Pursual
Chapter 8: Go! Fight for the Future!
A/N: Hey everyone! Really sorry for the delay; I got sick a few days into the week and made pretty much everything unpleasant. On top of that this chapter serves as the end to the arc, so I needed some time to lay the path going forward. Hope you all enjoy!
The forest exploded into chaos. Leaves and dirt were thrown into the air, mixing and pulsing outwards. Krillin and Yamcha had charged at Kakarot, chasing after him as he jumped away deeper into the forest. They'd try to get close enough for a swing or a chop, but Kakarot effortlessly kept them out of range, more amused than anything else at the current state of affairs. He maintained his distance from the two fighters, satisfied with letting them exhaust themselves on their first offensive.
After a minute Kakarot noticed that they weren't really trying to land any blows- instead they seemed content to keep his moving, chasing him endlessly. Oh? Strategy at work?
Minutes of this passed before Kakarot realized he'd made a circle through the forest while avoiding their attacks, as he edged back into the clearing they first started fighting. Interesting. They've led me right back to where we were before. I wonde-
An explosion rocked his vision. A grenade had landed and erupted maybe two feet from him. It didn't damage him at all, of course, but it stung like hell, and annoyed him even more. He turned in the direction it had been thrown from, but only saw more forest. A lucky shot? Kakarot didn't have any time to think further before Yamcha and Krillin were on him again, this time sticking close to him and trying much harder to land some blows. Try as he might, he couldn't find a chance to counterattack - whenever either of them overextended on an attack, the other would quickly rush in, covering them from any retaliatory strike. They were crowding out his space to maneuver. Pitiful. So weak they need to cover each other's weaknesses. Kakarot continued to block their attacks without much trouble, but he noticed he was again being pushed into another section of the forest.
They abruptly scattered into the brush, leaving Kakarot by himself. What's- The area around him burst into flame. Kakarot rolled out of the inferno, patting his smoldering clothes. Gotta hand it to them, this tactical garbage is getting old. He wrenched his head away from his ruined clothes to scan around him - to see a kick flying straight for his face.
The best he could do on short notice was throw up a hasty block, taking the full force and pain of the blow to his forearms, and be launched him away. He careened through the air before landing on his feet, lowering his stinging arms to the ground as he glared with murderous intent to the attacker. The taller one with the dusty clothes. He seemed to be smiling, even egging on Kakarot with a small wave of his hand.
Growling, Kakarot charged him. Yamcha ran around a corner of a tree trunk, and shockingly, when Kakarot rounded it Yamcha was gone. There's no way he could have moved faster than me-
He was cut off by a fist colliding with his head, staggering him as another blow connected with his stomach. Kakarot threw up his arms and was able to deflect the next intended strike, a diving kick aimed at his hip. He glared between his arms and saw his other assailant, the shorter one he remembered from before, smirking in satisfaction at landing his hits. Unbelievable... those stung. Wiping a trickle of blood from the busted skin of his cheek, Kakarot planted his feet on the ground, letting a smile creep onto his face. "You and your friend," he spoke, "you two have got a lot more fight in you this time around."
"No."
"Hmmph?" Kakarot was immediately angered by his opponent's terse response.
"Look below."
Kakarot glanced down and saw he was standing on a metal plate. F -
A pillar of fire erupted into the sky.
0o0o0
"Direct hit!" Chi-Chi hovered a hand over the ground, face scrunched up in intense concentration. Suddenly, she opened her eyes. "West! 20 meters! Push the trigger!"
Bulma flicked a switch guard and pressed a button. A booom rang through the forest, shaking the trees as it radiated outwards. Bulma kept her head down as dirt rained down with the occasional rock. When the dust cleared, she came up to Chi-Chi's side, who still had her eyes screwed shut in concentration. "Tell me," Bulma asked concerned, "how many more explosives do you think we have buried in the stretch of forest around us?
Declining to open her eyes, Chi-Chi responded, "Not enough to kill him, that's for sure. We'll do what we can and then it's in the hands of Krillin and Yamcha…"
"Speak for yourself."
Chi-Chi and Bulma nearly jumped out of their skins, not noticing that Rayne had snuck back to them in the past few seconds from the forest.
"Rayne!" Bulma yelled in a loud whisper, "you already planted everything?"
"You didn't give me much, to be fair…"
"Wait. What were you saying? 'Speak for yourself'? Do you plan on fighting that monster?"
