Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or really any other property. Thank you.
The Long Road
Chapter 58: Polling Error
Videl:
There was something Videl had learned in her life after having met Gohan on that miserable night. It was something she tried to hide from herself at times, trying to bring her hope when she couldn't go on, but it was something she used now much more as a crutch than she ever had. The plain truth of it, was something inherently true from the world around her.
Life wasn't fair.
Life was never going to be fair.
Now as she sat down in her apartment, looking out the window at the busy skyline of West City, she felt a degree of relief wash over her. She'd been responsible for once, and she'd been afraid of it. Every decision she'd made over the last five years she'd resented, or had been afraid of in some way. For the first time in so long she didn't feel guilty about it, and she didn't feel trapped or helpless. Earlier that week, she cut the ties from her nightmare.
Walking to the sliding screen door that acted as a barrier between her and the outside world, she carefully slid it open, stepping into the open air. It was warm out today, at least. The sun was hanging above, not impeded by the other towering buildings set around them. Pulling up a package of cigarettes she'd bought earlier, she pulled out one of the sticks within. It'd been a kick she'd started on after Pan... disappeared. Now, she could enjoy one of these without feeling guilty either, because she wasn't pregnant any longer.
Flicking the lighter out of her pocket, she let the flame catch near the end of the stick, before it started to burn. Slowly, she inhaled, letting the carcinogen laden smoke enter her lungs. It was the last string she'd had connecting her to so much pain. The pain of being helpless, or being constantly under the Saiyan's watch. Every step she took, he tried to correct it. Somehow, the fact that he'd assaulted her, years ago, and left her with a kid, gave him permission to come into her life and dominate it. Now there was one less reason for him to walk back in. There was one less reason for her to ever see him again. It wasn't about him being good or bad. It was that he made her miserable, just by being there, and she was afraid of him.
That was something she could finally admit to herself.
She always wanted to be stronger than him too, stronger than he could have ever been, in order to beat him, and in order to protect others. But she'd never been strong enough to just walk away. No matter how hard she'd tried, she couldn't stop loving Pan, and she couldn't stop trying to reverse what had happened to her, by somehow overcoming everything and becoming stronger than she'd ever hoped. But that wasn't the kind of strength she needed to just free herself from him. The strength she needed was to stop chasing after fantasies.
Fantasies like being a mother and a warrior. Fantasies like becoming the strongest in the world. The biggest fantasy she'd walked away from however, was thinking she could just right things. When she confronted Gohan, on her terms, and they fucked, it was somehow like she was getting back at herself, and in her own way him. That was another thing she'd walked away from when she'd finally confronted him. But now
Gohan was dead. He was dead and a Demon King had stolen her daughter, and she finally came to the realization that she could live with that. She could live with that because she knew something she couldn't accept before, that life wasn't fair. From the moment you were born, to the moment you died, none of it was fair. Some would have it good, and others wouldn't, and you just had to accept it. It was all behind her now, everything.
It wasn't fair that Erasa and Sharpener couldn't have children. Even now as she exhaled the smoke from her lungs in a long, drawn out way, letting the smoke trail in front of her before the wind carried it away, she found her thoughts trailing to her friends. Just because Sharpener and Erasa couldn't have kids, didn't mean they needed her children. They didn't need the clot of cells she'd had removed. Worse, it wouldn't have even worked out. Another child like Pan? What would happen if they stared at the Full Moon? How terrible would have their lives been once others discovered them, like Pan had been discovered? How much more pain would have that brought Erasa and Sharpener? Worse, what kind of life could that child have, taken... just like Pan. Another alien like Gohan didn't need to come into the world, and it didn't need to follow the path she'd accidentally let her daughter follow down, only with parents who could never hope to control their power.
Flicking the cigarette off the balcony from between her fingers, she watched it soar through the air, being carried off into the distance between buildings, the background behind it as it fell from balcony, shifting from open sky blue, to deep and dark concrete, before it passed entirely from her view.
