CMG: Well, well. I'm about three months late, but it's only because of work and searching for a new job that I'm rather late with this chapter. So please accept my sincere apologies for being so late with this chapter and accept my apologies with a longer chapter to satisfy your thirst for more of this fic. -chuckles- Okay, remember your responses for the votes for those of you who did the poll, for now, I once again bring you back to…
Fear's Revivification
Chapter 4
The world spins around Goku as he laid there in a fetal position in total darkness that surrounded his vulnerable form like the claws of death itself. He was alone in this world that was created by some unknown factor. Could it have been the bond's doing? If so, how long has it been since he collapsed? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? He felt a great deal of turmoil in his heart as he laid there utterly drained physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
He floated there; not knowing what was going on until he felt something tear away the sub-consciousness he was floating in. The darkness in his world was slowly fading into the light once more…
… … … … … … … … … …
"Kakarot!" Vegeta growled as he slapped the younger Saiya-jin's face; trying in vain to resuscitate the warrior that had suddenly passed out only twenty minutes ago. "Wake up, damn it!"
"Ugh…" Goku moaned; slowly coming to as he blinked a few times. Hovering above him was Vegeta as he seemed rather tense and aggravated. "What happened?"
"I should be the one asking that question, Kakarot," Vegeta replied. "You said your woman's name before you lost consciousness."
"I felt… I felt something from her," Goku admitted to the elder Saiya-jin as he grew irritated by the younger Saiya-jin's amnesiac state.
"Explain," Vegeta commanded, half-theorizing what Goku had experienced earlier.
"I felt fear… sadness… pain…" Goku absentmindedly rubbed the left side of his neck as the Prince of Saiya-jins tensed up.
"The bond," Vegeta nearly whispered. Goku barely heard his comment.
"Bond?" Goku quizzically asked.
"Your mate's in trouble and you've let that bastard have her!" Vegeta yelled at Goku; sending the poor amnesiac Saiya-jin backwards. "What kind of Saiya-jin are you? If I was your king, I would have killed you for betraying your mate's trust right now!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Goku answered as his head spun. He had to hold it in his hands as he propped his elbows on top of his knees to support him. "Why do I feel like this?"
"Kakarot, now is not the time to be asking that question," Vegeta growled. "Come on. We're going to go back to Kami's Lookout."
"But my master…" Goku started to say before Vegeta roughly pulled Goku onto his feet.
"He isn't your master," Vegeta hissed. "He is using you!"
"That's what Chi-chi said," Goku softly spoke. "Why do I feel so lost and confused?"
"Kakarot, the answers to your questions await heaven-word," Vegeta replied and tugged on Goku's arm again; encouraging the younger Saiya-jin to follow.
… … … … … … … … … …
"ECLIPSE!"
Trepidation stormed through the castle in search of Goku; overturning tables, breaking down doors, and yelling his given name in hatred.
"ECLIPSE! COME OUT NOW!" Trepidation bellowed. 'Where is that slave of mine? If he dares disobey me, I swear…' A sudden thought came to his mind. 'Of course. He has betrayed me. Very well, I shall see to it he dies a slow and painful death.'
The Lord of Fear continued through the castle; searching for the warrior who no longer within the vicinity. If he knew about Goku's choice of taking the battle elsewhere, he would have applauded the Saiya-jin for his actions. Since he did not know, however, he continued to search for the warrior in futile.
… … … … … … … … … …
At that moment inside her quarters room, Chi-chi started to come to as she felt dizzy. Starting to get up, she felt the snake coil around her body as it held her in a rather tight embrace. The snake's eyes glow softly as Chi-chi felt light-headed.
'You are not yet ready to leave your quarters,' the snake spoke within Chi-chi's mind.
"W-who are you?" Chi-chi quivered as the snake's head rested upon her chest.
'I am Zealous and I am in need of your body,' the snake replied. 'Your body is still rather young and fertile. You are a perfect vessel for my soul.'
"Why me though?" Chi-chi questioned.
'You are very strong and have so much untapped potential that's being wasted,' Zealous said as the snake-like body rubbed against Chi-chi's affectionately. 'Besides, I have plans that I want to do and what my master wishes for me to follow. And you're a rather talented fighter. Why fight it? Your husband no longer cares about you.'
"I still love him and deep within himself, he still loves me," Chi-chi answered. She felt Zealous' tail slap her in the face.
