--- Disturbance, Book 1: Convergence ---

Chapter C20

Disclaimer: The fun about this sentence is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything, it's too late to stop reading it. Also: See first chapter.

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-So, are you breathing?-

"It's Vegeta!"

"Papara papa!"

-So, are you breathing?-

Vegeta let out a roar of pain, grasping his head with both hands and lurching forwards; that the Supreme Kai expected, given his sudden realisation. What he didn't expect was to hear a similar cry wrenched from the mouth of the younger-but-older Saiyan standing behind him.

-No, no!-

Gohan glanced between the two of them worriedly, asking, "Kaen, Vegeta, what's wrong?"

Another roar of pain from the Saiyan Prince answered him, and by the looks of things it took all of Kaen's control to grit his teeth and keep from doing the same. "What's going on?" Goku demanded.

-Are you breathing?-

"Something's... attacking me," Vegeta replied, staggering around in pain. "Inside... my head."

-So, are you breathing?-

"Fight it Vegeta!" Shin exclaimed fearfully, "Resist!"

"Yes, fight for the people who betrayed you, and who always will," Babidi's voice echoed in Vegeta's mind.

-No!-

"I can't!" Vegeta howled.

"You must!" Shin shouted back.

-Wake up, are you alive?-

"Oh my Dabura! I know why we were caught so unaware of these guys," Babidi exclaimed, "They're not Earthlings at all; they just live on this planet."

-Will you listen to me?-

"What? What race are they then?" Dabura asked.

"Saiyans," was the wizard's reply, having pulled the information from the minds of his would-be captives.

-I'm gonna talk about some freaky shit now-

Dabura nodded. "That explains it then. Saiyans are, or at least were, one of the strongest races in the universe, and they got stronger with every fight. It's no wonder these five managed to attain such power while we were not looking."

Babidi's smile could have recharged Buu all on it's own. "And now they belong to me!"

-Someone is gonna die-

Vegeta stumbled forward, with Shin and Gohan rushing to his side should he need support. "Get out of my mind!"

-When you listen to me-

"What do you want Vegeta? Weakness? Or do you want to be strong, the pride of the Saiyan race once more, a beacon for the rest of your kind?" the whisper of Babidi tormented.

Falling to one knee, Kaen growled out, "Not again... You'll not take me again you bastard wizard!"

-Let the living die, let the living die, say-

"What?" Shin exclaimed, spinning to face Kaen's semi-fallen form. Suddenly it all made sense. 'Of course; they know so much about Babidi because they were controlled by him once!'

-Wake up, are you alive?-

Before he could act Vegeta flared instinctively into Super Saiyan, screaming, "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY MIND!" The massive burst of energy he released caught everyone off guard, sending everyone but Kaen flying to the walls of the room.

-Will you listen to me?-

Struggling back to his feet, Goku demanded, "What's going on?"

"It's Babidi," the purple being replied, likewise forcing himself upright.

-I'm gonna talk about some freaky shit now-

"What's he trying to do? Kill him?" Gohan asked.

"Worse." The Supreme Kai stated grimly. "Dabura spoke of a fighter that could defeat us all; Vegeta is that fighter!"

-Someone is gonna die-

"But then what about Kaen?" Gohan added.

-When you listen to me-

A grimace came to Shin's face. "I can only guess that he was under Babidi's control once before." Another burst of energy washed over them as Kaen started powering up, trying to fight Babidi's magics. With everyone in their base form, the Supreme Kai was currently the strongest one in the room, and even he had trouble staying upright.

-Let the living die, let the living die, say-

Pi, however, seemed to have no such trouble, forcefully charging forward towards her mate, despite the arcs of ki dancing around the room. Whenever one of Vegeta's strayed too close to her, one of Kaen's intercepted it; despite everything, even instinctively Kaen's energy would not allow Pi to come to harm. Wrapping her arms around him from behind, she whispered into his ear, "Come on Kaen, you can do it. I'm here. We'll fight him together."

