Note: This story is one of fourteen that I am writing - companion pieces to my as-yet-unpublished-book, DRAGONBALL Z: AND THE GREATEST OF THESE. While the book itself fits accepted DBZ canon, these stories are meant to expand on themes not explored in depth in AND THE GREATEST OF THESE, or as in the case of "Twisted Timelines," are tales based on those two words of such promise… 'What if…'
Twisted Timelines
Chapter Eight
"Keiki?" Android 17 repeated in confusion. He looked over at Android 18 and back at Kurenai again. "You mean… the baby?"
"That's impossible," the blonde android said flatly. "How could an unborn child possess that much power?"
"When you consider who her parents are, it's not at all surprising," Vegeta said with a smirk, resting his hand on his wife's shoulder. "And as Kurenai said, it seems that the hybrid of human and Saiyan is far more powerful than either race alone. A case of one and one making three, as it were."
"Wow," Yamcha exclaimed. "So… if Gohan is that powerful, and only one of his parents has any real strength, then this baby…"
"… has the potential to be stronger than every single one of us combined," Piccolo finished, his dark eyes on Kurenai and Vegeta.
"It's almost too much to believe," Tien agreed.
"In the end, it doesn't matter," Android 17 said, shrugging. He dropped back down into a loose fighting stance. "But as long as Goku's not here for us to have fun with, I guess we'll just have to satisfy ourselves with killing all of you."
"Fat chance," Vegeta shot back. "We took out the other two Androids, we can certainly handle you."
"I doubt that," Android 18 said lazily. "If she's the most powerful of all of you, and we were able to handle her without any trouble, what makes you think you're going to do any better?"
"Vegeta, get Kurenai out of here," Piccolo said, his voice low, moving to stand in front of Kurenai. "She's done enough – now it's our turn. And I think that this is going to get really ugly really fast."
"I would never do something so cowardly!" Vegeta exclaimed. "Running away from a fight, what kind of weakling do you think I am!"
Piccolo whirled around, his cape flaring around him as he turned. "This has nothing to do with cowardice, damn you, and you know it! It has everything to do with protecting your wife and your baby! So leave your damned pride out of it and get her away from here!"
Vegeta growled and took a step forward, but Kurenai placed a hand on his arm to stop him.
"Please, love," she whispered. "Don't do anything stupid, not now."
"That's right, Vegeta, listen to your wife," Android 17 said, stepping over to stand beside Android 18. "But we'll tell you what. Let's make this interesting. A bargain, as it were."
"A bargain?" Gohan asked, not liking the look at the Androids' faces at all. "A bargain for what?"
"Consider the average human lifespan. A human in reasonable health, barring any… unfortunate accidents… can generally live to the age of about seventy-five. In good health, maybe ninety." The black-haired android's eyes swept over the group. "With power and healing, well over a hundred."
"What's your point?" Piccolo grumbled.
"Working from that principle," Android 17 went on as if there had been no interruption, "a child born to Kurenai and Vegeta could easily live a long, long time… say, at least one hundred years." He narrowed his eyes and stared at Kurenai. "I would say that between the rest of you, you could pay that price. If our databases are correct about your respective ages, I would say that you could more than cover the cost of this child's existence."
"What!" Kurenai whispered in horror.
"It's quite simple," Android 18 replied. "We'll let you go, but someone will have to cover your tab." Her pale blue eyes flicked over the group. "The number of years your baby could live, versus the number of years left on their lives. It's basic math."
"That's barbaric!" she screamed.
Both Androids lifted their hands, and energy coursed around them. "We could just kill all of you now. Think of it as us being generous. This way, at least one of you gets out of here alive."
Kurenai's howl of rage as she powered up was deafening.
"You're no fun," Android 17 pouted. "Here we are, giving you a sporting chance, and all you can think to do is say no."
"Kurenai."
The soft whisper cut across the Androids' laughter and Kurenai's fury, and everyone turned to look at Gohan.
With slow, deliberate steps, he carefully moved Piccolo aside to stand between Kurenai and the Androids.
"Just go," the boy said quietly. "If what you're saying is true… if the baby within you really is powerful enough to defeat these two… then the most important thing right now is making sure that you and the baby survive. No matter what."
Kurenai's face went absolutely ashen. "Gohan… no… you can't…"
"I can. And I will, if I have to. Their math may be twisted and evil, but of all of us here, I have the most years to give away. And that way, only one of us… will have to-"
"No, Gohan, that's not an option!" Yamcha snapped. "Laying down your life like that would be suicide!"
