minutes and Goku was looking more and more bothered with each breath his son took as a spirit.

"I don't know!" Goku cried. "I can't think! This is… This is all my fault."

"Now, now," North Kai uttered consoling as he pat Goku's shoulder. "We'll figure this out. We always have before."

The adult Gohan suddenly stirred causing the whole group to jump. He muttered some nonsense under his breath and attempted to pull himself to his feet. Goku caught his true son before he fell. The man somewhat wilted in his father's embrace. His face was dark with exhaustion but he still tried to form a name in his dry mouth.

"Fe…fata- Ve-" Gohan sputtered weakly.

"What is he saying?" Krillen quested earnestly to anyone who could answer.

"Sounds like… Fata?" Shin repeated numbly, "Fata Ve?"

Gohan shook his head and tired again.

"V- Vegeta…"

"Vegeta?" Shin repeated as the faces about him brightened. "Who's he?"

"Good job, Gohan," Goku smiled as he sat Gohan back down to rest. "You always did have the brains."

Gohan smiled softly at that and then focused him mind back on restoring his lost energy.

"Who is this Vegeta?" Shin asked breathlessly.

"He's a sayian like me," Goku answered simply.

When Shin started to look slightly worried, Goku continued, "He lived on Earth for a while with us. He's somewhat neutral now… But he's very conceited. I think we could convince him to help us."

"You… You don't make any sense…" sputtered Shin.

"He's father to Trunks," Goku smiled. "He'll save Gohan if it will save his son, I'm sure."

"You're sure?"

"Are you just gonna argue with him? He's says he's sure," Krillen snapped irritably, "Just get going before Gohan wakes!"

"Right…" Goku nodded glancing over the group before him.

Piccolo made a slight step forward but Goku immediately shook his head in disapproval.

"I think just me and Shin here should go with Gohan," Goku frowned. "It would be less of a hassle that way."

Piccolo said nothing as he glowered at the sayian. He slowly handed over his former pupil to his father. Goku made sure he propped Gohan's head properly before replying softly, "Thank you, Piccolo."

"Just don't do anything stupid." Piccolo grunted. "If you don't come back with him alive, I'll kill you. Father or not."

Goku smiled sheepishly at that; casually sidestepping to Shin's side.

"Well, let's go!" Goku piped in a slightly high pitched voice.

He gently handed the unconscious boy to Shin; who nearly fell under the boy's weight. Shin frowned contemptuously as Goku said goodbye and took the kai by his shoulder. With his other hand, he tapped his temple with his forefingers.

"Good luck, Go-" The group began, but the threesome disappeared before the sentence was completed.


A oversized crimson and horned man sat precariously stacking great amounts of papers around his sizeable mahogany desk. The occasional hitodamas pointlessly hovering in a small line, waiting to be judged of their life, lined up by the entryway. Two goblin like assistants guarded this exit and two more guarded the path to snake way.

"Next," The tall man grunted allowing the next little spirit light to wobble forward. "Your previous life's name…"

"Me? Uh. Frank, I think," The hitodama squealed in a high pitched drawl. "Been in line so long, I may have forgot."

"King Yema!" A voice cried out.

The godlike figure looked up over the papers on his desk to a small bodied man next to the spirit light. He wore blinding orange and blue garments that even a bat could recognize him. Next to him stood a strange purple colored kai with a white mohawk upon his head. His garments were quiet next to Goku's colors and the colors of the child he was holding.

"Ah, Goku. Cutting again?"

"Well, it's urgent," Goku smiled softly looking down apologetically at the cloudlike spirit.

"Never you mind," The hitodama quirked. "Been waiting for so long. I can wait a little longer."

Despite his words, Goku figured the spirit thought otherwise.

"King Yema? Would you be terribly angry if we went down to HoFL for a bit?"

"A bit? Yes. I guess you could…" Yema replied glaring suspiciously at Shin and his passenger. "But I can't promise you'll be admitted back up."

"Aw. Don't worry about me," Goku smiled tapping his temple. "Back before you know it."

Goku grabbed Shin's shoulder once again just as King Yema tried to ask, "Why do you want to go down into-"

But Goku, with his instant transmission technique, was already in HoFL before he finished.

"Blast that hero," Yema sighed looking down at the waiting hitodama. "What was your name again?"

"Frank!" The spirit snapped in dejection.


"This may come as a surprise to you…" Shin grunted as he shifted under Gohan's dead weight. "But I've never been down on this sector of the galaxy before."

