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Chapter 8
Kami stood in quiet contemplation. Mr. Popo was across the room, cleaning up their injured guests. The fire had left them covered in greasy soot and grime. Kami shook his head slightly. The force of the explosion that had knocked Gohan and Piccolo out had been like nothing he had ever seen. The two miscreants responsible for it had opened his eyes to what complete destruction truly was. At least Goku was currently searching the Earth for the dragonballs. The victims of the village would be revived soon.
"Kami, do wish for me to give them a sensu bean for their injuries?" Mr. Popo's hollow voice startled Kami out of his thoughts.
"No Mr. Popo, I think it would be best of we let them wake up on their own first." Less chance for something going horribly wrong, he thought privately. He was unsure as to how Piccolo would react upon waking since his last memory would be of the fight. "Go see to your gardens Mr. Popo, I will stay with them."
After the dark genie had left the room, the aged Guardian walked over to Piccolo's bedside. Even in sleep, Piccolo wore a forbidding look. A black mark on his chest drew Kami's attention. The strange symbol was like nothing he had ever seen. Curious he moved to look at the boy.
Scars littered the exposed flesh of Gohan's torso. Kami reached out a hand and traced a particularly viscous one covering his left shoulder. It looked as though the skin had been flayed back. The world these two came from was clearly a violent one if the marks covering the boy were any indication. His eyes were drawn to Gohan's chest and the identical tattoo. Moving his hand down to touch it, Kami pulled his now singed fingers back in alarm.
Gohan floated towards the surface of consciousness. His chest was burning, an uncomfortable sensation that blended with the pain in the rest of his body. His eyes felt so heavy; they did not seem to want to open. Groaning, he struggled to sit up. A warm hand pushed him back down.
"Settle down Gohan, just stay still son." Kami pushed Gohan back into the mattress. He was surprised at how much resistance the boy was able to muster, even when not fully awake.
Gohan frowned, his brows pulling together in confusion. He knew that voice, but it had been so long since he had heard it. Stilling, he tried to piece together the tattered bits of his memory. Slowly, details began to trickle past, gaining in speed and clarity. Memories reasserted themselves, the Supreme Kai, Maculo and Papula, and the ki sphere rebounding the energy on him and Piccolo.
'Piccolo?' Gohan focused on the rumble in his mind as he called out to his counterpart. 'Piccolo, come on talk to me.'
A low growl seemed to echo in the room. Piccolo latched onto Gohan's voice and the grip on sanity it gave him. His head was pounding viciously and his ears were ringing, muffling the sounds around him.
The extreme physical distress of his sensei spurred Gohan into action. Forcing his eyes to open, he rolled to his side, struggling to gain his feet.
Alarmed, Kami grabbed onto Gohan's shoulders. "Easy there, just lay still. You're safe, you don't have to worry." Physically guiding the boy into a recumbent position, Kami tried to calm him down.
Gohan pushed his hands away irritably. Keeping his eyes locked on the tortured form of his friend, he stumbled across the room. Leaning heavily on the bed, Gohan fumbled for the pouch of leaves at Piccolo's waist. Pulling one out, he forced it into the Namekian's mouth. His Herculean task complete, Gohan collapsed forward.
Energy flooded through Piccolo, driving back the pain and confusion. Instantly realizing Gohan's sorry state, he grabbed him, moving the kid to the side and sitting up in one smooth motion. Pulling another leaf out, he returned the favor.
'What the hell is wrong with you kid?' He demanded angrily as Gohan chewed. 'You should have taken care of yourself first. Not used up all of your energy on me.'
Glaring back at the flashing onyx eyes, Gohan scoffed low in his throat. 'No I couldn't and you know that.'
Kami chuckled quietly as he looked at the two tense figures. Both seemed excessively upset. Even with the silence, he would say that an argument was taking place.
Piccolo glared at the interloper as he stood. A moment later, fresh gis adorned their bodies. Growling deeply, he walked away. Finding his favored meditation spot, he curled into the lotus pose. Piccolo was quite willing to let Gohan deal with the old man.
Gohan shook his head as he gained his feet and bowed politely to the Earth's Guardian. "Thank you for your hospitality and your kindness to us. I apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused you. If it isn't too much trouble, I need a favor from you. Please see to it that the people of that village are wished back."
"Goku is already on the hunt for the dragonballs." Kami reassured him with a smile. He had already decided that he liked this young man. Anyone that could have such a strong effect on Piccolo had to be remarkable. "You are welcome to stay for a meal and get some rest before you continue on your journey. I must confess, I would love to hear your story; especially how you and Piccolo came about."
Gohan struggled with a grin as he felt Piccolo's distaste at the thought staying and conversing with Kami. "Thank you, but we must be on our way."
Kami inclined his head at the decision and followed the demi-Saiyan into the sun. "I wish you both a safe journey."
Gohan took one last look around. There was something so tranquil about this world. Maybe it was the lack of high-level ki, but it felt untainted in a way. "Take care of this world Kami, guard it well."
Kami watched the two leave and sighed quietly. Gohan's eyes had been fathomless for a moment. The eyes of an old man, filled with experience far beyond his years. Kami looked out over the endless horizon. He had never been more thankful for a peaceful Earth than he was at that moment.
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Piccolo growled irritably, the sound echoing within the cave. It had been six weeks since the jumpers had escaped their sphere. Six weeks of constantly chasing those two deranged gnomes across all of reality. Every time he and Gohan got close enough to get a hit in, they slid away. They left nothing behind but a mess for him and the kid to deal with.
