Kakkhan: Giendonese Saiyan Warrior
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.
A/n: I'm in a rush, so I'm just going to update this and let you enjoy. BYE! /Rushes off/
Allati: O.O
SP: /Sticks head back in/ BEFORE I FORGET!!!! This chapter is dedicated to SSJ5 Tigger in honor of it being her belated b-day, and this is my present and Greetings From Very, Very, Very Far Away. :D /Disappears again/
Allati: O.O
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Blah = Laniin, untranslated
[Blah] = Laniin, translated
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Previously on Kakkhan: Giendonese Saiyan Warrior,
He saw that the darkness was growing thinner, no longer tainting the shades of white in his mind. It was retreating back into the cage It originally was in and pushing him, Its child, out of Its protective embrace as It was doing so. He didn't want to leave the darkness, but something was drawing him away, the same force as in his dreams. His dreams. With another start, the boy realized just what had happened. He had completed the mission. Or rather, the darkness had completed the mission.
Gohan looked wide-eyed at the darkness retreating solemnly from the majority of his mind. When the dark had reassembled into Its true form, It just pulsated benignly at him again, then drew Itself and Its cage away out of his sight, but not out of his mind.
Gohan was left to wrestle with the happenings and with waking up.
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Chapter Twenty: Enigmas Unwrapped, Partially
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Gohan shook himself out of his remembrances and looked up just in time to witness Yoki a.k.a. the Grim Reaper lash out with his scythe. Gohan's eyes grew big as he saw the ghostly holograms of Dark 17 and Dark 18 appear behind Yoki. The Grim Reaper looked disdainfully at them, then looked back at Gohan's doppelganger.
It said to Kakkhan, 'Well, we'll see you in a little while, Legendary Lord. Right now, Yoko and I have to escort these two to Yemma. No doubt where they'll end up, but havta follow the guidelines. If you go to the Akuma Dimension, Legendary Lord, you can introduce yourself to my companion Horsemen and help them make themselves at home. They just arrived, you know, from A' Brea' Keea, and they'll need someone to show them around.'
Kakkhan simply raised an eyebrow and said, 'No, thank you, Reaper. I have no desire to 'show' anyone around. I know what you're like as a Horseman, and I despair greatly at the thought of there being more of you.'
Yoki laughed, a sound that sent shivers down one's spine. 'Oh, thanks a lot, Legendary Lord. You're a fair weather friend.' Kakkhan smirked evilly for a response. Yoki grinned again as Yoko tossed his ruby-eyed head. 'All right, all right already, Yoko. We'll go. I know how much you want to be with your cousins.'
This teasing remark earned a hatred-filled glare from the uma akuma to the Death Bringer, which only made the Akuma Rider laugh heartily again in Its serpentine voice. However, Kakkhan could see that Yoko, beneath all the dramatics, really did want to meet Its "cousins," if that was indeed what Its relation to the other Horseman Akumas was. Kakkhan had his doubts about that, however.
InuYasha sneered at Kakkhan, who simply nodded back, and then all three departed for the Akuma Dimension.
Gohan, during all this, was bug-eyed in alarm. He had not understood a word of what Yoki had said to Kakkhan and what Kakkhan had said to Yoki. It was not that Gohan didn't understand what They were talking about, he didn't understand Them, period. They had blocked him out of Their conversation and all Gohan had heard had been hisses, snarls, squeaks, sneers, leers, and every other sinister noise one can think of. Gohan had particularly been dismayed when the Grim Reaper had laughed twice in Its sinister voice, for he hadn't understood the reason for the laugh, and so couldn't think positively about the reason. It was to the understandable relief of Gohan when the akumas and Horseman disappeared, for then They were away from him and could trouble him no longer.
Kakkhan, seeing the relief on Gohan's face, raised an eyebrow in a question. He remembered that he hadn't included Gohan in on his conversation with Yoki, so he would have only heard what an outsider would have heard. That was not a pretty experience. Kakkhan kicked himself mentally for his absent-minded stupidity as he walked away from Gohan, going into Shabo when he was out of sight, and zoomed away from the area. He left Gohan staring after him, wondering about him and the puzzle he presented Gohan with.
