Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Wherever You Will Go ❯ Ch 9 ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9

And maybe, I'll find out

A way to make it back someday

To watch you, to guide you through the darkest of your daysIf a great wave shall fall and fall upon us all

Then I hope there's someone out there who can bring me back to you

Vegeta frowned at the state of his surroundings. They were entirely too white and neat. They had an unlived-in look that he found hypocritical, as this obviously looked like a room one would live in.

He heard a throat behind him and just to his right and spun around, wondering who could have snuck up on him without his knowing. He had one thought of 'Androids' before the person before him put all such thoughts out his head. His one side of his lip curled upward. The man looked entirely too-jolly.

"Ah, you might be wondering why you're here," the man was dry-washing his hands and Vegeta sneered at his discomfiture, "Well, you see, this was the only way I could talk to you in your-present-state."

"What are you babbling about?" Vegeta cut through.

"I'm Enma," the man quickly put in.

Vegeta's eyes widened slightly and he strode forward to stand a few inches in front of the man, managing to make Enma feel smaller than him with his mere stare. "You idiot! You almost got-" he choked out, visibly trying to control his rage.

"I didn't know you were all the way down in the fourth level. Although I should've figured you would be. All of you Saiyans seem to like it further down."

More forceful this time, "What are you talking about?"

Enma smiled and Vegeta, like Bulma, wanted him to throttle him. "There are different levels to Hell. Each level down presents more demons and a greater 'challenge', as you Saiyans would say."

"And how come you didn't check to see what 'level' I was on?"

"I can't see into Hell. No one is powerful enough to do that."

Vegeta put a hand on his head and sighed, "That made no sense," he used the hand to forestall any explanations, "I hope you didn't bring me here to discuss technicalities."

"No," Enma frowned, "I came to ask why Bulma didn't come back. She only had an hour."

"An hour? You fool! Time has no meaning in Hell! How was I supposed to know when an hour ended? Besides, what's the big deal about time?"

"Now you are being the fool." He ignored Vegeta's glare, "After an hour, the gates to Heaven close. She can never come back. And that, in itself, is a danger."

Vegeta snorted, "In case you don't remember, she was in danger the second she entered. As to the gates being closed, why don't you just open them? Or I could," he smirked.

Enma rolled his eyes, "Typical Saiyan," he was obviously crossing a line, for Vegeta stepped forward menacingly.

Enma continued quickly, "Even if I did open the gates, or you did, no one in Hell can cross into Heaven, only those in Heaven can cross into Hell, and then only for a short period of time. She can never come back," he lowered himself to meet the Saiyan's eyes on Vegeta's level, "She's stuck there and that puts her and the whole universe in great danger."

Vegeta met his stare evenly, "Explain."

Enma straightened and frowned, "Gladly. You noticed how the hellhound went straight for her."

"I thought you couldn't see into Hell?" he again raised a hand, "Never mind. Yes. I noticed."

Enma nodded, "If it had gotten to her, it would have done more than just make her a 'ghost'. It would have opened up a dimensional portal to Earth and destroyed everything."

Vegeta sighed, "Ok, try to keep this simple. How could a simple demon-dog destroy 'everything'? I took care of it easily enough and I'm sure my son is old enough to do the same."

Enma's brow furrowed, "It is hard to explain to a mortal but suffice it to say that a demon's power in Hell is relative to Hell. However, relative to Earth, everything belonging to Hell is immortal. While in Hell you have the power to match anything up to the 8th level. On Earth not even the strongest being could kill a first level demon."

Vegeta nodded, "That I understand. But what does it take to open this portal? How do they use the woman?"

Enma smiled, amused that the Prince still wouldn't say her name, then his face fell, "It will take her death. She wouldn't even be a ghost. They would be using everything that was her, and she would be no more."

Vegeta's face lost its control for one second, and Enma felt a shock of sadness. Why did this one have to be in Hell? Did not his ability to love make him more than just evil?

Vegeta's eyes flashed, "You don't look the type to tell bad news without some good."

Enma nodded, pleased with Vegeta's acumen. "There is something that can be done, although many have said it's impossible and many more tried and failed. You must go all the way down to the ninth level. There is said to be a portal there that leads to Earth. You must get her there and through that portal. She'll be dead no longer once she's on the other side."

Vegeta looked incredulous, "You're worried about them using her to make a portal when all they have to do is go to the ninth level and step through one already made?"

Enma shook his head, "There are demons that guard each level and each one is stronger than the next. The one that guards the portal is extremely intelligent as well as being one of the most powerful. Plus, there are the regular demons that you would find on the levels."

"What's keeping the smart demon from just stepping through the portal if he's so smart?"

Enma chuckled, "Actually it's because he is smart that he doesn't. But I thought you didn't want technicalities?"

Vegeta scowled, "Consider the job done."

Enma nodded, "If anyone can do the impossible, it's you."

Vegeta looked shocked at the admission and wordlessly nodded. Enma smiled….

* * *

Bulma looked around at the room. It looked so neat and orderly. She wondered if anybody actually lived there.

A sound behind her answered her question, and she turned around fully expecting whom she saw there.

"Enma. Hi," she said weakly, smiling timidly.

Enma did not smile back, "You lied to me."

Bulma looked down at the floor, "Actually, at the time, I didn't. I can't lie that well. Ask Vegeta." She heard a sigh and looked up, "I didn't get you in trouble, did I?"