-Are you breathing, no?-

"Do you feel that?" Babidi's displaced voice whispered in Kaen and Vegeta's minds. "Do you feel all that power lying dormant underneath? I can bring that out you know, as much as you want, all of it if you so desire."

-Do the wicked see you?-

The shrivelled alien was very surprised to hear a very female voice answer him back. "Shut up Babidi! They don't need you; Saiyans get power on their own!"

"Who the hell are you?" the wizard asked.

-You still breathing?-

Somehow, he could feel her grinning at him. "I'm a better hacker than you, that's who." Suddenly, he found his connection with Kaen's mind almost completely severed. Gritting his teeth, Babidi began searching for more ways in, but every time he reached one, she beat him there and cut him off.

-You're making me known-

Pi allowed a smile to come to her face. In essence, Babidi was trying to hack into Kaen's mind, like a computer, so all she had to do to help him was to 'counter-hack', to shut off all the access points Babidi could use to gain entrance; in this case, all of the evils in Kaen's heart and mind.

-Are you breathing, no?-

Frowning, Babidi set part of his mind into finding a way the girl missed, as he increased his efforts to break down Vegeta's defences.

-Do the wicked see you?-

Seeing that Kaen's screams had calmed to pants of effort, Shin turned to Vegeta, exclaiming, "Fight it! You're not that way any more; Babidi has no claim over you!"

Watching the golden-haired Vegeta staggering around in pain, Gohan asked, "Isn't there any way we can help him?"

-You still breathing?-

"He struggles because his heart is impure," Shin explained, as Vegeta slumped down onto his knees. "He has to choose himself!" Summoning up his courage, the Supreme Kai walked up to the fallen prince, stating, "Don't let him take you Vegeta. Let go; the past is the past. Don't think of it, be innocent and clear."

-What's up? I wonder why-

"I'm not innocent," Vegeta growled out, "I just want this fucking wizard OUT OF MY HEAD!" With his roar came another wave of power, and Shin was caught off guard by it, sent skidding back a few feet.

-Do you listen to me?-

"I'm afraid it's too late," Babidi commented, more to himself than anything. "Yes, you belong to us now!"

"He can only resist for so long," Dabura agreed. "Mortal or immortal, the thirst for evil always wins."

-I'm gonna make you do some freaky shit now-

Babidi chuckled, focusing his power through his crystal ball. "Now, allow me to restore your power to the way it was before you began trying to resist your dark nature."

-Insane, you're gonna die-

With another, louder roar of pain, red lightning began arcing off Vegeta's form as he began to float upwards, this second aura forcing Goku, Gohan and Shin to take a few steps back for safety. Pi just pressed herself harder against Kaen's back, the bolts of crimson lightning bouncing off Kaen's aura as he continued to fight off the encroaching darkness that was Babidi's magics, albeit now with a lot more success.

-When you listen to me-

"Don't let them do it Vegeta!" Gohan shouted, "Don't let them use you! You're stronger than th-" Before he could even finish his statement he was struck by the crimson lightning, three times in quick succession, and sent sliding back to the walls of the room.

-Let the living die, let the living die, say-

"Gohan!" Goku shouted in fear.

"I'm fine," the teen cut him off.

-What's up? I wonder why-

"Hmm, what's this?" Babidi mused to himself, his 'task' to delve further into Kaen's mind finding something.

-Do you listen to me?-

"What is it master?" Dabura questioned.

-I'm gonna make you do some freaky shit now-

Babidi grinned widely. "It would seem the girl missed something."

-Insane, you're gonna die-

As Gohan climbed back to his feet Kaen's screams of pain increased again, a small black aura spreading over him, the Saiyan pyromancer shouting, "Get outta my head!"

-When you listen to me-

"Kaen?" Pi asked worriedly; how had Babidi gotten in? 'What did I miss?" She thought to herself frantically; if she could find it, she could block it off, but nothing came to mind. 'Fuck! Kaen must have kept something from me!'

