Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Broken Seal ❯ Motives ( Chapter 14 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Note: One of the things that will start to become apparent from this chapter on is that I'll be using quite a lot artistic licence when describing the conditions in hell. There are more notes, but they've been placed at the end of the chapter as they contain a mild spoiler for said chapter.

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Krillin drew his hands back sharply then flung them forward with equal force, crying out as he did. In a blinding flash of ki energy, two luminescent orbs leapt from the palms of Krillin's hands. The projectiles rasped through the air towards Dodoria, leaving a trail of blazing energy in their wake.

Once again Krillin's combat instinct overrode his higher reasoning, allowing him to observe diligently the progress of his attack as it raced towards its target. Able to watch the ki blasts in flight at a greatly slowed rate Krillin kept his hands held out before him, using them as a focus for his mind as he controlled the trajectory of his attack. As the motions of a conductor's baton might manipulate the pitch and volume of an orchestra, each subtle movement of Krillin's appendages would result in a slight alteration in the path of the orbs.

Dodoria appeared to be enjoying the show. The smile that was carved across his mountainous head continued spread slowly, made all the more ominous by the greatly slowed passage of time.

The orbs of energy drew closer and closer to Dodoria, but the brute showed no sign of flinching. This suited Krillin down to the ground. The fighter looked on intently as his attack drew within meters, centimetres, millimetres of Dodoria. Then, just as the last of his opponent's grotesque features were obscured by the glare of the ki blasts Krillin flung his hands apart.

The orbs responded to the direction by parting mere instants before striking what had appeared to be their intended target. This was greeted by a look of surprise and puzzlement from Dodoria.

Then Krillin threw his hands skywards, as if signalling for some great crescendo. This resulted in the orbs rocketing upwards towards the pinkish- grey sky. In one final motion, Krillin signalled for the big finish by driving his hands downwards. The orbs responded in kind, reaching a zenith in their course before plunging directly downwards.

Dodoria glanced over his shoulder in bemusement just in time to see each ki blest plunge through the bonnet of each of the cars that were sat behind him. The two vehicles shrieked and groaned as they were struck, bouncing about on their battered suspensions in protest. There then followed an ominous silence.

Dodoria looked back at Krillin inquisitively, his expression begging an explanation for the fighter's actions. Krillin's reply was simply to give a mischievous smirk, and plug his ears with his fingers.

There was a thunderous roar, and two mighty lobes of angry red flame engulfed Dodoria as the two cars were eviscerated from within by a combination of ki energy and igniting fuel. The sound easily overwhelmed Krillin's defence of his ears, almost deafening him. The fighter squinted as the shockwave from the violent reaction crashed down upon him and washed over him in a great flood of suffocating heat and fumes.

Coughing and hacking Krillin unplugged his ears, then covered his mouth with one hand and shielded his face with the other. Peering round his forearm he saw the furious pyre. The blaze thrashed and writhed like a snared demon with a blackened tail that spiralled towards the blighted heavens. Occasionally it would expose horns of twisted metal, before retracting them into its fiery red body once more. And somewhere, within the belly of this beast, was Dodoria.

Krillin turned from the scene, and began to run towards the periphery of the car park. Though his plan to enhance his own attack using the explosive force of the combusting car fuel had been a complete success, he did not grant himself the time for self-congratulation. It went without saying that Dodoria was not destroyed. Indeed, even in life such an ordeal would probably not have been enough to kill the warrior. It did seem that it had been enough to incapacitate him, though there was no way to tell for how long. As such, Krillin was not going to squander any more time in his escape.

But as he scampered away he caught wind of Vegeta, who was still pounding an unconscious Zarbon. Though Krillin had no pity whatsoever for the evil Zarbon, the thought of the once proud King Vegeta taking out his past frustrations upon what was at the moment little better than a corpse was a sad one. Once again, Krillin was consumed with pity for the fallen monarch. Sighing, he turned back to the crater that housed Vegeta and Zarbon.

"King Vegeta!" He called, "I'm leaving now!"

As Krillin had expected here was no response. Grumbling at the pressure he was being put under by his conscience, he tried again.

"King Vegeta, please! We have to get back to King Yemma's office!"

