| Author: Swiss Army Knife Email: dragonswissarmyknife@hotmail.com |
| Once Upon a Full Moon... |
| “GO GET HIM GOHON!” The small crowd roared as the young man sunk down in a crouch, ready to fight. He was preparing for the battle of a lifetime. Soon, in just a few minutes, he would face the toughest competitor on the face of the planet. And he would fight as hard as he could to win… At the sides of the makeshift “stadium” there were an assortment of familiar faces, all happily waiting to see the two strongest people in the universe face off against each other. Standing there psyching himself up, Gohon couldn’t help but notice that most were cheering for his competitor. And why not? If he were watching and not fighting, he would be cheering for the other guy too. Still, there were a few out there that called out encouragement and support to him. Used to being the underdog himself, Kuririn passionately cheered him on, a huge smile on his face. Gohon smiled back. It felt good to have the support of his friends, even if they were painfully few in number… Before he could dwell on in any longer, a fat man called attention to the other champion. They had held several preliminary rounds, all the normal competitors trying their hardest just for the fun of it. Now there were only two left. Me and… Gohon thoughts trailed off. “GOKUU!” The fat man announced. The crowd erupted into wild cheers as the tall man with unruly hair and a huge smile walked quietly up to his place. He waved good-naturedly to the crowd, and then focused himself on his competitor. “Hiya, Gohon!” He greeted his son cheerily. “Ready to fight?” Gohon nodded wordlessly, lowering his head. Ready? Where you ever ready to fight the universe’s strongest man? “Okay then,” Gokuu said, dropping into stance. “This will be fun!” An appointed member of the crowd prepared to ring the bell, beginning the match. Gohon gulped, a bead of nervous sweet trailing down his face. Here it was… “GOOOO!” The screamed word was accompanied by the starting ping of the bell. With suddenness that startled the crowd, both fighters seemed to disappear. Only a select few followed with their eyes as father and son went head to head… ***** Bulma was watching excitedly with the rest of the crowd. Boy was she glad she had decided to invite the Zed fighters to her annual Capsule Corp. picnic. After all, what could be better entertainment than a fighting match? There was a break in the fight suddenly, and the crowd of employees gasped in awe as lightning fast punch after punch was thrown, almost seeming to send sparks up at each impact. To the naked, untrained eye, the match was little more than a big, exciting fireworks show… For a while, the match seemed pretty even; Gohon and Gokuu seemed to have no trouble keeping up with each other at all. However, it wasn’t long before the smaller contestant seemed to get winded. Bulma smiled and cheered her encouragement to the boy. She had been sure he would lose - she was just glad that he was doing so well; much better than expected. Finally, WHAM! Gokuu got in a hard kick to Gohon’s head all at once, and the child went flying to the ground. His head impacted the ground with a loud cracking sound. “That’s it.” Bulma heard Tenshinhan say from his vantage point beside her. The bell rung a second later, officially ending the match, and the crowd cheered Gokuu’s name enthusiastically. Bulma made her way to poor Gohon’s side as quickly as she could. Gokuu came up beside her. “Opps. Must have hit him a little too hard.” Gokuu said, scratching his head as the teal-headed woman tended to an unresponsive Gohon. “He’s fine,” She assured him, reaching into her pocket. “Just unconscious. And I have just the thing for him. Kuririn left it with me the last time you saved the world.” Bulma withdrew a senzu bean from her shirt, and smiled as she rubbed the waxy surface with her finger. She inserted it into Gohon’s mouth. “Here. This will make you feel better.” She said after a comforting manner. There was a moment’s pause as the regenerative bean was swallowed, and then Gohon’s ebony eyes fluttered open. He moaned softly, and sat up. Confused eyes scanned the area. “Did…did I lose?” He asked. Kuririn had reached them by this time, and he clapped the boy’s shoulder. “I’m afraid Gokuu beat you this time, Gohon.” He said. “Oh.” Gohon muttered solemnly. Gokuu hadn’t lost his smile. “Cheer up, son!” Gokuu said cheerily. “You almost had me that time!” The tiny boy looked up uncertainly. “Really?” The tall man nodded. “Pretty soon, your gonna be as strong as I am!” he assured. His dark eyes flashed playfully at the assessment. Gohon got up and dusted himself off. He guessed that was okay for now… By that time, the huge crowd of people in the stands decided it was time to ambush their hero. They descended upon him like a herd of animals, clapping his back and sounding his praises. He was soon