CMG: Thankfully, I had some time to updatesince I had a day offfrom work. For those of you patiently waiting for this fanfic to update once again (in despite of recent events that have happened like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita), I once again bring you a chapter of…
Fear's Revivification
Chapter 5
Waves crashed on the beach as Goku slowly stirred from falling unconscious. Coughing water out of his lungs, he saw blood mixed in the sand as he winced in pain from the blast that hit him hours earlier. His eyes scanned the beaches as he saw a tall figure appear on the beach. He couldn't make out who it was as his eyes slid shut and consciousness once again escaped his body.
… … … … … … … … … …
Elsewhere, Chi-chi awakened locked in a tower-like environment as she saw Trepidation sleeping next to her on the bed. Trying to move, she felt the serpent-like Zealous wrapped around her legs; keeping her from moving as the snake's eyes glowed.
'Goku… help…' Chi-chi thought.
'He can't help you,' Zealous replied evilly. 'He's dead.'
'No. Goku can't be dead!' Chi-chi replied.
'Face it, sweetheart,' Zealous mockingly pitied. 'In less than 24 hours, your body will be mine for the taking. Until then, you might as well count down the hours of time you have left before I possess you.'
'Goku… please… help…' Chi-chi weakly replied as Zealous' power started to take over her consciousness with her power. The Earthen woman grew completely limp as her eyes now took on a haunted glow that signified that Zealous had gained control of Chi-chi.
… … … … … … … … … …
'Goku… please… help…'
The three words were faintly heard within the Earth-raised Saiya-jin's mind as he felt his body burning up. Not even the cool touch upon his forehead could chase away the inferno that a fever brought upon his body. Rarely, Saiya-jin fall ill to any disease unless they were injured to a near-death state like the one Goku had fallen into. The room was lit by a solitary candle as he tried to find any signs of where he was at; however, his sight was still hazy as he caught sight of someone in the room before the figure approached the bed.
"W…who…" Goku started before he had a coughing fit; the rag that rested upon his forehead falling upon the sheets.
"Relax Kakarot," the baritone voice replied. "You'll be alright."
"Vegeta?" Goku questioned; wondering why the arrogant prince would be in the same room as he was in when they had fought earlier.
"I had made it clear that your questions will be answered, Kakarot," Vegeta answered his unspoken question. "However, you are not ready to learn those answers until you recover."
"When will I know?" Goku wondered before a coughing fit felled the Saiya-jin.
"Soon," Vegeta replied to the younger full-blood. It was then that the door creaked open and another warrior stepped into the room. This one looked like the one who attacked him before.
"Vegeta, is my father alright?" Goten asked.
"Your father's currently ill because he's lost a great deal of blood," Vegeta told the youngest Son.
"Will he get better?" Goten asked in a worried voice. "I don't want him to die after all that's happened."
"It's up to his body to fight off the infection," Vegeta responded. Goten walked closer as he saw how frail and weak his father was. It was a terrible sight seeing the strongest warrior driven down from grace both by Trepidation and the abduction of his own wife that he was struggling even now to remember.
"…" Goku was speechless as he saw the pain in his son's eyes. If he would have remembered his son, he would be comforting his youngest son at this moment.
"Take it easy dad and concentrate on getting better," Goten faintly smiled before walking out of the room.
"What is his name?" Goku asked Vegeta after he left.
"That was Goten, your youngest son," Vegeta affirmed to the other Saiya-jin. "He was born while you were absent for seven years."
"Why wasn't I there during that seven year absence?" Goku asked as Vegeta heaved a heavy breath.
"You were dead," Vegeta answered in a grave voice. "You sacrificed your life to save this world against an android hell-bent in destroying it. You did not wish to return because you believed that everything that came to Earth was your own doing when in reality it was out of vengeance for the things that transpired."
"Then did I make a mistake taking Chi-chi from Trepidation? Or is she really my mate?" Goku asked.
"Chi-chi was never Trepidation's mate to begin with," Vegeta growled as his tail twitched. "She loves you and not that fool she's with right now."
