Based on MasakoX's What If series "What if Gine went with Goku to Earth?", but a retcon with some changes of my own on how I think the story would have went down had Goku's mother escaped planet Vegeta with him.
DISCLAIMER: The following is a fan-based work of fiction. Dragonball Minus, Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball Super, and Dragonball GT are all owned by FUNimation, Toei Animation, and Akira Toriyama.
Please support the official release!
CHAPTER 53: HUNTER AND HUNTED
"Wow... So, this is space, huh?" Kakarot said in awe.
"Yep." Said Raditz who stood beside him.
They were both staring out the forward viewport of the Capsule Corp ship as it rocketed through the light-years towards Namek at unfathomable speed; stars streaked past the view outside like flashes of light. But Kakarot could sense how fast they were going, and it made him all the more mesmerized by the sheer vastness of the void they were traversing. It made Earth, all the world he ever knew and experienced, feel so small...
"Sure is quite dark and lonely out here." Was all Kakarot could sum it up with, he didn't take his eyes away from the window.
Raditz shrugged. "Eh. Wasn't too bad. Especially if you were trying to run from those trying to hunt you down."
He spoke from experience, remembering the many occasions when the space-faring civilizations he tried to conquer would pursue him back into space to avenge their worlds, only to be outrun by him as he escaped. Put enough distance behind you and they'll give up was a mantra he lived by while working for Frieza, one he found quite adaptable to a lot of other aspects of his life, and one he never shared with his Saiyan comrades for he knew it was a coward's mantra. But Vegeta and Nappa weren't here, so there was no reason to feel ashamed to voice his true feelings for something he always hated deep down.
"Put enough distance behind you and they'll give up!" He repeated allowed, feeling almost relieved that he could say that.
Kakarot gave him a blank stare. "Huh?"
Raditz was about to explain the origin of that anecdote but stopped himself.
"Forget it." Raditz mumbled.
Kakarot frowned in confusion but shrugged nonchalantly and looked back outside like nothing happened.
Awkward silence fell.
Raditz looked over his shoulder to see Gine pacing back and forth on the main deck, which she had been doing since after they left Earth. She hasn't said a word to either of them, and was looking more and more agitated with each passing minute, and Raditz was growing more concerned.
He wondered how she was handling the crisis unfolding as it was that necessitated this voyage, and how being back in space was affecting her. No doubt in his mind that she missed Earth. Hell, he was surprised that he himself felt a longing to go back there too. Normally, he felt planets were far too claustrophobic places to settle down on compared to the infinite variety of worlds he could up and go to at his leisure. But he had grown fond of that pretty blue pearl with its pretty blue sky, pretty blue sea, the food, Launch...
But he knew what his mother was capable of when she was on edge, seeing that himself after her feuds with Chi-Chi over Little Gohan and the stress of Vegeta's arrival. The loss of her friends, the failure of the plan, and Vegeta's return seemed to be getting to her, he could tell. Just like on the battlefield, he knew the look of someone about to snap. And he did not wish to disturb her by asking if she was okay...
Setting his nervousness aside, Raditz turned back to the forward viewport, his gaze drifting over to Kakarot who was still mesmerized by the view outside.
More uncomfortable silence. Raditz hated it. His tail twitched with agitation just like his mother's does.
He wanted to say something. Anything to break this deafening tension building inside the ship. But he didn't know what. He hoped that maybe he could take more advantage of the time together, now that all three of them were alone for the first time ever, to talk. The crises that have resulted from his finding them on Earth had so far prevented the long-lost family from bonding, and now they had a chance to do just that.
Raditz opened his mouth to speak to Kakarot, but no words came out, then closed. He opened it again to speak but closed it again. After repeating this act a couple more times, Raditz stopped.
He sighed, feeling a ping of melancholy. Perhaps being back in space had affected him too...
Maybe that was the crux of it. Even though Kakarot was his brother, Raditz had been finding it difficult to try and connect with him when being out here, for this was a universe that Kakarot had no experience in.
And that sunk it home for Raditz to realize that he and Kakarot were entirely different people. His brother had been raised in a life of peace and love with their mother by his side on that tiny little rock in a forgotten corner of the galaxy, while Raditz himself had been raised a life of traversing across the said galaxy, dispensing pain, suffering, and destruction under the constant threat of death in battle or under penalty.
Would Kakarot even understand? Raditz asked himself.
Of course not. Kakarot had never been part of the Frieza Force and thus never got to be fully immersed by the ultimate dark jungle, looking out only for yourself, conquering the stars with your comrades-in-arms on the thrill of an empire-building hunt, fighting the most glorious battles from world to world.
Well... He thought remorsefully, ...at least, it was supposed to be glorious, if it weren't for the pain, suffering, and destruction I dispensed while doing so...
No. It was a life Kakarot would never understand, and Raditz realized then that he never wanted his brother to experience it either. He wasn't sure why though, given their heritage as Saiyans. But divulging the true horrific details of his past felt like something he'd rather not do.
But that just added more heartache for Raditz. Something so personal and part of who Raditz was, his brother could never relate to. I.e. to him. And that hurt...
"HOW COULD YOU JUST STAND THERE?!" Gine suddenly shouted.
Both brothers jumped in alarm at her voice, whipping around to see Gine glaring at Kakarot, her tail twitching behind her.
"U-um, Mom?" Kakarot stammered in confusion.
"How can you just stand there and not be worried about your wife and son?!" Gine nearly shrieked.