'We'll get them Piccolo.' Gohan sat with his dinner, a fish from the lake. Icarus's old cave had been a lifesaver for them. It provided food, water, shelter, and privacy in every reality they visited. Gohan sat back, a pensive look on his face. 'You know, I've noticed that while Maculo definitely hits harder, Papula is the one that always opens the portal.'
'Hn, take him out and the other is trapped.'
'In theory; the problem is getting close enough.' Gohan shuddered as he remembered when they had seemingly trapped the two in the sphere. Never again had they tried that.
'It was a good plan kid. We didn't know until it was too late.'
Gohan nodded as he stood, stretching out his legs. 'Yeah, but that was the closest we've been to date.' Shaking his head, Gohan pushed away the mood. The frustration of chasing their tails was getting to both of them.
'Speak for yourself kid. I do not have a tail.' Piccolo smirked at the sour look on Gohan's face.
'And thanks to you, neither do I. All right, I'm ready. Let's try this again.'
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The shift from the dim interior of the cave to the brilliant sun of the outdoors momentarily blinded the Guardians. As his vision cleared, Gohan stared at the scene in front of them in exasperation.
'Oh for the love of all things holy! Again? I swear, Kibito purposely didn't teach us specific aim across the boundaries just to spite us.' Gohan ranted to Piccolo who had promptly turned around.
Laying stretched out on a blanket in front of them were this reality's Gohan and Videl. Who, in turn, were staring back at them in shock.
Groaning, Gohan rubbed a hand over his face. "Don't mind us. Just continue with, no never mind, you can wait until we are out of the area." Gohan shook his head. He had never been on a date, yet half of his doppelgangers he had seen had been with a girl in some way shape or form. Rising quickly into the air, Gohan and Piccolo transported away.
"Wait," C.R. Gohan shook himself out his stupor and shot across the field at super speeds. "Where did they go?"
Before C.R. Gohan fathom what had just happened, a shrill call resounded across the field. "Gohan!" Videl yelled. "Who were those people? How did you move like that? That man was green!"
C.R. Gohan rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Um, move like what?"
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'Maculo's mine.' Gohan's eyes were narrowed as he focused on the yellow powerhouse. Rocketing towards the ground, he caught the gnome around his middle, landing almost a mile away from Piccolo and Papula.
"No, not fair! I want to play!" Maculo stamped his feet in anger. An ominous red aura surrounded him. "You are no fun. I don't like you."
As Maculo threw his temper fit, Gohan powered up. Sliding past the Ascended level's energy, he finished without a moment to spare. Maculo screamed, gathering ki into his hands, he fired.
Cupping his hands at hip level, Gohan charged his father's favorite technique. "Ka…me…ha…me…HA!"
The blasts collided, near white meeting red. The force of the energy battered at the desolate area around them. Chunks of rocks and debris floated into the air as a crater formed and deepened.
Gohan struggled to keep his concentration centered on his opponent. Maculo was definitely the more powerful of the two, but he had no finesse. Point and shoot seemed to be his only thought process. Through their previous encounters, Gohan had learned that it was safer to meet him head on. Unfortunately, Papula seemed to still have a few brain cells left. Piccolo was in trouble.
Piccolo took advantage of Papula's distraction as Gohan carried Maculo away. Fisting both hands together, he concentrated his ki into his hands, fortifying them. With as much force as he could muster, he slammed down onto Papula's head, attempting to crush his skull.
The blow was enough to bury the red gnome several feet into the ground. Before Piccolo could follow up with another hit, and entire section of earth vanished. Papula flashed back into reality just behind Piccolo, knocking him back.
"You're bad, very bad." Papula's body was vibrating in his anger. The air around him rippled dangerously. "You go away now. Bad man will go to the bad place!"
'Bad place?'
'Piccolo move! That's what they called the Fold!'
Gohan's voice screamed in his mind just as Papula swooped in. Backing off, Piccolo watched queasily as Papula and another section of earth disappeared, right where he had been standing.
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Vegeta's head shot up. Racing from his GR, he flew into the air, hovering above CC. He could feel Kakabrat and the Namek, but they were overwhelming every other sense. The power was astounding. Scowling, he powered up and disappeared in a flash of gold.
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All around the world, the Z fighters were nearly brought to their knees at the massive power taking over their senses. One by one, they took to the skies.
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Gohan watched the dueling ki apprehensively. If he did not overtake Maculo soon, the pent up power could wipe out the planet. Walking forward, he ignored the heat and resistance, intent on ending the standoff.
Piccolo stood braced, waiting for Papula to reappear again. The area around him was littered with holes.
"Namek, what is going on here?" Vegeta demanded, landing in front of him.
"Vegeta, move-" Piccolo's order was cut off as Papula phased in behind Vegeta, taking the Saiyan Prince away.
Gohan was so close to Maculo, just a little farther and he would have him. Digging deeper, Gohan increased the intensity of his blast. Suddenly, Papula was there, right behind the yellow gnome. As the air around them rippled, both exited the reality with a pop. It was too late to stop the energy and there was no way to deflect it.
Gohan closed his eyes in remorse as he built his sphere. He flung it around him less than a split second after the jumpers vanished. He had the energy trapped; the world was safe. He had just killed them both.
'I'm sorry Piccolo.'