Turbulence

by Super Vegetarott

Due to a change in Bardock's final stand, Kakarot's spaceship forsakes its original destination and indirectly leaves the Earth without its intended savior. Fate and chance had aligned during his exodus, however, leaving him to the Namekians to be raised as one of their own. Both Namek and Earth must now walk down diverging roads - one with and one without a destined hero.

9. Chapter IX: Lunatic Fringe

"Death is more common than you'd think it is, but it's arguable that one's perspective on it is blind until they witness it for themselves. The loss of life is something that the majority of the universe would frown upon, but until they truly see it for themselves, they don't understand just what they're dealing with. After witnessing it… no one can ever be the same again. They know what others don't and have had the misfortune of seeing what others have been blessed not to see. What does this make them? Well... they're just nothing more lunatic fringes looking in from the outside of humanity."

- Y2J, Codebreaker

---

Demon Saga - Part 6: Lunatic Fringe

"Their energy output… it's… it's unbelievable!" exclaimed Linas as he looked upward at the dueling sources of power. Despite Kakarot's Mystical Meteor having a different geometric shaping when compared to the steady, consistent stream of energy that was the Arcosian's Powder Blizzard, it seemed as if both variations of ki were equal in power and that neither would yield to the other.

"Yes, but I have my doubts that this will last much longer," Cochela proclaimed. "I can't exactly tell how exhausted the invader is, but I can say for certain that Kakarot didn't look anywhere near his full power when he re-emerged from the water. One of them will give out soon enough… we can just only pray that it's the Arcosian that does it first."

Articuno, despite the strain that maintaining his Powder Blizzard put on his body, continued to push the blast forward with all his might. He knew that this would be the deciding blow regardless of whoever faltered in their power output; he himself barely had any energy in reserve and his adversary looked far from at full strength.

"There's no way you can continue to keep this up, Namekian! I can feel your power waning within your attack, just as mine is—there's nothing left for either of us to pour out!" Articuno shouted at his opponent over the deafening noise of the crackling energy. "Just submit and I'll cease my attack!"

"That's where you're wrong!" snarled Kakarot through gritted teeth as he reared his right arm backward, catching his adversary's attention almost immediately. "Don't you remember what I said? No matter what… I won't lose when everything is at stake!" A black and white surge of energy began to coalesce within his open palm, catching Articuno by surprise. "Whereas your goal is to get me to join your cause… mine is to defend Namek from any threat that may befall it! Even if my life is the price to pay for it!

"Celestial… Spire!"

The contrastingly-colored energy wave shot forth from Kakarot's right hand, crashing against his Mystical Meteor and pushing it forward with a new wave of momentum toward Articuno, who was immediately overwhelmed by the combined blasts' sheer force. There was nothing he could do; there was no possible way to evade the attack nor could he muster up the strength to move. His exasperated form couldn't budge even if he willed up everything left in his body... which made it all the more suspicious that his adversary had enough power to form a second blast considering that he was the weaker of the duo.

'The only way he could've done such a thing is for him to...

'...I understand it now. Your resolve is truly stronger than mine, Namekian.

'We both have the goal to see Frieza perish... but I wasn't willing to put my life on the line for anything else. You, on the other hand, have more of a desire to protect your world than I'd originally thought. To be willing to put every last morsel of energy into your attack without hesitation... that is truly the mark of a dedicated man.'

And with that, Kakarot's blast swallowed Articuno's slim form whole, engulfing him in a multicolored explosion that sent tremors throughout the nearby area and a high-pitched whine to fill the normally-tranquil atmosphere of Namek.

---

Kakarot lowered his arms slowly, gasping and panting for air all the while as he stared into the pillar of smoke that he'd manifested. "Hah… hah… I… I did it…" The world around him was spinning and he could feel his body shrieking out in pain, but that was trivial in comparison to knowing that his homeworld had successfully been defended. Such euphoria was a new experience for him; he wasn't sure how to react to it. Happiness was something he treasured and sorrow was something he despised… but this particular form of elation was just something he couldn't figure out how to properly respond to.

Conversely, it seemed as if Linas and Cochela knew exactly how to respond to these emotions. Their cheers, despite being uncharacteristic for their normally composed selves, sounded truly genuine as they called up to him. He couldn't help but look down and give them a victorious grin as a result of their infectious happiness, the trio of warriors knowing that the threat of Articuno was now over. It was only when he descended down to the ground and met his brothers with an embrace that the Namekian-raised Saiyan knew he had truly risen to the occasion and saved his homeworld...

...and then, suddenly, their celebration was abruptly halted by a baritone voice's cry.

"What the hell were you thinking, Kakarot?!"

All eyes immediately darted over to the battered form of Nail as he just barely managed to stand fully erect, the only sound on the battleground Kakarot's heaving and wheezing. Though the ivory welts and bruises peppering his body clearly indicated his fatigue, the Namekian -wasted no time in crossing the distance toward his brothers with nothing short of a furious scowl.

"You… you could've ended your own life if you'd put any more of your energy into that attack! In fact, you've probably taken a few years off your life force by acting so callous!" Came the harsh barking of Nail as he continued to limp toward his student and his friends. "Don't you realize that it'll take weeks of recovery before `you can summon even the slightest bit of your power?"

"B-But, N-Nail…" spluttered the exasperated fighter as he tried to find enough air to speak. "Y-You saw it your-yourself… I ha-had no choice but to—"

"No, Kakarot, it wasn't your only option. There were others that you could've considered, but you went ahead and picked the foolhardy one that could've cost you your life. Our greatest warrior, our prodigy, almost went and sacrificed himself for literally no other reason."

A faint growl leaked its way out of Kakarot's lips as he walked to stand face-to-face with his mentor, each of them staring into the other's onyx eyes with their own respective convictions. Despite the fact that his mentor was taller than he was, the Saiyan showed absolutely no traces of backing down.

"W-Would you rather have me risked everyone's lives further by prolonging the battle? Bo-both you and I know that I didn't have e-enough strength remaining to keep up for much longer; any attempts to do something like that would've been simply lu-ludicrous!" Kakarot hissed in between his ragged pants of exhaustion.

'Of course you didn't; that much was obvious,' Nail thought to himself as he continued to stare down his student, a frown sneaking across his features. 'But you're failing to see my point here, Kakarot: you were honorable. You wanted to give that invader a fair one-on-one fight and potentially risked working alongside him! Would you do this with Frieza, Kakarot? If he came here and simply slaughtered everyone besides you, laughing while he did so, before telling you that he'd spare your planet... would you promise to give him a fair one-on-one battle?!'

"Hey, there's no need to have a meaningless fight now! The threat of the Arcosian is over and done with!" Cochela smiled innocently. "Worst comes to worst, at least he's out of the picture for good, right?"

"It seems that I was the only one keeping my senses attuned to his energy signal after Kakarot's blast," said Nail darkly as he turned toward the seas and looked into the horizon. "Because if you didn't notice, he's still alive out there."

"W-What?!" exclaimed Linas. "T-There's no way that could be the case—you saw the sheer power that Kakarot put into that attack! Maybe at full power the Arcosian could've withstood it, but I refuse to believe that he survived a blast of that intensity in the weakened condition he was in!"

"Then believe it, Linas." Nail's onyx eyes flickered over to his shocked brother. "He's likely broken and battered to a far worse degree than Kakarot is, but he's still among the living."

"Let me gu-guess… do you think that was my doing as well?" snapped Kakarot bitterly. "While I respected the fact that he didn't pl-plan on harming anyone that wasn't directly correlated to his mission, that ce-certainly doesn't mean I would intentionally hold back to p-prevent his death."

"No, but I wouldn't be surprised if your reckless attempt at overpowering him lead to his survival," Nail swiftly retorted. "Your strength and speed eclipse that of any resident of Namek, yet I can't say that you have a good head on you in battle."

"Kakarot! Nail! Cease this at once!"

The quartet of warriors looked into the sky to see Elder Moori descending to the ground, a stern frown plastered across his features. "What bits and pieces I've heard about this argument hasn't made me feel good. It seems that instead of destroying us physically, the invader managed to cause dissension between a student and his mentor."

"E-Elder," Nail's expression immediately softened up upon seeing the displeasure in Moori's eyes. He quickly bowed his head in what could only be seen as shame. "Forgive me for my outburst. You see, the invader has been dealt with by Kakarot after I failed to defeat him under my own power, but his method of doing so was… a major risk, to say the least. He poured some of his life force into that attack just to give it enough energy to overpower the trespasser's blast, and with the energy he's lost… well, it's safe to say he's going to need quite a bit of recovery before he'll be able to make up for that sudden burst in power."

Moori uneasily looked over to Kakarot's trembling and convulsing figure, noting the distress and toll on his body. "Kakarot… I can see just from one look at you that Nail is telling no less than the truth, but I want you personally to justify your actions."