Kakarot, suddenly catching her drift, held up his hands defensively.
"I AM worried, Mom! I'm worried as much as you are!"
Gine scoffed and pointed out the forward viewport. "Vegeta is out there right now and all you could say is space is dark and lonely?!"
Both brothers looked to each other. Apparently, she had heard them and took issue with how they weren't fretting every second they weren't on Namek right now to save their friends like she was.
"Mother..." Raditz tried. "Worrying about them wouldn't get us there any faster, you are being hysterical. Please, just try to calm dow-"
Before Raditz could stop what he earlier noted not to say, his mother shot a glare at him that would've shaken even Frieza to his core.
"Don't you even DARE finish that sentence, Raditz!" Her tone was as deadly as the threat being made.
Raditz slunk back, but Kakarot stepped forward and spoke placatingly.
"Mom, please... you're doing it again."
Gine looked ready to explode, but her youngest's words made her pause.
"What?! Doing what again?" She said, not comprehending but still angry.
Kakarot nodded ever so slightly. "Yeah, um..." He paused as if choosing his next words carefully. "Sometimes, you get very very very angry when you are, uh, well, stressed out or upset, and do things you said you really never want to do, remember?"
Gine stood there for a moment trying to digest what Kakarot was getting at.
Seeing that he wasn't explaining very well, Kakarot added, "Like, uh... like the first time we went to the Lookout?" He asked hopefully.
Then it clicked for Gine.
She remembers the first time they went to the Lookout all those years ago, the argument over whether or not she should train together, how she pushed him, how she wanted to hurt him, and how much that scared her into vowing she'd never angry at him again...
Until she did again years later, and also got angry against Kami... and against Little Gohan, and against Chi-Chi... And how she wanted to hurt them all...
Gine's face fell. All the rage that had been quietly building up in her evaporated away and replaced with overwhelming self-loathing and despair.
"You're right... I-I'm sorry." She croaked out before tears overtook her, burying her face in her hands.
"Aw, no, Mom, it's okay. Come here." Kakarot awkwardly pulled Gine into an embrace as she wept. He had no idea why their mother would swing from seething in one moment to an emotional wreck the next like Chi-Chi did.
He gave Raditz a wary look, who seemed to be thinking the same thing: At least she wasn't angry anymore.
Raditz had no idea what just transpired between Mother and Kakarot, though he had an inkling that his brother knew as well as he did that their mother had a temper, and there was nothing more in existence that they were afraid of than her fury aimed at them. So, they both knew her enough to help her keep it in check and look out for each other's backs.
And at least it was something else they had in common as brothers.
"It's just..." Gine said between sniffles as she regained her composure. "...I don't like being back in space again. Too many bad memories."
"Same." Raditz concurred from the corner.
It was more than that though. Space was not only making her uneasy, but Gine thought of how angry she could get when she was uneasy. Like she did at Kami for withholding knowledge of Raditz, at Little Gohan for his softness, at Chi-Chi for standing up to her for endangering her son, and at kakarot for going to Otherworld against her wishes...
She had an anger problem, Gine knew. It emotionally and even physically hurt the people she cared about. She hated feeling this way, being at the mercy of her emotions. But she didn't know what to do...
"Uh. Well..." Kakarot had no idea what to say to make her feel better, so he said the first thing that came to him.
"Maybe we can do some training to take your mind off of things? It'll pass the time. Plus..." He added with excitement, "...I can teach you everything I learned from King Kai! And I'm really looking forward to trying out the new gravity machine to help get stronger."
Gine could see how eager Kakarot was to get back to training as he always does. She loved sparring with him as much as she loved anything, but wished she could explain how that's not the best thing to help cope with all her complex feelings right now. He could be quite simpleminded sometimes, thinking that all there was to life was fighting. But he was a good soul who always meant the best, and right now he just wanted to help her. How could she even be angry at him for trying to be a good son, Gine wished she knew.
Come to think of it, they haven't sparred in a long while, not even after he came back from Otherworld. The arrival of Raditz and everything that happened since had disrupted their training that they usually did.
Maybe it would be better to blow off some steam afterall.
"I would love that, son." She said with a genuine smile.
"Alright!" Kakarot fist-pumped in the air, barely able to contain his excitement.
"Sounds good to me too!" Said Raditz as he begun to do stretches. "I don't know about either of you, but I'd rather not just sit idly for the next few days."
That, Gine could agree with. Five days felt like forever, given the stakes at hand and traveling through the infinite darkness she left behind so long ago. She'll lose whatever patience she had left being cramped up in here just stewing in her own worry.
"Okay, let's see." Kakarot tapped some commands into the ship's gravity controls. "King Kai's planet was ten times Earth's gravity. So, how about we do... twenty times?"
"You mean twice that of our home planet?" Raditz's lip curled up. "Sure!"
"Alright, here it goes." Kakarot pushed a few more buttons. The sound of machinery spooling up beneath their feet increased in frequency, and the red tiled floor took on a shimmering look to it.
In the next moment, all three of them collectively groaned from the strain of the increased gravity. It took nearly all of their energies just to keep standing. Gine and Raditz especially since there were not many worlds that had gravity stronger than planet Vegeta's. They had to admit that training under gravity they never experienced before sounded like an interesting challenge. Gine wondered how it would affect their strength.
"Whoa!... Guess... I shoulda... started it off... at... eleven!" Kakarot said through gritted teeth as he tried to walk.