Gohan stood in that place for some time, before he slowly, bemusedly, made his way into the building Kakkhan had just vacated the roof of. He was unmindful of the fact that this was not an apartment building, therefore there would be no beds. Really, the best thing Gohan could have done for himself was to go up to Kami's Lookout, where, unfortunately, Kami was dead, as well as Mr. Popo, but there were nice clean beds to sleep on. Much better than trying to find a sleeping place in an office building for Public Relations, such as Gohan found himself doing. However, Gohan had much to think about, and could not waste his time for thinking in hunting for a bed. So he just chose a corner to drop into and thought.
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It had been the middle of the morning in the Dark Android fight. It was now late afternoon as Kakkhan located Gohan via his [presence] in the 21st building of the Ina City Public Relations. He observed in the far corner of the first floor the bundle of flesh and worn gi that was Gohan either in meditation or sleeping. Kakkhan couldn't tell which yet. It was all because of that ki damper. Kakkhan mentally rolled his eyes and cast about for a place to put down the food in his arms. He found a table and spilled his load onto it, then set about organizing the packages of dried food, water in a capsule, orange and apple juice in a capsule, and other such foods. Kakkhan divided the piles into two, one pile being slightly bigger than the other. The big pile Kakkhan set aside for Gohan. The smaller he devoured himself.
Kakkhan finished the last box of his portion in a matter of seconds. He cleaned up his mess and dumped it all in several waste paper baskets lying around. Done with his house cleaning, Kakkhan seated himself in a comfortable chair by one of the windows. The window was cracked and badly in need of a wash, but Kakkhan wasn't there to look outside. Nah, it was just meditation time.
Kakkhan sank into his controlled stupor and let the day replay back at him. He had been disturbed when InuYasha had outlined the plan to his past counterpart and some of what Gohan was going to feel in the darkness. InuYasha had not told Gohan that the darkness would not only overtake him, but would actually enslave him. While Kakkhan knew that the darkness meant no harm to anyone, much less Gohan, he was still uncomfortable with the fact that Gohan had been a mindless zombie while the darkness had used his body to get rid of the Dark Androids. Still, it was better Gohan than himself, Kakkhan was ashamed to admit. He hopefully would never let anyone take him over and make him a slave, even if it was for a worthy cause.
Kakkhan shuddered inwardly as his train of thought continued to how fiercely Dark Gohan had fought. It was as if he were an animal who knew no better than to follow its instincts and defend itself, instead of being an on-off depressed warrior/energetic child, a sparkle in his eyes no matter which state he was in. Kakkhan knew that it was likely, all too likely, for that was exactly what Darkness was. Darkness was an animalistic power, which just needed guidance in life. All too often, the guidance was supplied by evil, and things were destroyed and killed by the powers of Darkness. All Darkness needed to be good was a little patience and to be pointed in the right direction by those who truly understood it. Sadly, though, Darkness almost never got that patience from the right people, so It remained known as evil. Kakkhan resolved to always respect the darkness, even if he wouldn't let It use him.
That over with, Kakkhan turned to his own core of power, the globe of pure Light ensconced within Darkness. It groveled for him, begged to use him. Kakkhan eyed It coldly, not stepping within the Light's range. He knew better than to do that, thanks to his experience after the fight with the Cold family. Kakkhan supposed that he was going to have to go into the Light sometime in his long future. When he did, the immortal predicted that he would be in control of the Light, not the other way around. The Light would not get Its way with Kakkhan when the immortal finally stepped into Its embrace. Kakkhan was going to use the Light, not the other way around. The immortal promised this to the shrieking ball broiling in front of him before he looked up and away from the Light. He searched the Dark in his mind for the intrusion, then sped away from his core of power to deal with it.
Kakkhan awoke from his meditation just as Gohan opened his own eyes. The two stared at each other for about two full breaths, then Kakkhan motioned silently to the food on the table.
"Eat," he commanded. Gohan hesitated, his hunger battling his need to know more about Kakkhan and also his need to ration food. Reaching a compromise between the three equally important ideas, Gohan dived in amongst the boxes of food and ate. Kakkhan watched impassively as Gohan dined on the food, eating fast at times and eating slow at other times. Kakkhan reflected on how much of that food had come from his own supply: about 3/5ths of the entire thing. It was good preparation Kakkhan had undergone in keeping his self-fulfilling refrigerator capsules with him. He never knew when he'd get hungry or when he'd have another Saiyan as a guest, like right now. Ah, the wonders of Laniin technology.
