Endgame
Chapter 42: Choice
A/N: There's a lengthy author-to-reader discussion at the bottom. Trust when I say: there's going to be a lot to unpack.
Also; this chapter was consecrated by the song Symmetry by Spires. Gotta love that prog metal.
The sun curved ever so slightly closer to the horizon; approximately an hour of sunlight was left before the city would be bathed in darkness.
Neither fighter seemed to acknowledge the changing landscape around them- their gazes were trained on each other.
Krillin made the first move, charging straight at Raditz with one elbow held at his side. Raditz scoffed. 'Predictable!' He taunted as he threw out a wave of energy, incinerating the area in an arc in front of him.
To his surprise, Krillin's image pushed through the conflagration, then shimmered as it passed through him. 'AAGH!' Raditz yelped as a chop crashed into the back of his neck, knocking the Saiyan warrior forward. Furious, Raditz spun around swinging the back of his fist, but his enemy was nowhere to be found.
'Down here!' Krillin yelled out, as he slid underneath Raditz and wrapped his arms around Raditz's ankles. The Saiyan felt his legs be pulled out from under him, but caught himself in a push-up position just before impacting against the ground.
At that moment, Krillin released his grip on Raditz's ankles and pushed off the ground with his legs, back-flipping and landing feet-first on Raditz's back. The Saiyan made an audible choke of pain as his weak spot was slammed, pushing him flush to the ground.
Not done, Krillin quickly jumped into the air and spun, adjusting his body to face towards the ground. Briskly, he cupped his hands at his side. 'KAMEHAMEHA!' Krillin roared, as a point-blank blue blast spilled down and pushed Raditz further into the ground.
0o0o0
The earth-deafening explosion wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. A great gust of force and heat passed over Kakarot's back, but aside from some minor discomfort, he escaped anything painful. More importantly, the little bundle of heat beneath his chest was still present. Shaking some dust off of himself, Kakarot stood, cradling baby Gohan in his arms.
Chi-Chi, who was huddling a few feet away, rose a few seconds after him. She looked at Kakarot and Gohan with a strange mix of happiness and consternation. 'You know, then.'
'It wasn't very hard to figure out, once I actually thought about it,' Kakarot responded, looking down at his son. My son… 'He does look like me, after all.'
'That's… true…' Chi-Chi said distractedly, her head turning. 'Do you sense that?'
'What?' Kakarot looked at her. 'My brother?'
'No… the people he's fighting. I can barely sense them… my friends... ' Chi-Chi hardened her face. 'They need me.' She swung her head to Kakarot. 'You're much more injured than I am right now; stay here and make sure Gohan is safe.' A small smile graced her face. 'I trust you. Okay?'
'...Okay…' As she started to walk away, guilt and regret began to well up inside him again. He wanted to say something, anything, to convey what had happened here - but it was horrible. What he had done here was horrible. What good thing have I done to deserve her trust… Kakarot peered down at Gohan. Caring for our son...
Kakarot realized that Chi-Chi had never been anything less than truthful with him. Not like me...
'Wait!' Kakarot cried out, causing Chi-Chi to flinch. 'There's… something you need to know.'
She turned back to him. 'What?' she said softly. She felt an irrational pang of fear hit her. 'You don't have to say anything about what you did in the past, the people-' she choked '-or the villages-'
He said nothing in response, but the expression he gave Chi-Chi was damning. She stepped closer to him. 'You- you didn't-'
'Look at my hands, Chi-Chi… they're covered in dried blood…'
0o0o0
Krillin gently drifted back to the ground, using as little ki as possible to slow his descent. Though he may have gotten a fortuitous power boost, he was still stuck with the same damaged body he had beforehand. And this body is leaking energy quicker than I'd like to admit...
He risked a glance over at Yamcha. Steadily, he sensed his friend's power level began to grow, centering around his right arm. A few minutes more, that's all he needs.
As Krillin set foot on solid ground again, the smoke resulting from his Kamehameha suddenly billowed. Tensing, Krillin dug his back foot into a loose cobble-
-Just as Raditz's form came bounding out into the open, slamming one forearm against Krillin's block, causing the cobble underneath Krillin's foot to skid out. Krillin found himself frantically falling backward on defense.
Raditz's eyes were bloodshot. 'You!' He raged, smacking away a slow forearm block and gripping the other arm at the wrist. 'You pest!'
Krillin used this anchoring to suddenly jump, flipping over Raditz' body and swinging a kick towards the Saiyan's back. Raditz anticipated this, however, and twisted, catching the kick with his free arm. 'That won't work a second time!' He seethed. Tangled as he was, though, Krillin was able to slam another kick into Raditz's chin and knock him back, releasing his grip from Krillin's wrist and leg.
For all this effort, Krillin nearly stumbled to one knee when he landed. Where Raditz had gripped him at the foot and the wrist ached with an excruciating pain. Even weakened, his physical strength is still far beyond my own!...
A flicker of energy touched Krillin's mind. His eyes shot forward, noticing Raditz cupping a blast with one hand. Sparks jittered up and down the arm, giving the impression that he was holding a live electrical wire.
There was enough energy in that attack to kill Krillin two times over. In fact, it would probably destroy a mile-long swath of city behind Krillin-
A crazy idea bubbled up in Krillin's mind. It's better than sitting here like a lemming! Moving quickly, Krillin began to rotate his right arm above him in the air, forming a thin, circular outline of yellow. The little energy Krillin still possessed from the earlier power boost flooded into the disk, forming a weak but operable Destructo Disk. This won't cut through him… but maybe!... 'Hey Raditz!' Krillin shouted, 'Catch this!' He then flung the attack at the Saiyan.