Rayne simply shrugged. "I could try it, at least."
"Damn it, Rayne! We can't leave you behind - " Bulma said, sadness snaking into her furious expression.
"Wait," Chi-Chi cut them off with a calm command, "quiet down. He's getting closer to us."
0o0o0
It was quickly becoming obvious to Kakarot that he was in one big trap- his scorched patches of skin could attest to that. I admire their commitment, not to mention their confidence. But now that I have a handle on what's going on… time to punish the masterminds in the middle of the circle these two have been leading me around. Kakarot suddenly put on a burst of speed to his movement, running past a slow-to-react Krillin whose head followed Kakarot as he flew past. One on one, they're useless. Kakarot could see the edge of the clearing when a figure suddenly stepped into his path. It looked oddly like the monk he had left in the dust behind him... He slowed his run, moving to the right to avoid him-
Only to run straight into Yamcha's outstretched fist. Kakarot slid to the ground, the right side of his head pounding with pain for the second time today, and snarled as he locked his right arm and tripped Yamcha as he slid past. Kakarot rolled into a crouch, looking back to see Yamcha sprawled on the ground behind him. A fist collided into Kakarot's side, staggering him back a few feet. Vision blurred, he regained his bearings and looked towards the direction of the fist. Krillin stood there, arm still outstretched from the punch, a smirk plastered to his face. Kakarot growled in response. They may be talented, but they're not that talented. If he was able to move as fast as he just did, this battle would have been over a long time ago. No, there's something else going on… Regardless of how angry he felt, Kakarot didn't want to pass up a moment to congratulate his opponents. "You're all pathetic. Resorted to throwing in anyone to fight just one person, using dirty tricks and traps. Where's your sense of honor?" ...Honor? Not a word I've never really thought of before. Is this me talking, or?...
Krillin's smirk fled his face; a frown replaced it. "I'm glad that you refreshed me on your opinions of us. I'd forgotten what's at stake here and what we're up against." Krillin reassumed a fighting stance. "We'll do whatever it takes to stop you, otherwise people will die. You probably don't understand the significance of that, but we do."
"All you have are tricks for me to decipher… oh well…" With that Kakarot jumped into the fray, setting Krillin on the defensive while Yamcha rushed behind him. Perfect. At the last second Kakarot jumped up and flipped in the air, landing behind a charging Yamcha.
He was confused at what he saw next. When Yamcha collided with Krillin, the former monk exploded into a cloud of smoke, as Yamcha continued tumbling forward. After a second, a floating cat emerged from it, looking particularly angry at the person who had just collided with them. Wait a second, what's-
A kick into his back interrupted his thoughts and knocked him flat onto his stomach. Just. Need. Time. To think! He huffed as he climbed to his feet, dirt staining his clothes as he scrambled away from his attackers. Dodging around a hill, and lacking a better idea, he started furiously digging into the side of a mound of dirt, creating for himself a small hole to temporarily hide in.
Okay. Think. Surrounded by traps. Some sort of… technique making them look like they're everywhere at once. I'm stronger than them, faster than them. Kakarot clenched his fists. I'm been fighting them the wrong way.
0o0o0
After Kakarot was sent running by the last blow, Krillin tried to follow but he lost him in the forest. He strained to see any sign of Kakarot's presence. Yamcha guarded his back, similarly watching. While he couldn't see them, Krillin knew that Puar and Oolong were still hovering around, waiting to jump in when the time was right. The strategy is working well so far. Just need to keep it up.
Krillin walked up an embankment of dirt. When he reached the top, his vision was obscured by a mane of black hair. Wha- A fist collided with him, launching him off the edge to land painfully on his back. Wincing, Krillin saw Kakarot standing at the top of the embankment, smirking down at them. Yamcha charged towards him, but Kakarot sidestepped to the right and maneuvered around a tree trunk, using his momentum to swing around and smash into Yamcha's charging body with his legs. The former bandit flew a few feet before landing, moaning in pain as he landed.
Not done, Kakarot then gripped onto the next tree trunk and climbed up, disappearing into the canopy above. What the hell is he doing- Then the realization struck Krillin like a wrench to the head. He's moving to the center! He's avoiding the ground to bypass the traps! Filling with dread, Krillin set off in the direction Kakarot ran off towards.
0o0o0
"Chi-Chi!" Rayne whispered. The three of them were still squatting in a circle. "What's his reading? Where'd he go?"
