Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Crossed Paths ❯ The Battle Against Nappa ( Chapter 2 )

 

Crossed Paths - Chapter 2: The Battle Against Nappa

By Mia Skywalker & Wataruo

 

PAIRING: None for this part. Although eventually B/V and one other (a surprise, not giving it away yet)

RATING: PG-13 or R for violence. There is at least one fairly disturbing scene in this chapter. Those weak of stomach may want to avert their eyes. ^_~

C&C: I would really like to get some C&C on this. Pretty please! ^_^

WARNINGS: Extreme violence.

DISCLAIMER: We don't own DBZ or any of the characters. We don't own very much at all. In fact, my co-author doesn't even have a computer at the moment, meaning we can't work on this fic. (Don't worry, about 13 or so chapters are already written, they just need to be edited and beta'd.) I own several VCRs, of which two actually work, and a PSX (not even a PS2). And a psychotic cat who adores me and hates everyone else except my semi-fiancé. And who sits on my keyboard when I'm trying to type. *glares at cat* Do you mind, cat? Having a cat on your wrists isn't conducive to good typing skills! So if you want to sue, you'll get two broken VCRs, two working VCRs, a PSX, and a psychotic cat. For all the good that would do you. ^_~

FIC SUMMARY: What might have happened if Nappa had been the one sent to Chikyuu to destroy it, rather than Radditz? What might have changed? And how might Vegeta and Radditz have reacted afterwards?

CHAPTER SUMMARY: The brutal Nappa picks a fight with the Z warriors.

NOTES: Ok, I've heard complaints about the pairings. This is NOT A ROMANCE FIC! Yes, there will be romance, and there will be sex, because it's part of life. But this is an action/ adventure fic, which hopefully you'll be able to see in this chapter. Lots of fighting, lots of violence. In fact, it gets pretty gory a couple of times, particularly in this chapter. Have fun! ^_^ Oh, and I hate the title I came up with for this chapter. *sigh* If I think of a better one, I may rename it.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I have to thank both Selenity Jade and W-chan for their betas, and especially Selenity for all the help she gave me on this! ^_^ It was her encouragement that got me to start posting this. I hope you enjoy reading this fic as much as we're enjoying writing it.

 

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Previously on Crossed Paths:

 

Bulma's eyes gleamed dangerously. "I'm going with you, you know. None of you are going to drive my car!" She smiled at the little boy, her face softening. "I'll watch him. I'll make sure he doesn't get into trouble." She cast a sardonic look at the house. "He'll be safer at the fight with me than he would be if you left him here with that hentai Roshi! Especially if your wife found out!"

 

She lifted Gohan onto Goku's lap, then hopped into her car and revved the engine, waiting for the other warriors to climb into the back seat. She smiled at Goku as he sat next to her with his son on his lap. "Buckle up!" she ordered the men, doing so herself. She didn't wait for them to respond as she took off abruptly.

 

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Piccolo would have been lying to himself if he had claimed that he wasn't surprised by the bald man's ki ball. As Piccolo pulled himself out of rock face he took the opportunity to study his opponent.

 

The enemy wore some odd armour of a type that Piccolo had never seen before, nor was it in any of his father's memories. The man himself was strange - large, fierce, and obviously out for blood. Piccolo was sure that with a ki as strong as his, he would have felt his presence on the planet before now. He would have had to get his power from somewhere; no one could have become this powerful all at once. Therefore he couldn't be from around there. So where had he come from?

 

"Is that all you have?" he asked, sneering at the other man. "Come on, children on this planet can do better!"

 

"Children?" Nappa laughed. "Then you're a weakling compared to your children! And I know better, I've seen the power levels this planet supplies. Yours is the strongest I've seen, and you're still a weakling! You won't even be an appetizer!" He laughed scornfully, powering up another ki blast but not releasing it yet. "Come on! At least give me a little workout!" he sneered at Piccolo.

 

Piccolo blinked in surprise. If this man thought he was the strongest, he didn't know about Goku. "If you insist!" Piccolo formed a fair-sized ki ball in the palm of his hand and threw it at the stranger, hitting him directly in the chest.

 

The blast sent up an enormous explosion that seemed to envelope the enormous man. When it had cleared, the giant was still in the same place, completely unscathed. The bald man laughed derisively. "Is that all?" he exclaimed in mock surprise. "That tickled! If that's the best you can do, you're not even worth my time!"

 

He finally released the ki blast he had been holding, allowing it to explode around the Namek, laughing malevolently as he did so.

 

"Kuso!" Kuririn hissed, as they arrived at just that moment. He had seen ki blasts before, but whoever this guy was, he seemed to toss them like baseballs. And he hadn't even seemed fazed by the blast that Piccolo had used a moment before. The question was, was he a villain, or was he fighting Piccolo because he was a good guy? Kuririn hoped they'd find out soon, before it was too late.

 

"Who is this guy?" Yamcha asked no one in particular but was distracted when Piccolo came to an abrupt stop face down a few yards in front of them.

 

Goku blinked. "I don't know. But he is strong. Really strong."

 

"YEEEEEAAAAOOOWWW!!!" Bulma screamed as the energy wave from the blast rocked their air car. "I don't know, but I think you guys better do something about him quick, or we'll all be dead!" She deftly maneuvered the car down to the ground, burrowing the front of it into the soil in the process. She grabbed Gohan as she leapt out of the car, landing behind a boulder, trying to use it as a shield to keep debris from pummeling her.

 

Goku merely stood there while dust and rocks came raining down on him. Yamcha flinched as a particularly sharp rock sliced through the skin on his forearm.

 

"Goku, I don't care how strong this guy is. He doesn't have the right to come here and make a mess." Yamcha sank into a horse stance, waiting to see what the other Z fighter was going to do.

