Devil From The Heavens
Chapter 10: The Only Constant
A talk with the man responsible for the mess he was in? He'd rather blow himself up but he wanted answers. Hell, it was clear that the old bastard was a bleeding heart, he could convince him to-
"Release you?" His purple-eyed clone asked as he sipped from his tea. "You'll have to be very persuasive to convince me to do that."
His mouth fell open before Broly slammed it shut to grit his teeth. Of course, they were in his mind. His thoughts were probably laid bare here.
"Excellent guess." Hagoromo smiled at the Saiyan. "In here, you come as you are. No deceptions, no hidden motives, nothing of the sort." His smile shifted to a smirk. "To me, at least." The Sage gestured at the tea in front of Broly which he ignored.
Of course, he wasn't afforded that privilege. It's not like everyone that used him kept their motives secret.
"I understand your apprehension regarding this arrangement of ours but this is your mind, Broly. Not mine. Were it reversed, you'd know me as I am." He laid his hands down on his thighs. "Now, this is a rather one-sided discussion so far, don't you think?"
Broly growled. He already hated everything about this. "You said you wanted to talk. So talk."
The pseudo-clone took a moment to respond as if hesitant. He'd better have a good explanation.
"When I sealed your power and your mind as I did, the intention was to aid in your journey to heal once you were released." The Sage sighed, his breath weighed down with guilt. "But plans never turn out as you wish, do they? My seals had to be extensively modified to function with your alien power. It's why my appearance was so late."
The remorse Hagoromo showed made the Saiyan want to strangle him. He screwed with something he didn't understand and had the gall to feel bad when shit hit the fan? It disgusted him.
"So you're feeling guilty because you weren't on time?!" The Saiyan slammed his fist into the wooden floor. It remained unharmed. "You fucked me when you thought any of this was a good idea!" Broly was on his feet screaming at the Sage now. Self-restraint was never a good point of his but what little he had flew out the window as everything that happened to him since he landed on this forsaken planet replayed in his head.
"Why is this at all important anyways? Knowing why you screwed me doesn't help!"
Hagoromo let the invective flow over him with no protest. The man in front of him was justified in his anger for his failures. The seal on his head was only meant to allow them to speak but it evolved to have a primitive chakra system. Instead of helping him, it has merely facilitated Madara's plans.
"...I am sorry, Broly. I never meant for any of this to happen."
The Saiyan knew he couldn't harm the construct in front of him but that left no avenue for his rage. He just wanted to break...something. To lose himself in some violence, to forget about what had happened for just a moment.
But he couldn't. He couldn't do a damned thing.
He moved and put his hand to the wall. It was made of some paper-like substance divided up by wood. He ripped a hole in it only to be met with the void that normally surrounded him. An artificial breeze rolled across.
"I don't want an apology; I want out."
The void changed to a vividly green meadow with a brilliant night sky full of stars. It didn't matter, he knew it was an illusion. The Sage stepped beside him.
"Broly, there is another reason for this meeting."
He wanted to be surprised, truly, but his anger burnt out into apathy. He had been angry for weeks now and he was emotionally exhausted.
"Madara needs to be stopped." The Sage turned to him. His expression was far more severe than it had been up to this point. He could actually see why someone would consider the old man a threat. "I may not know what his end goal may be but the abuse of your power tells me all I need." Hagoromo looked upwards in a vague direction. "The shinobi out there are ultimately ignorant of his machinations even as they react to the agonies he inflicts."
Broly scoffed. "If you spent as much time in my head as you say you did then you'd know that appealing to my morality is a poor argument."
"Tell me, Broly, how did it feel to lose against Kakarot?"
The Saiyan had the front of the Sage's robes in his hands in an instant; the anger he had thought merely embers reignited. His eyes glowed with barely restrained power. The killing intent rolling off the man would have slain a more feeble being.
Hagoromo remained unfazed. He knew that this wound was painful one but they needed to have this discussion. The world was at risk if things continued as they did.
"I don't care how much power you have here, do not speak to me like that!"
The Sage raised his hands in a pacifistic gesture, the sight looking odd given the mirror image he occupied.
"I did not mean to offend, Broly. It was mere curiosity."
"It felt like shit!" The Saiyan dropped him before he walked through the wall and sat at the edge of the deck he stood on. It should have felt nice to be outside like this. At peace. "What other answer could you've possibly expected?"
"Then let me be more specific. What went through your mind in that moment?"
His anger diminished as an invisible blanket seemingly fell on him. He knew it was his copy's influence but it was something to care about later. He wanted answers? He'll get them. Maybe then, the old bastard will know exactly how pointless this all was.
"I was the strongest in the universe." He started. The Sage stood behind his right side and listened intently. Hagoromo knew much about the Saiyan through the exploration of his memories but hearing how the man himself interpreted his experiences would be valuable in helping him.
"Planets crumbled under me when I demanded it. Stars died with a wave of my hand. That changed when I reached maturity." Broly rubbed his forehead as the phantom feeling of a metallic weight settled on his forehead. "My father forced a crown on my head when I was sleeping and it stole me from my body. I couldn't think clearly. I was numb to everything. I stared at walls for hours. It was Hell and I didn't know it."
