The Dark Knight Descends

"Evil Containment Wave!"

"No! Not this time, human!"

The whole world seemed to be lost in an eerie shroud of green then, and Krillin watched from his place in the dirt as both Master Roshi and King Piccolo seemed to get swallowed up by the elderly martial artist's attack.

A hideous whaling noise filled the air and Krillin felt an unpleasant tingle race down his spine as it rang in his ears, yet the young teen forced his eyes to stay focused on the battle of wills before him.

He needed to see his teacher be victorious.

Suddenly though there was a loud boom, and a concussive explosion ripped through the surrounding streets. Krillin flinched as a piece of debri struck him in the forehead, but he did his best to ignore the pain even as a steady stream of blood oozed from the wound.

Finally, all was silent, and even the noises of the city stopped as if waiting for the big reveal. Though Krillin was sure it had more to do with the people's fear for the unknown origin of the ruckus.

The cloud of dust that Roshi's sealing technique kicked up had begun to dissipate though, and in the remaining shroud one could begin to make out a single figure standing in its shade…

A tall figure.

'No...no, it c-can't be!'

One who, as the cloudy blanket was lifted, wore a sadistically excited grin that showed off a set of vicious fangs.

'How!? Master said that technique was unbeatable! H-How could he still be standing!?'

And then that's when he saw it.

There, lying in a bloody heap at Piccolo's feet, was the dead body of Muten Roshi.

The man's face was a twisted mask of agony and pain, with a crimson stream staining his goatee and a gaping hole punched through Roshi's sternum.

Krillin felt his heart break at the sight and he began to cry, but the young fighter forced himself to choke back his own sobs at the realization Piccolo hadn't actually spotted him yet.

The demon probably assumed he was dead.

So, pressing his face painfully into the street and locking his shoulders so they didn't shake, Krillin was forced to listen as his master's murderer goatee about his victory before flying off.

"Perfect! I wasn't sure my arm would stretch far enough in time, but it worked! And now, with the last of the humans who know about that despicable technique out of the way my rule over this planet is assured!"

Piccolo's vile laughter rang in Krillin's ears long after the villain blasted off into the sky, and it would be another half-hour before the young man would find the strength to climb to his feet.

Cradling Roshi's lifeless corpse in his arms, Krillin wept even as he picked up the anguished cries of West City's citizens

He'd failed, his master had failed…

And now the Earth was doomed.

The heartbreak of the dream followed poor Krillin into the waking world even as he was being shaken awake.

"Krillin, hey, get up you idiot this is important!"

"G-Go away, I'm not in the mood right now."

Bulma's eyes narrowed before she reeled back and slapped the young man in the head.

"Well, get in the mood, moron! This is serious!"

"Ow! Bulma what the hell!? Why don't you bother someone else?"

"Because I need the strongest fighter we've got, and since Goku still isn't here yet that leaves me with you!"

Krillin rubbed his sore noggin while sitting up in the cot he'd laid out on the floor, the young warriors face a mask of agitation and sadness.

"Goku's not here cause he knows he can't win either, I've told you that a million times in the last two weeks, how much longer before you just accept it!?"

Bulma's nostrils flared as she grabbed a fistful of Krillin's tank top.

"And I've told you to keep your opinions to yourself! Now quit moping and get up; you need to hear this!"

Groaning as the blue-haired girl stood back and waited for him, Krillin finally forced himself to do as she asked, stretching as he heated himself to his feet.

"There, I'm up, now whatdya want Bulma?"

She'd been up late again, he could see it in the bags under her eyes and the way her once shimmering hair now stuck out like a bird nest.

Yet there was an alertness in that half-lidded gaze, and even as she covered up with a stained crop top and cargo pants Bulma Briefs still managed to be the most beautiful woman in the room.

A hard thing to notice though when one's eyes were instead drawn to the various rifles and handguns strapped to her slender, sexy body.

"I was up early this morning, checking the radio feeds from other survival camps, and I found out that there's going to be another offering to King Piccolo at Kanzai Stadium this afternoon!"

Krillin flinched at the news; there seemed to be an 'offering' every day.

"H-How many this time?"

"A hundred; half of them are believed to be children."

"Damn it!"

Bulma folded her arms, "So you see why I wanted you up? Krillin I'm serious, you're these people's only hope right now. With Tien off fighting alone and the twins still recovering from his assault on my house, there's just no one else strong enough to stand up to those monsters!"

"Well what about you? I've seen you take them out with your weapons before, why don't you go out there and-"

"And get myself killed!? Don't be an idiot! My way only works when they aren't paying attention! Besides, the twins aren't in any shape to protect me against so many at once right now; Kami above what's gotten into you!?"

"I'm afraid alright!?"

Bulma jolted at the sheer volume of Krillin's anger and self-loathing before the area went quiet.

They'd hunkered down in her family's nuclear shelter under the house, and that's to the floor design weren't in any danger of being discovered unless one of Piccolo's spawn literally watched them use the exit.

This allowed Krillin to unleash the full brunt of his pain and anger without worrying they'd be discovered.

"I watched the strongest fighter I know try everything in his power to stop that...that monster, and it wasn't even close to enough! If Master Roshi didn't stand a chance against them, then what hope do I have Bulma!?"

The disheveled genius just narrowed her eyes at the younger teen though.

"I'm not telling you to beat them Krillin, I'm asking you to help those children escape! Piccolo isn't even at the stadium right now, I'm sure together we can take on whoever is though; you've beaten that freak's minions before!"

"But what if I can't this time!? O-Or what if you're wrong and Piccolo is there; we'll both die!"

