I probably should have said this last time, but Taiyoken is the Solar Flare. I apologize if I confused anyone.
I apologize so much for taking so long to update. These last few weeks have been pure mayhem, and hopefully the next few shape up to be better. But on the upside…
Nameks rock. ^^
Disclaimer: *points to URL*
Chapter Thirty-Two
The Saiyan prince smacked Goku's hand as he tried to help him to his feet again.
"Are you going to be all right, Vegeta?" Goku asked, backing up a step and giving the smaller man room to move. "Will you be able to fight like this?"
Normally, Vegeta would have had a sarcastic remark at his lips, but he thought better of it and said nothing. He inhaled sharply as he rose to his feet, pressing a hand to the base of his ribs. The creature that wore the Namek's body had done a good job of rendering him useless, and he and that fool Kakarot both knew it. "What kind of question is that? It is not a matter of whether or not I can fight, Kakarot," he snarled, startling the concerned fighter, "but if I will. You, of all people, should know that."
Goku blinked. "Would you like a senzu bean?"
Vegeta was about to ask what that was, before a fleeting image of a small brownish bean being tossed to him crossed his mind's eye. That thing, the bean that healed injuries. His Saiyan mind then kicked in at high speed. The potential of the bean! he thought, true to his devious nature. If I can force one of the humans to tell me where Kakarot obtains these things, I would have an unending source of energy! My ki would skyrocket after every training session! I would be invincible!
Goku shook his head at the crazed expression on Vegeta's face. The other man looked like he had just emptied an all-you-can-eat buffet table. What on Earth could he be thinking about? "Vegeta?" he asked again, poking the Saiyan prince in the arm. "Are you sure you're all right?"
Vegeta snapped out of it soon enough. "Do not touch me, Kakarot," he snapped. "I do not need your help or your pity. I can stand perfectly well on my own."
He's acting like a spoiled brat, Tien silently commented to Chiaotzu.
Petulant child is more like it.
Same difference.
"Positive?"
"Kakarot, I will not need your help until I am bleeding to death on the ground! And even then, I don't want you touching me!"
Goku grinned at the prince's act. "All right, all right!" he exclaimed, waving his hands in the air and shrugging away from him. "But you have to survive the flight to the Lookout. You've never been up there, have you?"
"Kakarot, I do not live on this planet," Vegeta said, gritting his teeth. "I do not know where you and the other pathetic Earthlings keep their toys." If only frustration could push one over the edge to Super Saiyan… If I wasn't in this position, I'd try it right now, he thought.
"Then you're gonna have to follow me. It's about five-ten minutes if you fly top-speed and a lot longer if you walk. So if we hurry up, we can get to Korin's Tower and get some senzu beans for everyone." Goku's expression turned thoughtful. "Come to think of it, I could use one, too." He raised one hand to his face and softly touched his torn flesh. The bleeding had almost stopped.
"I thought you said we were going to this Lookout for information!"
Goku grinned at Vegeta. "Korin's Tower is right below the Lookout. You know what I meant."
Idiot, Vegeta growled inwardly. I don't make a habit out of studying the geography of every insignificant planet I happen to land on. "Then when are we leaving?"
Goku glanced over his shoulder at Chi-Chi, and his smile faded as swiftly as it had appeared. "As soon as you're sure you can fly. Chi-Chi needs help, and you and I need to be at our best if we run into that creature again."
Vegeta snorted. "More likely than not he'll be the one finding us, Kakarot. Now hurry up. I'll manage myself."
Goku flashed him a thumbs-up – which irritated the prince to no end – and dashed over to the small group of humans. Chi-Chi had yet to stir, and that concerned him greatly. Gohan held her head in his lap, whispering comforting words that she could not hear. Yamcha rested his chin in his hands as he sat beside them, shaking his head and thanking Kami nobody had died in the encounter. Chiaotzu floated off to hover by Tien's side, and the two men waited expectantly for Goku to say something. The Saiyan cleared his throat, feeling the weight of their eyes on his back.