Goku remained quiet. 'Is this what I feel for her? Love? If so, I feel terrible letting Trepidation take her away from everything she's ever known.' Tears ran down his cheek unchecked as Vegeta noticed. Usually, he would scoff at the other warrior, saying that "tears were for the weak" tirade to him; however, he knew at this moment, this wasn't the time nor place to say such things. Eventually, sleep claimed the younger Saiya-jin again as dreams came in an unusual way…
"Goku…" Chi-chi's voice called out to the Earth-raised Saiya-jin as he looked around. He found himself on a field alone as Chi-chi ran up to him. She was wearing a training gi that she made for herself. It was a deep purple color with a red sash and red wristbands as she wore low-heel shoes on her small feet. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail as it blew gently in the breeze behind her.
"Hey, are you ready to learn how to fly?" Goku found himself saying to his wife.
'When was I teaching Chi-chi how to do this? Before I left her? Before Trepidation kidnapped her?'
"Of course," Chi-chi smiled at her husband.
"Very well," Goku began his instruction to his wife. "Just remember how to summon energy, except use the energy to push yourself up instead of creating a blast."
"It sounds hard," Chi-chi replied.
"Nonsense," Goku chuckled. "Just concentrate."
Chi-chi closed her eyes as the wind blew against her hair and the grass beneath her feet as he waited to see his wife start to fly. He then noticed how tense she was.
"Chi-chi, relax," Goku commanded. "You need to push your energy down without trying to force it."
Those words did it as Goku noticed her starting to float before his very eyes. The Earthen woman opened her eyes; however, she lost her concentration as he caught her before she hit the ground.
'She had it. She was so close.'
"I… I had it…" Chi-chi sadly replied.
"I saw it," Goku smiled. "Don't worry. It'll get easier the more you practice."
"I hope so," Chi-chi answered. "But promise me you won't tell anyone I know how to do this Goku."
'A promise?'
"What? How come?" Goku questioned.
"Just promise me," Chi-chi countered. "I just don't want them to know because I don't want them to keep me from doing it."
"Alright," Goku gave in. "I promise I won't say a word to anyone."
"Thanks," Chi-chi kissed his cheek.
'Did this really happen? If so, I want to remember everything else! It's not fair that things have to be this way!'
Morning light shone in Goku's face as he opened his eyes. There was no more pain in his breast or a sense of illness within his body as he sat up in bed and felt confused on his whereabouts. The door opened as Piccolo walked into the room.
"You feeling better Son?" Piccolo inquired.
"Yeah," Goku confirmed. "How did I recover?"
"Dende healed you shortly after you fell asleep," Piccolo replied. "And during the night, you did have a fit that kind of startled everyone, but Gohan and Goten came in to keep you company and you managed to sleep a little easier."
"I see," Goku calmly replied as he got out of bed. His body felt rather light as though he had never used it before in his life.
"Everyone's waiting outside, so I'll give you time to dress before meeting us," Piccolo said before walking out of the room.
… … … … … … … … … …
As Piccolo had told Goku, everyone was outside when Goku stepped outside upon the Lookout. No sooner did his feet pad across the ground that everyone's gaze fall upon him. Feeling threatened, the Earth-raised Saiya-jin slid into a fighting stance; half-afraid that they might hurt him if he made any sudden move.
"Now isn't the time to fight," Kibito-shin reassured Goku; easing the warrior so tense over what recently happened to him. "What's important is that you remember everything that you've forgotten."
"How?" Goku questioned feeling a sense of longing to remember everything. "How can I remember?"
"That's where we all come in," Dende answered. "Even though Earth's Dragon Balls were used, we still have the ones on Namek. So Kibito-shin will take you to Namek to wish for your memory back."
"Right…" Goku's eyes rolled as Kibito-shin grabbed Goku's wrist before he could protest and teleported the Saiya-jin across the very fabrics of the universe to a planet that had visited years earlier.
… … … … … … … … … …
In a village, Goku saw many Nameks that looked similar to Piccolo as he felt out of place when they seemed grateful for their rescue that Goku had forgotten. Kibito-shin explained the moral dilemma to the Nameks and why Goku was acting so differently. Agreeing to help the one who had stopped Freeza, they gathered the Dragon Balls in order to help the warrior.