Raditz coughed as he tried to catch his breath from just taking a step. "This... is... Hell... it's... perfect!"
Gine was too busy trying not to pass out from all the blood in her head being pulled down into her legs, but she agreed with Raditz. This was a perfect distraction for all her worry and anger. She will focus it all on overcoming however much gravity she and her sons can subject themselves to without destroying the ship. She will focus all her energy to get stronger, hone her control over her body, her mind, and hopefully her emotions too.
She will train her butt off, and when Gine sees the prince again, she will be ready to snap his neck like a twig...
Meanwhile, somewhere on Namek, Krillin and Dende were taking a breather from being on the run, the both of them hiding under a large rock.
Krillin offered Dende the last of his bottled water, but the little Namekian refused. Krillin frowned in worry, for the child had been quite since...
"Uh... How long have we been on the run?" Krillin asked, his own voice sounding oddly dissociated to him like it wasn't his own. He was just so tired. And he truly had no idea how long they've been running and hiding. It felt like an eternity had passed since they got separated from the rest of the group but there was no way of keeping time on Namek. When one sun set, another rose up, and thus there was no night to tell the passage of time for his human circadian rhythm. It was very disorienting.
"Sixty-four hours." Dende muttered, not looking at him.
"Sixty-four?!" Krillin mouthed. Hearing it that way made the time spent so far feel that much more exhausting. That much time on the run without sleep aside from the occasional catnap?!
But they couldn't stop, they had to keep moving. Vegeta was still out there hunting them, and the monk had no idea of what happened to the rest of his friends. But he and Dende had to keep their power levels low still and keep running, for...
Krillin's expression fell, realizing that he had no idea where he was running to or for what. He and his friends had failed in their mission to resurrect Kami, Tien, Chiaotzu, and millions of other on Earth with the dragonballs, and their only way home was destroyed. So, what were they even doing? Just running to survive?
A soft choking sound tore Krillin's attention from his gloom to Dende, who was now softly crying.
Krillin felt his guts wrenching. He knew that Dende was still grieving over his father's death, slain by Vegeta.
The monk wished he could punch something. Better yet, he wished he could punch Vegeta! To make him pay for all the pain he has caused him, his friends, and the people of Namek. But he knew that would be suicidally impossible.
He took a small sip from the one bottle of water he had on him before they got separated, only to realize that he just had the last drops.
Krillin dropped the empty bottle, feeling utterly despondent as the weight of the situation weighed down on him.
Here he was, stranded on an alien planet hundreds of light-years from home, with no idea if his friends were still alive, with no way to call for help, was so tired from being on the run for days on end, and was now out of water.
Why did I do this?! Krillin despaired mentally. He wished he could scream his frustrations out, but he couldn't. Dende needed him to be strong, to keep each other safe. So, he had to keep some semblance of hope alive.
"Is there any place where we could get some water?" Krillin gingerly asked.
Dende's crying had softened, and he was able to think clearly enough to ponder the question.
He looked outside the enclave they were hiding in, and using his Namekian's intimate knowledge of the world said, "There's a village not far from here, up the river." He pointed towards a slow-moving river in the distance
Krillin was ecstatic to hear that they won't die of thirst anytime soon, but he still wondered: Would it be wise to go there? Didn't Vegeta say that he would destroy every village he found? What would happen if he showed up while they were there? Of if it was still there? Krillin so far didn't want to test the prince's threats; he had been avoiding any village on Namek so far for their safety.
But the weariness of his sleep-deprived state was starting to get to him, making the pain of his growling stomach feeling unbearable. They needed food and water soon... and sleep. Plus, there wasn't much he could survive in the wild here with his human stomach.
"Okay, lead the way." He said to Dende, not caring about the implications anymore.
"Alright." Dende leapt out from under the rock enclave they were hiding under and Krillin followed behind...
He followed Dende through the twists and turns of the river upstream, as slowly as they could to keep their power levels down...
Several hours passed, or at least that's what the length of time they had already spent running felt like to Krillin. His eyelids were growing heavier by the minute, he worried that he may fall asleep while flying and plunge into the river below. But he dared not fall asleep now...
"There it is!" Dende cried out from up ahead, jerking Krillin from nearly nodding off again as they rounded another bend.
Up ahead was a village by the shore, dotted by several domed houses that looked far more inviting to Krillin than all the rocky alcoves they've been hiding under so far...
Everything else that happened felt like a dream to Krillin, for before he knew it, they had already touched down and Dende was speaking to the village elder about asking for sustenance and shelter. Krillin didn't hear the rest but got the feeling that their request was granted when he felt himself being led into one of the domed dwellings that felt cool and dark on the inside, a blissful respite from the unforgiving suns of the past three days. Not before taking in some water and whatever stuff he chewed on and swallowed that the Namekians called food, but his stomach at least stopped growling.
And now having found real safety after being awake for so long while surviving on adrenaline, Krillin fell into a deep slumber the moment his head touched against the floor...
...
"Krillin... Krillin, wake up!"
The voice of Dende broke the monk out of the bottomless sleep he was in. He was mildly annoyed but quickly remembered everything that happened until then...
"What is it?" Krillin asked groggily.
"I got an idea while I was sleeping!" Dende declared. "We can bring my father back and stop that evil Saiyan! We have to find Guru!"
Krillin tried to blink the sleep away. It was too much to take in just after waking up. How long had he been asleep?
"Guru?" He repeated, brain fog clouding his mind. He remembered the grand elder of the Namekains, but felt the need to follow up with: "Why?"