surrounded by people, leaving Gohon in the dust. The boy was all but ignored of the rest of the evening. Second place just wasn’t good enough… ***** Far from the rest of the party, a lone figure sat isolated with his small chin resting on his hands. He sighed unhappily as the joyful laughs and voices from the party reached his ears. “Gohon…?” A familiar voice from behind him suddenly knocked the boy out of his brooding, and he lifted his head in surprised. There was a crunching of grass and then a small figure made his way out of the shadows to sit on the wall beside him. “So, what are you going over here all by yourself?” Then man asked. His large eyes were filled with concern; it wasn’t like him to be so withdrawn. “Are you alright?” Gohon glanced back over his shoulder at the happily celebrating people at the party. Right in the middle of it all, he spotted his father, still with that enormous grin plastered on his face. He sighed. “I’m fine, Kuririn.” He said unconvincingly. The short man followed the child’s gaze quietly, and then his face softened with understanding. Gokuu was his best friend, but he would admit he was a little too good at being in the spot light sometimes. “So that’s it, is it?” He asked, gesturing over his shoulder at the celebration. “Feeling a little left out?” Gohon’s face contorted and he closed his eyes tight. He wanted to go find someplace else to hide, but he knew Kuririn would only follow him. “It’s just…” He began. He looked up at his old friend sadly. “I know I’m not as strong as my dad…” He muttered, dropping his head. “But do they have to forget me completely?” Kuririn head bobbed. “I understand how you feel.” He told him. “That was the way it always was when me and Gokuu were growing up.” Seeing that he had Gohon’s attention, he continued. “Gokuu would win this, or accomplish that…and I got to finish second, or third, or fourth… Point is, your dad is always gonna be good at stuff, especially fighting. I know its tough, but he really isn’t trying to ignore you. You know that right?” Gohon nodded quietly. “I guess…” He trailed off. “I…just wish to be like that too.” He admitted. Kuririn smiled at him. “I’m sure you will be someday.” He said enthusiastically. Then he laughed. “You’ve already got me beat!” The monk’s smile was contagious, and soon Gohon found himself feeling much better. He lifted his head. “Thanks for coming over.” He said. “You’re a real friend.” “Hey,” Kuririn responded. “No big deal. Couldn’t have you sitting over here thinking nobody noticed you left the party. Speaking of which, you better get back over there. You’re missing all the fun!” Gohon smiled. “Thanks, but I think I’ll stick over here for a while.” He said. “You can go on if you want…” Kuririn opened his mouth to tell Gohon that he would stay and talk for a while longer, but before he could, he heard his name called over the din. The voices owner couldn’t be clearly distinguished, but Kuririn was pretty sure that it was Bulma, almost surely having found something else for him to do. He sighed. “I’ll tell you what, Gohon.” He said after a moment’s hesitation. “Give me a minute to answer her, and I’ll be right back, okay?” When the boy nodded, he got up to leave. He had just gotten to the edge of the little clearing when he suddenly turned back around. “Gohon,” He said. The spiky headed child looked over his shoulder. Kuririn continued. “You know, Gohon. You’re one of the best friends that I have ever had...” He said. “And I’ll make you a promise.” Interest perked, Gohon sat up. “What?” “Any time you need me…I will always be there for you, okay? No matter what.“ The young boy was genuinely touched. His eyes sparkled with emotion as he looked on his best friend with deep reaching gratitude. “Thanks, Kuririn…” He choked out. The man smiled, and then left. Gohon watched him go quietly until his footsteps wore away and only the background noise of the party was heard. He is a true friend… He thought to himself. Kuririn was always there for him. Gohon’s thoughts trailed of as he felt an odd sensation, like a creepy feeling that tingled his spine. It was like he was being watched. His head jerked as he thought he heard the faint sound of a twig being broken. Someone was out there… There was a strange giggling noise all of a sudden. Gohon looked around, hoping to find the owner of this mysterious sound. He would find it out the hard way a second later. “Aaaauuuugh!” Gohon suddenly cried out sharply in pain, arms flailing as he fell backward off the log and onto the dusty floor. The pain then slowly sunk away into nothingness, and Gohon’s eyes met up with two small faces sitting on the ground beside him. The two young children, seeming to be only a year of so younger that Gohon himself, smiled impishly. Gohon nearly passed out when he saw what one of the boy’s held loosely in his hands. There, lightly gripped between his fingers, was a long