It wasn't fair that her daughter had been torn from her, and it wasn't fair that she'd never come home. That one made her heartbeat almost wrench for a moment at the thought. She'd cried for days, and even now she found herself waking up at night, still, her heart aching for the child she'd lost. The only thing was, she was now strong enough to face the truth. Pan wasn't going to come back, and even if she did, she was forever bound to being cursed by whatever her father was. Life wasn't fair, and Pan wasn't coming home. But with Pan gone, there was one honest thing she felt. Inside her grief, was always a level of relief. She didn't have to face the child she'd not wanted, deep down, every time she woke up. She didn't need to see her daughter's disappointment in her anymore, and sadly, she didn't need to see the reminder of the worst night of her life. It was selfish, and it was painful, but it was all true. It was true, because life wasn't fair.
The only ones who could make it fair, made it fair from their own eyes.
Resting her arms on her balcony railing, she just took in the view, knowing that tomorrow she was going to finally start applying for classes in university. Training, fighting, and looking after Pan had encompassed her life for years. Now? She'd still train, but she needed to start over. School, university, was the next challenge ahead, even if it was going to be a slow start. She couldn't get back all the time she'd lost because of Gohan, and she couldn't get back everything he'd spoiled and ruined for her. She couldn't go back in time and change her life, and she couldn't stop hating herself for her own shortcomings and weaknesses. She couldn't stop herself from letting that thing touch her, both the first time, and the times after. She couldn't stop the fact she'd let him just bully her every second they were together, even when he did something "nice" for her.
But what she could do, was try... try to rebuild her life. She didn't need her father's money, even though he'd been sending her money to help with the apartment. She didn't need Gohan's power, which she'd always wanted for herself.
All she needed was herself.
That was the thing she'd been afraid to admit for so long. She didn't need to be the strongest fighter, she didn't need to be her father's successor as a hero of the people, and sadly she didn't need to be all of those things and a mother. As of right now, she was none of those things.
Walking back inside, trying to concentrate on her day ahead, Videl walked into her kitchen and slowly started to take into account what she was going to need to buy.
"Out of Bananas again? Ugh," she mumbled with annoyance, before her eyes traced over to the small picture frame she kept on the counter.
Immediately her hand moved out, grasping it and turning it down. This happened almost every day since she put the picture up. Pan's eyes in the picture were too judging of her, and it was hard to see.
I tried my best, Pan.
Really, the picture stood as her last reminder of the life she was walking away from. The demon had destroyed her house when he crucified her to her wall. All of their belongings were gone, but in all honesty, that just helped her keep that part of her life distant. It was the picture, the last picture she had of her daughter, which haunted her, which reversed so much of what she wanted to do. Part of her wished she could bring herself to finally just get rid of it.
But I can't.
Reluctantly, ceasing her list, she pulled the picture back up, looking into the eyes of a five year old being forced to stand still for a picture. She could still clearly remember how annoyed Pan had been when the photographer kept asking her to look at the camera, and hold still. They'd needed to take twelve takes just to get one photo worth keeping. And now some monster had her, stealing her away from her.
There isn't anything I can do.
Gohan was dead now, dead and gone, and Pan was gone... ironically, because he was gone. Was Pan worth all of the pain that Gohan brought along with her? Was Pan even happy with her? None of it mattered, because there was no going back now. Even if Gohan died trying to save Pan, she couldn't help but feel some kind of relief that he wasn't going to come back into her life, ever. There wouldn't be anymore pain, no more fighting, no more trying to relive the lowest moment in her life to feel like she had control, or could change it. There were no more kids, and no more demons.
But for the briefest moment, when she looked into Pan's blue eyes in the picture, she silently wished that Gohan would walk through the door, with Pan in hand, if only she could try to make things right with Pan again. She didn't need Gohan's drama, his bullying, or her domineering arrogant attitude, and she didn't need there to be a reason for him to show up, ever... But she'd ignore all of that, even if only for a second, just to see Pan again.
Her list trembled in her hand for a moment as she leaned over the sink, breathing in and our carefully, trying not feel overwhelmed.
Maybe her nightmares weren't gone. Maybe her past couldn't be just left behind. Maybe her nightmares were just different now.