Bulma threw her hands up and hollered, but then a new voice called from the doorway.

"Forget about him Bulma, I'll go with you."

Yamcha was leaning against the frame, his arms crossed and showing off a series of bandages wrapped around the former bandit's bicep. He'd been quick to find her after Piccolo's army began to descend upon Earth, and made a vow to protect the blue-haired beauty at all costs.

However, seeing her admirer left a nauseous feeling in Bulma's gut. She'd avoided asking the scruffy young man because the Capsule Corp. heiress didn't trust Yamcha to keep her alive! Just remembering how he got those bandages made Bulma worry for her own safety.

Sadly, it would seem he was the blue-haired beauty's only hope, so with a growl Bulma sent one last glare at Krillin.

"Fine! Be a coward! I'll go and save those people, you just wait here and cry in the corner for the day our luck runs out and one of them does find this place."

She made it to the door before stopping one last time, not even bothering to look over her shoulder as she told the former monk:

"You used to act like Goku's rival, right? Well, what do you think he'd do right now?"

With that, Bulma shut the door and left the bald teen to stew in his thoughts.

xXx

'I know what I said, but this is still fucking crazy,' the female genius berated herself as she carefully moved through the streets.

The offerings took place all over the globe, but Bulma quickly noticed that more often than not Piccolo preferred to keep himself centered around Japan. To her, it seemed as though he feared the uprising of the martial arts community as a whole, and wanted to keep it stamped out.

Yet for whatever his reasoning, Bulma prayed just this once that the monster was off in another part of the world so that it gave her time to slip in and out of Kanzai Stadium. The bigger problem though, was that this would be Bulma's first rescue attempt with only Yamcha for backup..

'It doesn't help that idiot Tien decides he's better off fighting them all by himself! What a moron! He can't seriously think he's a match for King Piccolo after what Krillin's told me!'

However this raised another question as Bulma dove into the shadows of an alley to avoid being spotted by one of the spawn who could fly…

What chance did she have if left all alone?

Another tidbit Bulma had theorized was that Piccolo shared a mental link with all he sired, since the fierce demon seemed to always show up after one of them were slain.

'That means I've got maybe thirty minutes to get in and get out of there,' she calculated as the stadium came into view.

But even this depended on just where King Piccolo was in the moment she started the rescue. So they needed to be quick, and as quiet as possible if there was any hope of saving the citizens trapped in Kanzai.

So with the first pair of goons in sight, Bulma checked the silencers on her weapons and set her watch before taking aim.

In 3…2…1…

Thwack! Thwack!

Hardly a second passed between each shot, but even as the monster's bodies dropped to the pavement Bulma waited another five seconds to make sure everything was clear before rushing up towards the entrance.

"Bulma," Yamcha hissed as they moved, "do you know where the people are being kept?"

"Considering there's so many, my guess would be that Piccolo's goons are stashing them in the field."

"B-But that means-"

"I know what it means lunk-head; that's why I needed someone to come with me! Now just shut up before your loud whining gets us caught."

With Yamcha taking point the two scurried through the arena as quietly as they could, doing their best to push the sound of children crying far from their minds while keeping an eye out for any enemies that may be patrolling the halls.

For Bulma, making it to the cheap seats so easily made her nervous. But as she peeked out from behind a wall to see the field those feelings turned to fury and disgust.

"I thought I told you to keep that brat quiet!"

She watched as a mother shielded her blanket-wrapped baby from the snarling gaze of Piccolo's spawn, the infant's cries having been the same Bulma had heard moments before.

"I'm trying," the mother sobbed, "b-but you're scaring her! Please, can't you just let us go; what have we ever done to any of you!?"

"Shut your mouth human! I've had just about enough of you and that disgusting sack of flesh you call a 'child'; maybe you'll learn to be a little more quiet in the next dimension!"

"No," she screamed while the monster raised his claws into the air, "please, no! Somebody, anybody, help us!"

'Thwack'

With her eyes closed, the mother didn't see the way her would-be killer's body stiffened or the bloody hole that now colored his pasty green forehead. It wasn't until she no longer felt the monster's cold shadow, and heard something drop like a rock to the ground, that the woman dared to open her eyes.

Dead. The creature who'd been ready to send her and her baby to the great beyond, was instead laying face-down in the turf with blood pooling under a gaping mouth full of fangs.

Instantly, every other monster keeping watch over the imprisoned humans jumped into an uproar at the slaughter of their kin. They turned their eyes up towards the stadium seats, and each of the scaly-faced demons snarled as a single human came leaping down at them.

"Why don't you freaks pick on somebody your own size!?"

But even as he challenged them Yamcha could feel his heart in his throat, and the way his knees shook as he looked around at the small army of enemies staring back at him. Only the knowledge that running would leave Bulma defenseless kept the former bandit from abandoning Kanzi Stadium's prisoners to their fate.

"I don't know who you think you are, human, but you're about to suffer dearly for what you've just done!"

"When we're through with you, you'll beg for death!"

The former bandit did his best to look confident as he shifted into a fighting stance, making sure to keep each opponent in sight while calling up every ounce of power sleeping within himself.

"We'll see about that, you group of overgrown goblins! If you had any idea of who you're about to mess with, you'd all be screaming for Piccolo to come save your sorry butts; Yamcha the Desert Bandit stands above all!"

Grins and mocking chuckles were the response of Piccolo's spawn as they slowly began to creep in, closing Yamcha into a tight circle. He couldn't feel their power, but over the last two weeks Yamcha had discovered that each of Piccolo's 'children' were at least equal in strength to himself at their weakest. Hearing horror stories from Krillin back at the bunker however, the former bandit swallowed hard as he prayed none of these monsters were as powerful as the one known as 'Tamborine'.

