Kress did his best to ignore his mother, who was peering through the window at him. He couldn't face her… he wouldn't. She deserved none of his anger, and anger was all he had to give right now. He growled as a familiar ki entered his senses, and he watched the alternate version of himself land at the end of the walkway, dressed in khaki slacks and a… what was it called again? A cardigan?
He scowled at the newcomer, then turned his eyes forward, determined to ignore him.
Gohan wouldn't have any of that, though. He came up to where Kress was sitting, and crossed his arms. "Why are you here?" he asked, returning the scowl.
Kress narrowed his eyes. "Because your father won't accept my apology," he said, refusing to look at Gohan.
This took Gohan by surprise, and he raised his eyebrow at Kress. "You came to apologize?" he asked. Then it struck him, and he scowled again. "Are you apologizing because you have to, or because you want to?" he asked, reminded of a much younger version of himself, sitting in his room, having this same conversation with his mother.
Kress glared at him. "What's it to you? It doesn't even concern you," he said, and turned his eyes forward again.
Gohan sighed, and sat down next to him outside the door, taking Kress by surprise. "Don't you think I'd be the easiest person to talk to? I'm you, after all," he said, scowl still on his face.
Kress regarded him for a long moment, then turned forward again. "You're not me. You're who I used to be, I stopped being you a long time ago," he said woodenly.
"Liar," Gohan said, eyebrow raised. "Can't lie to yourself, Gohan," he said.
"It's Kress," Kress replied, glaring at Gohan again. "I fought long and hard to earn my name, least you could do is use it," he said.
"Really? Tell me about it," Gohan said, his gaze firm. "Tell me all about it. Maybe I can help you make sense of it all. And maybe, I can help with that apology of yours, too," he said.
Kress shifted slightly. "You're not going to like it," he said.
Gohan shrugged. "I already don't. I'm not the one demanding the apology. Start talking," he said simply.
Kress sighed. "When Raditz took me, I was scared," he said, his eyes forward again. "Weak. I remember him beating my father with one blow, and I remember father lying on the beach, unable to move, as Raditz took me with him. Then, he put me in his space pod…" he shuddered.
Gohan nodded knowingly. "I hated that thing. I was pretty claustrophobic when I was a kid, I even got stuck in the closet once and just started screaming," he said, shaking his head.
Kress nodded. "Me, too. Made my power level rise, though," he said, with a smirk. "Uncle Raditz saw that, and decided then and there to take me with him, instead of waiting for father," he said. He sighed. "Every day he beat me, until I lost consciousness, every night I wished my father would come and save me. But he didn't. I started to realize, if I were ever going to survive, I needed to be the one to save me. And so, I got stronger," he said, smirking. "Uncle Raditz gave me a new name, and brought me to another planet to train. It was the best year of my life," he said, smiling fondly. "Uncle Raditz was proud of me, I was a real warrior, a true Saiyan. I knew I had earned the name he'd given me, Kress, the proud warrior who surpassed everyone, even when no one thought he'd amount to anything," he said, his eyes shining. Then his face fell. "Then… it was time for my first purge," he said, and the light went out of his eyes, and he looked straight ahead, his eyes cold. "It was them or the Earth, my uncle had told me. I chose the Earth. I thought… I thought I made the right choice," he said, his fists clenched. "Until I destroyed the first village."
Gohan took a shuddering breath, and closed his eyes. "You changed," he said softly.
"I died," Kress responded, turning his gaze to Gohan. "Or, rather… you died."
"I could… I could never forgive myself, if I had done something like that…" Gohan said, horrified, shaking his head.
"Don't worry," Kress said, his eyes cold. "Neither could I." He shook his head. "I knew I could never return here, after that. I would never be Goku's son again. I was a monster. I was Kress, Raditz's nephew, and that was enough for me," he said softly. Then he scowled. "Then… Frieza took our prince. And made something… something evil out of him," he said, swallowing hard.
"Something more evil, you mean," Gohan replied, earning a growl from Kress.
"He's our prince. Show some damned respect. He did his best with what he had. He chose a goal, and stuck to it, even after everything Frieza did to him. His only thought, his whole life, was vengeance for his people. He served as our prince faithfully, and we owe him the same," he said, his eyes narrowed. "Prince Vegeta is still alive on this planet. He's still training. He still acts to protect this planet. How do you thank your prince? By calling him evil behind his back?" he asked, disgusted. He turned away. "Even after everything Vegeta did… even after he killed my uncle, tortured me, turned me into…" Kress shook his head. "Even after everything, I can still honor his memory. I may be a monster, but I can show respect where it's due," he said.
"Yet, you can't show respect to your own father?" Gohan pointed out. "What did Father ever do to you, that was so bad you can't forgive him, when you can forgive Raditz and Vegeta?" he asked.
Kress growled. "You don't understand! You were raised as a human, how can you know what it is to be Saiyan?" he asked. He narrowed his eyes. "You read all those books, didn't you? All the ones mother got for you? You trained your mind, and became more and more intelligent, and your mother, did she ever stop giving them to you?" he asked.
Gohan frowned in thought. "No… actually, she just gave me another one last week, as a gift," he said.
