Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Distant Light Years ❯ The Ravages of War ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter 14: The Ravages of War

Edmund blinked. There was darkness all around him, darkness everywhere! He whimpered slightly, his ears still ringing in deftness from the titanic explosion he had just created. He could feel the cool air around him and gravity's force upon his body. He felt himself suspended from his shirt on something from that he couldn't see. All the darkness got in the way of his sight. His head perked up when he heard a slight quiet chuckle.

"Oh Edmund.. Tisk tisk tisk.." Said an amused voice. "You really thought that pathetic little explosion was going to kill us?" He could recognize that voice now and he couldn't believe it. He started shaking; frightened little sobs of despair came racking from his body. The sweat ran in dirty rivulets down his white face. "Come now! We're Super Saiyan! Not that it's likely you know what that is.."

A different voice near his ear spoke, the words were chillingly cold. "You don't believe I would let you just up and kill your self after you murdered my wife, do you?" Suddenly he felt a tremendous pain from his ear, he screamed as the hot red blood ran down his neck.

"Chewy." Said Goten around his mouthful of ear. Trunks looked at his companion with distaste.

"Were you really THAT hungry? I mean Goten that's just disgusting. Can't you revert to cannibalism after we torture him?" Goten swallowed the crunchy cartilage and laughed.

"But I was REALLY hungry Trunks, and it was just.. well, the closest thing to my mouth that was edible." Through Edmunds whimpering he made out Trunks's huff.

"Fine, I suppose it could be counted as part of his suffering." Shrugged the Prince. Goten grinned a bloody smile and Trunks smirked back at him. Besides, they were only half-human, was it really cannibalism any way?

Edmund quivered. He realized that for some reason he couldn't see and he was pretty sure he was being held by Goten. In fact he ~was~ sure of it, considering the throbbing pain pulsing through the left side of his head. ~That bastard bit my ear off!~ He mentally shrieked. He started to struggle, trying to worm his way out of Goten's grasp.

"I don't think so.." Muttered Goten as he tightened his arm about Edmund's throat, slowly cutting off his air supply. Gagging, Edmund went limp. Goten eased his hold and the silver haired man sucked in a lung full of air.

"I wouldn't even bother trying that again Eddy-boy." Said Trunks with a smirk that Edmund could hear. "You're about 200 feet above the ground. You would most likely hit it with a large splat. And we can't have that. Not when me and Goten, not to mention my father, have such juicy ideas for you." Following that, a dark laugh sent an icy chill down Edmund's spine. How he hated to be called "Eddy".

"Why can I not see!" The human screamed. "Take the binding from my eyes!" He thrashed his head around in an attempt to free himself from the darkness. Silence followed his words until he could hear a faint giggling.

"Oh dear.. he's blind." Said Trunks with mock sympathy before he threw back his head and laughed.

~Blind!~ Wailed Edmund. ~I can't be blind! No NO NOOO!!!~ He started to scream and howl with frustration. His lacerated face, obvious to the two demi-Saiyans that floated in the air a mile from the explosion, was patterned with red open stripes over his torn skin. A sad sight for any whom cared. "You monsters! MONSTERS! YOU LITTLE MONSTERS!" He shrieked and screamed.

Trunks's smirk soured. His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. "You dare call me a monster! You were the one who blew up your own people! Thousands died in that ship you self-destructed. All so you could attempt to kill me.. And you call me a monster.." His dark mood lightened again and he brushed strands of lilac hair from his face.

"I'm a dashing monster to you.. At least when I kill people I know who they are.." He smiled vaguely. "Hmm.. I seem to remember killing your family.. no not yours.. your ancestors.. Ahhh.." He nodded at the memory. "Yes you do look like your great grandfather. I remember that little child, Brent was his name. He squealed like a pig.." He laughed and a dark demonic look glimmered in his ocean blue eyes.

"Did you know your relation, Brent, had no toes?" He tried to cover his giggle with his hand in vain. "Unfortunately Goten got hungry while we were killing them. I think that's how he escaped." He pondered it, one hand curled under his chin.

"Yes, he fainted from the pain and Goten left him to bleed to death. He was rather young.. I'd say about.. 15 or so." He smirked and wished Edmund could see his face. It was good enough that he could see Edmund's. The man had frozen stiff. As pale as cream.

Edmund had known about Popa Brent's feet. How he had no toes. The story had gone that Brent had lost them to frost bite when he hid out in a snowdrift after the massacre. So.. it hadn't been frostbite after all. He started shaking all over again. ~Oh Kami, oh dear Kami save me!~ He pleaded to God.

But Kami was cruel.

"Come on Goten, let's get back before Pops starts to worry." Said Trunks as he shoved his hands into his jeans. Goten rolled his eyes and gripped Edmund tighter.

"You don't seriously believe that your "Pops" is going to worry about you?" Said Goten as they flew back towards Capsule Corp. His eyes roamed over to the other star ships. One had crashed after the explosion of the first and the other five where systematically being engulfed in blast after galactic blast as Vegeta fazed them out of existence.