Unfortunately however, it didn't matter at the end of the day, because of one true fact...
Life wasn't fair.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Pan:
That sound.
She KNEW that sound.
It was something which had become almost unfamiliar to her, but it took her several seconds to hone in on it, her memories racing for the familiar. That was the sound of... Cars! Cars! The things that used to drive on the roads! If there were cars, there were roads! If there were roads, there were people! Excitement immediately rushed through her as she started to stumble through the brush towards the noise, excited at the prospect of food. It'd been days since she'd last had anything other than berries, or a few edible looking plants. Her bones were starting to show through almost, and she was so hungry.
When she emerged, her eyes squinted at the light shining down from above, and heard another vehicle wiz past. Her eyes traced after the bright red vehicle as her eyes lit up with fascination and excitement. She didn't know how to wave anything down, she didn't even know if yelling or screaming would matter. Running into the road itself came to her mind, until she realized more cars were moving past, fast. Her heart racing, she stepped forward, looking around with big eyes. Several vehicles buzzed by still, kicking up dust off the two lane road.
But strangely, after only a few moments a car pulled off to the side. It was yellow and looked like it'd seen better days, with several dings in its front and back. A figure emerged almost immediately before looking around. Another vehicle pulled over after that one, this one blue.
"Hey, kid? Where are your parents?" a male wearing a white t-shirt and shorts asked as he started to approach, looking around cautiously. "Everything alright? Are you out here alone?"
The other driver, a woman with long brown hair, walked towards her from the blue car.
"Hey there," she offered as well. "Is everything alright?"
Suddenly Pan felt a mixture of relief and anxiety. The relief was born of the idea she could get something to [i]eat[/i]. The anxiety was born of the fact she didn't [i]know[/i] either of these people. It made her nervous almost immediately. The relief though was something she couldn't help but feel. Her shoulders almost immediately started to relax from its tense state, as she felt herself feel light headed.
"Do you know where you parents are?" she repeated what the man had said.
"No," Pan finally answered, looking towards her and the man, who just sighed.
"We're in the middle of nowhere," he said to the woman. "I think the closest place to civilization is some village of fifty people that way near a diner. No cell coverage out here either. If we get there we can get her some food and maybe get a hold of the police."
Excitement pumped into her veins as her body weakly listed for a moment, almost falling back and fainting, before the two adults turned their heads up towards the sound of a rustle in the bushes behind them. For a second, Pan's hearing, more acute than ever, picked up what she was hoping wasn't one of the wolves. She didn't want anyone to get hurt and-... that didn't sound like a wolf. That was really odd. She wasn't so excited by food that her mental abilities had completely left her.
Turning her head, she saw something strange walked out of the bushes. It was a man, wearing a long coat. There was a badge on his left side as well, which immediately told Pan it looked like an authority figured. He dressed almost like some kind of weird cowboy, if cowboys wore bandana's around their neck's that looked that stupid. Orange was a really weird colour to wear in the brush.
"Well what do we have here," his voice cut in, a small smile creeping across his face. "Oh hey, it's the wolf girl. I've been wondering how long it'd take me to track you down. You know, I thought you were poaching for a while there until the kills dried up. I thought the wolves were just cleaning up after you, nice work."
"Officer, we found little... uhm... what was your name again?" the woman asked.
"Pan," she answered quickly, looking back towards this... officer.
"Well, we found Pan here and-"
"Yea, no worries. I've got it from here. My truck's a little ways off, but I'm sure we'll get there in no time. Besides, I'll grab her a bite to eat before I figure out what we're doing. Trust me, this is something interesting happening for the first time in weeks since I found that deer upside-down in a tree. I still haven't figured out how it got up there," he commented, his blue eyes flashing with the amusement of his recent memory as he walked towards them, reaching his gloved hand out. "Besides, its not every day you get to see endangered species around here."
The other two adults began to wave to her, slowly going back to their vehicles as Pan reached out, grasping the officer's hand.
"Endangered?" she asked.
