a/n – Hey guys! Really no excuse as to why this took so long to write...all the same, I hope you guys can forgive me ;-; I'll be trying to work on some other fanfics I got in the works, so this one might be put on hold for a little bit, but don't worry! I won't abandon it. As always, please favorite or leave a review if you enjoyed!
One Hell of a Trip
"Don't worry, dad'll be fine," Gohan reassured for what seemed like the thousandth time. In response to his statement, Chi-Chi sighed wearily, slouching slightly in her son's arms.
With just a tad bit of guilt on his mind, he forced a happy note to his voice as he continued on, "Honestly, mom, he'll be fine. He's gone through bigger and deadlier scraps than this...remember that whole thing with Frieza?"
"I just don't know, Gohan," Chi-Chi fretted, "I have a bad feeling about all of this. I can't explain it." It would be better, she thought, if she could do anything to help. That, at least, would ease some of her restless, anxious energy. But, instead, she was forced to be escorted back home like a child...not without good reason, however. For not the first time that night, she sighed.
"Yeah!" Goten chirped, his eyes shining with child-like naivety. "And if Dad can't do it, then we can, right, Gohan?" Without waiting for his older sibling's answer, he eased onto his back mid-flight and peered happily into the brilliant blue sky of the afternoon. With a sharp breeze rustling across him, he slipped into a peaceful lull.
Smiling despite his own unease, Gohan nodded weakly at his brother. "Right..and it's not like we don't have Vegeta and Trunks to help us out if things get bad..." He spoke up, shattering the silence.
Tuning out her son's conversation, Chi-Chi gazed bleakly out at the beautiful sprawl of lush, vibrant land before her, sighing, "I hope you're right...I dearly hope you're both right..."
A hush swept across the surrounding crowd; eyes wide in shock, jaws slack with fear practically dripping off their skin as King Dust continued his massacre. Screams began to sound as a chorus of sickening cracks and thuds echoed across the chaotic yard; in response to the madness, Goku, Bardock and Vegeta could only stare on in unabashed horror.
"H-help me! Help!" A young man cried out as his legs were ripped out from under him; fingers scraping desperately against the ground, he was dragged towards the hungry King Dust, whose mouth gaped in a malicious grin.
"Hey! Let him go, you bastard!" Goku yelled, a rich wave of palpable energy wafting from as he crouched to the ground, assuming his fighting stance.
"Who dare addresses your king...?" The dark, misshapen face whirled about, beady eyes peering angrily into Goku's enraged face. A weak, raspy laugh echoed in his throat as he stretched out a tendril of his inky flesh, aimed straight at Goku. "Fool."
"Kakarot! You bastard, think about what you're doing!" Vegeta spat from Goku's side, casting a vicious-looking glare in the Saiyan's direction.
Face expressionless, save for the splash of anger in his dark eyes, Goku glanced briefly at Vegeta as he responded calmly, "I am."
The dark tendril sped towards him; settling back on his heels, he darted to the side as it rushed past him in a blur. As quickly as the attack had been, Goku responded even quicker. His hand darted out, grasping King Dust's arm before it could draw away. His fingers tightened against the slippery, semi-solid ooze of King Dust, forcing the so-called sovereign's gaze to meet his own. A look that brooded ill intent passed between the two, as Goku quietly but firmly said, "Let these people go. They're innocent and have no part in this. If you want to fight anything, fight someone who has a chance against you."
Spindly, dripping arms drew back, absorbing into the bubbling tar of King Dust's flesh as a look of scorn crossed the king's leering face. "Someone like...you?" Dry, coarse laughter erupted from his brittle frame; deep-set eyes flashed something akin to humor as King Dust weakly hissed, "As if you knew what you were getting into..." Forcing another burst of laughter from his tight lips, King Dust tore his arm from Goku's grip, whipping his appendage across the Saiyan's chest in a wide arch.
Deep, scarlet blood sprayed in a fine mist from the wound; lurching back in a cry of pain, Goku clutched his chest, shock defining the stormy look of anger still brewing in his eyes. With a tick pulsating angrily in his tightly clenched jaw, he lifted his gaze back to King Dust; the dripping figure, with laughter dying out, gazed over at Goku, quietly captivated by the raw, human emotion slashed across his pained face.
