Escalation

Chapter 19: Specters of the Past

A/N: Hey! Sorry for the minor delay of a few odd days. I'll be traveling a lot over the next month, so expect updates at a somewhat slower pace.


'Well,' Krillin said to Puar as he returned to the landed helicopter, 'that was a big waste of time. The locals who live at the base of this,' he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder towards the strange, thin landmark, 'didn't build it- they just live here and guard it against intruders. It's some sort of sacred thing to them. Odd though, that pillar; I walked up to its base and tried to see the top of it- I swear, it went past the clouds…'

'If it's some sort of sacred monument,' Puar said, 'why did they let you walk around it so casually?'

Krillin shrugged. 'I think their chief said, 'you have a pure heart', or something like that. Because of that, he explained, I could interact with the tower as much as I want.' Krillin paused, running the last statement through his head again. 'How would he even know that?' Krillin asked, frowning from confusion. 'Can he really tell that just by looking at me?... Either way, that's kind of creepy…'

'Hmph,' an unsure Puar vocalized. She glanced towards the village behind Krillin, then said, 'Krillin, I have some news. Bulma sent us a message- a distress call was triggered from Muscle Tower, then all communication from the base ceased. She thinks the base was destroyed.'

'That's… odd,' Krillin said, his mind switching gears from the previous topic. 'There's not many people who would take on the Red Ribbon Army head on- unless-' Krillin's eyes widened. 'Could it be him? Kakarot?'

'No way to know for sure unless we check. Though… to be honest… going there, knowing he could be there, makes me nervous...' Puar floated unsteadily in the air, consternation plain in her eyes.

'Don't worry Puar,' Krillin reassured her, 'I agree. It'd be a bad idea for the two of us to go after him alone. I guess we're lucky that Kakarot did our job for us- and that we learned this before we showed up. He's given us more time to prepare for the tournament.'

'For you to prepare, you mean,' Puar reminded.

'Yes, yes,' Krillin said as he gestured, agreeing.

Puar went silent, thinking. So if the Red Ribbon Army is gone… where does that leave me? I'm still no closer to finding my fellow shapeshifters. I can't- and I won't face down Kakarot again. For the first time in a long time, I actually feel… useless. She glanced at the former monk- he seemed preoccupied with a thought. A part of me wants to stay next to these guys, fighting with them against whatever comes next- but, at this point, I'd just be getting in the way. Even way back when, in that first battle with Kakarot… that was beyond me, even then. It was a miracle that I survived that unharmed.

She coughed, snapping Krillin back to reality. 'Krillin, if we're not flying to Muscle Tower… then I think I'll part ways, at least until the tournament. I don't think Rayne and Yamcha will need any more help to find the last dragon ball- though, just to be safe, I'll check in with Bulma. Sound good?'

Nodding, Krillin furrowed his brows, seemingly returning to his previous thought. He made no move to leave.

'Uhh… Krillin? Are you coming with me?'

Krillin, still scrunching his features, glanced over his shoulder, his eyes landing on the mysterious landmark that dominated the sky above them. 'I don't know how to explain it; something deep down tells me I need to investigate that tower a bit more. Do you mind heading back to Bulma by yourself?'

'Not a problem,' Puar responded, shapeshifting from her natural cat form to a young human woman. She climbed into the cockpit. 'You're not going to have a problem getting to the tournament if I deprive you of this helicopter, will you?' she asked.

'We're, what, two days away from the RR Headquarters from here by foot? I can manage. Thanks for the offer, though.'

Puar smiled and saluted. She started the engine and in the space of several seconds, the helicopter was ascending upwards.

Krillin waved her goodbye until the helicopter crested out of sight over a nearby ridge of trees. Alright. Time to do some 'sleuthin'.

0o0o0

Languidly, at the pace of a trickling stream, sensation flowed back to Kakarot. He first became aware of the tactile surface he was laying on- soft, not hard like the ground or wet like snow. It was… cloth, yes. A few seconds later, Kakarot felt waves of pain batter at his mind, nearly causing him to black-out, before gritting and grinding his teeth until the worst of it had passed. Exhausted after only a few moments of consciousness, he nonetheless found the will to open his eyes. Through adjusting eyes, Kakarot saw a dark, dim room around him. Before he could even begin to think, a voice slid out of the darkness, cutting through the still scene. 'You're awake,' the voice stated. Kakarot thought he could hear a tinge of surprise, but he wasn't sure. He began to rise from the bed- yes, that's what I'm on, a bed- before another wave of pain swept over him, coursing through him as he collapsed back down. Dimly, he felt his arms burn- he looked down and saw that each one was heavily wrapped and tied to its own long wooden plank running down the lengths of his forearms. This- I- I remember now. The battle, that man-

'I wouldn't recommend moving,' the voice commanded, moving closer to Kakarot. His eyes focused on an older girl, her right arm in a sling. She approached with one hand extended threateningly. She's… wait…

Chi-Chi pressed her hand to the crevice between Kakarot's head and neck- just like Tao did, she thought. Kakarot's vision swam after a few moments until she released her grip and stepped back. 'You, Kakarot, are at my mercy. If you want to live, you'll answer my questions, immediately and fully. Understand?'

Internally, Chi-Chi was trembling. Why would he cooperate with me, anyway? He'll refuse, and I'll be forced- forced to do what I promised to my dad. I find out why Kakarot attacked us, or he dies-

'Okay,' he said, grimacing as he settled the aching muscles in his body. I can't do anything in my current state. Best I bide my time… like in that village, with those soldiers, way back when…

Chi-Chi blinked, then motioned with her good arm. Someone exited the room behind her and closed the door. Kakarot hadn't even known someone else was in the room. Chi-Chi then dragged a chair to face Kakarot's bedside. While this was happening, Kakarot realized that he was tied to the bed. Lovely.

