Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or really any other property. Thank you.

The Cataylst

Act VI

Chapter 77: Friend.

Son Goku:

The air was burning from the friction caused by their bodies blasting through a confined area of the woods. It was almost enough to cause the brush to catch fire before they even exchanged more ki blasts. It was typical, they were both holding back. He knew Turles was keeping his best moves concealed, and so was he. But it was important that they spar like this, especially in front of the others. Next step would be having everyone else get involved. Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and Gohan might end up being vital to their survival, which meant they needed to train with them in order to operate in a battle against stronger adversaries.

Without Piccolo around, only Turles could help him do this. It tense, every time his twin was nearby. He half-expected Turles to turn on them at any moment and try to land a killing blow as they trained. A few mistakes had come through already as his sibling tested his limits. Today however, things were as normal as Goku had come to expect them. Neither one of them had landed a serious blow yet.

When they stopped in the air, Goku took a look downward towards the others, seeing each of them watching. It was going to be time for the integrated training again in only a few moments, now that the warmup was finished.

"Why even both with the humans?" Turles asked. "None of them are going to make the difference."

"You really don't learn at all, do you? Against Frieza and Slug, every fighter counted. It'll be no difference against the Androids. Don't let your ego run ahead of you."

There was only a sneer in response, which just caused Goku to sigh. Really?

Oh man, I really wish Piccolo were here instead. This guy's a huge jerk. Man, how'd I end up related to these people?

From below, he could sense the others preparing to move in, just as they talked about. As soon as Yamcha was in the air, Turles had already blurred towards him, which was not what they talked about. A single blow landed before he could intervene, dropping his friend out of the air. Krillin and Tien split immediately, trying to gain some distance before Goku appeared in front of Turles, knowing his own features were unable to conceal his anger.

"What the Hell are you doing? That wasn't what we talked about."

"Proving a point," he pointed out coolly. "You think these fools are going to help you stop something that might come close to my power? Well I would cut these chaff pieces off early. If the Namek weren't so strong, I'd have done the same thing when we fought, you idiot."

It was pure instinct which came in next. Goku shoved Turles. The other Saiyan stumbled back, his eyes wide at the slight. The constant scheming. The constant undermining of everyone around him. The constant chances he was given. Goku furious right now, and unfortunately, he could tell Turles was as well.

"Guys, calm down!" Krillin shouted from above. "We're training, remember?"

Not letting his eyes off Turles, Goku saw as his other half just remained quiet. Briefly, his blue-green eyes looked up to the others before looking back at him. His hair turned to black before he spat to one side.

"I think training for today, for me, is over," Turles commented. "I don't need this soft touch in my regiment."

"That soft regiment was enough to beat you," Tien commented from the side. "Beat you twice, if I'm not mistaken."

Tien, damn it.

Goku half expected Turles to turn gold again and immediately attack his friend. Instead, his 'brother' turned his eyes towards the three-eyed warrior and just smirked. He was tallying up slights, great, that's what they were going to need.

"When one of those machines has you on the ground, begging for your life, maybe I might be late saving you," he remarked.

Before Goku could make another comment, before any of them could, he sensed a pretty major power incoming. Everyone's eyes turned skyward as a red bolt shot through the sky towards them. It was an all-too familiar power, and Goku felt his fist tighten at its approach. He knew not to come here. Was this another part of Turles's game?

Turning his attention back to Turles, who stared back at him and was always shaking his head.

"Don't look at me. If he's this stupid, you can kill him."

I don't want to kill him.

That was true. Goku wanted Raditz to be a better person than he was. He wanted Raditz to have not betrayed them, and try to murder his friend. He wanted Raditz to have not killed thousands of people across two cities just for a chance at revenge. He could have gotten him, Piccolo, Turles, Bulma, and Vegeta all killed at multiple points, and he'd promised him he'd let this thing go. Now? Well, this was great, wasn't it?

"Trouble's coming," Tien remarked.

"We know," Goku and Turles said at the same time, before once again glaring at each other momentarily.

When Raditz came into view, his body sliding in, hit feet hitting the floor of the forest before skidding along for twenty metres, his aura flickering off his body as he did. What was immediately evident was the exertion he'd spent to get here, and the complete lack of willingness to conceal himself.

"The Namek is barely alive," Raditz shouted at them before continuing with something that made Goku's blood freeze. "And Kami is dead, the Dragon Balls are no more."

There was a moment of real anger when Goku saw Raditz for the first time in months. This was the monster who'd masqueraded as his brother for years, building trust with him through their time on Namek, and through the training they'd gone through together in these woods. This was the thing he'd trusted with his son of all people. Raditz had been there when he'd first confronted Slug, but he'd then turn around and killed thousands of innocent people, used Turles to fight him, and tried to murder his oldest friend out of some bid of revenge, something he'd promised to never do.