"Well... I don't know exactly how, but he made the dragon balls! He must be able to help us somehow! " Dende answered ecstatically despite lingering doubt.
Krillin wondered why Dende would think that had any relevance in the matter of running away from Vegeta, but he stopped wondering as it sunk in and was fully awake.
There were no other beings Krillin knew of on Namek that could potentially stop Vegeta's rampaging and help their situation. But if there was anyone who could even possibly offer help, then it stood to reason that the one who created the magical wish-granting orbs might be able to do something about that. When it came to magic or other supernatural abilities compared to the things he's seen as a monk, who was Krillin to judge?
Krillin's eyes shot wide, feeling hope for the first time since the separation.
"You're right, Dende!" He stood straight up and clenched his fist in excitement. "It's worth a try. Might as well-"
His words stuck in his throat as a cold pit formed in his stomach, the feeling of dread.
Dende felt it too and his pupils shrunk in terror.
"It's him." He whispered.
Before they both knew it, they felt Vegeta's presence approach the village. Both Krillin and Dende dropped to the floor, lying flat as if to hide, despite being indoors. But they dropped their power levels all the same...
...
Outside just then, Vegeta touched down in the village center. All of the villager's' eyes were fixed on him with immediate distrust and even terror. They could feel the malignant energy emanating from him.
"Sorry for dropping in, but I'm wondering if you could help me." He mockingly asked the assembled villagers.
Tsuno, the village elder, stepped forward. "What do you want?" He asked cautiously.
Vegeta eyed him and cackled before answering evilly. "I'm looking for some Earthlings. They may have come through here and I'm hoping to catch them to make them... pay for their transgressions against me."
Tsuno eyed the newcomer with masked contempt. He and all the other Namekians present knew that this Saiyan was responsible for the mass killings of their siblings across the planet, for they could telepathically feel each village that was slaughtered by this Vegeta, disappearing one by mind from their minds' eyes. But never had they thought he'd find his way here so soon, looking for the Earthling companion that Dende brought with him, one of the five that came to their village in peace looking for the dragon ball they were given once the villagers knew their intentions were pure.
And he remembered what the son of Moori told them...
"The Saiyan is killing us! He's come for the Earthlings and will kill anyone who gets in his way!" Young Dende told them.
Namekians did not betray the innocent or their own, and Tsuno wasn't going to start now. "We do not know of the Earthlings you speak of. We are but a peaceful farming village and care not for who passes through here."
"Oh?" Vegeta narrowed his gaze on him. "Are you sure about that?"
The Namekian sweated. He knew that he was lying, something their race was not known for, and Tsuno suspected this Saiyan knew that as well.
"We-"
"Think very carefully about how you answer that question." Vegeta interrupted with a deadly hiss.
For several tense seconds, Tsuno was silent. He was afraid of what was about to happen next but hoped that Dende and his companion could hear the commotion wherever they were and try to escape unnoticed.
"We haven't seen who you are looking for." Tsuno declared firmly. Everyone in the village visibly flinched, as if they knew he sealed their fate.
Vegeta noticed this, and his scowl turned even more frightening and knowing. "You know what I think?"
Tsuno didn't answer, as Vegeta spoke for him.
"I think that you have. In fact..." He glared at the villagers around him. "I think that one of them is here, in this village, hiding amongst you. I can sense it." He emphasized, darting his gaze from hut to hut. "I know they are here, and I promised them that I will kill anyone who dares to shelter them or get in my way. Now... you wouldn't want that for you or your people, would you?"
They all shivered under the weight of his implicit threat, but no one dared to say anything. Vegeta enjoyed the cowering look on their faces. He knew they were guilty and were hiding his prey, but still couldn't pinpoint exactly where said prey's energy signature was. They, or at least one of them, were here, but his new sixth sense wasn't accurate enough yet.
"But if you tell me where they are hiding, I might let you live." Vegeta offered with a mocking grin. "So, what's it gonna be?"
The gathered villagers all seemed to look at each other before staring at Tsuno, for they all knew that their fate was in his hands.
"T-there's no one here. I've told you already." He said, fear creeping into his voice but Tsuno tried to keep his resolve up. "Now unless you have other business here, I must kindly ask you to leave our village."
A grim scowl creep across Vegeta's face. He slowly pointed a finger at a random villager, a tall and strong lad.
"Bang." Said Vegeta as a beam of lethal energy shot through the villager's torso, leaving a large smoking hole where his heart should be before the Namekian keeling over dead. The fourteen surviving villagers all cried out in shock, horror, then anger.
"I'll ask you again." Vegeta demanded of Tsuno. "Where are they?!"
Enraged beyond civility at the murder of one of his siblings, Tsuno shouted. "YOU SHALL PAY FOR YOUR EVIL!"
Collectively joining in righteous defense, Tsuno and all the warrior villagers aim and fired on Vegeta.
"Have it your way!" The Saiyan prince shrugged before he let out a ferocious roar that dissipated the energy blasts that threatened to hit him. The amount of released ki sent the pitifully weak Namekians flying back in all directions, several huts collapsing under the force of the wind.
Before they could all recover, Vegeta phased between each villager to deliver them a single or punch or kick per victim, crushing skills, breaking spines, snapping necks, or rupturing organs with quick and deadly efficiency.
Then it was just him and Elder Tsuno left standing among the scattered and broken bodies of the village.
"Just you and me now, old man." Vegeta taunted. "So, I'm only going to ask you one last time: where they are?"