"Not sure. Trying…"
Abruptly, Bulma ran off at a full sprint away from them.
Turning in the opposite direction, mumbling under her breath "that's not good," Rayne looked at the treeline.
A blur, then out of reflex Rayne brought up her arms over her head. She barely absorbed the intended blow for her, her arms buckling but not breaking under the brutal strike. Through her block she could see a manic face, hovering away from her briefly after the blow before drawing back.
Behind Rayne, Chi-Chi slowly withdrew her axe. Doing her best to ignore the blinding pain in her arms - quite possibly some of the worst pain I've felt -Rayne definitely stood her ground, carefully moving her arms back into a guard position.
"To be honest," Kakarot spat, his face still clothed in mania, "I'm glad the cowards in the back line could at the very least defend themselves. If I had killed you in one blow, well, now that would have been disappointing…"
Very nearly came to that, just now. He doesn't even seem to recognize me... Even though her's and everyone else's lives were on the line, that last realization irritated Rayne. Infuriated her. Suddenly she didn't care about making a hasty retreat; she just wanted to take Kakarot down with her. She knew she'd only have one good shot - once Kakarot got serious she'd be down quick.
Noticing that Kakarot had briefly turned to see the approaching figure behind him - Krillin, but still a long ways off - Rayne sprung into action. Pulling back her fist, she rushed up and landed a direct hit on the right side of Kakarot's chest. Worryingly, there was no physical reaction from Kakarot. The gap, still too wide, still too wide! Panicking, she desperately started to backstep, only to receive a reflex arm strike from Kakarot, swinging through her and batting her away. He didn't even bother to look at his attacker.
Landing in a heap nearby, multiple ribs broken, Rayne still tried to smile through the pain. I got one shot in, at least. Then, she was out.
0o0o0
Krillin stopped several strides from Kakarot. He had almost panicked when Kakarot struck Rayne - thankfully, she hadn't looked to be grievously injured. She was thrown against a tree, looking awful but alive. Thank… thank- that's good enough. Sighing, he turned towards Kakarot, who was shifting his body to face him. Chi-Chi made an urgent gesture, a few meters behind Kakarot. Krillin immediately understood what she wanted.
"Kakarot," Krillin spoke, "humor me; why?"
Kakarot tilted his head, as if still processing what Krillin had said. Behind him, Chi-Chi silently moved over to Rayne's unconscious body. "Why what?"
"Why do you do what you do? Kill people? Destroy villages? Ruin lives? Do any of these words have any meaning to you?"
Fully grasping Krillin's question, Kakarot cockily smiled. "Simple answer to a simple question. I like what I do. And the world lets me. No one has stopped me from killing people. No one has stopped me from destroying villages. And certainly, no one has stopped me from ruining lives." A dangerous undertone wormed its way into Kakarot's voice.
Krillin assumed that last line was directed at him. "You really think you've ruined my life then? Why do you think that?" Krillin, though disgusted by his opponent, was still enjoying the verbal spar.
"Simple. You've charged right into your suicide. You're weaker than me- that much is clear. And your allies are even weaker! I can't see anything that wouldn't make me your death sentence…" He trailed off, chuckling.
While Kakarot was talking, Chi-Chi had quietly picked up Rayne with the help of Oolong and Puar, who seemed to have given up on the combat ruse. Can't blame them, to be honest. After what happened to Rayne… it's better we go with plan B and only have Yamcha and I fight Kakarot. Chi-Chi, Bulma, Puar, Oolong- they all could have been killed by that attack...
Together, the three of them carried Rayne towards the opposite end of the clearing, passing from view into the forest beyond. Looks like I stalled for long enough… well then. Krillin observed that Yamcha had emerged from the forest behind Kakarot, evidently taking the time to backtrack and discuss the situation with the others. He looked tired. You and me both, buddy. The adrenaline had somewhat faded; Krillin was becoming more and more aware of the bruises and cuts across his body. Kakarot wasn't in much better shape, but so far he's seemed unaffected by their attack. Time for last-ditch efforts, then...
Yamcha seemed to have the same idea. The light of the forest around them started shifting.
Krillin dimly realized Kakarot was still talking to him. "... and let me tell you one more thing, weakling, if you thought the last time was traumatic, I guarantee you're going to wish I had killed you once we're done here.
"Oh? And here I thought you were going to buy us ice cream…" Krillin responded, faking a hurt sincerity.
