Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ, YYH, or the characters. Just my OCs.
So…I ended up taking a very different direction than I had planned for this story, mainly because the day after I updated, my own father passed away. I quickly wrote up three chapters to finish the story, and I plan to continue with a different conflict most likely in a different story instead of breaking this one up into parts like I planned. This is one of the final three chapters. The other chapters will be uploaded sometime this month. Thank you for reading, following, reviewing, etc. And sorry if the change seems so abrupt and rushed…it kind of was.
After training with Kaiya, Vegeta had resumed his own training and was shocked that he was making more strides than he had been before Kaiya had interrupted his training. They had sparred for a while, Kaiya trying to think of new ways to best her brother and find his very rarely seen unguarded areas. She had learned much from their previous spars and the one training session they had. Once again, she proved to be a fast learner who could adjust very well to circumstance, but she still refused to cause lasting damage on any opponent. That was the one thing that irritated him.
Eventually the spar became more of a game for the siblings. Kaiya had done her best to impress Vegeta, but he made her work for it. She joked around with him, laughing and going after him when he called her a "kid" again. Strangely enough, Vegeta had enjoyed himself and actually had fun. Part of him wondered if it was how he truly felt or if his emotions were playing off of Kaiya's through the telepathic connection. He didn't know if it was some innate nature the Saiyans had with their closer comrades and family. It could have been that too, seeing as he felt the need to protect her as a child regardless of the assignment and before he had even known they were siblings.
Nonetheless, it had actually felt good to take a break and have light training, and he was making more positive advances in his training. Perhaps training his sister would be able to push him to get stronger. At least she was getting stronger and more capable of defending herself. He didn't need to "worry" as much as he thought, if that was even what one would call it.
Meanwhile, Kaiya was at Genkai's patiently waiting to talk to Mizuki. She had so many questions about Jiro and his true intentions that only someone who had known the real him for years could tell her. She wasn't sure if Mizuki could give her what she wanted having not been as close to her father as Jake apparently was, but the girl had to know something that could help Kaiya formulate a true opinion and settle what she needed to do. Talking to her would be more of a challenge than convincing a temperamental fire demon to let her do this alone. The hybrid really hoped that Mizuki could shed some light on Jiro's true motives.
She hadn't been able to shake the feeling that she was missing something, that this whole ordeal wasn't black and white. Jiro would have told her about the vision when he had attacked her before she died; he would have wanted her to know what he did and made sure she knew she would never be a threat to him again. He had had many opportunities to harm her as a child during their unchaperoned visits, but he gave her good memories until she hit teenage years. Why would he let her have those good memories if he never cared at all about her?
For years, she though Jiro hated her. That belief had been solidified when he made and attempt on her life and killed her the year prior. Since he hadn't physically hurt her before then, a red flag was raised. Was it truly because of his fear of being destroyed or was there something else? He could have always hired someone else to do it. Sure, there had been Frieza, but what about after that? Something was off. Her instincts told her so.
When a girl with dark hair stepped outside of the temple, the two of them sat down and just stared at one another. Clearly Mizuki didn't know what to expect from Kaiya, maybe judgment or anger, but she wouldn't know for sure. Kaiya, likewise, didn't know what to expect, but being a protective older sister herself, she hoped she and Mizuki could help each other. "So…" she started awkwardly. "You know Jiro." When Mizuki nodded solemnly, Kaiya pressed further. "How well?"
"Well enough. I'm an empath," Mizuki explained. "I can feel his true thoughts and I've also overheard many conversations he's had with people closer to him or even when he talks to himself. If there is anything you need to know, I could tell you. I can tell this is the reason you wanted to talk alone."
Kaiya was surprised at Mizuki's confession of her powers. It wasn't something she had expected, but she knew that it was a good thing for her to get her questions answered. Even though Mizuki was not close with Jiro, she could gather information simply from being around him. "Fair enough," the hybrid replied. "Let's get right to it then. I've been given new information about his deal with Frieza and a vision he had regarding me. According to Spirit World files, Jiro had made an attempt on my life as a baby because he believed me to be his downfall, and he joined the PTO in college, and that's how he made the deal with Frieza. Does he really want me dead?"