'You're lying to yourself you know!' Zealous yelled at Chi-chi. 'Has he cared about you enough to comfort you last night? My master believes he's abandoned you.'
"No," Chi-chi grew pale as Zealous' head rested on her left shoulder.
'Just give in,' Zealous replied as her tongue licked the wound that was left at the base of it. 'I promise you would have everything you desire and more from me.'
'I rather die,' Chi-chi thought suddenly as her eyes close.
'I'm afraid I can't let you do that,' Zealous answered; surprising Chi-chi. 'Yes, I can read your mind and soon, you'll appreciate me like my other hosts have.'
"Never! I'll never give in!" Chi-chi vowed before she felt the snake tighten around her body; cutting some of the circulation off.
'You will give in,' Zealous countered as Chi-chi saw the snake glowing the same color as its eyes. 'My chi will slowly make you give into what I'm offering you. If not, then you will perish before I assimilate your body and drive out your soul.'
"I… won't… give in!" Chi-chi yelled as her aura flared out around her. The snake hissed in pain before a shockwave freed Chi-chi from the confinements of the snake as it flew across the room and hit the wall hard. Seeing her chance to escape, Chi-chi ran to the door and flung it open. She ran down the hallways as the serpent that housed Zealous' soul hissed angrily.
'You may be getting away from me now, but you'll be mine soon enough,' Zealous cackled mentally as Chi-chi saw a vase sitting upon a nearby table. Grabbing it, she ran down the hallway to a large window where she chucked the vase right through the window. Jumping out, she flew away into the sky as her aura flared out temporarily. Landing on the ground, she made a run to the woods to prevent herself from getting spotted by Trepidation as he roared in adulterated anger.
"No!"
'I need to escape,' Chi-chi panted heavily as she continued to run deeper into the woods. It was then that she reached a slippery slope and went sliding down it. Holding back a horrified scream, she hit the rocks hard as she felt her ribs get bruised. Getting back up, she continued to run as she ran down the muddy path; her shoes getting muddy in the process. 'Goku, where are you?'
… … … … … … … … … …
Meanwhile in the skies, Goku was flying behind Vegeta when Goku felt his heartbeat quicken slightly. Vegeta noticed Goku breathing hard as though he was running. Sweat poured down his paling face as he heard the familiar voice in his mind as though she was right next to him in the sky.
'Goku, where are you?'
"Chi-chi?" Goku felt confused as he looked around. He felt her fear and panic rushing through his body. "Where is she?"
"Kakarot, your mate's calling for you somewhere," Vegeta mused. "Feel for her life force for you're the only one who can right now. Just focus out everything else and concentrate."
The wind blew gently in Goku's hair as he closed his eyes and did what Vegeta instructed. Everything that was the world was pushed aside as the Earth-raised Saiya-jin reached deep inside the very depths of his soul to reach out to the one Vegeta had mentioned was his mate. Land seemed to shift beneath him unconsciously as he saw Chi-chi in his mind's eye running through the woods all alone with tears in her eyes and her chi emitting a great sense of fear. Snapping back to normal, Goku felt her chi still imprinted in his mind as his fingers gently brushed against his brow.
"I know where she's at," Goku realized as Vegeta grabbed the other warrior's shoulder. "Huh?"
"Take me with you," Vegeta commanded. "If you want to learn the answers to your questions, you better."
"Fine, but don't hurt her," Goku warned before they cross the land Goku's mind crossed moments earlier. When they appeared, Chi-chi pushed Goku aside as he went flying into a tree. Vegeta grabbed Chi-chi's wrist before she could take another step.
"Woman! You have some explaining to do," Vegeta growled as Goku rubbed his head.
"Ow! What was that for?" Goku whined, pulling himself up from the tree's sturdy base that was shaken by the impact and causing the tree to sway.
"Goku! I didn't mean to…" Chi-chi started before they saw Trepidation above them.
"Release Zealous' vessel!" Trepidation roared.
"Hang on!" Goku said as he grabbed both Chi-chi and Vegeta's wrists before they could say anything. Right before Trepidation could hit Goku in the face and decapitate his head, the trio flickered out and disappeared right before his very eyes. Roaring in anger, Trepidation released his demonic aura as the trees bowed to his mighty power. Some even snapped as it caused a domino effect that sent the animals running.
"I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR STEALING MY BELOVED'S BODY!" Trepidation roared.
