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Chapter 24
The Fall of Kakarot

The words that fell from Chichi's lips were hard to listen to. Kakarot has been trying to hide his true intentions, but it seems Chichi has seen right through him. Kakarot started to say, "Chichi, I gotta–" Chichi finished his sentence with a mildly exasperated tone, "Atone for your crimes, I know what you've done… and that simply saying sorry won't fix it." Chichi let out a heavy sigh and said, "But isn't there a better way? Is getting yourself killed really going to help the people you killed?" Kakarot's gaze shifted away for a moment before he put his hands on Chichi's shoulder, surprising her. He said, "It ain't just about my actions, it's about makin' things right for my brother and the earth."

Chichi gave Kakarot a worried expression as he continued, "If I leave then whoever arrives here lookin' fer me is gonna cause trouble. Besides, all of our spaceships are trackable by Freeza. No matter where me or my brother go, we won't escape. We'll only bring more trouble to others." Kakarot smiled and said, "My only option is to let 'em catch me and take all the blame. It should be easy, I trashed one of Freeza's bases before coming here, I probably only have a week left." Chichi's shoulders slumped as she frowned deeply as she said, "I can't convince you to live then?"

Kakarot looked at her confused, "You can pay for your crimes, and you can live. Those aren't two separate things you can fight against Freeza, stop him from hurting anyone else or… at least try. It just takes guts and the will to try." reasoned Chichi. Kakarot wasn't convinced, which is when Chichi with a sad smile, gently grabbed his hands, moved them off her shoulders and placed them at waist length. She said, "I know you feel like you have no way out but if you listen to anything I say then listen to this. If you find yourself wanting to change, to atone without losing your life then come back to earth. Just… try to not bring such dangerous company. My house is always welcome to you, since you're a friend."

Chichi let go of his hands and stepped away, she then walked over to the edge of the Lookout and looked out into the distance, clearly waiting for something. Kakarot didn't say anything, he just stared at her until he noticed a presence behind him. Kakarot's expression hardened, and he asked, "Is there somethin' you wanted, god of earth." Kami stood behind him, he chuckled and said, "So you know about the true meaning behind my name. Well, I decided I would lend you, my assistance." Kakarot turned around and asked, "Why would you help me, I ain't exactly doing yer' planet any favors."

Kami said back, "I'm no more innocent than you, my actions birthed Piccolo who went on to hurt so many people, including Yamcha." Kami then said, "Besides, you want to revive your brother before "they" arrive, correct?" Kakarot folded his arms and said, "So you sense them too." Kami added, "They're far but they will be here by the end of the day." Kakarot grumbled, "I thought I had a week, but that was assuming they fell for my ruse. If they've found me already then I have a good feeling I know who's trackin' me." Kakarot's expression darked, he gave Kami a serious expression as he said, "If yer' gonna help me we need to hurry." Kami simply said in response, "I will, you'll need my help regardless. Piccolo didn't impart unto you how one summons Shenron, did he?"

Kakarot let out an irritable voice, "So there's more to it than just gatherin' them." Kami nodded and said, "I need to repay you for revealing my origins anyhow." Kakarot simply nodded and after this they flew off with Kami leading Kakarot to a large patch of grasslands in the distance. Kakarot laid out all seven Dragon Balls out in the middle of the field. Kami then said, "To summon the dragon you must simply call it by name and ask it to come forth so it can grant you your wish."

Kakarot was dumbfounded by how ridiculously easy it is to summon the Dragon. Kakarot muttered, "All ya do is call to it? I coulda' figured that out." Kami then said, "I originally made the Dragon Balls in order to inspire people to go out on adventures and search for them in order to better the world. I'm sad to say many have tried to gather them for selfish reasons, Piccolo was one such individual. I hope this wish isn't the last one to be made and I hope the next time we see each other it is under better circumstances." Kakarot nodded and then turned to the Dragon balls, he then said, "Come forth Shenron and grant my wish!" Suddenly the skies darkened with thick black clouds, not even a shred of blue could be seen.

The balls began to glow and soon erupted in a thick stream of electricity which rose into the sky. The clouds were thick with lighting as this steam of electricity and golden light formed itself into a serpentine dragon. It was a massive green dragon with a massive, long body. It had four arms and at its head rested thick broad horns with a flat head at the base of it. Its eyes were pure red which glowed bright, its mouth housed massive jaws and soon it spoke in a deep yet wise sounding voice, "Are you the one who summoned me?" Kakarot gawked at the massive dragon, but he soon registered the question and regained his composure.