Mizuki's expression became one of confusion but then her eyes lit up in realization. "Kaiya," she started softly, "why are you asking me this?"
"I…I…" the girl stuttered. "I find it hard to believe because we did have good times. If he truly believed me to be a threat, he wouldn't have tried to win me over. He would have eliminated me the second he was left alone with me."
The former demon hunter nodded. That much she knew was true about her ex-boss. "Kaiya, you need to understand something. Your father has been putting on an act for a very long time. I always hated the way he talked about you because I could sense from him that it was not what he was truly feeling. I had never met you, but I knew that if I did I would sense the unease that came from one who cherished someone who did, as you put, want you dead.
"I've overheard drunken conversations of his, when no one was around or when his former college roommate visited. Both boys joined the fraternity for scholarship only. They never knew what they had gotten into. Honestly, they only ever discussed it when they were drunk, maybe from hiding the truth all these years and acting like someone they weren't." At seeing Kaiya's furrowing brows, Mizuki sighed and continued. "He confessed once to his old roommate that he had been okay with the vision, because all visions could be changed. The roommate had known of the vision, and back then had made the decision to report it to the PTO, though he regrets it now. Frieza immediately contacted your father after."
"Wait, what?" Kaiya exclaimed. "That makes no sense after hearing and seeing the things that happened. If that was true, then why did he try to kill me as a baby? Why was he so desperate to have Frieza kill me?"
"His friend asked him, and Jiro had said he never wanted you to live that life," Mizuki explained. "It would have been better if Frieza had never found out. Jiro would have never told anyone, but when Frieza found out he wanted you, as a baby. There was nothing he could do except play along and make Frieza believe he wanted you dead, but when Frieza made the deal to kill you he went back on it, wanting you to be a soldier instead. Jiro felt very guilty about that."
"Why not just tell me?" Kaiya snapped, standing up from the table and turning away from the girl. "I mean, I wasn't weak. I could have handled-"
"Could you have?" Mizuki asked. "If I recall from your file Jiro keeps, your power level was forty. Do you even know how strong Frieza was?"
Kaiya tuned Mizuki out thinking on her own words as soon as she said them. After being attacked and beaten by Frieza, with what she heard about Namek from Bulma and sometimes Gohan, or what she saw in Vegeta's memories, she knew what she was saying was a lie. But she was hurt and angry. What else could she do but try to hang on to her pride a little while trying to process new information?
"Why?" Kaiya asked. "Why did Frieza want me as a baby?"
Mizuki sighed and continued. "According to Jiro, Frieza said something about the younger the better and unruly children."
Vegeta, Kaiya thought fondly before frowning again. "And then of course Jiro had told him that human children take a long time to develop before they can take care of themselves. That unfortunately humans aged differently than other races, and at first Frieza bought it and it bought you more time on Earth."
Those were the years where Kaiya hadn't known Jiro, but then when he came into her life he spent time with her and she had had so much fun. Sure, she caught him in a few lies, but now she was starting to understand it was to protect her from his secret life. But…that didn't make much sense, not at all. He still tormented her as she got older, tearing her character to shreds and accusing her of being a traitor to him and humankind. He killed her which was how she developed her demon powers. Why would he have gone after her again if Frieza was nowhere to be seen?
Maybe this was all a lie. Mizuki had been the enemy at first, and all of this was hearsay. What if it was a trap, to get her to believe her father wouldn't harm her now? Well, she couldn't put faith in that if he was still acting like a creep. Frieza and apparently Frieza's father were dead. That had to count for something. Why wouldn't Jiro come to her after they died and just tell her the story? It had to be a lie.
I don't want it to be a lie…
"Are you okay?" Mizuki asked her.
Kaiya gasped when she realized she hadn't concealed herself well so she put on a steely mask, hoping to cover up her childhood longing. "Heh," she scoffed with attitude, "you seemed to have learned a lot from eavesdropping. How do I know this isn't what Jiro wanted me to hear?"