bushy brown tail. More appalling what that it came straight out of Gohon’s own rear end. The boy gave another quick tug on the tail, causing its master to again go light headed with pain, and then he and his pall ran quickly to rejoin their families at the party. Gohon clutched his tail in his hands, running his fingers over the coarse fur as if he didn’t believe it was really there. How could this have happened? It was then that his mind snapped, and it suddenly all made sense. His eyes widened as the only possibility aroused within him. The Senzu bean. He had eaten it…after the battle. Surely when the rest of his body had healed… No! How could no one have noticed? Slowly, he turned petrified eyes upward to face the night sky. There, amongst the dark clouds, was the bright, shinning full moon. Gohon could already feel his heart start to beat faster… “Oh no…” He muttered. ***** All heck then broke loose. Far up in the air, a great power seemed to explode. Glistening, bloodthirsty red eyes narrowed down onto the small weak people before him. There was only one thought that his crazed mind could entertain. Destroy…kill the weak creatures…destroy them! His teeth gleamed with saliva as he took the first, earthshaking step forward… Screams suddenly pieced the air, catching the attention of Son Gokuu immediately. Seemingly out of nowhere, a huge monkey-like monster reared up against the night sky! He roared terribly, stomping closer and closer to the people. Panic spread like a virus through the crowd. “What…” Gokuu’s normally slow mind picked up on the only possibility there was. There was only one other person on this planet capable of turning into…that. “Oh no!” He exclaimed. “Gokuu! What’s going on? Where is Gohon?” Chichi was hanging onto his arm desperately. She was confused and afraid. And she wasn’t the only one. The marooned sayiajin was capable of saying nothing. His mind was to busy racing with the question of how? How could this have happened? The monster smashed flat at grouping of picnic tables, their inhabitants just barely making it away with their lives. He roared again, his hot breath reverberating through the air so loudly that many covered their ears. Gokuu shot into the sky as the beast began to thrash. He couldn’t let him hurt anyone! “GOHON!” He screamed to the boy turned ape. “GOHON! Listen to me!” There was no response. Then the monkey turned around slowly. Gokuu was caught directly in his line of sight. He prayed the boy would recognize him and stop. He had controlled his son in this form before - surely he could do it again… With abrupt viciousness that startled Gokuu, the monster burst forth in rageful action. An enormous sledgehammer blow descended down on him from above, which he barely dodged in time. The wind of the swing blew past him, sending his hair and gi rustling. His head wrenched backward. “No…” He muttered. Gohon had attacked him! They were in very deep trouble - Gokuu couldn’t power up and attack him like this. If he dared to attack Gohon, he might accidentally hit the innocents. This was not looking very good at all… ***** Through thick, horn-rimmed glasses, a panicked scientist watched the mayhem. His fear escalated when he saw Gokuu, their hero, just hovering there doing nothing! What was to become of them? As desperate men will sometimes do, he decided they had only one, terrible choice. Gesturing to one of his colleges, he hurriedly whispered into his ear, gesturing to the building not too far off. Inside was their newest experimental trinket for the World Army - the Bio-chemical Missile launcher… “It will work! What other choice do we have?” The man cried to his friend. Bloodshot, frightened eyes bore into his and he slowly nodded. “I can have it ready for launch in half a minute.” He responded in a choked sounding voice. “You have the controller?” The first scientist pulled a small device out of his pocket. “I’ve got it…” The retractable ceiling was already beginning to fold back by the time anyone noticed what was happening. A woman lab technician frantically pulled on Bulma’s arm. “Ms. Briefs!” She said. “Look!” Big blue eyes doubled in size, and became horrified. She swung her head around, following the missile’s course visually, verifying its target. …Gohon! As fast as her legs could carry her, she ran to the building housing the weaponry. They couldn’t fire that at Gohon! The gas would kill him, even as big as he had become! “Stop it!” She cried, waving her arms. She caught sight of a man holding a control device. “Stop! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!?” She tried to grab away the machine from him, but he roughly shoved her back. She fell on her butt, flabbergasted. “I’m stopping that monster before he hurts someone!” The man yelled, lifting the protected cover over the button that would launch the missile. “But he’s not a monster!” Bulma burst out. It was too late… Before he had time to even process her words, the scientist’s finger jammed down hard on the crimson button… ***** High in the sky, Gokuu saw a sudden burst of fire from the ground. Out of seemingly nowhere, a huge dart shot at him through the air. He gasped, and pulled hard backward. The fast moving thing just barely missed him… Down below, he just barely heard Bulma scream the word no, over and over again. “He’ll die!” Was the next thing he deciphered from her. As those words sunk in, Gokuu felt real fear surge through his veins for the first time in years. That was his son up there, even if he was in the form of a giant monkey. And that thing fired at him was going to hurt him enough to kill him? “GOOOHON!” He screamed his child’s name one last time. ***** The broad red nose of the missile continued on its destructive path, undeterred by the frantic calls of the target’s loved ones. Bright propelling flames drove it through the unfeeling night sky, heading dead center toward the hairy monster’s broad back. His face was turned momentarily away; Gohon probably wouldn’t even know what hit him… Designed to explode on impact, the compact weapon would erupt as soon as its pointed snout buried itself into the flesh of the monkey. It would cause a small fiery blast, but that wasn’t the killing factor. The real danger lied in the billowing clouds of tainted gas that would spill out of its flammable containers. The huge clouds that would consume the monster almost from the waist up and clog his throat. Then the neurological effects would take place… The creature would be dead within the time frame of a few minutes. At the last possible second, with the missile only a few dozen meters away, Gohon the monster finally turned around to face this new threat. In his frenzied state, Gohon was not aware of the hidden danger. He saw only a tiny little flame, not even enough to scorch his thick brown fur. To show his might, he spread his mighty arms at this puny foe and roared loudly in defiance, not caring that the act left his wide chest exposed. Just as the light from the missile came close enough to feel the heat, a tiny figure burst onto the scene, directly in-between Gohon and his death. Through the haze of time and fear, a voice could be heard, harnessing the power that could save him… “KAAA…” It sounded. “MEE…HAAA…MAA…” Startlingly beautiful blue light seemed to fill the night, coving even the brightest star. “HAAAAAAAAAAA!” The voice seemed to have reached its peek, and with awe inspiring force, a beam of blue ki shot out of cupped hands and raced at a blinding speed toward the approaching death. As the two forces hit, utter silence filled the scene. Even scream, every voice…was blocked out in the blinding abyss… Onlookers covered their eyes and faces as the pure white light rolled over them with such intensity that many fell to their knees. Noise returned as the sound of a life-changing explosion rocked the area. The mighty earth herself seemed to tremble as a fiery ball appeared in the air where the terrible conjunction had occurred. Then it was over. Alarmed people looked up from the ground with eyes that shone with disbelief at what had just occurred. There was scarce a person within a mile that wasn’t clutching someone else and stuttering inaudibly. Tears of relief rolled quietly down Bulma’s face as she looked on. Pieces of the missile were falling harmlessly in small chunks - seemingly no longer a threat. The Kamehamaha wave had caused it to go off prematurely; it hadn’t even reached Gohon before it was counteracted. Up in the sky, Gokuu pulled his head out from behind his arms, which had been shielding his face. Shock filled his features. Somehow, someway, his son had just been saved. But not by him… He had been too far away to get there in time to do anything for his son. He squinted his eyes, looking past the slowly showering derbies, still hanging in the air on fire. Through the dissipating smoke, he made out the same figure that had made it in front of Gohon and fired the life-saving blast… Diminutive size; orange gi like his own; bald head… Gokuu nearly gagged when he recognized his old friend, still with his hands poised for the attack. “Kuririn!?” Gokuu cried. The person jerked with recognition as he heard his name called and lifted his head. Gokuu could hardly believe it. “Kuririn-“ He was never given time to finish his sentence. Without warning, another, much smaller explosion occurred where the missile’s leftovers were floating! As if angered by its failure, the weapon gave forth its final attempt… Thick clouds of poison began to pour out of the fiery smoke, finally released from its containers. There was a gasp that rolled through all knowing parties in the crowd below, as it spilled out like super fast moving fog, covering the surrounding area. Kuririn was caught in the gaseous explosion and tried desperately to back out of the