A move from his peripheral drew Yamcha's attention away from his fears though, and soon enough the young man was leaping into the air so as not to be smashed by an elbow to the skull. Flipping over the circle of demos, Yamcha landed shakely on his feet before finding himself about to be overrun by Piccolo's spawn!

"Raha-Argh!"

"Grah!"

"Nrgh!"

Underneath their own battle cries and lust for blood, Drum and his brethren were too focused on their prey to notice Bulma up in the stands taking aim until it was too late. Unloading her rifle from above, the blue-haired genius managed to thin her allies' enemies by half before they got their guards up and the bullets bounced off of them.

"You two take the scrawny human," Drum ordered, "I'll head up and see about that sneaky little mosquito giving us trouble!"

Hearing this, Yamcha's eyes go wide and he lashes out at the two monsters charged to keep him busy.

"No!"

But it was too late. Drum's powerful legs pushed him off the ground and up into the bleachers before propelling the rotund fiend the rest of the way so that he soon stood before a crouching Bulma.

The teen beauty's own eyes filled with shock at being discovered so quickly before they narrowed, and Capsule Corps' heiress swapped her gun for a sticky grenade.

"Eat this, freak!"

With the explosive flying through the air between them, Bulma threw herself over the stadium seats and skipped down the bleachers like stones in a river while hitting a button on the wrist-mounted terminal she explosion that followed was hot against her back, and the stench of burnt flesh made the young woman want to puke, but Bulma shoved all those discomforts from her mind and simply pushed to get as far away from her enemy as possible.

'Because there's no way that was enough to stop him!'

And, seemingly to agree, Drum's furious cries came echoing from within the ball of fire he'd been swallowed by.

"Damn you! Filthy wench; I'll fucking kill you for that!"

"Shit!"

"Bulma, get over here, hurry!"

Her eyes were blazing with indignation as she leap-frogged over another set of seats to finally make it onto the turf, "What the hell do you think I'm trying to do!? You think I'm running like this for my health, moron!?"

Just as Bulma managed to stride to safety behind her fellow freedom fighter, their enemy came barreling down at them with bloodshot eyes, and fangs glistening when Drum noticed both of his kin had been defeated.

"Your pals weren't much of a challenge," Yamcha puffed out his chest as he made sure to stand resolutely in front of the girl he fancied, "so what makes a freakshow like you think they'll stand any better chance?"

"If that's how you feel; how about I give it a try?"

A cold shiver ran up Bulma's spine as that voice echoed in her ear, and she could see the way Yamcha's muscles tensed at the same time.

The pit in her stomach grew, and with every ounce of willpower she could muster Bulma turned her gaze skyward...and felt her heart stop at what she found.

His large, muscular form hovered high above the stadium, with shadows playing across the green scourge's goblin-like face, but there was no denying who had finally arrived.

King Piccolo.

Cold, cruel laughter filled the arena then as humanity's worst nightmare began to descend upon the captured citizens.

"I'll admit to being impressed though; you lot have lasted far longer than I'd ever imagined. But it's truly a futile effort, because soon you'll all be nothing but food for me and my children!"

"N-Not if I have anything to say about it!"

Piccolo sneered in taunting delight as he stared down his latest 'challenger', a feeling of deep satisfaction welling up within at just the thought of what sorts of torment he would soon inflict upon this entire stadium.

'But first, the boy.'

"It's funny; I'm getting a bit of deja vu. What is it about this woman, that the men of your pathetic species are so quick to put themselves between she and I?"

The fiend's large, yellow eyes flickered over to his spawn for a moment, "I'm any case Drum, I want you to stay out of this until I say otherwise; these two are mine."

Yamcha just did his best to steady his breathing, opening and closing both fists as he stared down the very monster who defeated a legend like Muten Roshi.

"Hmm, what's this, cat got your tongue? No matter, I'd much rather hear you scream!"

The speed his enemy moved at was well beyond what Diablo Desert's bandit could follow, and soon enough the young man had a mouthful of blood as he felt Piccolo's giant fist crash against his face.

"Argh!"

"Yamcha!"

Bulma ducked out from behind the stricken martial artist, diving to the ground and rolling in the dirt as she unclipped a pistol from her waist.

"Nice try, fool!"

A wall of invisible force slammed the young woman like a train and sent her rolling back with a cry of pain before she could even fire a shot.

"Leave her alone!"

Yamcha's aura flared with his rage and he rushed Piccolo in a blind frenzy. Fists and legs swung wildly, but the man's enemy simply scoffed as he easily danced away from each and every strike.

"So then, this is what's left of the martial arts community," Piccolo grabbed Yamcha's fist, "what a pitiful display; and to think, I used to fear what your kind was capable of."

'CRACK'

"AAAARGH!"

With a single squeeze Yamcha's hand was shattered, and he dropped to his knees as he wailed in agony. Tears quickly filled the man's eyes, and as Piccolo switched to slowly crushing his skull those cries turned to sobs of pain and fear.

"No, stop! Please! I-I don't wanna die like this! PLEASE!"

"Then you should have thought about that before getting in my way!"

Piccolo felt the tips of his claws begin to sink into the human's skull, the flesh giving way and warm blood coating the monster's fingertips.

This new pain sent Yamcha's heart slamming against his ribs, and snot trailed down the former bandit's nose as he made a pitiful attempt to free himself.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please spare me!"

"Not a chance," Piccolo chuckled darkly, "you wouldn't even be good enough to feed to my children. You've made your bed, now it's time to sleep in it...forever!"

