Episode 21 Tainted

Hogosha walked over to Vegito. He looked dead, but Hogosha could still feel energy, so he didn't give up hope. Hogosha scanned his mind, and thought how he could get Vegito back to full energy. He remembered the village, if he brought Vegito there, they would probably help him. He lifted Vegito into his arms and took off towards where he remembered the village was. While they were flying, Vegito kept moaning and stirring, as if possessed. Hogosha had never seen anything like it, and could not imagine what kind of horrors were going through Vegito's mind. Once in a while Vegito would shout out, and then proceed with his semi-peaceful demeanor.

Hogosha landed in the sand and villagers came out to meet him. Elder Racia was in the front and when he saw Hogosha, a smiled shone across his face. But when he noticed the unconscious Vegito, his smile faded. "What happened?" - the elder said.

"Vegito here managed to defeat Aku, but it came with a price. There is something... wrong with him" - Hogosha said and stared at Vegito. His shudders were more violent and his eyes had gone blank. "Carry him inside" - said Racia and signaled to a younger Carunian to follow them inside the small mud hut. Hogosha placed him on a table, and the younger Carunian placed his hands on Vegito's chest. "What is he doing?" - Hogosha asked worriedly. Small waves of yellow energy erupted from the healers hands and snaked their way across Vegito's chest.

"They are healing him. Sit" - Racia said and signaled for Hogosha to take place at a chair. "Tell me what happened. Every detail" - the elder spoke, in a calm soothing voice. It had been quite a long time since they had been at the village, and defeated General Yoku. So Hogosha filled him in. A few others Carunian joined in to listen to the story. Every few minutes the healer would be replaced by another Carunian, to take his place at the table.

Hogosha was finishing his story, when suddenly a healer fell back with a shout. "What happened?" - the old Carunian asked. The healer looked at Vegito with terror in his eyes, and rubbed his head with his hand. "I am not sure. I felt something within him. It was mad" - the healer said with a scared voice. The healer got up and placed his hand on Vegito's chest and focused. He removed his hand quickly, as if he had burned it. "There is something in there!" - the healer shouted and ran out of the building. The elder shook his head, as if he didn't believe the younger Carunian.

"These younglings. Scare so easily!" - he said and placed his own on Vegito. He too removed his hand in an instant. "Wow. His body is completely healed, but his mind is tainted. It is infected, getting destroyed from the inside" - the elder said and looked at Vegito with large eyes.

"What happened to him?" - he asked with a suspicious tone. "He fought Aku" - Hogosha simply said.

No one in the village knew what to do, so they simply went to sleep and hoped that Vegito would feel better tomorrow. Hogosha did not sleep instead he simply sat next to Vegito. After sitting still for a few hours he needed to move. He remembered he had forgotten the dragon balls out in the desert. He found a small bag in the hut and took off into the desert.

Inside Vegito's mind:

Even though it had been a short fight, Vegito and Goku were both super worn out after their fight with Oozaru. They had both fallen asleep and Goku only awoke because his stomach rumbled. He got up and looked at Vegeta. There was no reason to wake him up, so he went out looking for something to eat. He had walked around in the dark halls, when he suddenly stared down a hall of fridges. He exclaimed an excited yelp and ran to the first fridge. It was filled with all sort of delicious foods. He started munching down, without even noticing his surroundings.

When something blew the wall behind him to bits, he looked up from his food. Small dark bricks collided with his back, and they strayed all over the floor. He didn't even manage to get off his feet, before something slammed him straight into the opposite wall. Goku's food was scattered all over the floor except for the piece of toast he was still holding in his hand. "Hey! You never interrupt a saiyan while he is eating! Who did that?" - Goku demanded. From the hole in the wall a hulking figure emerged. It was a color that Goku couldn't even describe, and it emitted pure power. It's eyes looked as deep puddles of emptiness. For some reason it looked familiar to Goku. It huddled its way over to its enemy where it extended two long bone-like fingers, and placed them slowly on Goku's chest. With a terrifying shriek it blasted Goku's chest at point blank range.

Both Goku and the creature was blown back through several walls. The food storage room didn't look anything like its former self. Everywhere there was chunks of wall, food or a piece of a fridge laying around. The blast would have torn a hole straight through Goku's chest, had he not managed to transformed just before the blast had hit him. His shirt was torn half off, and his chest was covered in burn marks. "That hurt" - Goku stated and rubbed his chest. Due to the explosion, he had lost all sense of where the nightmarish creature was.

The super saiyan readied himself for the oncoming assault. But nothing could have prepared him for what his opponent did next. The fiend burst from the floor and grabbed Goku's ankles. With immense force it pulled him down to the floor below. He landed on the floor with a strained face. The creature was far stronger than him at this stage. He got up, and transformed into the second level of super saiyan. He soared towards the creature and smashed his elbow into the ghouls chin. The reaction was barely noticeable.

Goku grabbed its shoulders and threw it into the floor. He soared after it and placed a powerful fist, straight into the creature's stomach. He kept pounding on the being, but it didn't take long, before Goku was knocked back. The creature had simply flicked him away with the back of its hand. "You will have to use your full power against me, Goku" - the creature spoke with a hoarse voice.

"You... you talk! Tell me, who are you!" - Goku asked, half excited half scared.

The creature looked at him with his cold eyes. "You know me. I am Potestate" - the creature said with a gravelly tone. It blinked once, then set off towards Goku. Goku tried his best to dodge Potestate's relentless assault. He suddenly remembered where he knew Potestate from.

"I had a dream about you! Or... nightmare" - Goku said remembering his uneasy sleep. He had stopped for a moment to ponder about his sleep, but in that split second Potestate had placed a powerful kick straight to Goku's face. Goku was knocked back into a wall, but he now had a serious look on his face.