She paused after sitting, studying him. 'I want to know,' she began, 'why.'

'Why?' Kakarot said, 'Why what?'

'Why everything. Why you kill without consideration. Why you annihilate innocent lives,' she said evenly.

'Because I want to,' he stated cooly.

'Why,' Chi-Chi repeated.

'Because,' he replied slowly out of irritation, 'I like to kill.' But that's not true, is it? A lie dressed up as fact, both to myself and others. Registering his internal conflict, Kakarot added, 'in some cases.'

Chi-Chi rose from her chair and ran her fingers through her hair, glaring down at Kakarot. 'So human life means nothing to you? Nothing at all. You see no consequences to killing. You don't see… the lives you destroy.' Images of that first wretched scene played through her mind- when her father had led her to a farmhouse that was utterly devastated by an attack. His attack. Thoughtless, random, nothing taken save for the human lives that lived there. Because of you, Kakarot…

'Why should I care about the lives of a few humans? I'm not-' but Kakarot stonewalled himself, nearly dipping into a plunging trench of his identity. I'm… of course I'm not human. How would I think them as worthless if I myself was one? It can't be… Kakarot strained to think- his earliest memories were dragged forward- and remembered nothing before the years he spent with that old man in the forest. I was… content? Was I or was I not? Even that memory feels colored by an impulse just out of sight…

Chi-Chi watched as Kakarot seemed to drop out of the present. He didn't give me a straight answer. Could he have given me a straight answer? Does he… does he not know who he is? What he is? Circling, she said, 'You said before that you like to kill people- but only in some cases. What do you mean?'

Attentiveness returning, Kakarot narrowed his eyes on his captor. 'I enjoy killing people who have challenged me. I do not enjoy slaughtering pathetic weaklings,' Kakarot stated bluntly. Subtly, Kakarot tried to move his left hand out of the rope binding- but the pain radiating from his forearm prevented him from maintaining the movement. Cursing under his breath, he relaxed his arm.

'That,' Chi-Chi uttered, 'is odd. If that's the case, then why do you still attack and kill innocent people?'

Kakarot briefly considered telling her the first and eminent reason that came to mind- to eradicate all life from this planet- but immediately the thought felt foreign, like his mind would have never thought of it in a million years. I- but I don't want to think about- Err!… Kakarot willed through every mental and psychological wall that rose in opposition to his will, determined to finish his thought. I… there is nothing in my life that explain this urge; my desire to harm humanity. I was never grievously wronged by a human. No feud, no grudges. That old man, and that soldier... they both showed kindness in their own way. His mind delved deeper and deeper into questions long suppressed, hidden from his day-to-day consciousness. Confronted by a wave of building confusion, Kakarot could do no more than state how he felt. 'I don't know,' he whispered into the dull echo of the room.

It occurred to Kakarot that this was new. He had never discussed his past, his proclivities, his torturous, untraceable knowledge to anyone. Never had he felt… the urge to. Or had the opportunity to do so. It was exhilarating and frightening all at the same time.

He braced himself for more questions, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth to hold himself together. Seconds passed and none came. A soft sound of rubbing drew his attention back towards Chi-Chi. She shook her head softly, almost reverently, as her eyes bored down on the floor before lifting to his own. Was that… pity? Kakarot thought he saw a trickle of liquid amble down Chi-Chi's right cheek, a faint smudge in the dim room. You… you can't pity me. He turned his head away, trying desperately to block out this time, this place, this girl. You're not allowed to pity me...

0o0o0

'This,' Rayne proclaimed as she swept her arms over a dark, mawing cave, 'is it. Try not to leap from fright.'

Yamcha looked at her quizzically. 'Leap? What's gotten into you?'

'Oh, I'm just trying to make this a little exciting. This is basically the climax of our dragonball hunt- over before it began. I just don't want this iteration to be a lame one.'

'You do remember the Red Ribbon Army base we single-handedly defeated not less than a day ago, right?'

Rayne bristled. 'Yes, I remember quite clearly how the two of us were next to useless, while Krillin single-handedly decimated the leadership of the Red Ribbon Army.' She paused a moment, then shook her head. 'Just get in the damn cave.'

'Fine, fine,' Yamcha acquiesced, throwing his hands up in defeat. 'You're sure the dragonball is in this cave? Doesn't make much sense how it would get here, of all places…'

'Why do you think I said: "leap from fright"? I think,' she proposed, as she climbed over an upturned shelf of rock, following Yamcha inside, 'that someone took the dragonball and brought it in here, and then set up a bunch of challenges for whoever wanted to claim it. Something to prove they're worthy of the wish.'

'Jeez, really? Where'd you get that from?' Yamcha's voice reverberated strangely in the uneven chambers of the cave. 'It's… hmm…' How would a dragonball get inside a cave? 'Alright, fair enough. We'll keep our eyes peele…'. Yamcha disappeared around a corner, swallowed by the black of the cave. Rayne groped her way after him before rounding the corner. She bumped into the back of Yamcha. 'Hey! What's-' she trailed off as her eyes adjusted to the low level of light of the chamber. They were in a gigantic atrium, walls cleanly hewn and tapered from a half-sphere ceiling to run vertical down to the ground. Two braziers burned softly on top of a raised entrance in front of them. A small, decrepit woman, dressed like a witch, sat on top of a floating, cloudy crystal ball.

'This looks promising,' Rayne whispered into Yamcha's neck.

