Chapter 25: Discussions

Once back at Capsule Corp., I led Mirai to our room. I sat him on the bed, and he just sat there, not moving, not talking, nothing.

"Mirai, I'm going to check on the kids, and then I'll be right back."

"Okay." He sounded bitter.

I went down the hall to Kanji's room first. He was asleep, and then when I checked on Andy it was the same.

"Katie, you're home already." It was Bulma, heading toward her room.

"Yeah, we just got back. Vegeta said he'd be back soon."

"How's Mirai No Trunks? He took off, and I was so scared he was going to get himself killed."

"Drazark blinded him, and nothing's helped. And there's some more bad news."

"Someone died?"

"Yes. It was Goku. I couldn't help him."

"Goku… Well, don't worry about it. You can use the Dragonballs, right?" she asked with a sad smile.

"Yes. Cell lost his soul for me as well. Vegeta can tell you all about it later, I'm tired."

"As you should be. You go on now."

"Bulma, thanks for everything. You were in my illusion, too. You helped me a lot."

I left her and went back to the room. Mirai hadn't moved.

"The kids are fine, sleeping. You want to get ready for bed?"

"Yeah." I led him to the bathroom and helped him change his clothes. Then I led him to the bed and got ready myself. I climbed into bed and lay my head on Mirai's chest.

"Mirai, will you be okay?"

"Yeah, it's just, my eyes."

"We'll think of something. Don't worry about it. I know what you must be thinking, but I don't care if you're blind."

"Thanks. That helps a lot. Goku's dead, isn't he? I overheard something, but I wasn't sure."

"Yes, he's dead. And Cell…" I sighed so I wouldn't start to cry.

"Katie? What is it?"

"Trunks. I haven't called you by that name in a long time, have I?" I said, changing the subject.

"No. Not since I started living here."

"And now look where we are now."

"Katie, what happened to Cell?"

"He was killed in the illusion, so his soul was…"

"I'm sorry, Katie. I know you two were close."

"He said I was his best friend. He did so much for me over the years, even before I came here. As my favorite villain on the show he showed me that evil doesn't mean dishonor. In a way, that's like doing the right thing even when it's hard to do so. I never got to repay him."

"I don't think he would have cared about that. Isn't that what he said?" Mirai asked. He had started smoothing out my hair, something I loved for him to do. I nodded in response; he could feel my movements.

"He gave me two gifts, he said. The first one was the transformation I used to defeat Drazark. I called it Dragonfly."

"Why?" Mirai's spirits seemed improved since we started talking.

"I read Cell's blueprints, remember? He was designed like a dragonfly."

"What was his other gift?"

"I don't know, but I guess we'll find out eventually. Tomorrow I'm going after the Dragonballs, alone."

"You feel guilty over Goku's death, don't you? And Cell's soul?"

"I guess I do. You know me too well." I laughed, "Bulma and the others would probably not mind helping you around. Why did you tell me it wasn't my fault? I mean, I know it really isn't, but still."

"You told me the same thing. Well, I guess the alternate you told me, in the future."

"Technically it's the past now." I said.

"Well, you know what I mean."

At some point we fell asleep like this, my head on his chest and I can't remember the last thing we said. The next I knew was Vegeta waking me up.

"Katrin, come with me." I carefully got up and followed Vegeta. I gave Mirai one last look before I slid out the door. I followed Vegeta onto the roof before we stopped. Capsule Corp.'s roof is another place I love to go when I need to think.

"I come up here sometimes to think." Vegeta said.

"It must be a Sayjin thing, Gohan and Mirai and I do it sometimes, too. I even did it in the illusion."

"That's what I want to talk to you about. You claimed Blood Right on Drazark. I never told you about Blood Rights." Vegeta stated.

"I must have remembered it from the illusion." Blood right is a claim on a fight to avenge a fallen family member. I remembered it, somehow.

"What happened to you in there?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I sighed.

"You should. I learned that from you."

"Vegeta-"

"I told you about some of the things Frieza did to me. Now it's your turn. It helped me talking to you about it."

"Very well. He was making me marry him. Last night, in the illusion, he raped me. He cut me and licked away the blood. He… he…" it was then that Vegeta grabbed me and held onto me. It was very fatherly of him, and it helped.

"Whatever he did, it wasn't real."

"It was real enough to me. He held me down and raped me. He wasn't gentle at all."

"Shh, you don't have to say anymore about it."

"Vegeta, this must be hard for you."