With his prey screaming and the hunger for the chance to further humiliate him filling Piccolo's brain, he didn't notice the movement out of the corner of his eye, never realizing that Drum's own gaze was solely focused on watching Yamcha's agony as well.

'Thwack'

"RRRAAAWWW!"

So when Bulma finally managed to turn over, and see beyond the blood dripping into her eye, the single shot she took at King Piccolo's side went completely unnoticed until it was too late.

The second those claws left him, Yamcha fell on his side nearly unconscious from the pain, with only Piccolo's snarling to echo in the former bandit's ears.

For the Demon King, his pupils nearly vanished and a vein pulsed steadily against the giant's forehead as he turned to stare hatefully at the one who'd wounded him.

"You!"

"Ah!"

Poor Bulma didn't even have a chance to think about escaping before she was snagged by Piccolo's extended arm; those claws shredding through her shirt as he dragged the girl forward.

A second later they were face-to-face, and the heiress struggled not to vomit from the stench of raw meat wafting on every breath that left Piccolo's lips.

"Had I known what a literal thorn you'd be in my side, I'd have killed you that first day we crossed paths. But don't worry; I'll fix that now~"

Bulma's small, gloved hands came up and wrapped their slender fingers around the thick muscles of her captor's forearm, desperate to free herself as he broke out into a chorus of hideous laughter.

By now the people who'd been captured had long since fled, leaving only a broken fighter and helpless heiress to drown under the dark aura of King Piccolo.

Or so they thought.

"If you don't get your hands off of her, you'll have more than just a thorn in your side to worry about, fool."

'That voice!'

It was one she'd grown fond of, to the point that even as he spoke like an emissary of death itself Bulma's heart still fluttered at the sound of it.

And as she looked up beyond Piccolo's hulking mass, the heiress of Capsule Corp could make out the silhouette of his growing muscles and wild dark hair.

A tail flicked restlessly from side-to-side, and there was a stern mask of displeasure settled neatly over his face.

Yet it was the eyes that did it for Bulma.

As behind a wall of cold fire she noticed the warming light of protection, and a promise to keep her safe that had been struck over a year ago on their first meeting…

"G-Goku."

xXx

The sight that greeted Kakarot as he descended from the sky was one that pushed his young face into a heavy mask of cold, dark fury.

Bulma's top was torn to shreds, revealing streaks of her soft pale skin, and while there didn't seem to be any open wounds Kakarot could still make out faded bruises near the girl's ribs.

Those eyes that seemed to outshine the clearest ocean stared up at him filled with hope and joy were tinted in a fear that stoked Kakarot's rising anger even further.

His feet didn't touch the ground as the warrior came face-to-face with who he could only assume was King Piccolo, rather the tips of his boots hovered inches above soft grass while Kakarot glared into the face of evil.

"With ears like yours I know you heard me, so could it be that the mighty Piccolo has a death wish?"

Mouth twitching with amusement, the scourge of Earth scoffed at his newest foe's challenge.

"Funny, I could ask you the same thing. What sort of fool must you be, to oppose me so openly when I've already laid waste to so many of your kind?"

Kakarot sucked his teeth at the accusation, dropping his hands to his sides as he stared up at the giant green menace.

"And did you succeed by talking them to death? Because so far your voice is the only thing I find so agonizing about the great Piccolo Daimao."

Noticing the vein that bulged from his enemy's forehead seconds later put a smile on Kakarot's face, even as the villainous fiend snarled down at him.

"You've got a pretty big mouth for such a little pest," loosening his claws, Piccolo dropped Bulma to the ground before cracking his knuckles with a sneer.

"I like to talk," Kakarot shrugged, "it's part of my charm."

"It's going to get you killed, if you're not careful, boy."

The lust for battle gave young eyes an excited glow.

"Maybe, but against you? I think I'll take my chances~"

Fangs gnashed together as a pointed nose flared and more veins began to pop against a thick, green neck.

"Impudent little brat! Now you've done it!"

A flash of red was the only warning, yet Kakarot's hand swatted Piccolo's eye beams skyward before they could reach him as an outstretched palm stopped the mouth-blast that immediately followed.

"I really hope that's not all you've got, because if it is you'd better quit."

As his enemy roared, Kakarot managed to catch a glimpse of Bulma dragging Yamcha into the safety of the stadium's shadows before he was dashing backwards to avoid being speared.

There was no denying the lethal point of those claws as they came slicing through the air in a mad attempt to pierce their enemy's heart, but Piccolo's frustrations spiked with every strike dodged.

'The fucking brat doesn't even look like he's breaking a sweat!'

Indeed, Kakarot hadn't lost the smirk on his face even as he spun around Piccolo's roundhouse-kick, if anything each attack the spiky-haired warrior danced around only seemed to strengthen that smug fire behind his eyes.

A fire Piccolo wanted to stamp out permanently.

"Now that's a neat trick," Kakarot mused as he watched his foe stretch his arm, "but you'll need to do better than that!"

The vile monster's goblin-like face twisted into a mask of malicious glee.

"I did!"

It was like the strike of a cobra, swift and decisive, and in a blink Kakarot found himself wrapped up in his enemy's muscled flesh as if he were a rat.

"Nowhere for you to run to now; it's over!"

The taste of dirt was something Kakarot wasn't used to, and as he found himself being smashed against the stadium grounds the monkey-tailed boy found it to be a flavour he didn't care for.

But the last straw came when Piccolo drew him in to smash his large fist into the younger fighter's face.

"Hrgh!"

"Not so tough when you can't fly around, are you!"