'Welcome!' the old woman greeted them, swinging her arms exaggeratingly. 'Welcome to my home. It's been so long since I've had any visitors!'

'This is your home?' Yamcha asked, his eyes skeptically swiveling from either side of the cave.

'Of course! Who do you think keeps it so clean? Look around you; it's spotless!'

Yamcha, admittedly, could barely see. 'It looks…' he said hesitantly, '...good.'

'Fantastic!' the old woman clapped. 'It always feels nice when others notice your hard work! Enough pleasantries though- it's time you two came inside. The dragonball is waiting; as well as other important matters.'

'Wait,' Rayne said, edging out from behind Yamcha, 'How do you know we're here for the dragonball? And is there a- a test?'

'No test!' Then the old woman gave them a look that was strikingly familiar. 'Today I repay a great debt; though not on my behalf.' She turned on her crystal ball, and then floated towards the doorway behind her. 'You know my brother,' she said, not looking back, 'the Turtle Hermit, of course…'

She exited the chamber, leaving behind her the stunned expressions of Rayne and Yamcha. The former bandit gulped, before turning to Rayne. 'Karma, right?' he said uncertainly.

'Come on,' Rayne uttered, dragging Yamcha by his arm further into the cave.

0o0o0

'You should know that it has been many, many years since someone has succeeded in climbing this tower. It is an incredibly taxing climb that offers no chance to rest; If you run out of energy, there is nowhere for you to go except down.'

A tall, immensely muscled man with the color of darkly roasted chestnut faced Krillin with his arms folded. At his feet a young child clung to his leg. 'Additionally, no one from our village has ever, in our entire history, climbed the Sacred Tower of Korin,' he said. 'You will truly be fighting precedent while you ascend.'

Krillin eyed the tribal chief, who was easily four times his side. 'So, that means you've never climbed the tower, correct?'

The man nodded. 'Yes, that is correct.'

A determined look spread across Krillin's face. He hopped backward, raising his arms in a guard. 'I want you to punch me,' he said.

The man looked amused, but then his expression slowly soured as he realized Krillin wasn't joking. 'You,' he said slowly, one eyebrow raised, 'wish to challenge Bora, the chief of the sacred tribe of Korin?'

'I'm not challenging you. I just want you to punch me; if you do that, and I can take it, then that means I at least have a shot at climbing the tower.'

Bora processed this, then shrugged. He cocked back one of his meaty fists.. 'Remember,' he warned, 'you asked for this.' He flung his arm forward, muscles rippling as the kinetic energy collided with Krillin's block with immense force. The former monk's body was driven a few inches into the dirt from the strength of the attack. Bora drew his arm back, expecting to see the stranger splayed out. Instead, he saw Krillin still holding his guard up, unharmed, and smiling through his arms. '

I think,' Krillin said as he lowered his arms, noticing the shocked expression on Bora's face, 'I have a chance.' With that, he walked past the man to come to the base of the tower. As he readied himself, he heard Bora say behind him, 'Good luck, stranger.'

Without turning, Krillin nodded and began his ascent.

0o0o0

Suno was scared, but she didn't show it. Helping Chi-Chi to drag a mangled body back to an abandoned dwelling on the edge of town- that was frightening. It was even more frightening that they had saved the boy who had single-handedly destroyed Muscle Tower. And- the most frightening thing of all- they were now helping that boy to regain his strength. This boy, who could destroy an entire base like that.

She trusted Chi-Chi's instincts, though. So, every morning Suno carried food and water to the house where Kakarot rested, exchanged curt greetings with Chi-Chi at the door, and spent the rest of her day trying to ignore the massive threat present in her village. She couldn't share in the celebratory mood felt by her family and friends in Jingle Village. With Kakarot here, she could only sit and hope.

0o0o0

Kakarot turned in his bunk, having heard an unclasping of the door to his right. In the gloom, he heard an exchange of plates, a few whispers, and then the closing of the door. Without fail, for days and days, they've fed me and tended to my wounds. Why?

The girl- who he had learned was called Chi-Chi- approached him, stepping into the light on his end of the room. In her hands, she carried a plate of food and a glass of water. She stopped five feet from him, staring at him, then placed the plate at her feet. Chi-Chi drew close to him, bringing the glass of water to his mouth, letting him drink. While he did, Chi-Chi said, 'Half now, half later.'

Drinking thirstily, Kakarot felt no ill will. Knowledge for survival is a fair trade, after all. And I don't think she realizes how quickly I heal… Even now, after a few days, Kakarot felt the flesh in his arms knitting back together- soon he would be able to escape easily. Until that point, then…

She withdrew the glass, placing it next to the plate on the ground. As Chi-Chi had done repeatedly over the past few days, she sat down in a chair next to Kakarot, eyeing him. 'Kakarot,' she finally began, 'I think I understand.'

'Understand what?' he asked, tersely.

'Understand why you are who you are. Everything.'

Kakarot made no attempt to disguise his snort of disbelief. 'You must be stupid and insane to think that you know me.' But this statement wasn't as vitriolic as it should have been- instead, it was quiet, vulnerable, a weak defense against a coming reckoning. Internally, Kakarot railed against his own storm of emotions. This girl and her leading, probing questions!...

'You,' Chi-Chi broke through his haze, 'don't even know who you are, do you? You kill, destroy, fight- but you don't know why.' Her gaze held on him, unflinching. 'You feel like a slave to desires you don't know or don't possess.' Her voice glided across the room, buoyed by the blunt reality of her words.

Kakarot would never agree to such bold claims. Yet, he couldn't force himself to say no. He turned his head away, afraid of showing whatever emotion was bubbling onto his face.