Elder Tsuno was too petrified to answer; sadness and despair overwhelmed him. How could such evil as this Saiyan be allowed to roam their world, killing indiscriminately?! It was madness!
Instead of answering, Tsuno blindly charged Vegeta with whatever strength he could muster, landing only a punch that hurt his hand more than it hurt the enemy he so primitively wanted to destroy.
"Hmph. Pathetic." Vegeta scoffed as he raised an open palm to Tsuno's face and fired an energy blast that vaporized the elder before he could scream.
Vegeta huffed in frustration as the smoke cleared. "Dammit. These villagers were braver than the last ones I slaughtered. None of them would talk."
Although he loved a good massacre, he was growing impatient with this chase. He's already spent the last three days pursuing the Earthlings across this dull and monotonous world, eradicating several villages but getting no closer to finding the targets who continued to evade him...
"Hn?" A prickling sensation in his mind told him that something was behind him, and the sound of crumbling stones made him reflexively blast another vaporizing energy attack in the direction of the noise. The hut it struck exploded in a shower or rocks and dust.
Whatever he thought he sensed there was gone. Perhaps it was one of the humans? Or a survivor? Or he was just jumpy? He was still getting used to this new ability.
"Oh well, better safe than sorry." He mused to himself then said wickedly, "Now for the final touch."
Vegeta leapt high up into the air, holding up a hand where a crackling ball of energy formed, then hurled it down towards the village square below. In the next moment, the collection of ruined huts and dead Namekians were engulfed in bright light and a deafening explosion. He smirked in satisfaction at the devastation he caused, for no good Saiyan left anyone or anything standing behind him.
But that satisfaction faded as Vegeta remembered the situation he was currently in, for that he couldn't keep this chase up forever. Frieza was out there now looking for him, and it was only a matter of time before he or his minions would find him here.
Vegeta was smart, and he knew that if he wasnted to life to fight another day he'd forget about this whole vendetta right now and make a run for it. He could hide out somewhere in a remote corner of the galaxy, away from Frieza's influence...
Like her.
Vegeta clenched his fists. The thought of Raditz's low-class bitch of a mother renewed Vegeta's rage with a seething vigor, remembering why he was here in the first place. No one makes a fool of the Prince of all Saiyans and lives. No one! Least of all that wretch and her pitiful band of weaklings!
"To hell with it!" Vegeta cursed into the heavens before taking off in a random direction. There was no telling if his prey will be in that general heading, but he didn't care. He will find the Earthlings, come Frieza or high water. He will make them pay for their insolence. He will tear this entire planet apart if he had too; make this rock their grave, and everyone else on it...
...
After Vegeta had disappeared over the horizon, Krillin and Dende surfaced from the river they were hiding under.
"He's gone for now." Krillin said between gulps of air, trying not to accidentally breathe in the salty alien water.
"NO!" Dende cried out as he scrambling out of the river with Krillin behind him, running toward the edge of the blackened crater that was once the village that hid them only minutes earlier. Now only piles of ashes remained.
Dende fell to his knees and buried his face in his palms, making choking sounds of sobs as he grieved for the loss of more of his people. Krillin could only stand there and feel his heart drop into his stomach at the sight of the carnage before them.
"This is all my fault! I lead that monster here!" Dende wept inconsolably.
Guilt threatened to overwhelm Krillin too. For if he had not suggested that they come here for sustenance...
They mourned there for a long time, both weeping at the senselessness of it all, even after they both grew numb and couldn't cry anymore...
Krillin wasn't sure how long they had been there, but he could tell that the suns had moved considerably across the sky. They had been sitting out in the open completely exposed to any who could see, and Vegeta was still out there.
He looked over to see Dende had not moved from where he collapsed.
"Dende?" Krillin asked as he got up and came to his side. But the young Namekian didn't respond, for he just stared blankly at the ground.
"Dende..." He prodded further this time. "We can't stay here. We have to move."
Krillin felt it almost cruel to have to get his companion on the run again after something so unspeakable, but they were still in immediate danger.
"And go where?" Dende's voice finally answered. He turned to look at the monk with red-rimmed eyes that looked unsettling on a green-skinned being. "He's only going to kill us after he kills everyone else." He spoke darkly.
Krillin didn't know how to answer that, for he knew that Dende was right. Where could they go? Not back out into the wild without starving again, and not to another village that Vegeta would surely also wipe off the face of the planet. How long will it be before they ran out of places to hide?
He thought back to his friends who must've also been on the run somewhere, or worse, may have been killed already by Vegeta and he may be the last one. Krillin didn't know. It was a terrifying thought. But it gave him an idea.
"Well... maybe we should head back to where we last saw the rest of the group. If, uh, we could find them, we might have somewhat of a chance to stand against Vegeta. I mean, it's better than running all alone."
Dende regarded him with dead eyes, then let out a despondent sigh. "Might as well."
Krillin nodded in understanding and let Dende climb onto his back in piggyback fashion before taking off in the general direction where they last saw his companions...
...
It took several hours of slow and silent flight to return to the sight of the original gathering, but Krillin considered it a boon after they've been so lost these past few days. The wreckage of their ship now a pile of twisted metal and the inert round stones that were once the dragon balls sat huddled together, near the still rotting corpses of the Namekians killed trying to defend them, with Dende's father among them.
Krillin realized this but Dende looked away, unable to bear the sight. Krillin's heart ached for the poor child more than he thought possible. No one deserved this kind of anguish...