Those calloused fingers spread, and closed back around Kakarot's face as their owner began to call upon the well of ki deep within.

"I'll admit that you were a bit stronger than the rest of those pitiful humans, but my power is beyond any of your kind, no matter what silly little tricks you've learned!"

The heat of Piccolo's incoming attack began to warm his captive's skin, while the boy's nose wrinkled under the stench of blood and decay. But Kakarot didn't panic. Instead, the young fighter brought his thumb up and pressed hard into Piccolo's wrist, channeling ki just under the skin for an added bit of power.

The result was…

SQUELCH

"AAARGH!"

...bloody.

Kakarot ignored the dripping mask of purple life force covering his face in favor of watching as the 'Demon King' howled in agony. A vicious grin found its way back to Kakarot's lips, his fangs gleaming under the midday sun, as Piccolo clutched desperately at the gushing stump that used to be his hand.

"Oh~ I'm sorry, I guess I just don't know my own strength yet~"

"You! You filthy creature; I'll make you pay dearly for this!"

"Well, you'll probably want to summon one of your spawn to help with that, because it looks to me like you could really use a hand!"

The spiky-haired alien's cackle echoed through the empty stadium and filled Piccolo's pointy ears as he seethed against the unimaginable agony surging from his wrist. Listening to the monkey-tailed boy's mocking laughter flooded Piccolo's blood with wrathful fire, and he began to draw forth a hefty load of energy before sending it into his wound.

"You think this is funny, boy!? Just wait! I'll show you exactly why this entire planet fears the very mention of my name! HARGH!"

Coal-black eyes widened as Kakarot's laughter stopped.

"What the-!"

There was a sickening, slimy noise next that was followed quickly by a fully functioning hand sprouting from where the Demon King's last one had been. Kakarot wrinkled his nose at the stench in the air, yet couldn't help being impressed with Piccolo's abilities as the green giant rolled his wrist and flexed all five fingers.

"You're a crafty one, that's for sure kid. But all you've done is delay the inevitable."

"Feh, you've talked a big game, but weren't you just the one who had to regrow their own hand? I think the 'might' of King Piccolo has been exaggerated; You're hardly even a warm-up. Now hurry up and show me something interesting, or I'll blast you into oblivion for boring me."

Large, yellow eyes narrowed as their owner sneered at the monkey-tailed fighter. However, Piccolo didn't attack just yet. A sharp pain nagged at the villain's heart, and he did his best to take slow, deep breaths in an effort to quell it before making another move.

'I'll need to be careful, I can't risk too many more regenerations.'

Unfortunately, Kakarot wasn't interested in waiting, and the boy blew out a sigh before rocketing through the air.

"Fine then! If you're not gonna get the party started, I'll just come to you!"

Piccolo snarled, and plunged deep within to call forth every last ounce of power he had before an invigorating rush flooded the fiend's veins, reminiscent of Shenron restoring his youth.

The surge of power caught Kakarot's attention, but the younger warrior brushed it off as he continued his charge, fully committed to act.

"Ha!"

Closing the gap in a blink, the orphaned alien let out a yell, as his fist flew like a bullet-train intent on running Piccolo through…

SMACK

...and smashing against the green giant's palm.

The vibrations ran through Kakarot's body and sent a shockwave across the stadium, leaving behind a small crater in their wake as Piccolo grinned maliciously at his foe.

Eyes like coal watched their enemy's skin darken, resembling an emerald, while thick crimson lines seemed to bleed out underneath the Demon King's own sickly yellow orbs, and his patches of pink flesh morphed to a neon-blue.

A chuckle filled the air; cold and dark. And Piccolo slowly squeezed his fingers around Kakarot's smaller hand while baring fangs that gleamed under the sun.

"I hope that's not all you've got...if it is, you'd better quit~"

::

Nostrils flaring, the younger fighter had no time to retort before he was sent flying back from a blow to the face.

There wasn't any time to recover before Piccolo was on him again, grabbing Kakarot's gi and hurling the boy into the sky with a hearty roar.

'D-Damn it, what the hell did he do to become so fast!?'

POW

"Hargh!"

The breath flew from Kakarot's lungs as he found his enemy's fist buried in his stomach, only for the pain to multiply with Piccolo's knuckles slapping across the boy's face.

"Ah!"

"Where do you think you're going!?"

Crushing force wrapped around a small ankle, and Kakarot was lurched backward before his foe dropped an elbow into the young fighter's gut.

Falling like a rock, Kakarot tried to fight through the thundering agony beating behind his eyes, but any thought of recovery went up in flames as King Piccolo began to send a volley of ki-blasts raining down.

"You wanted to see my true power kid!? Well, here it is, how's this for a warm-up!?"

The first shot sent Kakarot crashing into the ruined stadium grounds before every blast that followed smashed against him with the heat of a small sun. Tearing apart his uniform and scorching the boy's skin, anyone who could see inside the blinding light would be a spectator to Kakarot flopping against the earth like a fish out of water before Piccolo ended his assault.

As the dust settled and a clear view could be seen, crystal-blue eyes were brimming with tears and their owner struggled to breath at the sight of earth's only hope lying lifelessly in the dirt.

"G-Goku...Goku no!"

"B-Bulma, don't he'll kill you!"

But the heiress to Capsule Corp didn't listen, choosing instead to rush out onto the ruined field and drop to her knees by her best friend's side.

"No. No, no, no this can't be happening; not again! Goku, come on, please get up! I need you!"

Cradling him in her arms, Bulma let her own pain show itself as it cascaded down the girl's cheeks. Broken sobs echoed in the silence louder than any drum, and despite trying to choke back the agony Bulma found she simply could not keep her body from shaking.