The Saiyan paused and Hagoromo allowed the moment. The man's resistance to his influence diminished as he was seemingly lost in his memories. The Sage battled with himself regarding the ethics of this course of action. Was subverting someone's free will morally right when it came to ensuring peace? It was a question that he still had no proper answer even as he did such a thing.
He had no intention of forcing Broly to do anything not that he had the power to do so anyways. In the end, whatever the alien did was his decision. Hagoromo was merely a passenger but Broly needed to speak, to let him know.
"And, suddenly, I was free." The raven haired man looked at the construct of chakra in his eyes. "You know what freed me? My power. It just needed the right trigger and it exploded. It wasn't some kindhearted fool or my father turning over a new leaf. It was me."
The scene of his escape flashed before his eyes. The power that coursed through him threatened to consume him but the euphoria of release kept him there in that second. It was a high like nothing else.
"In that moment, I knew my power was the only thing I could rely on and that no one would ever come to help me."
He saw Kakarot beaten, bloodied, and stuck in the wall. He had only toyed with the man and his friends and his enjoyment was now waning. He lazily tossed another fist only to have it stopped in place. The explosion of gold that followed brought him back into reality.
"What fucking happens not an hour after I'm free? I'm nearly killed in a single blow by Kakarot. When I laid on the surface of that doomed planet, I could only think of how powerless I was to stop him, how stupid I was to toy with him and his friends, and how I had my life stripped from me as soon as I had it back."
He remembered crawling to his pod. It was pathetic but he- he didn't know what would happen if he just died. That unknown left him shaken, left him cold. That's what pushed him along despite the agony that he had felt. Broly shivered.
"I felt weak."
The environment transformed around them. A ruined city replaced their peaceful dwelling. An orange sky reigned above with cylindrical skyscrapers reaching out like the hands of dying men. The Saiyan recalled this place. It was the last planet he purged before his father gained control of him. Bodies littered the streets. All looked like they had been crawling before they died. That was different.
"Have you ever thought that your countless victims have felt similar when you murdered them?" Hagoromo, now beside him, crouched to look at the corpse at his feet. It looked like a woman. She had violet skin with emerald splotches along her disproportionately long arms. Blue hair, more solid and less numerous than a human's, flowed over her head.
"How hopeless they must have been in their final breaths against might such as yours?"
Broly scowled at the transparent attempt to guilt trip him. "Why do they matter? If they can't defend themselves, they deserve what happened. Simple as that."
"Who taught you that?"
"My father."
The Sage crossed his legs and sat in the air. "Oddly eager to follow the philosophy of the man who betrayed you."
Broly grunted in response rather than give a proper answer. He didn't need to justify himself, least of all to the old bastard. Just because his father was an asshole didn't mean everything he said was invalid.
"Would you say you deserved what happened to you?"
The raven haired man gave Hagoromo an indignant look. What kind of question was that? "Of course not!"
The Sage pointed at the corpses around them with his Shakujo. "Then why did they?"
"Because they're not me."
Hagoromo could not stop the disappointment he felt at those four words. The anger and bitterness he could feel was too reminiscent of his son, Indra. He had failed to convince his own son that it was through compassion and understanding that the world would know true peace not through power like he believed. His grip tightened imperceptive on his Shakujo. He would not fail Broly.
The Saiyan continued unaware of the Sage.
"I am the Legendary Super Saiyan. I'm meant to be a god, something unstoppable. The world should have looked up to the sky and seen their end." He leveled a hateful glare to the Sage. "Instead I'm stuck here because of you!"
Hagoromo sensed the approach of someone in the real world. It felt like the woman.
"It seems our time is up." The Sage tapped his Shakujo on the floor and the world started falling away. "Before I go, I want you to know Broly. The only thing that separated you from your victims was your power. Were the threads of fate different, you would have been in their place. Think on that."
Broly's vision became unfocused and he felt himself being pulled. His pseudo-clone looked up at the void swallowed him.
"I can sense she's more...compassionate than her associates. If you speak with her, bond with her, she might help you escape Madara's clutches."
Broly scowled at the wall of stone he faced. What a waste of time. The bastard didn't even have the courtesy to just leave him in that fake world he created. At least that was a change of pace. He idly noted that the wall was actually a ceiling and so sat up.
A sore pain answered him and he looked down. Large red patches of swollen blisters still marked him. His skin still burned from the fight with that giant, red monster. Whatever it was made of, it was nasty. Other than that, it seemed all his other injuries were healed. He can't have been out that long.
"You're awake."
Broly turned to Konan. He wanted to say something snarky but couldn't be bothered. The talk with the Sage disturbed him more than it should have. He focused on the food in the woman's hands and his stomach promptly reminded him of his hunger. He stood up swiftly, ignored the way his skin screamed at him, and stumbled over to the cell's entrance.
He took the food from her and scarfed it down with the ferocity that his race was known for. Konan did little to hide her disgust at his lack of manners and would have left were it not for the grunt from the injured man that was clearly to get her attention. He swallowed the mouthful of gruel and wiped the remnants off his lips with the back of his hand.
"What happened?"
