Area A: Day Seven

[Reijin]

Area A is controlled by Broli

Day Seven will end on Sunday, February 27th.

[Bra]

Evening turned into night, and night turned into day, as Bra remained lost in her slumber. Her unhealthy shivering was minimal now, but it was obvious that she had been severely weakened. 16 wandered about the secured bunker, as boredom began to take it's toll. Less out of curiosity, and more out of something to do, the android examined things such as pipes and cables, and read any visible notes or information pertaining to them, despite the fact that such knowledge was useless to a machine built for little more than battle.

"No-!!" came a desperate cry from his cyan-haired 'patient', causing Sixteen to whirl about. She was still asleep. A bad dream, perhaps.

Bra and Android 16 burst into action, sprinting across the blackened and torn field, hurriedly slapping away the tall grass from their faces, but still careful enough to avoid touching the blades of grass which had caught fire. A thunderous bass roar drowned out the orders the halfling and android shouted to each other. In the next instant, a paper-thin wall of dirt burst upward, obscuring their view beyond. As the earthen substance succumbed to gravity and peppered the ground, both warriors were shocked to find a crack in the surface just before them. Another deafening rumble escaped, and the crack burst and split, tearing a wide, and terribly long chasm. The depth almost immediately became unfathomable, as the powerful quake continued to rend Dante asunder. Both 16 and Bra had to take to the air in order to escape the violent throes of this disaster; the cause of which had still not been determined. The land beneath a nearby bunker began to crack, and rise up above the rest of the ground, as if bucking in agony, before quickly being sucked into the abyss, taking the bunker with it.

"Mom was in there!!" the demi-Saiyan shrieked, trying desperately to give chase, but despite her most valiant efforts, she found herself unable to move from her spot in the air. A column of white light screamed upward into the air, completely filling the hole formed by the sunken bunker and it's grounds. A pulsing flash and a thundering explosion preceded what happened next; the pillar of light doubled in width, while still climbing into infinity. Deep spiderwebbed cracks ripped at the earth in all directions. Four other pillars burst from the depths of the earth, one after the other, each one doing extraordinary damage to the entire planet.

"What's going on!?" Bra screamed, tears rolling down her face as she grieved over the loss of her mother, "Who's doing all this!?"

"I don't kn-" 16 began, but a pillar leapt up from beneath him, and in a flash, the android was burned into nothing more than vapor.

"SIXTEEN!!!" Bra screamed, but her screams were for naught. Dante exploded.

"Bra!" came a voice. How was that possible? Dante was destroyed. "Bra!!" Was she dead? Was this the afterlife?? Had she made it to heaven?

"Bra! Wake up!!" 16 barked, shocking the halfling back to consciousness.

"Wh-What's going on?" she asked weakly.

"You were having a nightmare." the machination replied. Bra tried to sit up, but a series of loud, painful coughs forced her to lie back down.

"Bra... you're not going to like this, but you're too sick to be in this tournament anymore." the android stated.

"What? Don't be retarded. I can still fight." the girl retorted.

"Listen to yourself, kid. You're sick. In fact, you've got pneumonia."

"So what? I'll just rest some more, and then me and you can get out there and fight! It'll be-" Bra was forced to pause in order to cough.

"Bra, if you don't see a doctor, you could die. You can't even stand, much less fight." 16 declared.

"Forget that!" the cyan-haired fighter yelled, throwing her blankets off of herself. She leapt to her feet, but the movement was too fast; she swayed back, and then fell forward, but the android caught her before she hit the floor.

"See!?" 16 demanded, beginning to get frustrated with the stubborness of the halfling.

"Well... even if you are right, how can I get to a doctor?" Bra inquired, as 16 helped her back onto her bed.

"You surrender."

"What? To who??"

"Well..." Sixteen began, trying to figure out an idea, "You surrender to me."

"What!?" Bra exclaimed, which followed with a groan of pain. Her throat was terribly sore.

"Think about it. You can't fight in this condition. If you try to surrender to someone out there, they could kill you. Come on, I'll take you to a Synex base, and you can go home, to a doctor."

"But... I wanna fight. I want to help."

"You can't!!"

"But what happens to you?" Bra replied, suddenly concerned about her robotic friend.

"I... take care of myself, I guess. Goku and his kid are here, right? Maybe I can help them out, or something. We'll see." 16 decided.

"Well..." Bra sighed, "I'll surrender, but I don't want to."