And then, she heard him.

"You should have warned your friend against fighting me, human. I would have killed him eventually, but at least that way he wouldn't have had to die so soon. Now, stand aside, it's time I finish off the little fool."

The girl's beautiful face twisted into a snarl, wrinkling her nose and baring a set of white teeth, before she pulled a single handgun from its holster at her hip and aimed straight at Piccolo.

"No! Stay back! I won't let you kill him!"

"Feh, you can't possibly think that pathetic little weapon will work on me a second time? Stupid girl, I am the most powerful being in the universe, the Lord of Darkness and bringer of death! I could take your head from your shoulders before you even had time to fire that hunk of human garbage! Now, stand aside, or else!"

"You're just gonna kill me anyway, right!? So go ahead, do it! But it'll be a cold day in hell before I just stand back and watch while you kill Goku!"

Piccolo's goblin-like face was overcome with a mask of disgust at how much raw, human emotion was on display. He spat, desperate to rid himself of the sour taste it left on his tongue, before stretching out a single palm and gathering energy from within.

"Fine! If that's the way you want it, I'll just kill you both! Stupid human; I'd forgotten all about you too. You could have escaped, you could have lived, but instead you'd rather die in a pathetic show of 'feelings'!"

"Screw you!"

BAM BAM BAM

Again and again, Bulma's finger pulled the trigger on her modified Glock 19, unloading a full clip even as she watched the bullets bounce off Piccolo's chest.

But the second her weapon was empty, Bulma laid the unconscious alien youth back into the dirt and rushed to stand, spreading both arms wide even as tears continued to stream over rosy cheeks.

Blue stared into yellow, human against a demon, and neither one noticed Kakarot's eyelids flutter.

"I hope you enjoyed your last breath human, because now it's time to send you and that little brat straight to hell!"

To her credit, Bulma never bothered to close her eyes as Piccolo's overwhelming energy blast came down on her and the boy she was trying to protect. Capsule Corp's heiress stood tall, with a straight back, and let the burning heat fall upon her pale skin.

Flickers of a rustic orange blipped at the corner of Bulma's vision, but she just chalked it up to delirium brought on by impending doom, or even effects from just how hot Piccolo's attack was…

WHOOM

SMASH

Until the flaming ball of ki was stopped short by an energy field.

Made up of that almost burnt orange color from before, the sphere seemed to wrap all the way around her and easily blocked King Piccolo's energy blast, leaving the ball of death to sit in midair before finally fizzling out.

"W-What the-!"

'No, that's impossible! No one could have survived that!'

His opponent rose from his intended grave without moving a muscle, floating straight up onto his feet with dark bangs hovering over closed eyes.

Piccolo felt a knot form in his stomach as he stared down at Kakarot, the boy's torso barely hidden beneath tattered shreds of a gray compression shirt, revealing wounds that seemed to heal near instantaneously under hissing trails of smoke.

Yet, it was as the younger fighter opened his eyes that Piccolo Daimao experienced true fear for the first time in his entire life.

Burning like molten amber and filled to the brim with a primal fury unlike any he had ever seen, it was as if Kakarot's gaze had frozen every muscle in Piccolo's body.

"This kid...h-he's not human."

::

"Wah!"

Bulma didn't even have the chance to turn around before she was knocked off her feet by the backdraft of Kakarot launching himself off the ground.

His ears echoed with the girl's wail, but the warrior's lust for battle narrowed his focus to the green giant in the sky, turning everything to shapeless, colorless blobs as he soared into battle with only one thought; to kill.

"RARGH!"

The smell was different, but there was no mistaking that purple ooze that gushed under Kakarot's fist as it slammed against Piccolo's pointed nose.

Those large, yellow eyes lost focus just for a moment before shutting tight while their owner was sent flying through the air. There was hardly even time for the villainous fiend to notice he'd crashed through a skyscraper before powerful fingers squeezed down in his bald head.

"NRGAH!"

"GAHRGH!"

Kakarot's knee had barely moved back from Piccolo's face before the boy fired a powerful, violet energy blast directly into the green giant's chest.

But this time, Earth's scourge had a scant few seconds to breathe, and he used those precious moments to get his bearings just as a snarling Kakarot was coming in for another attack.

"I don't think so, not this time!"

He ducked under a clothesline meant for his throat, and slid into the raging boy's guard quick enough to land a side-kick that pushed him back enough for Piccolo to regain a sense of footing.

"I'll kill you!"

Kakarot twirled around his foe's neon-red eye beams as he flew back into the fight, leaning back from being sliced by razor-sharp claws and using the momentum to wheel into a back-flip kick.

"Not good enough," Piccolo boasted, even as he felt the tip of his enemy's boot graze his chin.

WHAM

"Rah!"

The villain's next attack was a quick shot of ki from the palm, its force sent Kakarot crashing through another building before he flipped himself right-side-up, though his enemy seemed to have vanished!

Nostrils flaring and ears strained, Kakarot's snagging spikes whipped through the air as he searched for Piccolo with ever-growing blood lust.

ZIP

Throwing his hand up, the alien warrior swatted two more eye beams away as they rushed him from the side, but as Kakarot turned to face his opponent he found that the tyrant had vanished.

Kakarot's fury only increased again, as he was forced to duck and deflect numerous attempts at frying him from afar, until the boy grew tired of games and roared into the sky.

Throwing a hand up, palm towards the heavens, he let out a single grunt before firing an endless barrage of ki-blasts into the atmosphere.

'Now what's the fool doing?'