"If you are anything like I dreamt. Then I can't afford to take chances with you" - Goku said and began to power up. His hair snaked down his back, and his eyebrows faded away. With his new transformation, Goku was even with Potestate. But that only created a smile on the creature's lips. Goku appeared behind the creature and knocked it straight into the floor, and out of sight.

A noise caused him to turn around, and he looked straight into the dead eyes of the creature. It was mocking him. Goku fired his signature ki beam at the being, at close range. "KAMEHAMEHA!"- Goku shouted. The horrific creature had no way of dodging it, so it was forced back through several walls of Vegito's mind. Goku shrugged as if the fight had simply been something he had imagined and descended to his base state. He gathered as much food as he could bear, and started going back to the room. Halfway there he sensed something was wrong in the control room.

Vegeta had awoken at the sound of an explosion. Goku was nowhere to be found, so he just figured that Goku had gone off to play or something. His saiyan stomach demanded him to find food, just as he was about to leave, something burst out from the wall behind him. It was a reptilian-like creature that towered 3 feet above the saiyan prince. It eyes were mad with bloodlust and as it screeched, it revealed several rows of sharp fangs, that dripped with poison.

"I know you" - said Vegeta just before a giant claw slapped him across the face. He was knocked back into a row of switched that jabbed into his back. The creature powered up with a howl, its aura was fierce and blood red. Vegeta eyes widened as he sensed it's terrifying power. Not only was it far more than what Vegeta had expected, it was so pure. Completely dark and pure energy.

But he too could power up. He freed himself from the wall and placed his feet steadily on the ground. He crossed his arms and let his yellow aura flare out, even stronger than the reptile. Quickly Vegeta's hair turned golden and his aura became larger. The reptile was still powering up, but impatiently Vegeta engaged it. Just as Vegeta reached it, the reptile finished its power-up.

With an iron fist the reptile knocked Vegeta away, as if he was just a small insect. But Vegeta was not one to give up. He bounced off the wall and was quickly back on the freaks tail. It effortlessly jumped out of the way and fired a ki ball in Vegeta's direction. The spiky haired saiyan managed to block just in the last second, but it still caused him to get send flying into a pile of rubble. Suddenly from beneath all of the small rocks a bright light shone. It forced itself out of every crevice and completely illuminated the room. With an even brighter light, the bricks were blown away as Vegeta emerged from the pile of rubble. His hair had tripled its length and now flowed down his back to just above his tailbone.

Vegeta spread his arms in a mocking fashion. "Your move, freak!" - Vegeta said in his usual rough manner. The creature hissed and looked at him with cruel eyes. "Long hair doesn't suit you" - it said with a mocking smile. "Would you look at that! The freak has a voice!" - Vegeta said and laughed. "I am no freak. Simply a manifestation of your subconscious" - the creature spoke in a voice that caused shivers down Vegeta's spine. "So you aren't even real?" - Vegeta asked with wide eyes.

The creature chuckled. "Oh, I am real. I am surprised you don't recognize me" - it said and slowly paced across the room in an impatient manner.

"Who are you?" - Vegeta asked.

"I am Navitas" - Navitas spoke with a hiss.

"Well Navitas! I guess I know what to carve on your tombstone!" - Vegeta said and smiled at his own comment. Navitas didn't react. Instead he launched himself at Vegeta and tried his best to land a punch. But it was to no avail, Vegeta dodged every single one. After a minute of dodging, Vegeta got bored and knocked it into the floor.

"Final Flash!" - Vegeta roared and a bright yellow beam erupted from his palms. It completely engulfed his enemy and Vegeta looked quite pleased when Navitas' ki disappeared. Vegeta descended to his base and landed on the floor. The second he landed, he began to doubt whether the fight had actually taken place. It seemed a bit farfetched that something from his dreams somehow manifested itself into existence. Just then Goku ran into the room with his arms full of food.

"Oh! You are okay!" - Goku said surprised.

"Why wouldn't I be?" - Vegeta asked angrily.

"I.. thought I sensed something" - Goku said slowly, and looked suspiciously at Vegeta.

"Well you were wrong. Is there something for me?" - Vegeta asked, and gestured to the food.

On planet Caruna:

When Vegito awoke it was still night. He felt strange. His body was completely rested and healed, but his head felt as if it had been bombed half to death, and it was still under attack. He tried to get up, but felt dizzy the moment he lifted his head. He yelped due to the pain, his head was causing him. Hogosha was just coming back from his trip, and just barely heard Vegito's cry.

He rushed inside, and saw that Vegito was awake. "Good, you are awake" - Hogosha said relieved and went over to the table. "Are you strong enough to teleport us back to earth?" - Hogosha asked hopefully.

"Yes. I think so" - Vegito said in a strained voice.

"We will leave first thing tomorrow, then"

"No. It has to be now. I am not sure how long they will hold out" - Vegito said with a slight smile.

"They?" - Hogosha asked wondering.

"It is a long story" - Vegito said.

"Very well then. I will go tell the elder that we are leaving" - Hogosha said and walked to the elders door. Racia was sleeping, but with a knock on his door, Hogosha had awakened him. Hogosha thanked him for his hospitality, and told him that their planet was save.

After the short goodbye, Hogosha walked into the main room again.

"Ready?" - Vegito asked. Hogosha nodded, grabbed the bag and placed his hand on Vegito's shoulder.

With a slight plop, they disappeared from the dimension forever. Free from Aku's rule, the Carunians and the Anu'Rac's managed a truce, the Carunian prisoners were released and Caruna returned to its previous peaceful state.

Authors note:

22 chapters then! Actually, to tell the truth I have no idea how long this saga is going to be...

So Potestate means power in latin, and Navitas means energy.