Mizuki used her ability and sensed that Kaiya was trying to conceal her emotions. The young girl was hurt by all the lies and the double life, and Mizuki couldn't blame her. It would be easier for Kaiya to believe her father was the same person who killed her, but she hadn't been lying. She knew the story sounded farfetched, but it was the truth. Mizuki remembered hearing his old roommate sob and beg for forgiveness for putting Jiro in this position. Jiro had said he had forgiven the guy while they were drunk, but when sober he had told him to get out of his sight and he would let him know how the destruction of Demon World played out. The roommate had acted cold and callous as well. Maybe both of them truly believed that this life was they had to lead, and that if anyone else knew their secrets, it would be trouble. "Kaiya, I have no reason to lie to you," Mizuki told her. "You have telepathy. You would be able to tell if I was lying, right?"
Being reminded of the power she shared with Jiro, Kaiya focused on reading Mizuki's thoughts. She wanted what she had said to be true, but part of her wanted it to be a lie so it would be easier to make the choice. To her dismay, it was all true, and, even worse, Jiro felt guilty every time he spoke about her. The guilt was overbearing, sickening, and that must be what Mizuki had meant by not liking how the man talked about his daughter. It was so overwhelming that Kaiya needed to force herself out of Mizuki's mind. She was breathing heavily and Mizuki came over to help her, but Kaiya pushed her away. If that wasn't enough, Hiei had sensed her distress with his own telepathic abilities and went to check on her. He tried to help the frazzled girl out, trying to gather what was wrong, but she only said, "None of this makes sense," before flying off to be alone and think.
Hiei looked over to Mizuki who nervously met his angered gaze. "What the hell did you tell her?" he questioned harshly.
"The truth."
He always needed to keep appearances, but it was getting increasingly harder to do so. Unfortunately he had no other choice with who had contacted him shortly after Frieza's death. If Frieza had died and no one had contacted him, he would have been in the clear and none of this would have mattered, but he couldn't be that lucky.
"She's off on her own," Jake said with a grin. "We should end her now."
No, he really wasn't very lucky.
"No!" Jiro snapped gaining his pupil's questioning gaze. Quickly, he thought of a bullshit reason that Jake would hopefully not question. "She needs to witness the death of her friends, to know the penalty of defying me."
Jake groaned slightly. "But she already knows that. You made it clear last year. At least let me capture her. That way, she could get a front row seat to the carnage."
"You will leave my daughter to me," Jiro ordered. Internally he was grimacing. First off, he knew Kaiya did not like violence and it had probably gotten worse since her memories were returned to her. Now, though, he could hear her conflicted thoughts. He saw what Mizuki had shown her, what she had told her. He never knew that Mizuki was an empath, or he would have never brought her on. Right now, things were horribly difficult for the human. He was being watched by yet another power of the PTO. He needed to make sure that he kept up the charade, but he did not want to destroy his daughter in the process. Somehow the two of them needed to talk, in private, but her friends would never allow that to happen…with good reason…and the Saiyan prince would have his head. Maybe the other Saiyan would be willing to hear him out. He had seemed to be pretty reasonable even when he attacked Kaiya and the man's son.
But Kaiya…her thoughts…somehow she was still as innocent as she was when she was a little girl. He believed he had given the girl ever reason to hate him, but she didn't hate him. She feared him because he had killed her, and now she was angry he had attacked her as part of a lie, but she still loved him. When the time came that he needed to hurt her again, he wasn't really sure if he could. She had pleaded with him the first time and it had taken all of his strength to let out the attack and act like a chilling villain.
He wouldn't have done it, but Frieza had contacted him shortly before, because he wanted her for a battle on the planet, Namek, to use her against her brother whom she hadn't remembered. Jiro had kept close watch over her and knew she had gone to visit his parents in his old home town, and he knew the girl had picked up on the lie that he knew of her trip. The two of them had barely talked for a while since he had started pushing her away. It had been for her own safety, and so had killing her. It was unfortunate that shortly after her death she came back even stronger with new abilities, so he needed to end her again so Frieza couldn't have her. He had been killed instead, by Hiei who had protected his daughter, and thankfully Frieza had been killed too, or so everyone thought. Jiro had known it wasn't true when he came back, because Frieza had been trying to reach him since his alleged death. Jiro himself had been dead so he hadn't seen it until moments after he returned…and then he sensed the tyrant.