Before that Shenron takes note of Kami and says, "My creator, are you the one who has summoned me?" Kami shakes his head and says, "Pay me no mind, Dragon God, it is notI who has a wish for you to grant." Kakarot then said, "I am the one who summoned you!" Shenron then said, "Then state your desire, I shall grant you any single wish." Confronted with his goal Kakarot pauses, he wonders for a moment if he really should take this wish from the earthlings. It is their balls after all but despite that fact Kakarot steels his nerves and finally says, "Bring my brother, the Saiyan Warrior named Raditz back to life!"

Suddenly Shenron's eyes glowed even brighter than before, he said, "Your wish has been granted, until we meet again." Kakarot suddenly yelled, "Wait a second!" Shenron ignored the order and soon glowed golden before turning into a beam of light which fired itself upward before scattering all seven Dragon Balls across the globe. Kakarot's jaw hung open, unable to determine if the Dragon swindled him or not. Kami however reassured him, "Don't worry, the Dragon has granted your wish. He will be brought back from where he died. You should be able to find him if you search for his Ki." Kakarot asks why the balls flew away and Kami explains that the balls will remain in a dormant state until a full earth year passes after which they return to their orange splendor.

Kakarot closed his eyes for a moment before searching for a larger than average Ki. It took him a moment but then his eyes shot open and he flew off in a seemingly random direction leaving Kami behind. Kami only looked on as Kakarot disappeared from view. He hoped the confused warrior would find a more fitting path by the time they next saw each other. We switch to a new perspective, one we have not seen in a long time. The lone Saiyan warrior Raditz finds himself in a dark room. He is surrounded by a number of different people, most of which have monkey tails. One voice says, "You're a disgrace, beaten by a slug and a pack of tailless monkeys!" Raditz throws out an excuse, "I-I was ambushed, I couldn't f-fight back!" A second more familiar voice calls out to him, "I'm ashamed for having birthed you, you weakling!"

Raditz shot a glance at said figure and he yelled with faint tears in his eyes, "No mother, not you, I can't hear that from you!" Raditz' mother Gine was always the kindest person he knew. It was ironic that she was such a gentle Saiyan but regardless it especially hurt hearing her voice spewing such cruel words. Two more voices spoke up, "Why couldn't ya have been a proper Saiyan, been a better brother?" The first voice was clearly Kakarot, the words were those Raditz was familiar with hearing.

However the second voice hurt even more, "Your pathetic Raditz, I should never have put you in the same squad as Vegeta's spawn, you're a disgrace." Raditz turned toward him and said, "No father, don't say that, I don't want to hear that from you!" Suddenly all of the voices were deafened when a massive green serpentine dragon appeared. Its golden blinding light erased the presence of the shadowy Saiyan figures. Raditz angrily yelled, "What the hell next? Am I to be eaten by a dragon!? Well fine you beast, I'll take anything over…" Raditz swung his arms wide gesturing to the surrounding area, "All of this, so bring it on!"

The dragon ignored Raditz's insane declaration and instead said, "Your life is yours again, you will return to the world of the living." Raditz didn't register what was said to him, however despite his frantic state the Dragon glows gold again. This time the shine of the golden light overran the room forcing Raditz to squeeze his eyes shut but when he opened them again he was looking up at the sky. Raditz found he was staring up at a sky covered in gray clouds. He himself was laying on his back, he wondered aloud, "I-is the nightmare over, was it all a horrible dream?" Raditz wasn't aware of how much time passed since he found himself in that room.

He began to believe it was all a dream when he pulled himself into a leaning position. He felt cold air hit his stomach while leaving the rest of his torso alone. He peered down to see a basketball sized hole in the middle of his armor. He sat up and then felt a similar breeze behind him. He felt the spot and found the same exact hole which was positioned in the back of his armor, perfectly aligned with the hole in his front. He was about to question what is even real when he saw a figure flying towards him. Suddenly the figure landed in front of him but it took his eyes a second to properly identify who was in front of him. Raditz suddenly blurted out, "Kakarot!"

Kakarot smiled at his brother, he didn't expect he'd ever see him again yet here he was as healthy as ever. Kakarot finally said, "Nice to see you again, brother." Kakarot gave Raditz a hand which he hesitantly took though he still had a confused look on his face. Raditz looked around trying to determine if the whole ordeal on earth was just the start of that nightmare. However, he was disappointed to find he recognized his environment. He recognized everything and that only enhanced his confusion. Kakarot realized that letting him absorb his situation naturally wouldn't get him up to speed. So Kakarot instead chose to ask, "Brother, what do you remember from when you fought the earthlings?"