"We need to get to the Lookout, guys, before he decides to do something else."
Yamcha met Goku's gaze squarely. Of the human warriors, he was the only one to actually converse with the creature that had done so much damage. And come to think of it, disturbing as it was, he had the most in common with the creature out of all the Earth's defenders – Vegeta did not count. They both knew how to fight dirty, they both utilized those skills, and they both knew how to best cripple the target. Yamcha knew all this from experience, from the time when he still raided towns and hailed the desert as his playground. The creature inside Piccolo was trained so those skills were his second nature. If nothing else, the ex-bandit was keenly aware that the warrior would be planning something. Something that would hinder them, drastically lower their chances of ever defeating him.
Something that meant the world to his target.
Yamcha could do the math.
Goku's eyebrows rose as he watched comprehension dawn in his friend's eyes. Then he was knocked back on his rear when the older man leaped to his feet. "Goku, we have to go, now!" Yamcha yelped, charging his ki in preparation for flight. His sudden actions drew exclamations of surprise from the other warriors.
"What's going on, Yamcha?" the Saiyan exclaimed above the din.
The scarred man shot Goku an incredulous glance. "Goku, think about it! That thing must've come here to kill your family when you chased it off the Lookout! And if it has access to Piccolo's mind, it knows all about us…our strengths, our weaknesses, everything! It's gonna be trying to regain its edge, Goku! Think! What's at the Lookout?" His voice had risen to a frantic pitch as the words rushed out of his mouth, and it took a few seconds for the Saiyan to piece the words together.
As shock set in, the Saiyan managed to gasp out "No!" before he, too, gathered his aura to him. He did not waste his time in leaping into the air and flying away in a blaze of power.
"Kakarot!" Vegeta bellowed, readying himself to spring into the air.
Gohan gently set his mother down on the ground and stood up. "Vegeta, wait!" he called. "I can take you there."
"You've never been there, Gohan!" Tien interjected before Vegeta had the chance to open his mouth. He shot the Saiyan prince an open look of distrust.
"I'll manage, Tien, thank you. But I can follow Yajirobe's ki, and if I had to, Kami's ki can't be too different from Piccolo's." The boy had no need to voice the fact that he could follow his father's ki as well, and Tien did not press the matter.
The triclops humphed and folded his arms across his chest. At least the boy had manners. "Then you had better get there as fast as you can. We'll follow with Krillin and your mother."
Gohan nodded once and sprung into the air. Vegeta grumbled about having to follow the spawn of a third-class idiot, but the two Saiyans were mere specks in the distance not long after.
Yamcha, still ready for flight, leaned over and carefully scooped Chi-Chi into his arms. "You grabbing Krillin?" he asked Tien, glancing up at the triclops.
"Yeah, I'll get him."
The ex-bandit turned his eyes to the faint ki trail left by the two Saiyans and the even fainter line left by Goku. Kami, he hoped they beat that thing to the Lookout. Their lives might depend on it.
Korin's Tower
Korin could feel his whiskers curling. There was something dark on its way to his tower, and he was not pleased. He wasn't quite sure of the person's identity, but he was certain it was someone he knew. "Nah," he grunted under his breath. "Probably some upstart martial artist who feels like challenging the owner of the tower."
Yajirobe grunted in agreement behind him, a noise accompanied by slurping and squishing as he tore into another piece of chicken. Korin smiled. What a slob, he thought. Why do I keep him around, anyway? Oh, wait, that's right. He's the one who grows the Senzu beans. Who'd have thought it?
A stray breeze gusted up the side of the tower and brushed the cat's fur back against his head. He purred. That felt wonderful…
Something tingled in the back of his conscious mind, some vague sense of danger that he could not pinpoint, and his purr deepened to a threatening growl.
"What's wrong, Korin?" Yajirobe asked around a mouthful of rice. "What is it?"
The martial arts master spun around and shook his fist at the rather obese human. "Don't take that tone with me!" he yelled.
"What tone?"