"I did n-nothing wrong, Elder…" the Namek-raised Saiyan claimed, a twinge of pain running through his body and nearly causing his knees to buckle. "I did what I had to do to n-neutralize the enemy. I put everything I had into a blast that ultimately dealt a lasting blow to him. E-Even if he's alive now like Nail says… I can… I can still…"

Moori raised his olive-skinned palm and pointed it toward his adoptive son, shaking his head. "That's enough, Kakarot. I know you've done Namek proud, but I'd rather there be no more blood on your hands for the time being. I suggest you allow Cochela and Linas to accompany you back to your home and allow yourself a nice rest. You truly have earned it."

"N-No," Kakarot immediately refuted. "That won't be necessary. Even if I'm not the one to physically put the Arcosian down, I've earned the right to be there when it happens."

A small tut wormed its way out of Moori's lips at the Saiyan's stubbornness before he glanced at Nail, choosing to ignore Kakarot's implied request. "In any case, I plan to have him taken to the Grand Elder for some further answers regarding his origins. While none of us would be able to accurately deduce his true goals and intentions perfectly, the Grand Elder, as you know, can do just that and much more. I believe that we will gain a greater understanding of the universe around us and its current conditions if we do this."

"Understandable," Nail conceded. "While I hate to admit it, both Kakarot and I were no match for this Arcosian in raw power. We need to get a better feel for what we'll be dealing with at some point in the future, and the best source to obtain this information from is none other than the Arcosian himself. The Grand Elder should be able to find out what we'll need to know in no time at all."

Nodding toward Nail, the elder's gaze soon became fixed on his exasperated charge. "Kakarot, I trust that you will heal well. I'll return to check on you promptly following our debriefing of the situation."

Linas looped one of Kakarot's arms around his neck before giving the Namek-raised Saiyan a small smile. "Relax. The battle is over and the situation from here on is out of our hands. Let's leave it to Nail and Elder Moori to deal with the Arcosian and focus on recovering."

"Yeah, I'll say," Cochela hooked the other arm of his best friend and nodded to Linas, indicating he was ready to take off. "I was only hit once and I felt like the wind was knocked out of me. I could barely imagine what fighting him for an extended duration feels like!"

Nail held up his emerald-green palm. "Wait just a moment, you two. I have something I need to say first to Kakarot." He walked up to his pupil and looked down at his damaged features, noting the slight shifts and shocks pervading through the spiky-haired warrior's body. "Despite your being reckless and practically gambling your life, I don't believe I ever mentioned that I was nothing short of proud of you for your actions. Above all else, it was you who took out this threat, Kakarot, and I hope you remember that going forward."

"T-Thanks, Na-Nail…" he croaked out in response. "I-I did my best to stop him…"

"And you did," reiterated the Namekian with a small smile. "The only reason I felt it was my place to chastise you was due to your recklessness, nothing more. After your recovery, I shall take you on as my student once more; this time around, we're going to practice some new situations for what to do in the heat of battle instead of just basic sparring."

"I'll look forward to it then… Master." Kakarot nodded toward his mentor with a small smile. He could never stay angry at his adopted brother for too long no matter how much his strict chidings could get under his skin. "I trust that you will handle the Arcosian responsibly from here on out."

"Of course," Nail responded as the trio began to ascend into Namek's green skies. "By this time tomorrow, Namek's tranquility will have been restored to its former glory. And that, my student, is nothing short of a promise."

---

As his conscience began to regain its grip on reality and return him to the wakeful world, Articuno felt his world spinning. Despite his surroundings appearing to be a dark chamber without much natural light at all, it was extremely strenuous just for him to focus on the large, rotund green blur that seemed to be perched on some sort of large throne before him.

"U-Urgh… where am I…" he dazily murmured to himself, raising a hand to the white bio-gem on his head and rubbing it gently in an effort to rid himself of the aching pain. "W-Where's that Namekian…?"

"He's resting up as a result of the damage you caused him," came a stern voice from behind him. "Despite the fact that he technically knocked you out, you really did a number on him. Had he not thrown every morsel of energy into his attack, you would've been the victor without question."

"But that's all in the past now," came an equally as firm voice from his side. Articuno shifted his gaze over to see what appeared to be a well-aged Namekian looming over him with a stern mien, grunting in pain at the exertion of energy it took to do so. "You see, invader, Namek is a fairly isolated planet when compared to the remainder of the universe, and so we know relatively little about what we're dealing with here. As a result of this, we need to learn as much as we can about the outside universe around us."

"Hgh… u-understandable," spluttered the Arcosian as he clutched his head in agony, trying to block out a new wave of pain that jolted through his skull. "I'll tell you everything I c-can about the busin—"

"That will be unnecessary, young one," came a booming voice that resounded throughout the small, isolated chamber and immediately caught the fatigued warrior's eyes. Now that his vision had had a chance to adjust itself to his new surroundings, he could quite clearly make out that the elephantine and gargantuan figure before his eyes was the one speaking. "I, the Grand Elder of Namek, have the capability to read any mortal's mind that I make physical contact with, which allows for me to learn the absolute truth behind your aspirations and why you traveled here. I feel that this will be a more efficient use of our time here and will allow us to discuss matters going forward that much easier. If you would not mind, Elder Moori and Nail will be assisting you in moving toward me—I unfortunately lack the ability to roam as freely as I once did, and I fear exerting any energy on my end would be nothing short of problematic."

Articuno immediately felt two arms loop around his underarms and ease him into a standing position as gently as possible, eliciting a small hiss of pain from his lips as his body responded negatively to the movement. Nail and Moori would then proceed to take slow, methodical steps so as to minimize his discomfort, but though he tried to contain his anguish within his throat, he couldn't stop a handful of small pained grunts that managed to escape his lips.

Once the triptych came to a full halt next to the Grand Elder's throne, Articuno raised his head and looked boldly at his aged, weary expression with nothing to hide. Even as the other two Namekians backed away, he himself remained firm in his resolve despite his weakened form, standing at his full height with a determined expression. "D-Do what you will, Grand Elder. If your abilities are as true as you claim them to be… you shall understand my strife."

"Thank you for your compliance, young one. Let us begin…" And with that, he placed his broad hand on the Arcosian's skull and closed his eyes, beginning his journey to dig deep through his memories. Within a moment, his conscience had submerged with the Arcosian's, opening him up to a slew of memories hidden within the confines of the rebel's mind.

---

Amidst a chorus of battle cries and a volley of energy blasts from below, two slim figures could be seen weaving and wading through the fuschia skies of Planet Ceid, one slightly ahead of its counterpart as they attempted to dodge the consistent barrage of magma-red waves of light from below.

"Damn it, Articuno, give it a rest! He's dead weight at this point; carrying him will only end up killing the both of you!"

"I'm not going to allow another of my brothers to fall! To you they may be fodder, but to me they're everything I have!" He spiraled out of the way of a blast that grazed his shoulder, just barely causing a burn to ripple through his upper body. Despite this, however, he refused to let go of his wounded ally. "One after another, they all ended up perishing… isn't it our duty as soldiers to prevent such tragedies, Glaze?!"

"Our jobs are to finish this damn mission and report back to the Planet Trade, you fool!" Glaze snapped back as he looked over his shoulder. "Nothing else matters aside from that!"

"How can you be so absurd?!" cried out his partner as he ignited his aura, pushing forward with all his might in an attempt to avoid death's clutches. "Does your existence mean so little to you that you're willing to sacrifice everything you stand for just for one menial mission that Frieza wouldn't bat an eye to?!"

"Would you rather be slaughtered or live a life of oppression?! I don't know about you, but I'd rather stick my neck out there and hope for the best than refuse and die like a grunt!"

"Aren't we just that?! What purpose do we serve if we're living our lives just to carry out another's bidding?! This isn't even for the greater good of these people; this was just an attack on their home so Frieza can make a damn profit off of it! Aize, Celsis… everyone else that came along and fought alongside us... were their lives worth the money that this planet was worth?!"

"Don't question my way of thinking when we're in the same boat!" Glaze replied, scowling back at his partner. "I've had enough of this meaningless crap! I'm going to my pod at top speed and will be leaving in five minutes, with or without you! If you have any damn sense of priority, you'll throw his carcass to the wolves and get the hell out of here with your own pod immediately!"

"...The same boat?" Articuno thought aloud to himself as he continued to dodge and weave his way through the attacks, watching as Glaze sped off rapidly toward the sextet of spacepods that they'd landed on Planet Ceid not even hours prior. "...Well… no longer. There's been enough blood on my hands to last me several lifetimes. One way or another… he'll pay for everyone he's killed, both directly and indirectly as a result of soldiers like myself. Then and only then will we be allowed to disembark from this sinking ship known as life! There's something beyond it… beyond this life of plunder and plight… and I'm going to find it and make it a reality!"

---

"You do know you're not being restrained here, right? It's not your obligation to treat my wounds, especially after I had to neutralize some of your kinsfolk. Because of that, you're likely never going to be accepted on your homeworld again."

"Whether you know it or not, you saved my life today, and that in itself is deserving of my respect and admiration. Please let me fix up your injuries, sir. If it weren't for you saving me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt to begin with."

