AN- Okay, time for another update. One or two people were sad there wasn't any action last chapter. Sorry about that, but get used to it for a few chapters. Short of maybe a sparring match or two, there won't be any fighting for a while.
I don't have a definite number yet, but you can figure that the Android saga won't be for at least another five chapters or more, not counting this one. I want to at least focus on every character for a bit before I start another saga. So if your favorite character doesn't make an appearance just yet (most noticeably Yamcha and Piccolo), don't worry, there will be sections for them soon enough.
Also, one or two people are wondering what is going on with my other fics. My street fighter fic is going to be updated soon, I promise. Things were rather… complicated regarding the next update, but I've fixed things up. As for Smash Bros., I've tried to work on it, but I've gotten a bit stuck. As soon as I get past my writers block, there will be a new update. And with my final fantasy fic, I was debating writing that first, but I figured I've had you guys waiting long enough, so expect an update to that as soon as I finish this one.
Whew. I'm actually thinking of starting a newsletter just so everyone knows what is going on. Its hard to keep everyone updated on all of my stories, and it didn't seem like many people read the last chapter I posted. So if anyone is interested in receiving weekly newsletters from me regarding my fanfiction, please leave your desired email address in a review. If enough people sign up, I'll start sending them out once a week to keep everyone informed.
"Father?"
From out of the shadows, King Vegeta stepped out, still dressed in the formal robes of the Sayian royalty. His face looked identical to his son's, except the bottom half was covered in a regal beard. His eyes locked with the prince's, and there was a moment of pained understanding.
"Son, I am sorry for what you were put through. The entire race crumbed at the whim of a sadistic changeling. And I was powerless to do anything about it."
Vegeta's eyes narrowed. My father? Admitting to weakness?… What manner of trickery is this?
The king saw his son's reaction and frowned. "Still as prideful as ever, I see." He placed his hand on his son's shoulder. Vegeta barely managed to stifle the involuntary shutter from the contact. Years of being Frieza's personal means of amusement had taught him to be as distant as possible. He shook his head and glared at his father.
"Of course. No matter what was taken from me, I will always protect my pride!"
King Vegeta's eyes appeared to grow soft. "Spoken like a true Sayian… That was our downfall, son."
Vegeta gave his father an uncomprehending stare. "Our downfall? Our pride was all we had!"
"You must understand. In our quest for pride and power, we caused our own destruction. Frieza used us and threw us away. Had we been more mindful, we could have done something. But we were too worried about being a warrior race." The king's head fell. "All of our powers… and what could we do? We became the pawns of Frieza. We caused untold destruction and sadness in the name of someone we hated. What good is pride if you have nothing to be proud of?"
Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he took it all in. "But you don't understand, father! A Sayian rose up and destroyed Frieza! The Super Sayian awoke!"
Another figure stepped out of the shadows. His hair was spiky and wild, and his face was firm but gentle. He wore old fashioned Sayian battle armor and his face was scarred on one side. His voice had a rough edge to it, but the tone was a happy one.
"It was Kakarot, wasn't it?"
Raditz and Vegeta spun around, following the voice. Raditz's eyes widened in disbelief as the figure came into view.
"Father! It's you!"
Bardock gave his son a nod before continuing. "Right before I died, I had a vision. In it, Kakarot grew up on a planet called Earth. With a pure heart and unbelievable power, he eventually rose up and defeated Frieza. Is this what happened?"
Raditz stared at his father in amazement. "Yes! That's exactly right! How did you know?"
Bardock's head fell slightly as he inspected the ground. "It was a curse placed upon me by a race that I had destroyed…"
Vegeta shook his head and growled. "That's unimportant. The point is, father, we destroyed Frieza! We are indeed the strongest race in the universe!"
King Vegeta let out a stifled scoff. "That's where you are wrong, son. We are now the strongest race in Hell. Frieza succeeded in finally finishing off our entire legacy. How many planets do you think will speak of us with high regard? If one good deed outweighed the many evil, why are you here?"
Vegeta went to answer, but then thought better of it. Father is right… what have we accomplished? We may have destroyed Frieza, but at what cost? The Sayian race is no more…
"Now do you understand? Pride no longer has any meaning!" King Vegeta shook his head and turned his back to them. "Raditz, do not hate Nappa. He was merely fulfilling a promise he had made to me before I died. I told him that no matter what, he was to make sure that the Sayian race survived."
Raditz glared at Nappa. "Yea, good work on that, by the way."
Bardock put his hand on Raditz's shoulder. "Leave him be for now, son. Kakarot is here somewhere. We should find him."
Raditz nodded and the two walked off.
King Vegeta turned to his son and gave him a wry smile. "However, I do have something that should cheer you up. Follow me."
Intrigued, Vegeta slowly followed his father and Nappa around the side of a cliff. Vegeta let out a small gasp of surprise and fear as he saw what his father was talking about. The mighty emperor of the galaxy, Frieza, was chained to a wall. His former pride was erased from his face, and his head hung with grief. Vegeta's face cracked into a wide grin as he slowly approached his former nemesis.
Frieza's eyes grew with fear as he saw Vegeta approach. "Vegeta! Please! Help me! I can't escape from these chains! Free me, and we'll take over hell together!" A small chuckle escaped from Vegeta's lips as he grew closer, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.