Again, there was nothing. Krillin tried to leave once more, but one last pang of guilt was enough to convince him to make one last attempt.

"King Vegeta, I've got the seal and. . ."

Krillin was cut of as the commotion from within the clouds of dust subsided suddenly. It seemed that Krillin's mention of the seal had succeeded in attracting Vegeta's attention.

For a moment, all that could be heard was the bass growling of the blaze as it feasted upon the fuel that had spawned it, and the tortured howls that rode the wind as it weaved between the exposed infrastructure of the lab.

"We must leave immediately." Came a stern voice from within the plume of debris.

Then, a silhouetted figure began to manifest from within the swirls of dust. King Vegeta, his hair thick with dust and his armour caked in debris, melted into view. Once again, he was carrying himself with the dignity and regality that befitted one of his former station. This figure was almost unrecognisable from the snarling animal that had been mauling Zarbon only moments ago.

As the Saiyan emerged into the tame light of day, his gaze became snagged upon Krillin. He ceased his approached, and stared at the fighter. Krillin returned the gaze, whining nervously as he was unsure of why Vegeta was so transfixed by him. It was then that he realised that King Vegeta was not looking at him, but at the sparkling trinket that was suspended from his neck. This realisation just made Krillin even more uneasy. He had yet to be fully convinced of Vegeta's intentions, and his total fixation with the seal was beginning to make Krillin suspicious. Slowly, and without breaking eye contact with Vegeta, Krillin lifted the seal from his chest and dropped it inside his tunic.

"I think it's time we were going." He said.

He then began to turn away from Vegeta, keeping a cautious eye on him as he did so. Turning his back on him reluctantly, Krillin called upon his ailing ki once more and rose into the air. Simultaneously he could feel King Vegeta's energy rise as he too took to the sky. For once, Krillin hoped that Vegeta did not follow behind him. At least that way he would be able to keep an eye on him.

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Krillin was locked in thought. The horrid sounds of torment and the bitter taste of destruction that hung in the air were pushed to the back of his consciousness as he pondered. During the first few minutes of his journey from the lab, he had fretted constantly about whether or not he and King Vegeta would be followed by Zarbon and Dodoria. He had sought to comfort himself by dwelling on the fact that both had been very much immobilised by his own efforts and those of his travelling companion, but his mind had remained preoccupied by the chilling discovery that the two evil fighters had developed a way to mask their energy signals. Over and over, Krillin would peer nervously over his shoulder for any sign of the pair, as he knew he would not be able to sense them even at close range.

Zarbon and Dodoria never appeared, however, and it had been further few minutes before Krillin had managed to deduce why. It was almost certain that upon recovering from their respective ordeals they would have remained at the Tech Lab long enough to destroy it. It was only logical that they would destroy the source of any possible replacement before they sought to acquire the seal once more. This made Krillin's tiny cargo all the more precious, and the fate of Other-world all the more uncertain.

Also, Krillin could not help but spare a thought for the unfortunate band of demons that worked at the lab. It had been he who had brought this fate upon them, in both his involvement with the seal and in his past dealings with Zarbon and Dodoria. But Krillin quelled his guilt, for as long as he had the seal he would have the chance to right his follies.

Krillin disembarked his train of thought, and cast a glance up at King Vegeta. He had done this on several occasions since they had left the lab and now, as before, he found that Vegeta seemed on edge. The Saiyan's gaze was darting feverishly around the landscape, apparently scouring it for any imminent danger. His fingers ground against his palms within his tightly clenched fists, betraying his anxiety. Each time Krillin had hazarded a look at Vegeta, he appeared to have become yet more tense.

On occasion, Krillin would catch Vegeta as he stole a glance at him, or more accurately, the seal. Though the artefact was well hidden from the monarch's view, it seemed as though his razor sharp eyes were cutting straight through Krillin to reach the object of his concern. This unsettled the fighter, who would flinch and quickly break eye contact with Vegeta. He could sense that something was building within the king, something with which he would soon be confronted.

Krillin's heart skipped a beat as he sensed a sudden spike in King Vegeta's ki. This heralded an increase in speed of flight of the Saiyan who quickly overtook the Earthman, his course taking him directly into Krillin's path. Vegeta then turned to face the fighter.