Frieza had been coming to destroy Earth and its people to upset the Saiyan that had defeated him, but he also swore he would find him having not lived up to his end of the bargain. Jiro didn't want to run into Frieza then, nor had he wanted to have his run-in with the Saiyan prince. It was perfect, though, because it gave him another opportunity to make his daughter hate him. Later, though, after Frieza and King Cold were killed, Jiro felt relief and was about to run off to confess the truth to his daughter, but he received a call from the last living member of the Cold clan, Cooler. The one good thing about the Arcosian was that he thought things through and was actually willing to hear Jiro out. Jiro had explained that his daughter's body had been too weak for the attack and that, when she came back as a demon, he had been killed and had been dead for a year, wished back with the Dragon Balls by his subordinates. Cooler had been calm and believed him when he told him what he had, but he ordered Jiro to eliminate every last Saiyan if he could, including his daughter and the half-breed child, or he would be forced to come to the planet and do it himself. That was not the kind of death he wanted for his daughter. If she thought he was bad, or that Frieza was bad, Cooler could be much worse.
How all of this had gotten so out of hand, Jiro didn't know. His story was a complicated one. He came from a loving family full of competitiveness and fun. He had gone to the university his parents attended in the town where he was born. He was an overachiever who would have done whatever it took to meet his goals. Sadly, that was how he accidentally joined the PTO, and everything about his carefree life had ended. How it happened was such a blur, but it no longer mattered to him. All that mattered was what happened after, that it started him on this unescapable path. There was little he could do now. But maybe, just maybe, he could talk to someone and warn them about what was going on. Maybe then he could be free, if the Saiyan prince didn't kill him first since he had been the one to suggest the destruction of his home world.
Now that…that had been a joke, but Frieza took it to heart. When the vision got out and Frieza was talking to him about his plans for Kaiya, he was also complaining about the Saiyan race. Jiro had rolled his eyes. The way he talked about the "monkeys" was with disgust and hatred, so the human had scoffed and sarcastically said, "If you hate them so much, why do you let them live? I hear you have a thing for destroying races…"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Arcosian smirked and ended the call. Yeah…it hadn't been the brightest call on his part to just blurt that out, but he couldn't take it back.
And now, here he was, back in the moment with his subordinate who wanted his daughter dead as much as Cooler did. Jake obviously hadn't liked his answer and stormed out of the room. At least he knew that Jake would listen to him and leave his daughter alone. It gave him time to go talk to the Earth-raised Saiyan and try to work something out. That boy wouldn't go against orders, he hoped.
Kaiya always went to the beach when she was upset; something about the water ebbing and flowing had this calming effect. She was still so confused, and she somewhat understood why the water was as tumultuous as her heart and mind. The ocean reflected her moods, all of them, which is maybe why she felt it to be calming.
She couldn't believe everything she had learned that day about Jiro, about Frieza, about the truth of what happened, but as she lingered on her thoughts and the new information, she could piece it with her life. Jiro had been good to her, though he tried to hide the truth of the past behind lies to hide his involvement in the PTO. He never hurt her until he kidnapped her and took her to Frieza, but even then he hadn't been the one to hurt her. That blue alien, Zarbon, had been the one to blow a hole in her stomach and Frieza had been the one to beat her. When she returned to Earth, Jiro must have realized she didn't have her memories, and a few years later they were left alone for their visits. He hadn't hurt her. He had acted somewhat like a father, an estranged father but a father nonetheless. The only time he "hurt" her was when he was teaching her to fight after she said she was weak. He told her never to say she was weak, but always to say she was strong or else her body would listen to her and become weak. He even had given her a demonstration of having her fight after saying she was weak and after saying she was strong. There really had been a difference.
Maybe he did love her and this outward act had been for show. If that was true, should she confront him about it? Would he tell her the truth if she called him out on it? Could she convince him not to hurt her friends and to be honest about why he had in the first place?
"Well, well, well," a familiar voice rang out in her ears, "if it isn't the bitch demon herself. Don't think I've forgotten our last encounter."
Kaiya growled, much like a Saiyan would, before she turned to face him and glared at him. "Jake…it's been a while. Don't think I've forgotten our last encounter either, you know the one where you were starving me and my cousin, your girlfriend, and tortured me to get information on my friends."