Raditz was surprised to hear Kakarot mention the earthlings as if he was there but instead of asking questions he chose to answer Kakarot. "One minute I was talking to you and the next something destroyed my pod. Then five earthlings attack me, all with power levels much higher than five, though my Scouter was destroyed afterwards. I fight them off when I'm hit from behind by a sixth combatant and the next thing I know someone grabbed my tail. After that a green man charges an attack and it hits me, I…" Raditz stops there and realizes something important.

He touches the hole in his armor and says, "I think I died soon after." Raditz then looks at Kakarot and asks, "How am I alive?" Kakarot lets out a heavy sigh and explains, "This world has a set of objects that when gathered together can summon a Dragon which can grant any wish." Raditz lets out a laugh out of disbelief but he stops partway, frowning. He recalls a dragon appearing and telling him some strange things. He can't quite remember what was said exactly but the mere fact he's standing right now with a hole in his armor where he knows he was hit with a death move is enough to convince him. Then the most important question appears in his head, "Kakarot, how are you here?"

Raditz thinks about it for half a second and asks, "Did…did I run out of time?" Raditz dislikes the dark look on Kakarot's face. Raditz knows right away it isn't good news. Kakarot finally says, "I ain't here cause of Freeza." Raditz's face turns pale, in a panicked state he says, "No." Kakarot says, "Listen brother." Raditz backs away from him, placing his open palms toward Kakarot waving him off. Raditz says while leaning forward, "No, you didn't." Kakarot tries to say, "You need to listen." Raditz suddenly yells, "Listen to what?! The only way you're here without Freeza being involved means…"

Raditz stops himself, not wanting to confront the truth. Kakarot suddenly yells back while grabbing Raditz's collar, "Listen damn it! This is far more important than Freeza!" Kakarot and Raditz locked equally frantic eyes before Radtiz's expression relaxes. Kakarot then lets him go and then finds a large rock to sit down on. Raditz does the same which is when Kakarot starts, "I fought and defeated the earthlings who killed you." Raditz immediately asked, "If you know them then I shouldn't need to guess how you know so much." Kakarot stays silent for a moment before jumping to the most important piece of information, "The humans were tipped off to your arrival by Zarban." Raditz' face lights up with shock and disbelief. He asks, "W-what does this mean? Is Freeza…"

Kakarot finally says, "The advanced weapons on Prune, the earthlings being tipped off, Zarbon helping beat you from the shadows, even the damn trial, you being sent here, it was all Freeza." Raditz freezes, unsure how to react to this information. Kakarot says, "I don't know why but Freeza wanted to get rid of me. It's why he focused on me at the meeting. He wanted me to take this mission but he seemed to be satisfied with you getting killed instead." Raditz let out an exhausted breath of air, Kakarot said one more thing, "At least that was until I trashed the base we were staying at."

Raditz looked at Kakarot with shocked eyes, he then got up and reached for his pod's remote control. He stops, realizing his pod was destroyed and instead starts to pick at Kakarot's armor. Kakarot immediately pushes Raditz off of him asking, "What the hell are you doing?" Raditz suddenly demanded, "Give me your remote, we need to get you off world." Kakarot let out a sigh and said, "It's pointless they'll just track me down again and what about you?" Raditz says back, "What about me?" Kakarot says, "You've practically run out of time, you've barely made progress and… I'm fine with taking the fall."

Raditz couldn't believe what he was hearing, Kakarot then said, "Vegeta and Nappa are gonna be here by the end of the day. It won't be a good enough head start anyway. Even if we find a world that has non-Freeza empire spacecrafts." Raditz suddenly suggests, "What if we tell Vegeta and Nappa?" Kakarot gives him an instant rebuttal, "Vegeta is a self serving bastard, he's more likely to throw us under the bus when faced with the fact Freeza is gunnin' for me. Nappa is loyal to a fault, if Vegeta decides we are expendable then Nappa will be the one doin' the throwing."

Raditz then suggests, "If we entice them with the Dragon Balls then he's sure to side with us, immortality would be the perfect tool to use against Freeza." Kakarot adopted a dead serious expression before saying, "We cannot tell Vegeta, or allow Freeza to learn about the Dragon Balls under any circumstances." Raditz is put off by Kakarot's sudden threatening aura. Kakarot continues, "If either Freeza or Vegeta gets immortality then we'll be stuck under their respective thumbs forever. Above all I won't bring that turmoil to this or any other world ever again. As of right now, the truth is you didn't die and the Dragon Balls are a myth." Raditz sensed that this wasn't Kakarot's usual stubbornness roadblocking one of his ideas.