Kakkhan forced himself to calmly think about that still painful subject. It was painful because he had realized why he had been taken off the planet Earth at age two. The Laniins had seen that he had had the potential to be a truly powerful warrior and had taken precautions to make sure that he would not use that power against them. Kakkhan was not entirely sure when he knew that something was wrong in the relationship between the Laniins and Kakkhan, but he thought he perceived it dimly at first when Aslib had shown a bit of fear one time in one of their daily training spars.
The flash had disappeared as soon as it had come and had never showed up again, but it had stayed with Kakkhan and haunted his dreams. Kakkhan had no doubt it was because of his humongous Super Saiyan powers. It just scared Kakkhan out of his skin to see them frighten such an unruffled warrior such as Aslib. However, Kakkhan refused to let his already gained powers put fear into him. It was just the power he could reach that got to Kakkhan so much. Yet the immortal knew he had to reach that power one day. That day was not today.
Before, when Kakkhan was working to reach SS2, he had been afraid of his powers too. But Aslib had been there to help him, even in the memory of that flash of fear, and Kakkhan had soon had control. But Kakkhan would not have Aslib's help in reaching and controlling any of the powers beyond. It was precisely this fact that Kakkhan was worried, and for good reason. Kakkhan was not a planet-destroyer.
He saw Gohan was done, putting a box of cookies away with a look of longing. Kakkhan guessed accurately that the demi-Saiyan wasn't full to the brim yet, but didn't want to eat anymore food. He raised an eyebrow anyway and asked, "Done?"
Gohan looked up, looking rather like a deer caught in headlights as he tried to decipher his doppelganger's abrupt breakage of the silence. When he figured it out, Gohan stammered in answer, "Uh, yeah. Thanks."
Kakkhan nodded, but then sighed and said, "If you're not full, Gohan, eat to your heart's content. There's plenty more where that came from," bulldozing over Gohan's hesitant answer to his first question. Gohan was surprised again by Kakkhan's bluntness. But he was a bit firmer in his answer this time.
"Uh, no thanks. I really am done. Really," Gohan added at Kakkhan's disbelieving snort. "It's just that I haven't seen this much food in so long," he finished in a whisper. Kakkhan was still unconvinced but let the matter slide for the moment. Kakkhan then stepped out of his chair to help Gohan with cleaning up. They worked in silence, making short work of the gruesome mess Gohan had made of the office. They stayed silent long after they were done, until finally Gohan spoke up.
"Um, what's your name?" At Kakkhan's semi-surprised look, Gohan elaborated, "I can't keep calling you my clone, now can I?"
Kakkhan smirked slightly about that. He had been named worse. "Well, no, you can't." He looked away for a bit, as if trying to stall in giving out his true identity. In truth, he was contemplating whether or not to give Gohan his name. The Kais knew that his past counterpart certainly was worthy of knowing who Kakkhan was; it was just that Kakkhan had been raised not to reveal his identity to others whom did not know it.
His moment of thought over, Kakkhan looked back at a waiting Gohan. Pretending at first not to know what Gohan was waiting for, he then moved his head upwards and rolled his eyes, as if he had just remembered what they were talking about. He said, "Oh. My name. Yeah. It's Kakkhan, nice to meet you," stretching out a hand to shake.
Gohan took it. "Son Gohan. So how did you manage to survive the Androids for so long? You look my age."
Kakkhan replied, "I could say the same for you. But," stalling Gohan's surprised answer, "I haven't been in the area for long. It's only been three days since I arrived on this world."
Again, Kakkhan was telling the truth, but only one side of it. That would come later, with the right questions. Kakkhan was going to answer everything Gohan threw at him, even if it was about his past. He owed his counterpart that much, which he did not owe the Z-senshi of his own time.
Gohan nodded, taking the answer. Then he frowned, catching an anomaly in Kakkhan's sentence that did not sit with him well.
"This world? You're not a native Earthling?" he asked. Kakkhan shook his head sideways, much like he used to do to Balannon when his four-fingered friend was being silly.
"No. I'm a pure-blooded Saiyan through and through."
"How? You couldn't have survived when Frieza blew up Vegeta-sei. Everything and everyone was blown up!"
Kakkhan looked at Gohan. "A Saiyan could have survived if they were not on the planet in the first place." Gohan was ashamed by his desertion of logic even as Kakkhan went on to say, "I was born after the destruction of Vegeta-sei anyway. I am your age," feeding Gohan's own words back to him.