"Well, Saiyans sure are endangered, aren't they? My backup memories tell me that tail of yours is pretty signatory of that. Oh hey, I should mention, my name is Android 17. 18 is going to flip when I tell her about finding a live, wild Saiyan on this planet. I always thought Son Goku and crew were it."
All of the words were putting a sinking feeling in her stomach as she began to walk with the man, before he lifted in the air. Just like her dad, and Piccolo did. Her body became weightless as well as they lifted into the air.
"I normally drive, but you look like you're going to get the whole 'dying from malnourishment' thing, so I think we should cheat a bit on travel time to get you something to eat, how about you, Pan?" he asked, smirking as they floated there.
This wasn't something new to her, but it was far from exciting. She hated having her feet off the ground, and she hated not knowing anything about him, and she constantly worried that he somehow might be dangerous. Everything about how he carried himself screamed predator to him. Every second she'd spent in the forest, living with the wolves and seeing the bears and sabertooth cats, she'd learned about how predators carried themselves. They didn't waste movement and neither did this guy. Her eyes scanned the badge on his chest, and it said "Officer Olive". Immediately her blood ran cold while they levitated in the air.
Looking up at him, she saw the smirk not going away.
"You're a pretty smart kid, you know that?" 17 asked, noticing her look towards his badge, and her obvious change in appearance. He plucked the badge from his chest, before pulling it into his pocket. "But, let's get some food, then we can maybe have a bit of a talk about what we're going to have to do with you. Besides, my sister knows this Goku guy. I'm sure he's going to be interested in finding another one of you Saiyans on this planet, hey?"
I was born here. Its not like I just got here.
But how did he know that? How did he know what a Saiyan was at all? Before she could ask those questions, she felt the air around her suddenly pull forward. Her face shoved back at the force of the wing as her fingers grasped tightly on the almost machine-like grip of the "officer" holding it. It took almost six seconds before he slowed down, looking over towards her, wide eyed, in shock even. Her arm felt like it was going to fall off as she just breathed heavily, trying to stop herself from trembling.
"Too fast!" she finally gasped.
"And you can't fly, and are pretty weak. Well that's just super," he sighed. "You know, the next time someone is supposed to be from an ancient warrior race, they should probably tell me if they're not actually all warrior like."
"I'm five," Pan breathed, not knowing half of what he was telling her anyway, The only warriors she knew were Piccolo, Gohan, her mom, her grandpa, and a bunch of monsters who'd tried to kill her. But there was one thing for certain, she couldn't do the kinds of things they could do.
Pausing in the air with her however, the man named 17 just stared for several seconds before looking ahead.
"Alright, I guess you're five. Using my newly found ability... really slow flying."
When they took off again, he wasn't lying, they were passing by inches more than feet. She just looked around as the ground drifted below them. Her stomach roared at her before she glared at him.
"... Can we go faster- AHH!"
Immediately, she regretted opening her mouth as the world blurred again, her fingers digging into his hand as best they could, as her eyes almost felt like they were being sucked into her head while flying.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Whis:
It was incredibly amusing to see how the Kai's faces immediately shifted to one of bleak fear at the very sound of Lord Beerus. Of course, it wasn't unfounded, and were he as weak as these Kais, and as stupid as Abaddon apparently was to come here uninvited and cause issue, than there would definitely be a great reason to be concerned. All the same, Whis was smiling, broadly in turn, trying to keep his exceptional demeanour up, and not allowing it to be ruined by the ill fated decisions of lesser deities.
"Lord Beerus," Abaddon said, bowing his head as his lanky frame began to slowly shift backward, his blue skin looking almost sweaty. "I'd not realized you'd awakened-"
"I hadn't," Beerus reiterated gruffly. "The only thing that awakened me was you, and your intrusion into my home. Now the question becomes what to do with you-"
"Kill me if you must, but first destroy the Saiyans coming to ravage this universe for more power," he repeated. "They're a threat even to you. Even if you're too arrogant to see it."