"Good enough for me. Come on, let's get you out of here." Android 16 stated, lifting the girl into his arms yet again.

OOC: Surrendered to Android 16. ...Is that okay, staff?

[Android-18]

Android 18 and Raditzu exited the bunker feeling refreshed after a long rest within them. Now the girl wanted some action. She surveyed the area but found only swamp and tress. ?Let?s go back to area A, I sense a few people over there.? She took off northward and the long haired Saiya-Jin followed without a complaint. They would find out if there was anyone worth fighting in the other area, if not, perhaps they would simply have to fight some Synex soldiers. Android 18 felt the temperature begin to drop and a cold wind beat against her body. A few snow flakes drifted by as they shot further north. When she saw the ground begin to turn white with snow she started to lower toward the ground. ?The bunker shouldn?t be far, I remember where it is.? She said more to herself. They trudged through the icy snow, though they showed little concern for it. The android was strong enough to ignore the chill that crept right into her bones. The bunker could be seen through the constantly falling snow. They quickly made their way toward the warmth it would offer. ?Let?s not stay too long, just to reset these blasted collars.? They quickly stepped into the safe building and felt the warm envelope their bodies.

Just as soon as they had entered they were back out and into the snow. The android headed west in hopes of finding anyone in the vast white area. Another building began to take shape in the distance. ?That looks familiar, isn?t it one of those Synex bases?? She stopped in her tracks. ?Well let?s just be careful.? They cautiously continued, but kept their eyes out for any figures they could find.

OOC: Raditzu and I have entered the eastern bunker in area A, we?re now cautiously wandering around in the snow near the Synex base.

[Burter]

-2500 from Bra, +1500 to 16. +1 Point to 16 for the emotional scene.

Bra has been eliminated, and sent to Earth

[Android-18]

Android 18 and Raditzu watched as a strange figure in green rushed into the base. They stood still and waited to see if anything was to transpire. Only the sound of the wind blowing snow into flurries could be heard. The blond looked at the Saiya-Jin with a puzzled expression. ?I couldn?t sense him, could you?? Just then he exited the building and took off. ?Come on, let?s follow him, he interests me.? They started off toward the figures direction. They followed him, but made sure to stay back far enough. The only question the girl could ask herself was if this man was also, like she, an Android.

OOC: 18 and Rad and following 16 >_>.

[Broli]

?You might be a challenge yet?? The words slipped from the serpent?s tongue into an atmosphere of arrogance, which, even having faded through the demeanor of Goku, still dominated in a way that made the air hot and thick. The Black Demon allowed himself to drift to the frozen earth, his empty sights set on his opponent. Goku did the same, his feet depressing the soft powder of freshly fallen snow. ?I must say, you?re quite the interesting creature,? declared Burori, taking a moment to relieve both of them from battle. The black-haired Saiyan, his flaming aura having diminished, stood with an eyebrow raised. ?And yet you lack the power that your potential offers?? The demon shook his head, folding his arms as his eyes seemed to scan Goku from head to toe. Goku himself said nothing, his hands tightly clasped as he awaited the next move from his opponent. Something as sinister as the Black Demon didn?t make idle chatter. It destroyed, and it would try to destroy him. There were no alternatives. Goku?s suspicion could find no limits. The energy inside him screamed to be freed from imprisonment within his soul, lusting to explode forth from his skin and engulf the area completely. Yet, he would not appease this sensation, going as far as to suppress it whilst he went along with the conversation at hand. ?What are you getting at??

The Black Demon raised his right arm, almost bragging the grotesque boils on his charred skin for all to see. ?THIS is what I?m getting at. Don?t you want it? Don?t you want the power I have to offer?? Goku spat to one side in disgust, almost as if the very thought had traveled from his brain to his mouth, finding a resting place on his tongue and saturating it with salty revulsion. Broli clasped his hands at both of his sides, frowning regretfully as the voids that served to fill the sockets of his skull penetrated Goku?s very soul. ?I could give you power that you would never even dream of! Don?t you see it? Look at me! Look at Broli!? The demon put his hands to his chest, digging his finger nails into his skin as if utterly sickened by his own appearance. ?Broli was nothing short of pathetic! His noble notions did nothing less than hold him back and make him a warrior that can be described as meek, merciful? and weak.? Crimson fluid rolled down the Saiya-Jin?s chest, some dribbling onto the snow at his feet. Goku?s resolve was hidden by his gaping mouth and widened eyes. He had never witnessed a creature such as this. ?Take it! Take this power! I can make you the conqueror of worlds! I can give you everything! Just say the word, and in a heartbeat, it?s all yours!? Broli outstretched a hand, opening it so that Goku may clasp it.