Gohan nodded, still ashamed. He asked another question quickly enough, however, feeling an insane need to know all about this mysterious person who looked exactly like him.
"Who were your parents?"
Kakkhan didn't look up, but replied in a bored tone instead, "I never knew them. They're not dead," he added, anticipating Gohan's offerings of condolences, "I just never knew them."
They were quiet again, Kakkhan waiting for Gohan's questions and Gohan mulling over the scant information he had. Finally—
"What planet are you from, if not Vegeta-sei?"
Kakkhan turned to Gohan at last and settled himself for a long explanation. They were finally getting somewhere. "Earth," he said, meeting Gohan's surprised look.
"Wait—but—you told me were from another world!" he stammered, completely taken off guard.
Kakkhan smirked. It was only a flash of movement creasing his face, but it was definitely a smirk. It was amusing to see Gohan so flabbergasted. He would have to do that again.
"I said world, not planet. I am from the future, Son Gohan, and everything I have just told you is the truth, up to a point. I would not lie to you, Gohan, and I have not. Be assured that you can trust me, even if you don't believe me," he answered, ending his mini-speech strongly on that point.
Gohan was still staring at him, his emotions of shock, fear, and distrust chasing each other on his face. Kakkhan met his gaze stoically, willing the other to trust him. For what reason Kakkhan so wanted his counterpart's trust and respect, he could not have said. He only knew that he had a deep respect for Gohan, and hoped that he had been as dutiful a person as Gohan had been his whole life. It was because of this respect that Kakkhan sought Gohan's trust, but Kakkhan would not make that connection for some time yet. It was also that, subconsciously, Kakkhan reasoned that if he had his counterpart's respect, he also had his own respect. Of course, that was not the same thing, but Logic is irrational.
Finally Gohan looked away, breaking off his challenge to Kakkhan. Kakkhan relaxed slightly, for he had tensed up during the staring match. He vigilantly kept up his guard, however, for he never knew what questions would come his way.
"You're from the future? Whose version are you?" Gohan asked, still not looking at Kakkhan. The latter didn't answer but only looked at Gohan's downcast face hidden behind his not-quite-out-of-his-face bangs. He locked eyes with Gohan again as his counterpart raised them. He said, gently, "Do you really want me to answer that question?"
Gohan was caught in the dark gaze of his twin. Not his twin, his future counterpart, Kakkhan, he corrected himself absently. Somehow Gohan perceived a darkness in Kakkhan, a darkness that was not unnatural to Kakkhan. However, Gohan could see that was also light inside Kakkhan, but it was buried so deep down in his soul Gohan was half-afraid that it was lost. Then Kakkhan's gaze shifted, and Gohan was brought back, blinking, from the edge of the abyss, back onto Kakkhan's face. Gohan noted that Kakkhan seemed a little exhausted, but he couldn't really tell with that emotionless mask Kakkhan had on.
Kakkhan had (somewhat reluctantly, it might be added) let Gohan in behind his eyes, and even let him see the core of light sheathed by the darkness of his soul. However, Kakkhan did not allow Gohan to fully enter his mind. That the immortal refused flat-out to do. He would not do that to someone he did not respect. Not even Gohan, whom he did respect but was not respected by him in turn. However, he was resigned to being grilled on end for answers, much like he had been subjected to already. It was funny, he mused, that he had sat through this sort of thing just days ago with the Z-senshi, only have the answers to Kakkhan's past and who he was be revealed to someone else. True, that someone else was more closely related to Kakkhan than the Z-senshi, but it was still ironic.
It was a muted surprise to Kakkhan, however, when the beginnings of belief and trust dawned on his past self's face. He was slightly confused in fact, but carefully hid that behind his mask along with his other emotions. But he was not prepared for when Gohan opened his mouth and out came—
"Will you tell me your past?" he asked in a whisper.
Kakkhan considered the question a bit before he answered, "I will if you want me to."
It was Gohan's turn to drop his eyes yet again and return them to Kakkhan's steady gaze once more.
"I don't think so, not right now."
Kakkhan nodded, his onyx eyes disappearing behind his eyelids for a split-second. "Then I won't tell you—now."
Gohan nodded himself, and the Silence akuma tightened Its grip once more over the rapidly beating hearts of one halfbreed and one immortal. It, the akuma, had only had Its hold over the duo for a few moments when Gohan looked over at Kakkhan again. What he saw shocked him beyond measure.