"One innocent life being allowed to continue is far more important to the universe than a fighter's wounds, which will inevitably heal. Death is something that cannot be reversed, making it that much more frightening. As such, my pain is something I'd endure a thousand times over if it meant keeping another thousand people alive."

---

Severing the connection between himself and the exasperated Arcosian, Guru withdrew his hand from Articuno's head and exhaled loudly. "While you have clearly slaughtered many in your day, I can also sense something within you—something deeper than just blind anger against Frieza. You seem to truly want to avenge every soul out there that has had to perish due to his tyranny, and not just because of your being employed as a soldier."

Though the Arcosian was stunned that the rotund figure had seemingly managed to pry into his memories, he was rather quick in his response. "Y-Yes, Grand Elder. Frieza's slandering of my race's name makes me sick to my stomach. I won't be able to lead a life of peace until I know that his influence on the universe is no more."

"Your memories and words would imply you are a kind soul," boomed the Grand Elder, "and I would be inclined to believe so as well. Though I am sure that my children would be hesitant to ally themselves with you, I can say that it would be beneficial for both parties if you were to do so."

"A-Are you serious?!" Articuno's eyes widened, his jaw agape with shock. "Even after I nearly killed your two most powerful fighters, you'd still be willing to trust me as one of your own, Grand Elder?"

"Count me as a doubter as well, Grand Elder," Moori swiftly said, interjecting himself into the conversation. "I know and understand that your foresight is second to none, but you do realize that he became hostile almost immediately after arriving on our planet?!"

"If I'm not mistaken, Elder Moori, both Kakarot and Nail weren't willing to listen any further after hearing the initial points of Articuno's story. Based on his memories and having compared his encounters with both of the two warriors, I'd go as far as to say Kakarot and Nail reacted in the same manner. This whole conflict was a misunderstanding in my eyes, and had the three of them been more rational in their approaches to the situation, things would have been worked out relatively peacefully."

"The Grand Elder's word is enough for now," interrupted Nail, his eyes locked onto Articuno's garnet ones. "But don't think that I won't be keeping my guard up around you for a while, Articuno. We got off on the wrong foot and I'm more than willing to give you a chance to walk alongside us, but it's going to take time for me to accept this. I hope that's alright with you."

"I'm willing to offer the same deal as Nail," supplemented Moori. "Though it took me a moment to realize this, if I could vouch for raising Kakarot, then there's no reason why I shouldn't have faith in you if even the Grand Elder himself is willing to vouch for you."

"Seeing as how part of the blame rests upon my shoulders, it's perfectly understandable that the both of you feel that way. Personally, I'm just glad you're willing to give me another chance after our quarrel beforehand." As he turned around to face them both, the Namekians could clearly identify the smile that had broken out on the rebel's face. "So I suppose that, considering now that we're allies, I should show you to my ship and introduce you to Suzaku and the others that have aided me in my travels."

"Su...Suzaku?" Nail sounded out the word as if it was foreign to him, his suspicion immediately bolstered. "I thought you made your trip here alone in one of those attack balls that Kakarot had used on his way here, Articuno," he hastily added afterward, trying to prompt a response from the Arcosian.

"Due to him faking his death and subsequently stealing a spaceship for himself to escape from his demise, Articuno managed to acquire a much more luxurious spacecraft than that of Kakarot's," responded Guru. "In addition, the others that he just mentioned are far from harmful—if anything, the fact that they are also on this planet was what solidified my belief in Articuno's being good-hearted."

"The Grand Elder is right on that one," confirmed Articuno swiftly. "Making a break for the spaceship I'd been provided with in the Planet Trade would've been extremely risky due to the fact that I could be tracked and observed from my base of operations, and obviously I wouldn't want them being able to observe my whereabouts. Luckily for me, there are bigger problems for the Frutian people than one missing ship—they won't be hunting anyone down anytime soon."

"Sorry to keep throwing these questions at you, but these others that you and the Grand Elder keep alluding to… Suzaku, for one... who exactly are they?" Moori questioned. 'They surely aren't fighters; if they were, they would've likely fought alongside him… so what purpose do they serve to him?'

Articuno closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath of air, the sudden change in the Arcosian's body language rather alarming to both Moori and Nail. "Well, you see…" He paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to best phrase what he had to say. "...No.

"What they are to me shouldn't be explained. Rather, I'll show you." Articuno declared, beginning a slow walk toward the exit of the Grand Elder's alabaster abode. Just before reaching the exit, he threw a glance over his shoulder. "While I realize that this may be an inconvenience for both the Grand Elder and Elder Moori, I can say that meeting them will not only help you find an answer to your question, but also help you understand the universe as it is today."

Moori confidently nodded toward the Arcosian before throwing a side glance over to Nail. "Don't concern yourself with me. I have faith in you, Nail, and I trust that you will be able to view things without any bias and report back to us alongside Articuno."

"I-If you're certain about this, then I'll go alone," Nail replied, unable to hide the shock within his voice. "We'll return fairly soon so we can decide how best to break the news about Articuno to our fellow Namekians." And with that, both the Namekian and Arcosian dashed off into the emerald green skies, becoming small specks of light within a matter of moments.

The subsequent silence was not one to last for very long, however, as Guru would soon speak up. "Elder Moori, I must admit that I am rather surprised by your declining to go alongside Nail and Articuno," the Grand Elder articulated. "After your initial reluctance to accept Articuno as a benevolent person, I was certain you would want to see things for your own eyes."

Moori nodded to himself, watching as the two dots of light faded out of sight. "Yes, I obviously did. But at the same time, Grand Elder, your lessons have taught me something. We have to prepare for the future—for when we are gone from this world. Though we've put a lot of time and energy into raising Kakarot into the good-hearted soul he is today, I strongly believe that Nail will serve just as well as he can. Though both of them will need guidance from time to time – as they did here, for instance – they are the future of our people and will lead us into a new era. The sooner we can usher in that new era, the better."

---

Boredom wasn't a stranger to the handful of demons that served King Piccolo, but unfortunately, it was not a feeling so easily satiated. Their source of entertainment, of course, was carnage, murder, and unmitigated destruction, which posed a problem when combined with the monarch's desire to rule over the earth on which they stood. Their leader's meticulous and strategic planning always had an endgame, and while his children knew this as undisputable fact, it did not change their bloodlust and their desire to see human blood splattered over their carcasses. The desire to kill rang through each of their minds like bells through a church, yet despite their positioning in the rearranged hierarchy of Planet Earth, they rarely had a chance to realize these urges—their king would be infuriated if any of his children actively opposed the law that he'd established by slaughtering humans without provocation.

As a direct alternative to mass murder, the resistance always had served as excellent prey for the demons to scope out. While they'd yet to score a kill off the fighters due to their incredible synergy, the thrill of inflicting hellacious torture on their opponents was always a hobby for King Piccolo's spawns. Though they appeared very rarely – once or twice a year at best, and often with different combinations and tactics – it was always a pleasurable way to pass the time for the demonic sons of Piccolo. Breaking a few bones and drawing crimson blood from their bodies whenever they showed their faces was practically a routine practice after a while.

Unfortunately, therein lay the problem—they appeared so rarely that it wasn't unnatural for some of the demons to grow antsy. Sparring with one another served as a decent alternative, but the fact that King Piccolo had put a strict rule amongst them never to injure one another critically never quite allowed them to kick their desire to spill blood.

For some of Piccolo's satanic sons, this was a regrettable but understandable circumstance. To others – or, rather, one in particular – this was a rather difficult concept to grasp.

As would only be natural with a set of organisms, these feral tendencies were more extrusive in a particular demon than the others. The most obvious contrast between this particular demon and two of his brothers was his subtle twitches and foaming at the mouth, not to mention his feral eyes.

While the brothers in question – Accordion and Piano – were respectively too concerned with their father and the overall realization of their goals, enough so to forego any thoughts about wreaking havoc, one only needed to lock eyes with Oboe to confirm that he exuded these qualities more prominently than any other.

The fox-resembling demon, garbed in black trousers and a sash of the same coloration, was currently pacing throughout the halls of his father's kingdom. His black moccasins, complete with white soles, made a faint and dull noise as they repeatedly slapped against the garnet-colored carpet that extended throughout the kingdom. A sharp glare adorned his expression as his onyx eyes repeatedly flickered from side to side in search of a particular brother of his. He knew that Drum and Tambourine were occupying themselves with a battle, judging by the occasional battle cry his ears picked up, which didn't concern him too much. His brothers, sans for the one he was currently seeking out, had a tendency to be terribly predictable—and for that matter, he was no different.

As such, it shouldn't have come to a surprise to Oboe that when he rounded one of the final corners that led to his father's throne room, Accordion stood with his arms crossed, seemingly having anticipated his arrival.

"I'd figured you'd have arisen from your nap right about now," Accordion drawled with his usual monotonic flair. "And if I'm right, which your smirk gives away, I'd also go as far as to guess that you're looking to find a target to punch."