'Even in your greatest moments of achievement,' she continued, 'you feel hollow. Failure haunts you more than anything else.' She leaned forward, imposing over Kakarot. 'I still see the fear we put in you from all those years ago. You remember what we did, yes?'

Kakarot wrenched his gaze away from the wall, studying her- and his memory bloomed. She doesn't look the same- but it's her! How did I miss it before? She was one of those... those!...Rage and anger flitted across his features, as he contemplated- contemplated was too weak of a word- exploding this entire house with his ki. 'Your words are puny and weak, just like you,' he snapped. 'If you think you know me, then you're wrong. I have killed countless people- I have defeated enemies you could only dream of fighting. I decide what lives and what dies on this planet, me alone! I am a PROUD SAIYAN WARRIOR, ABOVE CREATURES SUCH AS YOU!' His yell savaged the room, shaking freestanding pots and furnishings, staggering Chi-Chi out of her chair, her features a mass of fright- no, it was discovery, what did- what did I just say?- Kakarot shrank beneath his rage, coiling around himself as best as he could, withdrawing his head beneath the covers.

'Please,' he pleaded, like someone dying of hunger begging for bread, 'leave me.'

From beneath the sheets, he heard nothing for a moment. Then, the tell-tale sound of a pair of feet retreating skimmed across the room. Within seconds the door to the house closed, and he was alone. Alone with his thoughts. Tears trickled in runnels down his face, staining his sheets and clothes. "Saiyan?" The word that has eluded him for so long? He forced his mouth to repeat the word, enunciating every syllable silently. Saiyan. I can never forget what that is- who I am...

Saiyan…

0o0o0

Every inch of Krillin ached. Five minutes into his climb, his euphoria and bravado had been superseded by a dawning realization of the difficulty of this climb. Thirty minutes into his climb, he slowed his pace to best conserve his energy. Six hours after that, he waded into the cloud line.

That was… he didn't even know how many hours ago now. A whole day might have passed, for all he knew. How is this even possible?! Krillin thought in righteous rage, as the succession of arms and legs rising upwards became mechanical, inhuman, as if their sole purpose was to grasp and push. He sucked in air; he suspected he was out of breath partly due to the height, but mostly because of his exhaustion. Bora was right- there was no chance to rest while climbing. The brief breaks he had chanced had done no more than give him a fleeting moment of pause, useful for steadying his bouncing head but not much else. His arms felt like stretched coils of rope, sticking together through sheer will alone; his legs burned with every thin purchase he found in the thin tower. Of course, all these pains were amplified by the zero-visibility setting he found himself in. A massive cloud had dogged the tower for hours, obscuring Krillin's sight to a handful of feet in every direction.

He was truly losing his mind. Climbing blind for hours on end, his body screaming, his eyes straining to see anything beyond the tower pressed against his body- a tower, mind you, that was infuriatingly uniform and repetitive. Krillin's mind was stuck- he repeated a single question in his exhausted mind, over and over, as his body continued pressing forward; Why bother building a tower if every damn part is going to look the same!?

Then, as if answering his prayers, a dim light started to shine above Krillin. He wearily lifted his eyes skyward, saw the light- that must be the sun!- and his eyes widened in shock. In a moment he was speeding up the tower, burning through whatever energy he had left, to- oh please, please let me see the sun again before I die!...

Arm after arm, leg after leg, he pulled himself upwards, the cloud dissipating in spurts around him, granting the scene around him blessed light. He felt the sun start to shine weakly on his shaved head. Its warmth empowered him- his strides become stronger, faster, as he accelerated, virtually sliding up the tower, as all pretenses of weakness were discarded. He bolted out of the last remains of the cloud, greeted by a warm, sunny day. And- an end. Fifty feet above Krillin, there was a circular platform, no more than maybe 30 feet across. It curved upwards- it seemed to be taller than it was wider.

With a goal in sight, Krillin easily finished his climb, drawing out every ounce of energy left from his body as he pulled himself over the edge of the tower. He collapsed onto the platform, panting as the tension in his muscles fled his body.

He laid there, his eyes closed, until something wooden tapped the center of his forehead. Krillin opened his eyes and standing above him, silhouetted by the sun, was a short, white cat, with a small staff in its hand. The cat tapped Krillin again, a bit more forcefully this time, after Krillin had stared silently at the strange sight for a few moments. 'Hey!' Krillin barked, swatting the stick away, 'stop that!'

'Ah,' the cat spoke, 'so he talks!'

Krillin gaped, before manually using his hand to close his mouth. Oh- so it talks. 'You're… speaking?'

The cat huffed. 'Well, that's a rude thing to say.'

'But- but you're a cat!'

'So? Haven't you met other talking "animals"? I swear, some people are so narrow-minded…'

Krillin suddenly realized that, actually, he had talked to many other "animals"- not least a certain floating cat. I… well, this was pretty ignorant of me. Blushing from embarrassment and shame, Krillin stuttered, 'I'm so- I didn't mean to-'

The cat brought his staff down one final time, hitting Krillin painfully on the forehead. 'Ow!' he exclaimed, pouting.

'That's what you get for being rude to me in my own home,' the cat said sternly, grumbling.

Rubbing his forehead, where a small bruise was welling up, Krillin glanced around his surroundings. It was… very modest and austere. This floor was entirely flat, featureless. A stairwell led downstairs, presumably to where this strange cat person lived. A sigh drew Krillin's attention back to the occupant.

'Regardless, welcome to my home. Korin's Tower. My tower.'

'So you're Korin?' Krillin asked, trying to size up the cat as politely as possible without coming off as dismissive.

