The heavy metal door slammed shut as another figure entered the room. Kakarotto lifted his head to see who had enter, and smirked.
"Yamcha…" he stood up from his bed and approached the bars of his new cage. "What brings you here?"
Yamcha stood close to the bars, staring uncertainly at him.
"Am I supposed to call you Kakarotto…?"
"Buddy, you can call me whatever you want." Kakarotto winked. "Just nothing X-rated. I have a son at home."
"You have two sons."
"Yeah…" Kakarotto mumbled, leaning against the wall. "Sure."
"… You got moved back here?" Yamcha looked up at the bars. "I thought they put you in a glass –"
"Good behaviour. I let Goku out for a couple of days. He's got more patience than me."
"… So you're Kakarotto." Yamcha said quietly. Kakarotto looked over at him.
"Do you really think there's a difference?" Yamcha blinked, taken aback.
"You don't?"
"I'm not the one that needs convincing." Kakarotto approached him, standing close to the bars. He looked into Yamcha's eyes, challenging him. A cold smirk formed on his lips. "You took Goku's word for it before you even saw me… that guy's good. He's a real manipulator. No wonder Chichi stayed with him for so long."
"What the hell are you trying to say…?" Yamcha glared at him, his body tensing. Kakarotto looked at him, a sigh of disgust escaping his throat.
"You're challenging me? Really?" he placed his hands around the bars, leaning close to Yamcha. "Do you really think I would ever think twice about pulling you apart?"
"… Go on." Yamcha stood openly, exposing his weaknesses. "I dare you."
"… Tch." Kakarotto said. He smirked darkly. "What do you think, Goku? He's offering. I normally don't like an easy target, but…" Yamcha's eyes widened as he watched Kakarotto talk. Was he… seeing someone else?
"Goku…?" Yamcha choked. "H-He's here…?"
"You wanna talk to him?" Kakarotto offered.
Yamcha closed himself up, his nerves growing. The whole situation made him uneasy, this was far worse than Krillin had described. Goku wasn't just one body switching between two minds… he'd become two people, talking to each other like they were both there! The sight sent shivers down his spine. What had happened to Goku…? "Goku, he's not interested." Kakarotto said. "I guess nobody likes you anymore –"
"Wait!" Yamcha pleaded, grabbing his wrist. Kakarotto shot him an angry glare at the contact. Yamcha swallowed and quickly pulled back his hand, scared senseless at the look of pure hatred in Kakarotto's eyes. He'd crossed a very dangerous line. He waited for Kakarotto to speak, intimidated by the dominance of the saiyan's ki, but Kakarotto never spoke a word. He knew he was frightening Yamcha. He knew he was breaking him. He also knew that the longer he stayed quiet the more uncomfortable Yamcha would feel. The weaker he would become. He fixed his gaze on Yamcha, challenging him to speak. His eyebrows raised a little as Yamcha steadily rose to the challenge.
"P…" he cleared his throat. "Please… Kakarotto…" Kakarotto's stare burned into Yamcha's soul, he felt his body shrinking. He tried not to show any fear but he knew Kakarotto could smell it. He knew he was under Kakarotto's control. At Kakarotto's mercy. He looked at the dominant saiyan, appealing to any scrap of goodness that might be in his heart. Though it was a lost cause… "Let me talk to Goku…" he asked, looking pitifully into Kakarotto's eyes. Kakarotto held his gaze on Yamcha for a few seconds more, shrinking the man down to nothing before he finally took his hands off the bars.
"Sure." He said. "He's been good today."
Yamcha watched the transformation he'd already heard so much about. The softening of Kakarotto's face, the relaxing change of the ki that surrounded him… it was amazing and at the same time terrifying that this was happening to his best friend. His strongest friend.
"Goku…?" Yamcha spoke softly. The man in front of him simply clasped his arms around himself, hissing and shivering at the air that surrounded them.
"Damn, it's cold in here…" Goku looked at Yamcha. "How are you, buddy…? It's good to see you." He smiled. Yamcha looked at him cautiously.