Suddenly both Dende and Krillin stopped in their tracks when they noticed that some of the wreckage of the ship, mostly large flat pieces of hull, had been moved to a nearby rockface. And from there, both of them could sense a very faint presence behind the debris.
"Do you see that?" Krillin pointed toward the propped-up metal plates.
Dende nodded in realization. "Yeah. I feel it too. Could that be..."
Out of curiosity both Krillin and Dende quickly ran over and pulled the metal plates aside to reveal an entrance to a cave in the rockface.
"A doorway! Ha ha! Clever!" Krillin cheered for the first time in days. He had a hunch that maybe his friends could he hiding here. It was hard not to take the covering of the cave as it meaning someone was hiding here. And if energy signatures coming from inside the cave weren't any indicator of who could be hiding here, then the ingenuity of the setup gave him hope as to who that might be.
Krillin stepped inside the cave first with Dende following closely behind. As the darkness settled, they immediately noticed a glow coming from around a bend in the tunnel.
Could it be...
"YAHH!" A tall, human shape leapt from around the corner and landed a roundhouse kick into Krillin's solar plexus, sending the monk crashing into the cave wall. Clouds of dust, shouts of confusion, and Dende's terrified screams echoed around the small chamber's walls, making Krillin's ears heard more than the blow to his chest did.
"Ow." Krillin said simply.
In the darkness now shrouded by dust from the scuffle, the shadow that kicked him knelt by his side. "Oh my god! Krillin, you alright?! I'm so sorry! I thought you were an intruder!"
Sheer relief washed over Krillin when he recognized that voice.
"Heheh, don't worry, Yamcha. I'll remember to knock next time." Krillin coughed to fight off the pain and the dust he was breathing in but did so with a smile.
Around the corner, a bright beam of light shined in their direction.
"Yamcha, baby? Who is it?" Bulma's worried voice carried off the walls.
"It's Krillin!" As Yamcha called back. "And..." Yamcha strained to remember the face of the little Namekian he thought he recognized. Then he did. "Dende! "
Bulma shrieked in joy which made all of their ears hurt in the small cave. "Oh my god! Krillin! We thought you were dead! Where were you?!"
Krillin took a breath of the dusty air in the cave as he answered. "Surviving."
...
Shortly after, the four of them were safely huddled inside the small capsule cabin that Bulma had set up inside the cave. Was only a dome with a single room, kitchen, and bathroom with bare essentials but after three days on the run across Namek, this cleverly concealed and comfortable hideout felt like the King's palace on Earth to Krillin, appreciating it the moment he got inside and was devouring a meal the same way Kakarot would. Krillin didn't care hoe messy he was eating, he was famished.
"Wow, you two were out there hiding in the wild, huh?" Bulma asked as she sipped her coffee mug, Yamcha sat beside her with a protective arm around her.
Krillin nodded silently as he greedily finishes the last of his noodle soup. Dende didn't even touch anything offered to him.
"Yeah. Had only a bottle of water, and tried to avoid any villages until we couldn't, before..."
Krillin couldn't finish that sentence. But Bulma and Yamcha knew what he meant.
"A-any idea of where Chi-Chi and Gohan might be?" Krillin asked, hoping to change the subject but that made it worse, for he could already guess the answer.
Bulma shook her head sadly. "No. We haven't seen them since we all got separated."
Silence fell upon the travelers from Earth. The mood darkened despite the bright fluorescent lighting inside the capsule home as they took stock of the situation...
They had failed their mission. Porunga was dead and there was no dragon balls left in the universe to revive their friends. Now Vegeta was rampaging across the planet, kiilling it's natives looking for them. The weight of what their arrival meant was too much to bear, knowing that they were somehow responsible for the deaths of so many Namekians...
"He's slaughtering them out there." Krillin's voice trembled, tears forming in his eyes. "Because of us."
"No." Said Yamcha, breaking the silence. "It's not our fault. We didn't want this. Vegeta's the murderer. Not us!"
Dende briefly glanced up from his untouched plate to Yamcha before staring down at nothing again without a word.
"Oh! Guess what!" Bulma perked up. "Gine, Kakarot, and Raditz are coming here on another ship!"
Hearing that news got Krillin's attention. "Really?"
"Yeah! They should be here in less than two days! We just have to hold out until then!"
Krillin wanted to jump for joy, but his sight fell upon Dende and all the jubilancy he felt of impending rescue dampened.
Bulma noticed this and frowned. "What's the matter? That's good news, isn't it? We'll be saved!"
"Yeah..." Krillin said absentmindedly, just as Dende looked up from his plate and locked eyes with him in a knowing stare.
"But Dende's people, the Namekians out there... they won't last that long." Krillin said with dire urgency.
They saw what Vegeta had done and knew how far we was willing to go to find them. Who knew how many villages he had slaughtered since they ran and hid from him. Krillin wasn't sure but something about hiding while others were actively being hunted down didn't sit well with him...
Krillin looked to the couple with determination. "We have to help."
"What?!" Both Yamcha and Bulma's eyes shot wide in alarm.
"Krillin, are you crazy?! We can't possibly fight Vegeta! He's stronger now than he was on Earth!" Yamcha said in a near panic just thinking about facing the Saiyan prince in battle again after last time.
"But we can't just sit here and do nothing!" Krillin shot back. "He's killing innocent people out there! By the time the others get here, there'll be no one left, and we don't have dragon balls anymore to bring them back!"