… … … … … … … … … …
Everyone turned as they felt three familiar chi appear on Kami's Lookout. Goten hissed as he saw his father standing there with Chi-chi's wrist in his right hand while Vegeta jerked his right wrist from Goku's left hand. Before anyone could stop the youngest Son, he walked up and punched Goku in the face. On the ground, Goku rubbed his chin as he stared in anger at Goten. He almost started to attack Goten, but Chi-chi got in the way.
"Stop Goku!" Chi-chi yelled at her husband.
"Why?" Goku growled. "He could hurt you and…"
"Excuse me?" Goten sarcastically answered. "I'm going to hurt you for hurting my mother, you bastard!"
"Goten!" Chi-chi turned around to scold her son, but Goten phased out as he reappeared behind her and punched Goku in the face. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin, unable to defend himself, was sent hurling off the Lookout. Giving Goten a look of anger, Chi-chi jumped off the Lookout after Goku.
"Mother!" Goten yelled as he prepared to jump off after her when Vegeta grabbed Goten from behind.
"Brat, Kakarot's not in his right mind right now," Vegeta growled. "Unless you want to find yourself knocked out until this whole crisis is over, you better leave your father alone until he regains his memories."
"What do you mean?" Goten yelled back at Vegeta. "You mean the reason he attacked us is the side effect of what Trepidation did?"
"He's forgotten everything, including your mother," Vegeta hissed at the youngest Son with venom in his voice. "So you better stop treating Kakarot like he's abandoned you when in reality he's been brainwashed!."
"You mean…" Goten realized as he felt something called guilt sink down on him. "I… I had no idea…" 'I'm sorry dad. Forgive me.'
… … … … … … … … … …
While this was going on, Chi-chi fell after her husband as she noticed that he was knocked unconscious. Pushing her chi to help her fall faster, she soon caught up to her husband as she wrapped her arms around his muscular frame. Concentrating, she summoned the chi within herself in order to fly again.
'Goku, wake up,' Chi-chi thought as she struggled to carry her husband on her own back up to Kami's Lookout. 'He's wearing some sort of weighted clothing…'
The Earth-raised Saiya-jin felt something warm surround his body as he felt the air around him. Looking down, he saw Chi-chi in distress as he felt himself being carried under her own power. Powering up slightly, she felt him grow light in his arms as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Why did you risk your life to save mine?" Goku asked the trembling figure in his arms.
"Because you're my husband," Chi-chi answered before the tears appeared in her eyes again.
"What's a husband?" Goku curiously asked as he wiped the tears away from under her eyes. "Is it something that involves me being your servant?"
Almost instantly, Chi-chi pushed him away, both in sadness and in anger. "No! A husband is a person who takes care of his wife in marriage." Chi-chi showed her ring to Goku who stared at it in confusion. "Ten years ago, you gave me this ring as a sign of affection for me and made a promise to me!"
"What was the promise? That I let Trepidation have you?" Goku wondered.
"No, to let me know when you were going to leave me again, but you… you…" Chi-chi started to cry again. The sight of seeing this woman crying before the amnesiac Saiya-jin made him feel guilty. Pulling Chi-chi into his arms, he felt something within him feel at peace with this woman in his arms.
For a fleeting moment, Goku almost wanted to pull away from the arms that held him for he feared that Trepidation would appear and fulfill his promise; yet, he felt safe within the arms of the woman that claimed to be his wife. The attachments he had were strong as he felt lost in them until the very moment he felt the ground appear beneath his feet again. Looking up, he saw he was back on the Lookout as Chi-chi sagged into his arms in pure exhaustion.
"Mom knows how to fly!" Goten cried in disbelief as he reverted back to normal. "How? When?"
"I… I can't remember," Goku admitted. "I want to remember, but I can't!"
"Let us help you then," Piccolo said as he offered a hand towards the Earth-raised Saiya-jin.
"You can't do this alone, dad," Gohan replied.
"No, I'll put you all in danger," Goku admitted; feeling that they were being true; yet feared for their lives in the process. "Trepidation could find us and hurt all of us. I want to take Chi-chi away from here before he finds this place."
"Kakarot, you know that if that happens, we'll buy you time," Vegeta tried to reassure the Earth-raised Saiya-jin. "Reconsider the decision, Kakarot."
"Don't follow me, please!" Goku selfishly answered as he lifted the unconscious Chi-chi in his arms and flew off. Vegeta was about to go after them when Piccolo grabbed the Saiya-jin roughly.