 

Goku didn't appear to be paying too much attention as he watched the bald man land on the ground in front of him. "I don't know who you are but it isn't very nice to come here and hurt people. I suggest you leave."

 

"Uh... Goku...." Kuririn shook his head in disbelief. "I don't think he's going to listen to you."

 

Indeed, the large bald man had crossed his arms, staring at him, and then he broke out into a raucous laugh. "YOU think you can order ME around?" He snorted derisively. "I am Nappa, an elite Saiyajin warrior, and you are a...." He frowned, his eyes narrowing. "And you are... you look like Bardock. What are you? Who are you?" He tapped a button on the side of the small red visor that covered one eye. He blinked at the numbers, still frowning. "You are a Saiyajin. You must be. But you are only a third class Saiyajin. A Saiyajin! Here! I don't believe it! You must have been sent here as an infant to purge this planet. Why did you fail, Third Class? Why didn't you purge this planet the way you were supposed to?"

 

Bulma and Gohan stared at the stranger in shock. What was he talking about? Goku was a what?

 

"Purge this planet?" Goku frowned. He didn't have a clue on what the other man was talking about, but he didn't like the sound of it. "I am Goku and I live here," he told him firmly, wondering what he was going on about. Saiyajin? Third class? This guy must have gotten dropped off a cliff when he was little.

 

Nappa started to chuckle. No, there was no mistaking it. This man was a Saiyajin - he was the spitting image of Bardock. Nappa could never confuse the Saiyajin with whom he had had a long-standing rivalry before their home planet had been destroyed. No, he had both respected and hated Bardock, and there was no denying that the warrior facing him was related in some way. His son, perhaps? He must be. Bardock's power level had been considerably higher than this man's, but then again, Bardock's power level had been a fluke. He'd had an Elite's power level, even though he had been born a third class warrior. And his son Radditz had a first class power level.

 

This man's power level was only third class as it should be, but his face, his hair, even his stance was stamped with everything Bardock. Nappa remembered vaguely that he had once heard it mentioned that Bardock had had at least one more son, but what had happened to him had been anyone's guess. Nappa had always assumed that any other sons of Bardock's had died with the destruction of Vegeta-sei, but obviously that had been wrong. It was the very fact that he had been so low-class that must have saved him.

 

"Yes, Third Class. A Saiyajin. That's what you are. There's no mistake about it - you are the son of Bardock. The son of Bardock and the brother of Radditz." He started to laugh, his bellow echoing through the hills. "How ironic, that two of Bardock's sons should survive! Yet you are both so different! You are only a third class nothing, but your brother at least has a first class warrior's power! You, you are nothing. You are a flea; you won't even give me an hour's workout. You're only slightly stronger than this lowlife worm that I defeated so easily," he sneered pointing at Piccolo who was beginning to pull himself to his feet.

 

Bulma gaped at him from behind her rock. Why was he laughing? He was saying that Goku was related to someone, that he had a father and a brother.... Bulma didn't know anything about it, and she didn't think that Goku did either. He had never mentioned a family to her before, other than his grandfather Gohan who had found him in the forest.

 

Then it dawned on her. His grandfather had found Goku - they really didn't know who he was or where he came from. Then her gaze drifted back to her childhood friend. No, that wasn't true. They knew who he was - he was Goku, the little boy with the big heart, the boy who saved everyone, regardless of what it cost him. The happy, innocent child with such enormous strength, who only used that strength to help others. A boy with such innocence that he trusted everyone, a trust that never seemed to be misplaced, and somehow managed to turn even his greatest enemies into eventual allies.

 

It didn't matter to her what this man said. She didn't know who he was or where he came from, but she knew Goku. No matter what he said, even if he had a father and a brother that she and the others had never heard of, she knew who Goku was and she trusted him.

 

"Oh man, Goku. This guy says you're a... what was it? A Saiyajin?" The small bald monk looked slightly worried as he rubbed his head and watched the stranger. "I don't know what that is, but this guy seems really strong. Probably even stronger than you are. He beat up Piccolo already. I don't even want to think about what he could do to us!"

 

He glanced at the green skinned villain, who by now had managed to get to his feet. Piccolo's tunic and cape were torn and tattered, and purplish blood was dripping down a huge gash in his left shoulder, leaving the arm dangling uselessly. The green man was simply glaring at the Saiyajin furiously, looking as though he wanted to murder him, his face a mask of fury and hatred.

 

"I wonder," Kuririn murmured, "if he's a villain. I mean, he beat up Piccolo, right? That's gotta mean that maybe he's a good guy?" He sounded like he was hoping for something he didn't really believe in, as he looked anxiously at the bald giant in front of them.

 

"Don't be an ass!" Piccolo snapped at the little bald monk who blinked up at him in surprise. "Weren't you listening? He wants to purge this planet. I am sure you can guess what that means."

 

Goku frowned. "He wants to kill us."

 

Piccolo's eyes snapped over to his oldest adversary, inclining his head slightly in acknowledgment. "And destroy everything else as well."

 

"Isn't that what you want to do?" Yamcha muttered under his breath, momentarily forgetting that Piccolo's hearing was even better than Goku's.

 

Piccolo sneered at the young baseball player. "I want Goku dead, yes. And I want this planet for my own purposes. However...." His black eyes narrowed back on the bald giant in front of them. "We can't beat him one on one."

 

Yamcha opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the arrival of another air car, this one occupied by a familiar face, one whom Yamcha hadn't seen in five years as well. "Tenshinhan!" he exclaimed in surprise as the three-eyed fighter approached the group. "What are you doing here?"

 

Tenshinhan eyed Yamcha and the others as he gave them a short nod. It was usually Kuririn that stated the obvious, not Yamcha. "Probably the same thing you're doing here," he said, inclining his head to indicate Nappa. "So is he a good guy or a bad guy?"

