Dragon Ball: Insurgent

The End of Hope

Birth is violent, and out of that violence is our only chance of rebirth.

- Nick Nolte

Nappa easily blocks the boy's first attack with one of his armored gauntlets. Unable to hold up to the pressure of the collision, the boy's kick ends up sending him backwards. The younger Saiyan reorients himself with a few cat like twirls in order to regain his footing. Amused at the fevered young man, Nappa waits for him to attack again. As expected, the boy rushes forward, running at Nappa at such a high speed that it almost appears that the boy is blinking in and out of existence. Without his scouter, Nappa cannot follow the boy's power level. He stands his ground, reacting to the first sound he hears. To his right, the boy winds up a kick, one that Nappa is able to easily catch. His hand is large enough to wrap around the boys leg, and he casually throws the boy at least twenty meters away face first into the dirt. Panting, the younger Saiyan pushes himself up with his one arm and turns to glare at Nappa.

"Tel me boy, do you really think you can beat me with such a puny level of power?" Nappa asks, stepping forward and cracking his knuckles, "Respect your elders. If you're going to challenge me all on your own, you should have at least had a plan."

In response, the boy spits on the ground and resumes his first stance. There is a small quiver from the earth as the one armed Saiyan forms his hand into the shape of a claw. The boy runs at him, low to the ground, dodging a volley of energy Nappa throws at him. Between the energy blasts, the boy finds his mark. With his one good hand, the boy swipes for Nappa's face Suddenly, Nappa finds himself feeling off balance. Falling backwards, he sees now that the boy had swept out his leg when he was focused on his hand. All he can do is grit his teeth as the boy starts kicking him around intermixed with the slashing motion of his hand. It dawns on Nappa that this is the same technique the earthling ad tried to use on him, expect this time it was delivered with the power and speed only a Saiyan could possess. Nappa manages to protect his vital organs in the wild maelstrom of limbs that is the boy's attack. Faintly, he can hear the howling of a beast.

"Wolf Fang Fist," The boy whispers, bringing his hands together at Nappa's chest.

The boy grunts, and a blast of invisible kiai energy sends Nappa reeling backwards. Deciding to go airborne, Nappa catches himself in the air. His soldier's training allows him to evaluate his injuries, which are minimal. Any strikes the boy had managed to land were superficial. Though not for a lack of trying, the younger Saiyan had not been able to do little more than agitate Nappa. The burly Saiyan smiles and flairs up his aura. He gets a sick pleasure out of seeing the boy's eyes go wide with shock as he is simply bull rushed by Nappa. Knocked off his feet, Nappa does not relent and flip-kicks the child back to earth. Coughing up blood, the boy's limbs shake as he tries to stand after the last attack. Nappa can see out of the corner of his eye that Kakarot's son is keeping an eye on their battle while fighting the prince, but is too occupied with his own fight to intervene.

"This planet just makes Saiyans weak, doesn't it?" Nappa says as he lands next to the boy, "You know, if you give up now and fight with us, Prince Vegeta will forgive you. You haven't been on this planet very long, we could fix you. What do ya say?"

In response, the boy spits in Nappa's eye. The glob is a disgusting mixture of blood and salvia. Nappa wipes his eyes clean and when he does the boy had moved to the other end of the clearing. Seeing red, Nappa charges forward with a roar. He brings his fists down like hammers onto the boy, laughing as the child is only barely able to move out of the way so as to not be crushed or even cleaved in half. It does warm Nappa's heart to see that this strange boy is talented enough in the arts of war to counter attack whenever he can. To test the child, Nappa allows momentarily lapses in his defense. Each time he swings an inch too wide or moves his foot a centimeter too far, the boy strikes with punch or a kick. Even the child's tail acts as a weapon. Despite how sick it looks, the boy moves it with enough speed and power to sting at Nappa's exposed flesh. For the briefest moment, Nappa wonders if this is a sign that the boy is from an elite lineage.

"Not bad boy," Nappa comments while bringing an arm bar down onto the boy's head, "What did you say your name was again?"

Desperate to break off the melee, the boy actually spits at Nappa again. Ignoring the disgusting act, Nappa slams his fist into the boy's chest. This time, the child does not fight back. A small "crack" in his ribcage sounding like the roar of victory for the Saiyan Elite. Throwing the boy up a few feet, Nappa grabs his tail and swings the boy around by it. Knowing the pain first hand, it is no surprise that the child lets out a scream. Nappa throws the boy into the dirt again and again, throwing him away after a few dozen smacks. Despite that, the one armed boy manages to force himself to his feet. The boy glares at Nappa before reaching into his own mouth to rip out a loose tooth. He spits out a glob of blood and resumes his stance.

