Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ Beginning ❯ Revelations ( Chapter 8 )

Revelations

I lay there thinking, pondering, turning the same things over and over in my mind. Why am I being summoned to the royal palace? Why does the king want to punish me? I know, Marduku has said that the punishment is only to hide the king's curiosity, but should I believe that? I mean, why can't the king admit freely to why he wants to see me? Is that some twisted extension of the 'Saiyan honor code' Marduku has tried to teach me? Is admitting also supposed to be a weakness, just like caring about others?

I am afraid of what is going to happen in the palace. I know, a warrior should be able to bear some punishment, but the word alone almost scares me out of my mind. It has something to do with the dark recess in the back of my brain, the one that can't be opened. My reactions to that dreaded word are uncontrollable from my side, my body does whatever it wants to. All my muscles tense up, my whole frame becomes rigid, I can't breathe properly any more, and my throat is constricting, making me gag and choke. Cold sweat breaks out all over my skin, and I feel hot and nauseous. My brain starts shutting off, and all my fear is turned towards the person that has uttered the word.

Surprisingly, this reaction is over almost immediately, and then followed by a strange submissiveness, like yesterday. General Marduku could have done with me whatever he wanted, and I would have gladly accepted it. I didn't put up any resistance to him guiding me away, and thinking back, it wasn't because I trusted General Marduku. It was because of that curious reaction following the sentence "I will punish you". That is the most scary thing. Just the right words will trigger reactions I can't control. I snort. An enemy could render me useless without fighting me, just by saying some words.

When I am in that submissive state, my conscious will is frozen, and it is infinitely hard to shake the paralysis off on my own. I would even look forward to being beaten senseless, perhaps because of some masochistic tendencies, perhaps because of something else. I don't know, but I am certain the answer lies within that enclosed space in my mind.

The person that had retreated behind that barrier has left me nothing else than countless dangerous reflexes, no memories and no reason. I should be angry at the other me now, but I can't. This haunting nightmare shows only a few minutes of his life, and it contains more horror than I can stomach.

I feel pity for that tormented soul that has hidden itself deep within me, but I don't think, I would survive it if we were reunited. His memories, if they are as violent as those few I have seen, would destroy me just like they have destroyed him, and it is good that he has closed himself away. Otherwise we both might run around broken, haunted, and scarred for eternity.

Just looking at all the scars on my body, I know that remembering their history would drive me probably insane, they are so great in number and so would be the painful memories. It is good that the other me has gone, and I am willing to live with the few reflexes he has left me as long as I don't have to remember. Remembering would be deadly.

Through the tall windows, I can see that the sky is turning lighter from a pitch-black to a very dark purple. That means that the sun has almost risen over the horizon. My windows are facing to the west, so they are the last ones to reveal the oncoming morning. I should better get ready, Marduku said he was going to fetch me at the crack of dawn.

I just wonder why he hasn't already paid me a visit. I can clearly feel his presence pacing back and force a few floors above me, right in Rabishu-sama's kitchen. The Ueisutodamupu-jin is also there, probably making breakfast. I wonder what they are talking about, but I know that it is very impolite to listen to thoughts of others. Additionally, Rabishu-sama has put up so many 'Keep Away'-shields around their minds that only somebody with absolutely no telepathic powers could overlook them.

Quickly, I wash my face with a handful of icy water that comes out of the only faucet on the first floor. It smells a little bit like the sand from the Crimson desert, but not so strong that it would make me gag. I return to my room and fold the blankets I have slept under neatly and lay them at the bottom of the couch like I do every morning. I slip in my armor that is lying besides my make-shift bed, and leisurely pace towards the entrance hall to wait for General Marduku.

A few minutes later, he appears with a scowl set on his face, waves for me to follow him, and then disappears quickly through the front door. Running after the pissed general, I strain to keep up with him, and soon, we are flying at top speed towards the rising sun. I admire the colorful spectacle that is playing at the horizon, the different hues of dark blue, purple, green and cyan, so magnificent colors that I can never have enough.

When General Marduku suddenly looses altitude, I would have almost lost him because I haven't paid attention to where we were going. We are over the same town again where I have had my chip implanted. No wonder the houses all looked so regal; after all, it is the city with the royal palace.