Enraged, Raditz brought up his one arm to bear on Krillin. 'Say goodbye!' He howled, his voice bleeding into the deafening boom as a red blast spewed out from his arm.
The attacks crashed together in the middle. There was a brief pause where the only sound in the plaza was the sound of the Destructo Disk futilely hissing against the stronger, larger attack. Then, the disk began cutting through the center of the attack, cleaving it into a right and left half and filling the air with a cathartic slicing sound. Having lost any pretense of stability, both Raditz's blast and the Destructo Disk exploded in a premature release of energy.
0o0o0
Yamcha nearly lost his concentration when the explosion rocked the air, sending another powerful gust of air towards him. Woah! The energy he had been gathering the past few minutes came dangerously close to dissipating- but he shuddered and clenched himself harder. I can't lose it now; I'm so close!
The smoke blew away from Krillin and Raditz a few seconds later. Amazingly, Krillin was still on his feet, though his arms were shaking in a braced position in front of him.
Compared to Krillin, Raditz looked much worse. His right arm, which had launched the blast towards Krillin, was blackened and bloody; it seemed to have taken the brunt of the premature detonation. Looking closer, Yamcha noticed that nearly the entire front of Raditz's body was scuffed and damaged, in some places wholly ruined from the blast.
Gasping for air, Raditz staggered forward. His malevolent gaze centered on the shorter human warrior. He said nothing- instead, he charged and smacked an elbow downward on Krillin's head, knocking the human to the ground. Then, slowly, Raditz bent down and lifted Krillin by his neck. The last orange strap of Krillin's gi unraveled and fell down the left side of his waist.
A punch rammed into Krillin's gut, causing the human to involuntarily expel all the air from his lungs. 'Was it worth it?' Raditz asked before ramming another punch into Krillin's gut. 'To last this long before your inevitable end? To feel all this pain For what?' Another punch. Then another.
Krillin couldn't respond. The lack of air in his lungs coupled with Raditz's tight grip around his neck made breathing almost impossible. Weakly, he motioned towards his neck with one hand.
No… Wait... Raditz abruptly dropped the human and turned around to the other fighter. The one with the scar had done well to conceal his intentions, but it was now easy to judge what was happening as a ball of yellow-white ball of energy started to expand in Yamcha's upturned palm. Slowly, he began to lift the arm well over his head in preparation to throw it.
Raditz laughed. 'You think you can hit me now that I know it's coming? Hah! Is that what you hope to defeat me with? A slow moving ball?'
Yamcha frowned and said nothing.
'Aah, wait!' Raditz exclaimed, snapping his fingers. 'You were going to use the other one to distract me!' Raditz turned around again to the human warrior he had left on death's doorstep. 'The little one-'
The body is missing. Where?...
A hand clasped around Raditz's tail, immediately sending a raw, painful sensation throughout his body. The creeping paralysis soon followed, locking up every muscle in his body. It!... It can't be!... Raditz forced his head to the side, peering over his shoulder.
Krillin was lamely sitting on the ground behind Raditz, one hand clamped on the Saiyan's tail. 'I once pulled off this trick a long, long time ago,' Krillin commented. 'So, it occurred to me- why not again?'
'-Again!?' Raditz stammered out.
'Thank your brother.' With one pained turn of his head, Krillin set his gaze on Yamcha. 'Do it now!'
His backside was exposed. No… Raditz mentally struggled to move- but he was paralyzed. No!... 'No! NO NO NO!' He cried.
Yamcha's face twisted, forcing the last bits of his collected energy into the blast. With unerring aim, he pointed two fingers of his free hand directly at Raditz's back.
'SPIRIT!... BALL!' He yelled, causing the other attack to rocket away from his palm.
Raditz's one backward-looking eye shot to Krillin. 'You'll die if you keep holding on to my tail!' Raditz said desperately. 'We'll both die!'
Krillin looked up at him with a dumb smile on his face. 'Remember what I said? "Gladly"...'
0o0o0
Kakarot finished his confession; at the end of it, Chi-Chi stepped up to him and took Gohan out of his arms. He didn't resist.
'You…' She mumbled. Her eyes swept over him back-and-forth, as if she was examining a stranger. 'After everything you did… after everything I did… we did…' She struggled to piece together, 'You did this?' She gestured with her one free arm to the landscape around them. 'You attacked this city? Killed all these people?...'
He avoided her eyes; he found a chunk of a concrete pillar to stare at instead.
'I'm… so foolish…' Chi-Chi muttered to herself, drawing both Gohan and her arms tighter. 'To think… I came here for you…'
'You did?' Kakarot said calmly. 'For me?'
She ignored his question. 'Did you ever actually change?' She asked, more accusatory than questioning. 'In the twenty years you've spent fighting, scrounging, killing… did you ever try to change? Or are you content with being a monster?'
Images of the cave- the shack- the pod- they all flashed through Kakarot's mind. 'I-' he shut his mouth. His mind seized- he couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. No! It's not true! I always wanted something else!...
A sudden ki signature shook them out of their conversation. They both spun towards the battle in the plaza.
In awe, both Chi-Chi and Kakarot watched as a ball of super concentrated ki zoomed towards Raditz and Krillin, with Krillin kneeling on the ground behind the Saiyan and feebly holding his tail. Raditz's head was turned to see over his shoulder, the purest expression of fear dominating his face, the look of someone realizing their approaching death in slow-motion-
There was a rush of air at Chi-Chi's side. Then, she saw Kakarot rushing forward, racing to beat the imminent blast.
