All rights belong to Akira Toriyama, Toyotarou and Toei Animation
This is based on the manga cannon, so there may be some discrepancies with the anime.
And suddenly it was over.
Vegeta had seen a lot of cadavers in his time. He'd seen people dismembered, he'd seen innards strewn haphazardly across a battlefield.
He'd seen his closest companions after Frieza had tortured them to death because he had made a mistake on mission. Poor Parsnyppe's corpse after she had been mutilated would forever be burnt onto Vegeta's retinas.
But it seemed none of it prepared him for the horror that was Kakarot's body as the rest of the Darkness was absorbed. He could not describe it, could not even comprehend it. If pain could be graphed, this would be the peak. If horror could be quantified, it would be the same result.
And as the wrecked vessel plunged towards the now crimson dirt, Vegeta surged forward to catch him, gagging at the familiar stench of blood that he had hoped never to smell again. He didn't bother to check whether Kakarot was still breathing, just forced his jaw open ready to plunge the magical bean amongst a pool of bloodied vomit that waited behind his teeth.
He was unable to complete the action, however as a sudden, violent burst knocked him backwards, causing him to skid, shielding his face like a mime against the wind. Squinting against the force of air pummelling him, he saw, to his mounting horror, that the Darkness was returning.
Just like when it had broken free of the pot, the Darkness swept out of its container with a vengeance, howling with unsuppressed rage. Unable to see through the blackness clouding his vision, Vegeta used his sense of smell to guide him to his fallen comrade.
If Kakarot died, he would have done so in vain. That was something Vegeta couldn't accept. Dropping down, Vegeta felt as if his hair was about to be pulled from his head by the force of the wind. And saiyans had strong hair!
A strange urge to leave Kakarot to rot here, on this godforsaken planet blindsided him for a moment, before he shook his head to clear the wayward thought.
Not happening.
Vegeta felt around in front of him, grimacing as his gloves became soaked in Kakarot's freshly spilt blood. He confirmed that it was an arm he had located; an arm bent out of shape, and he was sure the bone was exposed, before making his way up it to the neck, then the face. Again he wrenched the jaw open, this time succeeding in placing the bean inside.
Now all he could do was wait.
A gasp caused him to look down, but he still could not make out anything through the mist. Except, he considered, the skyline, which meant it would hopefully clear enough to get by soon.
"It…it didn't work." Kakarot's voice reached him along the wind's raging currents. He wasn't sure a response would be heard, so remained silent, waiting for the tempest to calm.
Eventually the roar wound down to a dull breeze, and they were able to talk freely.
"I don't understand," Kakarot confessed, "That other Vegeta did it. Why couldn't I?"
"You are forgetting one crucial point, I am afraid," Whis replied, "Keel Saiya Vegeta was the reincarnation of a god, and not just any god, one of the original creators of the omniverse."
"So? I have god ki."
"Yes, this is true. However I believe the issue lies in the difference between internal and external power. Internal power is the strength of one's soul. Keel Vegeta's soul was, or is, incredibly powerful. You rely on external power, or the power of your body."
Kakarot looked like he wasn't following, but Vegeta thought he understood. Certain souls throughout saiyan history had always been born powerful, even in spite of sometimes weak genes. The soul must therefore have some bearing to play on strength.
Besides, they had been trying to fuse.
"Does internal power…impact upon fusions?" Vegeta questioned.
"Yes, indeed. If two people with very high internal power fuse, their fusion will last much longer. The fusion between deities is permanent because their internal strength is much greater."
"So Zamasu had a lot of, um, internal strength, then?" Kakarot clarified.
"I suppose he may have done…" Whis conceded, and Vegeta remembered that he had not witnessed Zamasu's weird refusal to defuse.
"But if one of the people who fuse has low internal strength…" Vegeta prompted.
"Yes, it will become highly unstable."
"Darn…so I can't do this." Kakarot summarised, "But maybe Beerus—"
"Don't even think about it!" the cat god snapped.
They decided to head back to Earth to reconsider their dilemma.
It seemed as if they had exhausted all avenues, but Vegeta knew that there was one more option; the question was, should he risk it?
Goku glared at Whis' back as they sped towards Earth. It wasn't fair, he thought, that he hadn't been able to complete the fusion process. All because his soul was inadequate? He thought that was what the problem was. Because he was mortal. But when had that ever stopped them before? Even the gods had acknowledged their strength, and Goku felt cheated at the new slight from fate. He had made his peace with death, with the destruction of himself, for the sake of his loved ones.
