Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Dragonball Z or any of its copyrights and rights of other merchandise related to it. All characters and places in this story are entirely fictional and taken from or based on various aspects of the Dragonball Z universe. Any form of copying and/or misuse of this story by others will be reported. Please respect the imagination and effort made by others. Stealing is bad, don't do it.
Episode Nine: Secrets Revealed
Last time: Gotenks did well, but eventually he was no match for Caine's unorthodox techniques and wit, and now the teens are separated for at least the next hour. However, Broly is firmly in control, and with Goku and Vegeta powering up their strongest attacks it looks like time's up for Caine. Will this be the end of a Legend? Will the Kais finally be able to breathe easy again? All this and more, on today's episode of A Legend Lived On!
Both Caine and Broly grunted in exertion as the former tried breaking free from the vice-like grip of the later. Goku's Kamehameha and Vegeta's Final Flash were nearing their peak as Caine started panicking for a way out. Trashing about wildly, he tried maneuvering into a more favorable position to push himself off, but Broly wouldn't have it, squeezing tighter to keep his quarry in place. What is this! Why can't I break free! I should have much more power than this! Caine thought desperately as he tried to reach his maximum – only to find out his power had already peaked.
"Meeh!" Goku chanted, reaching the final stage of the Kamehameha before firing. Vegeta slammed his palms together in front of him, the energy gathered in them sparkling intensely as both sources mixed into a large pulsating orb. He too had reached the last stage. It was then that Goku caught sight of a potential snag in their plan. Broly was holding Caine in place so they could get their shots off, but that would mean Broly wouldn't be able to…
Broly noticed the sudden doubt flashing over Goku's face and managed to a quick "Don't worry about me, I'm dead already!" It was then that the strangest thing happened. Caine stopped all resistance, but suddenly seemed to be yelling in pain. Puzzled looks eyed the Saiyan as he blinked his eyes rapidly and shook his head, as if trying to clear it from something. After a few seconds of this his body went limb and sagged in Broly's hold. Thinking it to be a trick, the large Saiyan did not release the body, but kept hold of it while eying it skeptically.
When the head rose again, both Goku and Vegeta were stunned. Whereas Broly couldn't see it, they noticed quite clearly that the eye color had changed from the odd red to the teal green they were so used to seeing. That was not the only difference, as the power level of the man had risen yet again – be it slightly – but had also changed in a different way. Each living person has a different feel to his or her energy, almost like a signature. It was this signature that changed, as if they were now dealing with a completely different person.
"You can let me go now. I won't be very dangerous for a while, depending how much of my energy I can hold on to." The 'new' Caine stated as he surprisingly dropped his legendary form all the way back to normal. Broly warily released the man, who was truly no threat anymore after the nosedive his power took when he powered down.
"What do you mean with that? Speak up, what the hell is going on here?" Vegeta barked in frustration. Goku had dropped the Kamehameha, but Vegeta still held onto the energy he'd gathered. Caine nodded, but didn't speak again until his panting subsided. It was obvious the change had exhausted him.
"I would start at the beginning, but there is no time for that. I will tell you only what you need to know." He said, knowing he needed to conserve every bit of energy that was still under his control. Unknown to his captors, he was fighting an internal battle for balance, trying to keep the scale tipped in his favor. "I am the real Caine. What you have been fighting is…" He paused, looking for the right description. "A shadow, my evil side, I guess. I don't even know myself what he is exactly, only that he must've been inside my mind for a very long while, biding his time. He is to blame for most of my bad deeds, including those that got me imprisoned. I must hold on to as much energy as I can to stop him from retaking control."
"Oh no, I was afraid this would happen. The situation is much worse than I thought." Kibito Kai exclaimed as he and his elder watched the developments through a crystal ball. Elder Kai raised an eyebrow at his counterpart, as if questioning what he meant. The younger Kai clearly caught the signal as he continued. "We were hoping he would be weakened enough by now for Caine to regain control for an extended time, but it seems the balance was so far off that not even two millennia of rest were enough for Caine to properly restore control."
"Did Caine know of your intentions?" The old man asked.
"No, we could not risk telling him, for he would also hear every word. We hoped he would figure things out on his own." The young Kai looked down in sorrow. "But I guess he did not, at least not timely enough to make a difference."
"Exactly how much do you know about this entity that you neglected to tell me?" Elder Kai asked forcefully.
"So, you're saying you're not evil?" Goku asked as he scratched the back of his head. Vegeta, who had now dropped his attack as well, slapped his hand in his face as he growled in frustration.
"Never mind that Kakarot," He started before turning to Caine. "exactly how long do we have before you turn back into a mindless killing machine?"
Caine thought for a moment, scanning his own energy, and sighed deeply. "If I do not waste any more energy and am able to remain focused, I could hold out for a few hours. If I use energy, that time is reduced drastically."
"Any suggestions to make your current state more permanent?"
"We could still blow him up." Broly suggested. "He's weak now, we might not get another chance. Especially not if that evil side of his comes back."
Vegeta shot Broly a sharp glare before refocusing on Caine once more. "I was thinking a somewhat more peaceful solution."