'The one and only,' Korin said, smiling. 'You,' he lowered his staff, pointing his staff towards Krillin, 'have done something that hasn't been done in centuries. You have successfully climbed this tower.' Korin angled his staff vertical again to lean on it. 'Tell me- sorry, what is your name?'

'Krillin.'

'Krillin, tell me; why have you sought out the famous Korin? Do you desire fame? Power? Wealth?'

'Fame? For myself?'

Yes! You'll receive fame for being associated with me!'

'You're famous? Really?''

A vein bulged on Korin's forehead. 'Yes, the famous Korin! The immortal cat, the patron of all honorable martial artists. Surely you've heard of me!'

Krillin shrugged. 'If I'm the only person in centuries to climb this tower,' Krillin speculated, 'and if you stay up here a lot, how would anyone know about you?'

'What about the tribe at the foot of the tower!' Korin said exasperatedly. 'They must have told you about the illustrious Korin!'

'Well, actually, they just seem to worship the tower… I don't think they know, or remember you…' Krillin finished awkwardly, fiddling with his hands.

Korin turned away from Krillin and put his head into his free hand. My own lifestyle has betrayed me!... He shook his head, sighed, and swung back to Krillin. 'Your logic is sound, as sad as it is. I guess that punk centuries ago wasn't much of a talker…' He shook his head again. 'Shame. Anyway; my original question. Krillin, tell me- what is it you desire from me?'

Krillin thought for a moment, scratching his head. 'To be honest, I just wanted to climb this tower. I was curious. Well, that, and a little indignant. I didn't expect to meet a talking cat…' Krillin frowned, then said, 'I don't know what I desire.'

'Don't know what you desire? You're a curious one,' Korin commented. 'I can help with that.' Korin approached Krillin and motioned him to lean his head forward. Krillin hesitated, then acquiesced, tilting his head.

Korin extended one cat paw and placed it on Krillin's head. All at once Krillin felt a thousand images and thoughts of his mind be upturned, examined, rifled through, as if his own memory was being emptied and refilled. Time passed- how long, Krillin had no idea- and then he found himself falling backward, flopping down on his butt, panting. He found his bearings, and looked up at Korin. The cat had a grave look in his eyes. 'I'm sorry for that,' he said, 'for what just happened. It usually isn't that stunning- but the grief, the burdens you carry… I'm sorry for everything.' The way he said it, Krillin immediately sensed, was genuine and sincere, as if Korin had lived through every gut-wrenching moment Krillin had experienced.

'Did you- did you' the former monk sputtered.

'I read your mind, yes. I saw… everything.' Korin seemed to lean on his staff heavier than before. 'Your past three years- your fights, your triumphs, your losses. I saw a great shadow looming over you, blotting the sun with its sheer size. I think- I think I saw him. Kakarot.'

Krillin continued to stare at Korin, hollowed-eyed and knowing.

'I understand what lies behind you- and what lies in front of you. You have a great many challenges to overcome. So I will train you to overcome them. You have.. less than two months before the World Tournament, yes?'

Krillin nodded, sluggishly.

'Then I will teach you all that I possibly can in that time.' A small grin fluttered onto Korin's face. 'It's the least I can do for a pupil of my pupil.'

The last statement fully shook Krillin out of his stupor, realization dawning on him. 'Wait, so that means?...'

'I taught the legendary Turtle Hermit himself.'

0o0o0

Rayne and Yamcha followed the old woman single-file down a narrow rock corridor. The paths twisted and turned, fluctuating in height up and down, making the journey more disorienting than it already was. The only light was the dull glow that emanated from the old woman's crystal ball. 'Is there any reason,' Rayne said after a time, 'why this path is so disorienting?'

'This route is essentially the shortcut to my inner chamber,' the old woman explained. 'The other route is filled with nasty booby traps and arenas- best to avoid those for the sake of time.'

Yamcha gulped behind Rayne. 'Yep,' he muttered, 'for the sake of time…'

A few more minutes and they arrived at a simple wooden door, wholly brown save for a dull bronze doorknob. The old woman gestured for them to go forward. Rayne gripped the handle and pushed the door open.

They found themselves in a homely room, furnished with a tea table, couches, chairs, carpets, even a fully complemented tea set. Somewhat surprised by the quality of living found within a cave, Rayne and Yamcha allowed themselves to be herded to a couch by the old woman.

'There. Comfortable?' the old woman asked as she began levitating the tea set, pouring cups for them.

Rayne and Yamcha were both impossibly submerged into the couch. Fighting out of it- and out of her own comfort- Rayne sat up and verbally assented.

'Let's get to the matter at hand, then,' the old woman continued 'and get formalities out of the way. My name is Baba. What are your names?' Baba asked, levitating steaming cups of tea to them both. Where and when the cups were heated, they had no idea.

'I'm Rayne, he's Yamcha,' Rayne gestured to the former bandit with her free hand. She accepted the cup of tea and took a sip- WOAH. She glanced into the cup, trying to discern what was used to make it. Some sort of greenish-orange plant was spindling out and off the side of the cup. This is the best cup of tea I've ever had. In my life. She took another sip, drinking greedily, then poured another cup for herself. Yamcha, once he had risen sufficiently out of the couch to try the tea, reacted similarly.

'My, my,' Baba said, 'enjoy the tea, do you?'

Rayne and Yamcha nodded vigorously, each downing another cup.

Baba made a motion with her hand, and a wrapped mummy shambled into the room, who picked up the tea set and took it to a room behind Baba. 'Hey!' Yamcha exclaimed, slurping his last cup of tea, 'bring that back! We weren't done!'

'Trust me,' a grinning Baba advised, 'you're don't need to drink any more of that stuff. You've had more than enough.'