It would have been impossible for the Kaio to see Beerus's motion, but the cat like god, still in his robe, appeared in front of him in a flash of motion, his arms crossed. Immediately the Kaio when he realized he was there, stumbled back, his own fear and frustration growing.
"Whis, why is this pitiful creature continuing to say that I, Lord Beerus, am somehow threatened by a bunch of Saiyans?"
"Because its true," Abaddon cut in again, leading to an angry glare for Beerus.
"I suspect its because the Saiyans who are invading realities, are perpetually gaining strength their a multitude of means with each reality they enter, Lord Beerus," Whis answered. "The primary concern of course, isn't that they could kill you now, but at some point in the near future."
"I've seen Saiyans before, I think I almost blew up their planet once. Terrible food," Beerus remembered. "Didn't I send that Frieza bastard to blow up that one after a few decades of thinking it over?"
"Some of his decision to destroy the planet, may have been affiliated with your decision to blow up the planet," Whis gently reminded. "But they've changed significantly since that happened. What with their Super Saiyan abilities. Out of the three travellers visiting us soon, I would say none of them are a threat to you."
A confident smile crossed the god's face before he turned back to the Kaio.
"Good, now I wonder what lesson I should teach our little Kaio friend here for coming here and crying wolf?" he asked, his eyes lighting up playfully.
"Stop it!" the Supreme Kai of Time shouted. "Don't you get it? They're not a threat now, but one of them-"
"One of them what? Is nothing but a burdensome flea to me?" Beerus chuckled. "You're lucky I know Whis dragged you here, or you'd be getting punished as well... I trapped one of you old Kais in a sword for fun. I wonder what I should do to you... You Kais are so rare, I certainly don't want to kill you..."
"Lord Beerus, I am not trying to incur your wrath-"
"You have an odd way of showing it. If that were your intention, you'd have stopped talking," Beerus snapped back.
Even to himself, Whis didn't fully believe the Saiyans were completely without potential. Briefly, his mind scanned across the heavens, sensing several with incredible potential. He could see Vegeta in his mind's eye, the Prince of the Saiyans was trying to improve himself along with Son Goku, and another one named Trunks. They were all absolutely impressive, none of them nearly as strong as Lord Beerus. In fact, between Son Goku, Trunks, and Vegeta, they were perhaps... individually? About .31% of his power. Together they could rally almost 1%. This was factorying in their transformations as well of course.
In the afterlife, there were... two very impressive specimens. One of them, Son Gohan, was almost.44% of Lord Beerus's total strength. The other, Turles, was concealing the full output of his power very well. That one? He could be as much as 1% of his total power. The last time a mortal being achieved that kind of power in comparison to Lord Beerus, or at least a non-god being, was Majin Buu. Now that of course, was impressive. This Kaio wasn't even talking about Saiyans who were alive or dead, but another trio?
His mind stretching across time and space as the world froze around him, Whis's mind found itself in the shadow of a moment in time traced through dimensions. In this frozen segment of events which had already occurred, he looked across what could only be described as ruins. Human cities burned brightly all around them, and what didn't burn, was already levelled. Bodies were strewn about of powerful warriors. None of them were immediately noteworthy to Whis, beyond knowing that one was Son Goku and another Vegeta almost immediately off hand.
Standing above it all were the three warriors which Abaddon had spoken of. Their frames were wrapped in darkness before he stepped forward. The first was a relatively tall, muscular Saiyan. His energy and physique reminded him of one of the fallen, dead Saiyans in their own time line. A younger variant of Turles, bearing almost some resemblance to Gohan in many respects. There was an incredible amount of power inside this one, of course, none as compared to Lord Beerus, but it was impressive, and he could see how whole worlds had fallen before him. His power was hard to pin point in this frozen slice of time, but he could have been anywhere between .5% of Lord Beerus, or perhaps as much as .8%, which was so far for the Saiyans unheard of. Brass... that was the name of this impressive specimen.
"Well, Lord Beerus would certainly be surprised by you, and look, another impressive Saiyan. I am sure Lord Beerus would have spent less time wondering about the fate of your planet if he could see you two coming along..."