Jake narrowed his eyes at her. "Traitor, you do not get to make me feel bad about doing my duty to my master and the human race," the demon hunter snapped. And then he grinned making Kaiya feel wary. "As for your cousin, she was a means to an end, collateral damage if you will. I was only dating her to get to you."
"Oh dear God," Kaiya muttered. Jake smirked thinking his words had gotten to her, but his smirk quickly ran south at the rest of her words. "Jiro really did teach everyone that damn mantra. If I hear the words 'collateral damage' from the likes of you again…seriously…you're all idiots."
This made Jake angry as he tried to take a shot at her with his weapon. Kaiya easily dodged it flying into the air. He shot a few more blasts that looked like black stardust, and Kaiya was still dodging them. She didn't understand why Jake was still smiling and why he was still shooting when she could easily dodge, but soon she started to feel woozy and could barely keep herself in flight before she had to lower herself to the ground and fell the rest of the way onto the sand.
"Wh-what did you do to me?" Kaiya asked in alarm. Her breathing was becoming more ragged.
Jake simply laughed at her predicament and blew on his toy to cool the smoke. "It's a new invention that I developed. This dust is highly toxic, a poison, that if inhaled causes temporary deliria and can knock out anyone: human, demon, or Saiyan. That's why I shot it so close to you and stayed safely in my spot. Now that it's dissipated, I can simply wait for you to pass out and drag you back to headquarters. I'm sure your father would love to see you."
A pang shot out in Kaiya's heart, though not in fear of her predicament. She had survived Jake's torture before and knew she could do it again, but her father… "You don't know what my father wants," Kaiya breathed out before she lost consciousness.
Jake was surprised at her words, mostly because she called him her father and talked as if she knew him, but he knew that was a lie. She was probably just trying to rattle him. Still, Jiro had told him to leave the girl alone for now. Eh, it didn't matter. Jiro was going to kill her anyway, so he did the guy a favor. Now he had all the time in the world to torture the traitor and take her pathetic life. At least this was one less demon they would have to deal with for a while.
The mountain area was exactly how he remembered it, and the tree he had struck was still recovering from the hit. Jiro cringed at the sight, knowing the attack would have murdered both his daughter and the half-Saiyan boy. He knew what he had been thinking, but it was still difficult to shake it from his system. Normally he just did and didn't linger on the thoughts for too long or he would feel the guilt. Maybe it was just because his daughter knew the truth now. It wouldn't have mattered to him beforehand.
The Saiyan he was looking for instantly came out of his small home and glared slightly at his intruder. He had obviously remembered him and what he had done, not that Jiro had expected him to forget. The human raised his hands up in the air telling the Saiyan he was not there to cause trouble. "I come in peace?" Jiro joked though his voice was nervous. "I just wanted to talk to you. It's important."
The Saiyan's face seemed to soften making Jiro believe he made the right choice. He had said to him the day they met that he hadn't wanted to fight. "We'll stay out here," the Saiyan spoke. "I'm not letting you near my family."
Jiro smiled slightly. Yes, he had made the right choice. "I understand. Given the situation…I wouldn't even want me near my own. Now, Saiyan…I mean…what's your name again?"
The Earth-raised Saiyan smiled widely and started rubbing the back of his neck saying, "Well, my Saiyan name is Kakarot, but everyone around here calls me Goku."
"Well, Goku," Jiro started, "I need your help with something. If you can help me, then everything will change."
Jiro returned to the hideout later that night. He had been relieved that Goku had been willing to hear him out. The Saiyan had believed everything he said and offered to talk to Vegeta about it all. If they all knew about Cooler, they could prepare to face him and he could end this charade of a life he had. That way Kaiya could be free, finally, to live her life out with her friends. If she wanted nothing to do with him, he'd understand, but maybe she'd at least be willing to have some acquaintance especially around his family and son. Kaiya had always been that way before, and now that she somewhat understood he was just trying to protect her she would be more open to the idea.
His happy memories of his time with his daughter shot out of his mind the moment he entered the hideout, his blood running cold instead. He could feel her there, or at least her mind's presence there because he didn't feel her energy at all. Quickly, he ran to the dungeon area and found what he feared to see.