0o0o0
As Krillin watched Yamcha's Spirit Ball edge closer and closer, he came to realize that he was lucky. Not many people got to live the life he had. Not many people had fought for as many things as he had, too. This, he decided, was a good enough end. I could live with this, hah…
The ball was only several feet away now. Right before the blast hit, however, he felt his arm gripping Raditz's tail- and, consequently, his body- be yanked upwards into the direct path of the blast. No…
He felt no pain- nothingness took him.
0o0o0
Horrified, Yamcha witnessed Kakarot appear out of nowhere and tackle Raditz' back, both putting himself and Krillin directly in the path of the blast. He could do nothing as the Spirit Ball broke against them- and not his intended target. A wave of hellish noise swept across the plaza as the energy he had been charging for minutes was released in one small blast.
'No!' Yamcha screamed into the madness, dust-stained tears streaming down his cheek. 'KRILLIN!'
0o0o0
Raditz panted; his body had truly tensed for the end. A day's worth of adrenaline must have pumped through his veins in a matter of seconds.
Even then, he had barely seen what had happened. At the last possible second, he felt a body crash into his back, painfully smacking him back to the ground- but, crucially, away from the blast. Even as he writhed in pain from the blow, and he felt the sweltering heat of the blast incinerate the surface of his backside, he knew how lucky he was to be alive.
When the world around him stopped screeching and shaking, and Raditz seized a chance to stand, he identified his savior. Lying several feet away from him was Kakarot, horrible energy wounds covering the right half of his body. He took the brunt of it...
And the human from before, who was clinging onto Raditz's tail for dear life… he was nowhere to be found. Ah, wait. Not exactly… A single strip of orange fabric floated across in the air in front of Raditz' face, before a gust of wind grabbed it, ferrying it away from the battlefield.
A sudden cough caught Raditz's attention; his eyes swung to his severely damaged brother. 'You're alive?' Startled, Raditz quickly kneeled down and consolingly placed a hand on Kakarot's chest. 'I… don't understand.' Raditz asked, resisting the first impulse he had- wild, aimless suspicion as to where Kakarot was before. 'Why did you jump in front of the blast? You're…' Raditz couldn't finish his thought- he had no idea what he was planning on saying. You're a Saiyan?
Kakarot looked to be in too much pain to respond, but he gave a knowing glance towards his brother.
No… that was never your way, was it? Raditz took one of Kakarot's hands, squeezed it, and placed it on his chest. 'Don't die on me, Kakarot. We're in this together, okay?'
For a second time, Kakarot had affected Raditz in a way he hadn't thought possible for another Saiyan to do. A familiar silence descended on them. Once again, you surprise me, brother. But, as you are now… Raditz stood. 'Your part in this battle is over, Kakarot.' He turned away from him. 'Let me finish this…'
Across the plaza, a familiar face peered at him. Yamcha was trembling- Raditz wasn't sure if it was from the energy depletion or from the fear. 'You nearly killed my brother,' Raditz called across the plaza, causing Yamcha to flinch, 'which would have made me understandably mad if you hadn't comically killed your own ally in the process.' He smiled, pausing for effect. 'Shall I wait another few minutes for you to charge that attack again?'
Yamcha didn't respond- it was now clear to Raditz that it was a combination of both terror and exhaustion that informed the human's trembling.
'Well then… before we go on… eeer- AAAH!' Raditz screamed, as he quickly sliced off his tail at the base with one ki-infused hand. Panting, he threw the severed appendage away. 'No more… weaknesses... ' A feeling of nausea began to rise in Raditz's stomach. Ignore it. If they know about the tail's weakness, then there's no point waiting until the full moon tonight- too dangerous. And him… A quick glance over to Kakarot confirmed what he expected. The blast incinerated his tail. There's nothing left.
A sudden shift in his vision nearly caused Raditz to stumble. Wha… what?... He took stock of his body- and he realized that he was far more injured than he previously thought. A hand came away from his side bright red with blood- the bleeding had begun recently. I must have been hit harder than I thought… okay. Time to finish this... Raditz leveled his gaze towards Yamcha again- astoundingly, it seemed that the human was preparing the same move he had used earlier. Is he insane? It'll only take me a few seconds to traipse over there, crush his head in-
'Kakarot!' A voice yelled from the periphery of the plaza. Raditz's head flung to the side.
On top of a pile of rubble, a wholly unrecognizable woman was standing with a baby in her arm. 'You killed Krillin! YOU BASTARD!' She screamed in Raditz and Kakarot's direction.
Raditz suppressed a twinge of fear. Another one!? Just how many of these fighters are there!?
'Both of you are going to pay-' Chi-Chi said, drawing one arm to her side while tucking Gohan under the other '-you're both going to pay! KA...ME-'
Raditz stumbled to the side, hastily throwing up his arms to launch an attack of his own. His execution was clumsy and inefficient- purple energy sparked in and out of existence in one braced palm. Come on!
'HA… ME…' The blue light was clear now, shining from a closed fist.
'Come on!' Raditz screamed, dragging his power kicking-and-screaming to the surface. Finally, a sphere of purple flickered into life in his hand. 'Yes!'
'HAAA!' Chi-Chi roared, launching a rolling blue wave of energy- it crested over a small pile of rubble, taking the top half of it out of existence.
'Take… THIS!' Raditz yelled, launching his own purple blast of energy.