"Is it because I'm a kid!" Gohan said, hurt and angry that they didn't understand. "You think because I'm a child that I can't understand what it means to want to protect someone you love? Well, you're wrong! She's just as much my friend as she is yours, and I love her just as much as any of you. And Dad would never, ever just stand aside and let someone else get killed just to save himself… and I won't, either."
Behind him, Kurenai stood absolutely still, and tears slowly began to trickle down her cheeks.
"It's my choice to make," the young half-Saiyan said firmly, clenching his small fists as he glared at the Androids. "Just like my dad did. Just like all of you did. And I won't let them hurt my friend any more."
Vegeta was stunned. The thought of his enemy's son, offering to die in his wife's place, made his heart stop in his chest.
"How brave," Android 18 said approvingly. "How very noble of you, Gohan. It might not be too entertaining, however."
"I'm not doing this for your entertainment!" Gohan's voice was angry, but he refused to back down. "I'm doing this for her, for Vegeta, and for Keiki."
"Gohan, you can't do this!" Piccolo said harshly, taking the boy by the shoulder and preparing to pull him aside, but Gohan shrugged him off.
"No, Piccolo," Gohan replied, twisting out of the Namek's grasp. He never took his eyes off the Androids, not even when he heard Kurenai's choked sobs behind him.
"Gohan," Kurenai pleaded through her tears, "please don't do this. Please don't throw your life away."
But the young half-Saiyan shook his head. "Tell Mom I love her, and that I'm sorry." He finally turned to look behind him, but not at Kurenai.
His dark eyes met Vegeta's. "Go, Vegeta. Keep her safe… for me and my dad."
The Saiyan prince nodded.
"No, Gohan!" Kurenai screamed. "You can't, please, no, NO!"
Visibly wincing, Vegeta brought his hands down on the back of Kurenai's head with all his might.
The blow caught her completely off-guard and she cried out in pain. Slowly falling to the ground, she barely managed to turn her head to look at Vegeta, her blue-violet eyes filled with horror. "No…" was all she got out before she collapsed, unconscious. He caught his wife in his arms and turned away.
"Vegeta."
He stopped.
"I know, Gohan. I'll tell her… when she wakes."
"All of you, get out of here," the boy ordered, and the Z Warriors were achingly reminded of Goku in that moment.
There was so much that all of them wanted to say… but now there was no more time for words, for the Androids were standing up and approaching. Taking only a moment to stare at Gohan, they all took to the sky. At last, only Piccolo remained, staring down at the boy he had raised as his own son.
"Good luck, Gohan," Piccolo whispered, resting his hand on Gohan's head. "Your father would be proud of you right now."
Then he flew after the others, leaving Gohan to face the Androids alone.
Vegeta flew toward the east, away from West City and Capsule Corporation. He didn't know why he was drawn there, but he knew he had to get his wife as far away from the Androids as possible. Even if it meant Gohan sacrificing his life, he would not dishonor that sacrifice by risking Kurenai's safety and that of their baby.
But it didn't make the burden any easier to bear.
"Is she all right?" Tien asked, flying alongside the prince and glancing at the woman in his arms.
"She will be when she wakes up," Vegeta said soberly. "But whether she'll ever forgive me for knocking her out, or herself for putting Gohan at risk… that's another matter entirely."
Suddenly the group stopped in mid-flight and turned back to West City, where they could feel the ripples of energy as Gohan battled the Androids.
"Amazing," Krillin whispered, "to think Gohan's still fighting."
"You mean that he's still alive," Yamcha replied, staring intently into the distance.
"He's fighting for something he believes in absolutely," Piccolo said quietly. "He truly loves her, and that hope, that single hope that she and the baby will survive is why he's doing this. As long as he has that hope, there's the chance, however unlikely, that he will actually defeat them."
"Unlikely is right." Vegeta held his wife tighter. "But that boy is a true Saiyan warrior. If there is any chance that he will prevail, he will."
They turned and kept flying, occasionally glancing back over their shoulders as the battle behind them raged on. With every passing mile, it was harder and harder to sense Gohan's energy, but none of them wanted to consider if it was due to the increasing distance… or if it was because Gohan was losing.
After hours of flying, they arrived at a large meadow with the ruins of a castle nearby. They landed and approached, their voices hushed.
"Where are we?" Yamcha asked, staring around him. "I had no idea this place was here."
"Neither did I," Vegeta replied, walking toward the ruins. "But I felt like something was calling me here, so this is where we came."