Krillin could feel his body becoming heavy with dread as the imposing form of King Vegeta settled into a position that blocked his way. Slowing down gradually, he prepared himself for the confrontation he had hoped would not occur ever since he had convinced a sceptical King Yemma to allow King Vegeta to accompany him on his mission.

Oh man, I hope he's just stopping for a breather; he thought nervously to himself.

But Krillin knew what was really afoot. Sure enough, Vegeta thrust out an expectantly open hand and commanded,

"Hand over the seal."

Krillin's worst fears were being realised. He began to feel queasy as it dawned on him that in putting his trust in King Vegeta, he might have made the mistake that would cost countless innocents their immortal souls. There was no way he would be able to keep the seal from the Saiyan if he chose to come and take it. But he had to try. If nothing else it was his responsibility, as had been King Vegeta.

"I said, give me the seal!" Vegeta reiterated, his patience rapidly degrading.

Swallowing hard, Krillin gave his defiant reply,

"Why should I?"

Vegeta's eyes widened at this. He seemed surprised that anyone would dare defy him in such a way. His eyebrows then furrowed as his chagrin at this act of insubordination came to the fore.

"Do not test me, little one." He snarled, "Give me the seal."

Krillin had to fight with every ounce of his remaining strength just to force a single, tiny word past his tensed jaw,

"No."

"I must have the seal, Damn you!" was Vegeta's chillingly pertinent response, "It will be safer with me."

Krillin was not having any of it. He would not surrender the seal. The stakes were just too high.

"I can look after it just fine." Krillin stated, trying to quell the anxious waver in his voice.

He then raised his right hand and placed it over the seal, which lay concealed beneath his tunic. This elicited a growl of frustration from Vegeta.

"There is no time for this foolishness!" Vegeta barked, "I demand that you give me the seal!"

King Vegeta's power level was climbing with each angry word, a detail that had not gone unnoticed by Krillin. But the fighter remained composed.

"I'm not giving you the seal." He reiterated, "I'm the one who volunteered for this mission, it's my responsibility. And besides. . . how do I know I can trust you?"

"What?" snarled Vegeta.

"You heard me." Krillin replied, "I don't trust you."

This stark reply was indicative of Krillin's growing confidence. He could see a parallel developing between this exchange and that between Vegeta and Zarbon back at the lab, and unless he had gravely missed his guess, he would be able to push the Saiyan a lot further than would normally be possible.

"You would doubt my word?" Vegeta asked in a voice loaded with quiet outrage.

"Well, why shouldn't I?" Krillin asked in return, "I mean, you just show up out of nowhere and start giving orders and asking for people to trust without any explanations or even a please or a thank you. As a matter of fact, it seems to me that the only thing you're interested in is getting your mite on the seal."

"And what of it?" Vegeta said, making no effort to deny the accusation, "My reasons are mine and mine alone. I have never had to explain myself to anyone before, and I am not about to start now. Now stop wasting my time and give me the seal."

"I told you, no." Krillin defied the will of the king once more.

He could still sense Vegeta's power rising, but he could not stand down now. Not when he was sure he was close to exposing Vegeta's motives.

"I don't know what you'd do with it." He continued, "For all I know you might want to destroy it."

"Do not be absurd!" Vegeta roared, "Did you not see me defend the seal with your own eyes! You insult me with your ridiculous accusations!"

This defence did not cut it with Krillin.

"All I saw was you freaking out on Zarbon because he dissed your kid." Krillin said, "And so what if you were defending the seal? Maybe you just want it for yourself as part of some cockamamie scheme to take over this dimension. I know all about you Saiyans and conquering stuff."

Vegeta was furious, and his energy was boiling over accordingly. Gradually a hazy white aura began to envelope the Saiyan, almost appearing to happen without his knowledge. The steadily intensifying glow was serving as a warning to Krillin that Vegeta was reaching his maximum tolerance, but the fighter was intent on persisting with his defiance. He meant everything he had said, and he wasn't going to surrender the seal to anyone but King Yemma.