Even now, Goku couldn't let it go. Of everything, that was the one he struggled with the most. Turles was a figure he might also hold contempt for in many ways, but the scale of the betrayal wasn't the same.

The fact that Raditz looked exhausted, as if he'd spent all of his power to rush here as quickly as he could, gave him a moment of reflection. But it was the words that were spoken a moment later that caused Goku's blood to freeze in his veins. The reality of what was just said sunk in slowly over several seconds.

Kami is dead? The Dragon Balls are gone? How is Piccolo still alive?

The questions ran through his mind but he almost felt disconnected for a moment. Who killed Kami? How did they do it? Why choose to kill him now, months after he disappeared? Did he die on his own? How was Piccolo still alive? So much of this didn't line up for him. With the Dragon Balls gone… That meant everyone was in much more danger than before. There wasn't the ability to fix things when they went wrong.

And the Androids are going to be here soon.

Goku almost never panicked, and even right now that was perhaps too strong of a word. But he felt anxiety, more anxiety than he'd experienced in a long time. Everything felt immediately more pressing, more real. Reaching out with his senses, he could indeed sense Piccolo's energy. It'd changed, but it was there, struggling to hold on.

Everyone was staring at him before he placed his fingers to his forehead.

"Dad," Gohan's voice struggled from nearby. "Piccolo's energy, we have to-"

"I know," Goku was quick to say, honing in before he looked at Turles reluctantly.

"Watch him," he ordered, looking at Raditz before looking back at Turles.

Not that it'd help much, given that his brothers were in good standing with one another, as far as he could tell. Still, the only one here who was stronger than Raditz was Turles, and that meant if he was disappearing, even if briefly, he needed him to watch over things. That was an uncomfortable prospect for him, but what other option did he have? Despite how angry he was when Turles mentioned the others wouldn't be helpful, there was a hint of truth in it. Yamcha, Krillin, and Tien couldn't stop Raditz, even with Gohan helping them.

Disappearing a moment later, Goku materialized himself next to Piccolo, who was laying there, his head to one side unconscious. But he was alive. That was the part that didn't make any sense. He could sense the hole in his soul, he could feel that Kami was gone. Raditz hadn't been lying, and his senses weren't wrong. But how was Piccolo here? How was he alive? As soon as Kami perished, his life force should have left with him.

Leaning down, Goku placed his hand on Piccolo's shoulder, before searching for the energies around the planet. Did he take Piccolo back with him? Did he take him to the Lookout?

Kami was at the Lookout when he disappeared. I can't take Piccolo there like this, who knows what could happen?

The answer was right there, and with that, Goku appeared back where he'd been standing only a few moments earlier.

"Piccolo!" Gohan's voice cried out as he rushed to their side. The unconscious Namekian was just laying unmoving, but he was breathing at least.

"Dad, what's wrong with him?" his son asked, his voice sounding panicked. "Is he going to be alright?"

"I don't know," Goku answered honestly. "Let's get him to the house and…"

There was an odd tension in the air as Goku looked up, seeing his brothers staring down his three friends, people he honestly could say he cared about much more than his brothers. Tien was the head of them, his teeth grit. He was only gone for what? Two minutes? Man, he needed Piccolo to survive just so someone could keep everyone from acting like children.

"Something wrong?" Raditz's voice came out. "I thought we were friends."

"You bastard," Yamcha was first to cut in. "You have a lot of nerve to show up here after what you did. You killed all those people, and you tried to kill Bulma."

"Oh?" Raditz fired back immediately. "Unlike some people, I actually try to keep my honour in tact. You're the last one who's going to lecture me on my actions, cuckold."

Goku didn't really know what that last word meant, but Yamcha took an immediate step forward past Tien, his face written with fury. Tien and Krillin braced themselves. The only one not focused on each other was Turles, who was staring back at him, gauging his response. It only took a second for Goku's face to harden, giving his sibling a fraction of an idea of what he was thinking.

Get him the Hell out of here. Now.

An arm came up as Turles grabbed Raditz's shoulder.

"I think there isn't any reason to humiliate my good friends, Raditz," Turles commented, before eying the others. "I think your valued contribution has been made, and you should take your leave."

There was a moment of incredulous fury from Raditz, Goku could see it. Even now as he rose to his feet, he could see there was a brief moment of strain between his siblings. Raditz almost looked like he was prepared to assault Turles for a moment until Turles's eyes glinted with a kind of quiet fury which Goku recognized. Raditz's entire stance became submissive, despite him being significantly taller than Turles. Taking a step back, he looked at everyone there one more time, settling his gaze on him for several seconds.