The black-haired Saiya-Jin began walking forward. His eyebrows furrowed, his face emotionless as he took one step after another towards the Black Demon. A powerful wind caught him in the chest, compelling him in an apparent sense of foreboding to turn back. Yet, he pushed on, showing the purest tenacity as he pounded the icy tundra with each and every step. With a final step, he came to a halt before the giant. Burori kept his hand open, awaiting a connection with that of Goku and thus signifying and ultimate bond that would allow the Black Demon?s dominance always and forever across all galaxies. All Goku had to do was take the demon?s hand, and a power far superior than to be considered godly would erupt, showing no mercy as it waged war with the very foundations of the universe. Their eyes connected, all senses fading as their minds focused on the deal at hand. Goku ignored cold?s icy grip on his exposed skin, the Black Demon (who even lacked covering for the chest) seeming to do the same. Hell itself was ready to burst forth, lusting to let loose an inescapable carnage upon all of Dante and everyone amongst the universe itself. Should the two fighters shake hands, Hell would spill into existence, nature would become chaotic, and there?d be no survivors. This was what it would all come down to. Goku wasn?t simply fighting Broli. He was fighting for the existence of all mankind. The Black Demon sought to destroy everything of creation, and if he wasn?t stopped, never again would denizens of Earth, Vegeta, and of thousands of other various planets be able to lay sights on the lives set before them.

Sleet fell from the sky and hammered the earth; destruction was on the tip of its toes. Goku began to raise his hand, nature?s screech of admonition rippling throughout the atmosphere. As skin connected with skin, the gobbets of sleet seemed to come to halt instantaneously. Sound could only be described as an unfathomable emptiness that replicated and relapsed from one point to another, across the frozen plains, over the soaring peaks, and around Dante itself. Had the clock stopped? Had time petrified? The continuum itself had counted down, calculating and scheduling a moment where everything would come to a halt, and the fate of the universe would be decided. And in this moment, the universe would be either blessed with existence or doomed to suffering and eventual obliteration.

Goku had slapped Burori?s hand away.

And thus, with such a feat as this, Hell itself had been quelled, sent sprawling back into the depths of its own despair to forever bide its time for another opportunity such as this. The clock of life came back into motion in correspondence with Goku?s decision, sleet pouring down harder than ever before. As the black-haired Saiya-Jin?s hand fell back to his side, the Black Demon brought up his off hand. His knuckles crashed against Goku?s jaw, knocking the Saiyan fiercely into the slushy earth. The Black Demon leapt into the air, lifting his knee in order to bring it down on Goku?s spine. However, his leg met the ground with a splash of wet powder. Goku appeared behind the demon, engulfed in a blaze of red aura, and delivered his counterattack, the heel of his shoe connecting with the back of Broli?s neck and sending the demon sliding through the snow.

The demon flipped to his feet, his blood pumping wildly with an anger that would only be met through the sheer annihilation of Kakarot. The taste of copper filled his mouth as he stood, gnashing his teeth. To the side he spat away the blood and prepared himself to do battle once again. ?Unfortunately for you, this is a mistake that you cannot ever make up for. It will cost you your life,? chided the demon, shaking his head and revealing only the slightest emotion of pity. Goku held his fists as his sides, his aura glowing densely around his body as he locked eyes with the demon. ?I could never allow myself to be controlled by a virus. The power you offer me is not my own. I?d be a mere tool in your sick game?? His eyes sharpened, a disdainful stare cutting deep into Burori?s soul. ?? and I?ll never allow myself to be weak enough to have a crutch like you!? Goku?s words echoed across the sky, snow rupturing from its foundation of mountains. Barring his teeth, Broli held up his blackened arm, attempting to rebuke his insecurities with pride for his transformation. He wasn?t about to let his opponent have an advantage in a battle of minds. ?You fool? I?ll show you what real power is, and I?ll make you beg before this is over.? Only one fighter would survive this, and it would be a survival attached through battling with tooth and nail. This was the fight that all the spectators of Dante had been waiting for.