'Wait,' Rayne asked suspiciously, 'enough for what?'

'Enough for the next part.' Then Baba's eyes seemed to gloss over, before snapping back to a defined iris. 'By the way, that plant is hard to get! You should be grateful that I gave you as much as did!' As she said this, the room started to swim and shift before Rayne and Yamcha's eyes- but it wasn't disorienting or alarming- it was more like an expansion of their senses. A white film started to bleed into their sight, layering over everything within the room save for themselves. Baba smirked and placed two hands on the orb beneath her. The room began to spin, as thousands of individual white films splintered and shook, as if she was clearing away a spiderweb. The spinning continued until but one thin sliver of white film remained. Slowly, it straightened, then expanded, as it began to spread down to touch the ground. Wisps started to coalesce as legs, arms. torso, as a man slowly formed before their eyes. The head came last- the figure before them was an old man, his face framed by a bushy white mustache and eyebrows. His gave an easy smile, fully appearing before then as a nearly white specter. 'Hello there,' he said.

Rayne was absolutely rattled. Yamcha looked confused, then turned to Baba, saying, 'Is this a ghost? I can't think of any other explanation for what I'm seeing.'

'You are correct, Yamcha. This is a ghost- or more politely, Gohan the ghost, formerly a human martial artist.'

'How… how is this even possible?' Rayne asked, stupefied.

'You think this,' Baba chuckled, 'is unbelievable?' She exchanged a knowing glance with Gohan. 'You're in for a surprise one day, girl.'

'Okay,' Yamcha interrupted, 'but even if ghosts exist, how are we seeing one right now? Aren't they supposed to be invisible?'

'Right again, Yamcha. Ask yourself this, though; what do you think I put in your tea?'

The gears started turning in Yamcha's mind. Drank tea. Felt weird. Now I'm seeing ghosts. Which means…

Yamcha suddenly cried, holding his head between his head. 'We're DEAD- WE'RE GHOSTS!' he shouted in shock.

Rayne looked down at her hand, examined it, then pinched it. Feeling a bit of pain, she then pinched the hysterical Yamcha, who moved away with a yelp. 'Yamcha, if we were ghosts,' Rayne pointed out, 'then we shouldn't feel any physical pain,' she looked towards Baba for confirmation, 'right?'

Baba nodded. 'The tea I gave you lets you see ghosts, not be them.'

Rayne leaned back, folding her arms, satisfied with her deducing. Yamcha took a moment to collect himself, then turned back towards Gohan. Baba motioned Gohan to begin.

'I don't have very long,' Gohan clarified, 'and neither do you two- that tea's effects fade very fast- so I'll be brief.' He paused, uncertain how to proceed. 'I think it'll be easier if I start from the beginning, and share with you my perspective of what happened, and why. Open your minds to me, and I, with the help of Baba, will show you everything.' Baba came to the side of Gohan, somehow placing a hand on his intangible form

Rayne and Yamcha exchanged hard glances, then nodded for him to go ahead.

Immediately they were both drawn away from the current scene, feeling themselves be wrenched from their minds as, slowly, their vision re-focused. They were seeing out of the eyes of Gohan, in a forest somewhere on Earth. The old man walked down a path- a path he had walked a hundred times before, judging by how casually and appreciatively he strolled. It wasn't a noteworthy day, a voice drifted into their minds, in retrospect. This day, however, might turn out to be the most dreadfully consequential day in the history of humanity. Gohan continued to walk through the forest until he heard something on the very edge of his hearing. He paused, listening, and identified a weak cry to his right. Concerned, the old man waded into the forest's thicker parts, brushing aside branches and bushes, until he emerged into a small clearing. The scene before him was grisly- a small, naked baby with a tail was impossibly raked by claws, bleeding from what seemed like every inch of its body. It lied atop of a mangled bear corpse, bloody and unmoving. Through Gohan's eyes, Rayne and Yamcha saw them approach the baby. I did what any decent person would have done. I didn't question how this baby had seemingly fought and killed a bear, or why it was in the middle of the forest by itself. In that moment, my only concern was saving that baby's life. Gohan crouched down as he reached the baby. Rayne and Yamcha could now see- the baby's hair was identical to Kakarot's. Ghosts can have regrets, as it turns out.

The scene faded, then reformed, as they now looked down on a more slightly grown and healed Kakarot, who was stumbling around outside as a young toddler. Rayne and Yamcha knew instantly this was a gaze of concern, worry- but not for Kakarot. A small bird was on the ground near Kakarot, pecking at some seeds at its feet. Kakarot sighted the bird, and Gohan watched with sadness as Kakarot launched himself forward and sloppily slammed a fist down on the bird, laughing. When Kakarot raised his hand and found the bird crushed underneath, he suddenly cried, and ran back to Gohan, who took him in his arms and lifted him. That was what stopped me, you see, from doing what needed to be done. He killed animals for fun, with a terrifying lack of conscientiousness, no matter how hard I tried to teach him that it was wrong. Yet, he always ran back to me after the act, seeking my calm and protective arms, crying- though crying from what, I don't know. I was terrified that a person would wander into my lonely stretch of forest and be brutally killed by Kakarot. And I couldn't leave the forest with him, seeking outside help; I couldn't risk exposing him to others as long as he was killing every thing he saw. So, I lived as best as I could and acted as Kakarot's keeper in an effort to shield as much of the outside world from him. I let him out of the house as little as possible during the day, and I never let him be alone at night when he could get out of my sight. I spoke to him, taught him how to speak, but beyond a few words here and there (which was usually his name), he never spoke, nor informed me of the state of his mind. He was… unknowable, in the strongest sense of the word. Perhaps I should have been satisfied that he never tried to kill me. I suspect that, because I saved his life, he felt an attachment to me- but that didn't extend to learning from me in any meaningful way. For years, this went on, to the point where I started to go mad.