"Seems rather pissed to me.." Goten muttered with a raised eyebrow. Trunks frowned and then shrugged as he watched his father slaughter thousands mercilessly.

"It's not like he hasn't done it before Goten. I would be more surprised if I saw your father doing that." Trunks paused. "Or perhaps not.. I've seen your dad do some pretty fucked up shit in the Wars.."

Goten looked uncomfortable. It was weird thinking of his father like that. "Yeah.. well.. you know how war is.. it affects every one differently." He said hesitantly. Trunks didn't reply. He silently watched his father in all his magnificence. He was war it's self, was Vegeta in Trunks's mind. Aries personified. The great God Mars, come back from the distant past, light years away. When he had heard those hated things from his father it had shook him to the core. Every thing he ever did was for his father; his whole life was for him. Every thing he had ever done was in memory of that dark, deadly image. But he ~was~ his father's son. And thankfully Vegeta had not totally rejected him.

Goten frowned even though. His own words made him thoughtful. War did affect every one differently. He thought of his brother, he thought of Trunks, he thought of his father, he even thought of Edmund. He helped create the creature Edmund was and so many others like him that were out there in the world. Hating, angry.. insane. He bowed his head as strange feeling came over him. One that he had not felt in a long time. What was this feeling? Was it.. could it be ..Guilt? His dark eyes widened. ~No I must not think of her.. My Bra.. I killed so many so she could live in peace. But.. but.. but.. Was it not I and Trunks who caused this to begin with..?!~ Goten had always known this truth. But he never wanted to see it.. He had ignored it. Cast it to the back of his mind, letting his primal ruthless Saiyan urges come so that every day after Trunks had started the Wars he might live with his mind intact. Kill with out mercy. Shed blood so his daughters might live.

To defy Trunks meant death.

And Goten had so loved the taste of hot blood.

No. Not now, not yet. His humanity could not come back to him yet. He needed to stay strong and kill and laugh at death a little while longer. Then when all this was done, then he could join with his loves, his dear Bra and Andrea and Reese. His daughters Christina, Clarese, Dorothy and Florentina. All dark beauties. No sons though. He had wanted a boy but his girls had been beautiful. No.. he could not cry. Not yet. His humanity could wait. He would cry in Hell. Perhaps he would catch a glimpse of them through the Gates..

He sucked in a breath. He was going to have fun.. yes that was the word for it, fun with Edmund. Thousand and one ways to make some one suffer with out killing them. He forced a dark smile to his lips. He was grateful for one thing. He was better off than Trunks. Trunks did not even know what love was. If he had ever known Goten doubted so much of this would have come about. This whole thing had been a Game to him. A deadly but enjoyable and thoroughly entertaining Game.

Goten had never thought of it as a Game. He saw its seriousness. Not that he wanted to admit that it was reality. That thought was too monstrous.

~*~

Vegeta focused and blasted the last of the great ships. He heard no screaming, all those voices were contained inside their metal walls.

The last half-hour had been nothing but madness. Bardock was Goku, and Goku was Bardock?! He still could not fathom it. From the corner of his eye he could see Trunks and Goten approaching. The youngest Son was carrying a man. Perhaps this was the bastard who caused the death of his little girl?

Vengeance is best served sweet, so they say.

He turned slightly in the air to face them as Trunks paused in front of him with a triumphant grin.

"Here he is Father, the man who killed Bra, his name is Edmund." He stifled a giggle, it was nerves realized Vegeta. His son was anxious. Though he was not entirely sure why.

Goten seemed to have a fixed thoughtful expression on his face. His eyes were away thinking of the past.

Vegeta nodded at Trunks's words and cast a loathsome glance at the whimpering blind man. Should he tell his son what was on the chip? Perhaps it would be unwise, since the boy was so unstable. What would Trunks do with the ability to change time. Now that Vegeta thought about it, it was almost frightening. His son had the mentality of a tyrant like Frieza, and as disgusting as that was to Vegeta it was the truth.

"We discovered the secret of the chip." He said darkly, his eyes narrowed and his arms crossed over his muscular chest.

Both Trunks and Goten perked up and stared at Vegeta. "What was on it?" Breathed Goten, his dark eyes wide with interest.

Vegeta sighed and glared at the blind man. He moved his eyes away to his son's face. "Nothing really, it had no relevance to our situation now. A shame really, but it came to no surprise to me." He cracked his knuckles.

Trunks shrugged, showing his new lack of interest. Mysteries were only interesting if they affected you.

Goten pursed his lips. He felt Vegeta wasn't telling them every thing but he didn't feel it was his place to push the matter.

The three men flew back to the Capsule Corps in the aftermath of a War that never was. The defeat of the Army of the Red Monkeys would carry far, and so would the ruthlessness that they were dealt with.

~**~

TBC…