Oboe gave a small grin at the lion-resembling demon, looking him up and down . "You know me so well, brother. But I don't think you've changed all too much yourself. Look at you, in that foolish little suit that looks exactly like father's. It's pathetic how much you kiss up to him—you have no inkling of what life is like other than this castle."

"I don't need entertainment in my life, and perhaps if you thought that way and recognized your priorities, we wouldn't be at each other's throats all the time." Accordion looked over his shoulder at the door that led to their father's chamber, where he was currently gulping down his daily intake of water that Piano supplied him. Just as soon as his sensitive ears detected his father swallowing the last of his beverage, he turned back to face his rambunctious brother. "Your goal in life, much like mine, is to attend to our father and carry out his law to his wishes. Killing is obviously part of the job description, but the amount of satisfaction it brings you means nothing in the long-term."

"Pfft, long-term," Oboe dismissively snorted, "what long-term? None of these humans will ever be able to grow powerful enough to take us down, and you know that. It doesn't matter how many times you try to persuade me with this 'pragmatic thinking,'" he mocked him by using air quotations and suddenly lowering his voice to the deepest octave he could, grinning all the while, "you're just not going to ever 'save me.'"

Accordion, despite being irritated by the exaggerated and foolish mockery of his own words, remained perfectly still and stoic. "Well, that's a shame… but no matter." Suddenly, he stepped to the side, motioning for Oboe to pass through. "I assume you're here to speak to father about something, so go ahead and proceed. I can't stop you without causing a large commotion, and you know how father is about synergy."

"Go ahead and make more excuses about why you wouldn't dare to fight me or any of our brothers," Oboe cockily grinned as he walked past Accordion to the throne room, stopping just before he crossed the last threshold that led to the entrance of King Piccolo's private chambers. "You do know that it isn't going to help you 'long-term'," he again mimicked his brother to the best of his ability, "when I eventually get tired of your preaching and get father's permission to take you out."

Accordion had no response as Oboe entered the throne room, instead deciding to give a small shake of his head that went unnoticed as he began his own walk through the royal halls of the castle that formerly belonged to King Furry.

---

King Piccolo's throne room wasn't particularly extravagant, but for a pair of eyes that had never seen his chambers, they'd be quite astonished at his renovations.

While the throne itself was directly imported from his ship, practically everything else had been designed by the humans that had been oh-so-fortunate to be employed by him. On the ceiling, directly in the center, lay kanji of the words "the Mafuba is no more," and on the floor just directly below that engraving – where he would have his demonic sons bow to him – he'd had "long live the demon king" written in kanji as well.

That particular spot was exactly where Oboe knelt in the presence of his youthful father, bringing a smile to the latter's face. "Oboe. It's rare to see you actually visit my throne without being called."

"Well, unlike Piano and Accordion, I actually tend to enjoy my existence," snapped back Oboe, smirking when he noticed the pterodactyl-looking demon's face grow beet-red with anger. "But anyway, that's not my point."

"Why would it be, my son? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that your visits are always accompanied with some sort of request," said the monarch with a small grin. He then proceeded to cross his arms and lean back in his throne before speaking once more. "Now, tell me, what is it that you want this time?"

A small laugh snuck its way out of Oboe's mouth, and by no means did he try to stop it. Unlike what he considered his brothers to be, he knew he wasn't intimidated by his father despite his power. "Don't you already know? I want what I've wanted for my entire life—I want the opportunity to go out on my own and relish in the cries of helpless civilians."

Enthused by the boldness of his child, King Piccolo leaned forward. "Well, I'm sure you know that your potential excursion would have to be off-the-books. If you were to go ahead and lure away a few civilians without families, I suppose I could turn a blind eye and my reputation wouldn't be harmed. However…" Suddenly, his eyes narrowed at the predatorial demon and, while not causing a full-blown reaction, managed for his child to subconsciously flinch slightly, "if you dare to make a public scene and then go overboard with your plunder, I will make you feel pain unlike anything you've ever experienced."

Always one to maintain his image, Oboe confidently nodded and grinned sadistically. "Understood, father. No problems from me here, although I can't say the same for the people that are so unfortunate to help King Piccolo out with 'a few errands'," he air-quoted again, laughing to himself maniacally as he swiftly turned and made his way out the door.

"My king… why do you bother putting up with his childish behavior?" asked Piano as he set down a jug of water on what was formerly King Furry's royal table. "Won't he just eventually be our downfall?"

"Quite the opposite, Piano," swiftly replied the monarch without a second of hesitation. "I'd go as far as to say that his bloodlust and desire to conquer rivals even mine, and while his brainpower isn't quite up to par, he'll be a fine authoritative figure for years to come."

Piano's eyes practically bugged out, but thankfully his back was still turned to his master. Once he was certain his face no longer contained such emotion, he whirled around and immediately made his way back to his master's side. "I'd hope so, my king. I always trust your judgement in situations like these, but I can't say the same for Oboe."

Discreetly sneaking a glance over at Piano, King Piccolo knew just what was on his loyal servant's mind. "Much like humans, you children are not all the same. There are those who loyally serve and then there are those who loyally fight… unfortunately, not for the right cause. Oboe may not have the intelligence that you possess or the dedication that Accordion holds, but he serves our purpose just as well as any other of you."

"Then why allow him to go ahead and round up a few humans for his own sadistic pleasure, my king?"

"Like I previously said, you children are not all the same. While Oboe knows he can't defy my orders without retaliation, I'd rather him not slaughter the few servants that have actually proved competent over the years." He was, of course, referring to those who had managed to provide him some slight information on the rebels, and true to his word, he had allowed them to reside within his castle to handle the laborious work that he felt his children were above. "Direct defiance on his part would be foolish, and he certainly knows it. While he himself is an excellent son, he lives each and every day just like these disgusting humans do…

"He lives…

"in fear."

---

On the edge of the Lookout, Mr. Popo could see the Guardian peering down on the Earth's populace yet again. It was something he routinely did despite his sullenness regarding their current predicament, and he knew better than to disturb him during these sessions. Far too much of a toll was taken on Kami after Piccolo had begun his reign over Earth, which was regrettably understandable; he couldn't imagine the sensation that one's evil half had conquered the world and couldn't be stopped. But despite all that, Mr. Popo couldn't help but think there was something further the green-colored being was contemplating during these watchings. The Guardian's facade would likely be able to deceive anyone else, but having known him as long as he has, Mr. Popo would not be fooled.

But he wouldn't voice that, of course. If there was one thing Mr. Popo had for Kami, it was most certainly his full respect and admiration. Such emotions restrained him from initiating frequent conversation about Earth's current situation; if such a day came where Kami felt inclined to speak about such a matter once more, he would allow him to make the first step.

And that day, unknowingly to Mr. Popo, was today.

"Eight years have passed, Mr. Popo." Though Kami's back was turned to him, it didn't take a visual of the Guardian's face for Popo to feel his anger. "Eight dark, dreary, and depressing years. Earth's fighters are putting up their best front, but it's obvious that Piccolo is just biding his time and playing cat-and-mouse with them." In nearly every motion he made, whether it be the stiff clutch of his wooden staff or the slight tremble of his figure that passed through every few seconds, his emotions were apparent.

Flabbergasted by finally hearing Kami speak up regarding Earth's dilemma for what had been the first time in months, the dark-skinned genie had no inkling of how to respond. "It must hurt to have to let them suffer through this."

Unlike their previous conversations regarding this delicate subject, Kami's voice never wavered once in his reply. "More than you can imagine. A part of me almost wonders why I haven't intervened in matters myself. Is being tasked with looking over these people really a reward, Mr. Popo, or is it a curse? There's no point in watching the people of the Earth suffer with no definitive endpoint in mind."

"Humanity sometimes has to go through these challenges on their own, Kami. You know that, and you've even told me so in some other situations where I felt the same way." Popo bowed his head despite the Guardian's stare not being directed toward him. "It isn't a very beautiful sight at all, but they've always come out of these situations stronger than ever before."

The characteristic loud sigh that Kami would always exhale during these conversations finally reared its head, and while it was never welcomed, Mr. Popo knew that there was little else the Guardian could do to vent his frustration. "The records of Earth's history support that argument, and I won't deny that. But it was a miracle that allowed for Piccolo to be subdued during his first attempt to overtake Earth, and I don't think that humanity has the means for that to occur for a second time."

"I agree with that. But you're forgetting that the fact that Earth's fighters are steadily improving with each passing day, and they're certainly closer to defeating Piccolo now than they were over half a decade ago."

Kami finally turned around, revealing the crestfallen frown that had taken his features hostage for the past few minutes. "But that's just it, Mr. Popo. It's Piccolo—the undisputable biggest threat that the Earthlings have ever had to face. Can he really be classified as another challenge that Earth must overcome?"

It pained Mr. Popo to no end that Kami, a usually optimistic and idealistic Guardian of Earth, had such a downtrodden and pessimistic standpoint regarding this dark age in Earth's history. But unlike the majority of their discussions, Mr. Popo had a winning argument that Kami had seemingly forgotten about.

