Dragonball Super Z
http://hometown.aol.com/juuhachigouda/dbszfic.html
By: Juuhachi-gou <juuhachigouda@aol.com> and MiraiBulma
Dragonball Z

Dead Souls:
Part Four
"Keep On Calling Me"


imperialistic house of prayer
conquistadors who took their share
they keep calling me
keep on calling me

--"Dead Souls", Joy Division 

~*~

	Light and warmth on his face, ground and grass under his back.
	Gokou lay where he was for a few minutes, letting those two 
things melt into him. He had no idea how long he’d been lost in the 
shadows, but right now the feel of the world supporting him and the sun 
on his skin was the final definition of pleasure. Still, there was 
something about it, something not quite right, and at the same time 
something that fitted him to perfection. Puzzled, he sat up and opened 
his eyes, looking around.
	A dusty plain, ragged rocks off to his right hand side, and a 
clear sky above, with two suns--
	*Two?*
	"Nani..?" he whispered, scratching his head. This was too much 
for him. He got to his feet and swayed, taking a little half-step 
stumble before catching his balance. His body felt unaccountably heavy. 
*Like being on Kaiou-sama’s planet. But this is way too big! Where am 
I? And where are the others?*
	"They’re right where they’re supposed to be."
	Gokou turned, looking back over his shoulder with a scowl as 
Bardock moved towards him. The other man hesitated, one hand starting 
to reach out, but faltering as his eyes met Gokou’s. With a sigh 
Bardock let the hand drop, then folded his arms. "This," he said 
simply, "is home."
	Gokou blinked, then glanced around again, eyes widening. 
"Vegetasei," he said.
	"Hai. Vegetasei."
	"But it’s blown up! Long time ago!"
	"It lives here." Bardock tapped his forehead. "We’re not really 
anywhere, Kakarott. This is... a dream, I guess you could call it. A 
dream made up of my memories. I brought you here because I... I wanted 
to..." the Saiyajin fell silent and Gokou could see the inner struggle 
skating over his face as Bardock tried to find words to express 
himself. "I wanted to know you before--"
	"Before you eat me all up." Gokou turned and leveled a finger at 
his sire, not even trying to be polite. "That’s what it amounts to, ne? 
You’ll swallow me like candy, won’t be anything of me left. All you."
	"It’s not that way!" Bardock clenched his fists. "If you’d only 
see sense, I might be able to leave you to take care of things for me! 
Kakarott, you have to admit, I have a point. Is it right for our whole 
race to be wiped out? Did we deserve to be cut down, crushed out like 
bugs?"
	"That’s not my decision."
	"Yes it is. If you continue to oppose me, you’re as much as 
killing the Saiyajin all over again. A hundred thousand lives or more, 
Kakarott, glorious victories scattered across the stars. Can you throw 
them away? They’re your people and mine! Their blood is in your veins, 
their spirit’s in your heart. You owe them your allegiance, not some 
miserable weakling race that can’t hold its own against one Saiyajin 
baby!" Bardock mastered himself with an effort. "Kakarott. If it 
worries you that much, I suppose we can let the humans live. There 
aren’t that many of them, and they seem to be pretty smart. They could 
be useful, if they’re kept under control and taught their place."
	"Yamero!" Gokou made a cutting motion in the air with one hand. 
"I don’t know any of these things you’re telling me. You try listening 
yourself to somebody, you’re so smart!" He shifted a little, looking 
out across the windblown plains that felt strange and familiar both, 
and continued more softly, "Anou...you’re right about that one thing 
you keep saying, it’s not right for a whole people to be gone. But 
taking chance to live and love and be free from somebody else just so 
you can have it isn’t right either. Maybe that’s Saiyajin way, taking 
and not caring who suffers, but it’s not mine. Chikyu isn’t Vegetasei, 
and you don’t have right to try making it into Vegetasei, because all 
you’ll do is spoil things."
	Bardock’s gaze sharpened. "I might’ve expected it," he said 
bitterly. "You remember nothing of the pride of the Saiyajin. That 
soft little blue world’s bled all but the dregs of a warrior’s fire out 
of you. You consider them your equals, don’t you? You idiot!" Bardock 