Krillin thought he saw a vein swell on Kakarot's forehead. "I don't even know what ice cream is! Shut up! Talking is done!"
Wonder if… The light in the forest was now decidedly blue-ish. "Well, good, because you were just going on and on…"
Kakarot pointed an accusing finger at Krillin. "You started it! You're an idiot!"
"Definitely an idiot here…"
Fuming, Kakarot charged Krillin, taking him off guard with the speed of his attacks. Krillin, calm, kept dodging Kakarot's blows. Typical. Just like Yamcha, get him worked up and he can't fight straight. Both forget to pay attention. To Krillin, it now looked like Kakarot had a blue outline, light spreading and blowing past him from behind him. He took the next possible opportunity to roll out of Kakarot's way. Krillin had the perfect view - one second, Kakarot was glaring at him ready to charge back into the fray; another second, and his body was being slammed by a blue freight train.
Yamcha's aura was burning brightly around him, flinging him right into Kakarot's back as he began his technique. Fanged hands blurred and collided with Kakarot, each blow driving him forward. Fists rammed into his body, denting him like a sheet of metal. Yamcha's pace became quicker and quicker, as his technique started to crescendo and hammer even faster. The strikes were getting so fast that Krillin was having trouble seeing them individually. They all blended together into a beautifully destructive dance, driving themselves deeper and deeper into Kakarot with each successive hit. Finally, when it seemed there could be no more, Yamcha yelled at the top of his lungs, "WOLF, FANG, FIST!" as he shot his leg forward to knock Kakarot's flailing legs out from under him. Then. with both hands low he brought them up through Kakarot, lifting him up into the air. Yamcha brought his hands quickly above him and cupped them, bringing them down with a mighty Brmmm onto Kakarot's back, dunking him into the ground. The impact shook the ground with its concussive force.
Rising to his feet, Krillin walked over to Yamcha, who was panting over Kakarot's cratered body. Yamcha pulled out a knife Rayne had given him. Our grim pledge… Krillin's eyes drifted towards Kakarot. He had literally been driven into the ground a good half-foot by Yamcha's finishing blow. If he's anything like me, he'll be out cold for the next couple hours, at least. Jeez.
Kakarot looked mangled. But… Krillin, out of the corner of his eye noticed Kakarot's tail twitch a fraction of an inch. No, no, Yamcha had gripped one of Kakarot's arms, NO, NO-
Krillin was lifted up into the air, flung with such a force as if a tornado had materialized on top of him. He painfully collided into the ground, the flight and impact massively disorienting him. No, it was more than that. I feel cold… like my ki was pushed away. Was that attack?... was that ki?
A scream punctuated Krillin's racing thoughts. He unsteadily propped his head on his chest and glanced back to where he had been standing with Yamcha. He couldn't see Kakarot's body, but he could very clearly see a hand gripping Yamcha's arm far too tightly. Crushing.
Gasping from the pain, Yamcha suddenly brought the dagger down on Kakarot just below him, but was stopped by Kakarot grabbing that arm, too. A squeal of pain accompanied the danger's thud to the ground.
Krillin tried to stand-up. He got as far as sitting before he fell back. Come on! I need to get up! He lolled his head to see the two of them again. Kakarot was now sitting up, whispering something in Yamcha's ear. Yamcha was deathly pale, shaking from fear and the effort he was making to escape Kakarot's grip. His arms might as well have been attached to fifty-ton weights.
He's too weak, he can't get away, I need to help, I need to HELP! Krillin got as far as a half-squat before he flopped back on the ground, nearly screaming from frustration. Another glance. Kakarot was standing in front of Yamcha, forcing the former bandit to his knees, whimpers of pain floating across the forest floor as Kakarot employed brute force on Yamcha's already broken forearms.
On his third attempt, Krillin staggered to his feet and started running over to them.
Kakarot had brought both his hands to Yamcha's left arm. With a sickening display of raw power, he wrenched the limb to a 90-degree angle, almost separating it in half at the elbow. Krillin was sure that if Kakarot desired to, he could have done it. Then, ignoring Yamcha's whimpers, Kakarot gripped Yamcha's forearm and maliciously yanked it.
Yamcha's arm made a sickening crunch, emphasized by Yamcha's howling screech of pain. Jagged white edges broke through Yamcha's skin, his arm becoming a plaything of Kakarot's.