Suddenly, the gentle aura ignited into a brilliant inferno as King Vegeta seized control of his mighty ki. With his eyes blazing with a fury to match that of his own formidable power, Vegeta began to issue an ominous warning.

"Give me the seal, or so help me . . ."

"Or what?" Krillin cut him off, "Or you'll kill me? News flash, buddy, I'm already dead!"

Vegeta did not retort. Rather, his reply came in the form of low growl that steadily rose in volume as he initiated his final climb to full power. The blaze that had engulfed him began to writhe and pulse with an ever- increasing vigour, kicking up a strong breeze as it did. The breeze quickly evolved into a powerful wind, and from there became a howling gale, which whipped and curled around the Saiyan. Above him, the thick clouds of dust and smoke that had accumulated in the skies began to twist and swirl. Slowly, the smog began to part as it was rended by the violent air currents, appearing to stand aside as a gesture of respect for the astounding power that was being unleashed below.

Krillin squinted as his eyes were assaulted by a hale of uprooted grass stems. King Vegeta was nearing the plateau of his incredible power, and Krillin fought to avoid sensing the extent of the Saiyans ki for fear of what he would find.

Why do I keep doing this; He asked of himself.

But he was still not going to back down. He had one trump card left, and it appeared that the time was fast approaching for it to be played.

Vegeta, shrouded in light and beset by a spiralling swarm of debris, was poising himself for an attack. Turning himself sideways on to Krillin, he drew back an open hand and began pour energy into the cup of its exposed palm.

"Give me the seal!" he roared over the maelstrom of his own power, "I will not warn you again!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Krillin said, dropping his hand from over the seal, "You wouldn't want to destroy the seal."

Vegeta stared at Krillin, his face unchanged. The Saiyan remained an all to intimate portrait of anger, but he did not attack.

Krillin stared anxiously into the eyes of his one time ally, occasionally deviating to the horrifying reservoir of ki energy that had accumulated in the Saiyan's right hand. The precariousness of the situation was more than the Earthman could bear. Something had to give.

"Well, are you gonna attack or not?" Krillin blurted out, most probably having intended only to think this rather than say it.

Before Krillin could curse his fraught nerves, Vegeta cried out in anger, and twisted his torso in readiness to unleash his wrath.

In a panic induced knee-jerk, Krillin shouted,

"No, Vegeta, don't! You'll destroy the seal!"

These words seemed to bind Vegeta as he froze on the very cusp of attack.

Krillin's eyes were as wide as they could be. The fighter was frozen like a startled animal caught in the sights of predator. The fact was, he didn't know whether or not the seal could be destroyed by such an attack, but as of that moment, that speculation was all that was standing between him and the beating of his after-life. Feeling inclined to reinforce his point he suppressed his fear and continued,

"I've seen one of these things break before. They're not as strong as they look."

Vegeta held his aggressive stance, but his ki was beginning to wane. Once again, the king's battered pride was proving his weakness as he failed to quell the challenge of a far weaker fighter. His body still burned with energy, but the fury that fuelled the flames was beginning to wilt. Above, the exposed patch of pink sky was slowly consumed once more as the gap in dull brown smog began to close, shrinking along with Vegeta's energy signal.

King Vegeta was holding the same threatening pose in defiance of his weakening ki, but his expression of rage was beginning waver. Going back on his previous pledge, he spoke.

"I must have the seal. . . please." he rasped.

Krillin did not reply. Nor could he. The fighter had been struck dumb by this incredible change in Vegeta's attitude. It seemed that his pride had finally reached its end. So defeated was he, that he had been reduced to begging favour from a lesser being.

Pity overtook Krillin, and he resolved that such a softening of Vegeta's position warranted no less in return. And what was more, he was now in the perfect position to get what he had wanted since he had stood up for the Saiyan in King Yemma's office.

"If you want this seal," he said, "then you have to tell me why you want it so bad."

The words drifted through the lukewarm air and dissipated in the gentle breeze. Krillin watched and listened intently for any sign of a response from Vegeta. Gradually, a soft growl became audible. It held a steady volume for some seconds as Vegeta, his eyes now gazing introspectively to the distant horizon, debated with himself the offer that had been tabled. Krillin too emitted a gentle rumble as he anxiously awaited a reply.