Krillin looked back from where he had came, cocking his head to the side in surprise. He couldn't even see how far he had come. The entire Snake way looked identical. It reminded him for a moment of the first time he had climbed Korin tower. Once you had climbed a good way, you couldn't see the bottom or the top. He sat down for a moment, etching an arrow into the floor with his finger. The last thing I need to do is fall asleep and get turned around…
He hadn't realized how fast he could run until now. Despite his speed, he always stayed at a moderate pace during everyday life. Whenever there was an emergency or rush, he always flew. He couldn't think of a time where he had just let himself run at full speed. He looked back at his life and realized there was a lot of things he hadn't done. Well, if I ever go back to earth, things will be different. I'll do more than simply train and sleep. I'll actually experience life!
The small monk sat back up, his energy redoubled. He began running as fast as he could, feeling alive for the first time in years. Figures it would be when I'm dead…
Nothing matters anymore… I let Gohan down… and I killed Krillin… What is wrong with me? Goku sighed deeply as he went over that train of thought for what must have been the millionth time. He still had yet to find the willpower to stand, and so was still lying in the spot where he had been dropped to begin with. Maybe this is all that hell is… just endless self torturing…
"Kakarot!"
Goku finally managed to sit up upon hearing his Sayian name. Standing there was his brother and a person he had never seen before. But he looked extremely familiar.
"Who are you?" Goku asked with a puzzled tone as he took in the stranger's features. He was obviously a Sayian, as he had a tail wrapped around his waist .The Sayian locked eyes with Goku, and he knew immediately.
"Father?" Bardock gave his son a small nod as he kneeled down in front of him.
"This is the first time I've met you, and already I am proud. You've achieved the unachievable. No longer will the universe bend to the will of one."
Goku's head dropped in shame. "You shouldn't be proud of me. I couldn't save my son, and I killed my best friend. I'm just as terrible as Frieza..."
Bardock grabbed Goku by the shoulders and hoisted him to his feet. "Don't be ridiculous! you saved the Nameks, and you've freed the entire galaxy! You fought like a true hero!"
Goku smacked his father's hands away and turned away. "Krillin and Gohan shouldn't have died. I should have helped them. If I'm such a hero, then why did I get sent here?"
Raditz and Bardock stared at Goku's back silently, unsure of how to answer. From behind them, a wizened old voice cackled.
"Goku, my boy, relax a bit. You are way too hard on yourself."
Goku spun around as Fortuneteller Baba floated towards him. "I heard you had fallen to hell, so I came to check on you. Are you okay?"
Goku's eyes began to water as he shook his head no. "Baba, I went insane... I let Gohan die... and I blew up a planet... can you show me Gohan?"
Baba sighed softly and jumped off of her crystal ball. "I suppose I could manage that for you. Let's see..." Her eyes went wide and she gave Goku a sympathetic frown. "Goku... I don't think you should look at this..."
Goku pushed past Raditz and fell onto his hands in knees in front of the ball. The reflection showed an image of Gohan, his arms wrapped tightly around his knees as he cried softly. Around him, the sky flashed with red lightning, exposing the barren terrain behind him. the jagged mountains and orange sky looked strangely familiar. Suddenly a light went off in Goku's head.
"He's in hell?"
Baba nodded sadly. "He committed suicide. All suicides go to hell..."
Goku jumped up, grabbing the witch by her collar. "But he sacrificed himself to save the world! He should be in heaven!"
"I agree Goku, but it's not that simple. The shock of giving one's life at such a tender age has damaged his soul. He is stuck in a state of limbo now. He can hear and see nothing. That poor boy is trapped in a swirl of confusion and pain. His soul isn't sure what happened, and now is trapped within itself."
Goku's composure dropped as he let go of Baba, once again falling to the floor. The tears began to flow freely as he stared at the image of his son trapped in torture. "But... but he can be revived with the Dragonballs, right?"
Baba's eyes wouldn't meet Goku's as she stammered. "W...well, Goku... I'm.. I'm afraid not."
"What do you mean? He hasn't been revived with the Dragonballs before!"
"I know, but Goku, look at him. His soul can't even accept its own death. What do you think would happen if we returned it to his body? There is no will to live. He would die again instantly. It would only hurt him more."
Goku's ki flared up as he smashed his hands into the ground with a hoarse scream, the earth cracking where his hands landed. "This isn't right! There must be something I can do!"
"I'm sorry, Goku. There's nothing that can be done. Now, I have an important task at hand. You have my sympathy, Goku." Baba gave a quick nod to Raditz and Bardock as she hopped back onto her crystal ball. "Farewell, gentlemen." And with that, the fortuneteller took off, disapearing into the sky. There was a strained silence, broken only by Goku's short sharp fits of sobbing.
Raditz attempted to break the silence. "Kakarot... listen, we can..."
"Shut up! I'm going to find Gohan!" Goku's ki enveloped around him violently as he shot off into the sky, using his ki sense to pick up his son's trail.
Raditz went to follow, but Bardock's arm shot out and stopped him. "Leave him be for the moment. We will be there for him when the time is right, but for right now, he needs to do this alone."
Gohan, where are you? I promise I'll save you, son... I won't let this be your fate! Goku's energy left behind a residual tail like that of a comet as he broke new speeds in search of his son.
AN- Yes, I know, another short chapter. Hopefully the next one will have a bit of length to it. We'll see. As I mentioned earlier, leave an email address in your reviews so I can start sending out weekly newsletters to keep everyone posted on my status. I'm not sure when my next update will be, but I'll send out a newsletter in a few days to let people know. Sign up if you would like to be informed. See you next time!