The plaza rumbled with energy as the two attacks met- and it was immediately clear that the Kamehameha stood no chance. Raditz's ball pushed against it, racing towards Chi-Chi.
She gulped, watching the onrushing blast fill her field of vision far too quickly for her to dodge. I couldn't even do this...
0o0o0
Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Not sleep. Awake.
Familiar. She here. She not here. Not she here. Now she here. Here. Here. Energy. Here.
Light. Sound. Light. Light. Here. She here. Light. Light. Sound.
Danger. Anger. Danger. Anger.
HERE!
0o0o0
A moment before the purple sphere tore through the last remnants of the Kamehameha and collided with Chi-Chi, a bubble of white energy encased her. The purple blast crashed into the forcefield, briefly struggled with it, but ultimately was deflected upwards, exploding harmlessly higher up in the sky.
Raditz dropped his arms in shock. What… just happened?
0o0o0
Dimly aware of what was happening around him, Piccolo focused every ounce of energy in this body to his midsection, knitting his flesh back together inch by inch. He had lost bones, organs; hell, he shouldn't have even been alive at this point. But he was. And he had no intention of bleeding out.
As he was fighting for dear life, an energy spike shook him out of his concentration. Startled, Piccolo propped his head on the cobbles and sighted a flickering barrier surrounding… that woman, I've seen her before… Wait! That was the fighter I fought in the quarterfinals two years ago... An aura of wind whipping up around the barrier, pulsing and blasting air out in heavy waves. Piccolo hastily sunk his claws into the cobbles, anchoring him in place as the wind blew over him. This power is incredible! But it can't be coming from the woman- I can clearly sense her power, and it's nowhere near this level!…
At that moment, Piccolo's eyes recognized what was tucked underneath the woman's left arm- a baby?
Could this power really be coming from the infant?
It was then that Piccolo noticed something else. He painstakingly began to crawl, leaving a purple smear mark on the cobbles.
0o0o0
The barrier persisted for a handful of seconds, breathtaking in its sheer stability and force- but it did nothing further than exist. It quickly dissipated, leaving behind an unguarded and shocked Chi-Chi. Gohan began crying.
What… was that? Chi-Chi mentally stammered. Initially, her confusion was so great that she ignored Gohan's cries- for a time. After some time spent processing, she gingerly hoisted Gohan up and began rocking him. You? You did this?... And you're not even a year old...
She did this until she realized the ridiculousness of her actions. Focus! She placed Gohan on the ground next to her- strangely, he had fallen asleep immediately. I'm in a battle- I can't afford to get distracted!
Across from her, Raditz spent a similar amount of time thinking. That… baby in her arms. It must have been him. I easily batted aside the woman's attack- there's no way she could have defended herself after that.
But he's still a baby. And yet!...
A quiet chuckling came from Raditz's side. 'Kakarot?' Raditz asked, turning. 'You're still conscious?'
Kakarot smiled- nothing to scoff at considering how much pain he was in. 'How could I not be… for my own son's awesome display…'
'...Son?' Raditz repeated slowly. 'That baby is…-'
'My son, yes,' Kakarot answered before devolving into a series of coughs. The ability to produce speech eluded him.
Raditz swung his attention back to the immediate task at hand. The woman was now approaching him- after leaving the baby on the ground behind her. He cracked his knuckles. One more person to crush underneath my boot… Then, I have all the time in the world to consider what to do...
0o0o0
'It won't be enough…' Yamcha cursed to himself, examining his beaten body. He held out his arms in front of him and clenched his fists out of frustration. 'I don't have enough energy left!...'
He wanted to scream- he was sure his Spirit Ball would have killed Raditz- but he was afraid even that little act would deprive him of some morsel of energy, something he desperately needed more of at the moment. Damn… Kakarot! I should have killed him when I had the chance! Piccolo was right! AAAGGH! His nails bit into his palms, drawing blood. I can't do this on my own!
A hand grasped around Yamcha's ankle. He would have jumped from the shock if he had the energy to do so.
Piccolo was prone on the ground, glaring up at Yamcha with one hand firmly clasped around the human's ankle and another underneath his body, seemingly trying to stem his runaway bleeding. 'Krillin's dead, isn't he?' He asked hazily. 'I don't see him…'
Yamcha saw real pain in Piccolo's face. Though whether that was from his grievous injuries or not, he couldn't tell. 'He is. Kakarot saved his brother at the last moment and threw himself and Krillin into my attack...'
The grip around Yamcha's ankle loosened. Piccolo's gaze grew distant. 'He gave everything he could to defeat Raditz?' Piccolo sought to confirm.
At that question, Yamcha sighed. 'He did.'
For a few fleeting seconds, things were silent between them. Then, Piccolo said, 'Kill him. Kill Raditz.' A flow of energy began to flow into Yamcha. 'Make him pay…'
'Stop!' Yamcha said, panicking, trying to wrench his ankle away from Piccolo. 'You need this energy to survive! If you die-'
'Don't you think I understand that?' Piccolo growled up at Yamcha. This human still has a talent for annoying me. 'This is how I want it to be.'
'I… don't understand.' Yamcha stopped struggling- energy continued to flow into him. 'Don't you want to rule the world? Or even just go on living?... You can't do either if you're dead.'
'That was the dream of my father. And, my father…' Piccolo glimpsed away. 'He failed me. I was coddled into thinking I was destined to rule this world- but today shattered that illusion. Raditz shattered that illusion.' Piccolo's tone sharpened. 'And if I can't rule this world… no-one can. Do you understand?'
'Isn't that a bit cliche?' Yamcha responded with the first thought that came to mind.