"Do you remember those touching words spoken by that young boy a few months after Piccolo's coronation? About how hope still remains for them after everything that's happened?"

"There's always hope, and I won't deny that." Kami turned back to face the Earth, his eyes darkened. He cast his stare down at the world below him, almost as if he were sending a prayer down to them. 'It's just that nobody knows when that hope will be extinguished.'

---

It was nearly impossible to see the sight of the entire rebellion up and active all at once. They'd generally stuck to their delegated roles and hours of activity, but in such a crucial time, and especially after what the majority of them had just sensed, the small island that hosted Kame House was full of obstreperous chatter.

"I knew this was a mistake, damn it!" Yamcha practically roared out. "One of those green bastards is on the move!"

"Yeah, but Yamcha, we still can't sense Chi-Chi or Bulma's energy… that's gotta be a good sign, right?" asked Krillin, trying to find some way to help his friend relax. He knew more than anyone that Yamcha couldn't stand the idea of losing Bulma to those monsters, but he also sadly understood that there were times that sacrifices like these were necessary in these dark times.

"There's also the fact that we have no idea where he's gonna go," piped up Shu, Mai nodding alongside him. "I mean… this is just one of them. He's not even with anyone."

"We'd also have to think that Piccolo would announce any sort of attack, right?" Chiaotzu prompted. "In the past, there hasn't been any time that he hasn't made everything known to the public."

"Well, Chiaotzu, Piccolo's a sick and twisted being. He may find the idea of announcing his destruction to his subjects amusing, but first and foremost, he's a demon. He could have some hidden agenda, but throwing out one of his spawns when there's no possible way of tracking us just seems like bait. It's not something I'd want to chance," inputted Tien.

Yajirobe crossed his arms, scowling. "So then what are we gonna do about Chi-Chi and Bulma? They're not gonna be coming back anytime soon if they're sensing the same stuff we are, and last I checked, they know how to feel energy just as good as the rest of us."

"Whatever doesn't get us killed!" exclaimed Oolong, piping up for the first time in a while as he took center stage within this small huddle. "I mean, I love those two girls, I really do, but what's the point in sticking out our own necks if it means we're gonna get ours chopped off too?!"

Krillin looked over at Pilaf, an idea slowly formulating in his mind. "Hey, Pilaf! I've got a question—do you think you can sort of disable the signal on their energy suppressors just for a minute? If we did that, we could try and feel out for their life forces before putting it back on so they could avoid being detected by Piccolo and the others!"

All eyes turned to Pilaf as he thought it over. "I suppose it could technically be done… but it's risky. For one, you've told me that in your battles, you made sure to keep your ki down or you kept on those devices once you tried to make your escape."

"Yup," the blue-haired Launch nodded. "It wouldn't make sense for us to risk being caught by leaving our powers exposed, right?"

"That part alone makes a lot of sense," responded Pilaf with a grim expression. "But the problem is that we've never really actually confirmed whether or not they could sense energy…"

Tien scowled, attracting the attention of the rest of the group almost immediately. "I get it now. What Pilaf's hinting at is that we'd be running a massive risk by disabling the suppressors, because not only would we be able to sense them…"

"...but they might be able to sense them too!" Puar finished with a frightened expression. "That's terrible! We'd be putting them in even more danger if we try this out!"

"Exactly," Pilaf said with a deflated expression. "And we've already gone over how dashing over there might not be the best idea if Piccolo has something up his sleeve…"

"Well, it's great that you've all thought this through, but we don't have the most important answer: what should we really do now?"

Everyone looked down to see Turtle looking up at them, hoping with all his might that the group could come to a logical decision quickly. Time was of the essence, and he didn't want to risk losing two of his closest friends due to everyone merely drawing a blank on how to handle this next step.

"I say we wait," pitched Tien. "This entire situation is a double-edged sword, and I'd rather not run this risk. Unfortunately, we all accepted that this could happen to any of us at any given point, and now Chi-Chi and Bulma are the ones who have to do it."

Yamcha, clearly miffed with Tien's word choice, shot a glance over to him. "We shouldn't count them out just yet. Bulma's still got her ace up her sleeve if she runs into trouble, and Chi-Chi's proven she can take care of herself in the past."

"I never said I was writing them off," Tien swiftly retorted, looking over to the long-haired Turtle student with a firm expression, "it's just that everyone knew the dangers of missions like these, and now we have to act based on their movements. We're not the ones with the power here—everything we've done for the past eight years has been based off of Piccolo's rule.

"So now, we wait."

---

Oboe soared through the skies at rapid speeds, his translucent aura leaving a trail behind him as he actively scoped out anyone who'd been bold enough to try and relocate. It wasn't often that the humans actually worked up the gall to attempt such a thing, which gave him an odd feeling that he wouldn't be finding much to do in the way of prey.

He looked upwards to find that the sun was still shining brightly, eliciting a faint smirk to spread his lips. 'Excellent. Even if I were to suddenly land in a city at this hour, they'd just expect that I'm checking up on them… or whatever the hell Accordion does to try and kiss up to father.'

Almost immediately, he turned his attention back to the earth below, his eyes darting from side to side as he tried to scope out any hint of civilization. He was currently just a few feet over a forest, zipping over a motley of trees as they billowed in the wind that his flight produced. 'Now that I've finally got free reign to do what I please with a few humans, I'm going to make the most of this. It's been far, far too long since those fighters tried to make some foolish stand—and even longer since I've gotten to fight them.' Subconsciously, he licked his lips as he thought about the possibility of feeling a real punch connect with his cheek and actually feeling it sting. That was a feat that, sans those pesky rats who made up that pitiful rebellion, only his brothers had managed to pull off, and even then it wasn't as if his father had allowed him to spar often with them. Unfortunately, his father knew him almost as well as he knew himself, which resulted in him being forced into the occasional nap so that he couldn't become too hyper-aggressive… or so Accordion had told him.

'That little brownnoser isn't going to spoil my fun today, though… best to keep him out of mind as much as I can,' internally mused Oboe as he flew forward. 'I swear, none of my brothers really appreciate the fine art of murder… maybe my father does, with his history and all, but even now he's too happy to just kick back on his throne and let humanity do the work for him. Where's the fun in that? I swear, if I were the one in power, this mudball's population would b—'

He was swiftly yanked out of his thoughts by the sudden realization that, despite the fact that he'd been flying for what had been at least two minutes or so, all he could see was the greenland below him; it was almost as if he'd made absolutely no progress whatsoever.

Immediately slamming on the air brakes, Oboe skidded to an abrupt halt and crossed his arms, contemplating what to do from here. 'I hadn't expected there to be such a large forest here… but I guess I've never really been one to actively read up on those foolish maps that Piano has drawn up yearly. It doesn't matter in the end, though… I'll eventually come across somewhere that'll prove to have some quality slaughtering.'

It was in the middle of this pondering when his highly-attuned ears picked up something… quite unnatural. It was the sound of something that he'd only heard about but never heard himself; it was the sound of something that was thought to be long past its demise in this barren world…

...it was the sound of laughter.

Oboe sneered as he followed the sound, turning his body to the right and then summoning his demonic aura as he prepared to blast off in that direction. "Well… this should prove interesting…" he murmured to himself before taking off with a sadistic chorus of laughter, the tantalizing prospect of murder all but beckoning him forward.

---

Oftentimes, the process of acquiring substance for Earth's heroes was relatively methodical. Though there was always the danger of being detected in the skies by the demonic faction that ruled the Earth and a fight breaking out, the routine had remained fairly elementary in spite of that. The key rule that had been established among the rebellion, however, was to never stick around long after their raidings were complete.

But these fighters – Chi-Chi, in particular – had never been faced with a city that was primarily benevolent and one that still retained the seemingly lost ethos of the human race. Despite the new rules that had been forced upon them in these oppressive times, the people of North City seemed to have retained their genuinity and hearts. Though they'd surely been plagued by a handful of malevolent misfits in the past – such as the robber that Chi-Chi had quickly subdued after her arrival in North City – the ratio of good-hearted civilians to wickedly evil denizens was incredibly skewed toward the former in this particular city.

In such an instance, in an attempt to cling to her lost humanity, Chi-Chi had prolonged her trip back to her base of operations in order to bond with the remainder of the mankind she'd known in her childhood. It was far from a practical decision – she herself subconsciously knew this to be true – but the cabin fever she'd developed by remaining nearby the isolated archipelago that surrounded Kame Island for oh-so-long was just begging for its antidote.

Unfortunately, medicines and antidotes often have their side-effects…

...and the particular ones that fate had prescribed due to this decision were far from pleasant.

---

Despite the fact that she was seated on a pedestrian couch in a relatively run-down household, Chi-Chi's attention was more focused on an elderly grandmother as she recounted the difficult struggle that was the adjustment to Piccolo's reign.

"...You're telling me that everyone in your town immediately just threw themselves into the new 'law' that Piccolo created directly after his announcement?" Chi-Chi inquired, a look of disgust plastered across her face. "I know that there are some really crooked people out in the world, but to think that everyone's opinions would be so easily swayed just sickens me."