mist. He coughed hard and was sure he was done for, when the haze seemed to disappear as quickly as it had appeared. The small man lifted his head and looked around. Without realizing it, he had backed up almost into the ape that was Gohon. Sweat formed on his face as the shadow of his small…no - extremely large friend fell over him. Great job, Kuririn,” He muttered to himself as Gohon turned one huge red eye to glare directly at him. “You got rid of the missile…now all you have to do it survive a giant…” Every eye was on them as Gohon surveyed this strange new person who had dared to challenge him. A growl rumbled threateningly in his throat, and for a moment, all were sure that Kuririn would be killed by one of his closest friends. Instead, Gohon surprised them all as he just continued to stare. Kuririn’s body reflected in the monster’s great eye, and just a brief second, there seemed to be a tiny spark of recognition. With a deciding grunt, Gohon turned away from him, leaving Kuririn hovering in one piece only a few feet away. Kuririn couldn’t help by smile as he realized what had just happened… All of a sudden, a ki disk shot out of nowhere and sliced through the passive monkey’s tail. The giant, convulsing thing fell and slammed into the dirt. The monster stopped cold in his place, a drop of drool falling from his fang. He began to shrink. Out of the skin of an ape came a little boy, whom was caught in the arms of his waiting father below as he plummeted downward. Gokuu continued his descent, and landed lightly in front of the boy’s waiting mother, who took the naked child into her arms and sobbed in relief. Bulma and the scientist whom hat attempted to kill Gohon came up upon them. When the man saw the boy, his face became slack with shock. “He is a little boy!” The man exclaimed. He ran a hand over a moist forehead; mouth hanging open, and then turned and yelled to a man behind him. “Somebody call an ambulance; we need to make sure this kid is all right!” ***** Up in the air, Kuririn was having problems. His face was pale, and his eyes were wide and fearful as he tried desperately to breath. Sweat poured off his face, and he put his hand to his labored chest in pain. “What’s…happening to me?” He gasped. Struggling with each breath, he closed his heavy eyes and fell out of the sky… ***** Yamucha was standing in the ruble beside Tenshinhan and the others, watching Gohon and his mother. Chichi was a bit more under control now, having gotten over the fact that her son was not dead, and was in no immediate threat of dieing. The ambulance was on its way, and would take Gohon in to be checked for unseen damage. “Glad that’s over…” Yamucha muttered. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something strange. Uncrossing his arms, he focused his senses on the darkness of the atmosphere. He felt, rather than saw, something falling there. It was something - no, someone very familiar. “Is that…Kuririn?” The ex-bandit asked. Tenshinhan came up beside him, and with him his small companion, Chouszu. The little mime looked puzzled. Putting the pieces together, Yamucha swore and immediately took off into the darkness. The other humans followed as he rushed to where their friend had landed. Yamucha only hoped that it wasn’t what he thought it was… When they reached Kuririn, they found him almost unable to stand. He was struggling against pain and unconsciousness. His body was filled with pain - everything in him was consumed with it. His back felt as if it was on fire! “Kuririn!” Yamucha ran to him, Tenshinhan not far behind. The scarred human tried to support him, asking him what was wrong. The small fighter wanted to answer, but he was still fighting to breath, and didn’t know the answer even if he could have spoken. Tenshinhan looked from Kuririn to Yamucha concernedly. This was very, very bad… ***** Gokuu had been standing with his wife and son, when he saw another ambulance pull up along side the one in which Gohon was being loaded into. Hoping no one was hurt, he tuned around and scanned the area, which was now lit with huge floodlights. He didn’t see anything at first. It wasn’t until his eyes happened over a small group of people a short distance away that he though he had found the injured person. He stood up on his toes, but still couldn’t see through the small swarm. Then, the mass parted for a moment as the medic made his way through, and Gokuu got a glimpse at the patient. He nearly had to do a double take, and then might not have believed it at all if hadn’t seen Yamucha, Tenshinhan, and Chouszu all over there as well, gathered around the unfortunate. His mind abruptly flashed back to the second explosion. He remembered how he had lost sight of Kuririn in the colored smoke; how he had hoped that his friend hadn’t been affected by it… “Oh no…Kuririn!” He said. He left Chichi and his son, pushing his way through the milling