How dare the Darkness burst out of him like that?!
How dare fate mock his efforts?!
And how dare the Darkness make him so angry?!
He was sick of trying to fight an intangible foe. He was sick of failing every time. He was sick of the sickness in his own mind, wheedling its way in and urging him in a sugary sweet voice to do things he would never consider doing.
He just wanted this whole thing to end, so he could go back to training and fighting simple, punchable enemies.
At first Goku didn't recognise Earth over Whis's shoulder. That beautiful, pristine and diverse world couldn't possibly be the dark husk he saw in the distance. But as they grew closer Goku recognised some of the continents visible outside the cloud cover. He could see dots of light through the dark haze like beacons calling him home.
"It's reached Earth," Vegeta commented in a low voice.
Whis and Beerus seemed supremely untroubled by the revelation, causing a surge of anger to rise up within Goku. He swallowed it down with difficulty, immediately moving away from the two when they landed in Bulma's garden. It amazed him that despite the mist surrounding them, he could still clearly smell the delicious scents from Panchy's well-tended flowers. He supposed the Darkness didn't really smell like anything.
Raised voices caused him to return to the entrance, where Bulma was poking Vegeta viciously with her perfectly polished nail.
"—came up from my lab, expecting you to be here, but no-oh, the Prince of All Saiyans has better things to do than be with his family! I thought you'd left without even saying good-bye!"
"Bulma," Vegeta broke it, trying for a placating tone through clenched teeth, "An emergency came up—"
"Oh really? And you couldn't even be bothered to notify me?!"
"Bulma, please, you need to calm down…"
"Oh, I do, do I?!"
"You must have noticed the haze surrounding us. It's not smoke, it's—"
"I bloody well know it isn't! It goes through walls and I can't study the damn stuff! But that's got nothing to do with your godawful attitude, mister!"
"Exposure to it makes people irrational, angry, violent. You're—"
"You think I'm yelling because of this black stuff? Well, I've got news for you!"
"Goku." The saiyan in question jumped as Whis addressed him, "As interesting as our friends…ah, domestic is, Lord Beerus and I will be returning to his home now."
"What? Why?" Goku asked.
"It seems there is nothing more we can do here. We have run out of avenues, and Lord Beerus wishes to consult with the oracle."
"Oh, okay."
It made sense to involve the little fish. He might have some insight. But Goku couldn't help but feel abandoned, and he resented their attitude. They had another home to go to, and it seemed like they didn't care what happened to this little stopover.
Wasn't it Beerus' job to deal with things like this?
Meanwhile Bulma had stormed back inside, leaving her husband forlorn on the steps. Vegeta sighed softly, rubbing his face as he turned to his companion.
"Do you think humans have lower resistance?"
"How should I know?" he realised he had bit that out harshly, and quickly apologised.
"Don't worry about it." Vegeta mumbled.
"There must be something we can do." Goku moaned.
Vegeta folded his arms, looking away, and seeming to find the petunias very interesting as he replied. "There is something. But I want to exhaust all other possibilities first."
"Oh? What's your idea?"
"I'll tell you if nothing else works. Just…give me a little more time."
"All right. I thought I might check if anyone else has any ideas."
With that, Goku decided his first point of call would be the Lookout. Honing onto Piccolo's strong ki signature, he materialised beside the meditating Namekian. His grass-coloured face was twitching as he tried to relax.
"Goku," he acknowledged, opening his eyes to regard his visitor, "What have you done now?"
"Huh? I haven't done anything!" he protested, hands up to protect himself from the accusation.
"If you haven't noticed, we are facing a crisis."
"The Darkness, right? That's what I'm here about. I was wondering if you had any ideas?"
"…not really," he admitted, standing to loom as was his want, "Dende, Mr Popo and I have already discussed it. We couldn't think of – unless – well, there's always the mafuba." He grimaced, as if remembering what had happened to his father/former self.
Huh. Goku forgot about that whole episode quite often. Not that he ever wanted to think about lying in a broken heap facing a demonic king. That had been second only to his fight with Vegeta in terms of pure pain until he had tried to fuse with the Darkness. He shuddered involuntarily, recalling the agony he had been submerged in, remembering his relief at falling into the waiting comfort of unconsciousness.
"We tried that already. It just broke the pot."
"Darn. Look, I'm sorry Goku. That was my only suggestion. You need to act quickly, though. This Darkness, is that what you called it, is making humans extremely aggressive."
"Oh. Well, thanks anyway. Tell Dende and Mr Popo that I say hi."