 

Kuririn shook his head with a wry smile. "What do you think?" he quipped. He glanced at the diminutive white-faced man who didn't step out of the car with Tenshinhan. "Chaotzu, aren't you going to join us?"

 

Chaotzu shook his head at Kuririn, his eyes settling on the little monk after he had surveyed the damage of the area. He stared in amazement at the fact that Piccolo was hurt but standing next to Goku and not facing him in hostility. The doll-faced boy looked at the two in bewilderment. Were Goku and Piccolo fighting? And who was this other person?

 

"No, Kuririn," he spoke after a moment. "Tenshinhan made me promise to stay out of this fight." It was a promise that didn't make Chaotzu very happy. "But I came anyway." And maybe I can help out if they need it...

 

Before Kuririn could respond, Nappa let out a crude snort of disgust. "Are we through with the pleasant little reunions?" he sneered. "Or are there any more weaklings that are going to come here to be killed? I'm just glad everyone decided to gather in one place, so I can wipe all of you out at once. Maybe if you all attack me at the same time, I might even work up a sweat before I kill you!" There was a malicious and evil gleam in his eye, and a malevolent smile on his face, as he studied each one of them.

 

Goku expression turned serious as he watched Nappa. Something wasn't right about him. The stranger's power level was much greater than his own, so much so that Goku doubted his ability to protect his friends. NO! I have to win. I cannot let them down. "Chaotzu. Go and protect Bulma and Gohan. The rest of us will take care of this."

 

"Even Piccolo?" Yamcha asked, casting a doubtful glance at the green man.

 

"I think this once," Piccolo said, popping his shoulder back into place, "I will make an exception and fight with you. After this battle is over," he glanced at Goku then back to Nappa, "our truce is over. Agreed?"

 

"Agreed." Master Roshi's favorite pupil studied Nappa. "Well then, it's time to get serious, I think." I certainly hope that old saying is true - all brawn and no brains.

 

"Time to get serious?" Nappa's evil grin widened further. "So you're finally ready to die, are you? Well, don't let me stop you!" He held up his hands and beckoned towards them. "Well? Which one of you is going first? Will it be you, green man? Do you want to be the first to die?" They saw the evil glint in his eye as he smirked at Piccolo.

 

"Or maybe you, since you seem to be the strongest," he said, turning to the newly arrived triclops, who sweat-dropped in fury. "Or perhaps you, since you seem to be their little 'leader'." He looked disdainfully at Goku.

 

Goku's eyes narrowed on his opponent, silently evaluating the other man for weaknesses, but he could not find anything noticeable. The only thing that Goku could use against Nappa was his overconfidence. The larger man had a considerably higher ki than he did, but it was making him cocky. And when one is so self-assured, one tends to make mistakes.

 

Without giving the other man time to react, Goku darted forward with a speed that made the others blink dust from their eyes, and started to pummel his much larger opponent with everything that he had.

 

Yamcha exchanged looks with Kuririn. "I thought all those years of being married would have slowed him down. But damn, he certainly has gotten faster."

 

Kuririn nodded. "Maybe so. But I dunno... it doesn't seem to be doing anything...."

 

Indeed the small monk was correct. Nappa didn't even seem the slightest bit fazed by Goku's fiercest attacks. For all the effort that Goku was putting into kicking and punching the enormous stranger, the giant remained standing - unmoving and apparently unmovable. After several minutes of this, the strangely armored man grinned. Then in a move so fast that none of them could make it out, he blurred around behind Goku and grabbed him in a chokehold.

 

"Now, little man," he hissed evilly into his ear. "How quickly do you want me to kill you? Slowly and painfully? Or quickly and with slightly less pain?"

 

Goku was certain that he had made a really big mistake as Nappa choked the life out of him. But instead of answering he continued to struggle vainly, for the larger man had an unbreakable grip on him. ::Gohan, be safe:: was Goku's last thought before passing out from a lack of oxygen.

 

"GOKU!" Yamcha yelled, shocked that a man that big could move that fast. If this guy can do this to Goku and Piccolo, what chance do we actually have? He glanced down at Kuririn seeing what he was sure was his own expression mirrored on the little monk's face.

 

"G... G.... Goku!" Kuririn choked out, shock paralyzing him. He had never seen anything as powerful as this guy, someone that could defeat Goku so thoroughly. He had seen Goku beaten before, even seen him get overpowered, but somehow Goku had always managed to win in the end. But this guy didn't even seem troubled by Goku in the slightest. Kuririn was absolutely positive that he was just toying with the orange-garbed warrior.

 

Tenshinhan was shocked. Goku was the only warrior he had ever met who was very close to his own power level. He knew that in some ways Goku was stronger than himself, and in others not as strong. And even though he sensed that Goku hadn't trained much since his marriage, the younger man had always had a natural fighting ability that Tenshinhan couldn't help but envy. But this man - this stranger - was brutalizing Goku in a way that he had never imagined possible.

 

Bulma was just as shocked where she hid behind the rocks. In her horror, she automatically moved forward slightly, stepping out from behind the protection of her rocky shield. She didn't realize that as she moved away, she had released her hold on her best friend's only son. The little boy's fearful trembling went unnoticed as tears streamed down her face.

 

The small boy's lip quivered, and tears welled up in his eyes, flowing down his face unchecked. "D... daddy!" he cried out, his whole body shaking in grief. "Daddy!"

 

"Wha...?" Nappa looked up, startled, when his scouter suddenly started beeping, and numbers began flashing over the screen. He stared in horrified amazement as the numbers kept increasing, reaching a level that he could have sworn was out of the range of any of the humans he was fighting.