The scene shifted again, this time reforming in a dimly lit room, except for a lone, thick candle burning brightly on a desk. Hands were sorting through a stack of handwritten notes. I began studying Kakarot, writing down my observations. I wanted to learn as much about him as possible while we kept each other imprisoned. I discovered that grabbing his tail immobilized him, which became very useful in stopping him from running off to kill any wildlife. I probed his ki; while it was strong, what astounded me more was its purity- it seemed that from birth he could easily and efficiently call on ki at a moment's notice. Only a rare few humans can claim to possess that sort of talent. It was at that time that I realized that Kakarot was a grave threat to the entire world. If, at only the age of 3 or 4, he had better ki control than 95% of the planet's population, and if he trained himself with a singular purpose- well, I didn't dare to think how strong he'd be as a grown man.

The years were getting to me. I grew careless and despondent with the fears I harbored. One night, 6 or 7 years after I had found him, I woke up with a start as the entire house shook. I ran outside and saw Kakarot gazing towards the full moon. The scene described blossomed into view, the shade of night lit by the luminescent moon. Gohan stood a few feet away, saw Kakarot stare at the moon almost hypnotically. Then, Kakarot began to thrum and shake, as if his heart had grown ten sizes larger and was pumping vicious blood through him. Hair spurted over every open space of his skin; large canines rose in Kakarot's mouth as he howled, more beast than man. He started to grow in size.

Gohan sprung into action, grasping Kakarot's tail- but the paralyzing effect that action would have had was gone, as Kakarot continued to grow unabated, until he was taller than the treeline and hair covered every inch of his body. He howled towards the sky, the sound blotting out all thought within Gohan's head. Kakarot was a monster- his large, red eyes, were set deep into his ape-like face, save for a dog-like, elongated mouth and nose. The ape moved impossibly quick- the strength and speed of this monster were beyond anything Gohan had ever seen. Moments before Kakarot's massive foot stomped down on him, knowing there was no way to escape his imminent death, Gohan summoned his energy and lit himself like a ki flare, shooting his energy out to his surroundings. Then the foot came down and crushed him like a bug.

That was how I died, the voice said after a moment of turgid silence, as the scene slowly faded into nothing. I had hoped that my master, Roshi, would be able to sense my desperate last act, and do what I could not. He came close to killing Kakarot- but he failed too. The rest is, as they say, history.

Rayne and Yamcha then found themselves back in the room with Baba and Gohan, blinking rapidly as if their eyes had been open for a long period of time. Gohan, who was fading, nodded to Baba, who took her hand off him. 'Now you know my story,' he said solemnly, 'of how I failed. I hope, however, that through telling you of my mistakes, you will not repeat them.' His voice seemed to pass in and out of existence- he was truly running out of time. 'Please- rectify.'

'I don't understand!' Rayne cried out, 'what do you want us to do? Do you want us to kill Kakarot?'

Gohan smiled sadly, then made a motion with his head- but he had faded too much, and it was impossible to see whether he agreed or disagreed with what she had said. 'Remember what I told you,' he echoed, now nearly gone, 'and above all, remember his strengths and weaknesses, they will…' he faded, then his voice vanished, as his outline disappeared. He was gone.

'He was going to finish,' Baba added, 'with, "they will be crucial in defeating what is to come.' She tapped her ball. 'Sorry for the connection going out at the end, but this beauty here picked up everything.'

Rayne's eyebrows knitted, feeling more anguish than she thought possible for a ghost she had never known in life.

Yamcha sat forward, his hands creating an arch that he rested his head on.

Neither were very loquacious at the moment.

'I think,' Baba said after several silent seconds, 'I will leave you two to your thoughts, to process. what you had just heard. When you're ready to discuss, just yell.'

'What,' Rayne said slowly, her mind still lost in what had just transpired, 'is there left to discuss?'

'You two have a tournament coming up,' Baba grinned, 'and I know some fighters who are very eager to help you train…' Baba left the room after that comment, hovering away on her crystal ball.

If Rayne and Yamcha had noticed she had left, they didn't show it.

0o0o0

Chi-Chi had spent the last twenty-four hours embroiled in thought. Saiyan? What is that? Her last talk with Kakarot had been unexpectedly revealing. She now had a word, albeit a meaningless one, to assign to him. He's… a Saiyan. Alright. That's something. Feeling the chill of the weather, she pulled her coat tighter around her, gazing out at the snow-covered landscape beyond the village. Her shoulder ached from the cold. Her arm was slung across her body in fabric.

There were other revelations about the nature of Kakarot. He was, first of all, very troubled. The confusion and despair he possessed for his own purpose were palpable- Chi-Chi was nearly overwhelmed on numerous occasions by the sheer weight of his hurt. Something we never considered, in all these years of fear; he was as broken, if not more, than us. His gnawing pain of loss and lack of direction. She saw it now- and saw too much. The more she had come to know Kakarot, the more she sympathized with him. Which, she reminded herself with dreadful seriousness, was an incredibly dangerous thing to do. The moment I start to believe his motives, his reasons- then I deprive myself of all willingness to choose his death over the death of my friends. She laughed, feeling for the first time a similarity to Krillin's own moral troubles when dealing with Kakarot. Though, in his case, that was due to his own character, not because he knew Kakarot.