OOC: I'm going on a family trip for President's day, so I won't have access to a computer (or in other words, be home) until Monday. I have work that day, also, and so I won't get an RP up until late Monday/Tuesday afternoon. Sorry.

Anyway, Goku and I have left the Bunker of Area A and resumed our fight.

[Reijin]

Calmly, Reijin relaxed his mediation. Cool eyes blinked as he fought to focus and regain his eyesight. He had been in a resting state, practicing his abilities at Healing once more, for hours? or had it been weeks? He had no way of knowing. Seeking clarity, he rose to his feet, and walked to the doorway. No one had come within reach in many days, and he was beginning to wonder if anyone would ever step into his domain.

His view betook the silence all around him. The essence of this zone, complete with it?s heat, humidity, and complex ecosystem, penetrated him almost as cleanly as the blizzards of his past area had. He sighed. He had hoped to meet a rival or two here, but had found no one. None among the living, anyways? There would be to opportunity to engage upon these grounds. Then it was decided.

He touched his earpiece, and the Scouter leapt into action, profiling a list of fighters still on Dante. Trunks? had been destroyed, and from the readings, by the collar. He had always been a weakling, but it amused Reijin that he could not have even gone down on the field of battle.

Goku was still around? somewhere. Perhaps Reijin would confront him, finally. There was also the matter of Android 18, who seemed to be on a winning streak, and Raditzu, who seemed to be the primary cause of helping her single-handedly win this competition. Someone called Pan was in the arena, and seemed to be the only possible competition for Android 18, but Reijin wondered if Pan really had what it would take to defeat the creature that masqueraded as a human being.

Regardless, it seemed that most of the fighters had returned to the frozen wasteland from whence he had come. He decided that the final battles would most likely take place there. He leapt into the skies, and his aura bloomed around him, his corporeal form blazing through the darkened trees. He burst from the canopy, and hovered slightly in the sky, not looking forward to returning to the cold. A great breath escaped his lips, and he clutched his cloak around him in anticipation. The chill that passed through him was a realization of events that would soon follow, and with that dark thought, he concentrated on the ki signal of a warrior that he knew very well? Goku. Finding the soul of the one he had searched for, he briefly touched two fingers to his brow and vanished, with not a trace of him lingering.

The technique of the Instant Teleportation was not one to be looked down upon, as Reijin often believed it was the best way to cover hundreds of miles of distance when a being had a well known contact to use as a post and did not want to waste precious energy in a flight. He appeared in the skies of Area A, and his Scouter had to take a moment to adjust to the sudden change in location.

?Damn it?? he exclaimed, twisting in the catastrophic winds for an attempt at aligning himself with the frozen earth below. He had hated this environment on his first trip here, and he equally hated it now. He knew that Kakarotto was somewhere in the near vicinity, but his eyes could not distinguish enough to find him. Somewhere below him, in the midst of the flurries, was his foe. He did not that that he could find him while searching. His Scouter quickly mapped out a way to the nearest bunker, and Reijin followed the translucent three dimensional trail that it cast out before him. He could feel himself flying further away from Kakarot, but there would be no battle for him there. Drawing closer to the destination of the bunker, he began to distinguish the image of a man in the distance.

Both eyes narrowed coldly as they glared through the clouds. He lowered himself a bit into the thickest part of the clouds, and peered through them. He could sense nothing from the man? No form of spiritual energy, ki, nor even life?s blood seemed to flow through him. His green armor seemed soaked with that of battle, and his flowing red mane reminded Reijin of the two sword wielding warriors that had fought near him earlier. A quick memory drifted through Reijin?s mind of a group of warriors entering the base in Area C while he was half asleep? This tall warrior, and android, it seemed, was one of them. His teeth gritted. He had spared them all while in the comfort of the bunker, but out in the wild? The creature was leaving the safety of the bunker, and that was a fallacy in itself. Reijin was not quite sure as to the intentions of the being, though, and he assumed it would be best to watch him. Ally or enemy, most alliances were not made until the heat of battle.