straightened, rage sparking in his eyes. "There is one race fit to own 
the universe, and that’s our race. The Saiyajin. Ours is the strength 
and ours is the right to rule. Don’t tell me you haven’t felt that much 
at least in the heart of your battles!"
	"Iie." Gokou’s mouth twisted. "I want no part of you if that’s 
way you think of things, nothing but fight and kill and steal. Every 
living thing, small or big, they all deserve to go on living without 
you and people like you coming down to crush them out. Those tiny 
lives, they’re as important as mine, they matter as much. You don’t get 
that, you don’t get me."
	"I’d hoped I could reach you." Bardock slowly reached up and took 
off his scouter, fingered the red headband he wore. "Do you know what 
makes this red? It’s the blood of my team, the ones who died first at 
Freeza’s hand, because they were my battle-mates. They fought to live 
and Freeza’s men cut them down. I swore I’d avenge them if it took my 
blood to do it." In one swift movement Bardock had launched himself at 
Gokou, knocking him down and locking his hands around Gokou’s throat. 
"My blood--or yours."
	Choking, Gokou slammed his palm upward under Bardock’s chin hard 
enough to rattle the other warrior’s teeth, grabbing at one of 
Bardock’s thumbs with his other hand and wrenching it hard, twisting 
the grip loose enough to grab a breath. Bringing his knees up to the 
other man’s chest, he kicked out suddenly, freeing himself. Bardock 
stumbled, caught himself, then came back, fists flying. "Give up," he 
growled. "You’re exhausted and this is my world, my mind, my memories. 
You don’t have a chance!"
	The only answer from Gokou was a fierce little grin as he flung 
himself into the fight. Back and forth they moved, almost like a dance, 
the only sounds a low grunt now and again as a blow struck home or the 
sear and crack of energy. But the longer they fought the more Gokou 
realized the truth of Bardock’s words; while he was getting tired, the 
other Saiyajin seemed to be drawing strength from his surroundings. 
More and more often Gokou found himself forced into defense rather than 
offense, and Bardock showed no signs of slowing. 
	And once he, Gokou, was beaten down, what then? His heart ached 
at the thought of his hands, his body, but Bardock’s soul, raging over 
the Earth with no one to stop him from doing whatever he wanted. Vegeta 
would never bow down to Bardock, and so he would have to be killed. 
Trunks would be put down without a moment’s thought. Gohan might 
survive a little longer, but even though he was strong, Gokou knew... 
had always known...his son’s deepest heart belonged to things other 
than fighting. Gohan would fall to Bardock too. Piccolo and Juuhachi-
gou? Worthless to Bardock, as worthless as sand on the beach. Their 
futures were in his hands, and he was failing them--
	Bardock’s fists crunched into him and Gokou flew backwards, 
fetching up hard against one of the rock outcroppings. Before he could 
move aside Bardock was on him, hands shutting off his air again. That 
face, so much like his own just to look at once and so very much unlike 
once you saw the spirit behind it, leaned in, voice low and urgent. 
"Last chance, my son. You can live, I swear it, only swear in turn 
you’ll let me guide you. There’s a place for you at my side. Throw off 
that weak ‘humanity’ you’ve learned. Be who you truly are. Accept that 
you are my son, born to fight and kill and beat down all those who dare 
stand in our way. We are the bringers of death and fear. Accept your 
heritage, Kakarott!"
	*To fight?*
	*To kill?*
	*The bringers of death and fear?!*
	Fury rose up in Gokou, firing his hair gold and his eyes luminous 
aquamarine. He took hold of Bardock’s hands in his own and with a 
single jerk broke their grip. "Iie," he said in a low growling voice 
that made Bardock’s eyes widen. "Kakarott janai." The growl rose to a 
shout that shook the world. "SON GOKOU DA!"
	Beneath their feet the ground shattered, and Bardock cried out as 
they fell through, into the void. Gokou didn’t. He only shoved the 
other man away from him and cradled all his anger, all his love, all 
that meant anything to him at all, between his hands, letting it grow 
till its light was all he could see. "KAAAME HAAAME--"
	"Kakarott!! NO--"
	"HAAAAAAAAAA!"
	