-Let the living die, let the living die, say-

Kaen ignored her, growling, "Stop, I don't want to remember that!"

She forced him to look at her. "Kaen, talk to me!"

-Are you breathing, no?-

"She doesn't love you, you know," Babidi taunted, his magics feeding off the memories he was digging up. "You're just an amusing plaything for her, to keep around until she finds something better."

Before even Pi could rebut the statement Kaen let out a pain-filled laugh. "You're gonna have to better than that wizard!"

-Do the wicked see you?-

"Fine." Focusing hard, Babidi dug deeper, the black aura increasing in size as he wrenched another anguished cry from the Saiyan's lips, the fear of the situation forcing Kaen's power up another notch; this time, the shockwave sent Pi flying away from him.

-You still breathing?-

Skidding to a halt, Pi found she could no longer force herself forward; Kaen and Vegeta's energy's had merged to form an impenetrable barrier. "Kaen, fight it!" She shouted, "Whatever he's doing to you, fight!"

-You're making me known-

"Get out of my mind!" Kaen shouted to the yellow wizard, before adding painfully in what was the best description he could give at the time, "He's raping my mind!"

-Are you breathing, no?-

"Why this is just perfect!" Babidi cackled. "All that evil hiding beneath the surface. Why, I'd almost say he was more evil than you Dabura."

"Impossible," Dabura spat. "No mere mortal could be more evil than the Demon King!"

-Do the wicked see you?-

"That may be true Dabura," Babidi hummed, "But he does have two hundred and forty years worth of evil deeds, spanning every sin imaginable." Satisfied at the rate of Kaen's descent, he re-focused on Vegeta.

-You still breathing?-

As the power being put out by the two near-possessed fighters increased, the room began shaking violently; in fact, the entire ship was shaking. Outside the ship, large rocks, some the size of small cards, began digging themselves out of the ground, floating a good foot or two off the dirt. Large faults began erupting in the valley, and gale force winds began kicking up sandstorms, all originating from the ship itself.

"What a monstrous power," Goku commented. "It's terrible! I can't even approach it!"

-Can you imagine how good going through this will make you feel?-

"Why do you fight me Vegeta?" The wizard asked the screaming Super Saiyan. "Do you want to remain in Kakarott's shadow forever?"

Vegeta's screams increased, as he began shaking his head violently to either side, the red lightning increasing in volume and magnitude. "No, I don't want that!"

-I promise, no one will ever know-

"That's it Vegeta! Fight it!" Shin shouted.

"Why do you fight me Kaen?" He asked the second fighter. "Do you want to remain shackled here for eternity, forced to live a life of boredom and routine when you could be free to explore the galaxy?"

Kaen grit his teeth hard, growls of pain escaping him, as the dark aura grew in depth, his form seeming to flicker like a badly tuned TV. With a strange echoing quality to his voice, he forced out, "I. Will. Be. FREE!"

-There will be no chance of you getting caught-

"Come on Kaen! Come back to me!" Pi cried out.

With a final shout from both of them, the wall of energy faded, Vegeta's aura burning out as he fell to the floor, landing on his knees and slumping forward, his face hidden, growls and sobs of pain forcing their way past his lips. Kaen too slumped forward, the dark shadow still enveloping him as he panted harshly, his form flickering to either side like it couldn't decide where, within a couple of inches of his central mass, it actually was.

-They never loved you anyway-

As the group started to advance towards them, Shin stated, "Don't touch them! It might already be too late."

"Kaen?" Pi asked tentatively; the bond she shared with her mate felt... weird, and she couldn't explain how.

"Don't worry Vegeta," Goku said calmly, "We'll get you the help you need."

-So come on, be a man-

It wasn't long before Kaen's pants and Vegeta's sobs turned into laughter. "I'm sorry, Kaen isn't taking any calls right now, but you can leave a message with me," the shadowy Saiyan replied almost jovially.