The betrayal was still there, Goku hadn't forgotten.

A wave of red energy rushed over him before his brother took off into the sky. Left standing over Piccolo, Goku looked down at Gohan next, seeing his son looking frustrated, but he seemed to refocus a moment later before the others slowly broke their standoff with Turles.

Man, I need a vacation.

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Raditz:

He sided with them.

That was infuriating. Raditz knew full well that he was deliberately ripping him down in order to build himself up in front of the others. A treacherous snake, that was the best way to describe Turles, and he was even more infuriated he just told him to leave. He was supposed to leave, after getting Kakarot's attention about the Dragon Balls and the Namek? All because they cared about some humans he'd killed, and that stupid blue haired witch of Vegeta's.

None of them had any honour. How dare they think they could confront him? They weren't even Kakarot. Turles, and he suspected Kakarot, were the only things that kept those three fools alive for slighting him. So much of the culture which spawned him was barbaric, but the one thing he couldn't let go was his honour, especially after being forced to lick Vegeta's boots for what amounted to almost his entire life.

And now… now he was… he was under Turles's boot. The realization caused him to flinch with fury as his body was propelled through the air. All for his own protection and gain, he was now beneath his younger sibling. It was another tarnished spot on him, wasn't it?

I shouldn't have survived that fucking battle.

He stopped in the air, breathing angrily to himself as he looked out across the horizon of the world, unable to contain his rage. A rage increasingly born of being weak. Worse, just as before when he'd been on Namek, he saw through the emptiness of being what he was. He was bound by honour, but honour born of a dead culture, which was cruel and unforgiving. He himself had once again become cruel and unforgiving… and it'd cost him everything, but he was still no stronger, and still no closer to satisfying that debt. But the urge never left, and the shame never changed.

He was a Saiyan, and despite having his honour… he'd lost his pride a long time ago.

Staring back at where Kakarot and Turles were, he felt his anger bubbling beneath the surface, but it was mixed with his own self loathing and mixed with his disdain for what he was. Kakarot had been right, but he'd not known what they were. That was for the best. If their species existed in any capacity in the coming decades and centuries, it would be because of Kakarot, not because of people like Vegeta, Turles, or himself.

Training was becoming more difficult given his limited number of sparring partners, and the fact Turles was now very obviously prioritizing his time with Kakarot over him. He was the last full blooded Saiyan to not be a Super Saiyan. Perhaps it just wasn't his destiny at all. Kakarot, Vegeta, and Turles seemed destined for their glory, even if Raditz particularly hated to admit it in regards to Vegeta. But it was very much true, he was no fool and he could see it. Perhaps he could see something that maybe Turles had been able to figure out before everyone else as well. Gohan, their nephew, Kakarots son, had the potential to be greater than all of them. He'd been the first one to feel his power, to his knowledge, when he'd broken his ribs all those years ago, though he'd not started to understand it even remotely until Namek, not truly.

Kakarot and Vegeta knew Gohan was strong, but Raditz could see what they could not, at least as he examined all of these warriors. The kid, once he became a Super Saiyan, if he could become one, would be the most powerful being on the planet, especially in a fit of rage. He mirrored the Saiyans of Legend, the Saiyans of Old, whose anger had been so great they couldn't control themselves. Getting Turles back there to help him in that effort, along with Kakarot and the Namek, was perhaps the best he could do for his nephew.

Because he knew now in particular, he had fallen behind, and was not going to catch up. The humans on this would might never catch up to him, but his opportunity to stay at pace with the likes of those four, had ended. His ability to stay at pace with the namek, had stopped. Though perhaps now the Namekian was more vulnerable than he was before now. It didn't matter, he sincerely doubted that he was going to cross paths with the Namek in a negative context again.

When Raditz landed at his destination, the mountains where he'd been before the Namekian had been killed, he knelt down, preparing to begin his meditations before training again. A fruitless effort, was still something he had to give, even if it wasn't his destiny to be great. He still had his role to play, whether that be supporting Turles, or his nephew Gohan. Even if it was hard to see without his revenge, his life needed meaning. The only thing he could hope for.

For a brief moment before he could fully begin concentrating, Raditz remembered the vision Guru had given him, giving him his chance to view himself in the past. For a brief second he could see his father, the one who'd rejected him upon his return to Planet Vegeta. It was still noteworthy that he'd seen through his eyes how miserable he'd been.