The marble-covered houses build an ocean of purple, green, and blue reflexes, and the streets wind through them like rivers of molten onyx. The sun has already started showing her pale blue head over the endless line of neither earth nor sky, and a cool breeze is playing with my hair. Everything is so quiet up here, only the whistling of the wind and the occasional tweet of a bird. I am not really sure if I am even awake.

We touch down in front of the most magnificent of all houses, a giant mansion that looks fit for a king. Guards that have a steady frown on their faces flank the huge blue portal which is decorated with the royal seal in crimson red. General Marduku halts in front of them and puts his right fist over his heart, right under the sign for Elite soldier. The guards bow and open the door, and we are allowed to enter. Behind us, the door slams shut with a loud clang, bringing me a feeling of doom.

It takes only a short time to get used to the dim light inside, and I can see countless warriors and servants hustle around, all of them Saiya-jin. Marduku is guiding me through several hallways, many of them decorated with pictures of former kings. They all have the characteristic widow's peak and the flame-like hair that is pointing straight up; and they all scowl at whoever is looking at them. The Saiyan history seems to be quite a long one, because so far, no picture has repeated itself, and we must have passed at least 50 of them.

Finally, we arrive at what I think a throne room. On a slightly elevated part of the floor, there is the silhouette of a big throne outlined against the blue sunrays that fall through the window right behind the throne, lining it in a bright corona. Squinting my eyes that are starting to water, I see the General kneel on the floor with one leg, one fist over his heart, the other one to support him on the ground. Imitating his form, I also sink down quite uncomfortably, dropping on one knee. After a small eternity, I hear a sharp "Rise" from behind us.

We silently get up, and Marduku flinches a little bit, but I have detected the big kis early on. The king hadn't been on the throne at all, he had just entered silently from a door that probably leads to his quarters. Right behind him, an annoyed prince is following, mumbling some incoherent things about baka nannies.

The king and his son walk around us, facing us with the morning sun in their backs. I am lucky that the king is standing right in front of me, so his tall shadow keeps me from squinting against the bright light. I can feel his burning stare on me, and I dare not look up to the hot gaze. He seems to be in some inner turmoil, but nothing shows through his icy exterior.

"General Marduku!"

His voice hasn't lost any of its previous hardness and sharp tone, and it takes a lot of my willpower to not flinch at its harshness. He continues without waiting for the general to answer, giving instructions like somebody who has been used to commanding people for years.

"You are going to teach my son in the finer arts of war. I expect you to give a report on his progress every ten-day, and if I am convinced you go too easy on him, you will face the consequences. Understood?"

Marduku pounds his right fist on the chest plate and shouts:

"Yes, Sir!"

Then he turns around and leaves the room, the prince trailing a few feet behind. The door closes behind them, leaving me alone together with the king. I know that the king can hardly harm me physically, but his stern presence is very intimidating. He circles me like a vulture waiting for me to drop dead on the floor.

"Why have you diverted the moth blast?"

His question is chilling, hiding a dangerous edge, and he is stalking me like a predator. I try to keep my voice steady and free of emotion, but I am not sure to what extent I succeed.

"The warrior's behavior was not acceptable, and I didn't want General Marduku to die a death brought on by dishonorable actions."

The king only nods at my answer and continues his stalking.

"Do you care for General Marduku?"

"He has saved me from certain death, so I owe him a life."

I hope this answer satisfies the king, but it is the best I could come up with in the short time.

"How old are you?"

This question really surprises me. What does my age have to do with the whole mess I am in? Shrugging my shoulders, I answer

"I don't know, Sire, General Marduku has found me in the Crimson Desert a ten-day ago, and I don't have any memories of the time before. I guess I am eleven or twelve."

That seems to surprise the king, I guess he didn't expect such a statement. He has stopped dead in his tracks, right behind me. I can feel his dark presence looming over me, and I have to force myself to stay calm and composed. A foreboding sense of uneasiness rests on my shoulders as the smooth but cold voice breathes down my neck.

"So you have lost your memories, huh? You are probably from off-world, too. Do you know our customs and our honor-code?"