"… You're cold?"
"Yeah, aren't you?" Goku replied, moving his feet a little to build up some warmth. "It's like a freezer!"
"… I'm fine." Yamcha swallowed, a knot forming in his stomach. It was boiling in here! "Goku…" he spoke timidly. "I think you're in trouble."
"… oh." Goku's face fell, his eyes dimming. Yamcha looked at them. They were different to usual. Paler. "… yeah… maybe…" Goku looked down. "He's getting a lot stronger." He shifted a little, glancing nervously to his side. He swallowed and shivered, moving his eyes back to Yamcha. Yamcha watched him, concerned.
"Goku, what's wrong?"
"…" Goku turned his head to the side. "Could you give me a little space? You're making me uncomfortable."
Yamcha froze. His nerves grew as he spoke.
"You can see him, Goku…?"
"I… didn't used to." Goku mumbled. "I just used to hear him, but…" Goku moved a few feet away, looking angrily at the empty space beside him. "Quit it, okay? You're starting to piss me off!"
"Goku, you have to get over this!" Yamcha grabbed the bars. "He's not stronger than you! You're better than him, Goku!" the prisoned man looked at him, shivering in the cold.
"I can't…"
"Yes you can!" Yamcha insisted. "Where's he been all this time? You're the one that's been around Goku, you're stronger than him!"
"Yamcha, shut the hell up…" Yamcha's heart stopped as a dark voice went through his mind. Had Kakarotto come back? He looked at the man standing before him. He was timid, shivering. His hands were still clasped around his body… it was Goku.
"What?" Goku noticed the look on Yamcha's face. "What's wrong?" he looked to his side again. "What are you saying to him?"
"… you're both here…?"
"You'd better get out before I rip your fucking head off." Kakarotto echoed through Yamcha's mind again. He swallowed, trying to sense Kakarotto's ki. All he could feel was Goku. He returned his gaze to him.
"Goku, stay with me okay?" he pleaded. "Kakarotto is not better than you!"
"I'm warning you…"
"You've been controlling him your entire life! Do you really think you can't do it now? You own him!" he watched as Goku fixed his eyes on him. They started to flicker. Goku was strengthening…
"I believe in you, buddy! You're my best friend – I'll help you. You have to fight through this."
"Yamcha…" Goku moved close to the bars. He smiled. "Yeah… maybe you're –"
"You're a fucking dead man!"
Yamcha gasped as a cloud of rage suddenly swept over Goku's face. Before he could react Kakarotto threw his arm between the bars, bending them out of shape. He clasped his hand around Yamcha's throat, raising him off the ground.
"Yamcha…" Kakarotto snarled through gritted teeth. "You never know when to fucking stop! No wonder your girl chose Prince Vegeta over you, I'm fucking amazed she stayed with you for as long as she did!"
"G… Kak…" Yamcha spluttered, pushing both his hands against Kakarotto's. The saiyan's strength was unreal, even the darkness of his ki drained Yamcha's strength. He felt his body weaken, his head become light. "You watching this?" Kakarotto turned his head angrily, growling at the empty space in the corner of the room. "This is what you get for having such good friends! I want you to watch this, alright? This is for Nappa!"
"K…" Yamcha's eyes widened as he watched Kakarotto wave his free hand at the air beside him, batting away an invisible enemy.
"Get the hell off! Why don't you just say your goodbyes?"
Yamcha closed his eyes as he felt his lungs tightening. He tried his best to summon up every last scrap of strength he had to break himself free. It was useless. He could feel the air escaping him, his strength disappearing. His ki fading. As the world blackened around him all he could hear was Kakarotto's cold, angry voice.
"Stop crying. You want him back? Here. If he's alive he'll be a vegetable anyway."
"Yamcha! Yamcha!" Goku's frightened voice echoed through the cell as Yamcha's body fell to the ground. He was still, lifeless… and deaf to Goku's cries.