Pained looks took over Yamcha and Bulma. They knew he was right, for what was happening outside was nothing short of barbaric, and the fact that they won't be able to resurrect people killed like they could for their friends back on Earth hurt even more. And the longer they sat there idly, the more innocent lives were being needlessly exterminated...
Krillin slammed his fist into the table, nearly punching a hole through it with his strength. Never had he felt so powerless in his life, and he hated this feeling so much. He felt like such a failure to his friend Dende, having survived this long together just to see him lose hope and his family...
"Wait." Krillin said suddenly, getting everyone's attention. "We have to get to Guru; he can help us!"
"Guru?" Bulma asked, looking puzzled. "You mean that big old Namekian? How could he possibly help us?"
Krillin looked to Dende. "Well, Dende here said he created the dragon balls, so he might be able to help us out to some degree. Right, Dende?"
Dende, looking more hopeful than before, nodded studiously. "Of course! He is the wisest and most powerful of us all. He saved us from the famine long ago, and it is said that he has magic powers. If anyone can help us, it'd be him!"
Krillin looked to his Earthling companions. "Then it's settled, we gotta go to him. His temple isn't too fare from here. If we leave now, we can keep our powers hidden and-"
"Whoa-whoa, hold on, man." Yamcha held up his hands placatingly. "Are you sure it's the best thing to do? I mean, no offense little guy..." He gestured to Dende, "...but how could that big guy help us? I don't think he could even help himself out of that throne of his."
"Don't you dare speak of the Grand Elder that way!" Dende shouted curses at the desert bandit in his native language, which made Yamcha slink back.
"It's okay, Dende. He didn't mean that." Krillin placed a hand on Dende to sooth him before turning to his friends.
"I know it's a long shot, but it's the only shot the Namekians have. We can't just sit here and hide like cowards while Vegeta murders Dende's people! It would be just wrong to let them pay for the trouble we brought them!" His tone then turned pleading. "Besides, we have to look for Gohan and Chi-Chi too. We can't just sit here and hope they'll find us before Vegeta does!"
Both Yamcha and Bulma eyed each uncertainly. They didn't want to risk going back out there after having spent the last three days in the relative safety and obscurity of the hideout they made for themselves. Heck, they even made the best of it with the privacy they both got, which they used to great effect after the crowded trip from Earth. They could just wait for the calvary to arrive without ever risking any further danger.
But they both knew that Krillin was right. Even if they didn't want to help the Namekians, they still had to find Gohan and Chi-Chi.
With a heavy sigh, Bulma set her coffee down and got up. "Alright, I'll start packing."
...
It took a few minutes to collapse the capsule cabin, and a few hours of travelling on foot or flying low to the ground. Dende rode on Krillin's back while Yamcha carried Bulma bridal-style across the distance, stopping only for quick rest stops and avoiding any village or outpost along the way.
As they travelled, more and more evidence of Vegeta's rampage showed itself as they passed smoldering ruins of villages they remembered seeing earlier. Now that both Yamcha and Bulma got to see the destruction for themselves, their resolve to help these people grew, and thus the journey to Guru became more imperitive.
But surely enough after traveling with Dende's navigation, the gang of four spotted the towering column that held the residence of the Eldest Namekian atop its peak.
"There it is!" Krillin pointed it out.
"Okay, here goes nothin'!" Yamcha quipped as they flew up the flank of the stone cliff and landed on the grassy encirclement around the dwelling.
And just as they are about to approach the entrance, a flash of green flew out of the temple and crashed into Yamcha, knocking Bulma off screaming in alarm. Both of Krillin and Dende were shocked stupid by the unexpected attack, but Dende was the one who shouted, "Nail!"
Gurur's faithful bodyguard stood over Yamcha with his foot pressed into his neck, choking the man.
"You dare to show your face here ?!" Nail demanded lividly.
"Let him go!" Bulma got up and tried to tackle Nail, but the warrior easily swatted Bulma away like he would to a fly, forcing her to land painfully on her bottom.
"You are not going in there! None of you Earthlings are! You have brought death and destruction to our people!"
"Nail, stop!" The young Namekian stood beside him, trying to get him to step off of Yamcha whose face was starting to turn blue. "Listen, they have come here to help us!"
Nail ever so slightly eased the pressure of his foot off of Yamcha's windpipe and turned to Dende as he explained.
"These Earthlings have saved me from the Saiyan! They want to try and stop him from causing more pain and destruction. They've come to seek Guru for guidence!"
The Namekian warrior turned to Krillin. "Is this true?"
Krillin nodded urgently. "Yes! Yes, it's all true. We... we did not mean for this to happen. Vegeta had followed us to your planet. He is after us, and we need all the help we can get to try and stop him, but we don't know how! But we are your friends, and we want to help!"
Nail glared at the short and bald Earthling for a long moment before he exhaled loudly.
"Very well."
He stepped off of Yamcha's neck, and the young man coughed harshly as he regained his breath.
"Yamcha! Are you alright?!" Bulma was immediately by her boyfriend's side, inspecting his bruised neck and helping him to his feet.
The desert bandit glared back up at Nail. "You sure got a funny way of answering the door." He said hoarsely.
"My duty is to protect Lord Guru at all costs. I will do what I feel is necessary to carry that duty out." Nail answered without apology.
Dende breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, anyways, Nail. Can we see him?"
Nail regarded the four of them before nodding once.
"You may enter."