"You were injured in your confrontation with the Kyubi." She tilted her head towards his bed. "You have been unconscious for some time now."
The man closed his eyes in tired frustration. "I meant why is everything healed except for these burns."
Understanding softened her eyes and gave his burns a once over. They should have been permanently crippling given how long he was directly in contact with the Tailed Beast's chakra but there he was standing. Had she not known Hidan, she'd say he was the closest thing to unkillable you could be.
"The Kyubi's chakra is potent. Its lingering presence on your skin prevents us from healing those wounds." She almost sympathized with him. Chakra poisoning was an awful thing to experience or so she's heard. "You'll have to get better the old fashioned way."
Broly's forehead hit the bars. "Of course."
Several moments of silence passed as Ame's Angel waited for the man to speak once more. Her gut told her there was more that he wanted to say.
"What's the deal with you?"
She raised a brow at that. An unusual question. Or unusually phrased. "Excuse me?" She asked with genuine curiosity. Despite the...hostility, of their last conversation, she was still held interest regarding the alien. You can't exactly learn about what was out there if you weren't on speaking terms with the only one who had that knowledge.
"Madara is clearly in charge. Guy with the purple eyes-"
Why could this Saiyan not see that her Leader was worthy of respect? "Lord Pain, you mean?" She interrupted.
"Yeah, sure. He's clearly second in command despite his 'godhood'." He gestured air quotes when he said the word. A piece of paper lashed out and cut into his arm. She made it a point to glare at him. He didn't skip a beat when he continued. "So where do you fit in?"
"I am a founding member of the Akatsuki. Right hand of Kami himself."
This time, it was Broly's turn to raise a brow. "You really believe he's a god?"
She thought on the question for a moment. She revered Nagato for his strength and what he's accomplished but she didn't deify her friend as others did despite his eyes. She knew who he was behind his Paths after all. When the people spoke of Nagato as a god, he embraced it and she supported him. She supported him no matter what and, with the village worshiping them, their transition into the leadership was smooth if bloody from the systematic killing of the previous leader Hanzo and anyone associated with the man.
"Of course."
He made a thoughtful noise but didn't continue that line of conversation. It was clear he was skeptical but that mattered not to her. What mattered was the village and Nagato. It's why she had been pushing him towards getting rid of Madara while they could. She knew whatever he was planning would end in her's and, more importantly, Nagato's death.
"Does it ever stop raining?"
Konan was surprised by the question as it wasn't expected. She looked out at the rain that constantly washed over the village. Some found it comforting, others found it depressing. For Ame's Angel, it was how she knew she was home.
"Only when Lord Pain commands it." She glanced at the Saiyan. Ever since their first discussion, the raven haired man ignored her presence save when she brought his food. What changed? "You are rather talkative today."
Broly pressed his lips together in thought. The old man said that she could help him if he spoke with her but he couldn't just tell her that. He'll just tell part of the truth.
"Not anymore than last time we did, I think, but to answer the question there, there's nothing here. I've always had my father whenever I wanted to talk." Before the whole crown debacle left him effectively mute for who knows how long and also ruined any goodwill he had towards the man. "It's boring."
She didn't fully believe him but it was an understandable feeling to have as a prisoner. "And you expect me to entertain you?"
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, that's exactly what I meant."
Konan narrowed her eyes at the blatant sarcasm. She wanted to just leave him there but if he wanted to talk, it'd be easy enough to satisfy a number of her curiosities. Perhaps she could convince him to let her know if Madara planned anything. She doubted he held any loyalty to the man after all.
"My apologies, I shouldn't have assumed like that." She took the empty bowl from his hands. She felt a presence suddenly appear near Pain's Deva Path. Madara.
"Unfortunately, I do not have time to talk." Her body broke apart into hundreds of sheets of paper and left through balcony. "Maybe another time."
That didn't go as planned but it was a start. Broly was about to go take a nap when his masked oppressor appeared in the front of his cell. Madara glanced at the rain outside for a few long moments before he turned to the Saiyan.
"It's time for a test, Broly."
Author's Notes
Man, it has been too long since I've made an update to this haven't I? I do aplogize to any fans of this fic but I have been fully focused on my other fic, An Unburdened Fury, for the last little bit. Check it out when you get a chance.
So Broly has been given an incentive to potentially change? Will he do it? Who knows!
Leave a review and let me know what you think.
Ent out.
Review Responses!
fightingchampion: The set up for the next bout of conflicts is always killer for me because I'm just so excited to get on with the fights themselves, haha. Thanks for the encouragement!
DTLA1992: That's a good question! It's tough to say as I don't have much planned for Sasuke in the future. Who knows if that'll change though.
Rawrking: I don't remember if I've gone over this before but the reason that Genjutsu is able to affect Broly is because of the seal on his head and that is further, if briefly, touched upon in this chapter. Broly is immune to Genjutsu without it. Also, if you think about it, what is chakra if not magical? c.c
Guns n broly: Thanks for the kind words! Yeah, it was always annoying when there isn't a well thought out reason for these characters to somehow be on an even playing field when DBZ characters are just so far above Naruto in terms of power. It's why I did what I did.