"And who are you?" Pi demanded grimly.

-And do what you are compelled to do-

She took a step back as his glare fixed itself upon her, the 'M' of the Majin branded upon his forehead. He seemed to take a moment to consider the dark aura around him before he replied. "Me? I'm Dark Phoenix." (1)

Laughing almost psychotically at a joke only he knew, Vegeta sat upright, his eyes ringed by dark circles, and veins bulging out on his shoulders and forehead, upon which, like Kaen, rested the symbol of the Majin. The last of the Vegeta line had fallen from grace.

-Save me God!-

"Oh my, this is wonderful!" Babidi cackled excitedly, dancing from side to side in glee. "Just think of all the energy those two will gather when they destroy their friends! This is the best present I've ever had; we may yet revive Majin Buu before the end of the day!"

-I can hear the voice-

Dabura bowed. "I aim to please."

Babidi rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Now, they need a more interesting place to fight..."

-But I don't want to listen-

Dabura grinned. "How about the tournament arena?" He knew enough about humans to know there would still be a great many people there, despite the tournament's completion; humans were, after all, remarkably slow about leaving places in groups.

Babidi burst into laughter again. "You're on a roll today Dabura! That's perfect!" Focusing his magic, he screamed, "Papara papa!"

-Strap me down and tell me I'll be alright-

The scenery shifted around them again, the room fading to blue before a myriad of colours flashed by, but the two new Majin warriors noticed none of this. Kaen, now calling himself Dark Phoenix, only had eyes for Pi, whereas Vegeta stared down his life-long rival Goku. When the room 'froze' back to normal, the Z-Fighters noticed a very familiar mauled 50x50 concrete mat beneath them.

-I can feel the subliminal need-

"What the? He sent us back to the stadium," Gohan commented, looking around and noticing their family and friends still seated up in the stands; Videl and Kat were with them, but for some reason, Goten, Trunks and the twins were not.

-To be one with the voice-

"They're back," Yamcha commented amazedly, "How'd they do that?"

"Instant Transmission maybe?" Bulma suggested.

Yamcha shook his head. "No, they're gotta be touching Goku for that."

-And make everything alright-

"Well I'm just glad they're back okay," Chichi commented.

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet Chi," April commented gravely.

-I can hear the voice-

Her face neutral, Raene added, "From what I can see, Kaen and Vegeta are far from okay..."

A worried frown slipped past Bulma's defences; her link with Vegeta felt... dark. "Vegeta..."

-But I don't want to listen-

"Excuse me gentlemen, but the tournament's over. We were just finishing up the closing ceremony," the announcer declared nervously.

Vegeta smirked. "We're just here for a little exhibition match." Tuning out the man's ramblings, he turned back to his rival.

-Strap me down and tell me I'll be alright-

"That's it! Now kill them! Kill all of them!" Babidi's voice echoed in the two Majin Saiyans' minds.

Vegeta flinched. "No. Kakarott is my only concern! The others are nothing!"

-I can feel the subliminal need-

Dark Phoenix, on the other hand, just scowled. "Shut up you worm!" The 'M' on his forehead glowed red for a second, before switching to blue, then back to black, as he erected his mental defences again, and severed his link with Babidi almost completely.

-To be one with the voice-

"What? How can they do that?" Babidi asked himself in shock. "Even after all that, Vegeta's not completely under my control, and Kaen cut me off completely!"

"It's no matter Master," Dabura commented, "They'll come around eventually. No mortal can resist forever."

-And make everything alright-

Vegeta turned side-on to Goku, pointing his finger at him and barking, "It's time Kakarott." When Goku didn't reply, a smirk slipped onto Vegeta's face as he flattened his hand, palm facing his chosen opponent. Charging ki into his hand, Vegeta fired off a golden energy blast at point blank range, Goku being forced to cross his arms to block it. As Vegeta fed more and more energy into the attack, Goku was forced backwards towards the edge of the ring directly opposite the fighter's lounge.