The next he observed was a harsh looking young woman, who was clearly related to Vegeta. She was standing next to this other warrior, and her power was just as impressive. Everything about her screamed power, and the willingness to use it quickly and violently. The blood splattered across her face told him that she'd likely beat her last victim to death with her fists, rather than using the kindness of an energy wave.
"I'm sure you must just be delightful at parties," Whis sighed, before motioning towards the final.
And even as he did, he could sense the air almost get cold around him. It didn't make sense, as in this fragment of another universe's timestream, there should be no cold, or hot, or anything. It was like stepping foot into a photograph, and feeling hot. It just didn't register as normal. Trying to reveal the figure in the darkness, Whis felt the chill intensify as the final figure was suddenly unravelled in front of him. Even when he could see the young man for himself, even Whis felt something deeply upsetting about this one.
Leaning forward to get a better look at him, he could almost swear the figure blinked at him. That was enough to get the God to blink in turn. Even trying to sense this Saiyan's power and purpose felt like trying to take grasp of a massive ice block. It slipped through his mind's eye as soon as he was to grasp it. There was almost an echoing howl that whispered all around him the second he attempted. Frozen in time all around him, he then could sense something else... And it was enough to raise the hair on the back of his neck.
This long, black haired Saiyan had the look of madness in his eyes, and it wasn't unfounded. They had no physical place around them, but there were hundreds of them. He could sense Trunks. Not just one, but dozens, perhaps over a hundred. They were resonating inside the body in front of him. This creature in front of him was more Trunks than anything else, but his comrades referred to him by his supposed "true" name.
"Taro," the frozen still in front of him said, his lips moving as his eyes locked on to his, coming alive in front of him.
In that brief second, as time reignited around them, Whis sensed just exactly what this Saiyan was, with his black, soulless eyes. His force of will and power were so great, when Whis had even intervened in this frozen moment of time, this creature had broken the spell and re-initiated this moment, carrying it on through the timestream. It wasn't natural by any means, this Saiyan was a construct. It was no more natural than something like Majin Buu.
And he could sense its power, and the source of its power.
In a flash he vanished from the time slice he'd entered, his mind flying back across the expanse of reality, moving back towards the moment he'd left his body behind in. Behind him he could still sense the haunting eyes of that Saiyan.
He eats them. He tracks down his alternate reality counterparts and he eats them. How utterly revolting. Clearly these Saiyans have a terrible taste in their food.
That creature was just the "dominant" personality in a confused, psychotic web of himself. The obvious violent and psychotic, and unstable tendencies that went with that were hardly the biggest concern of course. It was the power. It was enough power that it may actually give a small hint of truth to what the Kaio had been saying.
When his eyes flashed open, he looked over towards an increasingly irritated Lord Beerus.
"I have just done an inspection of all the Saiyans in our universe Lord Beerus, and on these three newcomers, who are attempting to make their way here," Whis remarked plainly, reiterating everything as if it were normal. "I must say they are all very impressive. Some of them, at the height of their power, by my calculations, are almost as powerful as 1% of your total strength..."
It was enough to make Beerus seem more self confident in that second.
"A threat," he scoffed. "So, these creatures, even with their "Super Saiyan" potentials, aren't very much then. Just like I thought. And of course, confirming exactly what I think of this annoying Kaios interruptions-"
Beerus cut off his own words with an amused laugh, thinking of the cruel irony in intended to inflict on Abaddon.
"With the exception of one Saiyan, Lord Beerus. One of the inter-dimensional creatures coming to attack our world. I believe he goes by the name Taro. By my calculations, because of being uncertain as to the full source of his strength, he is somewhere between 7-25% of your total power."
Immediately the laugh turned into a cough as the God of Destruction turned his eyes to him, widened for the briefest of moments. Of course, Whis knew what was going through Beerus's mind, he was looking for any signs that this was a joke of some sort. As of right now, Beerus would [i]crush[/i] this Taro in any serious engagement, of course. The problem wasn't right now, as the Supreme Kai of Time had mentioned. The problem was in the future. In fact, that may well have already happened in other divergent timelines created by these beasts. There were an ever infinite time continuum because of their interference. There were billions of these Saiyans by now, and even as Whis looked past Beerus, into a horizon past the edge of the universe, he could see time all around this universe savaged...
