|
|
"Kakarotto," he said simply, glaring coldly at the man across from him.
"Son Goku," he replied, mockery in the tone, "so nice of you to come. May I have this dance?"
Goku snarled a reply and attacked, rushing at his foe in a burst of
super-human speed. And once more they fought.
Chapter 1
Goku skimmed the treetops, looking for some sign of his youngest son. Using every sense he had, he scoured the surrounding area, looking, listening, feeling, smelling, even tasting for anything out of the ordinary.
*There,* he thought. Moving so fast his arm became a blur, he barely managed to intercept the fist hurtling towards his face.
"Close," he said, flashing his trademark grin. Goten flashed Goku a smile to mirror his own, and proceeded to attack in a flurry of punches and kicks.
To all outward appearances, Goku's full attention was on the current sparring match, but in reality his thoughts were very far away indeed.
*That grin,* he thought, blocking, dodging, and occasionally putting in a hit himself. *That grin is one of the only things that kept me sane during that first year.* Goku pressed the attack, forcing Goten on the defensive. *I can never be thankful enough I was off-planet at the time.* Coming up behind his 12 year old son, he clasped his hands together and slammed the boy into the ground far below.
Landing gently on the soft carpet of leaves on the forest floor, Goku walked towards his son, breathing heavily.
"Yield?" he asked, extending his arm to help Goten up.
"Yield," Goten panted, gratefully accepting the proffered limb. "Are we going to Kulilin-san's house?" he asked, looking up at his father.
"Of course!" Goku said enthusiastically. "Only... I forgot why we were going."
Goten fell face-first onto the ground. After carefully picking himself up he answered. "We were going to see their new house now that they’ve moved out of Kamesenninn’s place, 'Tousan," he said patiently.
The light dawned in Goku's eyes and he grinned again, taking off. Goten followed close behind and soon the two were well on their way to Kulilin and #18's house. Internally, Goku sighed. He wasn't really as dumb as he let on, at least not anymore.
*I hate having to put on this act,* he thought, his mind turning inward again. When he had been younger all of it had been true. He was as simple, naive, and innocent as everyone thought. *I really was stupid back then,* he remembered with a little bit of shame. *Still, I would give anything I had to go back to that, anything at all. Whatever would have happened, it would have been better than this.*
Sixteen years ago he had finally reached the coveted power of a Super Saiya-jin, and sixteen years ago, after he had blacked out on Yardat, Kakarotto had shown himself for the first time. He hadn't known where this other self had come from; he hadn't known he even had a dark side, but Kakarotto had done all too good of a job explaining it as they fought.
*Yeah, he explained it, like he explained how he as going to kill me and take over the body. He even succeeded in the takeover back on Yardat a couple of times, but not anymore.* It had been that introduction to Kakarotto that had prompted Goku to gain at least a rudimentary book knowledge so he could defeat the new menace, and it had been Kakarotto's subtle influence that had tainted Goku's innocence. Suddenly Goten's voice interrupted his dark thoughts.
"'Tousan, we're almost there," he said, pointing at a small speck on the horizon which was rapidly becoming larger. Goku opened his mouth to challenge Goten to a race, when suddenly he clutched his head in pain. The last thing he heard as he fell to the ground was Goten calling out to him... then nothing.
Kulilin was interrupted from his game by a high-pitched voice calling his name from outside.
*Thank goodness,* he thought to himself, standing up. *Much as I love my daughter I’ve come to detest the word ‘Barbie’*
“Papa, what is it?” Marron asked from her position on the floor. “Ken hasn’t asked Barbie out yet.”
Kulilin suppressed a shudder as he answered the girl. “Uncle Goku and Goten are here,” he replied, heading towards the door. Marron squealed in delight and followed her father towards the entrance of the small house. Just then he heard the voice calling him again, only this time he noticed the edge of panic it held. Kulilin rushed outside to see Goten flying full-force towards the house with an unconscious Goku slung over one shoulder.
“Kulilin-san!” Goten cried, coming to land in front of the bald man.
“Goten-kun! What happened?” Kulilin asked, helping the boy carry his father inside and calling for his wife.
“I-I don’t know,” Goten worriedly said as they placed Goku on a bed. “One minute we were flying here, and the next ‘Tousan was falling.” #18 entered the room. She had spotted Goten as he landed and had gone for an extra blanket to cover the unconscious Saiya-jin.
Kulilin checked his friend’s vital signs. The pulse was a bit faster than normal, but not by much. He turned to the distraught 12 year-old. “Goten, this is very important. Did Goku-san clutch at his heart before he fell?”
The man waited anxiously for the answer, fearing that Goku may have had a relapse of the viral heart disease Trunks had cured so long ago.
“No, but...” Goten finally said after much thought. Kulilin sighed in relief… and froze again as he realized there was a ‘but’ attached to the ‘no.’ “But, he did clutch at his head,” he said.
Kulilin was genuinely puzzled. He had no clue what could have happened, or what to do. In a moment, however, it became a moot point, for at that time Goku stirred and opened his eyes.
“’Tousan!” Goten cried out in joy, the worry leaving his frame immediately.
“Goku-san,” Kulilin beamed at his lifetime friend “how are you feeling?”
Goku looked around in confusion for a moment before realization dawned on his face. Kulilin took an involuntary step backwards as an expression formed on Goku’s features that he had seen only once before, when Ginyu had switched bodies with his friend. The Saiya-jin looked up at the four people in the room, a small grin coming to his lips; a grin full of the most evil intent one could ever see in a smile.
“I’m just fine,” he replied in a voice that almost sounded like Goku’s, but somehow not quite. “As for Son Goku, though,” he continued, the wicked grin growing larger. Suddenly, without another word, he gathered his ki around him, hurling a blast at Goten. The boy, caught completely by surprise, slammed against the wall and was still.
“I’m afraid he’s dead.”