-Are you breathing, no?-

Phoenix ignored the goings on to his right, pointing at Pi and stating, "You and I have unfinished business." Like Vegeta before him, he began charging a blast, Phoenix's being of black flame, and firing it off at Pi. Like Goku, Pi threw her arms up to defend, but as she was being pushed back, her foot caught on a dislodged piece if tiling, and she was sent sprawling backwards underneath the blast at the same time Goku was forced to dive out of the way of Vegeta's, lest he be consumed.

-Do the wicked see you?-

The Z-Fighters shouted in horror as the blasts tore towards the stands, screaming warnings they knew were too late to do much good. Phoenix's blast exploded upon contact with the stands, instantly consuming hundreds of lives. Vegeta's, however, bored straight through the stands, causing a lesser explosion before continuing on into South Capitol, where it exploded with a massive mushroom cloud easily visible from the stadium, despite being on completely separate islands.

-You still breathing?-

The Saiyan family forced their faces into neutral masks; they'd only just managed to get everyone out of the way of Vegeta's blast before it had consumed the stand they'd been sitting on. "What the hell is going on?" Raene asked rhetorically, holding on to the fainted form of Bulma.

-You're making me known-

"I don't know," Kellre replied gravely. "What we feared doesn't compare to what we face now."

"I'm just glad the kids are gone now," April remarked, "Because I wouldn't want them to see this."

-Are you breathing, no?-

As they returned to the centre of the ring, both Goku and Pi seemingly had the exact same thought, stating as one, "How could you? The Vegeta/Kaen I know would never have done this!"

-Do the wicked see you?-

Phoenix seemed to answer for the pair of them. "Maybe not, but the one you knew would have." Growling in anger, Pi lunged to attack her fallen mate, but Phoenix just laughed, taking to the sky as his hands started glowing with black fire. Launching out streams of energy, he shouted, "Dance woman, dance!" as he forced her to dive out of the way of the attacks, carving up what was left of the arena floor; by luck, more than anything, none of the other fighters were forced to move to avoid being hit.

-You still breathing?-

Smirking down at Pi, Phoenix launched himself higher into the sky, taunting, "You want me?" His form shifted, erupting in black flames, before reshaping itself into that of a giant bird of fire. "Well come and get me!" He shouted, blasting out of the arena at high speeds. With a growl, Pi took off after him, never noticing that, as he attempted to blast her, he has carved the symbol for Phoenix into the arena floor.

-So, are you breathing?-

"How about it Kakarott? Shall we commence?" Vegeta asked coldly, ignoring the two feuding Saiyans.

"This isn't the time Vegeta," Goku replied.

Vegeta smirked. "You'll fight with me Kakarott. Unless of course you'd like more bodies to pile up on your conscience."

-So, do you breathe? No, no-

Eyes widening in shock, Goku asked, "Vegeta, certainly you didn't?" When Vegeta just laughed, he commented, "How sad. I didn't think you were weak enough to be controlled." Vegeta still didn't reply. "Answer me! Vegeta! Do you let yourself be a slave?"

-So, are you breathing?-

Vegeta just calmly raised his hand again, pointing it at the only stand not destroyed so far, before firing another energy blast, wiping it out. As the smoke from the explosion washed over him, his stared back at Goku with a sadistic smile, replying, "Is it slavery when you get what you want?" Goku just clenched his fists in anger, glaring at Vegeta with all the hatred it was possible for the happy-go-lucky fighter to feel. Vegeta smirked in satisfaction; he would fight Kakarott, and he didn't care how many people he had to kill to do it.

-So, do you breathe? No!-

To be continued...

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Author's notes:

(1) - It was this character that was the inspiration for my sig. Yes, I have had this idea in mind since before I started posting When World's Collide.

Well here it is - or rather, there it was - the final chapter of Book 1. Next week Book 2: Divergence begins, and I'll rename the story and adjust the summary to suit.