Goku trudged ahead through the blood red field, and looked back to reply, "Don't worry. I've been here once or twice."

Whether that was to comfort him or not, Shin winced at that statement. He quickened his pace until he fell beside Goku's long strides, "Do you have any idea where… where this Vegeta might be?"

"Nope. But I am sure I can find someone who will tell us," Goku beamed over at his Kai comrade.

The three of them headed up the strange landscape to where two menacing looking guards took post. Both of them took one look at Goku and turned a flour white.

"W-what are you doing here?! We let you out!" The one black looking creature squealed. "Come to finish us off?"

"No, no," Goku laughed as if they were all good friends. "I am just here to see a friend of mine. Vegeta? Do you know him?"

"Know him?" The orange goblin snorted. "He caused us almost as much calamity as you did. Course he was ordered to be kept down here. Figures, he would be your friend, wouldn't he?"

"Where is he?" Shin snapped impatiently.

"In the north western cell. Number 43."

The goblin cocked a eyebrow at Goku's irritated look, "What? Did you think we could let a demon like him loose?"

"Come on," Goku nodded to Shin. "We better hurry."

Shin hitched Gohan on his back to better support the child. They cast one last look at the guards and headed northwest. As they went, one guard called out to them, "Don't get lost!"


Another rat let out a bloodcurdling squeal as a fire ball seared through its tiny body and ended its existence. The dark shadow leaned against the wall of his prison in annoyance, "Pests."

"Now really, Vegeta. Could you keep it down?" A voice next door snapped.

"The only reason you aren't dead again, Frezia," The man spat. "Is because these walls protect you. I would hush if I were you."

The dead silence filled the air and the tired soul went back to reliving his woes of life.

"Vegeta! Ah! We found him, Shin!"

The man pried open one bleary eye to gaze a loud colors of orange and blue. He smiled with half irritation, half relief, "Kakarot."

"Kakarot?" The kai with purple tinted skin repeated dully. "What's that mean?"

"He likes to call me that," Goku shrugged. "Wassup Vegeta? How are you?"

"You came all the way down to HoFL to ask that?" Vegeta snorted. "Not likely. What do you want from me?"

Goku flushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck, "You see right through me, don't you?"

"We are here on Gohan's behalf," The kai, Shin as Goku called him, snapped. "Goku said you could help."

Vegeta eyed the child wearily on the kai's back and then shifted his gaze back to Goku, "Who's that?"

"It… It's a long story," Goku muttered. "And I'm afraid we don't have time to explain much. But… We need you to follow Shin's instructions and give some of your life energy to bring him back to life."

"Who? The Kai?"

"Gohan."

"What?" Vegeta hissed. "You aren't making any sense."

Frezia shifted about in his cell next door. Vegeta eyed the wall suspiciously wondering if the creature was eavesdropping.

"This is Gohan," Shin attempted to explain. "Another version of him, at least. He… He's not supposed to be here. So we are trying to send him back. Alive if we can."

"Why must I help?"

"Because…it's complicated," Goku frowned. "Please. You must do this for us."

"What's in it for me?"

"Uh…" Goku flushed. "What do you want?"

"Let me out of this prison, and for Kami's sake, get me decent garments," Vegeta spat nodding to the rags of his former outfit. "And we'll call it even."

"Deal," Goku agreed.

"Goku! You are making a deal with a devil!" Shin snapped angrily.

"You said we have no choice," Goku hissed between his teeth. "Besides… I trust Vegeta."

"Hmmm?" A voice to the side muttered making all of them jump. "Are you sure you are being wise, Vegeta? Jump higher. Ask them to free you from HoFL itself. So you can see your wife again…"

"Shut up!" Shin spat angrily at the demon, causing him to recoil back into the shadows. "That is impossible!"

Vegeta withdrew his hand cautiously and eyed Goku.

"No choice, huh?" Vegeta smirked. "You must really need me."

"Stop playing around, Vegeta," Goku retorted. "We don't have time for this. You agreed-"

"I agreed to nothing. We didn't shake," Vegeta smiled sinisterly. "Now… You do what I ask. And I will help you."

"You!" Goku shouted heatedly lunging at Vegeta, but stopped by the bars. "You're taking advantage of us!"

Vegeta stepped back so that Goku's impassioned fists didn't clash with his face, "Now. Let me out of this prison."

To Be Continued…
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