Kaiya was unconscious in a cell chained to the wall with ki restraints. The cell was surrounded by talismans to keep her demon powers at bay. Jake hadn't listened to him like he hoped. Jiro mentally prayed that his daughter hadn't been hurt in the exchange.
"Oh good, you're back," Jake said coming out of nowhere. "I was wondering where you ran off to. Now, I know you said not to capture her, but I think it was the best opportunity we had."
Jiro frowned, glaring hard at his daughter, yet again acting like he didn't care about her while his mind was screaming to let her out of there. He knew it was painful for a fire demon to have their flames trapped inside of them. "You were right, Jake," he stated sinisterly. "Now if you don't mind, I would like to have a private word with my daughter. If I still sense your presence here in the next ten minutes, I will not be a happy man."
Jake grinned and nodded. "Anything you say, master. Good luck with the traitor. Let me know if you can make her beg. She was too cocky last time I had my hands on her."
Jiro forced himself not to react to the words other than to give a nod. As Jake ran off, he didn't notice Jiro's clenched fists. Once he sensed that the human was gone and he and Kaiya were indeed alone, he released a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "I'm sorry," he admitted to his unconscious daughter. He bowed his head down, his hand on the cell bar and his eyes clenched shut. "This was not supposed to happen this way, any of it. If it was up to me, you would have been free. I wouldn't keep you here."
"Then don't," he heard her voice answer back weakly.
He quickly looked up to see his daughter's confused, saddened, green eyes looking back at him. "Kaiya," he breathed out, shocked that he was staring into the eyes of his daughter and that they held no hatred for him. He knew the two of them had a lot to talk about, but right now he was absolutely relieved that she was awake. For the first time in a long time, he let her see one of his fatherly smiles, one she hadn't seen in a long time. "Thank God you're all right."
Goku transported to Bulma's compound by focusing on Vegeta's energy. The Saiyan prince had been making an after training snack, and was not very happy when his rival appeared right next to him, startling him.
"What the hell are you doing here, Kakarot?" he snapped harshly. He was not in the mood to deal with the soft-hearted Saiyan that night. He didn't even want to know why it was he that Kakarot had sought out and not the blue-haired woman.
Kakarot's face held a serious expression making Vegeta clam up. He hadn't seen the look in the Saiyan's eyes since Namek, when they were dealing with Frieza. "Vegeta, we need to talk about something," he said sternly. "Jiro is not the enemy. Cooler is."
Though Vegeta's blood ran cold at the mention of the Arcosian he had forgotten about, he didn't show it. He simply crossed his arms, his eyes hardening, though, demanding answers. "What are you on about, Kakarot?" he asked in attempts to play off the Saiyan's words. "Of course Jiro is the enemy."
Before Goku could explain anything to the stubborn Saiyan, Hiei came crashing through the back door, causing glass to fly everywhere. He looked very concerned, terrified, and then he looked over to Vegeta in panic. "Please," he pleaded, contrasting with his normally arrogant attitude. It took Vegeta by surprise to see him acting like that. His eyes grew wide waiting for Hiei to tell him what was going on. "Please tell me Kaiya came home."
The desperation in Hiei's voice was off-putting. "No," Vegeta answered making the air in the compound shift. He shot a glare towards Goku who raised his hands. "You seriously believe that Jiro isn't the enemy? I have no doubt he's responsible for this."
"He can't be," Goku argued. "He was just with me at my home. He told me everything, about why he did everything. It wasn't because he wanted to. He had Frieza breathing down his neck and now Cooler."
Hiei looked over to Vegeta and nodded to him. "He's not lying. Mizuki told me a similar story after Kaiya ran off, though I have no idea who this Cooler is. If anyone went after her, it had to be Jake. He kidnapped her before and tortured her."
Vegeta remembered Kaiya mentioning that part of her past, and it only made him want to kill more. He didn't believe this story about Jiro, and he didn't plan on letting the human slide. Without another word, Vegeta took off in search of his sister and the human bastard that suggested the destruction of his home planet. Jiro was not going to get off so easily.