"You're either stupid, or suicidal," Nappa tells him with a sadistic grin, "Why would Kakarot send you to fight me? You're barely able to stand and we just started."

Instead of running right at him again, the boy begins gathering his energy. The ground around them shakes, but Nappa holds his ground no matter what the boy is planning, he knows that he can send it right back at him. A Saiyan needs to fight in many battles in order to become as powerful as himself. No matter one's station, save for maybe Vegeta, experience is a huge factor in determining how powerful one can be. The boy cannot be older than fifteen, and if he has been on this little rock for a whole year, his battle power will likely have only increased in small increments. It will be a simple matter to…

CRACK!

The earth below Nappa's feet as the boy drives his one fist into the ground. Guided by at least rudimentary control of ki, a crevasse opens up below Nappa's feet. The larger Saiyan falls into it, suddenly being pelted by rocks and fists as Olve jumps on top of him. Despite his lack of a limb and small size, the child still manages to delivers powerful, bone shattering blows to Nappa's unprepared body. The almost feral scratches betraying the boys wild background. At the last second, Nappa feels him kick off of him and jumping back to the surface. After wiping some spit off his jaw, Nappa pursues the boy.

"You little brat," Nappa says, catching the boy as he tries to ambush him with a flying kick, "You're going to learn a lesson today."

The large Saiyan flies upwards, touching the clouds with the tip of his bald head before he stops. Tossing the boy carelessly, he catches him by the tail and suspends him from the earth. From this height, the battle between Vegeta and the rest of the earthlings is little more than a pretty light show. For the first time, Nappa is able to get a good look at the boy, examining the light brown hair and beginning of a jagged jawline. The way the boys dark eyes dart about remind him of another fighter, one that used to strike fear into the hearts of Tuffles and Saiyans alike. Even the boy's slender frame is a familiar sight. Just from it, Nappa can see how he might have one day filled in, becoming a Saiyan warrior as large as Nappa himself. Even the way the boy's tail twitches seems familiar now that he can see him up close; it sticks to a very tight pattern and economy of movement. But this boy is no Bardock, Legume, Paragus, Olve, Leek, or even Raditz. Those were mighty Saiyan warriors. Men that Nappa could respect, and who he honored every morning on the eve of battle. All that he holds is a ball of wasted potential. Made stupid by isolation, made weak by the earthlings.

"You could have been so much more," Nappa laments, almost letting himself show weakness, "But you're infected. When I saw you with Raditz, I saw a fighter. A warrior. Now, it's clear that you're no different than Kakarot."

Flying up a few meters higher, Nappa throws the boy to the ground. "See you, in the next world! Tell the devil Nappa sent you!"

Gohan finds himself being pushed to the back by his father and Piccolo. The two former rivals engage Vegeta with a savagery that Gohan thought incapable of his father. Instead of the flowing fighting style that students of the Turtle Hermit or Kami tended to use, Goku is attempting to power through Vegeta's offense with Piccolo. Their fists and legs slam into the lone Saiyan warrior, sending shockwave after shockwave through the air as their powers collide. When Vegeta gets some distance, his father fires a wave of energy at him. Though deflected it does give Piccolo a chance to fire his spiral attack at the Saiyan. A barrier of purple energy surrounds Vegeta as the warrior smirks at the two of them.

"Come on, I expected more from the two of you together," Vegeta taunts, grabbing Piccolo by one of his arms and throwing him into Goku. As the two warriors untangle themselves, Vegeta moves to attack them again. Faster than Gohan's eyes can follow the Saiyan prince dispatches the two senior fighters and they fall to the ground. Vegeta laughs and crosses his arms, "You looked much better when you were fighting Nappa. Show me some of that spirit! Show me your pride Kakarot!"

Realizing that he has to try something, Gohan flies towards Vegeta with his fist clenched. The young hybrid Saiyan grits his teeth. He gathers his energy to launch an attack at his father's attacker, calling on the year of training under his belt. All of that stops when the prince turns to face him directly. The second the little monkey tailed boy looks at Vegeta cruel eyes, he freezes. Any sort of strength that he felt a moment ago is gone. Looking at the Saiyan prince makes his blood run cold. Salty tears run down his face as the alien begins to fly towards him, slowly and without any sort of haste to his movement. Gohan covers his face, turning away and crying for his father or another adult to come to his rescue. A sickening feeling rises up in his stomach, and Gohan realizes that along with the fear in his heart there is a new sense of despair coming over him.