The elderly woman let out a long and exasperated sigh, her voice wavering with a combination of both physical age and mental exhaustion. "Unfortunately, young lady, that's exactly what happened. Everyone went into a panic because they didn't know just what to expect out of their new king, and their hearts immediately became dark voids of which prompted them to commit thievery and murder for their own self-gain. Personally, though, I know it could be worse—there are some that likely suffered a worse transition into this new age than we did, and knowing that is what kept me going when my family and I began our journey up north."

"Well, thankfully, you made it up here alive and well—there's always that." For the first time since she'd heard the elderly woman's journey of strife and agony, Chi-Chi managed to find a positive within her tale and promptly smiled. "And from the looks of things, your granddaughter is a healthy young girl," she motioned over to the corner of the room where a young brunette lay asleep peacefully on an aging and worn-out bed, "and to top it all off, the north was exactly what the both of you needed—a warm and accepting neighborhood. All in all, I think you lucked out more than you think."

A downcast look immediately slid across the wrinkled face of the well-aged lady, something which Chi-Chi immediately picked up on. "In the case of my granddaughter and myself, yes, we certainly did. But her parents were not as fortunate as the both of us were."

Though she hated to admit it, Chi-Chi could empathize with such a situation more than she wanted to be able to... and given that she'd recently been made privy to what likely happened to her father, a rough estimate of what might have happened to the remainder of this family became all too clear. "I'm so sorry for your losses… I didn't even think about that when you mentioned your family."

Unknowingly, she'd just piqued the interest of the elderly woman quite a bit. "It's quite all right; it's not as if you were the one to take them out of this world. But I must ask this, however: did you grow up with your parents yourself? Judging by your reaction, it seems like you haven't."

Chi-Chi averted her gaze from the elderly woman, bowing her head ever slightly. "It's… well, it's complicated."

"My time may be finite, but there's not much else we can do in these parts," she replied with a firm, taut mien. "The least I can do is hear out your story after you both dispatched of that rowdy thug and actively listened throughout my tale."

"If that's how you feel, then I'll go right ahead and come out with it," came the swift retort of the Ox-Princess. "Basically, you're both right and wrong—a few months after I was born, my mom passed away from an illness. My dad, though… he may or may not be alive at the moment; to be honest, I'm not exactly sure."

"Oh? Why don't you know if your father is alive, dear?" inquired the gray-haired woman, her eyebrows lifting. "You seem to be someone who values your family and has a good heart, so it surprises me that you don't know for certain."

"Well, see, he sent me away when I was younger after Piccolo took the throne. He told me to meet up with some of his friends so that I'd be safe, which, looking back on it now, was better for me, but… well… I guess I'm concerned because where I lived isn't exactly… poor, I guess is the best word."

"Ah, I think I understand now. Your uncertainty basically stems from the fact that robbers and looters, much like the ones you took care of, likely targeted your home. Is that right?"

Chi-Chi firmly nodded. "Yeah, that's right. A part of me wants to go back and search out the area, but even if he were alive, I doubt he'd be in our home. He's strong enough to look out for himself, but…" Despite the fact that she greatly appreciated the woman's efforts to hear her out, Chi-Chi couldn't find it within her to mention her family lineage. "...Well, you could say I'm more than nervous because of the whole Piccolo situation that's gone down. Nobody can be sure about anything anymore with him in power."

"Of course. Nobody – not even Piccolo himself – knows what will happen. History has shown that evil rulers soon find themselves to grow bored and unsatisfied with what they have… well… I'm sure you can fill in the blanks from there."

"In that case, then we're just going to have to stop him before he can lead himself to that line of thinking." Standing up to her full height and shaking her head – almost as if clearing her mind of any lingering doubts she had – she prepared to will herself onward. "I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me, but I really need to get going. I can't bring the fight to Piccolo alone, and everyone else that I'm working with to take that monster down is counting on me."

"Oh, goodness, please don't tell me that I slowed you down or anything," spoke the grandmother with a crestfallen mien. "I'd hate the fact that I hailed you here to be a burden."

Chi-Chi was quick to respond, sensing the discomfort within the elderly woman. "N-No… not at all, miss. If anything, I needed a talk like this for a long while."

A small smile graced the aged countenance of the grandmother. "Well then, dear, I'm glad I was able to help your resistance out in my own way. Please, do take care when making your way back home."

"Same with you," Chi-Chi grinned and raised two fingers toward the elderly woman, a nod following. "We'll keep fighting our own fights, and I promise that we're both going to end up winning."

She turned to face the door, and just as she clasped the handle and prepared to turn it to allow herself out, a baritone bark roared out that made her heart nearly skip a beat.

"All right, humans, what's going on here?!"

Almost immediately, the Ox-Princess shifted into a new gear, immediately whirling around and dashing toward the fragile elder, moving her off the couch so that she couldn't be seen through the window. In one fluent motion, she set the gray-haired lady down in the corner of the room before zipping back to the door and grasping the handle firmly; her fear caused her not to realize her own strength and she ripped it clean off the door itself.

Taking in a deep breath, Chi-Chi immediately tried to process what one of those filthy gremlins was doing in such a remote town. It was extremely uncharacteristic of one of them to show up without an announcement of some sort; in fact, there had never been a time before this where that had happened. A combination of being so entranced in conversation with the elderly woman and the sheer unlikelihood of this situation ever occurring had persuaded her into dropping her guard for the time being, but it was extremely apparent that that had been a vital mistake.

"It just so happens that your king needs a few 'volunteers' to help around the castle… so who's it gonna be? You can either decide now peacefully or watch as I drag a handful of you off to my father!"

Chi-Chi placed her right hand on her heart, feeling it pulse with anticipation and fear. She knew she was the only one who'd be able to convincingly stand up to this one demon and was this town's only hope if its civilians wanted to make a break for it.

Without hesitation, she dashed through the door, leaving a large hole within it, swerved to the right and leapt over the crowd gathered in the street to strike Oboe with a double-booted strike to the cheek that sent him flying backward until he finally slammed down on the sidewalk.

Chi-Chi looked over her shoulder at the terrified crowd, gritting her teeth as she yelled "C'mon, hurry, get the hell out of here! I won't be able to protect you all if you just stand around!"

That certainly sparked the small group to make a move-on, scattering in practically every direction conceivable and leaving the raven-haired woman alone with the demon.

'That should've hopefully taken care of those people in the street,' Chi-Chi thought to herself, her eyes locked on the staggering demon who was still in the process of standing up. 'Hopefully everyone else has enough common sense to stay indoors, especially after hearing his booming voice talk about abducting them for labor...'

Finally, Oboe stood tall once more, his fox-resembling figure towering over Chi-Chi as he made his way closer to her. As he walked, he cracked his neck on both sides, chuckling lowly to himself as Chi-Chi immediately slid into her fighting stance.

"Hehe… you poor little human; you legitimately think you stand a chance?" Oboe snickered before erupting in a roar of howling laughter. "Not on your life… you're on your own this time, girl. There's nothing you can do to take me down." A devious grin adorned his expression. "But I'm gonna enjoy seeing you try."

"You… you killed them…" Chi-Chi murmured to herself, looking around at the area that once was a peaceful metropolis. With the presence of one demon – not even Piccolo himself – this community that had retained the seemingly forgotten ethos of the human race had been forced back into seclusion. "You really… killed them…"

"Eh?" Oboe raised an eyebrow, crossing his fur-covered arms in interest. "What the hell do you mean, I killed them? They're all alive… for now. I guess one of my brothers must've hit you too hard the last time you showed your face around one of us." A grin broke out on the dark-green demon's face, accompanied by a booming laugh.

"Rgggh…" Chi-Chi snarled, summoning her alabaster aura with a fierce battle cry. "That's not what I'm saying… these people were celebrating what made them humans—what made them different from the heartless people who lie, cheat, and steal their lives! And all you bastards know how to do is to make them fear you, to make them forget who they really are… that's basically killing off the human population even if they're still technically breathing. And… rrgh... if this is going to be how it is for the rest of time, then I'll never stop fighting until every last breath is ripped out of my body!"

What could only be described as a feral and predatory look was plastered across the fox's expression, sending a chill down Chi-Chi's spine. With a sinister sneer, he replied, "Don't worry… I'll be more than happy to grant your request! But be warned, I won't stop until I completely tear you apart!"

"I think you've got it the other way around," retorted Chi-Chi as she prepared herself for what would be the biggest challenge she'd ever faced so far. "I'm not going to stop until I make you feel the power of the true human race!" Her heart pounding and her legs trembling, Chi-Chi took in the sight of her opponent. His tail, swishing around in a hole specially designed for it, was wagging eagerly, as if he were ready for the challenge. His upper body, covered in green fur, heaved upward and downward with every excited pant he took. His eyes – those sick, twisted brown eyes with yellow irises – possessed nothing other than the desire to absolutely tear into her flesh and reduce her to nothing but a corpse.