people, heading over to the small group. “Gokuu, where are you going?” Chichi called him back. He ignored her. Shoving his way into the inner circle, he was appalled to find what he had expected all along. Lying on the grassy floor, supported by friends and medics, was Kuririn. Gokuu knelt quietly in front of him. “Kuririn?” He called his name softly. His friend’s dark eyes cracked open a bit in response, but they were glassy and unfocused. He rasped weakly in a weak attempt at breathing. “He…sucked in some of that gas…didn’t he?” Gokuu asked no one in particular. A medic nodded solemnly. “As near as we can figure. He…seems to be dying…” Gokuu almost gagged as those words echoed in his mind. This wasn’t right! Kuririn had saved his son’s life - he wasn’t supposed to die. “There has to be something we can do.” Gokuu said, refusing to give up hope. “There isn’t.” A voice spoke out. The crowd parted a bit to reveal the same scientist with glasses that had fired the missile in the first place. He sighed and spread his hands once all eyes laid on him. “I generated that chemical substance myself - it’s lethal. He should already be dead.” Gokuu could barely control his anger. He stood abruptly, towering over the man that had nearly killed his son, and might still be responsible for the death of his best friend. “What have you done to him?” He hissed. “What is that…that gas doing to him?!” The scientist looked intimidated, but managed to find words for a response. “It’s a neurological poison.” He began nervously. Seeing Gokuu’s blank face, he hurried to explain. “One that affects the nervous system? That’s why he’s in pain - his nerves are being destroyed.” As if to punctuate his revelation, Kuririn groaned pitifully, fists closing spasmatically, then opening again and laying limp. The medic began to look agitated, and called for a stretcher. Gokuu was trying desperately not to erupt in a blind fury. Tenshinhan saved the man’s life and went ahead and asked him to continue. “If that gas is supposed to kill, why is he still alive?” He asked. The man shook his head. “I don’t know, but the chemicals haven’t been fully tested yet. There could be something defective in it. And then he just might not have breathed in but a tiny bit of it…” “So he might nor die?” Gokuu asked eagerly. Regretful eyes looked back into his, and then fell to his shoes. “I’m afraid that’s impossible.” He murmured. “It just means it’ll take longer… I’m so sorry.” “So…there’s nothing we can do?” It was Yamucha. The paramedics had just taken Kuririn from him and were strapping him to the stretcher. “There’s no cure or whatever for this?” The man shook his head. “I never thought to design one because I didn’t think that it was needed.” Gokuu wanted to scream when he heard that. No cure…because this man thought there would be no need for it. He cursed the scum. Turning away to avoid being sick, Gokuu quickly hurried after the stretcher that held his friend. He wouldn't accept defeat so soon. "Hold on, Kuririn." He murmured as he caught up and walked swiftly along side him. "Fight this..." As they loaded the unresponsive Kuririn into the ambulance, Gohon was being put into the other. He saw Chichi gesturing to him to hurry and get on with her, but Gokuu was torn. His son would live; his friend might not. "Don't worry, Gokuu." Yamucha came up behind him. He put a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Me and Tenshinhan will go with him. You go with that kid of yours." Gokuu hesitated just one moment longer, and then nodded. "Thanks." ***** "We've got an adult male in critical condition – we’ve got breathing impairment here!" A doctor yelled as the small patient was wheeled in before him. The room was in a frenzy; nurses running back and forth, frantically trying to stabilize the quickly fading Kuririn. He had long since stopped jerking and moving, and lay limp as he was transferred from the stretcher to a bed. A dark headed doctor was at his side in an instant, pulling an oxygen mask over his face while worriedly watching his vitals spiral downward as soon as the machines kicked on. The glazed, pain-riddled eyes he looked into where the eyes of a young man, dying while he watched. “What have we got?” He called out, but their came no response. He quickly jerked his head around to face his attending assistant, who was staring at the clipboard and sweating. He looked up rather frantically. “It just said that he was caught in some kind of unknown nerve gas…” The man said. He looked down again. “Something Capsule Corp. was working on. There was an accident.” “It doesn’t say what kind of gas?” The doctor asked insistently. He couldn’t treat something when he didn’t know what he was up against. The man shook his head. “No.” The doctor swung back around, helping the nurse look the young man over manually. Without something firm to go off of, they would have to settle with searching