Piccolo scowled up at him. 'Doesn't matter. I can do what I want. I don't want that Saiyan or his brother to win. And I want to keep anyone who dies here today dead. Do you understand?'
'What!?' Yamcha exclaimed. 'You want to keep us dead, too!? We're helping you!'
'I would have killed you all if I had the chance two years ago!' Piccolo growled, showing his fanged teeth. 'But I was prevented from doing so by extraneous factors… Battle and victory should be unchangeable- the dragonballs disrupts the natural order of things. Death in defeat. They incentivize… complacency.' Piccolo struggled to speak- the energy drain was getting to him. 'You can grow fat and comfortable thinking you have a free ticket to be brought back to life with… but that's not how it should be. That isn't how it is for anyone not fortunate enough to have them…'
Piccolo paused, gathering his strength to speak again. 'I… hate being a part of that. Bringing back you fools from the brink of death if need be… death should be consequential.' Piccolo locked his gaze with Yamcha. 'If Krillin died here, and I die here, then no-one should be able to drag us back to the world of the living.'
'But-' Yamcha tried pulling his ankle away again- but Piccolo's grip was too strong. '-but please! Stop!'
Piccolo ignored his protests.'Besides,' he added, his voice weakening, 'when I die, Kami dies. I can live with that…' he chuckled at his own morbid joke.
'You… Who are you?' Yamcha blinked. I barely know him. Does he hate us? Like us?
'I am…' Piccolo's hand loosened from Yamcha's ankle and fell peacefully to the ground. 'I…' A second later, the demon slipped into unconsciousness.
The lapse into silence was unnerving for Yamcha- but he quickly focused his attention towards the newfound energy coursing through his body. This is… enough. He held one palm over his head. It has to be!
0o0o0
'So, tell me…' Raditz said, stopping several feet away from Chi-Chi. 'Is that Kakarot's boy?'
Chi-Chi traced his sight towards Gohan, who rested on the ground nearby. 'That's none of your business,' she spat, lowering herself into a guard. 'If you place a hand on him, you lose that hand.'
'Ah, you are the mother, aren't you…' Raditz deduced, eyeing her anew. 'I can see what Kakarot likes in you, in a way…'
'Shut up!' She yelled, startling Raditz. 'I hate you!'
'Hate?' He asked, confused. 'What have I done? Aside from hurting your friends, that is.'
She leveled a finger at him. 'I know Kakarot wouldn't have done any of this if it wasn't for you! You and your damn prodding! You changed him for the worse!'
'Oh?' Raditz said, offended. 'And how do you know he wasn't expressing what was there all along?'
'Was he destroying cities before you came? Was he embodying the role of a powerful Saiyan conqueror?'
'So he lost his way!' Raditz said, throwing out his hands. 'Even the most ruthless of Saiyans can soften up.'
Chi-Chi scrutinized him. 'Really?'
Raditz blinked, realizing he'd said too much. 'It doesn't matter. He did it, didn't he?' Raditz bent himself closer to the ground, preparing to charge her. 'He's joined me in my sins.'
'Not yet... ' She mumbled.
Chi-Chi leaned on her back foot some- and rapidly brought her arms up in a cross-block, catching a heavy punch. 'Good!' Raditz called out. 'Next!' She jumped and a leg sweep passed underneath her. Mid-air she twisted and slammed her leg into Raditz's right shoulder, jarring his motion and forcing him to the side. Following up on this, she spun again and slammed an overhead haymaker into the same shoulder- but this attack was far less successful than the last. He caught the attack with both hands, forcing her back to the ground. 'Funny,' he growled, as he grappled with her.
She tried to decouple herself by leaning back and bucking him in the chest with her legs, but he predicted this and moved forward, throwing her off balance and landing a clean side-elbow strike into her gut. She staggered back, coughing. Raditz laughed.
'You're by far the weakest fighter I've faced today…' He sneered. 'What makes you think you'll have any more luck than the others?'
Chi-Chi steadied herself, and then to Raditz's annoyance, smirked. 'Because I can sense you're much weaker than you were even just a few minutes ago. We earthlings are taking a toll on you, huh?'
He frowned. 'You think so, huh...' he said, making a point of bringing one hand to the open wound in his side and smearing it in his own blood. 'I can bleed all day,' he declared, bringing his arms to his sides. 'Can you say the same about fighting me?'
'I guess we'll see.'
They crashed against each other again. Chi-Chi landed a solid punch to Raditz's cheek while his fist passed through the air next to her head, but he shrugged off the blow and roped his arm back, grasping the back of Chi-Chi's head. Their foreheads clacked together, splintering her helmet into a hundred pieces and forming a ragged, bloody gash running down the center of Chi-Chi's face. Raditz pursued the staggering, stunned Chi-Chi and planted a solid foot against her sternum, causing a distinct crackkkk to ring through the air. Her body flew through the air for several feet before crashing down to the cobbles.
Panting, Raditz straightened. Chi-Chi twitched, but otherwise didn't seem to be standing. That's… that… then- uagghhh… Raditz involuntarily stumbled forward, catching himself by planting one hand on the ground. His other hand ran up and down his side and came back slick with blood. Too much…
He quickly pushed ki into his right hand and placed it to the wound- a second later, the singed flesh crisped together, stopping the bleeding.
There… he stood. When he pulled his gaze up from the ground, he came face-to-face with Chi-Chi, who body slammed into him and forced his arms behind his back. 'Grrr!...' Raditz swung his head forward, trying to headbutt Chi-Chi again, but she predicted this and pressed her head into his neck. 'Just stay down!'