It wasn't just those Saiyans anymore either. Whole universes destroyed by Majin Buu, or by other creatures like Frieza and his family, or a creature named Cell, as well as others. A multi-time verse has been spawned into existence, and the Supreme Kai of Time could never fix it. In at least a handful of those universes, it must have been true that someone could have defeated Lord Beerus.
"And you can't tell if it's 7 or 25?" Beerus scoffed, his calm demeanour returning. "I'm sure you just miscaculated. I doubt any single Saiyan could-"
"That's just the thing, Lord Beerus, this Saiyan is comprised of dozens of other Saiyans, perhaps over a hundred."
"Do you not see the wisdom in destroying the remnants of these apes?" Abaddon plugged in. "They could annihilate not just this universe, but the very essence of the universe at this rate. Everyone always stands to the side, thinking that somehow they are their superior, that they are the rulers of the universe, or the great destroyer. They are always surpassed by them, and they are always defeated and cast aside. Even you will suffer this fate in time, Lord Beerus, if you refuse to acknowledge the threat these Saiyans pose to everyone! I know the true depths of their power. I know their very nature! Don't be a blind fool!"
"You know Whis, you brought me some very interesting information regarding these Saiyans," Beerus commented, ignoring Abaddon almost entirely. "So as a result, I'm going to allow you to decide the fate of this annoying, blue skinned Kai."
"Well, Lord Beerus, I do have blue skin as well, so I hardly think that its the most effective insult. If I didn't know you better, I'd be hurt," Whis smiled, before looking at Abaddon.
For a single moment, he could see the Kaio, in another time, with other Kaios around him, standing atop a burning ruin much like the ones the dimension hoppers used. He could see them standing against what looked to be almost an army of Saiyans. But most importantly, he could see this Kaio standing against one figure, by himself... He could see this fallen Kai's fate, and it was one perhaps more than fitting, if everything went as he could see it. He didn't need to be judged by Lord Beerus or himself, this Kai's work would be judged in and of itself... and his fate would be attached to his actions. He would determine the worth of his claims, and he would determine the fate he found.
"I think we should let the Kai go," Whis said with a bright smile. "I'm sure the Saiyans on Earth will be very happy to have his help."
Immediately he could see a spiteful look be cast at him in turn by the Kaio.
"Because if you want to stop this original sin, this original perpetrator, Kaio... then you are going to have to help these other Saiyans defeat their grim reflections. Even if you don't like it."
Stepping back, he could see an aura slowly beginning to cover Abaddon.
"But on a side note, we're always good hosts, so Lord Beerus and I would invite you to dinner to-" in a flash of light, the Kai disappeared, no doubt back to his scheming.
"We weren't going to invite him to dinner," Beerus growled.
"Oh of course not, I simply didn't want to appear the bad host. Hmmm... I suppose how I can see how that could have been awkward had he stayed. Well, its certainly fantastic he didn't disappoint. He was very upset by my answer-" Whis commented, before looking towards the smaller, pink haired Kaio.
"Though you look as though you could use the break, my sweet Supreme Kai of Time!... Our invitation is extended to you as well. After all, you certainly look as though you may need the rest," Whis offered, his lips extending out. "We were going to have fish, and then jello pudding for dessert."
For a second she paused, still taking in everything she saw, before just sighing.
"Oh what the Hell... it's not like I can fix anything that's going to happen now," she sighed. "Just tell me you have wine."
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Author's Notes:
Well. Where to begin? I've been running behind on updates for tons of reasons. I genuinely am sorry, but I did end up with a few roadblocks. My grandma died, and died in an incredibly sad and painful way about a month ago, which really killed a lot of my writing time. I'd been depressed, and working more, and on top of that my dog still has cancer as well, so generally things all around haven't been perfect. I do apologize for that, and I'm going to try my best to get more updates rolling out. I've still got everything planned out, I'm still motivated to finish the story, I'm just not always in a position to get as much done as I want. I even hope to wrap up this Saga by Summer, or by the end of Summer. Which is a pretty ambitious goal, we'll just see if I can do that.