"YOU HAVE SUMMONED ME," Porunga bellowed to the Namekians below, Goku, and Kibito-shin after the Dragon God himself was summoned before them. "I SHALL GRANT THREE WISHES AS LONG AS THEY ARE WITHIN MY POWER. WHAT IS YOUR FIRST WISH?"
Porunga bellowed to the Namekians below, Goku, and Kibito-shin after the Dragon God himself was summoned before them."I wish for the Saiya-jin known as Son Goku to have all of his memories restored," Kibito-shin replied. One of the Namekians translated the wish to Porunga in Namekian.
"THIS WISH WILL BE GRANTED," Porunga rumbled as his eyes glow. Below him, Goku suddenly felt his mind beginning to pulsate with horrible pain as he closed his eyes and gripped his head. Energy flared around him as his tail lashed menacingly behind him as the others watch on in pure horror. A growl escaped the Saiya-jin's throat as his once innocent eyes were filled with pure adulterated rage and were completely red. Before the Saiya-jin could hurt anyone, Kibito-shin quickly knocked out Goku as he sprawled out on the ground eagle spread and unmoving. The only movement was his labored and shaky breathing as the dynasty wondered why the warrior acted so hostile after having his memories restored.
"What have you done?" Kibito-shin yelled at the Dragon God that hovered above him.
"I HAVE ONLY DONE WHAT YOU HAVE ASKED AND RESTORED ALL OF SON GOKU'S MEMORIES," Porunga answered. "HOWEVER, YOU HAD NO IDEA THAT HE HAD LOST HIS MEMORIES ONCE BEFORE AS AN INFANT WHEN HE WAS MEANT TO DESTROY EARTH IN THE FIRST PLACE."
Porunga answered."What!" Kibito-shin nearly shrieked. "You mean to tell me he was supposed to destroy Earth? The very Earth that he lives on?"
"THAT IS CORRECT," Porunga answered. "NOW WHAT IS YOUR SECOND WISH?"
Porunga answered."Can you make it so that Goku doesn't remember the fact that he has to destroy Earth?" Kibito-shin inquired; half afraid that the Earth wouldn't have to wait to be destroyed if the Saiya-jin laying unconscious was going to do it first.
"IT CANNOT BE GRANTED," Porunga bellowed down to the dynasty. "THIS WISH WILL UNDO THE FIRST WISH AND MAKE HIM TERRIBLY UNSTABLE."
Porunga bellowed down to the dynasty.'Crud,' Kibito-shin thought to himself. 'I've pretty much screwed Earth either way.' "I have no other wishes."
"THEN UNTIL NEXT TIME, FARE WELL," Porunga vanished as the Dragon Balls scattered. Kibito-shin fell to his knees and gripped his head in his hands.
'Lord of Worlds, what have I done?' Kibito-shin thought in shame and guilt at the mistake that could end up costing Earth either to Trepidation or Goku himself.
… … … … … … … … … …
Minutes later, Kibito-shin reappeared with the still unconscious Goku with his head downcast. The group was wondering why he wasn't proudly boasting that the Earth-raised Saiya-jin was ready to fight with them. Moments later, the answer came from the quivering man as he broke out and said it.
"I… I doomed Earth!" Kibito-shin guiltily replied.
"WHAT!" nearly everyone, with the exception of Piccolo and Vegeta, shrieked at the dynasty before them.
"I… I wasn't aware… that it would… doom the Earth!" Kibito-shin stuttered.
"Well, it seems Trepidation's not the only one we should be worried about anymore," Vegeta mused as he prepared a blast in his hands. Before he could send it towards his former arch-rival, Goten and Gohan got in the way. "Move brats unless you want to join the clown in Other World."
"Vegeta, power down," Gohan warned the Saiya-jin Prince.
"We're not sure of his intentions yet anyway," Goten added. "Besides, I still owe him an apology for hitting him yesterday."
"You fools know that if Kakarot awakens, then Earth is pretty much doomed whether Trepidation gets his way or not," Vegeta growled.