I don't exactly know what to think of the king. His voice sounds harsh and icy, but his words are almost friendly. I know too little about Saiyan culture to decipher his antics; after all, the only two Saiya-jin I have met closer are the one who has comforted me after the healing tank, and General Marduku. I can feel that I am treading on dangerous ground, but I can't even see where the path ends and where the abyss begins, so I have to carefully feel my way around.

"General Marduku has been trying to teach me the Saiyan ways, but I have not quite understood them yet. I apologize if I have broken a rule."

The king only shakes his head - I don't know why. Have I said something wrong again?

"Saiya-jin are warriors, and warriors don't apologize. They take what is theirs and don't care about others. You must have been raised by a very weak race to have such useless morals, but at least you can fight. What is your power level?"

I quickly decide that I won't tell him about the incident with the broken scouter or that I can sense ki; he probably won't like the idea that I am much stronger than him. In fact, I think I am the strongest on the whole planet, but it wouldn't be wise to run around telling that to everybody.

"I don't know, Sire, I have not been registered yet."

His eyebrows furrow in dismay, his cold glare becomes impenetrable.

"And why not?"

Swallowing hard, I answer truthfully.

"General Marduku has taken me to a Registration office, and the Ueisutodamupu-jin there said that I have a part of my personality closed away. He has tried to break through the barriers several times, but he has never succeeded so far, so he hasn't been allowed to register me yet."

The king nods gravely, a strange glint in his eyes that I decidedly don't like. It is as if he was making future plans for me and they probably do not contain my well-being.

"Very well. Your punishment will be to fight ten Elites at the same time. If you should happen to defeat all of them, I will arrange a meeting of twelve Elders. They can surely break through the barrier in your mind. If you are beaten by the Elites, you are going to be branded a slave and sold off. Understood?"

I am completely shocked. Surely he can't be serious in selling me off to some slave traders? And the other option, having the wall removed, isn't much better. I am practically stuck between a rock and a hard place. What am I supposed to do? In a daze, I nod and let the king guide me to the sparring grounds. How the hell did I get myself in this mess?

-----<<<<<>>>>>-----

The prince was not as strong as Bardoku, but Marduku still had to struggle to keep up with the youngster. What surprised Marduku the most though was the fact that he wasn't beaten into the ground immediately by the prince. The practice with the kid had given him a large repetoir of techniques, and with those he could almost keep Prince Vegeta in check.

They had been sparring for about four hours when some commotion ensued at the entrance to the sparring grounds. When he looked over to the door, he could see the king and Bardoku walk in together with a few Elites. Everybody stopped what they were doing and bowed to the king, even his own son.

Then the king explained the situation and asked for some more warriors to compete in the fight. From experience Marduku knew that the kid was good, but this had to be the ultimate test. Never hesitating, he entered against the kid, telling the prince to watch the fight closely. Prince Vegeta snorted, but he didn't turn away.

Clearing the place from all other fighters, they lined up facing the boy who had a disturbed expression on his face. Then, the king gave the sign to start the fight. Some Elites were very eager to beat the kid and rushed forwards to engage into battle, the others followed suit immediately behind. Only Marduku took his time to fly up into the air and prepare a large energy blast.

The boy seemed to cope with the assault quite well, he nimbly evaded punches and kicks, and each and every one of his strikes did enough damage to send a fighter crashing down to the floor. Soon, the nine fighters were lying on the floor, unconscious. Then, Bardoku lifted all of his attention up to Marduku who was still gathering energy. The boy smirked and put his hands to his right side, forming a bowl with his palms. His clear voice filled the room.

"Kaaa - meeeeh - haaaaah - meeeeh - "

A bright blue ball had formed between his fingers, and Marduku grew nervous. He had never seen so much energy in one spot, but he dared not to hesitate.

"SILENT TWISTER!"

"HAAAAAAH!"

With a scream, both attacks were released at the same time, clashing together in a huge boom. Marduku continued to pump more energy into his purple beam, but the boy's attack never retreated. Instead, the odds were slowly turning in favor of the kid as his blue attack gradually was pushing Marduku's Silent Twister back. Just before the General was burned though, Bardoku cut the energy flow and let the attack hit him.