Chi-Chi wheezed, then croaked, 'You'd be surprised how much pain I'm in right now…' She then tightened her grip around his wrists. 'But someone needs to keep you still!'
'What?...' Raditz swung his head to the side and saw the scarred human charging the same attack he had thrown before. Where is he getting this energy from!? 'You… you think you can restrain me!?' Raditz bellowed, digging his feet into the cobbles and slowly twisting Chi-Chi towards the imminent blast. 'I'm stronger than you! I'm faster than you! I'm smarter than you!' She lost her foothold briefly, and Raditz wrenched her body around a few more inches. 'The other one needed a cheap trick to detain me, and he was stronger than you!'
'I don't care!' She screamed, forcing their bodies back to their original orientation. 'YAMCHA, THROW IT!'
The light behind Raditz suddenly brightened- out of the corner of his vision, he glimpsed the ball rocket towards them.
'Not… yet!' They briefly threw all the strength they possessed into the struggle- and Raditz jerked Chi-Chi around, eliciting a cry of pain as her sternum further cracked. Now seeing the incoming attack head-on over one of Chi-Chi's shoulders, he noticed that it began to curve around to his backside. Too bad! He began to turn again, aligning Chi-Chi in the direction the blast would approach from. She'll be my meat shield, and then I'll crush that human's head between my-
A second person gripped Raditz's back, halting his movement. With abject terror, Raditz swung his head from his front and glimpsed Kakarot's ruined face staring down at his back. 'It's funny,' Kakarot said sadly and softly, as the glow behind him burgeoned. 'I would have let you destroy this entire planet, everyone here… except for her.' He made eye contact with Chi-Chi, who had craned her head over one of Raditz's shoulders. 'Except for him.'
Chi-Chi made a face.
'Thank you,' he mouthed to her, as the Spirit Ball made contact with his back and detonated.
0o0o0
Just as the sun touched the very edge of the horizon, Bulma directed her plane towards a grassy edge of East City- the same place Retu had landed his, as they would later find out- after struggling with one last shockwave riding through the air. The air calmed after this, however, and allowed Bulma to tap the plane down gently. Once this was done, she fell asleep over the plane's controls.
With some help with Yajirobe, Rayne limped out of the plane on crutches, focusing her ki sense to where she had last sensed everyone. But now… I can barely sense anything…
A few anxious minutes spent walking amidst a ruined city passed before they reached the clear site of battle. Scorch marks patterned the plaza's cobbles, conspicuous chunks on ruined buildings were missing, and, most foreboding of all, they sensed someone slowly fading out of this world.
Yamcha was crouching down in the center of the plaza next to Chi-Chi, who's trembling arms barely managed to grip a baby.
Rayne and Yajirobe approached- and realized that Chi-Chi was silently crying. Solitary tears ran down her rigid face. 'Yamcha…' Rayne muttered, her eyes scanning the battlefield. 'What happened? Where is everyone? Where's Krillin?'
Yamcha quickly glanced at her and Yajirobe out of the corner of his eye and forced his vision to the ground. He couldn't look at her- he couldn't look at anything. 'Rayne,' he said after lifting a hand from Chi-Chi's shoulder. 'I... ' he choked, placing a hand on his own chest, 'I can't think about it right now.' He stood. 'Not until he's dead.'
'What do you mean?' Rayne asked, increasingly anxious. 'What's going on? Did we win?'
He pointed to one end of the plaza. 'I just pulled Chi-Chi out from under Raditz's body. His still living body. So I need to go over now and make sure he dies. Alright? I can't… think… of anything-'
'But what about-'
'Krillin is dead!' Yamcha shouted, 'and Piccolo is on his deathbed! I-' His anger immediately dissipated upon seeing the grief rise on Rayne's face. '...I'm sorry... ' He turned and hurriedly limped away, ashamed of himself. I'm sorry...
0o0o0
At some point in the sensory misery that ensued after the Spirit Ball hit, Raditz became aware of two things. First, he retroactively realized someone had pulled away the body beneath his chest, settling him to the ground and worsening his already fatal injuries. When this happened, he distinctly felt something slosh out from under him when he was moved- though it wasn't painful. Mostly. His body wasn't quite past the point of pain.
But I can feel it coming. Dark and blanketing… wonderful…
Second, Raditz distinctly remembered feeling an entire being unravel behind him. It was… sad. Energy attacks had a way of destroying a person… utterly. He would have liked to have had something small at the and. A scrap of his clothes, nothing more…
Kakarot...
For a time he rested on his front, the mere act of breathing a test of whether he still wanted to live. And, even though he knew he would be dead very soon, he wasn't one to quit. The sensory world around him narrowed- the sound of wind slowly drifted away from him, as did the feeling of heat or warmth. Everything became… vague.
But then the sensation of movement inched through Raditz's ruined body; he found himself face-up. Incidentally, he knew this position would prolong his life by using the ground to "plug" the gaping opening in the back of his chest. Who?...
He wasn't sure how long he was gazing up before he recognized a person, then the person, bending over him. The scarred one…
Yamcha must have seen the flicker of life in his eyes- he began to talk. 'You're still alive,' he said, almost as if he was confirming it to himself. 'After everything you've been through, and you're breathing…'
Raditz feebly coughed, clearing as much blood from his respiratory system as possible. 'It's what we Saiyans are. Survivors…' He coughed again, splattering blood throughout his mouth. He couldn't taste it. '...until the end.' Something then occurred to Raditz. 'Is this when you say the good and noble things? You try to teach me the error of my ways?' he taunted- though it was hard to feel secure in his verbal strength when he was on his deathbed. 'Don't waste your breath…'
'In a way,' Yamcha said, disguising his true emotion. Then, he delivered a clean kick to the side of Raditz's chest, eliciting a small gasp of pain from Raditz. 'Did that hurt?'