"You can tell them yourself." Goku barely caught as he honed in on Gohan's distinct ki and popped into existence beside him.
His eldest son was outside in one of Mr Satan's exquisite gardens, wringing his hands on a marble bench. He did not notice his father's presence as his downcast face met the palm of his hands, elbows resting on his knees.
"Gohan?"
The boy jumped, swivelling around to face Goku, and giving a slight smile.
"Hi, Dad."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. It's just…I don't know what's gotten into Videl. She just…exploded at me. She hasn't done that in years. And then there's this…it's not smoke but I don't know what it is! Do you?"
"They call it the Great Darkness. It followed us back from Trunk's future. It, well, it makes people evil."
"Really? Huh. Then I suppose Videl…?!"
"I'd say so, yes."
"But…how do we get rid of it?"
"That's…why I came to see you actually. You see, we've tried punching it, ki blasts, and the mafuba—"
"The what?"
"It's a sealing technique."
"Okay." Gohan frowned, gazing up at one of the mansion's windows, from which a warm, cheery glow was trying to emanate through the Darkness. A silhouette passed by, stopping a moment before moving on.
"I'll need some time to think."
"I don't think we have much time, Gohan."
Gohan's head whipped around with a glare, causing Goku to go on the defensive.
"Look, I'll check in with everyone else first, and then come back to you. How does that sound?"
"All right."
And so for the second time that day, Goku popped into existence beside Krillen. Now, his childhood friend wasn't known for his intelligence or perception like Gohan or the Kami-infused Picollo were, but Goku valued his insight nonetheless. 18 was probably around somewhere, if he got desperate. She was a difficult one to interact with.
Smiling widely, Goku greeted his old friend, but a moment later the grin was wiped off his face rather smartly. Krillen was glaring at his fiercely enough to bake the cake he had been preparing earlier.
"Goku! What the hell have you done now?!"
"Why does everyone assume this is my fault?" He protested, grimacing as he remembered that yes, it had been his idea to go back in the time machine to collect the Future Zeno. So he supposed he really was to blame for this situation.
Darn it.
Goku really wasn't good with accepting responsibility, remorse or guilt, as Chichi had pointed out to him enough times over the years. He didn't want to admit fault for anything. And he certainly wasn't about to confess his culpability to his highly agitated friend.
"Because everything's your fault!" Krillen yelled.
Goku didn't think that assessment was quite fair. Other people had certainly had their role in the disasters that had followed them over the years. And when he had tried to take himself out of the picture, everyone had blamed him for that too (especially Chichi and Gohan – he did not like to remember that charged conversation).
"And whatever you've done now!" Krillen was continuing to spit, "Whatever you've called up to fight because you goddamn saiyans love fighting! My wife, Goku, has left me-"
"I'm sor—" Goku began to interrupt.
"- because she didn't trust herself not to hurt us!"
"Krillen, I'm really sorry."
"You'd better be!"
"But I really need your help right now. See this black mist around us. That's what affected 18. That's what's making you so angry. And I need to find a way to get rid of it."
Krillen sneered at him, turning away sharply, "Oh, and you thought you'd call on your old buddy, Krillen?"
"Well, yes."
"Hmph, as if I believe that. You've exhausted all other possibilities and are now scraping at the barrel."
"Huh?"
"Me, Goku. It's become very clear to me that you don't care about me anymore."
"Oh, that's not true!"
Goku could feel himself starting to grow agitated at the new accusation. Krillen was his best friend! Or, at least, his second best friend. Could a person have two best friends? And then there was Bulma…and he supposed Picollo…
"Yes, it is. You've gone and replaced me with the monster who practically annihilated us when we first met."
"Huh?"
"Vegeta, you dolt! It's obvious to me that you've found a new training companion! And since training is all you saiyans think about, you don't have time for poor old Krillen anymore!"
"Krillen," Goku bit out, stumbling forward with one arm out to reach his friend, "Krillen, I—"
"Leave me alone." Was the small man's reply. Simple, and deadened.
"But—"
"Didn't you hear me!" Krillen roared, facing Goku once more, "Leave me the fuck alone!"
Goku reeled back as if punched. He'd never heard Krillen swear before.
The small figure spun sharply, showing his back as he stormed out of his own house. Goku decided to put off his plan to meet next with Master Roshi. If humans were more affected by the Darkness, then he really didn't want to hear what his old teacher had to say if Krillen's response was any indication. Bulma was always yelling at Vegeta for something or other. She yelled at everyone, so her little performance with her husband had in no way prepared him for facing his childhood friend in…well, in a snit.