A huge explosion was heard, and a cloud of dust was blown from the floor. Marduku was still hovering in the air, waiting for the results to show. When the cloud settled down, the brat was revealed standing there completely unharmed, only his spandex was slightly singed. Then, the kid disappeared, and Marduku felt a hard hand hitting him in the neck. Before he had time to think, he was unconscious and fell to the ground.

The king stepped over the fallen warriors and nodded.

"Very well, brat, I will call the twelve Elders. Be here tomorrow at sunrise. You are dismissed."

-----<<<<<>>>>>-----

We have settled in a big meditation room in the palace. Long white curtains decorate the walls, and a deep red plush carpet covers the floor. It is quite airy because on two sides, there are huge windows without glass in them which lets the wind blow through from one side to the other. The twelve Elders sit down in a circle together with Rabishu-sama; and I am in their middle. They all are Ueisutodamupu-jin, but none of them has a skin as light as Rabishu-sama. Many are colored a navy blue, and some are even as dark as midnight blue, and all of them wear scarlet red robes.

The have introduced themselves to me, but I can't remember most of the names, only some. Gaabichu, the head of the telepathic circle, does all the talking.

"So you are the chibi Rabishu has told us about."

I feel anxious being the focus of the circle of thirteen pairs of eyes. They all broadcast an air of friendliness and curiosity, but I am still nervous. I don't like the thought of what is coming: thirteen powerful telepaths invading my most private corners. I don't mind Rabishu-sama's presence, but I'm not sure yet if I can trust the others. I will have to decide that soon, though, because trust will be a huge factor.

I'm not sure if it is possible for me to let them open the retreat, if I can handle it. I know that I have to do this to be accepted into the Saiyan society, but that doesn't mean that I am comfortable with it. All the previous attempts have failed, and perhaps there is a good reason why they were unsuccessful. This secluded chamber in my head still spawns horrible nightmares that disturb my sleep, and those dreams are only hinting at what is hidden behind the barrier.

"Lower your mental defenses."

Choking my fear at its roots, I spontaneously decide to trust the Elders, and I am going to comply with their orders.

I draw in a deep breath, hold it for a while, and then exhale slowly. I repeat this exercise a few times until I am calm enough, then I close my eyes and picture the stone wall surrounding my thoughts. Focusing, I let it disappear to reveal my inner core, consisting of molten fire, to the thirteen members of the circle. Now, Rabishu-sama is taking the lead because he knows me best. He also effuses a calming aura and I feel safely protected by him. He tells one of the circle to guide me into a very deep trace so that my resistance will be lessened.

A light is floating closer to me and a pair of red eyes appear in midst of the bright glow. The eyes are drawing me towards their pupil-less center, calling me, beckoning me to give them my full attention. I let myself be caught because Rabishu-sama has told me that this will make everything easier - for them and for me. The crimson glare is becoming the center of my awareness, holding me, making the surrounding environment unimportant. Only the scarlet, almond-shaped eyes exist and they demand all of my attention, making me loose all orientation and all sense of time.

I don't know how many seconds, minutes, or even hours have passed, but suddenly some indistinguishable feeling is nagging at the back of my head, disturbing the peace I have found within the blazing red, gentle eyes. As if sensing my troubles, the attraction of the scarlet stare increases until it has caught me yet again in a web of soothing, timeless, mindless numbness.

But apparently the crimson eyes are either weakening or the disturbance is becoming stronger because the nagging feeling in the back of my mind has increased to a dull, pounding headache. The red glare is starting to loose its magic, and my awareness of what is going on around me is returning.

My first impression is that many lights are trying to burn a deep darkness within me away. Something in that darkness is calling for me, begging me to protect it from the lights, begging me to keep its secrets hidden. The harder the lights are burning the worse my headache gets, and the more desperate the pleading from the darkness becomes. I have to get the lights away, but I can't move, something is holding me back, something strong, something I become afraid of.

Struggling vainly against my bonds, I feel the pain getting worse and panic is starting to seep into my heart. These lights are trying to destroy the blackness and free whatever horror had been caught in it. My other personality. All the horrible nightmares that haunt me even during the day. No, I don't want to have those memories back; I don't want to share my body with anybody I don't even remotely know.