A moan escaped Goku's lips as Gohan and Goten both turned around to see their father starting to come to. No one moved as the Saiya-jin's eyes opened as he slowly gathered himself up to a sitting position. His head remained downcast as everyone wondered what was going through his mind at that very moment.
"Dad?" Goten asked.
"Are you alright?" Gohan questioned.
"…" Goku remained silent.
The others felt that any minute, the warrior would lunge at one of them and take them down. Gohan and Goten remained off guard while the others slid into prepared battle stances. Piccolo got in front of the weakened Dende to protect the Earthen guardian in case he tried to reach him first. The poor Guardian had recently extended his healing too far in the past 48 hours and barely seemed to be able to stand anymore.
What the warriors did not expect was Goku suddenly flying off Kami's Lookout as shock ran through the entire team. The first to recover was Piccolo who went to the edge as the others wondered what he was planning. Before anyone could stop him, Piccolo dove off the Lookout after Goku. Krillin almost went with them, but Gohan's hand grasped the ex-monk's shoulder.
"Let Piccolo go, Krillin," Gohan replied to Krillin. "He'll help my father since they are alike in some ways.
… … … … … … … … … …
Piccolo landed near a lake as he saw Goku sitting on a small island barely big enough to cram and leave five people on it for days as punishment. The Saiya-jin's eyes were downcast and seemed unreadable due to the fact that his hair covered them. If Piccolo were to read them, what would be reflected in those two eyes? Pain? Sadness? Anger? Rage?
Floating over the waters that barely left any ripples upon its surface, the former proclaimed Demon-King prepared himself mentally in case the Saiya-jin planned to kick him off his own little island that rested not far away from shore. His feet barely touched the ground when Goku's tail suddenly smacked into his legs with a fierce force and caused the Namek to tumble to the ground. Before Piccolo could get up, he was staring in the wild and untamed eyes of an angry Saiya-jin. Goku held a chi-charged fist ready to throw it at Piccolo's head and was growling at the former Demon-King uncontrollably.
If this were still the Piccolo that Goku have known, he wouldn't have hesitated killing him right then and there without any remorse. Vice-versa, if Piccolo was the same way he would have been, he would be struggling right now in order to destroy his former arch-nemesis; who stood in the way of world domination. Experiences have changed Piccolo's heart and mind over the years. For the moment, he made no move against the Saiya-jin that could either drive the Saiya-jin to kill or maim him.
Not as of yet at least.
"Son, cut it out!" Piccolo warned to the warrior that towered over him with authority and the upper hand.
"Why? I should be killing everyone, including you," Goku spat out with venom in his voice. The tone he spoke in was darker than usual as Piccolo felt the tension starting to build.
"Since when did you listen to that damn mission that you failed to carry out over half a lifetime ago?" Piccolo queried.
"Since now," Goku answered as Piccolo moved his head to avoid the chi-charged fist that shattered the ground right next to his ear. Taking this moment to counter-attack, Piccolo thrust his knee into Goku's gut and drove him off. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin faltered on his feet for a brief moment before righting himself as Piccolo rose upon his feet. In a flicker of light, Goku vanished as Piccolo's eyes widened. Thrown off guard, Piccolo found himself in a headlock as Goku's snarl was heard from behind him.
"Son! Don't do this!" Piccolo pleaded. "What about your wife and your sons? What about your friends? Have you truly forgotten about them?"
"None of that matters anymore," Goku harshly replied. "The world's already screwed up enough to care anymore."
"You never give up, Son!" Piccolo countered as Goku's grasp upon Piccolo weakened. It was a mistake that he had made against Radditz years ago and had killed him.
Piccolo slipped free from Goku's grasp and drove his left fist into the Earth-raised Saiya-jin's jaw. Goku went barreling over in the grass from the blow; while in the meanwhile, Piccolo breathed heavily from the effort. Expecting an extended fight, Piccolo threw off his weighted clothing as Goku got back onto his feet shaking from the previous blow.
As predicted, Goku lunged at Piccolo in order to continue the battle that had started between the two of them. Unlike the previous battle at the World Martial Arts Tournament, Piccolo found himself on the receiving end of most of Goku's blows. If Goku was in his right mind, he wouldn't bring himself to battle Piccolo over the right to kill everyone on Earth with his memories restored.