Reviewers:
Commedia: I responded via PM.
Pyromania101: It was important to me that the chapter hit all the right marks while I was writing it. For the most part, there isn't much I'd change. I think characters like Cell, and Frieza, came out looking really good for instance.
Sekhelmet: Sorry for the delay. :\
DarkKnightShiva: Probably not. Lol
LordFreezyPop: I can see the light at the end of this Saga, its dim and faint, but I can see it. Then I have only to write another... 30... or 40 chapters of varying size, before the story is finally concluded. Only!... sigh...
Tomorrow4eva: Don't worry, every character in the story does get their storyline wrapped up, including Garlic Junior, even if we're a ways off. Immortality isn't a fix-all.
Brelic: I wouldn't expect to see Turles fighting the Dimensional hoppers. But much like Garlic, his story's not wholly told yet.
Perfect Carnage: Thanks for the notes.
SSJAguila: The right place at the right time can make a much bigger difference than raw power. The arrogant find that out to their dismay. Hubris is my favourite thing in the world :D
lmc9389: Uhh... Sarcasm doesn't trace well over the internet. Lol
MaxPain32: You can thank personal tragedy for the delay.
SuperMysticGohan: Thanks!
4StarDragonball: Well this chapter dashed those hopes :\
Guest: Again. I get told when I get reviews. I know when reviews are left one after another within seconds of each other, by the same reviewer. No, not all Guest reviewers are the same, that's why I ID them differently, but that was obvious. Same writing, making reference to the previous review as an essentially an addition to it, and posted within a minute of the last one, after the chapter had been up for a protracted period. Sure sunshine. Sure.
Daughter of Vegeta: It's too late to go back now! :O
RajinBlue: I think I answered this by PM, but its been a few months, I may be wrong. :\
MalikJamalTimberlake: I doubt I'll be doing Wraith of the Dragon, but if everything goes as according to plan, there is going to be a lot of fun spots. I promise.
Luke: My humility doesn't let me say its the best on the site. But you guys can ;)
Guest2: A common theme I've noticed is people bothering me about power levels. Again, something I think of as little more than a smoke screen for certain scenes. So if people wanna press me on my opinion of power levels, they'll get my opinion. I get the feeling people want me to agree with them and move on, or feed their lust for power levels. Its just not something I'm gonna do.
Redhunter87: Ah, but who is to say that I'm giving Vegeta another chance in this story? ;)
Superfly: Thanks!
DBZ fan the first: Thank you.
Darknessrising11: Expect more one liners, and remember, if you liked Cell, his blue counterpart is still rolling around the galaxy.
Sekhelmet: I don't think its so much like, as seeing him as a useful tool. He's not exactly in my top 10. lol
Sakuraus: I loved Bardock trolling Turles in The Catalyst. Easily among my favourite parts to write XD
FelixHelixer: Thanks! :D
Titop: Piccolo is a supporting character in the story. The story's not really that much about him. Love the character, my favourite protagonist in the series honestly. But he's never going to climb the mountain and get to the top in The Long Road. Spoiler, in The Catalyst, Piccolo was going to end the story in the top 2.
Flamekaizer9000: I feel ever more clever by the moment.
G: Thanks!
Ronden Kiagre: The chapter would have gone nowhere if I hadn't spent a lot of time refreshing my Cell and making sure he was portrayed correctly. His character is heavily linked to Gohan's in the canon as well, so he needed to be well portrayed.
Rjfree: Welcome.But I doubt Turles has cleansed away hundreds of billions of innocent victims yet :\
ShadowFFD: Answered by PM
Jinga: It was!
G: Thanks! :D
Guest3: Yea, looking at him basically lose on Dragon Ball Super, and still be incredibly inferior to Goku and Vegeta? I wish he wasn't, but Super isn't exactly making Super God Piccolo. :\