But in the cool, sunset air, surrounded by the noises of a bustling city, Goku was forced to concede Krillen's point. He did neglect his friendships, indeed, all of his relationships. But that was just how we was. He had always done that. He came and went, popping in every couple of years to show off a child no one had heard about.
And Krillen was definitely right in his insinuations about Vegeta. The prince had become his best friend, he could admit that. He wasn't sure why, but he was drawn to that serious, proud and aloof saiyan like the flipside to his own coin. Opposites attract, and all. Only, they weren't that different, not really, especially in recent years. Vegeta was the only one who understood his need to fight strong opponents, to train and push his limits more and more.
None of the humans, even his half-human children, had ever comprehended this saiyan tendency.
So yes, he had grown closer to Vegeta. They had bonded in a way Goku had never been able to before. They simply…understood one another.
As though thinking of the devil could summon him, Vegeta's ki suddenly skyrocketed to Super Saiyan 2 levels.
Goku was beside him in an instant, commenting
"Is there an –"
Before being promptly pinned to the floor like a bug.
Powering up to Super Saiyan 2 himself, Goku rose to his feet and took in his surroundings. Along with the black haze which had accompanied their every move recently, the atmosphere around him was tingled a violent red. The circular metal walls and control panel identified his surroundings as being Vegeta's gravity room.
But the gravity was set to 1000Gs.
"Vegeta, are you crazy?!" Goku cried, turning to face his friend.
Vegeta was decidedly pale, even taking into account his sunshine-coloured aura, and his clenched hands were trembling. Teal eyes gazed bleakly at him, a haunted look to them.
"Is everything okay?"
It obviously wasn't, but Vegeta rejected any notion that things were out of the ordinary as he approached his fellow saiyan.
"Why are you in here? And why is the gravity up so high? Gees, Vegeta, you've never set it so high! You could have killed yourself!"
"I…just wanted to clear my head and…get away from Bulma."
"Okay, I can understand that, but why did you have to set it so high?"
Vegeta's eyes were downcast, examining the floor, and his lips were pursed, and again, very pale. Instead of answering, he held out his arm, commanding:
"Take us to Trunks."
"What? Hey, I've been using Instant Transmission all day! I'm kinda tired of it! Can't you just use the door like a normal person?!"
Goku hadn't meant to be so loud, but he was quite through with popping around everywhere. It wasn't as though the technique didn't use energy – it used quite a lot.
"We're locked in, Kakarot." Vegeta replied, electricity zipping around him as he spoke, "I suppose we could try blasting our way out, but Bulma has reinforced the material. I'd rather not level a suburb by accident, either."
"…why are we locked in?"
Vegeta's eye twitched, but he made no comment. It was times like these when Goku wished he had his eldest son's brains. He would be able to understand Vegeta's tells and know exactly what was happening, but Goku was completely in the dark.
"Well, okay," Goku capitulated after a few more seconds of total silence, broken only by the hum of their advanced energies.
After this, Goku promised himself that he would not be using Instant Transmission again for at least a week. He would definitely be flying home.
When the pair appeared in the living room, Trunks was trying to extricate his game controller from the wall. He gave them both a sullen glare when he noticed them, but otherwise said nothing.
"What are you doing, boy?" Vegeta growled.
Trunks let out an explosive sigh.
"I just got a little frustrated at this level, that's all."
"So you embedded your Christmas gift in your mother's wall."
"Don't mention Mum, she's gone absolutely loopy."
Surprisingly, Vegeta did not dispute this, instead telling Trunks-
"Make sure you don't do it again," before steering Goku through the hall and onto the lawn.
In the distance, the final echoes of sunset lit up the western sky in soft hues of purple and pink. A few stars poked nervously out of the emerging night, twinkling merrily down onto the pair of disheartened saiyans.
Refraining on commenting on his own run-in with Krillen, Goku took a long, hard look at his companion. He had both arms wrapped around him, crossed but not in the same standoffish way he usually employed. He looked withdrawn, which was not a word Goku thought he would ever use to describe Vegeta. He was smaller, somehow, and Goku feared he might drown in the sadness of those now-black eyes.
What had he missed?
"Vegeta?" he began tentatively.
The other saiyan jolted, before gazing at him with that familiar determination.
"We'll go with my plan." He said resolutely, dropping his arms by his sides.
"You have a plan? What is it?"
"…you're not going to like it."