Suddenly, Vegeta's eyes became locked upon Krillin once more. The growl escalated into a roar as Vegeta voiced his frustration like a caged animal growing weary of testing the boundaries of its prison. He then raised his right hand aloft, thrusting the still glowing orb of ki energy upwards along with it.

Krillin's pulse began to race, and every one of his muscles became rigidly tense. He felt sure that he had provoked Vegeta into an attack. Cursing his arrogant overconfidence in his own judgement of character, Krillin braced himself as best he could for what was to come.

Vegeta's energy surged once more, but rather than unleash it in a devastating assault, the Saiyan grasped tightly the energy in his hand. Krillin looked on perplexed as Vegeta crushed the tiny star harder and harder, causing it to glow ever more intensely as it entered into its death throes. Then, with a thunderous roar worthy of a true nova, the orb collapsed under the pressure and spewed out its contents in a brilliant starburst of heat and light.

Krillin shielded his eyes as, for an instant, he was washed over by the wave of power. The shockwave was short-lived, however, and an uneasy calm was soon restored to the tormented meadows.

Krillin looked upon King Vegeta once more. The Saiyan was hanging motionless in the air with his back semi-turned to the fighter. His hands lay limp and open at his sides, and his head turned away fully. Another thing that Krillin noticed was Vegeta's intrinsic power, the energy outputted by all beings regardless of whether they have 'powered up', was almost undetectable. It was not that his power had shrunk. Not by any means. Rather, it was as if his spirit was distant, existing somewhere far away in another place, perhaps even another time.

"So, you wish to know why I would help restore this world?" said Vegeta.

Krillin allowed his words a couple of seconds to sink in before replying,

"That's all I ask."

Vegeta took a loud breath.

"It began many years ago, I am not certain exactly how many, when my people made a. . . I made a pact with a creature known as Frieza. Before that time, my people had ruled our world, having wiped out all resistance to our supremacy. But our technology was limited, and with no adversaries to fight we had found our warrior spirit was stagnating."

"And Frieza offered you a way of your world." Krillin interjected.

"When Frieza came," Vegeta continued without acknowledging Krillin's input, "offering a way for the Saiyan race to satiate its warrior instincts throughout the unfathomable depths of space, it was too tempting an offer to be refused. In exchange, we would wipe out species and hand their worlds over to Frieza. It seemed like a small price to pay, as all we desired was destruction. Acquisition of worlds meant little to us. But as time went on, Frieza's demands upon us became ever more extreme. He took sole command of our armies, imposed limits on the number of Saiyans that could travel together off-world, he even began to take the strongest of our children for 'special training'. At first we tried to resist, but in response Frieza threatened to strip us of the space faring technologies that he had granted us. We found we could not let such treasures go. Galactic conquest had become like a drug to us, and we could not bear to have such freedom taken away. And so, when the day came for my own son to be taken for induction into Frieza's special forces, I did not resist. But my compliance was short lived. The young Prince Vegeta was the only heir to the Great Throne of Vegeta. He could not be allowed to spend his life in the service of Frieza as he was needed on our own world. And so, my forces and I moved against Frieza. In a single move, we intended to destroy his army based on Vegeta and seize his ships. A move that was intended to be crowned by my own glorious victory over Frieza in hand-to-hand combat."

Vegeta paused, taking another slow, deliberate breath.

"I was defeated easily." He said, ruefully, "I was sent to the next world, with my whole race in toe, but for my son. Frieza kept my son for his own vile purposes."

Vegeta then cast a single eye over his shoulder to Krillin.

"You must understand that, as a Saiyan, my son was brought up amid a culture of destruction. His heart was not pure; it never stood a chance of becoming so. But destruction was what came naturally to us. We knew no better. We were like cruel children delighting in the torment of insects. But Frieza was different. The horror he wrought was calculated and coolly deliberate. He revelled in destruction, delighting in it and benefiting from it in every manner imaginable. There were times when his atrocities sickened even me. And this is the monster to which I have bequeathed my son. In his hands, there is no telling what kind of twisted creature the Prince has become."