"Of course she did! Because, as your parent, her first priority is to see that you become the best!" Kress said. "Even humans care for their children this way. My Uncle Raditz beat me into oblivion until I was strong enough to defend myself. He wouldn't have had to, if my father had done his damned job and trained me from the very beginning. Saiyan cubs are trained from birth. I was four years old when I started my training!" he snapped. "Saiyan parents who do not want their children will just neglect them, so that they will either be killed by a rival, or the elements if they're weak, or be claimed by someone else. I was lucky my uncle came to claim me, and not one of father's rivals. That is why I hate my father," he hissed. He glanced at Gohan. "Tell me… the first person to ever train you. Who was it?" he asked, daring his alternate version to name their father.
Gohan frowned, looking away. "Mr. Piccolo," he said. At Kress's questioning glance, he sighed and said, "At the time… he was one of my father's rivals."
Kress smirked. "Yet, you survived. Your luck's as good as mine," he said.
Gohan shook his head. "You were on the beach that day, you know Father lost his memories. He wouldn't have known he was supposed to train you from the beginning. Many human parents never teach their children how to fight! How can you judge him by customs and rules he didn't even know about?" he pointed out. "Just because Father didn't train you, doesn't mean he was neglecting you. He kept you safe! Remember the waterfall?" he asked.
Kress growled. "Of course I remember it!" he snarled. "At my age, I should have been able to fly over it! Father wasn't protecting me. He was crippling me. He wanted me to be weak, so he could continue to think he was strong!" he spat.
"That's not true, Gohan," a voice said, and both men looked up to see Goku stepping around the corner.
He had a scowl on his face, as he regarded Kress. "I couldn't even fly back then. I took the Nimbus everywhere, remember? I couldn't have taught you to fly if I tried," he said. "Did Raditz twist your mind so much that you really think I never cared for you?" he asked, looking hurt. Both men could see that he had been listening to their conversation.
Kress stood, glaring at him. "You and my father are two different people. My father gave me away. You were able to keep your son. My feelings for my own father have nothing to do with my apology to you. Why won't you see that?" he asked.
Goku stepped forward, crossing his arms. "Because you're lying. Your feelings for your father do have something to do with me. I can tell by the way you look at me, I can tell by the way you apologize, and I can tell by the way you wouldn't fight back last time we fought!" he said.
Kress was caught off guard by that. "I never thought you were Saiyan enough to care about that," he said. He pulled out Prince Tarble's gravity generator, and turned his eyes back to Goku. "I challenge you, father. Base forms only, no energy attacks, and we use these," he said, tossing the device to Goku, who caught it, curiously. "Place it on your belt. Press the middle button, you'll notice your center of gravity shift. Adjust it however you see fit," he said, and activated his own, as well. "If I win, you'll accept the apology I gave you," he said.
Goku adjusted the gravity on the device, marveling that such a thing existed. He looked to Kress. "Fine. But if I win," he said, scowling, "You'll give me a real apology. Got it?" he asked.
Kress gave a single nod. He then adjusted the gravity on his device.
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" came a screeching voice from the door. Chichi stood there, frying pan in hand, glaring at them both. "You two are NOT fighting ANYWHERE near this house, got that?" she demanded, causing all three men to wince.
Gohan stood, saving the day. "Oh, hey, Mom, I'm sure they both plan on taking this to an empty field somewhere," he said, glancing at his father, who grinned sheepishly. He turned to his mother. "And, Videl wanted me to ask if you could come over, to help her settle in. She said she's trying to arrange the kitchen just right, and could use your expertise," he said, hoping Videl wouldn't hate him too much for this.
Chichi's expression changed. "Oh, well, I haven't checked in with Videl since the wedding. Poor girl must be in over her head! Let me grab some things, we'll need this, and this…" she said, as the two outside took this opportunity to fly off somewhere else.
Once Goku and Kress landed, Kress got into battle stance. "Just so you know… last time wasn't an insult," he said, narrowing his eyes. "I couldn't control my power. Plus, I wanted to see if this version of you was a halfway decent fighter," he said, smirking. "That, was an insult," he clarified. He then flew at Goku, catching his father by surprise with an elbow to the face.
Goku was knocked back a few feet, but soon righted himself just as Kress sent a kick towards his head. He caught his son's foot with his hand, and used it to pull Kress closer, as he punched him in the side. Kress's tail caught him across the face mid-punch, however, disorienting him slightly so that Kress could free himself, kicking Goku in the chin with his foot as he flipped back. It was strong enough to send Goku flying backwards into the ground, and Kress got to his feet quickly, readying himself for his next attack.
Goku smirked, standing back up. "You know, I don't think you letting me beat you last time had anything to do with control, or sizing me up. I think you just felt guilty because you knew you did something wrong," he said. "I think it was your way of apologizing," he said, as he flew at Kress again, sending a punch towards his face, which Kress blocked, scowling.
"Then why didn't you accept that apology?" Kress asked, sending a knee towards Goku's stomach, which was also blocked. Kress swiftly moved behind Goku, aiming an elbow to the man's back, but Goku ducked, sweeping a leg behind him, knocking Kress off balance.