'Somewhat,' Raditz admitted. 'Though I wouldn't bother doing that again. With every moment that passes, I feel my grasp on my pain slipping…'
'Then I'll sit.' Yamcha plopped down to the ground, falling into a cross-legged position. 'I'm going to talk for a few minutes. You're going to listen.'
'I…' Raditz coughed weakly, briefly pushing out blood from his mouth before it seeped back in. 'I don't want to listen… shouldn't have to listen… to this…'
'Too bad.' Yamcha frowned at him. 'You lost. You're dying.'
Raditz grunted. It was very Saiyan logic for the human to use. 'Fair enough…'
Yamcha stared at him. 'I caught some of your conversation with Chi-Chi.'
'The… mother of Kakarot's son?' Raditz asked, unsure.
'Yes, her name is Chi-Chi.' Yamcha felt remarkably calm. I guess I'm at peace with what I'm about to do. 'You said to her that you pushed Kakarot to embrace his Saiyan side. Is this true?'
'I did… before I found him he was living in the middle of nowhere… so I kicked him in the right direction.'
'Why?'
Raditz's gaze flickered to Yamcha. 'Why? I guess… there's a number of reasons. Narcissism, for one. Also… wanted him to be a Saiyan, who he ought to be… he seemed lost when I met him.'
'So, you came to Earth to make him more Saiyan? Nothing else?'
'Maybe… maybe not.' Raditz smiled, showcasing his bloodstained teeth. 'It's a big universe out there. If you think… I'm the only person with a hidden agenda… you'd be sorely mistaken…'
Yamcha thought on this. 'Regardless,' he continued, 'It didn't work. Kakarot betrayed you in the end- your own brother. How does that make you feel?'
For the first time in their conversation, Raditz mustered real contempt on his face. 'You aren't a Saiyan,' he said. 'Don't pretend to understand us. I'm not mad at him… I'm sad, even a little proud, for him. Betraying me… was the most Saiyan thing he's ever done…'
'What?' Yamcha furrowed his brows. 'What do you mean?'
'I've had the thought so many times…' Raditz said, growing more distant, 'but I was always too afraid… I should have just run away with Kakarot, instead of… well, it doesn't really matter now…'
Raditz grew quiet, his glassy eyes staring up at the sky. By now, the growing twilight was swallowing the city. It wouldn't be long before night arrived. 'Nothing matters now…'
Yamcha regarded Raditz. It was strange to see someone who was so terrifying powerful slowly die right before his eyes. But, in the end, I guess this is how everyone goes...
A gentle wild passed over the area, ruffling Raditz's blood-matted hair. Alright. 'I'm glad we talked,' Yamcha said, standing after some effort and brushing some dust off himself. 'Enjoy bleeding out.'
'What?' Raditz said with as much shock as someone near total organ failure could muster. 'You're… just going to leave me here? You aren't going to kill me?'
Yamcha regarded Raditz with the coldest gaze the Saiyan had ever experienced- it was downright heartless. 'What have you done to deserve a merciful death?' the scarred human asked quietly.
Raditz was speechless. 'It's… the way of the Saiyans… please…'
Yamcha didn't reply- instead, he let his dark gaze linger on Raditz. Then, wordlessly, he stepped away.
'No…' Raditz begged, lifting one blood-festered hand out of his ruined midsection an inch. 'Please…'
Yamcha kept on walking. Raditz's hand trembled in the air for a moment before plopping back on top of his exposed guts. 'No…' he breathed to himself. I… don't want to die… not like… this…
Kakarot… for better or for worse… I guess I'll see you soon...
0o0o0
As Yamcha walked back to everyone, he noticed that they had moved over to where Piccolo was lying on the ground. So I guess he's not dead yet, either. He stopped next to Rayne. 'It's done,' Yamcha said solemnly. His eyes didn't lift from the ground. 'Rayne, I'm-'
'It's okay,' she replied quietly. Her eyes were reddened from recently crying. 'I understand. I know… you did your best.' She glanced at Chi-Chi. 'Both of you, even…' She finally returned gaze to Piccolo,' even him. He fought until the end…'
'He… helped us,' Yamcha said. 'He could have run or tried to save himself- but he stayed and fought. I'm... sorry he's gone, actually.'
Their conservation fell away- each person took their time examining Piccolo. The hole in his midsection hadn't really healed. In a strange twist of fate, Yamcha recognized that it looked extremely similar to the fatal wound Raditz had. Someone is smiling, somewhere.
'Is he dead?' Yajirobe asked, eyeing the demon's body.
'He will be soon,' Yamcha informed them. 'I didn't notice it until after, but he gave me his life energy at the end… he really wanted Raditz to die.' Yamcha's train of thought briefly got sidetracked. Piccolo would probably approve of what I just did. 'Regardless,' Yamcha continued, 'there's no way we can stabilize him. Once you lose even some part of your life energy, well… it's just a matter of time.'
'Just like Master Roshi…' Rayne muttered. She then thought of something and painfully lowered herself down next to Piccolo.
'Rayne?' Yamcha asked, limping closer. 'I know how you feel, hell, I feel that way, but no amount of fawning is going to change anything-'
She held up a hand, motioning for silence. Guiding one hand forward, she placed her palm on an intact section of Piccolo's chest and breathed some energy into Piccolo's body. His eyelids began to flutter.