Well, good luck seeing your son, old fiend. I'm sure he'll be just like you. Let us know when we can meet the kids of yours. Lucky bastard with the Elite boy, bet those other two are too.

It was funny how it worked. His father had wanted him to be the elite, the chosen amongst them to rise in the ranks, but he could see now that it was Karakot and Turles, and it'd always been Kakarot and Turles, who had that honour. No, sadly, Raditz mirrored their father the most, not in appearance, but in fate.

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Piccolo:

It felt like there was a hole in him, something missing, but at the same time he never felt so complete, even as he weakly tried to hold on, to prevent himself from slipping into the afterlife. Just keeping his body together was taking all of his, and Nail's efforts, he could tell. But he was holding on, and every minute he held on for longer, the more complete he felt, the easier it was to keep his grasp on himself.

He was going to conquer this. They, were going to conquer this, but the union between the two Nameks would grow strong enough that it might prevent them from being as separate of entities. Namekian fusion always left one partner increasingly silent, his voice just becoming another aspect of the host's thoughts, however, what was happening now went beyond that. Nail and Piccolo weren't two beings sharing one body, with every moment they patched the hole in his soul, they're figurative hands, were increasingly becoming one. It was hard not to feel like he was losing himself to blue fields and green oceans on a distant, dead world.

"You're going to have trouble forgetting I'm around," Nail's voice laughed. "Well, maybe not. It was really good being here, Piccolo. I learned a lot from you."

In his mind's eye, Piccolo went looking for his counterpart, seeing Nail's figure as a reflection in a sea of green water. Something felt very final, about all of this. When he looked at his own hand for a brief second, it didn't feel like his own, before he turned his attention back to Nail. When they'd first fused on Namek, it had felt incredible, like he'd become something greater than himself, a new being. Now, for the first time, he felt whole, but he felt like he'd lost something, not just Kami, but a part of himself.

It was then that he realized that even if Nail's memories were becoming his own, Nail was not just going to persist in him, as foreign entity that was intertwined his his soul. His essence was patching what was gone, patching what was never there, really, only where he'd had a distant tether to Kami. But there was a cost for that, wasn't there? Nothing was free. Things didn't just go on as they were because someone stepped in, Nail's essence would be here, but Nail would not. His memories would be forever a part of him, but his guiding advice, his strategies, his input in the process of thoughts in his mind, would now only come from the experiences Piccolo could take from him, not Nail's own voice.

Because Nail was slowly vanishing, and he could even see him fading in the water. Piccolo felt himself almost choke for a moment before kneeling down.

"You don't have to do this Nail. If we die, they can use the Dragon Balls on Namek to-"

"They wouldn't be able to bring you back, not as you are. You and I both know we didn't feel Kami die, that connection was severed, indefinitely. He's not apart of you anymore. Wishing you back would just leave you to die again. This is the only way for one of us to get out of this alive. I owe you, Piccolo."

"Nail, once you've finished this, you won't even exist," Piccolo cautioned. "There is no afterlife waiting for you, not as you are. There is an afterlife waiting for me, and hence you, if we stop this now."

There was a pause as Nail just smiled back at him, nodding slowly before closing his eyes. Piccolo realized how close to the end they were when he saw it, his gut twisting. Yea, this really was the end, wasn't it? Interestingly, Piccolo never truly felt alone with Nail here. But to be isolated and alone with his own thoughts? That wasn't frightening, but it'd not been that way… ever. There had always been pulls, or influences from every direction. Kami to start with, then Nail and Kami. Nail was giving him a gift beyond just life… freedom.

The freedom to be his own person.

"I don't mind," Nail responded honestly, a kind of relief, or resignation, following his words. "I'm pretty good at calling winners, am I right? You nearly did in Frieza. We've kept up with those Saiyans pretty good too. Your friends are going to need you to stop those machine-things that are coming. Besides, now every time you do anything, you're going to have to thank me. That means I'm getting all the credit for everything from now on, am I right?"

Piccolo gave a sad, half smile before he nodded.

"That also means you're getting all the credit if I screw up," Piccolo pointed out.

"Those are the ones I'm gonna want the credit for the most. Because I know you're too stupid to let something like failing get in your way, Piccolo."

Nail opened his eyes for the last time, his body barely visible in the ever-fading green waters as he smiled back at him, only his face able to be seen now. There was a hint of uncertainty, Piccolo could see it, the fear of the true unknown. But there was also a hint of amusement.

"Told you, you'd be begging to keep me around."

By the time the last word was spoken, it was Piccolo's own voice that completed it, as Nail vanished into the seas of the past. Piccolo couldn't feel him anymore, but he couldn't feel the hole that had been in him his entire life. There was no emptiness, there was no disconnected tether, or another being inside of him.