Dende enters first as the three humans follow behind with Nail watching their every move. He did not trust anyone, least of all these troublesome visitors from Earth.
Guru sat upon the same throne they found him, but something was wrong, and Dende would feel it.
He was dying of grief. He could feel the pain of his children suffering across the planet as Vegeta slaughtered them one by one, and it was slowing killing the Grand Elder.
"Lord Guru?" Dende pleaded.
Guru groaned; his brow furrowed painfully. They could all feel the pain he was experiencing. Even Bulma, who was not telepathic, felt the Namekian's sadness wash over her as if it was her own.
"He's killing them..." Guru grumbled, his deep voice laced with sorrow. "Village after village... like he did the Dragon."
Krillin's head fell in shame. "I'm sorry, sir..." He felt tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry we've brought this all upon you and your people. I swear we didn't mean to-"
"Do not fear, Krillin of Earth." Guru interrupted. "For I looked into your heart and know that you are good soul filled with great courage. You have saved my dear Dende, and thus you are a friend of Namek. Do not bear the burden of someone else's sin."
Krillin felt an immense weight being lifted off his shoulders hearing that. He was right to believe that Vegeta, not them, was at fault for causing this whole mess...
"Thank you, um... sir. I just wish that... well..." He felt bad for saying that word, for it made him think of the dragon balls that were lost forever...
Guru seemed to sense what he was thinking and said, "All is not lost, Earthlings. For the Dragon can be revived."
"WHAT?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock.
Krillin was the first to recover and ask, "FOR REAL?! HOW?!"
Guru's hum of affirmation reverberated off the walls. "Yes. The dragon balls can be restored, and the Dragon revived to resurrect those lost."
The news was too much to bear. It sounded too good to be true. There was hope afterall?!
"But the Saiyan must be dealt with first; the killing must be stopped." Guru declared. "You've come to seek guidance in defeating him?"
"Ug-uh-y-y-Yes! Of course!" Krillin stammered, feeling immense gratitude for the grand elder and ready to do whatever was required of him. "How can we do that? Tell us and we'll do whatever we can!"
"Then come forth, for I shall unleash your hidden power to aide you."
"Huh? Hidden power?" Krillin was confused, but he steps forward anyway. Yamcha and Bulma watching with interest as Nail stood silently aside, faithfully keeping guard.
"But... I thought I've trained as hard as I could. I don't know how much stronger I could get." Said Krillin as he stood beside Guru's throne that towered over him.
"This is never true, young Krillin. For all beings carry powers they do not yet realize unless it is unleashed, for which I shall do for you now."
Guru placed one of his massive hands atop Krillin's cranium, the Namekians skin feeling like leather but warm.
Krillin dared not speak as Guru sat silently with his brow furrowed, searching within Krillin's being for that hidden source...
An eerie white glow surrounded him, and a rush of cold, deep energy that Krillin never experienced before suddenly flooded his veins. His vision became sharper, his perception time seemed to slow, making his reflexes faster, and the muscles in his body wiring into unbreakable chords from the raw energy pulsing through them...
Guru removed his hand, and Krillin could only stand there, jaw-dropped at the energy flowing through his veins, and that energy just kept growing more and more intense with each passing moment, like it came from a bottomless source...
"No... No way!" Yamcha uttered. "You're... stronger than I am by leagues!"
From one moment where Krillin was dumbstruck, the next he was jumping in joy.
"Hahahahah! WOW! I can feel it! I'm stronger than I ever thought possible!"
Krillin clenched his fists and flexed, punching air as he tested this new power. He felt unstoppable. He probably even was!
Guru smiled. "Your courage is the source of your strength, young Krillin. I have allowed it to fuel your strength, so it is there when you need it."
Krillin smiled up at the grand elder with a look of pure determination. "Thank you, Lord Guru! I can't tell you how much this means to me! With this power, we can stop Vegeta! And if... I mean, when, we beat him. We'll use the dragon balls to revive everyone that monster has killed. I swear it!"
"I agree to this deal." Said Guru. "I will unlock each of your hidden powers to help you accomplish this task, and once it is done, I will do all within my power to resurrect Porunga."
They all cheered. Bulma saying it for them all.
"Alright! We may have a chance to save our friends after all!"
"Yeah!" Yamcha was too pumped and eager to find out how much his power could grow compared to how much Krillin's was improved. For the first time in days, they all felt hope again...
"I'll go with you too!" Dende suddenly declared.
Krillin turned to his companion.
"Are you sure, Dende? Krillin asked. "You've been put in too much danger by us already. I don't want you to get in harm's way."
"I know." Dende answered but returned the same determined look Krillin gave to Guru. "But you saved my life, and you are setting out to save my people. I owe it to you to repay that debt and help you along on your journey."
Dende turned to Guru. "Sir? Would you give me the ability to fight alongside my friends here to aide our people?"
Krillin smiled at how he had just been called his friend.
"I cannot help you fight against them, but... I can give you something that will help your friends even more." Guru offered.
"What about me?" Said Bulma. "I can't fight, but I dont want to just do nothing either. Is there something I can do?"
Guru smiled. "Do not fret, Bulma. For you already have a great power of intelligence and cunning within you. But you too have something hidden within you that can make your gift a terrifying force of nature that will help you in this struggle."
Bulma was agape in awe, and so were the other two Earthlings. They could only imagine what her power could be. But whatever hidden strengths they had that were about to be unleashed, one thing was certain: they were about to take the fight to Vegeta.