For Kakkhan was gone. Vanished. Had disappeared into thin air, without a trace (1).
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A/n: LOL, what a confrontation-filled chap! So now Kakkhan has a small degree of Gohan's trust. Will he ever get the whole bundle? Find out, sometime! LOL! Stupid MC, been hanging around me for waay too long now…
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(1) I don't own the TV series "Without a Trace" from which I directly derived my last sentence of this chapter. :)
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SNEAK PREVIEW OF: An Act of Mercy
All of a sudden Kakkhan moved his head as he heard something. He listened to the sound for a while (whether the sound was real or in mind-speech it is not known), before he dived down to Earth. His green gi and his hair whipped now in the gale caused by his body; his rank earrings streamlined themselves to decrease wind resistance; his barbell shrank so Kakkhan would not have to bite down on it so much as he dived; and his armband tightened for the same purpose as the earrings. However, the armband did not tighten so much so as not to cut off it's wearer's circulation.
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REVIEWER'S RESPONSES:
HBKShowstopaa: HEY Heartbreak Kid! It's supposed to be weird. You're not the only one who's confused, don't worry. Heh. Help me help you by clarifying exactly what has gotten you confused. Are you talking about Kakkhan being in the past timeline or Gohan being in his own mind?
I have an unique idea? YAY!!! Yes, a trilogy. Interesting, eh? Going to see you throughout this thing, I hope? I'll keep up the work all right, even if it's crappy.
THANX FOR REVIEWING!!!
SSJ5 Tigger: HAPPY BELATED B-DAY!!!! How old are ya? This chapter was dedicated to you for this very occasion, ya notice?!?!?! Aren't I cool? :0)
Don't worry about the Bush joke. It was bad. As are all my jokes. My dad's fault, really. Shouldn't have gotten me started. }(
You're welcome for getting rid of that pest.
[YO! I RESENT DAT!]
/Glares at SSJ5/ SILENCE, you! /Points/
[/Jaws snap shut with an audible thud/]
=) Although that spell will wear off by next chap. SORRY! =(
Yeeeeeeeeessssss, Kakkhan's gone to Mirai Gohan's timeline. It's not Mirai Kakkhan's tho. Get that straight. Otherwise, that's it in a parcel wrapped w/ glittery gold paper. =) NICE JOB!!!!
My name goes w/ cheese? HA!
Email your email to tell ya when I've updated. Gotcha! /Winks/
DBZ Chick1: THANX! I'll b 'round, if not reviewing. Sorry about the slow update. Eeeh!
Nooka: Computers. Can't live w/ 'em, and can't live w/o 'em. /Sigh/
Thanks! I updated! C'MON ENGLAND!!!
Wait, what are we cheering England on for? /Scratches head/
subway saiyan: /Blinks/ Wow. Thanks. I'd have never thought I was balanced in my writing. /Blinks/ That's a huge compliment.
YEP! The dark spot! Hehehehe! YET!?! What do you mean, YET?!?! What makes you think I'm ever explaining Gohan's darkness?! I love suspense WAY too much to explain it!! Jeez! Hmm... akin to Gohan's Saiyan side... hmm...
I hope the standard for sequels doesn't happen to me either. Plz, plz, plz, oh plz no! Thanks for your faith, though. Makes me feel good. =)
simbarulz: Hahaha! Can't just dismiss one InuYasha for the other, eh? Hahaha! I think I'll leave it that way, justa confuse ya!!!
More Gohans, again? NO!!! Yeah, I've heard of that story. I think I even read it at one time. I can't remember the title either. Figures. /Is stumped/
16 members!!! YES!!! Which reminds me, GOTTA VISIT!!!
Simba & Bear? Oh gods.... I updated!
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Thanks to HBKShowstopaa, SSJ5 Tigger, DBZ Chick1, Nooka, subway saiyan, and simbarulz for their reviews!
SP: Long reviewer responses! NICE!! Gotta go! /Shuffles off/
Allati: O.O What is going on here?
SP: /Looks back over shoulder/ Think I'm gonna tell ya?
Allati: No...
SP: D--- straight! Hehehe!
Allati: OK!¡Adios mis amigas y mi amigo!
TheShadowPanther and Allati, from AASN
AASN; Writing is what we do for you at AASN. Enjoy.