Chapter 11
The first tears of shame had well fallen, forming a puddle on the ground. Gohan wiped his sore eyes with the back of a dust covered hand, feeling it's sting as it came into contact. His face was warm, probably red too, from crying.
How could I just abandon those people back at the hospital? he asked himself. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the events of the past hour. After the Firebird explained the purpose of Goken's life, after Gohan discovered his brother was merely a tool, the Firebird prepared a gigantic energy ball within his fist, one that would surely wipe out everything within a one mile radius.
Just before the energy ball exploded, Gohan successfully teleported away to a safe distance. He barely escaped. The energy ball was close enough to his face for it to singe his face. However, the regular people with him at the hospital weren't so lucky. It was a miracle I could even save myself after finding out about Goken, after what I did to him… Gohan continued to sob, for Goken this time, realizing what his brother must've been going through. He really was giving his all just to make me happy. He was giving his all to be something he wasn't… No wonder he let the Firebird into his body. Good job. This is all your fault, asshole.
Cuts still adorned his body, coated in dust, physically drained and emotionally shattered, Gohan collapsed on the rubble decorated ground and started to close his eyes. He needed rest. The events of the past few days had taken a toll on him, and he'd hardly gotten a decent three hours of sleep, if three hours were considered decent, since the Firebird attacked.
It was never this hard before, not with Cell. I was tired - no - exhausted, but I had the determination to destroy Cell. And in the end, that was what helped me pull through. But by turning my own brother against everyone, the Firebird has done so much more than Cell ever could. So this is how you destroy a Z Soldier; by harming one of their own. And it had worked. Gohan felt no need to destroy the Firebird right now. He only felt the need to blame himself and mourn his brother. All my fault… That was his last coherent thought before falling into a deep, torturous dream.
Kuririn swore he felt a rip snap as the Firebirds shin slammed into it. He felt himself get picked up effortlessly with one hand, and the next thing he knew, he was sailing through the air and collided with something huge. Sharp rocks dug into Kuririn's back, the pressure from his landing making it worse. He winced, one arm holding his side, the other clawing the ground, trying to pull himself up to a sitting position. His efforts were only thwarted by a shooting pain up running and down his side. Oh god, something definitely isn't right, over here.
The Firebird hadn't forgotten about him yet. It raced forward at an impossible speed, ready to collide with the beaten Kuririn in a fury of painful punches and kicks. Kuririn covered his head with his free arm, the other wrapped around his injured ribs, hoping the end would be quick. When Kuririn felt something warm and wet splash against him instead of unbearable agony, he had to look.
He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Piccolo's head get smashed with the heel the Firebird's foot. The Namek warrior handled pain well and retorted with a spinning back kick and a series of fireballs. The force of the explosion threw the Firebird back, but he caught himself before landing painfully on the jagged rock covered ground.
"Piccolo!" Kuririn cried, out of concern. He prepared to stand up, but the shooting pain from his ribs kept him anchored.
"Don't move, Kuririn," Piccolo said, still facing the Firebird. "We need to get Dende down here. The Firebird is too much for us to handle alone."
Juuhachi Gou attacked the Firebird from the left, Yamcha on the right. A wall of energy surrounded the Firebird, throwing her and Yamcha away from him. He continued walking menacingly towards Piccolo, who stood defensively in front of Kuririn.
Vegeta surprised the Firebird from behind, one arm wrapped around his neck, the other twisting his arm behind his back. It didn't take much effort, considering the Firebird was housed in the body of a six year old. He was still careful not to underestimate the power it had. In their last meeting, Vegeta had almost been killed. He shuddered at the thought. There as no way that he, a Saiyan prince, would accept death at the hands of some child.
The Saiyan prince had him in a hold that wasn't quite so easy to escape from. The Firebird tried pulling his arms free, but that took too much effort. I could always gather an energy ball and vaporize - "UUGGHNN" he cried when Piccolo's fist slammed into his stomach. Another wave of hot pain erupted in his face as it collided with the Namek warrior's elbow.
Piccolo pounded mercilessly at the Firebird, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction every time blood spilled from his mouth or elsewhere. Without warning, a wall of fire encased the three of them and erupted into an inferno. Using their Ki, Piccolo and Vegeta formed a protective barrier around themselves but those were hardly powerful enough to shield them from the heat. The inferno disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, only to reveal a battle scarred Firebird who was fully charged up. Goken's black hair had turned fiery red, his clothes were singed black at the edges. His round, youthful eyes glowed red and had gone expressionless.
"You have angered the Devotee," the Firebird said. Without warning, giant pillars of flame erupted from the ground randomly. Giant cracks began forming with molten lava spilling through. Boulders surrounding the Firebird exploded with the sheer force that erupted from his body. Dark ominous clouds gathered in the skies above their heads exploded with lightning and thunder. The ground shook violently, throwing the other Z Soldiers off their feet. Whatever remained standing of downtown Satan City's buildings were leveled in that instant. The city was now nothing more than a desert of boulders, corpses and dust. And in the middle of it all, were the Z Soldiers, each one saying their last words as the Firebird continued his ruthless genocide.
Gohan was the earth's only hope now. With his natural powers as the Devotee increasing, Goken awaited the battle with his brother and he would finally get the revenge he thirsted for.