Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Don't Fear The Reaper ❯ Came The Last Night Of Sadness ( Chapter 2 )

~Seasons Don't Fear The Reaper~

~Nor Do The Wind, The Sun Or The Rain~

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*Chapter two*

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"ChiChi? ChiChi, do you feel any better?" Goku called through the dark cottage. "ChiChi?" There was no answer. He went up to their bedroom and turned the light on. "No…oh no…"

The Amazon was huddled in their bed. She looked just like Bulma. He knelt beside her and took her hand. It was cold. "ChiChi?" Tears rolled down his cheeks. 'Goten. She said Goten was sick too.' He left quickly to check on his son.

The little boy was in his bed, shivering in a cold sweat. "Goten. Come on, son. I'm going to get you some help."

"Hello? Mom? Dad?" Gohan had just arrived home. Goku carried Goten out to meet his oldest son.

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The demi-Saiyan sobbed and Goku transported the three of them directly to Vegeta. "What do I do? Please, Vegeta!"

Trunks wiped his face clean of tears and looked at his best friend laying limply in Goku's arms. "I felt better after staying in the gravity chamber for a few hours. Maybe that'll help."

"But shouldn't I get him some medicine or something?"

Vegeta scowled. "Medicine has not worked yet."

They flew on to the C.C. and the gravity room. All five of them entered and settled to watch over Goten for the night. There was nothing much else to do. The property was still teeming with people and they had no wish to be sequestered with sick humans in the camp that had been set up around the labs. Trunks set the gravity to 230xg and sat pressed against his father for comfort. Gohan did the same with his own father and Goten. How could this have happened?

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Vegeta opened his eyes. The others had all fallen asleep despite the enhanced gravity. His dark expression never changed. Bulma was dead. He couldn't feel her anymore. She'd had the smell of death all around her when he'd last seen her and now she was gone. Kakarott's harridan was gone as well but that did not affect the prince. That was Kakarott's problem not his. 'Onna…' Something was strange besides that. What had alerted him?

He stretched his senses and felt outside the gravity room. Searched… There were still a number of kis present outside, surrounding the labs, but they were not as numerous as before. If what the woman had said about the sickness was true then that would not be the case. If the humans had indeed created a quarantine then there should be just as many kis present as there were earlier if not more.

Vegeta eased his son to the ground and stood to stretch his stiff muscles. Goku and Gohan woke when he shut off the gravity. "Vegeta? Where ya goin?"

"None of your business, Kakarott."

Goku didn't argue. He checked his son, asleep in his lap. Goten seemed fine now.

Vegeta unlocked the door and stepped out, closing it behind him. It was late into the night. Stars shone down on the still brightly flashing lights around the labs. Floodlights had been set up but he did not see anyone moving under them. The prince stalked between empty tents and supply chests, still seeing no one. 'Fools!' These were the fools who had allowed his woman to die! He'd seen many contagions in his years aboard starships and battleships. If this was how humans dealt with these situations then they deserved to die! He wandered closer to the labs and found a huge chest of unused rations.

'Why would they leave so much supplies when there is no one to use them?'

A strange sound caught his attention and he continued on, stopping when he lost track of the sound. He listened but gave up with a shake of his head when it did not come again.

Suddenly the flap of the tent next to him burst open and a hellish figure lunged at him. On instinct Vegeta batted it away and it flopped to the ground weakly. It was a man. He'd been exposed to the disease and death smelled thick on him. The sickness seemed to have stripped him of his sanity as well as his health. Vegeta stepped close to examine the gurgling mess and frowned. He had no noticeable ki…but that should not be possible. The prince was forced to believe it though. If this were the case, if the sickness somehow inhibited ki then that would explain why he couldn't sense as many people here as there should be. But why hadn't he *seen* anyone yet? Why only this poor insane bastard?

Vegeta turned to walk away and the man grabbed his boot. Vegeta kicked him mercilessly and grimaced at the black liquid that now stained the pristine white material. 'Might as well put this pathetic creature out of his misery.' A quick, painless death. He created a focused dart of ki which pierced through the man's heart instantly.

The prince of Saiyajin stared in horror as a nasty slime oozed from the hole and the man continued to move. "What the hell?" Again he created the attack, aiming for the man's skull this time gaining the same result. "Shimata!!" Why wouldn't he die? "Enough of this!" Vegeta created a large blast and incinerated the body. Quickly he moved away from the tar-like smudge on the ground. That had been…disturbing.

He searched for a human ki. There were even less now then there were before. 'What is going on?' Finding one close by, Vegeta headed for it.

'Where?' He could feel a ki very close but could not see it owner. A scream pierced the silence from one of the tents and Vegeta headed for it. As he entered the tent he summoned his ki for light. A healthy looking woman was screaming under a disease-ridden madman. Then the prince saw the blood. The woman was bleeding from several severe looking wounds…bites! The sick bastard was ripping chunks from her body with his teeth! Vegeta grabbed him and threw him off of her. He couldn't even refer to it as human anymore. It was just an animal. A rabid beast. He blasted it but his attacks had the same effects as before. It didn't die. He had to incinerate it.

The woman was sobbing hysterically. "No! Please! No! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Please! I don't want to die!"

Vegeta knelt next to her. "Hush, woman." She was bleeding badly. There wasn't much he could do.

She tried to calm herself but she was going into shock. She looked down at her wounds and groaned. She wore a doctor's uniform, she knew the extent of her injuries. "Listen to me. You have to get out of here! You'll die! The contagion…" She warned him with an uneven voice.

Vegeta shook his head. "I am immune."