For the first time in his life, Piccolo was whole.

His eyes flashed open, detecting the area around him with rapid eye motions as he realized he was laying on a couch. He could tell he'd been sweating; the couch was drenched in it. How long? How long had he been here? This was the Son family home, and it was night. He couldn't tell. Something strange immediately caught his attention.

Gohan was laying on the floor in the kitchen. Krillin was passed out, leaning back in a kitchen chair. Tien was sleeping on his feet, resting against the wall, while Yamcha was taking up residence in another kitchen chair, his face resting on the table. Goku was on the floor as well, only a metre away from Gohan.

What are they all doing here?

It took him several seconds to get his bearings before he started to pull himself up quietly, trying not to disturb everyone in their awkward resting positions. It was then that an exhausted looking Chi-Chi walked in the room, holding several sets of sheets it appeared.

"Alright everyone, you can't sleep out there like this. Come on, get up."

He didn't exactly feel like sleeping, or even meditating, Piccolo felt like he'd been asleep for an eternity. He felt awake. Standing up as if on command from Chi-Chi as she urged everyone to get up, the woman stopped in her step as shocked eyes stared back at him.

She shrieked.

Sensitive ears picked it up and he winced visibly at the noise. Everyone seemed to jump to life, all of them flashing to readiness in seconds, looking for some sign of a threat.

When they all saw him, he couldn't help but feel awkward as everyone smiled.

"Piccolo?!" Gohan shouted as he took off to hug his leg.

A smiling Son Goku and Tien approached next, both of them keeping their distance, they knew he wasn't a big fan of hugs, thankfully.

"Man, we were worried for a bit there. You were literally fading in and out of existence. It was hard to watch. But hey, you made it. We all knew you'd pull through, right guys?" Goku asked, grinning as he did.

That was a half truth, Piccolo could immediately tell, but that was fine.

A sad smile crept over his face. Because a part of himself didn't make it. There was a price to be paid for this. But seeing everyone in the room as they were, he could see why Nail was willing to pay it for him.

Thank you, my friend.

"Could I get a glass of water?"

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Author's Notes:

Apologies for the lack of updates lately guys! As I mentioned before, I've been working a lot lately. It was hard to find time to write in general. I've not had much time for gaming either. My sleep schedule's all screwed up too. :|

But, regardless, we've got the first update for The Catalyst. I've got an update for The Long Road I'm working on as well, but it might be a few weeks out. It's about 8 pages deep at the moment, but its an important chapter so it needs a lot more details and work. I think it's a little under half done. Blegh, lol.

I'll be working on Chapter 78 pretty soon here as well, just depends on when I find the time, and which I'm more inspired for. Two chapters left. There are going to be some pretty big surprises the more we deviate from canon as events start coming off the rails, but this chapter was really a big one for Piccolo, and I really wanted to make sure I captured it correctly. Poor Nail :(

Everything's got a price.

And as always, reviews are appreciated!

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Reviewers:

Blades of Fury: I can't answer that, but I suspect you can come to your own conclusions. He's not dead, and he's not apart of Piccolo, lol.

ILiekFishes: Piccolo had Kami's connection to him slowly unplugged, leaving him as half an organism, spiritually. A real death sentence.

Perfect Carnage: Sharing the name wouldn't be that big a deal. He'd probably just 'desire' that piece of himself back more than the others. It's just another unique thing for him to have.

Thomas-The-TMC: It was, but there were consequences.

Luke: Raditz is irresponsible, lol.

Pyromania101: A Taro!

WarriorofDark: Maybe. Lol

Super Mystic Gohan: Piccolo's safe (For now! :O )

Zyr0TruthCanExist: I can 100% promise you, Piccolo is not weaker than Raditz. ;)

DarkFalconZ: Raditz is a really sad character at the moment. His self-loathing is very real. But his time to shine is coming!

Guest1: I can't wait to get us there, lol.

Guest2: I am not answerin' nothing! Lol

Guest3: I'm gonna rename Dende Sense now. And it's you're fault.

Red Power: Vegeta's got a few come-upances coming. It's pretty awesome. Lol.

Instinct: Vegeta, Nappa, and Bardock really hindered Raditz's development, unfortunately.

Kacarrot: Oh yea man, it's gonna get really weird with Future Gohan and Trunks, lmao.

NotRob: I think Turles is very good at getting what he wants out of people, but not necessarily very good at keeping what he wants. He's made tons of errors too, he's far from infallible. He's just very good at playing the angles he needs to win.