"Curious creatures..." He said, his rasping voice almost slipping into a purr. "So transparent...I've never seen such a weak race before..." Licking his lips, King Dust curled his tendrils over the corpses at his feet, hissing with pleasure, "I'm going to have fun..."
Sweat dripped from his skin; face clenched, an unfamiliar blaze of pain racked his body, seemingly weakening him. Lifting his eyes, Goku raised a shaky hand, casting out a powerful energy blast from his open palm.
Slamming savagely into King Dust's body without so much as a warning, it seared through his inky flesh, exploding the building behind him. Silent, the king dropped his gaze down to the hole torn through his midsection. Chuckling beneath his breath, he glanced up as fibers of ooze connected to patch up the wound. "Apologies...upon a first glance, you didn't seem much more powerful than an insect, though now I suppose you're going to show me my mistake?"
Flashing a cocky grin, Goku responded, "You bet." Sobering quickly, the Saiyan clenched his fists, glaring over at King Dust. "I can't let you hurt anymore people." Gritting his teeth, he hissed, "You'll have to kill me first!"
"Goku, you fool!" Bardock yelled, "What the hell do you think you're doing? His skin is toxic! He'll kill you before you have the chance to land a blow on him!"
Smirking, he raised his hand slowly as he murmured, "Please, spare me the heroics..." In a flash, an oozing hand entrapped his throat. Sputtering, Goku clawed uselessly at the appendage choking his throat, his lungs helplessly trying to suck in a breath of air. Casting his glance over at Vegeta and Bardock, King Dust deepened his smirk as he lifted up the Saiyan choking in his embrace and whipped his arm back, throwing him toward them.
Absorbing the shock, Bardock and Vegeta crumbled to the ground, gasping as Goku's weight settled on them. "Kakarot, you useless sack of crap!" Vegeta snarled, forcefully shoved the Saiyan off of him. Beside him, Bardock shot into the air like a bullet, a storm of curses escaping his lips.
"Hey, asshole, where do you think you're going?" Bardock roughly called, hand poised to attack. "I'm not done with you yet."
"It was fun playing with you all," King Dust purred, lifting himself into the air on extended legs, "but I must get going...my kingdom awaits." Crude laughter harmonized against the chaotic screams of the fleeing people below him; slick like a fish, he slid off into the city, a chorus of painful screams following him like a shadow.
"No!" Goku whispered, clutching his still-bleeding chest as he forced himself to his knees, "H-he's getting away!"
"No thanks to you," Vegeta spat at him, shooting into the air beside Bardock. "Screw Kakarot; he's no use to us anymore. We'll have to do this ourselves." He firmly said, rushing forward to attack the departing King Dust.
"Wait, you idiot!" Bardock snarled, stopping him before he could venture too far. "We'll have to do it without touching him."
"What the hell are you on about?" Vegeta responded impatiently, eyes narrowed.
"His skin is toxic, you moron." He growled, "Didn't you hear me?"
"How do you expect us to fight him then, genius?"
"Something a little more thoughtful than running straight after him."
"G-guys?" Goku spoke up below them, "I don't think...I don't think I'm going to make it..." Slumped against the ground, the Saiyan clutched at his chest with weak hands, his skin shining with sweat and hued with an unnatural gray. Eyes pained, he rolled to his back, struggling for breath.
"That's your own damn fault, you idiot." Vegeta callously sneered, landing next to the incapacitated Saiyan. Without sympathy, he glanced down at Goku, his lip curling, "Your little episode also let King Dust escape as well."
"I'm...sorry..." He weakly whispered, shutting his eyes as he slumped his head against the grass. "I...I didn't think...he'd be so...strong..."
"Of course you didn't think...you didn't think at all."
"Shut up both of you," Bardock snapped, kneeling down next to Goku. Peeling back his son's hands, he winced slightly at the blood-encrusted wound colored with rich purple starkly contrasting his sickly pallor. "Damn." He swore beneath his breath, rubbing a hand across his chin as a grave look crossed his face.
Curiously peering up at his father, Goku struggled to glance down at his chest. "Is it...is it that bad...?"
"It's worse," Bardock said without emotion, "you've been infected."
To Be Continued