Hidden from view, Piccolo could only wonder as to what his enemy's plan might be...before both eyes bulged and all breath was stolen.

"I-Impossible!"

The blasts curved, and came down like a storm of death, falling from the endless blue like meteors!

There was no escape.

By the time it was over, there was nothing left of the city. Only a long, flat wasteland stretched as far as the eye could see.

Yet, the consequences of his actions couldn't register with Kakarot as he found himself staring down the fool who'd dared to challenge him.

'Kill'

That single mantra filled his brain, pushed him forward, and gave him the fuel to fight on.

Piccolo stared as the monkey-tailed boy floated towards him, lack of height counting for nothing in just how menacing he appeared against such a backdrop of pure destruction.

The Demon King scoffed though, seeing nothing but contempt and an urge to kill swimming in the depths of those amber pools.

"Heh, you hate me for what I've done, but look around boy! This city was destroyed by your hand; not mine."

Kakarot just ignored him; memories of the Dragon Balls, and their power, filtering at the back of his mind. Any and all damage could be reversed, so long as Piccolo paid for laying hands on Bulma and defying him that was all that mattered.

This decision seemed to be worn on Kakarot's face, as the Demon King found himself growling when his enemy made no notion of caring about the villain's taunts.

"Fine, if that's the way you want it, then let's see how you feel about this!"

Piccolo rushed the boy, eyes gleaming with hatred. Dropping low, he faked a knife-strike and came up for an uppercut.

"Pathetic."

Leaning back, Kakarot lifted his arm to block Piccolo as he spun into an aerial roundhouse-kick, before taking him by the leg and tossing him aside.

That guttural tone left a pit in the Demon King's stomach, but he didn't let it stop him as he pushed off the ground and came rushing back for another round.

"I'm not finished yet, boy!"

WHAM

In the air, Kakarot was at the perfect height for Piccolo's fist to smash against his face, but the boy hardly moved an inch, and those mocking amber eyes stared into shocked yellow from beyond the giant's knuckles.

"You're not," small fingers wrapped around a larger green wrist, "but I am; this is beginning to bore me."

The sense of dejavu was lost in a sea of unimaginable agony, as Piccolo Daimao's entire right arm was ripped from its socket in an instant.

"AAAARGH!"

A fountain of purple blood poured from the opening while Earth's scourge fell to his knees. Dark, emerald skin began to grow pale, returning to lime as both red streaks beneath Piccolo's tightly shut eyes vanished without a trace.

Looking down at the once proud Demon King, Kakarot couldn't help but chuckle.

"So then, this is the extent of your power, hmm? Such a shame. I was hoping that you'd prove to be a worthy test for my own new strength, but it seems that'll have to wait. I suppose though, if you begged, I might spare your pathetic life. There's no one else on this planet who could challenge me now, and it'd be a waste to lose such a fun punching bag~"

The horrible feeling of losing his arm, and loss of blood was beginning to make Piccolo's head swim, but even as he sensed the slowing of his own black heart the villain found enough strength to laugh.

"Y-You think that you've beaten me...but I've already won. I could see it in your eyes; you think the Eternal Dragon will undo all that's been done. That Shenron will return your woman to you, but you're wrong."

Piccolo lifted his head high, relishing the growing spark of denial and horror that flickered behind those once arrogant eyes.

"I killed the dragon after he restored my youth, you fool! The Dragon Balls have turned to stone, and with their power gone the world will forever be scarred by my reign; none shall forget the dreadful might of King Piccolo! And that little wench will float forever in oblivion!"

Kakarot's eyes returned to normal now, and his face became a mask of terror as he listened to the last words of a dying monster.

"No...no, you're lying!"

Piccolo sneered, his goblin-like features stretched to the limit in malicious glee.

"My only regret is that I won't be there when you fly back and learn the truth for yourself; that it was you who killed her! Your little 'rainstorm' surely vaporized every inch of that girl's body, I can almost imagine what it must have been like to hear her scream!"

The spine-chilling laughter that then echoed over the wasteland was ignored, as a distraught Kakarot launched into the air and sped off towards where he'd left Bulma during the battle.

But, with his mind fragmented by images of the blue-haired beauty lying dead in the ground somewhere, Kakarot failed to hear his foe's final words.

"But where I failed," Piccolo struggled to choke back a mouthful of blood, "my son shall succeed. And through him, my vengeance will be complete!"

He could feel the icy hand of death gripping tighter now, squeezing out every last drop of life that remained; he needed to hurry.

Pooling together the last embers of his power, the egg was formed quickly and rose up out of Piccolo's stomach before pushing past the fiend's throat.

"Blah!"

As sweat trickled down and stung his eyes, the Demon King watched with a wicked grin as his final spawn went flying through the air. Satisfaction and relief soon washed over the tyrant then, and in his final moments Piccolo allowed himself one last laugh.

"Soon my son, you shall show them all true despair, and I will have my revenge."

xXx

Gone. It was all gone.

No buildings, no trees, not even the road had survived; there was nothing.

And it was all his fault.

Sinking to his knees as the reality of what he'd done began to set in, Kakarot's fingers dug deep into the earth as hot tears welled in the corners of his eyes.

He'd followed her scent, still lingering even after so much destruction, and found the stadium to be nothing but another slate of empty space. There wasn't even a stitch of clothing left behind. He began tearing up.

"Bulma...I'm so sorry."

Teeth gnashing, Kakarot slammed his fists against the ground and ignored how spiderweb cracks splintered out from underneath.

"I was trying to save you, trying to keep him from hurting you, but all I did was get caught up in my own lust for blood again...only now it's cost me my only friend." He cried.