Krillin was still running.
Yamcha's bone was jutting out from his forearm towards his body and its owner screamed; Kakarot punched Yamcha's abdomen, ominously silencing the human with a vicious blow. He collapsed backward, his face in anguish, still clutching his now useless left arm. Kakarot leaned in close enough to Yamcha as if to whisper again, and his hands closed on the jutting shaft of bone.
"Here," he said at barely a volume Krillin could hear, "let me help you with that."
Another howl, more tortured than the last. Blood spurted over Kakarot, his face devolving into madness as both his hands started applying pressure on the bone at a 90-degree angle. It snapped. He withdrew from the arm an inches-long section of bone, grievously cutting his own hands in the process, mixing his and Yamcha's blood beyond the point of recognition. Kakarot cradled the piece, turning away from the fallen bandit, who was now mercilessly unconscious.
Krillin stopped a few paces away from Kakarot. He wouldn't show fear. It was on him to end this. Kakarot, for all his cockiness, was heavily injured; the newly added cuts to his hands were similar to the smaller ones crisscrossing his body. His shirt was completely destroyed, revealing the skin underneath- old scars intermixed with soon to be new ones. Yamcha's attack from earlier was plainly evident on Kakarot's body; he wasn't even standing up straight, suspiciously avoiding fully standing and extending his spine. Krillin was face to face with a hulking, snarling animal.
Palming the bone piece back and forth between his hands, Kakarot finally held it up in his clenched fist, outstretched in Krillin's direction.
"This is what we forget, you know." Kakarot said while admiring his handiwork.
Krillin didn't respond.
"That we're blood and bones. All of us, humans and animals- we're all just a hodgepodge of parts and pieces rammed together into a consistent shape. There's no value to any of us, the names and emotions we give to each other. We're flesh. And Flesh only exists to battle and to kill, and to eat other flesh, to grow smarter or grow stronger. Did you forget that? Did you?" Kakarot's hands dripped blood onto the forest floor. "Because I haven't."
"You're a monster," Krillin coldly answered.
"Wasting the little time you have left? Typical…" Kakarot dropped the bone chunk down on the ground. "I'll leave this here to grab later. It's a souvenir, you understand…"
Something snapped. "YOU! SADISTIC ASSHOLE!" Krillin yelled, abruptly charging at Kakarot while he was still straightening from bending over. He took Kakarot by surprise, his face very clearly shocked, as Krillin pushed him back with a vicious offensive of knees and elbows ramming into Kakarot's body.
Krillin wouldn't even give him a chance to catch his breath; he batted away arms and legs as if they were nothing and continued to pound on Kakarot, left and right hooks endlessly barraging his opponent. Kakarot became a punching bag, endlessly absorbing the shock and force from Krillin's onslaught. Krillin started to hear bones crack from the torrent.
It's not enough. Deep within Krillin's mind, he began to notice the rising defense; slowly, Kakarot was turning the tide. Physical force was never enough. I need… he reached for the spark, hovering so close to him, to grab it and use it to finish the fight with Kakarot. His hands grasped around it, phasing through it. Krillin was falling…
Krillin's body was rocked by a fist to his midsection. Kakarot hung his head, blood dripping from his face, but unmistakably chuckled as he panted and his fist opened to close on Krillin's clothes. "I'll give you some credit. You pushed me as far as that old man did. That is, to my limits." He started laughing before coughing up a hackful of blood onto the ground. "To think... you people could challenge me like this…" he looked up at Krillin, bewildering him with his sincere expression. "I underestimated you. I apologize."
The color of the forest wavered. Kakarot tightened his grip on Krillin, his face twisting as he did. "I won't make that mistake again." Krillin only had a second to recognize the purple ball of ki in Kakarot's free hand before his body exploded into pain.
0o0o0
It took a few minutes to be able to see again. Kakarot waved the dust away. Krillin was gone. Where Kakarot had pushed the ball of ki into him now laid a crater. Smoke wisped up from the ground, the sounds of smoldering matter filling the air. Satisfied, Kakarot patted himself, used his sleeve to wipe blood from his lip, and peered over the edge to see the bottom of the crater, looking for the charred bones of his victim. Like so many other times.
He couldn't see anything; no bone, no clothes, nothing. Odd. He bent over further to look down. That was the plan, at least. His mind had told his body to move, but it hadn't. What is-
"Appropriate." A quiet, emotionless voice said behind Kakarot, delivered with enough of a lack of an emotional connotation to send shivers down Kakarot's spine. Agonizingly, he twisted his head around.