Rayne leaned back, satisfied. 'I think that'll make it less painful for him. And keep him awake until the end.'
'But.. why?' Chi-Chi asked. 'Why talk to him?'
'Because, if what Yamcha told us is true, he deserves our thanks. Isn't that right, Piccolo?'
Slowly, Piccolo opened his eyes, feeling the weight of sensation return to him- but it was calm and cool, like he was drifting on a waveless sea. 'Is… is this death?'
'Not here,' Rayne told him, drawing the demon's gaze. 'Not yet.'
'You damn fools... ' Piccolo said softly, barely breathing enough to speak. 'Get away from me…'
No-one obeyed his command- they stayed kneeling on the ground next to him, gazing down with pained expressions.
'Don't… look at me like that…'
'Thank you,' Chi-Chi spoke. 'Thank you for everything.'
Piccolo weakly looked at her, his eyes growing distant. 'I didn't- I didn't do it for-'
'Thank you,' Yamcha said, placing a consoling hand on his chest. 'You won us the battle.'
'But- but I-'
Rayne cut him off. 'Thank you.'
Piccolo meekly shook his head. 'I… was going to die anyway… it was just a matter of time… I didn't want to draw it out…'
Chi-Chi sniffed, drawing Piccolo's attention to the tears running down her cheeks. 'Raditz is dead,' she said, 'because of you. You saved us. You saved this entire planet.'
For a brief second, Piccolo's face fell into a mournful expression. 'Damn… it...'
With that, he exhaled one last time, rattling his lungs into oblivion.
0o0o0
After Piccolo died, no one felt the need to linger. Yamcha found Tien unconscious, but alive, after some searching and directed Yajirobe to collect a similarly wounded Launch. Chi-Chi was able to walk of her own free will, as was Rayne with some effort. Throughout this, Gohan never woke.
Now, as Yamcha looked out one last time on the ruined landscape of the city, he reflected on what he saw. Not a single sound stirred from beyond the immediate debris field that delineated the battlefield. The darkness of the night was close at hand, staved off only by the strong light of the full moon. Neither of them survived the day… lucky us.
Luck? What am I saying…
Wounded, scarred- it was too bitter of a victory.
'Hey…' Rayne spoke up from behind him, grabbing everyone's attention. 'Where did Piccolo's body go?'
Chi-Chi, Yajirobe, and Yamcha turned. It was true- the spot where his body had been a few minutes earlier was now conspicuously empty.
'Is… he alive!?' Yajirobe squealed.
'No, no…' Yamcha dismissed Yajirobe's fears. 'He definitely died...' He wandered over to where Piccolo's body had been- there was a clear darkened purple mark from where his blood had stained the ground, but there was no blood trail or anything else to suggest Piccolo had gotten up and walked away under his own free will. But there was also no sign of anything or anyone having walked up to his body in the past minute.
'...Weird,' Yamcha said, standing. He turned back to the others. 'I don't know what to say. It's like his body disappeared.'
'Wasn't Kami some kind of spiritual type? Maybe he-slash-Piccolo has some weight in… whatever there is after death,' Rayne suggested.
'Maybe.' Yamcha rejoined them. 'Come on- let's wake up Bulma and head home.'
0o0o0
Several times Raditz felt the shadow of death pass over him, fully expecting any one of his anguished breaths to be his last. Sensation was a cruel joke to him now. He saw nothing, heard nothing- his only tether to the outside world now was the kinesthetic feeling of the self-contained rise and fall of his chest.
Rise and fall.
Rise and fall.
Rise and… fall.
His breathing almost gave out there. Almost.
Rise and fall.
Rise and fall.
Rise… no… not… rising. No… I'm rising... I'm moving…
Kakarot… Raditz's entire being lurched for something, a place set just beyond where he could reach with his will. He saw the divide, if but for a second, hiding behind it an entire world of… something more.
But the moment passed, and the divide faded back into darkness. The mortal world beckoned.
A/N: And… that's it. I killed several characters in the same chapter. What is wrong with me? But, then again, this is DBZ.
Also, If anyone's curious, Kakarot dying here was something I had planned for a long time. To some degree, I hope it came as a shock.
So… this chapter wraps up Volume I of this story: The Saiyan of Earth. Basically, I see everything up until this point as a discrete section of this story. To give an idea of where we're going;
Volume I: done
Volume 2: outlined
Volume 3: ?
If I had to guess we're… 42 chapters into a 120 chapter story? Maybe 140? Who knows. We'll see.
But Endgame is done! I'm feeling stuff. I've been releasing a chapter for this story every week for some time now, but this event in this chapter was something I have wanted to get to for so long. This story is going to open up A TON now.
Also! I'm publishing a new DBZ fic soon. It's going to be substantially different from this one. As of now, I'm considering it a side-project I can sink time into whenever I'm running ahead for this story. But expect it to drop sometime in the next week. Very pumped about the premise.
And, one last personal appeal: If you're enjoying the snot out of this story, write a review and give me feedback! Every individual word I get from a fan means the world to me. And. I imagine, there's going to be a wide variety of reactions after this chapter...
Reviews:
TC9078: I really hope I didn't rip your heart out and eat it, my friend.
Luke: I'm keeping my mouth shut about your first comment.
And that reaction might need to come after a… long period spent processing.
LWexe: In the end, it took a village to take down Raditz.
Guest: I freakin' love Piccolo's character! Also, thank you for the love!