"No! It's mutated! It's still highly contagious. Saliva! Bodily fluids! Just fucking touch! I've got it now…" She sobbed again, turning hysterical. "I don't want to die! They won't die! They come back!"

"What are you talking about?" The prince demanded.

She sobbed for a moment and calmed again long enough to answer. "Th… They die. Within 24 hours. Sometimes less than 12! But then they come back…only they're brain-dead! It's impossible! It's impossible! And now I'm going to be one too!"

Vegeta went still. Thinking it over. No ki. He felt no ki in the two creatures he'd destroyed. All living things had ki… Her ki was fading.

"I don't want to die!"

The prince took her head in his hands and made her look at him. "You will die." He told her calmly. "But you will not come back. I promise."

Through her fearful tears she smiled gratefully as ki from his hands warmed her, then the light in her eyes was gone. Vegeta burned her body to ash as he had done twice before and set about returning to the gravity room. He had to destroy four more creatures on the way back even though he'd seen none when he first came up that path. When the GR came into view he could see purple hair in the light of the open doorway. His son was sitting on the steps waiting for him.

"Get inside." He ordered gruffly.

"Hey, Vegeta. What's that?" Gohan pointed to the nasty black footprints the prince's soiled boots left on the shiny metal floor.

Vegeta looked down in disgust and then over to Goku and his youngest son. "How is the brat?"

Goku answered reservedly. "Goten's fine now. What's happening? We felt your ki spike a bunch of times. What *is* that stuff?"

Vegeta walked over to the control panel and switched on the gravity. There was a sizzling sound. The black ooze foamed and sputtered for a few minutes and then seemed to melt and dry up. Vegeta glared around the room.

"The dead are walking."

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"I still don't believe it. How is it possible? It's not!" Gohan argued with his father.

Goku shook his head and roused Goten. "Vegeta has no reason to lie to us. Do *you* feel any ki out there? I don't. Not for a ways at least. We'll see for ourselves soon anyway. At least we know we're immune to this thing."

"Not all of us." Gohan corrected. "Trunks and Goten got it. They could get it again. The three of us are half human…and Vegeta said the lady said it had mutated."

Goku paused. "You're right. All we can do is get the dragonballs and use the wishes to put a stop to this thing as quick as possible. I want you to take the boys out of here."

"No way! We're not leaving you to fight monsters without us!" Twin voices exclaimed.

"We're not going to fight. We're just going to find the dragon radar and get out of here. Those people are still people." Goku answered sternly.

Suddenly Vegeta was standing before him with a piercing glare. "They are already dead. They will try to kill *you*. Don't be a fool. If you see one you will destroy it. I will not allow myself to be killed by your misplaced morals!"

Goku looked grim. "I'll watch your back but I won't kill anyone I don't have to."

Vegeta glared but turned away. The fool would learn soon enough. "And don't touch them! I have no wish to drag your heavy carcass back to this chamber." He gestured to the boys. "If they wish to come, let them. There were hundreds of humans here only 20 hours ago. Now I can only sense a dozen or so spread throughout the complex and those are dwindling. Do not touch them and do not waste your ki! It is the only weapon you can use against them." With that, Vegeta opened the door and stepped out.

No sooner did he disappear from sight then they felt his ki spike sharply followed by the sound of three explosions. They rushed to the door and looked out. There were three flaming puddles of goo around the prince. One of them was right at the bottom of the stairs.

"Vegeta! What are those?!"

The prince just eyed them humorlessly. "Them." He turned and moved away. "Close the GR. Hurry up."

They walked through the empty camp. There was no one around anywhere. The place was deserted. "Hey, guys. I heard something…Over there." They moved in the direction Gohan had pointed. There was nothing there but tarps and chests. "Hello? Anyone here?" Gohan called.

They were about to continue when Vegeta paused. There was a faint ki hidden nearby. Suddenly a rustling came from one of the tarps along with a faint voice. "Yes. Yes, I'm here! Please, help me!" A man crawled from the supplies. Gohan jumped to help him.

"Idiot!! Don't touch him!!"

But it was too late. Gohan had already helped the man to his feet. "It's alright. I've got you."

The man's relief was palpable. "Oh, thank you! Thank you! Please! You've gotta help me! Don't let them get me! Please!"

Goku stepped forward. It's alright. We'll help you. We won't let anything happen to you."

Vegeta snarled. "Look at him! He already has the disease. He's as good as dead. Kill him now before he changes!"

The man cringed and fell to the ground in fear. "No! No! Don't kill me! Please! I didn't do anything! Please! You've got to help me! Please!"

Gohan was quick to reassure the man and Goku rebuked Vegeta angrily. "How can you say that?! He's sick, he needs help!"

"What do you think *this* was?!" Vegeta gestured at the quarantine all around them. "It didn't work! Get your son away from him before he seals his own fate!"

"No!" Gohan stood rebelliously. "We can help him! We can take him into the gravity chamber."

The prince sneered. "*You* can go into the chamber. *He* would die from it. He is a lowly untrained human with less than half his ki left. There's nothing you can do but give him a painless, peaceful death." He advanced on the man but Goku barred his path.

"Back off, Vegeta!"

The prince stopped and his face turned cold. "Boy! To me!" He called his son and turned back to Goku. "Only barely mourned your wife and already you are throwing away your son. You are a fool. I will not have you endanger us. We are going to get the radar." He turned and walked off.

"Hey, Trunks! Wait for me!"

Vegeta and the two young boys left and Goku went to help Gohan with the sickly man.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! I'm a doctor. If you can get me to a medical tent I'm sure I will be fine. Thank you. Then we can get out of here."

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Ooooooo They always have to split up don't they? You'd think they would learn…… *hehehe*