Ah, that's not quite right. I do know something about him. He was a warrior, a superb fighter, but he had been tortured for a very long time. He has almost gone insane. I don't want to go insane, too. I don't want to know what made him retreat. I don't think I could survive it. Please stop!

But the lights are burning, burning, burning, searing into the darkness, and I can't move. Stop it! Leave me alone! Let me go! I have changed my mind! I don't trust you any more, and I want you to get out of my brain!!!

Suddenly, a vision appears in front of my eyes, a well-known vision. A bloodied and bruised body is hanging in shackles from the ceiling. He is slowly loosing his life as the blood is trickling down his limbs and collecting in a dark pool beneath his dangling feet. But this time, something is different. I can't recognize what it is, though, and it scares me deeply.

His chin is resting on his collarbone, his breath comes in shallow gasps, his eyes are unfocused. And all the time, the crimson liquid is trickling, dropping, collecting on the floor. The uneasy feeling is growing, and I want to get away before something terrible happens, but I can't. I am tied to this place, and I can't move a muscle; I am forced to watch him bleed and suffer. With horror in my eyes, I look over his limp form again and again, and my fear is growing.

Suddenly, I know what is wrong. It is nothing that is visible, I can just feel it deep down in my heart. This is not the life- and mindless body I have encountered in so many dreams before. His head is twitching slightly, and I hold my breath. What is going to happen?

With a terrible exertion, he gradually raises his head until his deep black eyes catch mine. Only a tiny spark that is hidden beneath all of the pain tells me that he has not given up on life just yet. His eyes are so dull and dreary, filled with unfathomable suffering that does not only originate from his broken body.

His horrific gaze is drilling right into my soul, leaving a burning hole behind that is aching, telling me to get away from him before he injures me even more. But I am held tightly in place, forced to watch him, forced to bear his inhuman stare.

Please let me go, I don't like it here. He is scary with his blood-flecked skin and the deep gashes, and I don't want to know what hurt him this way!

But nobody listens to my pleading, not the one who is holding me, nor him. I don't even think he can actually see me; I seem to be an invisible spectator, destined to watch the events unfolding without any chance to change them. I give out a desperate sob that I can't control, and look his terrible injuries over and over again.

A door hidden in shadows is opening to reveal a tall woman. She is clad in red leather with a golden half moon emblazoned between her breasts, and a short crimson rod is dangling on a small golden chain from her wrist. Her long blond hair is strictly braided in a tight plait that is hanging down her back, accentuating her finely chiseled features. Her skin is scarred badly, too, just like mine; but those cold, emotionless icy blue eyes send shivers of recognition running up and down my spine.

This is the girl/woman from the other part of my dreams. She is the one who had been tortured by/was torturing some unrecognizable males. And she is the one who popped into my mind when Rabishu-sama had done the registration. Every fiber of my body can feel the danger that is flowing from her in waves, and all I want to do is to hide from her so that I don't have to watch what is going to happen next.

Something has clicked in my mind, and I know that she was the one who had forced my other self to shut his mind off. Please don't make me watch them, I can't bear it!But you can't always run away ...

I know I can't, but it is just too much and too painful.

Frozen in my spot, I watch in horror how the woman is hurting him. A touch of the rod makes him flinch, and it seems that she loves to stab him right into his open wounds. So far, he hasn't screamed yet, but he is trembling from the agony inflicted on him. The crimson flow is turning a more vibrant hue, and it is trickling faster whenever she opens an old wound or creates new ones.

His expression has morphed into one of utter pain and utter agony, and his huge black eyes are windows to his soul through which the burning hell he is suffering, is screaming through. Please stop it, can't you see how hurt he is? He doesn't deserve this! How can you be so cruel?

Tears are welling forth into my wide eyes, I want to protect him, but I can't. Somebody is still holding me, and I fight my restraints with all I have, but they are just too strong. My muscles, or whatever I am using, are hurting, my lungs are burning; however, I don't make any progress. In front of me, I can hear his harsh, pained breathing which is accompanied by a strange wheezing sound.

I realize that the wheezing noise is his suppressed screams, and I redouble my efforts of getting rid of my restraints, not caring about my pained muscles. I am fighting for all I am worth, but I accomplish nothing. Why do you have to do this to him? Hasn't he already suffered enough?