"Pathetic. You're a disgrace to the name of the Saiyans," Vegeta says to him, his shadow eclipsing Gohan. He feels himself being lifted, the collar of his shirt being held by Vegeta's fist. "You know, if you lick my boots I may just let you live. Spilling Saiyan blood like this isn't beneficial for either of us."

"Oh yeah! Try this on for size you big lug!" Gohan hears Yamcha yell as a ball of yellow energy crashes over them.

While the attack is enough to refocus Vegeta's attention, Gohan knows that it will only be temporarily. Seizing the opportunity, Gohan takes a jab at Vegeta's jaw. Together, the two of them force Vegeta to take a defensive stance. Before the Saiyan prince can enact his revenge though, Goku and Piccolo once again continue their assault. The two warriors move in and out of each other's way as the prince endures the hits from the warriors. Though their combined assault is faster than Gohan can follows, the stationary prince only shows subtle signs of even being in the center of the maelstrom. Gohan looks at the smile on the prince's lips and it feels like a cold stone had been dropped into his gut. It is clear, as they are now they cannot hope to overcome the Saiyan.

"Yeah get 'em Goku!" Yamcha cheers, catching his breath as the prince stays pinned down by the two of them, "Your dad and Piccolo are going to beat the tar out of the alien freak. Look at him, he can't even move."

Gohan shakes his head, "It's too easy. That guy is way stronger than even my dad. Why is he just taking those attacks?"

Gohan's question is answered when Vegeta suddenly snaps. The young hybrid is helpless as his father is sent crashing into a mountainside from Vegeta's sudden attack. But, what is far worse is seeing Vegeta grip Piccolo's head in his gloved hand. The dark half of Kami struggles to breath, kicking like a small child as Vegeta presents the warrior to Gohan and Yamcha.

"Now, let's see just how much your friend can grow back," Vegeta sneers, slowly increasing the pressure on Piccolo's head.

It would have been alright, if Piccolo had not started to scream

Piccolo struggles for all that its worth, kicking against his fate. The foolish prince, no doubt he is unaware that by killing him will make his entire crusade pointless. That thought, and killing Kami alongside him does make Piccolo smile a bit. He chuckles softly.

"And what is so funny green man?" Vegeta asks him, fury growing in his voice.

"You, all of you Saiyans, see you in…"

The world goes black.

Every bone in my body. Every single muscle. Every nerve. Pain. Dirt and rock slides off my body as I slowly, very slowly, start to stand up. One of the women, Bulma, had taught me many words. One that she liked was entropy, or not moving. Entropy means death, that's what the jungle taught me. So of course I have to move. I must have a hit an underground lake or something because my face is we…no. That's blood running down my face. With my one good arm, I start to force myself to my feet. Perhaps one of the others could tell me just how of my energy I lost, but for now all I know is that my movements are sluggish in compared to before. In the air I can see a dot, the older Saiyan. Nappa. Even through the darkness of this hole I can see him.

If he sees me, I'm dead. So I wait. I have to wait in the dark. Back on that planet waiting was a valuable skill. The great winged beasts that ruled the sky were a worthy challenge, but only beatable when they returned to their nest. So for now, I'll wait. Whether it was minutes or hours, I do not know. The Saiyan starts to move, yelling a few meaningless taunts at me. Eventually, his patience pays off and he floats away to observe the other battle. The others should be able to occupy him for now.

Careful as to not exert too much energy, I begin to inch my way out of what had been intended as my grave. It's slow work, and grueling because of it. Soon though, the pain subsides. The humans had always remarked how Gohan and I would seem to fight though anything, that's just simply not true. It was not that we cannot feel the pain, but that our bodies numb it during the heat of battle. When we are done and in our bedrooms, that's when the soreness of the day would hit me. Bulma had tried to give me a dose of painkillers when I lost my arm, but there was no reason for it. That word, painkillers, that was one that always made me laugh when I heard it. Saiyans produce the effects of those drugs naturally within our own body. That's how I can force myself up out of this hole with a broken rib. The pain simply melts away.

Upon pulling myself up by one hand, I immediately dash for cover to try and observe the battle above my head. The humans are fighting against Vegeta. I can practically hear the head of the Namek Piccolo be squished like a grape. The tall green man is dropped like dead weight, and crashes after a moment of free falling. For some reason, Gohan is angry about this, and is engaging the prince. As per what I had come to expect, even Vegeta is pushed back by the rage inside of my younger rival. Though why Gohan even cares about someone he barely knew is beyond me. It's not like it was Kami or anything.

The more immediate concern would be the make sure Nappa does not interfere with the fight itself. The bigger Saiyan is no slouch, as I can….faintly remember.