"Because," he said, watching Kress get back up, "I expect better from you," he said, blocking another attack from Kress. "And I think your father did, too," he said.
Kress snarled at that. "HOW DARE YOU!" he screamed, and launched himself at Goku, not caring at all about technique or fighting stance. "That man was weak and pathetic, and ONLY cared about his OWN STRENGTH! My father expected NOTHING from me! He proved that himself!" he spat. "He was weak, he DESERVED death, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN HIM, NOT UNCLE RADITZ!" he screamed, his eyes turning teal as his hair began to glow yellow. There was nothing human in those eyes, anymore. "HE should have been the first to die, THE WEAK MUST DIE, YOU MUST DIE!" he screamed, and bit down on Goku's arm, causing the older man to scream, as his son's teeth sank into his flesh. Goku powered up as well, shoving Kress off of him, as Kress began to scream. "IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU!" he screamed, his power increasing steadily as Goku's blood ran down his mouth. He rushed at Goku again, wildly.
Goku struck Kress on the side of the head with both fists, knocking his son back, and scowled. "Power down now, son, or you forfeit the fight!" he told him. "Control yourself! That's an order!" he yelled.
The words triggered something in Kress, and he hesitated, intelligence coming back into his eyes. He brought his hand to his mouth, and pulled it away, seeing blood there. His father's blood. His hand shook, as he powered down. "I… I'm sorry…" he said, his eyes wide, as he stepped back.
Goku nodded, powering down. "Was that so hard?" he asked.
Kress spat, wiping his mouth, glaring at himself. "I can't believe I… after…" he shook his head, spitting again. "I swore I'd never do that again," he said, growling, the air crackling around him.
"Gohan!" Goku said, gripping Kress's shoulder. "Calm down!" he demanded.
Kress was crying, turning his head away. "Uncle Raditz…" he sobbed, and suddenly his father was holding him, as he cried, wind swirling around them. "I'm sorry… I couldn't… I couldn't save you…" he cried, shaking. "He made me… I'm sorry…. He made me…" he cried.
"It's okay… Gohan, it's okay… it's over…" Goku said, holding the man as he sobbed. What had happened to his son in that universe? To Raditz? Kress obviously cared for his uncle deeply, and felt guilty over the way he died. Had Kress been made to kill Raditz? Goku was distinctly reminded of how he felt once he realized he had been responsible for his grandfather's death.
Gradually, the wind died down, and Kress was shaking, breathing deeply. Goku held him close, wishing in that moment that this version of his son, had been able to grow up like his son had.
"Father... I am sorry," Kress said, his voice little more than a whisper. "You don't deserve any of my anger, none of you do. One day... one day I will be able to forgive my father. But, my anger at him... it's all that holds me together. Without it..." he swallowed hard. "I know you don't understand, but I loved my uncle. He taught me, early on, to use my anger to hold myself together, to use it to keep going, even when I've lost everything. I... I was helpless to save him. I did... I did things, he would have been disgusted by," he said, swallowing hard. "If I let go of everything he taught me, it's like I'm betraying his memory," he said, his fists clenched, his eyes hard. "Just like I betrayed yours."
Goku pulled back from him, looking Kress in the eyes. That face… behind the scar that slashed over his eye, behind the scowl and blood and tears and the coldness of his eyes, was his son. His son, who had traveled so far away, he couldn't see himself ever coming back. Goku's gaze was firm. "Gohan, I know you don't think I know what it is to be a Saiyan, but the truth is, I feel my people's blood running through me. I have always felt different than everyone else I knew. I am constantly looking for new challenges, the idea of battle excites me, and believe it or not, I have a very strong sense of pride. I know I inherited all of this from my people, from my parents. I know that, in a way, they live on through me. Even though I do not, and will never, hold to their ideals," he said. "Your Uncle Raditz will always be a part of you. And you need to remember that, because one day, you are going to be able to let go of your hatred. And when that day comes, you need to remember something else," he said, and scowled. "I would never, in any universe, ever truly give up on you. No matter what you've done. No matter who you've hurt. That part of me would never, ever change. When you let go of the hatred Raditz raised you with, if you feel yourself falling apart, find your father. He's been watching over you all this time, I can guarantee it."
Kress's chest clenched at his father's words. "I will," he said finally.
"Well, then," Goku said, standing up, "why don't we get something to eat? I'm starving, and from the looks of it, so are you," he said, glancing at the bite mark on his arm. Kress looked away, turning scarlet. "Oh, wait… did Gohan take Chichi to see Videl? Maybe we can go over to their place?" Goku said, scratching the back of his head. He reached down and changed the setting on the device on his belt. "This thing is really neat, by the way" he said, grinning. "Can I keep it?" he asked. "It makes for good training."
Kress grunted. "Sure. I mean, it's Prince Tarble's, he'll probably let you have it," he said with a shrug. "Who's Videl?" he asked.
Goku smirked. "Your wife," he said, snickering at the look on Kress's face. "Who's Prince Tarble?" he asked, confused.
"Prince Vegeta's brother," Kress replied, smirking at Goku's reaction.