The pained grunts are starting to turn into screams, and every scream is stabbing deep into my heart, awakening fear and ... anger.

His eyes are still locked with mine, and I can see all rational thought has left him, he is caught in an endless void of pain. But the gentleness has not left his contorted features, he doesn't seem to harbor any grudge against the woman. He rather seems to stay with her willingly, because I can see no attempts to escape her. He should easily be strong enough to snap the shackles, even in his weakened state.

Then I recognize a strange ring around his neck. It looks like the collar of a dog, and I haven't noticed it before because it is the same color as the blood that is running down his whole body. And the same color as the girl/woman is wearing. A crimson red that brings forth bad memories.

Some knowledge that is popping up in my head tells me that this is to control his ki. So he can't access his strength, even if he wants to. My anger and my rage at that inhuman treatment are growing so fast that I am consumed in a sea of blazing red hatred. I don't even hear my labored breathing, and I am completely surprised when I am suddenly free. With an animalistic roar from deep within my soul, I jump at the woman in red.

She must have heard me, because she is turning around in slow-motion. But I am too fast, I come down and I tackle her, careful to not let her touch me with the rod … her Agiel. She is not all that tough, because she is immediately crushed beneath my body. Making sure that she is knocked out, I approach the other me carefully.

He is limply hanging from the ceiling, bleeding, moaning in pain. Quickly, I unhook the handcuffs and rip them off his wrists. His tortured body has not enough energy left to stand, so he collapses on the floor before I can catch him. With a quick burst of ki, I snap the collar off his throat, and then I can feel his energy. It is huge, gigantic, much bigger than the energy I have.

I am completely in awe at such a display of power, and I want to ask him countless questions. Who exactly is he, where does he come from, and where did he get such unfathomable powers? Slowly, he is recovering under my watchful gaze. His wounds are healing in fast forward, and soon, he is able to get up.

"Thank you."

I am shocked at his voice; I didn't think he would talk to me as I am only the one who temporarily controlled his body. I thought he would just kill me and take his body back; he surely has enough power for this.

"No, I would never do this."

What? Can he read my thoughts? That is really a miracle. Or is it no miracle? He is me, and I am him, so why should we not be able to read each other's thoughts?

Yes, that is right. We have a strong mental connection, and we both are the same person. I would never think about killing you because you have as much right to live as I have. We both are important as we are quite different from each other.

How are we different?

You are innocent, you know how to wield our mind powers and part of our ki. I on the other hand have a lot of guilt on my shoulders, but am an expert at fighting and ki-manipulation. What you have seen from our abilities so far is only a very small part that has already become reflexes ingrained in our body. Together, we would be almost unbeatable.

Why?

We are two halves of a whole, and while I do physical attacks, you can do mind attacks. Our split mind never has to rest completely; when one is tired, the other one can take over. We would be the ultimate fighter.

What if I don't want to fight?

I usually don't want to fight, either, but sometimes there is no other option. I promise you that I will always respect your wishes as far as possible. After all, I want to share our body, and we both have to take great responsibilities for that. Would you agree to those conditions?

I am completely stunned. Sharing a body? That concept sounds very strange to me, and I have to think about it in private. The Elders, whom I can still feel lurking around in my mind, only distract me, so I shut them out without hurting them.

Wow, that was so easy, did my mental powers also grow with the reuniting? I do feel a lot stronger now, not only in body but also in mind. The question is if the other me is trustworthy and if I can handle having him near me all the time. What about his memories, will they become my memories, too, or are they going to be some part of our brain that only he can access?

What am I supposed to do?

A/N: Well, that is my first real cliffhanger in this whole story. I thought I should let the tensions build before the last chapter (Yes, the next chapter is going to be the last chapter) so that I can have a glorious end (not!). So what do you think of this chapter? Good/Bad?

Shameless self-advertising: If you like my style of writing and the character of Vegeta, check out my other story: Rebirth It is a 1st-person A/U of how Vegeta escapes the terror of Furiza and strands on Earth. There he meets - well, I think you can guess whom he will meet. Warning: you will need a strong stomach for that one, because, unlike this story, I wrote some very graphic rape scenes. There is also a lot of cussing, so if you don't like it, don't read it.