In his arms, Kurenai stirred and moaned. Her eyes flashed open and she nearly fell as she startled him into letting go.
"GOHAN!" she cried, struggling out of her husband's arms and staring around wildly. When she realized that Gohan was nowhere to be found, she turned accusingly to Vegeta.
"You left him behind! You let him stay and fight those Androids BY HIMSELF!" she shrieked. Suddenly she was beating her fists against his chest and screaming at the top of her lungs, but Vegeta was holding her so tightly that she could hardly move. "HOW COULD YOU!"
"He did it for you, Kurenai," Piccolo answered, coming up behind Kurenai to touch her lightly on the shoulder as she struggled and lashed out futilely in her husband's embrace. It hurt for Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien to watch Kurenai in the throes of grief, but they knew how she felt, knew how powerless and angry and anguished she was. She threw her head back and howled like a wounded animal, a piercing, keening wail of torment that raised the hairs on the backs of their necks.
"He knew what he was doing, love," Vegeta whispered, even as she fought to free herself. "He stayed behind because he believed in you, and he loved you."
At last she stopped fighting Vegeta and collapsed against him, sobbing as though her heart were breaking.
"No, oh God, no, Gohan…"
Suddenly she gasped and froze in Vegeta's arms.
"What is it? What's wrong?" he said, alarmed at his wife's abrupt change in mood. But then he caught the shift in her energy and held her at arm's length, staring down at her stomach, and her whole body shuddered.
"The baby!" Yamcha said, startled.
"But Bulma said the baby wouldn't be due for another month!" Vegeta protested. "How in the world are we going to deliver this baby out here!"
"Well, it looks like the baby's ready to make her appearance now," Tien said in concern. "The only other thing we can do is fly as fast as we can to East City and find her a hospital."
"How long?"
"An hour if we really book it," Krillin said finally. Vegeta nodded and lifted Kurenai into his arms again.
"If it really starts, tell me," he said. "No being brave for my sake."
She nodded and closed her eyes, resting one hand on her stomach as she tried to relax.
"You go on ahead," Piccolo said abruptly. "I'm going to go back and see… what happened."
Kurenai's eyes opened again, filled with an ancient and overwhelming sorrow. "Piccolo… if he's there…"
"I'll meet you in East City," he said simply. "One way or the other." He leapt into the sky and took off toward West City again.
Vegeta turned to the others. "Let's go."
They made it to East City in just under an hour, landing outside the Metro East Hospital. At first, they weren't certain that the nurses and the doctors would help Kurenai, but one growl from the prince and a loud screech of pain from Kurenai convinced them to wheel her into the nearest delivery room.
Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin sat outside in the waiting room with Vegeta, who was pacing back and forth when not staring anxiously at the closed door of the delivery room. It didn't help that Kurenai's voice was clearly carrying all the way out to the waiting room, her remarks ranging anywhere from telling the nurses to stop poking her, to shouting at Keiki to "hurry up already," and giving Vegeta a play-by-play commentary on the delivery at full volume.
"I can't believe I'm out here!" he fumed. "Imagine, the Saiyan prince not being allowed to see the birth of his own heir!"
"Well, you didn't take the classes," Yamcha chuckled. "Rules are rules, even for Saiyan princes."
"Still…" Vegeta began, but a sudden high-pitched wail, a startled curse, and a sudden fit of laughter caught his attention, and all four of them turned to the door of the delivery room. Then they were on their feet and racing toward the opening door as the doctors came out, shaking their heads in confusion.
"Never seen anything like it before…" one of them was saying.
"Neither have I," replied the other, eyeing the Saiyan prince as he shoved them out of the way. "Damnedest thing I've ever seen."
Vegeta ignored them, all of his attention on the woman lying in the hospital bed. She was exhausted and pale, but grinning hugely as she glanced up and saw her husband approaching. The look on her face was absolutely radiant, and Vegeta thought that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his entire life.
"You could have warned me, you know," Kurenai said hoarsely, as Vegeta stared in wonder at the baby in her arms. The baby's hair was raven black, just like both of her parents', but the shape of her face was more like her mother's. Her eyes were closed as she nuzzled against Kurenai's breast, so he wasn't certain what color they were.
"Warned you about what?" he said softly, still staring at his baby daughter squirming in his wife's arms. He carefully pulled off his gloves, and with remarkable care, touched the baby's cheek and marveled at its softness.
Then he saw the black tail that had curled itself around Kurenai's wrist.
To be continued...