~*~

	"We should kill him now." Vegeta scowled at the other Senshi, 
then down at the motionless body of Son Gokou. "Before Bardock finishes 
taking over and comes for us all."
	Gohan only raised his fists a bit. "Vegeta-san," he said softly, 
slowly. "Iie. I respect you, you know that, and I hear what you’re 
saying, and I know it’s wise. But not my Otou-san."
	Piccolo moved up to stand at Gohan’s shoulder, saying nothing. He 
didn’t need to. His intent was clear enough: You fight Gohan, you fight 
me. Trunks swallowed hard, looking at the trio, wondering which side 
he’d take if it did come to blows. His father was right; if Bardock 
took full control of Gokou-san’s form, there would be no stopping him. 
Gohan-san was right; killing Bardock now would kill Gokou-san too.
	At their feet, Gokou stirred. Instantly every hand leveled at 
him. Slowly he sat up, eyes opening and looking around. Then he 
laughed, one hand tucking back behind his head and the other flashing a 
"V" sign. "Ossu!" 
	"Kakarott." Vegeta made a face and let his hands drop. 
	"I’m happy see you too, Vegeta." Getting up, Gokou dusted himself 
off.
	"Otou-san!" Gohan clapsed his father’s shoulders, grinning ear to 
ear. "You’re okay!"
	"Hai, Gohan-kun."
	"Where’s Bardock?" Piccolo asked.
	Gokou pondered a moment, then shrugged. "I don’t know. All I 
remember is..." he trailed off. "We fought, and we fell, and I 
kamehameha’d him, it was so bright..." he trailed off again, one hand 
stealing up to his forehead and rubbing it lightly. "He’s not here," he 
finished quietly. "Where he is, if he’s anywhere, I don’t know. But 
he’s not in me."
	Piccolo studied Gokou a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, you’re right. 
There’s no one in that empty head of yours but you."
	"Gohan-kun!" Videl came pounding across the ground, Bulma and 
Juuhachi-gou following at a more sedate pace, and all but threw herself 
at the young warrior, who caught her purely by instinct. "You’re all 
right!"
	"H-hai, Videl-san!"
	The girl smiled up at him. "Gohan.... Videl-chan. Ne?"
	"Ahhh..." Gohan’s face lit up. "Sou da!"
	"Well, this is nice," Bulma said, looking around in disgust at 
the battlefield, which included a good portion of Capsule Corporation. 
"Now what? It’ll take weeks to repair all this!" She gave Vegeta a hard 
look. "And don’t you dare disappear on one of your little ‘training 
trips’ like you usually do when there’s repairs to be made."
	Vegeta only lifted an eyebrow and grunted noncommitally.
	Trunks moved over to Juuhachi-gou, who was watching Gokou 
intently. "He’s all right," he said quietly. 
	"I know that." Juuhachi-gou swept back her hair. "But now I 
understand something, finally." She scuffed the ground a bit with one 
foot. "Gero always told us that Son Gokou was the most dangerous man 
alive. Having met him, I couldn’t see that. Vegeta is more ruthless and 
skilled; Gohan is more powerful, in terms of pure measure of ki. But it 
was Gokou who won the day." She straightened, still looking at Gokou. 
"It’s not the strength or the fierceness or the level of training," she 
finished. "It’s that no matter how many times you’re beaten down, you 
won’t stay down. You keep coming back, and eventually you win. Because 
you can be beaten... but you won't be, can’t be, defeated. Ever."
	Gokou smiled, just a bit. "Sankyuu, Juuhachi-gou," he said. 
"Demo... do you think there’s a chance the kitchen survived all that?" 
He jerked a thumb at the ruins of Capsule Corporation. "I’m starving!"
	"The appetite on legs speaks," Piccolo muttered. "Gokou, is that 
all you care about, when’s the next meal or fight?"
	The smile faded on Gokou’s face, replaced by something deep and 
thoughtful. "No, Piccolo," he said very very quietly. "How much I care 
about, you’ll never know." Then he laughed again. "Right now, though, I 
care about my stomach most of all!"

End Chapter Eight