Krillin! Kakarot saw that he had survived the blast- barely. The human's body was scorched from the point-blank ki attack, but his face glowed with fury, showcasing a newfound energy he hadn't had a few minutes ago. His eyes burned into Kakarot's memory, hate barely contained within him. "You're easy to predict." Krillin continued. "A hunter always checks to see if his prey is dead. When they do, they make themselves vulnerable."
Kakarot struggled to move, flee, do anything, but he couldn't move a single inch. "W-what have you done to me?" He asked panicking, barely keeping his voice steady.
"To be honest, I don't know. But what I do know," he paused, and Kakarot suddenly felt a horrendous pain in his tail, "is that I've found your Achilles heel."
My tail? I!... I never knew it was such a weakness! To think just grabbing it could completely immobilize me…"
"Enough talk." Kakarot was snapped out of his thoughts. Krillin's voice was now bleeding with emotion. "It's time you paid for your actions!"
The light around them changed yet again.
"You've killed hundreds of people! You've scarred all of us! You've taken things from the world that can't be replaced!" Krillin's anger suffocated Kakarot, his eyes displaying true fear as he tried to fight against his paralysis. His body started shaking. The air around them seemed to electrify, pregnant with power.
"In this moment, here and now, it is up to me to deliver justice! For everyone you've hurt!" Krillin brought up his free right hand from behind him, revealing a small-sized blue orb. Ki. He knows ki! "Krillin was now shaking, struggling to keep a grip on the massive amount of power he was pouring into his right hand.
Kakarot closed his eyes, bracing for the worst. Seconds passed and nothing happened. He opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder. Krillin was frozen; emotions warred on his face, and his eyes danced to the tune of a frantic mind.
"One more question," he said through gritted teeth, "why? Why, why, why? Why bring so much suffering into this world?"
Kakarot had no answer. I was always like this. I don't know.
Krillin tightened his grip on Kakarot's tail, not waiting for a response. Waves of pain rocked Kakarot's body."KAKAROT! NO MORE!" Krillin locked eyes with Kakarot, and twisted his body forward, lounging with his right hand right towards the middle of Kakarot's back. The blue ball of ki made contact. Then, white.
0o0o0
Panting, Krillin labored to see through the clearing smoke. In the explosion he had been launched from Kakarot's body, the blast sending his spiraling across the forest. Struggling to his feet, he felt the full brunt of the combat's injuries coming to him after using all of his ki. He scanned the immediate area; a body laid unmoving in front of him.
Favoring one leg over the other, Krillin limped over to the form in the dirt, arms drooped at his sides. Amazingly, Kakarot was still intact; he was curled up into a fetal position, his clothes totally incinerated. Scowling, Krillin crouched down and turned over Kakarot, spreading him out on his back. His body was a ravaged mess. His skin was charred and grievously cut, wounds forming a ghastly web of injuries over his body. Krillin put his hand to Kakarot's neck, expecting the worse. A heartbeat. Two. Kakarot was still alive. But conscious? Definitely not.
Krillin knelt in the dirt, withdrawing his hands. He gazed down at his knees. His tired, injured body cried out for rest relief, but there was one more thing he had to do. Krillin pulled out a knife from a holster on his side, which he usually used to cook with. He sweatily withdrew the knife from its sheath, turning the knife back and forth in his right hand while he recalled the silent vow they made. The vow they all made. But it was up to him. Everyone else was either far away or down for the count. He had to use the knife. He had to kill…
Kakarot's chest rose in slow rolls. Krillin watched, holding the knife steady. He paused, looking around him. Yamcha! Not taking his eyes off Kakarot, Krillin painfully got up and walked over to where they had left Yamcha.
A few paces forward and he could see Yamcha was no longer lying where he'd fallen. Two pairs of footsteps were visible in the dirt to and from where Yamcha had been. No need to worry about that, then… glad they came back for us.
Krillin limped back over to Kakarot. He stopped and stared at the body, resuming his kneel beside it.
Even after maybe a minute, Kakarot was already looking better; his blood dried and clotted his cuts, healing himself at an astonishing rate. Lucky bastard. Almost like he was created to fight and kill.
Krillin realized he had sheathed the knife.