 

"That's... that's not possible!" he gasped out, staring at the numbers. "710! None of you has a power level that high!" He turned his head until he faced the source of the readings, even as he tossed the unconscious body of his erstwhile opponent to one side in disdain. "What's this?" he cried out, as his gaze rested on the small child that had emerged from the rocks near a blue-haired woman. He vaguely noticed her beauty, but it was irrelevant next to the child's strength. "Who are you? How the hell can you be...?"

 

It was then that he noticed the boy's tail flicking from side to side, and his astonishment increased. "A tail! How can you have a tail?! A Saiyajin child? Here? That's... that's impossible!"

 

Kuririn and Yamcha glanced at Gohan in surprise, suddenly distracted from their concentration on the enemy. Gohan had a tail? Somehow they hadn't seen it earlier, when Goku had introduced them to his son. Yamcha stared at the boy, wondering how that had slipped his awareness. It was true that they had been a little distracted by their conversation about Bulma, and then with Nappa's sudden arrival, Yamcha realized that he simply hadn't ever noticed. He wondered if the boy had ever turned into a giant ape. If he had, wouldn't Goku have figured out that he might have been the monster that had killed his grandfather?

 

It appeared that Kuririn was thinking something similar, as Yamcha saw the look of horror on the smaller man's features as well. But neither of them had the chance to do or say anything about it, as the evil warrior was intent on killing them still.

 

The little boy wasn't listening to him as he continued to tremble and weep. His sorrow was mixed with rage at the way his father lay limply on the ground. "My daddy! You hurt my daddy!" he cried out in rage, then launched himself at the large warrior.

 

"What...?" But Nappa didn't have a chance to say anything else, as Gohan struck him full on the chest, knocking him off his feet. With a grunt of surprise he flew backwards, the little boy bouncing off him and landing semi-conscious on the ground near him. Nappa heard a loud cracking as the boy's body made contact, and he looked at his chest, noticing with more than a little alarm that the boy had managed to crack it. The impact had also managed to crack several ribs inside, Nappa realized in shock, which quickly turned to fury.

 

"How dare you!" he roared out, as he prepared to fire a ki blast at the boy. Then he noticed that the boy's power level had dropped again to being almost negligible, and he stared at him in disgust. "You're not even worth my time!" He looked back at the others, this time scowling in irritation. "All right, who's next?"

 

Tenshinhan's eyes narrowed contemplatively. "I guess that would be me," he said quietly. He felt bad for having let Goku go first. The younger man wasn't as strong as he was, and he also had a wife and child to take care of. If Goku had been killed - although Tenshinhan could still feel the man's ki so he knew he hadn't been - the triclops would never forgive himself.

 

::Tenshinhan!:: came Chaotzu's frantic thought. ::Be careful, please! If he can do that to Goku....:: He let his thoughts trail off knowing full well that his best friend could hear him, and tried to tug Bulma back behind the boulder. "Bulma-san," he said to her frantically. "Quick, behind here while he is distracted."

 

"What? Oh!" Bulma abruptly realized that she had stepped out from behind her shelter, and she dove behind the rocks again. "Wait! What about Gohan?" She peered out again, seeing the helpless little boy lying unconscious a little distance away. "Oh, Chaotzu! Gohan might get hurt, and I promised Goku I would watch out for him! Would you go get him for me please?"

 

"I will. Now wait here please." Chaotzu quickly made his way over to Gohan while watching Tenshinhan approach the armored stranger. "Gohan?" he whispered to the boy before lifting him up into his arms and carrying out of the way of the battle. "He is ok, Bulma-san. Just knocked out."

 

Bulma nodded, then looked back at the fight. It didn't look good for her friends, but she didn't want to say anything to Chaotzu. How will we get out of here, if they all die? But she kept her silence. If their friends won then it wouldn't matter, and if they lost, then... well, she would worry about that when it happened. Besides, if this guy was going to destroy the planet, then if her friends lost, it wouldn't matter where she was.

 

Nappa smirked evilly. "So, you want to be the next to die, do you?" He shifted his head, his neck cracking. "I'll be happy to oblige you!"

 

The three-eyed warrior simply glared at him, determined not to let his enemy shake him. "I don't think I can do this by myself, guys," he told his friends quietly. "I think we all need to work together."

 

"Oh yes! Please do!" Nappa's face broke into an evil grin. "I might even break a sweat, if you all fight me at once! Bring it on!" He waved beckoningly to all of them.

 

Kuririn glanced hesitantly at Yamcha. "It might be our only chance," he said slowly.

 

Yamcha's eyes narrowed. "Let's hit him hard with everything we have. We can't let Goku down. You ready, Kuririn?"

 

Piccolo folded his arms across his chest. The Z fighters might actually have a chance if they attacked their enemy as a group, but the demon king stood there a moment without moving to help. He had been observing, learning Nappa's moves, and plotting ways to counter them.

 

Piccolo could not care less if the other men were killed; the only person he was interested in was lying unconscious a few yards away. And that was only because he wanted to kill Goku himself.

 

Piccolo had also noticed the small boy whose power level had briefly surged and surpassed his own. The child was strong but untrained, although with a firm hand he could potentially surpass even Goku. He felt certain that the boy - whose name he had yet to learn - was related to Goku in some way. I will wait a little longer. I want to save my new attack for Goku.

 

Kuririn nodded, feeling much more reluctant than he wanted to let on. He didn't want to let his friends down though, particularly Goku. The taller man had been there for him too many times. Kuririn felt that he owed it to him to help protect him.

 

The three warriors swallowed as they approached Nappa cautiously, the giant beckoning to them eagerly. "Come on, you weaklings! See what it's like to fight a Saiyajin, a real warrior, from a warrior race!"