"You're acting like I'm an animal again! Next thing you know, it's going to be 'What is it, boy? Is there something out there? Go fetch!'" The irate cat resumed his vigil over the side of the tower.
Yajirobe raised one eyebrow and continued work on his snack. He hadn't been thinking about it before, but now that Korin brought it up…well, he was a cat. A pity the phrasing he'd picked to vocalize had been for a dog. Yajirobe could have thought up some interesting quips about cats. When he put his mind to it, he could be quite witty. Ah, well, he'd missed his chance. That drumstick had his name written all over it…
Korin spared another worried glance at the surrounding landscape and turned back to the samurai. "Yajirobe," he asked, "how many senzu beans are ripe?"
"Five, I think," the human said between mouthfuls. "I didn't get to the plants in the side room yet. Haven't had time to rotate them from that window."
The cat shuffled across the floor of the tower, stared out across the expanse of forest far below them, and then paced his way back.
Yajirobe shook his head and sighed. He never did understand why the martial artist acted the way he did. Too much sun? Not enough oxygen at this altitude? One too many kicks in the head? He was not positive what combination of the three affected Korin, and he wasn't about to ask. He worried him enough as it was.
After a moment, the samurai felt a distinct change in the atmosphere of the tower, and he blinked. That's strange, he thought, sparing Korin a glance. The cat was visibly shaken about something, and he had gripped the railing so hard it threatened to crack. Jagged stress lines appeared in the material. That's never happened before, not while I've been up here.
Then Korin frantically scrambled away from the railing, moaning. He had identified the cause of that dark feeling, and he had to consciously restrain himself, lest he begin trembling with fear.
"What is it?" Yajirobe asked, shoveling a final handful of rice into his mouth. He wiped his hands off and stood up, frowning when the master of the tower did not respond. "Korin," he pressed again, "what's happening?" He half-expected the cat to leap for his throat with all claws extended for treating him like a dumb animal, but apparently whatever caused this behavior was more important than manners and respect right now. He made a mental note to watch his mouth.
The cat whipped his staff around in front of him and growled low in his throat. "A dreadful power is coming," he hissed. His fur lifted off his body until it stood on end, but the martial arts master did not back down.
The samurai's fingers twitched reflexively, knowing his sword was behind him, hanging off the back of his chair. This was the kind of situation that gave one indigestion; he hated being so anxious. "When?"
"Now."
Both Yajirobe and Korin spun around when they heard the strange but familiar voice coming from behind them. The samurai would have been proud of himself had it dawned on him how fast he managed to unsheathe his sword, and he held it strongly before him. Korin nearly lost his hold on his staff. The sight of their adversary was truly terrifying, and its implications were no better. Piccolo was seated on the railing at the edge of the tower, legs and arms crossed casually before him. He was smirking, of course, but this one held more malice in it than any expression Vegeta could have ever made.
"What do you want, Piccolo?" Korin growled. "Where's Goku?"
The jade-skinned man chuckled and rocked to his feet. "You know the answers to those questions already. And might I suggest that you stop using that name?"
Korin and Yajirobe edged back when the Namek took a step forward, the human still brandishing his sword. "You'd better stop your shenanigans now, boy, before someone else catches you at it!" Korin yelped, jabbing his staff into the floor. "I don't appreciate this!"
The humor on the Namek's face faded and was replaced with a deceptively neutral expression. "Neither do I, cat. Will you cooperate?"
"Of course not!" the martial arts master hissed. "What do you take me for?"
The green warrior chuckled, a dark sound that sent new chills racing down the spines of the tower's inhabitants. They scarcely had time to blink before Korin was caught up by the scruff of his neck in one of the man's large hands. His staff clattered to the ground. "Where are they, cat?" 'Piccolo' rumbled.
Neither the samurai nor the cat needed to hear what 'they' were. They already knew what he was talking about. The senzu beans.
Korin choked out his response. "What…makes you think…I'd tell you?"
"It's none of your business!" Yajirobe shouted simultaneously. He leaped forward, raising his sword above his head. "Whoever you are, drop him!"