Half-expecting Goku to transform into a Super Saiya-jin, Piccolo knew he had to end the battle quickly. Right before Piccolo could switch to the offensive, Goku powered up into a Super Saiya-jin 3 as Piccolo's eyes widened in total fear. Taking that to his advantage, Goku quickly pummeled Piccolo as the Namekian got thrashed. Landing upon the ground upon his back, Goku held a deadly blast in his right hand at Piccolo's chest and had a look of hatred written on his face.
"Go ahead," Piccolo looked up with no regrets upon his blood-covered face. "Kill me if that's what you wanted to do."
The Earth-raised Saiya-jin's hand trembled with the blast aimed at Piccolo's chest seemed to grow weaker until it was extinguished. Turning away from Piccolo, Goku walked to the edge of the tiny island and stood there as his transformation faded. Piccolo, meanwhile, got up and grabbed Goku's shoulder and turned him around to see guilt written upon Goku's face. Never did the Namekian register this upon Goku's face; however, this guilt was haunting and full of remorse for his actions.
"W-what have I done?" Goku whispered breathlessly as he fell to his knees and clutched his head in his hands. "None of this makes sense. Who am I? What is my mission? Why was I doing this?"
"You are who you want to be, Son," Piccolo softly spoke to the Earth-raised Saiya-jin. "What do you want out of life?"
"…" Goku was silent. What did he want out of life? To fulfill the mission he meant to do long ago or to protect the people he's sworn to protect from harm? Whatever he said next would seal his fate as well as the world's fate. "I… I want to…"
"Go on," Piccolo encouraged the Earth-raised Saiya-jin.
"I want… to save… Earth…" Goku stammered out finally as though he was giving a confession to a priest.
"Then are you ready to return?" Piccolo asked as he held out a hand to the Saiya-jin. In desperation, Goku grasped Piccolo's talon-like hand as Piccolo smirked.
… … … … … … … … … …
About a few minutes later, Goku was reunited with Goten and Gohan as they both were thankful that their father was truly back with them. Despite reunions, they knew that they had one thing to deal with: rescuing Chi-chi.
"So is everyone ready to go after the one who's kidnapped?" Piccolo asked everyone.
"Yeah," Yamcha smiled. "Let's go kick Trepidation's ass!"
For the first time in two days, Goku seemed hopeful that he had friends to rescue and stop Trepidation once and for all.
'Hang on, Chi-chi,' Goku thought as he looked out over the Lookout with determination on his face. 'We'll rescue you before Trepidation can do anything to hurt you.'
CMG: Well, another chapter's down. Now that our hero knows what happened, he must rescue Chi-chi before it's too late. Question is will he be able to before Trepidation carries out his plans? Or will Goku manage to defeat Trepidation? -chuckles- Onto the reviews from the ones who have followed the story thus far:
super saiyan 4 chi-chi: -hands her a tissue- He's fine now! Don't worry! I wouldn't kill him off or otherwise, I would have ended the story right then and there and never update it again! Besides, he's not out of the fight just yet.
Psy: Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter's twists and turns.
Courtney: Ah. He remembers everything now and does feel some guilt for what he's done to Chi-chi. And at least there was forgiveness for Goten's previous actions.
Kinoha: Well, he did survive that fall, didn't he? Besides, I couldn't just kill him off like he was worthless. Otherwise, Chi-chi wouldn't be rescued, Goten would probably do something irrational and try to save his mother on his own, and the whole world would be messed up. Besides, now that he remembers everything, he's gonna do everything he can to save his wife from Trepidation before something really bad happens.
Chi-chi: -sheepish grin- Yeah. Sorry this took longer to update than usual. And he's getting to it now! I mean it's not too late to save Chi-chi yet and he still has time before all hell breaks loose!
Arcanine18: Hm. I'll try to update sooner from now on. -eyes shift before she chuckles- Oh he will give Trepidation the beating. You can be assured there will be a magnificent battle in the chapters to come.
CMG: And be sure to visit my website. I will be posting more images there along with some of my writing soon. Until next time, I hope you enjoyed this story thus far.