 

Tenshinhan wasn't about to let this man demoralize them. He didn't know what a 'Saiyajin' was, and it didn't matter to him; this man wanted to kill all of them, and to apparently destroy the Earth, and he wasn't about to allow that. With only a nod at the other two Z warriors, Tenshinhan launched himself at the Saiyajin, the other two flanking him and striking Nappa at the same moment.

 

For a while it almost appeared that they might be winning. Nappa seemed hard pressed to keep up with them as they rained kicks and punches on him, pummeling him mercilessly. But after several minutes it became apparent that he was only toying with them, as with a sudden burst of energy they all found themselves tossed away from him like rag dolls.

 

The warrior grinned down at them and sneered. "Come on, you weaklings! Give me something more than that! Or should I start killing your friends?" He powered up a ki blast and pointed his hand towards the outcropping where Bulma and the others were hiding.

 

"No!" Tenshinhan cried out in horror. He placed two fingers to each temple and concentrated. "Close your eyes, guys," he murmured, knowing his friends would know what he was about to do. "TAIYO-KEN!" he cried out, as a wave of light of light flowed out from him, crashing over everything around it.

 

The Z warriors closed their eyes automatically, knowing what Tenshinhan was doing. Nappa, however, was caught by surprise, and he roared out in fury as he was temporarily blinded. "Damn you!" he bellowed, and then fired ki blasts almost randomly around him. He knew he was practically guaranteed to hit someone at the rapid-fire rate he was blasting away. He was rewarded by a grunt of pain when he hit Tenshinhan, who was just breaking out of his concentration from the blast.

 

"TENSHINHAN!" Chaotzu shouted in horror as his friend was on the receiving end on a ki blast. The little warrior had to force himself to stand still. No, I swore that I would stay out of the fight.

 

Yamcha heard Chaotzu's scream before he noticed that Tenshinhan took a hit. "Tenshinhan! Are you alright?" The baseball player made his way to his fallen teammate while dodging ki balls.

 

"Yeah." The triclops was panting heavily as he pulled himself to his feet. He watched the stranger firing randomly, and now that he no longer had to concentrate on his ki attack, he was able to dodge the blasts easily. He knew that such random ki blasts would drain their enemy, although not as much as it might have drained one of them. This adversary was much more powerful than anyone they had ever faced before, and he wasn't entirely sure they were going to win.

 

"Good thing," Kuririn muttered, as he dodged the blasts easily. "I don't know if we can win without either you or Goku. I wonder if he's going to be all right...."

 

Nappa shook his head a few more times in fury, blinking as the brightness before his eyes began to clear. His vision was still obstructed with oddly colored spots, and he was infuriated by the way that human warrior had used such an underhanded attack. It wasn't even an attack - the weakling had just blinded him and made him helpless! As far as Nappa was concerned that was cheating, and it enraged him.

 

"Human, for that you are going to die slowly and painfully!" he promised, growling threateningly at the tall human warrior.

 

Nappa advanced towards him, and Tenshinhan didn't back down, even though he had the feeling it would be wise if he did. Instead, he held one hand out in front of himself, and gathered his ki. "Kikoho!" he cried out, releasing a ki blast.

 

The blast struck Nappa in the chest, right where Gohan had struck him, knocking the large warrior back in surprise. But in a moment he was on his feet again, giving a roar of fury. "You will DIE!" he bellowed, barreling towards Tenshinhan.

 

The triclops winced. One of the drawbacks of that particular attack was how draining it could be. He tried to dodge Nappa's charge but couldn't move fast enough, and was lifted off his feet and slammed into a nearby cliff. Blood dripped from his mouth as he tried to pull himself off, but he wasn't fast enough again. Once more Nappa reached him, this time lifting him up and slamming him to the ground.

 

Grimacing in pain, Tenshinhan realized that at least half of his ribs were broken. He was positive that he wouldn't survive, not unless Goku had some of those miraculous senzu beans on him. He was unaware that Goku hadn't bothered to go to Korin's in years; it had been too peaceful, and with Chi-Chi insisting that he no longer train or fight, he simply hadn't seen the need.

 

When Nappa lifted him the third time he didn't slam him against the ground. This time he lifted Tenshinhan into the air, and with a casual brutality held him by both arms and pulled with all his strength. With a scream of anguish both of Tenshinhan's arms were ripped from his body, and his bleeding form fell to the ground, his ki dropping rapidly. ::I'm sorry... Chaotzu....:: was his last thought before his spirit faded from his body.

 

"TENSHINHAN!!!!! NO!!!!" Chaotzu rushed to his best friend side without thinking. But it was too late; Tenshinhan had already gone on to another plane of existence. The little warrior looked up from his friend's body and glanced at the others. Their expressions varied from sadness to shock that one of their friends was dead. Even Piccolo looked stunned. No, friend, you won't go alone, not when I could have helped you, when I could have prevented your death.

 

Before the others could even guess what Chaotzu was planning, he charged Nappa, wrapping arms and legs around the larger man's middle as he powered up. He was aware of Yamcha screaming, telling him to stop. He clung desperately to the big warrior, who could not quite reach him to throw him off.

 

Chaotzu was overwhelmed with grief. How could he have let Tenshinhan get killed? He berated himself for letting his friend extract that promise from him. If he had never made that promise, then he could have fought beside him. He could feel his ki building up, knowing that he wouldn't be able to handle it, and that in a few moments the blast would kill him and the man in his hold. It was the least he could do for his friends, sacrificing his own life to save the others.

 

"Chaotzu!" Yamcha shouted, feeling the little warrior's ki build up tremendously. "NO! You can't handle that kind of power!"

 

::Don't worry about me. I'll be with Tenshinhan. Sayonara, my friends.::

 

"CHAOTZU!!" Yamcha and Kuririn yelled simultaneously, moments before the little warrior's body was engulfed in a white aura, blinding everyone. It was quickly followed by a loud explosion that rocked the ground, knocking all of them off their feet. Rocks and dirt flew everywhere as they struggled to stand up again.