"Don't bother going after him," Piccolo grunted. "Something's changed within Son and Chi-chi's the only way he's going to remember. If we go after him, we'll only drive him away even further."
… … … … … … … … … …
Hours later on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean, Goku sat with Chi-chi resting in his arms. The attachment he felt for Chi-chi had grown rather strong as he felt the urges he originally fought against growing stronger. Before he knew it, he soon found himself kissing his wife passionately; feeling like he was betraying Trepidation's ultimate words as they echoed through his mind as a mantra of death.
'Kiss her and you die…'
He drew away gently as he felt afraid of his life. For once, the Earth-raised Saiya-jin was at a loss of what to do. He felt something towards this woman that Trepidation called his own. For the first time since he awakened in Trepidation's clutches, he wanted nothing more than to overthrow him and protect this innocent creature in his arms. As though feeling her husband's turmoil, Chi-chi's eyes fluttered open as he felt drawn to them.
"Goku, stop fighting it," Chi-chi pleaded. "It's not like Trepidation's going to come at any moment and take me away."
"I'm afraid that I would have to differ," Trepidation's voice rose as Chi-chi's head turned to see the Lord of Fear standing at. She felt Goku trembling as he gently released her and stood up.
"What is my punishment, master?" Goku asked; half-afraid of the answer he would receive from the Lord of Fear himself.
"So, you wish for your punishment, do you Eclipse? Very well. I grant you death!" Trepidation roared in anger as his energy rose beyond Goku's power at that moment.
Goku's head snapped up as a thin energy blast pierced his chest near his heart. As he felt the pain echo and burn through his body, he began to fall over the edge of the cliff.
"Goku!" Chi-chi cried as she tried to go after her husband; however, Trepidation grabbed her by her waist and carried her off. Fighting with all of her might, she failed to get free before he managed to knock her unconscious.
Down the cliff, Goku's body hit the water, he began to sink under the waves as darkness claimed his mind. The last thing he saw was the blood rising from his chest as he sunk in the water. The pain wasn't the thing he was concerned about in his chest as it slowly ebbed away; however, his mind was only focused on one person's life that he had failed to protect from all harm.
'Chi-chi…'
CMG: -whistles 'innocently' for the abrupt ending to the chapter- Well, that was interesting! I bet a lot of people didn't expect THAT to happen! Good guesses on how the story would go, but now, the plot thickens! Onto my lovely reviews:
Psy: Thanks. I won't try to stop you from being cruel as long as you enjoy what I've written thus far.
super saiyan 4 chichi: Thanks. You have the right to be worried about them. With Goku wounded and out of the fight, the question remains now if he'll live or die. -cackles evilly-
Courtney: I'm doing what I can to update. Glad you've joined us again. And the others aren't dead. They're all alright and still waiting for a chance to fight again when they regain their strength. At the moment, they're still worn due to the fact that Dende's power couldn't restore their energy and they still need time to prepare an attack once they find out where Trepidation's at. As for Goku getting his memories back, we'll see.
Chi-chi: Yes. An evil snake that houses Zealous' soul to be exact. Goku's starting to realize that he has feelings for Chi-chi despite not being able to remember anything about his past. Pretty much, we'll see his reaction when he remembers. Until then, stay tuned.
Kinoha: Yeah. I'm pretty sure Chi-chi was just upset because Goku abandoned them and all, but I believe that she was more upset at him because he let Gohan fight when she asked not to let him. I can imagine how upset she would be to find out that he wasn't coming home and being left alone with a child to raise and another one coming within nine months. Seems Goku's starting to defy his master's word. :D
Vegeta sama: I'm great. Your welcome. I'm glad you've reviewed and enjoyed the story so far (if you've read it). Hope you come back for more:D
Arcanine18: Thanks for joining us. Your answers were right along with the others who took my poll. The reason I wrote that was because Goten thought that his father had forgotten that Trepidation hurt them before. Somehow, he thought that his father joined him and was turning against the entire world to help him. After the comment though, he realized that it wasn't like that and is feeling guilty.
As for Chi-chi's fight, it came later in the fic instead of sooner because let's face it: I wouldn't like to be locked in a room with a giant snake slithering all over me. That would totally freak me out and make me scream bloody murder! -shivers- Especially if it could talk to me and is trying to take over my body.
CMG: Anyway, come back next time to find out what will happen next! Until then, review on:D -waves-