It more so felt like Kakarot had become uncharacteristically protective and Raditz didn't know what to do about that. Raditz slumped down unsure of what they were going to do next. Raditz had the feeling that Kakarot wouldn't budge on the plan even if he suggested Kakarot got the immortality. Raditz let out an exhausted sigh and asked, "What are we going to do then?" Kakarot gave Raditz a smile, Raditz felt a terrible chill go down his spine. Several hours pass and Vegeta and Nappa arrive on the earth along with an extra Space Pod. They are tracking the signal from the two pods that landed here and find themselves landing in a green set of plains.

Their pods land next to the two pods but once they exit they are shocked by the first thing they see. Raditz was stepping on a heavily injured Kakarot who was flat on his back. Nappa immediately asked, "What the hell happened here?" Raditz with a serious expression said, "Kakarot arrived here begging me to give up on serving Freeza. He said he defied Freeza and asked me to come with him. I decided I needed to beat the stupid idea out of my little brother's head. Are you two here for him?" Even Vegeta was shocked to see this display but not by the story he was being fed but by the result of the fight. He knew that Raditz was many times weaker than Kakarot and yet here Raditz stood, stomping on his beaten brother.

Regardless of the absurdity of the display, Vegeta had a mission to complete. His life hung in the balance so he didn't give a damn why Kakarot was half dead, all that mattered was that he was still alive and Raditz was here as well. Vegeta barked an order, "Nappa, grab the extra Pod!" Nappa was stunned for a moment but soon snapped back into action. He picked up the extra pod and set it in front of Kakarot and Raditz. Vegeta used a remote controller to open the pod and said, "Raditz, put him in." Raditz immediately picked Kakarot's beaten body up and tossed him into the pod. Vegeta commanded the pod to close after which Raditz asked, "Should I get back to conquering the planet?"

Vegeta immediately said, "No, Freeza wants you back. Your mission is canceled, Kakarot will be punished in your place." Raditz is surprised to hear it but keeps his poker face on. Vegeta then said, "Use one of the pods Kakarot brought with him." Raditz nodded in confirmation, Vegeta then said, "The coordinates have already been programmed in the pod." Right then the Saiyans left with Kakarot going along with them. A smile appeared on his face, satisfied that everything worked out. Upon sitting in his pod, closing the hatch and then clicking the ignition, Raditz broke his poker face.

He bit his lip out of frustration, Kakarot's plan worked though it didn't seem necessary now. Kakarot told Raditz to beat him within an inch of his life. If he did this and fed Vegeta this narrative then even if he was suspicious of the story he wouldn't be able to solve how he won against him. From what Kakarot has determined, Vegeta is selfish, he won't be able to understand going this far for another person so the idea that Kakarot would go as far as to receive real injuries to sell the deception won't occur to him. Kakarot was hoping Raditz would be brought with him, something Raditz hoped for too, not wanting to leave his brother alone with Freeza now knowing his true intentions.

Still he hated every second of it, he took this mission to protect his brother but by the end of it he had to break him in order to protect himself. Even if it was Kakarot's idea, Raditz couldn't help but lightly pound on the armrest in his pod out of frustration. He said with anger and faint tears in his eyes, "Damn it Kakarot, how did things end up like this?" Kakarot, barely conscious, stared out his Space Pod window. He saw the Lookout and then saw Chichi staring up at him. "I hope ya live a good life, ya certainly made mine a bit more interesting." Kakarot closed his eyes as he fell unconscious again from his injuries.

Chichi down below whispers, "Please come back safe, I know there's more to you than even you can see." Kami, right next to her said, "I agree, let's hope we meet again." Krillin and the other defenders of earth stared up at the pods letting out sighs of relief now that the alien menaces are leaving just as Kakarot said they would. For now the earth is safe as Kakarot enters a world far too familiar for his liking.

Author's Notes: Alright the Earthly Reunion arc is officially complete. It took a long time with roadmapping, rewriting over and over again until we got the version you've just finished. I'm currently working on the next arc but it will take time so just consider this series on a very temporary Hiatus. I just need time to write up what the story will look like and how it progresses before I can start on the first chapter of it. Please have patience and in the meantime feel free to send me your thoughts on the chapter and maybe even the arc as a whole. Thank you for reading!

Power Levels:

Kakarot: 4,000

Raditz: 3,200 (Post Revival Zenkai)

Nappa: 4,300

Vegeta: 10,000