 

Hope surged through Yamcha as he looked where the explosion was slowly dissipating. "YES! We got the bastard!"

 

"Did we?" Piccolo asked calmly, watching the fog clear. Suicide attack, not a bad idea, but was it worth it?

 

"I don't think so," Kuririn muttered, and he felt his stomach plummet when the dust cleared, and their enemy was still standing, an enormous grin plastered on his face. They could tell that he had been hurt by Chaotzu's attack, but unfortunately not nearly enough. Not enough to make up for the loss of their friend... of both of their friends.

 

The warriors didn't have time to deal with their grief at that moment, for Nappa began to laugh derisively at them. "Well, so the little creature turned himself into a bomb! How utterly useless! I could just kill the rest of you now, unless you want to waste your pathetic lives the way your friends did!"

 

Goku found himself coming to consciousness, the fog clearing slowly as he managed to get himself to his knees. It was Yamcha's strangled shout that captured his attention. The warrior looked up in time to see Chaotzu kill himself, and the monster in front of them still standing mocking all of them afterwards.

 

"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!" Goku yelled as he stood, getting everyone's attention. "I made a mistake before fighting you alone. I will not make that mistake again." Goku pulled off his boots, tossing them over his shoulder. The pair hit the ground with a loud thump. Goku also removed his shirt and glared at Nappa. "Now we will see who is stronger."

 

"Weighted clothing?" Piccolo smirked. "I see I am not the only one." He also took off his cape and turban, tossing them to the side, each item landing with a sound that a normal piece of clothing wouldn't make. "But it will take the two of us to beat him."

 

"The four of us, you mean," Kuririn pointed out, indicating himself and Yamcha as well. "Or are we just chopped liver?" He was trying desperately to forget the fact that one of their strongest had just been ripped apart like a bug in front of their eyes.

 

Nappa frowned as he watched the numbers on his scouter rise a little, and then his frown turned back into a smirk. "So. You were keeping your power levels down before, eh? Well, you're still not even close to being strong enough. I'll still tear you apart, just like your friend!" Then his eyes narrowed as Piccolo's antennae - exposed when he had removed his turban - suddenly caught his attention. "No wonder you're stronger than the others!" he exclaimed. "You're a Namek! Why, I think I might actually have a fight worth something, after all! Between you and the tailless Saiyajin...."

 

He turned towards Goku with a sneer. "What happened to your tail, Third Class? Your son has one, why don't you? Don't tell me you accepted the disgrace of removing it!"

 

"Namek?" Piccolo's black eyes narrowed. So that is what I am called. He had always known that he was different from the other Earth warriors, and now he knew why. Did that mean he was from another planet? This being was an alien - had he seen one of his kind before?

 

Goku blinked. "My tail was removed a long time ago." How did he know about that? "And I have no idea what you are talking about. I am not Saiyajin."

 

"Your tail was... removed?!?" Nappa glowered at him accusingly. "How could you remove your tail? That is what gives us our strength! A Saiyajin isn't a true Saiyajin without a tail!" With that, his own tail unfurled itself from around his waist as he smirked at Goku. "Your son has one, but he's weak and pathetic, no doubt the way you've raised him. You've failed him - you're a failure as a Saiyajin, a failure as a warrior. We are feared throughout the galaxy, the strongest warrior race that ever existed! You're just weak and pathetic and a disgrace to our race. I think I'll kill you and remove that stain from our race." He lifted one hand and began to power up a ki blast.

 

Gohan shivered where he cowered with Bulma, having recovered from his dizziness some time ago. What was this strange man talking about, his daddy was a Saiyajin? What was a Saiyajin? And what did it have to do with him having a tail? The little boy's tail twitched automatically, perhaps in sympathy with his thoughts. It had never occurred to him to wonder why he had a tail. One time his father had mentioned in passing that he'd had a tail when he had been a little boy as well, so Gohan had just assumed that all children had tails and that they just fell off when they reached adulthood. Since he had never seen anyone other than his parents, his grandfather, and now his father's friends, he had never had any reason to believe otherwise.

 

Goku seemed to go quiet at that moment, seemingly lost in thought as he folded his arms across his chest and stared at the ground.

 

Piccolo grunted in annoyance. "If only I had the time to pull off my new technique."

 

"New technique?" Yamcha asked, only half curious.

 

"It would be sure to kill him," Piccolo replied, his eyes shifting over to the baseball player.

 

"Then why haven't you used it?" Yamcha snapped back at him. "Or do you want us all dead?"

 

"I need five minutes to charge it," Piccolo sneered at him. "You wouldn't last five minutes in there with him. He would tear you apart before a minute was up."

 

Yamcha opened his mouth to snap back at him, but was interrupted by Goku's voice. "Yamcha?" The young man turned his head to see that Goku was looking at him, his expression serious. "I want you and Kuririn to distract him."

 

"What?!?!" Kuririn and Yamcha both exclaimed at the same time.

 

"It will be ok." Goku looked over at Piccolo. "You are sure your attack will be enough?"

 

"It was meant for you." Piccolo smirked at his adversary. "Can you live for five minutes against him?"

 

Goku smiled. "Yes. I have a plan."

 

Yamcha sighed. "But do you trust Piccolo?"

 

"We have no choice," Goku said, looking over to where Piccolo was watching the proceedings with some interest.

 

"Then I suggest we waste no time," Piccolo replied, preparing himself for his newest attack. "I doubt he will wait forever."

 

"Oh, take all the time you want," commented Nappa with false magnanimity, an evil leer on his brutish countenance. "I'll crush you like the bugs you are whenever you want me to." He clenched and unclenched his fists several times, and the others could hear his knuckles cracking.