Flashes of yellow light, jumping and dodging around the man like it were a demented game of tag. My hair is dripping with sweat as I'm forced on the defensive from another punch. Nappa's weight makes the Sargent's attack all the more painful... it actually breaks through my guard and I get a knee to the stomach. Without stopping for even a moment, my comrade grabs my by the chest and slams me onto the ground. Only some quick thinking and firing a line of energy from my tail saves me from being crippled by what was supposed to be a friendly sparring match.

"Come on Olve, fight back!'

Nappa, the prodigal son of the Saiyan army. The tiny camp is shaking from each of his punches or kicks, each word spoken by my brother-in law. I exploit an opening, crashing my knee into his briefly exposed backside. An injury against a Tuffle squad during his youth had left the Sergeant crippled in that one spot. He gasps and groan holding his back. Despite their blood relation, Leek cheers for me. My beautiful wife with child, cheering for me like a proper Saiyan woman should.

I jump back to…

The sudden pain of the memory forces me to grab my head, squatting down to collect myself via a few deep breathes. Something about being near these two other Saiyans, Saiyans I shouldn't know but somehow do, is having some kind of effect on me. No matter though, I grit my teeth and block it out like any other type of pain.

They are too high for me to attack openly, and I would likely be killed for even attempting something like that. There has to be a way to bring Nappa down to my level. Force him onto the ground. An energy blast could work…I shake my head at that idea too, pointless. I had never been able to recreate the red attack. Now is not the time to be thinking of the what-ifs. I need to act.

As Piccolo's corpse falls to the ground, the entire group of Earthlings watching it with a sort of transfixed horror. With a burst of energy, Goku manages to fly down and catch his ally before he hits the ground in such a disgraceful manner. Holding his former rival in his hands like this, staring down at the crushed remnants of the face that used to haunt his nightmares…it's almost too much. Any second now, he should wake up. Any second now, Goku should be able to feel him breathing once again. But no, not this time. A bit of grey brain matter leaks from his ears, and the Namek's eyes are still open, frozen forever in shock. It is all Goku can do to close them, giving him that final bit of dignity. Gently, he lays the demon king on the ground. Undisturbed by the Saiyan prince or his crony, Goku creates a hole big enough to bury the warrior. After a minute of digging, cleaning it out as best he can, Goku slowly lowers Piccolo down.

"You deserved more than this, my friend," Goku mutters over the grave, dropping to his knees. He takes his tattered belt and wipes some blood off Piccolo's face. It is stained blue, barely noticeable on the already dark cloth. Compelled by something greater than himself, Goku wraps it around his forehead. The bandanna drenched in Piccolo's blood still feels warm, and Goku clenches his fist.

"Do you realize what you've done?" Goku asks Vegeta, looking up at him with hard eyes, "You fool."

"Are you angry that I killed your little green pet, Kakarot?" The prince of all Saiyans asks with a smirk, "Don't worry, you'll soon join him. And your wife."

That's it.

Goku suddenly flies towards Vegeta, aiming a punch right in the regent's arrogant face. The alien warrior is not so easily thrown into panic though, and simply grabs Goku's wrists and turns the younger Saiyan away. Blinded by his grief, Goku immediately counterattacks, aiming a kick for Vegeta's neck. This time, the prince grabs Goku by the knee and brings his elbow down. The sound of cracking bones can be heard by all the Z-Fighters, and Goku lets out a scream of pain. Vegeta smirks, cruelly tossing Goku aside as though he were nothing. Luckily for him, Yamcha flies over to catch his friend before he loses too much ground. All Goku can feel right now though is someone trying to keep him from avenging his friend. With a frustrated scream, he knocks Yamcha away with just his energy alone. Floating in the air, he cups his hands together and locks onto Vegeta. White and blue light begins to form around him. Vegeta continues to smiles at him, bringing one hand back, egging the grieving warrior on.

"Don't hurt my daddy!"

Goku's concentration is broken as Gohan, his young son, flings himself at Vegeta. The boy begins kicking and punching the Saiyan prince with a style similar of Goku's own. Due to his experience and superior power, the prince is able to avoid every one of Gohan's attacks. Clearly growing frustrated, Gohan flies back and fires blasts of yellow energy at the Saiyan prince over and over again. A purple barrier created by Vegeta keeps the first two attacks from touching him, but the third is a different story all together. With a crackle of yellow energy, Gohan's final attack shatters the ki barrier. The force of having his shield broken into pieces causes Vegeta to be sent flying backwards. For a moment, something akin to fear can be seen on the prince's face.