She had also learned of, through peering past the turmoil of Kakarot's soul, a small chance of redemption. As corny as that sounds. He doesn't enjoy killing aimlessly- he enjoys killing as a means to find a challenge. It's still morally wrong, but regardless- he's not the monster we painted him as.

That fact was what Chi-Chi was having the hardest time accepting. We spent so much time demonizing Kakarot- he had, after all, hurt us all profoundly, in one way or another way. Fighting him to one day kill him was easier when we saw a stark, black canvas. But now… I could never accept that view again. I've seen too much of the person underneath.

What was she going to do? She couldn't keep Kakarot tied to a bed forever, as his body slowly healed to meet and surpass her own level of strength. Inhibiting him was out of the option- she was too injured herself to permanently affect him in any meaningful way, barring rolling the dice and clumsily trying to put what she had seen Tao do into action. She realized, abruptly, that she had put this entire village at risk, not least Suno, who given her a spot to keep him captive and had had Chi-Chi's back the whole way through. She didn't deserve this burden. I created it- I should have been the only one to bear it.

The sun, hazy and distant in the winter sky, was high in the sky. Chi-Chi sighed. Time for the visit, then. She turned and walked for a few minutes towards the house where Kakarot was being kept. When she reached the door, she heard rapid moving inside, and rushed inside in a panic. She saw Suno rapidly turning over the sheets of the bed. The empty bed. Suno spun, dread fear in her eyes, 'He's gone,' she half-whispered, half-shouted across the room.

On a nearby hill, Kakarot had watched Chi-Chi run into the house alarmed. He frowned from pain- he had moved quickly to escape undetected. His body certainly wasn't 100%, but it had healed substantially; breaking out of his binds had been simple. In fact, he could have done so several days ago. So why didn't I?

For the second time in his life, Kakarot felt… a warmth towards someone else. He had not enjoyed delving into the maelstrom of conflict within him. With that girl's help, however, he had learned more about himself than he thought possible. Things long forgotten, and in some cases, things he had never consciously known were rising to the surface of his mind, as if together they had thoroughly dredged from him all tangible and relevant facts.

He was a Saiyan. He did not belong here- he was, at least, sure he did not belong on Earth. That old man, long ago, had caused him to forget his proud origins. His Saiyan instincts had remained intact, but his mind had lost the crucial pillar to his existence. Some of what he remembered was unclear… but he knew he had been sent here, to fight and rise above the muck of this planet. So far, some humans had proved strong, even formidable.

That had to change. Kakarot had wandered aimlessly for too long. Starting at that tournament- blood will spill, penitence for his years of mindless destruction. He would kill every human, consecrate this planet in death, starting with the strongest. His campaign of total destruction would start as it should have all those years ago.

His blood felt hot, raging, even burning with anticipation. My instincts… they cry out with approval. This tournament shall be the final bright moment for humanity- seeing their champions battle valiantly to the end. I shall rid this planet of life, then leave to find my kin. And that will the end of it.

0o0o0

'Do you think they'll be alright with this? Truly?'

Rayne was tying a satchel to the side of her jeep- the three-star dragonball, ready to join the six others that Bulma had spirited away to Capsule Corp for safe keeping. In response to Yamcha's question, Rayne tightened the knot she was working on. 'Gohan told us a ton of useful information about Kakarot. That combined with the training we did with Baba's warriors should be more than enough to handle anything he could throw at us.'

'Alright then.' Yamcha walked over to the passenger's side of the jeep and climbed in. 'On to West City, then to the tournament? I hope that detour won't make us late.'

'Trust me,' Rayne said as she sat in the driver's seat, 'I'll be looking to offload this orange target,' she gestured to the hitched sack in the back, 'as soon as possible.'

From the mouth of the cave, frowning, Baba sat on her crystal ball, watching the jeep start and drive away. They're not prepared for what's coming next. Not in the slightest...

0o0o0

A few weeks later, In a deserted corner of the tournament grounds, three figures descended from the sky, landing on a tiled path. Arranged in a line, an elderly man broke out of formation first and walked forward, examining the area, before turning to face the other two. One was pale and tiny- the other was tall, muscular, and bald, with- startling to strangers- a third eye on his forehead. Both were clothed in the robes and surcoats of the old man; it was obvious that they were his students.

'You both understand your mission. The murderer was neither subtle nor tricky- he cared nothing for hiding his foul act. He is here, at this tournament, flaunting his pitiful power. Both of you,' he swept her arm out towards them, 'have been trained to the highest degree, and are, without question, the best students among your many talented classmates. There are no two people better suited for this task.'

The two students focused their harsh, serious attention on every word of their master.

'You two are Crane. Now show it- defeat and kill that upstart with the tail. And while you're at it, win the tournament too. If my memory serves me right, I'm sensing a familiar… friend of mine here. No doubt he will have brought his students as well.'

He examined his students for a moment longer, then turned, and said, 'Come. Let's greet the competition.'

0o0o0

Across the grounds, Master Roshi, his now alerted eyes hidden beneath his sunglasses, loathed what was coming. Don't I already have enough on my mind, Universe? Are all my enemies and rivals going to pop up today? Might as well bring out the Demon King Piccolo while you're at it… hah-hah. Don't actually. At his side, Retu and Launch, clothed in their own Turtle school gis, waved. Bulma, Yamcha, Puar, Krillin, Rayne, and Chi-Chi were all fast approaching. Master Roshi felt an ounce of pride well up from within him. And grown stronger they have. I wonder, though, he thought, turning his head towards the main grounds and eyeing the resplendent wooden arch shining in the sun, will it be enough?


A/N: Another long chapter! I hope this doesn't become a habit!

Reviews:

LWexe: I'm rapidly increasing the number of people I'm juggling at any given time, hah!