He felt on the verge of crying. His soul was gut-wrenchingly undecided. I made the pledge, I told everyone I'd go through with it if need be… but I can't. I couldn't then, and I can't now. I never could. Kakarot… you're despicable but… I can't sentence you to die. I can't sentence anyone to die. My whole life, a series of never-ending 'can'ts'...
Krillin shakily moved a hand towards his dagger, gripped it, but couldn't make himself draw it. Krillin, wake up! If you don't do this, people will die! You'd be condemning hundreds of people to death! You've already condemned that entire village… Not intervening as Kakarot decimated that town had taken every ounce of willpower they had. To not kill him now… there's no coming back. I'll never be trusted again- I'd be condemning myself.
His eyes rested on Kakarot's face. We all gave up so much. Why can't I?
Because I'm a coward.
That's the truth, then. I'm not afraid of becoming a nobody and a weakling again - I've done it before, I'll do it again. I'm afraid of becoming a murderer.
Krillin let go of the knife and rose from beside Kakarot's body.
Before setting off, Krillin took a moment to sit down on a nearby tree stump, eyeing his unconscious fallen enemy, his hand gripping and releasing the knife's handle before withdrawing. I understand what's going to happen right? What I'm doing? We've worked so hard to stop him - to make sure he wouldn't do anything bad again. We agreed that killing him had to be done. But… but when I see him I don't see evil. I don't see the unspeakable brutality. For all his cruelty, his monstrosity… I can't help but see a kid. Did I always see the best of people?... Heh...
Krillin stood up. There's no way to justify this. I guess at the end of the day, whether it's because of emotion or reason, it's my decision. One of the first decisions that's been all my own in a very long time.
His gaze lingered on Kakatot for a long moment, letting his mind come to grips with what he was about to do, and then he turned and left the clearing, letting the melancholic sounds of rustling leaves take his place. On his way out he quietly pocketed the dragon ball that had fallen off of Kakarot earlier in the fight.
Funny. He never realized...
0o0o0
Sometime later, in a scene far away, six stared at seven, one spreading their arms and calling forth light and darkness. For all the wonder and majesty of the moment, a gloom hung over the scene.
Yamcha pushed the day's events behind him. His broken arm, set as well as it could, might never heal right. Bulma stood at his side, helping him to stand and supporting him as the summoner.
He was the only one left who deserved it, anyway.
A green figure shot into the sky, morphing and spiraling in a majestic flight, growing and growing until seemingly blotting out the sun with its size. At the peak of its ascent, it stopped moving, twisting one more time to face down at the six figures on the ground with a dragon's head.
"I AM THE LEGENDARY SHENRON! SPEAK YOUR WISH AND IT SHALL BE GRANTED!" he boomed louder than they thought possible.
One side propped up by Bulma, Yamcha swung his undamaged arm in a sweeping gesture. "Dragon! Bring back to life the legendary martial artist Master Roshi, alongside everyone else killed by Kakarot!"
The dragon made no response except for its eyes to glow. After a few seconds, it stopped.
"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED."
Everyone looked around for Master Roshi without success. Him and about a hundred other people.
"Did-did it happen?" Oolong thought out loud, to no in particular.
"MASTER ROSHI HAS BEEN REVIVED AT THE PLACE OF HIS DEATH, ALONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE WHO WAS KILLED BY KAKAROT!" the dragon boomed, thinking it was the target of Oolong's question. "GOODBYE…UNTIL NEXT TIME..." Shenron faded away as he seemed to disperse out of existence, shrinking into a ball of light and then splitting into seven different comets streaking across the sky.
It was quick; it was both climatic and utterly mundane. And nothing, at first, felt different except that they had lost seven shiny orange orbs.
"Well," Yamcha said, turning around painfully to face the group, "looks like we've got a trek ahead of us, huh?"
A/N: And that's the end of the so-called Pursual Arc! Hope you enjoyed the ride and are as excited as I am for everything to come!
Q/A
Q: Oh, I am going to stalk the reviews.
So... Haha that's true he blacked out from his own attack the first time!
And blunt Chi Chi is blunt. Probably the better way to talk with Rayne.
A: As always the review is appreciated :) Really excited to get to the point where characters have histories between them and can really rag on each other for stupid stuff they did in the past :s.
Q: I really like where this story is headed. It's always good to see the non-Saiyan fighters get some attention. Please keep up the good work!
A: Thank you so much! Reviews like these keep me going more than anything else!