But not once did she falter in her stance, not even as Oboe lunged straight at her at breakneck speeds and connected with a swift claw to her cheek that sent her spiraling through the air. Upon noticing the gushing blood pouring from her face, Oboe howled ferally before beginning his pursuit anew.

The Ox-Princess only had a moment to react before the fox-resembling warrior had closed the distance between them, quickly firing off a small kiai that managed to snap his head back and then capitalizing on the opening by swiftly planting her footwear into Oboe's stomach. Though it only got him to lurch forward momentarily, it left him prone to an axe handle that sent him spiraling down into the ruin he'd created.

Without giving him a moment to collect himself, Chi-Chi immediately swooped downward and extended her right knee just as Oboe was beginning to stand and promptly slammed it down on the small of his back, forcing his face to have an unadulterated impact with the pavement once more.

However, she hadn't counted on Oboe being able to recover so quickly. He sprung up before the Ox-Princess even had a chance to remove her foot from his back, the sudden motion forcing Chi-Chi to slip off her feet and, fortunately for her, avoid what would've been a potentially battle-ending claw to the eyes.

But the alternative wasn't very pleasant either; Oboe immediately splashed down onto her with his full weight, eliciting nothing short of a painful shriek from Chi-Chi as her bones began to creak from the sudden heavy force applied onto them.

The worst was still yet to come for the raven-haired rebel, however. Raising his clawed hands and balling them into fists so tight that they drew purple blood, Oboe let loose a wild chorus of laughter as he began to let loose a furious barrage of blows upon Chi-Chi's fully exposed face. Almost immediately, he could hear the bones within her nose crack beneath the power of his punches, and it wasn't long before he could see a litany of bruises adorn her once flawless features.

But he wouldn't stop. No, he would never stop such a vicious beatdown if he had a say in the matter. Despite the fact that he planned on showing King Piccolo her carcass in the most deformed fashion conceivable, he had to ensure that his own bloodlust was satiated.

"You failed to understand the price that came with defiance!" cackled Oboe as he continued to rain down his fists upon Chi-Chi's unguarded flesh, reveling in her bloodied and bruised face. "And for that, I'll break you apart!"

After connecting with a swift forearm across the cheek, causing the Ox-Princess's head to jerk to the right, Oboe raised his left hand and balled it into a fist as tightly as he could. A crazed, psychotic grin decorated his green visage as his other hand contradictingly cupped Chi-Chi's chin and adjusted it to meet his deranged gaze.

"And now… prepare to die, you disgusting human!" Oboe cackled, swinging his fist downward and—

—a coated glob of saliva found its way into his left eye a moment later, its contents causing Oboe to recoil and withdraw his fist. "W-Why, yo—"

Before he even had a chance to regain his full eyesight, his adversary had managed to leap up and fire off a hastily-prepared Kamehameha wave that caught him straight in the gut and sent him flying into a pile of rubble; the sudden force of impact immediately buried the fox-resembling demon and kicked up a small cloud of dust.

---

Chi-Chi staggered as she lowered her palms, breathing heavily in an attempt to hastily recover from such a sudden loss of energy. Having been raised to fight and win by any means possible, she wasn't above playing dirty… but the side effects of firing such a blast so quickly, combined with her already severe injuries, had practically put her down for the count.

'But I can't just let my body give out right here...' Mustering up the strength in her left arm, she just barely managed to wipe away the trickling red substance that had coated her face before it suddenly gave out again. Her legs threatened to buckle, but, almost as if the salty taste of her own blood was driving her on, her sheer resolve refusing to allow her to go down this way, she remained firm in her stance. There wasn't much else she could do, but she would not allow herself to falter in this one instance.

As she saw Oboe start to rise once more, a fire was lit within her, and she suddenly found herself kicking off the ground and ascending into the air as if she were on autopilot. Before the sadistic demon had a chance to fully regain his coherence, Chi-Chi rocketed off toward the forest area as fast as her body could go; unfortunately, taking all her injuries into account, that wasn't necessarily saying much…

...hence why Oboe was able to immediately close the distance between both himself and his opponent in the span of four seconds, but unluckily for him, his opponent had accounted for that.

Just as his bloodlusted expression came into view, Chi-Chi kicked up her speed and blitzed him with a punch that buried itself straight in his lower gut. Being caught completely off guard by the attack, Oboe spat out a glob of blood and keeled over ever so slightly.

'Damn...' Chi-Chi thought as she saw Oboe lurch forward, giving her time to ignite her aura and dash higher up into the sky to create a safe distance between her and her enemy. 'I only managed to catch him off-guard there with my speed, but now he'll be watching out for another one of those attacks. I've got to change up my style… and fast!'

Oboe raised himself back to his full height, looking up at his prey with a sly smile. Despite the fact that the cut on her face had now given her left cheek a crimson coating, she still had the guts to face him. It would be admirable if it weren't simply suicidal. "You're incredibly quick, girl, but don't think that kind of speed will save you. Your body is bound to fail you soon enough, and once that happens, I'll follow through on my promise of breaking you apart!"

'I have to avoid becoming too predictable; otherwise, I risk being caught into a strength battle. And while I'm definitely one of the stronger fighters of our group, there's no way that I can beat one of these guys after what I just went through…' Silently, she cursed herself for loitering around this city for so long; if it hadn't been for her desire to connect with the remainder of her race, she wouldn't have been placed into this life-or-death situation.

"You couldn't have been any more misfortunate… you've run into Oboe, the mightiest of King Piccolo's demons! While I may not have the strength of Tambourine or Drum, my hunting abilities are second to none! I'll rip you into shreds and present your remains to our king!" He zipped upward toward the raven haired woman with his arm reared back, a mad cackle roaring out of his lips.

'Running is definitely my only chance at living through this thing... but I have to make sure I can keep him down for a good while. The strength difference between us doesn't make that impossible… it certainly won't be easy, though.' Chi-Chi threw out her arms and charged up a small speck of magma-red energy within her hands until it coalesced into a sphere of the same bright hue. 'I just have to make the best of this shot! If he wants to charge straight at me, thinking he can take one of my most powerful attacks, then it's a mistake on his part.'

She then suddenly realized how fast Oboe was approaching—she barely had any more time to charge her energy before he'd be upon her once more, and she knew it. In that moment, she knew what she had to do.

'Damn it… what's the point of holding back if it means that it won't do enough anyway? I have to do this… regardless of whether or not I'm finished!

"Blazing Flare!" Chi-Chi yelled out, firing off the magma-red sphere and watching as it raced down toward her headstrong opponent at nearly blinding speeds. Almost immediately, she could see him move his hands up to counter it, but his dumbstruck face revealed that he didn't predict it to be so fast; he therefore had no counter to the attack and was forced down to the ground in a matter of moments. Upon his landing, a red flare of light exploded from the ground, covering everything within a ten meter radius in its fiery hue while leaving a crater in its wake.

The Ox-Princess once again broke out into a chorus of pants, her energy all but depleted. She barely had enough ki in her body to keep herself afloat, but that was becoming harder with every passing second. Her arms immediately dropped to her sides, effectively useless from henceforth; sweat rolled down her brow and traveled in rivulets down her cheeks as she realized, once and for all, she was done for.

And she could tell that while Oboe had sustained some injuries from those attacks, he knew that this battle was in the palm of his hand now. She'd had no choice but to put everything she had into the attack; there was simply no other option. However, despite her best efforts, Oboe would still have enough in the tank to finish the fight without question.

"I did warn you…" Oboe grinned as he ascended slowly to meet her at eye level, almost as if his injuries weren't half as severe as they looked. "I am the most durable of my father's demons… and I'm afraid that no matter how many times someone tries to fire off an attack like that, it's just never gonna do the damn deed.

"But I guess this wasn't all bad…" Oboe mused to himself, chuckling at the disgusted and defiant look Chi-Chi was giving him to the very end as he finally reached her altitude. "You did manage to give me a few bruises and burns here and there… that fire attack of yours packed a fair punch… but the game ends here for you." He grasped her by the neck with his left hand, tightening his grip around her throat while drawing back his right claw. "Any last wor—"

He was swiftly cut off by a navy blue boot that sent him crashing right back into the crater from which he came, and Chi-Chi could just barely make out the Capsule Corp logo on a strangely particular suit before her vision faded to black.

---

Welcome, Turbulence fans, to what is the last single-digit chapter in this fanfiction's history. It's another one of those meaty, action-packed ones, with a lot of plot stuff going all over the place. This is not set to change in the future, because - and brace yourselves here - we have finally reached the point of this story that I have fully planned, fully mapped out, and fully prepared to write for. What you're about to see is what made me go through with this fanfic and what's made me stick by it for a little under a year at this point, and I sincerely hope you'll enjoy the ride.