Enma tried to glare at her but failed; looking worried instead, "Me? Oh, I wouldn't worry about me. I'd worry about the world. That's what you've gotten into trouble." He quickly sketched-out what he had told Vegeta, with Bulma wanting a little more detail on the actual workings of Hell and Heaven. Enma was glad now that the Prince had wanted to know so little.

"Ok, I think I get all that." Bulma had the same look on her face as when she had first gotten her hands on a scouter. "What about when I touched Vegeta? What happened, and how does it work?"

Enma nodded, "Vegeta was almost a ghost at the time, I presume. If he was a full ghost, you wouldn't have been able heal him. That's what you did; heal him.

"You see, you could say that beings in Heaven are light and beings in Hell are dark. The demons in Hell can cause a being to become completely dark, for no mortal is completely one way or the other.

"Now, when you touched him, it simply restored that light that had been lost to him."

Bulma smiled as the notion stuck, "Oh! So the fact that they become completely dark explains their loss of identity, for your identity is who you are, and you can never be completely dark."

"Hmm!" was all Enma could say, floored that the tiny human had understood this. Now he could see why Vegeta was attracted to her, shrewdness for shrewdness. "Yes. But the point of all this is that you have put the whole existence of everything in peril. I can understand your reason, but there are many who will not. They may be harder on you than they mean to."

Bulma nodded slowly, knowing whom he was mostly referring to, "Yes. He's hard on everyone. But he's hardest on himself."

Enma acknowledged this, "He is at that. Therefore, you are to follow his instructions implicitly. If he says hide, hide. If he says run, run. He if says jump up and down till Enma loses some weight, you will do so. Although you might be jumping for awhile."

Bulma laughed, as she was intended to. Enma smiled….

* * *

If I could, then I would

I'll go wherever you will go

Way up high, or down low,

I'll go wherever you will go

Vegeta became fully aware of his surroundings, as he was used to doing for all those years. The first thing he noticed was the warm body of the woman sleeping next to him. The next was the demon whose talons were not two feet from Bulma's side.

With a curse, he lunged at the demon and tackled it to the ground, not wanting to fire a ki blast that close to Bulma. The demon and he quickly disentangled. Vegeta because he didn't want another incident like the one with the hellhound. The demon because the Saiyan's strength would work against it. This demon was lithe and agile, meant more for acrobatics than grappling.

Vegeta sent the demon a smile that would've turned any other being's bowels to water. However, demons, being evil, weren't naturally inclined to be wisely fearful.

Bulma woke up at the sound Vegeta and the demon had made and looked wide-eyed at the two, who poised lightly on fingers and balls of feet, circling each other avidly.

She couldn't have made a sound if she'd wanted to. It was as if the silence that gripped a forest when a predator was on the prowl now gripped her, although they were far away from any forests. They had an overabundance of predators however.

A growl behind her made her stiffen, and she shot Vegeta a wild look; too scared of what her imagination was conjuring to look.

Vegeta glanced her way and grimaced, continuing to circle the demon as it circled him. He suddenly leaped to the side, completely away from the demon and managed to scoop Bulma up and out the way as the demon behind her also leapt forward, landing on the spot Bulma had just vacated.

As Vegeta vacated his spot, yet another demon pounced where he had been. All three demons turned as one and advanced toward the pair.

Vegeta cursed as he landed, swung around, and forced Bulma behind him. They were fighting in packs? What happened to the 'fend for yourself' maxim? He figured it was because of Bulma that they decided on this new strategy. He couldn't fight all of them and protect her. Two could occupy him while another went after the woman.

"Why don't we just run?" Bulma asked.

Vegeta gave a humorless laugh, "And leave them at our backs? If you want to." He felt rather than saw her shake her head, "Then turn your head."

She turned her head yet still saw the blinding light through her eyelids. The concussive blast was impossible to block out. When she turned back, she saw only one demon limping toward them. The other was a charred pile on the ground, and the third was flopping around with only the right side of its body.

With a yell that made Bulma jump in surprise, Vegeta launched himself forward. The demon rose up to meet him, only to be greeted with a flying side kick to its jaw that caused its head to snap back and its body to fly in reverse.

Vegeta picked up the speed and got ahead of the demon's uncontrolled flight, getting in its path and sending it crashing to earth with an elbow to its ribs, several of which broke in protest.

The demon struggled to get up and Vegeta gave it an evil grin as he loomed over it, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Don't you know how to bow in front of royalty?"

As the demon unsteadily got to its feet, Vegeta's smile fell, "Let me show you." So saying he executed a spinning hook kick that took the monster's head clean from its body, leaving the body itself to fall to its knees, held that way for a few moments, before folding to the black floor, looking for all the world as if it was genuflecting.

Bulma would have been slightly amused by the scene, and the fact that Vegeta knew how to get such a result, if a sudden bout of nausea hadn't hit her. She leaned over and futilely tried to empty an empty stomach.

When she was finally able to rise, it was to the realization that Vegeta was holding her hair back gingerly. He dropped her hair, "You obviously can't stomach this so let's go." His eyes once again betrayed him with the tinge of disgust hidden in them, and Bulma knew it wasn't just at her own display.

Bulma nodded weakly and put a hand on Vegeta's arm, who neither offered it nor drew it away, letting him guide her wherever his instincts told him to.