The howling winds were all that comforted him, and in his grief Kakarot failed to sense anyone approaching until they spoke.

"Indeed; what good is all that power if you can't control it?"

Kakarot's body tensed and moved faster than lightning, yet his energy blast was deflected by a wooden staff just as quickly.

Dust swirled around pointed ankle boots, ruffled robes gave off the scent of fresh rain and rippled a wide-brimmed hood.

"Who the hell are you!? How did you survive my attack!?"

"Well now, it helps that I wasn't actually in the city when you destroyed it, Kakarot."

The voice was low, and every word seemed as though it were run through a mixer of gravel. But all that mattered was that, whoever this was, they seemed fit to remind Kakarot of his mistake.

"Shut up! What do you know about it!? You have no idea what that bastard was about to do to Bulma; I had to do something!"

"You did, but then you allowed yourself to lose control, and you became no better than Piccolo. You became...a monster."

"Enough!"

Fingers gripping the front of this stranger's robes, Kakarot raised his other hand, and began to build up a vibrant purple ki blast.

"You're gonna tell me who you are, and what you want with me, or you'll be joining that fucking goblin in hell!"

A chuckle was his response.

"It seems I owe an old friend a new bottle of sake; Saiyans apparently can't read. My symbol should have given me away immediately."

Dark eyes stared, furious, into the shadows of that hood for another minute before flickering down to look at the Kanji stamped at the center of this stranger's outfit.

What Kakarot found stole all strength from his fist, and he dropped the hooded man as he discovered who he'd been talking to…

"Kami?"

"At your service."

"...Why? What are you doing here; why now?"

"Divine intervention. My job is to help keep the balance, to watch over Earth, but because of my own wishes Piccolo was allowed to roam free in the first place. Now, so many people have suffered, and I need to fix it."

Kakarot's eyes narrowed, and his head tilted.

"Really? And how do you intend to do that; he told me he destroyed Shenron. No more dragon, means no more wishes."

He could hear the grin under that hood at Kami's next words.

"Then it's a good thing I'm their creator, hmm? Come back to the Lookout with me, and I'll have Bulma returned to you within the hour."

"And what will you want from me, for her life?"

"That's quite simple, Kakarot. I want your help."

The young alien scoffed, folding his arms as he dropped to the ground.

"With what; Piccolo is dead. How else could I help the guardian of Earth now? Besides, aren't you supposed to be the good guy; why are you bargaining like the devil?"

"Because there is an even greater threat coming on the horizon, and I need you to be ready for it Kakarot. The friend I mentioned before will help train you, make you stronger, so that when the time comes you'll have the power to keep Bulma safe without losing control."

Reaching out his hand, the hooded stranger revealed a set of claws that peaked out from under billowing sleeves.

"Even if she is all you care for on this planet, it's enough for me so long as your desire to protect her keeps Earth safe as well."

It was only after a moment of mulling this over, that Kakarot nodded and gripped Kami's sleeve.

"You'd better keep your word," he warned as they both vanished in a blinding light.

xXx

As it turned out, the rebirth of Shenron was a much more boring affair than Kakarot would have expected.

"So the dragon of legend is just some silly little statue you made because you were lonely?"

"A crude summary, but yes. Although originally, making shenron and the balls took considerable time and effort. Lucky for you, my powers have grown far beyond what they were when I was a boy."

Kakarot eyed the new set of wish granting orbs, and rolled his eyes.

"It's the planet that should feel lucky," he whispered coldly. The boy missed how Kami's hold on his staff tightened.

"The dragon's power will be increased as well now; Shenron will grant two wishes instead of just one."

If the young warrior heard any undertone of stress in Kami's voice, he didn't show it, choosing instead to focus on what was coming next.

"So that's it, right? I can make my wishes now?"

"Whenever you're ready, yes."

Kakarot chuckled, "You don't need to tell me twice. Now outta the way, I doubt Bulma wants to be dead any longer than she has been."

Earth's savior had never actually seen the Eternal Dragon, but as he watched clouds darken and a blinding yellow light shoot up into the sky, he'd secretly admit the spectacle was impressive.

For Kami, seeing his creation returned to normal was a weight lifted off the guardian's shoulders.

'There's no telling how much more negative energy the dragon could have absorbed. I only hope that, after this, the balls can rest for at least ten years.'

Without being a mind reader there was no way for Kakarot to know about Kami's fears, rather the boy was more focused on making his wishes to Shenron.

"If I don't bring back everyone then Bulma's only gonna be even more upset with me, so I wish for all those who died during my battle with King Piccolo to be brought back to life!"

He watched the dragon's eyes flash and felt the wind pick up, before a moment later Shenron let Kakarot know that his wish had indeed been granted.

What came next however, dropped Kami's jaw to the floor.

"My second wish...is to bring Bulma here, to the Lookout!"

"Kakarot, no!"

"It shall be done…"

Kami jerked the young warrior around by the shoulder, his large yellow eyes wide with disbelief as he gaped at the boy.

"What did you do!? What about all those killed before your battle!?"

Kakarot pulled himself free, and glared into the guardian's hood.

"What about them? They aren't my concern, Guardian of Earth; I didn't kill them. If you're so worried about them, wish them back on your own time."

Kami's staff splintered under his grip.

"You know that I can't."

"Then I guess, those people are going to have to get used to the afterlife, hmm? Now, if you'll excuse me…"

There was a bright whirlwind of lights, like something out of a dream, shards of diamond that revealed a face Kakarot worried he would never see again.

And for the first time, there was a true beat of feeling deep within his heart.

xXx