out the symptoms – something that was obvious that had no time for. The young man would die before they even figured out how to treat him… On the bed, Kuririn felt detached from his own body. The agony that had ripped through his was beginning to fad away, along with his vision. The fight to continue breathing had long since gotten too hard on his body to undertake, and he distantly realized his mind was shutting down from oxygen depravation as thinking clearly became difficult. He felt so weak…couldn’t do anything to stop this… Too hard…to think… He wanted…too hard… So, as the doctor and nursing assistants tried desperately to help him, trying hard just to keep him alive, he felt that continuing to struggle wasn’t worth it. Slowly, his head dropped to the pillow and his eyes closed… ***** In another part of the hospital, Gokuu was pacing the hallways nervously. They had been told an hour or two earlier that it appeared his son would be fine, having walked away from his ordeal almost without a scratch. At the moment, Chichi was in there with the doctor, giving last thanks. As soon as Gohon woke up, they said, he could be taken home. Despite this good news, Gokuu was still troubled. Yamucha had called him from a downstairs department of the hospital that Kuririn was being cared for in the emergency room. He had also said he would phone when he got any news – more than two hours ago… Gokuu’s mind raced as he thought over the night’s occurrences. He didn’t understand the way that the world was working… Kuririn had saved his son; he was a hero! He owed him his life for protecting Gohon as he had. Why would fate have him loose his own life in return? He was suddenly alerted to the doors to his left swinging open, and the next thing he knew, he few two smaller arms clamp around his waist. “Daddy!” Gohon cried happily. Gokuu was surprised. “Gohon, you’re awake! I’m so glad your okay.” He managed a smile, despite his obvious worry. Chichi came up behind the boy, whom was clothed only in a thin hospital gown. She was smiling broadly, but catching the look on her husbands face, her face became concerned. She seemed to ask only with her solid black eyes what was wrong. “It…it’s Kuririn…” He mumbled softly to her, hoping his voice was low enough that Gohon would not hear him. Unfortunately, he underestimated the boy’s hearing. “What’s wrong with Kuririn?” He piped up. Gokuu didn’t really want to explain this to his son just as soon as he had woken up, but he kneeled beside him anyway. “Gohon, do you remember what happened tonight?” He asked quietly. The small child’s eyes clouded over. “I…I ate a senzu bean…” He struggled to get the memories to hold. “And…and my tail… My tail grew back!” He suddenly exclaimed, causing several people nearby to look up curiously. No further explanations could be made, as at the moment, the floor phone began ringing wildly. A nurse calmly picked it up and listened carefully. “Is there a Son Gokuu here?” She called out. The Earth Sayiajin was at the phone in an instant. He pulled it out of her hand and greeted the other person the line with a curt hello. His breathing became faster as he continued to listen to his friend on the other end of the line. ~ “This is really bad, Gokuu…” ~ Yamucha’s voice could just barely be heard at the end of the line. Gohon watched from his mother’s side as his father’s face went through multiple emotions. Confusion, shock, and then amazing grief all cycled over his face almost at once. This puzzled Gohon… From behind him, he was attracted away from this sight by a small television set that sat of the end of the waiting room in table. On it, a tall solemn woman stepped up behind a podium to deliver the news. Gohon listened, almost in a trance as the terrible truth was broadcasted… ~ Early last night, the Capsule Corporation was viscously attacked by what seemed to be a ruthless monster in the form of a giant monkey. Thankfully, no one was injured during this assault, and the creature was quickly subdued… ~ Gohon gasped as he realized the creature was him. The news anchor went on… ~ Unfortunately, the brave young man that stopped the dangerous bio-chemical missile that was fired in panic was hospitalized soon after the event for a number of life threatening symptoms. The cause of this was later diagnosed as the deadly affects of the gas leaked into the air during the accident. He died early this morning while being cared for in a local hospital… ~ |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ |
| ~End Chapter~ Send you questions and comments here. You input will be greatly apprecicated and the author will do his best to answer your inquiries. Click here to return to Fanfiction Click here to return Home |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ |
 |
|
|
|
| Information: |
| Kuririn's Past: |
| Deaths: |
| Questions: |
| Multimedia: |
| Fans: |
| Special: |
| This Site: |
 |