"I know he's been inside Caine for a long time. He is the sole reason Caine is alive today. But I have no idea where he came from. That being just appeared out of nowhere and settled in the darkest corners of his mind. Several attempts to find out its intentions turned up dry. We just left it be after that, but we did keep a sharp watch on Caine's movements. After he started his killing spree we were sure that he was behind it. It was Caine's energy signature that threw us off. It felt confused, as if he didn't even know himself what was going on. But the big change had yet to come. It turned from lost, to downright malicious, and the entire signature was distorted." Kibito Kai explained. His elder listened carefully, and compared the information with what he knew. Something set off alarm bells in his mind, but he couldn't remember why…
"I suggest you contact the Kais. They are who sent you, are they not?" Caine more or less stated. "I bet they know exactly what's going on. Hell, they're probably watching right now, all you need to do is ask."
"Yeah, you're right! Hey Supreme Kai, can you get down here for a second?" Goku yelled at the sky.
"No! Stay where you are!" Caine suddenly barked. "I'd rather not have any Kais near me for the time being. That's what seemed to set him off last time!"
"I agree, we should use telepathy instead." Came the disembodied voice of Kibito Kai.
"Good, now that I've got your attention, I give you one minute to explain why you didn't do anything to help me the first time!" Caine roared in sudden anger. "And don't give me any excuses either, because I know you could've done something!"
"It really is not that simple. There were many factors that led to our decision of sealing you away. At the time, it seemed the most logical choice." The Supreme Kai said patiently, attempting to reason with the angered Saiyan.
"Explain!"
"Do you remember when you stopped aging?" The Kai asked.
"Of course I do, but what does that have to do with it?" A confused Caine replied.
"Everything! Unlike your own assumption, your frozen age had nothing to do with your power. It was caused by him after he entered your mind." The revelation seemed to stun Caine. That meant that whatever it was had been inside him for over six hundred years before he was trapped!
"We feared that removing him from your body might have a disastrous effect on both your mind and body after being joined together for so long. For example, your body could've instantly returned to its true age, and I doubt any Saiyan has lived to the age of six hundred. We felt it was a risk we could not take." Kibito Kai explained.
"Humph, risk taking isn't something this generation of Kais seems to do often." The old Kai snorted suddenly.
"So what options are left then, besides Broly's, which is starting to get more appealing every second." Vegeta questioned.
"Hey, we could use the Dragonballs to wish him a new body. Then the Kais can remove the evil side without killing him." Goku replied after a moment of thought.
"Absolutely out of the question! You know my stance on the use of the Dragonballs! They are very ancient magic, and are not to be taken lightly. Overusing them like you lot have been doing can cause catastrophic events!" The old Kai raved in protest.
"In case you didn't notice, in a few hours you'll be dealing with a catastrophic event anyway if we don't find a solution." Caine's words hit their mark and the Elder Kai ceased his protests. "So those things can grant any wish then, right?"
"Pretty much, but you can't wish for someone's death or anything like that." Goku said. A plan was quickly forming in Caine's mind, but unknown to him, he wasn't the only one planning…
'So… Dragonballs, eh? Perhaps I can use this to my advantage…'He thought, while he continued to listen in on the conversation. The fact that neither Caine, nor the Kai knew who he was, or what he wanted, had pleased him greatly. It was as if all caution had been thrown in the wind by his adversaries, something he would make sure they would pay for in the future. For now, he had to concentrate on shifting the balance back in his favor. If things would go as they seemed to be heading, he would need only a moment to release himself from his final restraints; the Saiyan's body…
'Any wish…' He mused. 'Soon… Bwahahahaha!'
It seems there is more to Caine than ever met the eye. Just who is this mysterious figure, and what are his plans? More important still, will the gang be able to stop him, or is the known universe doomed? Find out what happens now on the next episode of A Legend Lived On!
AN: A short chapter, compared with what you are by now undoubtedly used to. Despite that fact it holds more information than all the chapters you've read up till now. I just lifted a bit of the fog that covered the so-called plot up until now, but if you think there isn't more to it then you're wrong. I'm still leaving a lot up for guessing, but you're welcome to give it a shot. Don't expect me to give up details in any responses though, surprise is still one of the author's greatest tools after all.
You'll notice how I posted a new chapter, despite saying multiple times I would not continue until the restructuring is done. Well, lets just say I have my reasons, and I figured you deserved something for your patience. I've been terribly inactive as of late, and it is painfully clear to me that it doesn't really help the hits soar up just sitting still. But fear not, work is in progress behind the scenes, even if you may not see the result for some time to come. I know you'll be saying 'just another empty promise', but my latest work is a lot better than this one could ever be, with a bit of a realistic plot, rather than this twisted fantasy I came up with in about 5 minutes. In fact, I've worked it out enough to give me about 30 chapters worth of story, I just have to get the time to write it. I have a job, I'm taking driving lessons, and I'm about to start University, so I don't have the spare time I used to have.
Once again, thank you for your patience, I hope you understand.
WeirdDutchGuy