 

"We're going to die!" Kuririn muttered under his breath, not realizing that Nappa could hear him.

 

The huge Saiyajin warrior turned his evil smile towards the small monk. "That goes without saying. But since you haven't given up and run away, I guess all of you have some sort of death wish. That's fine with me. I can use the exercise."

 

Behind her rocky shield Bulma shuddered, still clutching Gohan's shoulder tightly. When she felt the tiny boy trembling she looked down at him. "It'll be all right, Gohan," she whispered reassuringly, not believing the words herself. "Really. Your father is the strongest fighter I've ever seen. He's never been beaten, not by anyone that he hasn't turned around and beaten later. You'll have to trust him. He can beat anyone!"

 

She spoke with a confidence she didn't feel. The expressions on the faces of her friends told her this was much more serious than anything they had ever dealt with before. And just the things that this stranger wanted - to destroy the planet! - were more serious than anything they'd ever had to contend with. She just hoped that her friends would win once again, and that they wouldn't all die in the process.

 

Gohan whimpered as he tried to believe her. Tears continued to stream unchecked down his face as he shivered in fear. He was afraid for himself, but mostly he was afraid for his father. Would the man he adored be all right, or would he be killed like that other man had been? Gohan kept his eyes averted from Tenshinhan's bloody corpse, trying to forget how he had almost retched when Nappa had torn him apart.

 

Yamcha and Kuririn shot each other determined looks and began to move forward. Nappa grinned malevolently at them, beckoning them to come closer. They both moved a little nervously, remembering how this giant had ripped apart their friend. Neither of them wanted to experience the same, nor did they much like the idea of Nappa doing it to one of the others. But it wasn't as though they had much choice. Goku had something in mind, and although he hadn't told them the details, they trusted him implicitly. If he said that he needed them to distract this villain, then distract him they would.

 

"All right," Yamcha quipped, giving the giant a roguish smirk. "Let's see what you can do." With that he charged forward without warning, engaging Nappa, both of them moving so fast that the other warriors could barely see their movements.

 

"Hey, wait!" Kuririn exclaimed, annoyed at having been left behind. "You were supposed to wait for me!" He launched himself towards them, trying to find an opening.

 

Yamcha spun and moved away, slowing down and landing in a fighting stance. Kuririn glared at him, looking annoyed. Nappa moved further away, then landed in front of both of them.

 

"Together, this time?" Kuririn asked peevishly, further irritated by Yamcha's grin. Then the two of them threw themselves at Nappa in a flurry of fists and kicks.

 

The bald giant appeared to be hard-pressed against both of them together, although - watching some distance away - Piccolo suspected that he was just toying with them, the same way he had been toying with both Goku and Tenshinhan earlier. When he saw the alien suddenly give a roar and throw the two humans aside as though they were nothing more than rag dolls, he knew he had been correct in that observation. The setback didn't seem to daunt either of the humans, however, as they both stood up, glanced once more at each other, then with a single thought, once again threw themselves at Nappa, attacking with all their speed and strength.

 

Goku nodded once to Piccolo before disappearing from his direct line of sight, to do something that the younger man had already plotted out in his head. Piccolo wasn't sure what the other man had in mind, but hoped it was something drastic. He had found that although Goku seemed slow in some areas of life, his adversary did manage to surprise him from time to time. Piccolo's eyes narrowed watching the other fighters, noting with some surprise that Yamcha and Kuririn managed to stay out of the larger man's way, even if just barely, giving Goku and himself the much needed time to prepare.

 

The green man began to gather his power in, raising his two fingers to his forehead in concentration, trying hard to ignore the sounds of fighting going on in front of him. His eyes darted slightly to the right to see Goku coming up behind Nappa and crouch down, waiting for something. I hope he knows what he is doing. He continued to build up his ki, trying not to worry about it. One minute down, four to go.

 

Yamcha and Kuririn continued to attack Nappa with a furious spate of kicks and punches, but they were both beginning to tire. Yamcha realized that they weren't going to last long enough at this rate to help out Goku, not unless they changed their tactics. He had never been the tactician that Tenshinhan had been, but he had to try something.

 

"Kuririn!" he called out to his smaller friend, whom he could hear puffing heavily already. "Tag team. I'll go first!" He hoped that the confused expression on the invader's face meant that he hadn't understood what Yamcha had meant by that.

 

Kuririn nodded, and kept his fighting ready stance, but didn't power up or move forward when Yamcha moved forward.

 

"Rouga Fu Fu Ken!" Yamcha shouted, as he moved forward, a wolf-form blurring around him as his ki charged around his fists. He hit Nappa full force, causing the giant to stumble back a step.

 

The evil warrior grinned at him. "So. The insects have a little sting, do they? Not much of one, though." A ki ball formed in his hand, and he casually tossed it towards the scarred warrior. Yamcha tried to dodge it, but Nappa simply released a second, and a third, until Yamcha missed a dodge and was hit squarely in the chest. The human warrior cried out as a blast struck him, knocking him back into a giant boulder.

 

Nappa grinned, his hands on his hips, his tail waving behind him unnoticed. The limb gradually relaxed as the giant began to laugh at his opponents. "Is this all you have? It might be a warm up. Why couldn't this world have any real fighters?"

 

Goku watched and prayed that his hunch was right. He knew that he was nowhere near as smart as Bulma was, but if his theory was wrong he could cost all of his friends their lives. Please, Kami-sama, let me be right about this. I have to protect them and Gohan.

 

His patience paid off as he noticed how cocky Nappa had become as he taunted his opponents, how the Saiyajin warrior paid him no heed as he snuck up behind him and darted forward to grab his tail and squeeze with all his strength.