Krillin listened with deep fascination to this old story told from a new perspective. It was clear that King Vegeta had spent his years in the pit assessing his past mistakes and wallowing in his own personal hell, trapped forever in an inferno of guilt and regret.

Vegeta went on,

"Then, some time ago, certain rumblings began to drift through the darkness. There were whispers that the Prince of Saiyans had arrived, but had then departed just as quickly. At first I was not sure what it meant. For a time, I thought I had been granted the blessing of madness. But then, there was also the possibility that the rumours were true, and that my son had been granted a second chance at life. This is why I have chosen to help return the damned to hell. While my son lives, there is a chance that he may redeem himself, and be spared the eternal horrors unto which I condemned both my people and myself when I struck a deal with the devil Frieza. But if paradise is consumed by the underworld, then redemption will mean nothing, and my son will be damned regardless."

And so, Krillin had his answer. He was doing it for his son. He was willing to return himself to hell, along with countless other souls, in order to maintain a chance of eternal peace for a single soul who may well already be beyond redemption. The fate of all Other-World rested upon the love of a father for his son. Slowly, the hope that had all but deserted Krillin began to rally once more.

"So now you know." Vegeta said, "If you choose to believe me, then that is your prerogative, and so too if you do not. You may keep the seal if you so desire, it is of know concern to me."

Krillin knew that those last words were not true. And as he watched Vegeta turn away and slowly and dejectedly begin to move off, he pondered his next course of action. When he had asked Vegeta to divulge his motive, he had not expected to receive anything more than some angry posturing followed by a reluctant backing-down, as he had seen before. But now that he had heard the full story, Krillin found that he was being forced to reconsider his position. He did not want to trust Vegeta. It just didn't seem wise. But the story that had been told with such bitter emotion was weighing ever more heavily on Krillin's conscience. The sacrifice that Vegeta claimed to be willing to make for his son was awe-inspiring. And what made it all the more convincing was that as Krillin thought about it, he realised that, if put in King Vegeta's position, he would do the same.

Krillin reached into his tunic and extracted the seal. Allowing it to rest exposed on the palm of his hand, he stared into its lifeless eyes and recalled the last words he had heard from Yemma as he had departed his office.

"I hope not, King Yemma." He muttered, "For all our sakes."

Krillin then looked up at the receding King Vegeta, and sucked in a lung- full of muggy air.

"King Vegeta!" he yelled after the Saiyan.

Vegeta stopped, and looked back over his shoulder.

"I think this will be safer with you." Said Krillin.

Lifting the chain over his neck, he took one last look at the seal, and then pitched it as hard as he could at King Vegeta.

The little gold trinket hurtled through the air like a glistening comet, its chain trailing it as a shimmering tail. Even as its true form was lost to Krillin as it grew ever more distant, its auric glow continued to draw out its trajectory.

As the seal reached him, Vegeta raised an open hand and allowed the seal to strike his palm. He then clasped his fingers around it tightly, and brought his closed fist before him. Opening his hand once more, he examined the contents.

Krillin looked on anxiously as he awaited King Vegeta's reaction. He was certain that what happened next would make or break his quest.

Please don't laugh evilly. Please don't laugh evilly. Please don't laugh evilly; Krillin begged of Vegeta in his mind.

Vegeta looked over the seal for several seconds before finally looking up at Krillin. From that range, the Earthman could barely make out the subtle response of the Saiyan. However, he was certain that it was a nod of gratitude.

Krillin breathed a deep sigh of relief. It was only then that he realised just how fatigued the occurrences of the past few minute had left him. Exhausted from his frank exchange with Vegeta, he chose to watch for a few seconds as his travelling companion began to move away once more.

After a few moments, Vegeta paused, causing Krillin to frown quizzically and slightly worriedly. The saiyan stared at Krillin for some time before the fighter's tired mind reached its conclusion. Vegeta wanted Krillin to follow him.

Krillin smiled to himself. It seemed that, to some extent at least, he had finally earned some respect from King Vegeta. With his heart fuelled by a renewed hope, Krillin set off for King Yemma's office once more.

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Note II: The Revenge: The recap of the events that led to the destruction of the planet Vegeta were based directly on those described in the show. As such, I take no credit for that part of the story.

No cliffhanger this time.