"Incredible!" Nappa stutters, looking at Gohan as though he were some kind of demon.

The normally docile boy roars like a beast. He holds his hands above his head, charging his energy. Earth receives, for a moment, a new sun as the hybrid locks onto Vegeta with a deadly aim. For that brief moment, Goku can feel his son's energy spike beyond his own. More than that though, his son's primal rage shakes Goku to his core. This is his little boy and he's staring at him with the same sort of astonishment as any of them. It hurts a little bit to think that he never knew that his son had this sort of power within him, but more than that he feel a sense of pride. As a father and a warrior, Goku is proud to see his own flesh and blood display the potential to surpass him.

That vision however comes to an end when Vegeta's fist slams into the boy's gut. All at once, the energy Gohan had been generating displaces into the breeze. All the fighters stare at the scene. The small boy lets to a gasp and cough blood hanging in the air as Vegeta gloats over him.

"My, that certainly was a lot pf power you showed there. Had you been given a chance to use it, I may have been injured. Or even killed,' Vegeta laughs, picking Gohan up by the throat, "Now, I will make you kneel to your prince."

"GOHAN!" Goku yells, his energy flaring up as he flies to protect his son.

He is intercepted by Nappa, the burly Saiyan obstructing him with his body.

"Face it Kakarot, your kid's as good as dead," Nappa tells him with a sneer, "You should have just joined us. Now, the brat's going to pay the price for your blasphemy."

Goku moves to attack, but is topped by something leap from the ground at Vegeta. Olve had sprung into action, leaping into the air to kick at Vegeta. At the same time, Yamcha also lunges for the Saiyan prince. Neither are successful however. Yamcha is blasted away with the prince's free hand and Olve is smacked aside with Gohan himself, he boy used as a crude bludgeoning weapon. Olve falls to earth, landing in the ground back first. As he does, Gohan lets out a scream.

"Out of my way!" Goku snarls, firing a volley of energy at Nappa. The bullets batter the Saiyan, but not fast enough for what Goku needs. Behind his opponent, Vegeta is beginning to crush Gohan's head.

Vegeta cannot help but feel a sense of triumph. With a just a little pressure, the boy will be dead. This child had insulted his pride. Despite his brief moment of weakness, the Saiyan prince had observed everyone looking at the boy instead of him. That sort of fear, that sort of respect, belongs only to the strongest. And he will be damned before he allows a toddler to surpass him.

CRACK!

A kick connects at the back of his head, and Vegeta is forced to drop the boy. His eyes are watering, but he sees something yellow snatch the boy away. A cloud, a yellow cloud, had come to save the half-breed. That…that is something even he has never seen on his travels before. The boy is fine, and even talks to the cloud like an old friend. At first Vegeta thinks that it has to be Kakarot, but he had seen him fighting Nappa again. So unless the earth raised Saiyan can somehow instantly transmit himself to anywhere he wants, there's no way it could be him. It has to be the Namek, evidently the slug man's constitution was stronger than any of them thought.

He turn around to fire an energy blast at the alien, but is stopped by a fist to his face. All he sees is a flair of a red aura and he rebounds back a few yards. He rubs his nose, and look sup. Nearby he can hear gasps from the earthling as well as a cry of joy from the boy. As his vision clears up, he is sure that it has to be Kakarot after all. This fighter is wearing the same orange jumpsuit, the same blue belt. Yet, it is clear from the curves of the body, the structure of the hips, that it is clearly not Kakarot. It is...a woman?"

"Mommy?"

"Chi-Chi?"

"The hell's a Chi-Chi?" Vegeta asks, getting a look at the woman's face at last.

This woman has dark brown eyes and black hair tied in a tight ponytail. A brilliant white aura surrounds her, and she is locked onto Vegeta with the sort of wrath that only a wife and mother could possibly have. This, Vegeta realizes, is Kakarot's mate. This was the woman that Radtiz had killed a year ago. Vegeta wishes that he had his scouter on him for this, to see how an earth woman could have possibly managed to hurt him.

"So, you're the one who made this big mess," The woman called Chi-Chi says, cracking her knuckles, "Don't. Touch. My. Baby."

New Power Levels:

Vegeta: 18000

Gohan (Angry): 7350

Chi-Chi (Base): ?

Hey everyone! See, I told you that I would upload this next Friday….oh it's been a few months. I can explain. UNI, computer issues, depression, loss of interest….pick one. So this chapter is a bit shorter than what I had been uploading previously, but I just wanted to get back into the swing of things. Really excited to get back to writing, hopefully a new chapter every one to two weeks. As always, feel free to read/review!