 

The result of Goku's move was instantaneous and dramatic. With a roar of both fury and pain, the enormous warrior dropped to the ground abruptly, Goku barely managing to hold on to his tail as the two of them fell. With a crash that caused the very earth to shake, Nappa landed heavily, his tree trunk-sized legs unable to support him as he felt to his knees. It was oddly disconcerting to watch the behemoth shaking uncontrollably under such a simple assault. Gradually, the warrior seemed to regain control, and he slowly lifted to his feet. The grimace of pain that distorted his face made his already brutish features appear almost monstrous in his hatred.

 

"Let... go... insect...." he snarled at the smaller man, twisting slightly to try to face Goku. It was obvious that he couldn't move too far; the agony of Goku's grip was weakening him, and it was apparent that he was afraid that Goku might do more damage to him.

 

"His... tail!" Bulma murmured in awe, remembering how Goku had always been weakened when his tail had been grabbed. Yet her younger friend had always been happy whenever his tail would grow back, a situation that Bulma had never understood. He had mentioned once that he always seemed stronger with his tail than without it, but he hadn't known why, and it hadn't been something she had ever investigated. She had simply preferred it when he didn't have the tail, as she always lived in fear of when he might inadvertently get a glimpse of the full moon, and transform into that really scary ape-like creature.

 

Nappa, meanwhile, was swiping his beefy paws at Goku in an attempt to knock him away, but the smaller man dodged his blows - clumsy with pain and frustration - almost easily. The large warrior struggled to turn in Goku's grasp, but gave a roar of anger at the sharp torture it caused to his abused limb. He felt himself weakening as Goku's grip tightened, causing more and more pain to shoot through his body.

 

"I remembered how much it hurt me to have my tail pulled," Goku told the bald man, who was vainly trying to get out of his hold. "And since you say that we are both Saiyajin, I figured it would bother you as well. Looks like I was right."

 

Goku looked over at Piccolo. "Are you ready yet?" he asked, gritting his teeth in pain, trying to brace himself from the other man's struggles. "I don't think I can hold on much longer. My ribs are broken."

 

"I am ready. Brace yourself, Goku." Piccolo had slowly been gathering in his power unbeknownst to Nappa and the others and had been waiting Goku's cue to let it go. Piccolo brought his fingers down and in front off him preparing to release the blast.

 

"MAKANKOSAPPO!!!!!!" he yelled as he released a spiraling blast of ki towards the two men and struck Nappa in the center of his chest. The force of the blast knocked Goku off his feet, forcing him to release Nappa's tail as he rolled out of the blast zone.

 

I hope that worked. Goku panted as he got to his feet, his ribs aching with the movement. My body can't take too much more of this. He held his breath as he watched the smoke clear, hoping that Piccolo's new attack had been enough.

 

To be continued....

~~~~~*~~~~~

And in the next exciting episode of DragonBall Z: Crossed Paths... The battle rages on.

~~~~~*~~~~~

Hey, you didn't think it would end so easily, did you? ^_^ Come on, folks, this is DBZ we're talking about! No battle is going to end that quickly! (thinks of the 'five minute' fight against Freeza that took 30 episodes or so) Nope, I ain't gonna let it end either that quickly or that easily. The Z fighters are going to have to earn their victory... if they get one! ^_^

Ok, I wanted to point out a few things here.

1) I'm aware that in the anime Nappa didn't have the tail weakness. However, it's kind of necessary here. I mean, come on, Nappa is just SO much more powerful than the Z warriors that without it, they don't even stand a chance. They had trouble against Radditz even with his tail weakness, and he had less than a third of the power level of Nappa (1200 as compared to 4500).

2) The power level confusion that Nappa has regarding the various Z warriors - thinking Piccolo is stronger than Goku, for instance - is because the Z warriors know how to control their ki levels. It also has to do with their weighted clothing. He's not used to ki suppression and sensing; that seems to be something unique to the Z warriors. Even Freeza and his henchmen seemed shocked when Goku and the others demonstrated it, which indicates that they never encountered it in all of their travels.

3) Before people complain about the brutal way we killed Tenshinhan, I just want to say, we like Tenshinhan. But we needed him dead for the purposes of the fic. They can still wish him back later, don't worry, but we needed him gone for a while. Besides, his death is supposed to make you hate Nappa even more. It worked, didn't it? ^_~

~~~~~*~~~~~

Review responses:

Oooh! I got reviews on this! ^_^ I'm so happy! ^_^

Daniela: Well, I'm glad you like it! ^_^ And I wanted to write this because... well, I don't want to give away too much yet. But it's a fun "what if" we're playing with, and I think people will like how it turns out. ^_^

skijg: Well, considering how brutal I require my beta readers to be, and how picky they and I are regarding grammar, I hope there aren't many mistakes! I do find them sometimes when going back through stuff again, and then I always try to fix it. You know, I'm hearing from people a lot that they've never seen it done with Nappa coming first. I know I haven't, but I just wanted to see what would happen. Honestly, until we actually started writing it, we weren't even sure exactly how it would go. Most of the time when we write, it's the characters writing themselves. Which is precisely why we wanted to write this, to see how the characters wanted to behave! ^_^ And I hope you like the fight scene. Even the really brutal way we had Tenshinhan get torn apart... *coughs* ^_~ Forgive me for that. I love the guy, but we couldn't have him around because it would have messed up some of the later stuff.

vinn: Yeah, the first chapter had to be slow, because it was the setup. It was too long to make it a "prologue", but if I were to call anything a Prologue, I would probably have to include the first three chapters. Why? Because the real story doesn't start until chapter 4. You'll see.... ^_^

Selenity Jade: *thwaps Sel* You're the only one who has read beyond the first couple of chapters. Don't you dare give anything away! ^_^