"Not as hard as it is for you."

"Now I understand how it must have been for you."

"I doubt that." Vegeta said bitterly.

"After he was finished I felt so... so…"

"Weak?" Vegeta suggested.

"How did you-"

"He did the same things to me. He didn't just like girls."

"So it was more than an illusion? It was based on reality. It really could have happened."

"That's what we learned about it."

"Sayjins really lived together in groups?" he nodded, "And Raditz was actually a scientist?"

"He created the Scouters." Vegeta said. I pushed away from him and leaned on the rail surrounding the roof of the building.

"So all of that really could have happened if I wasn't chosen?"

"Yes."

"Damn. I killed you. Frieza had tortured you so much that you lost the will to continue. When I found you, you were dying. You gave me the royal seal so I could lead our people against Frieza, and then I-"

"Katrin, you are very brave, and if that had come to pass, I would have done the same thing."

"Vegeta, I don't know who I am anymore."

"What nonsense do you speak of?"

"I don't know who I really am anymore. I don't know if I'm Katie or Katrin. I just don't know. That's why I wanted to go after the Dragonballs by myself, so I could discover who I really am. It's more than restoring Kakorot."

"You just called him Kakorot."

"I did?" I hit the rails with my fists, "Do you see what I mean?"

"If you want to go by yourself, we won't stop you. That's what we decided after you left."

"Thanks, Vegeta. You've helped a lot."

So now I knew. Everything in the illusion really could have happened. So in a way, it did happen. At least only to me.

"Vegeta, something just occurred to me. Did you and the others go and fight a Sayjin named Brolly?"

"Yes, we did. During the days before the Cell games Paragus came and told me he wanted me to rule the New Planet Vegeta. I couldn't resist."

"So you just left me? You missed your chance to fight Cell and Goku, and you left me?"

"I was different then, you should know that better than anyone. Back then I respected you, but that was all."

"Did you refuse until the bitter end to give Goku any energy to help him?"

"… Yes."

"Then it happened just like the movie, yet he never came to earth. I guess we're lucky that way."

"If you can call it luck." Vegeta snorted.

"Yes, this is my luck."

"Why was Brolly obsessed with Kakorot?"

"Goku made Brolly cry as a baby. It made him go mad. Never try to start a conversation with Brolly if you're ever in HFIL."

"Why?" Vegeta asked.

"All he says is 'Kakorot!' over and over."

Vegeta started to laugh, something he only does during battle. It felt good knowing I had caused it.

"I discovered something else a while ago. I was wondering if you'd like to help me with this theory, since now you know about our heritage." Vegeta asked.

"Shoot." I complied.

"We don't have Tiom's power."

"Say what?" I asked, shocked.

"Brolly had Tiom's power. We have some cheap knock-off."

"And how did you come to that conclusion?"

"Legend states there can only be one who earns Tiom's power, and that Sayjin would be in his lineage."

"That's you, isn't it?"

"I don't think so. A direct lineage would be father to son."

"But Vegeta, Tiom had a daughter."

"I discovered he might have had a son. If that's true, then I am descended from that girl, and Brolly could have been descended from the son."

"But how?"

"The records aren't clear, but it took 4 Super Sayjins to defeat Brolly. If we all had Tiom's power, then any of us could have equaled Brolly. Instead, all four of us barely beat him at full strength."

"So we don't have Tiom's power? We have a branch off from it?"

"That's what I believe I have discovered in my records."

"By the Kais… so then, how do you think I'd fair against Brolly with my Angel power?"

"The Angel power is suppose to be superior in every way to the Super Sayjin power. You would squash him in mere seconds."

"I'm sorry, Vegeta."

"So am I."

Vegeta went inside then. I continued to look at the stars, thinking through what we had just discussed.

Poor Vegeta. All he ever wanted was Tiom's power. Not only did Goku take that from him by achieving SSJ first, but now it turns out our SSJ may not be Tiom's SSJ. Brolly… he has it. We don't. But we've done fine so far. Until Roxx. Now it's all shit.

I looked back up at the dark sky, dwelling on the illusion. No one else was up here with me to bother me, so I spoke my thoughts aloud, making them more focused. I remembered a quote I loved, from Shakespeare's famous play, Hamlet.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in our philosophy. My life is one of those things. Maybe Brolly has the knock off, and its more powerful because… damn, I dunno. I really want it to be Tiom's power… but Vegeta was right. We call couldn't really have Tiom's power if the legend is true…"