He regretted his words the instant Piccolo met his glare with his own cool gaze. The samurai's muscles froze involuntarily, and he came to a sudden standstill before the Namek. Something…was holding him? He growled and strained against the invisible bonds that held him away from Piccolo. "What the – "
"I did not need to deal with you, human," the green man said, "but since you seem so eager to deal with me…" He carelessly swung the arm holding Korin around and extended his hand. The master of the tower was hurled through the wall and into a side room, where something large must have been toppled over, judging by the crash that resounded through the tower.
Yajirobe spared a glance in the direction Korin had disappeared, before he himself was lifted bodily off the ground by a large fist wrapped around the front of his robe. He gulped. Why me? he thought.
"…I should turn you into a greasy smear on the wall," the warrior finished saying. "You can do this the hard way, or you can make it easier on yourself. I'll make your death swift if you save me the trouble of tearing this place apart."
Yajirobe locked eyes with the demon and shuddered. Those eyes…he had not seen anything like that since Piccolo Daimao had lost his bid for power.
"Where are you hiding the senzu beans?"
In what would likely be his final act of defiance (and stupidity), Yajirobe tried to spit on him.
Piccolo snarled and dodged the missile, and in one fluid motion the human found himself airborne, flying out over the edge of the tower. He hung in the air for a split-second, and then he began the long plummet down the side of the construct. His panicking mind registered a parting jab from the Namek, spoken in the recesses of his own thoughts. You have a few minutes left to live, human. I suggest you spend them considering why you thought it wise to defy Ma Junior. Take your stupidity to the Afterlife.
The demon's eerie laughter followed him down.
The Lookout
Kami felt Piccolo claw his way free of the demon's grasp, only to be buried beneath its weight once more. He shook his head sadly and leaned more of his weight on his slightly charred staff. He heard the boy tell Son Goku to find either himself or Uranai Baba, or kill him. "Brave child," he whispered, "you seek your death to prevent chaos from descending. Were it only so simple."
The battle raging so far away was in the foreground of his mind. He had known the exact instant Vegeta's strength had failed him, the moment Piccolo lost control again, the demon's hasty retreat. He felt the creature's approach and subsequent visit to the tower below him. He sensed the panic in Yajirobe's ki, the dimming of Korin's. He knew what had occurred.
Kami clutched his staff closer to his body. "How could this have gone so wrong?" he whispered, peering over the ruined edge of the Lookout.
You know how, he berated himself immediately. You could have sought out the boy when he was hatched and worked with him. You could have shown him another path to walk. But you shunned him. Shunned him, and pushed him aside. Labeled him as his sire and tried to kill him. The old Namek sighed and stepped back again. Waiting and pacing would not make the demon approach any faster. He was already in Korin's tower, and it would only be a matter of time before he made his way to the Lookout.
Not if, but when.
Could I have prevented this, all those years ago?
"It's not time for contemplation," he hissed, dragging himself out of his thoughts. He could feel the demon's aura from where he stood, without having to search for the creature's ki first. Blast…it was becoming too powerful, too strong. It had too much control.
Kami began making his way through the rubble that had been a garden and approached the sanctuary. If there was going to be anything he could do to aid in this creature's demise, this would be it. He knew the demon would be coming for him next, after it had finished with Korin and Yajirobe. The Guardian gulped at his own thoughts and felt shame for not being able to intervene. But he needed to use his own advantages against the demon. Sacred ground, indeed. It could not touch the surface of the Lookout. He could steal away to the inner rooms of the sanctuary and force the creature to come after him.
"No!" Kami reprimanded himself sternly, coming to a halt before the broken stump of a pillar. "I am responsible for this. I will hold my ground."
The Guardian of the Earth leaned back against the cool white column, grasped his staff firmly with both taloned hands, and waited.
* * * * *
Once again, I apologize for taking so long. Over a month, was it? *smacks forehead* Thanks for sticking around. On the upside of the situation, I might have just pushed my 'bad' grade up to average. Note to the readers: Organic Chemistry is not for the faint of heart. ^^
~Dreamwraith