Now, moving forward, I have a lot of things that I need to address, so bear with me if this is a longer A/N than usual, but I feel I've sort of earned this space after pouring out 13,541 words of actual content(and with all due respect to those who don't like that, this is entirely optional for you to read, it doesn't determine the length of the content itself, and it most certainly isn't the majority of the chapter considering that I've written at least 3 15K plus chapters). Sorry if I seem a little bent out of shape about something like this, but it's becoming increasingly annoying to hear things like this when it's simply how I like to do things(and when it's not exactly uncommon to see around here anymore).

First off, this chapter should've been uploaded much sooner, but I had a lot of concerns with my family's house - our boiler broke, there were cracks in the foundation; all that good stuff. That originally cancelled our plans for our first vacation, but then I happened to get the opportunity to visit relatives down in Florida for two weeks in August, and I'm sure you understood why I wanted to take that up. So all in all, there have been a lot of circumstances that have prevented me from working on this chapter, but it feels great to finally get this thing out after so much time working on it.

Before I forget to do so, I'd like to thank Supersaiyaninfinitygohan for helping me look the vast majority of this chapter over. I basically felt like since I was so out of practice after all these events that I needed someone to look it over, and thankfully he happily obliged. I'm just as curious to hear your feedback on the chapter as well as his, so please be sure to help support me by sending a review of any sort.

Shadowblade217, an author who has dabbled in abridged parodies, has graciously taken on the challenge of writing a Turbulence Abridged fanfiction that will hopefully go live on his account in the near future. I haven't spoken with him in a few weeks about the subject due to my own schedule, but I do believe that the project will soon be launched and published for your reading pleasure.

Now, most importantly: for those of you who don't know, I have a blog entitled Rott's Reviews. This blog is used for a bunch of different mediums and content, but I have recently decided to use it as a way to connect with my Turbulence readers. As you can find in both my profile and in an edited author's note of chapter 1(which I strongly do recommend you read), following this blog is essentially a 'premium membership' to my story; you can get sneak peeks there, get more accurate update projections there, get every answer to a Q&A session there(instead of just the handful I select that I feel are the most important to answer), and so on. While this is obviously not mandatory, I would really appreciate if you guys were to do this, as it will not only help me give you guys some more cool content, but also allow for a closer connection between my readers and myself.

And NOW, we can finally move onto the plot of this chapter! While this chapter wasn't necessarily tough to write, it was more making sure everything happened in the way that my plans wanted it to. The plans that I have for the remainder of the Demon Saga were incredibly reliant on this chapter hitting every point I needed it to, and thankfully, it did just that.

First off, we've got Articuno allying himself with the Namekian race. This wasn't exactly too far out there, especially when I began to flesh out his character more, but this definitely opens the door for some exciting possibilities. Now not only does Namek have three exceptionally powerful warriors, it now boasts a spaceship, a crew(which we're going to meet in the next chapter), and a steadily growing resistance against Frieza. What will happen from here, we shall see.

Second off, we have… well, the entire Earth plot, huh? I figured that a lot of different scenes would really help to flesh out the characters in a way that I didn't feel I did too well in the last two chapters, and I have to say that I'm really proud of making my characters very distinguishable - especially the demons; I was fearful they'd all be generic, but I've definitely managed to highlight some differences between each of them save Tambourine and Drum so far.

Anywho, the fight between Chi-Chi and Oboe wasn't supposed to be anything special, and while I did try to make it a vivid fight, I also felt it didn't need to be that grandiose because its purpose, in the end, was fulfilled - I'm sure you all know what - or who, rather - happened at the end by this point, but because the narrative has not directly explained it, I will have to refrain from mentioning it in this author's note. I'm going to talk a lot more about it and why I did it in chapter 10 through the characters, and I hope that satisfies. I won't promise any dates for it, but motivation, as you guys know, can take me a long way.

-LegendaryGoku5: Yay the namek stuff is being wrapped up. Oh no Goku will probably have nothing to do again until another villain shows up. Well that is an exaggeration but honestly it's just boring to see him talk with other guys. This fight actually did a better job at giving him a personality than some of his earlier talks.

as Far as earth goes, things keep moving along and we're not too far away from the other stuff, which is nice.

I can understand how people aren't really fans of the Namek plotline, especially since it really has been more talking at this point, but the way I see it, I'm laying down the groundwork for future events. Earth's storyline was already been set for me before I diverged into the Demon Saga, so that's why it is likely the more well-received of the two at the moment(as Namek has required me to build up everything about it). That being said, however, these chapters have really been all about setting up these foundations, so I have a stronger feeling that you may like what's to come.

-Supersaiyaninfinitygohan: Okay dude, let's just get this out of the way here: Everyone, and I mean every single character in this chapter, spoke too formally. Its an issue I bring up often with your writing but then its often only a few lines or one or two characters, but here each character had at least one moment where it was too formal and this really came out with Doctor Briefs and Goku. Now I understand that both are educated (Goku for this story anyway) but (and I'm sorry for the harshness) they don't sound like real people, they sound like textbooks. The instance where Goku is talking to his friends, it feels like he's at a seminar, not trying to convince people of someone's innocence. The same could be said for Dr. Briefs' speech at the end.

I'm sorry if this is a bit much and abrupt, as I mean this only to get a point across, but I think this chapter needs a real redo in terms of dialogue.

Now that that's out of the way, here are some things I liked about the chapter:

-The flow is very clear and enjoyable.

-Articuno is coming a lot more into his own and is starting to stand out more as a character.

-Making Goku basically a racist and having someone call him out on that takes a lot of courage and I think you handled that well, especially since its nice to get a new view on his character and makes him seem like a more believable person (considering his upbringing).

Well, I think that this chapter featured a significant decrease in formality(for me, it took watching some of the original DBZ again to break my habits; dunno why, I'm just glad that it's over with), but obviously there are going to be characters who speak with such an inflection(Accordion, Kakarot, etc.), so I may make mistakes here and there. I'm only human, after all.

As for your praise, I'm glad to hear you liked the flow/syntax of the chapter(that generally seems to be a knack of mine if nothing else), it's great to hear that you were one of those people who started to see more of Articuno's character, and lastly… the big one.

Yup. Kakarot's essentially a racist dude, and here's why:

- All he's ever heard about other races are negative things, about how Saiyans were ruthless savages and how Arcosians(more specifically Frieza, but he can't wrap his mind around that quite yet) are responsible for the extinction of many races. Conversely, he's had such a positive upbringing with the Namekians and has never had to defend his homeworld until he was above the age of 18 in human/Saiyan years, so he would naturally assume that his adoptive race is superior to that of a Saiyan or an Arcosian, whose upbringing was(in his mind) malevolent.

- He's never had the chance to be proven wrong about his theories as a child because he's never had any interactions with anyone other than Namekians during his childhood. It becomes a lot harder to tamper with an adult's belief system because they think they know best now, and this is something Kakarot does do to an extent despite wanting the best for all the pure-hearted souls out there.

- Everyone around him has been conditioned to think that Saiyans and Arcosians aren't even remotely good people at all. If that's how he was raised, chances are that's what he's gonna think for a while to come. While most Namekians would perhaps be willing to change their mind if they had the chance to meet a peaceful one, Kakarot is different in that he doesn't have the full wisdom of a Namekian quite yet… and well, that was me trying not to make him Mr. Perfect. I love Goku, and I love stories like these that can mold him into different characters, but I don't want to just make Kakarot a Saiyanamekian with every positive trait from both races. I want him to be an interesting character with his own flaws that we can explore throughout the story, and I hope I've accomplished that here.

-Elbadj: I think this was a pretty good and solid holding chapter. Unfortunately there wasn't as much new development as I would have liked. It's very much a kind of 'calm before the storm' sequence. I think it might have worked better had you finished off the Articuno/Kakarott battle - that would have brought the chapter to a good concluding piece, whilst allowing freerer reign for the conclusion of the Demon Saga (having said that, I am, of course, one to talk seeing as I broke a chapter in two and then didn't get round to finishing the second part!) The exception was the Bulma story line, which seems to be going in an interesting way and also provides her with some good character development alongside her Dad.

I'm curious to see how this is going to play out. Are the Z-Fighters going to launch a direct assault on Piccolo? Or is something going to happen to Chi-Chi or Bulma that forces them out? I'm leaning towards the latter but I guess I'll have to wait and see!

Yet again, El, you seem to be one of the most astute reviewers of my story, as you essentially nailed what I did in this chapter right on the head. As for last chapter being a holding chapter, I think that's a credible argument - see, chapter 8 was supposed to be that and this whole chapter lumped together… can you imagine how insanely long that'd be? But yeah, that's essentially why I cut it off; I felt as if it'd be a bit more organized that way. I'm suspecting you won't think that this is a holding chapter though, considering all the events that took place in this one!

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And that's a wrap for this chapter, ladies and gentlemen! Tune in for the 10th chapter of Turbulence, where we'll see just what Articuno's crew is like and how the rebellion and demon factions will respond to the current series of events. I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I, and remember, you can get weekly notifications of my progress, sneak peeks, and a lot more on my blog, entitled Rott's Reviews! If you're struggling with finding it, then please let me know and I'll be more than happy to direct you to it.

Until next time, everyone!