A large ki signal appeared that nearly made his brain hemorrhage from the sheer immensity of its power. Reijin?s eyes widened in their sockets and he looked around wildly. He could not see the power, but he knew that he was detecting the very familiar ki of Raditzu. There could be no other in this area. And where Raditzu went, annihilation in the form of an android beauty followed. Reijin calmed himself as he tried to peer through his cloudy coverage to find any sign of them, but he could not see. Mentally, he cursed, as his eyes adjusted on the other android. It seemed that he had not sensed any of them yet. Perhaps there would be a large battle here. Or merely a reunion amongst friends, it seemed to be? Reijin was unsure as to what Raditzu, and likely his female android companion, would want with the other android, but he did not like any of the conclusions he could jump to. For now, it was probably best for him to simply wait and watch. Anything else could possibly spell disaster for him.

**Exited Area C/ Entered Area A**


**OOC- Probably would have entered the Broli and Goku fight, but I don't want to start roleplaying a fight just before another day ends, and they have stated that they will be unable to continue until Tues/Wednesday.**

[Orion]

"Real power..." Goku mocked in disgust the words as if Reijin himself had said them to him. "What do you know of real power, virus? You live within the body of a Saiya-jin not strong enough to fend you off. Your entire existance relies upon inhabiting the body of another. How could you ever know real power?" The son of Bardock roughly rubbed the lightly throbbing point on his frostbitten cheeks where the titanic fist of Broli had landed. The unconscious act had unknowingly given the Black Demon something to smirk about; the spiteful statements the black haired Saiya-jin fired were in contradiction to his action. His blackened arm curled in anticipation for the battle to recommence, eagerly determined to smash the truth into the heathen Saiya-jin.

"You could've had real power, you stubborn fool," the Black Demon retorted with his sharp tongue. "If only you took my hand, this universe could've been ours. Now it will be mine." Broli shifted his hulking frame forwards onto his right leg, planted firmly in the sleet smothered earth. "And I will make an example of you to this entire forsaken existance! Whoever opposes the might of the Black Demon will find their charred bodies steaming from the ground." Goku furrowed his brow, dissolving his calm, collected facade and producing his battle hardened stare. "It's such a pity that a warrior of your calibre couldn't see the error of his ways."

Goku's crimson kaioken aura had almost faded away, replaced with a thin red smoke that wafted from his shoulders and legs. One could've been forgiven for thinking they were witnessing the physical manifestation of Goku's shielded disdain seeping out of his very skin. The spiritual steam melted the cold snow around his boots and dissolved the snow upon his shoulders and other random areas on his clothing. There was no halting the constant downpour of snow; the further the two warriors taunted and delved deeper into their mind games, the heavier the sleet became. A silver lightning bolt slithered across the white ridden sky, followed by another as if nature was accurately emulating the restrained torrents of bloodlust and anger each Saiya-jin could not deny. However, the Black Demon held himself back only to allow Goku before him to release himself. He could sense that the Earth raised Saiya-jin was preventing his full strength to rage to the surface, but couldn't discern why. Surely he could feel the dire nature of the situation. If he lost to the Black Demon, his precious little universe would be no more.

Just before the words of his question formed on Broli's tongue, he stopped. Goku's stare was still frozen as the snow around him, locked forward in a deathly glare into Broli's soulless eyes. The blood red smoke that swirled around his body changed direction and funnelled into Goku's spiky black hair, as if his ebony locks were absorbing it. The muscle tissue inside Goku's upper body suddenly expanded, forcing larger shoulders, arms and chest. His legs performed the same action, exploding outwards to accomodate for the extra strength the body received. The translucent steam emanating from Goku morphed from its kaioken red to a shimmering gold, still seeping into the hair folicles. Acting like an over the counter dye, the ki fed whisps of smoke melded with his black hair, altering its birth colour until it was the same enchanting gold blonde as it. The same process occurred with his Saiya-jin tail, glittering into a much more attractive hue. As the smoke dissipated away, Goku's golden hair spiked upwards like a king's crown, standing proudly. The last transition of his Super Saiya-jin transformation was his eyes; their dark reflecting hue lightened and brightened until his irises were a dazzling teal. In a blaze of glory and a heightened power level, Goku's aura exploded around him again, but now identical to the colour of his hair.

"Finally, you bare your true self," the Black Demon snapped impatiently. Apart from the unstoppable physical altercations that the Super Saiya-jin form induced, Goku had not moved a centimetre. He was truly in tune with his ascended energies, able to summon them with little concentration or effort. For this fight, for what possible rammifications their would be at the conclusion of this apocalyptic clash of Saiya-jins, Goku was glad he spent a year in the void nothingness of the RoSaT. Truly, there had been no opponents, save the Legendary Super Saiya-jin, since he had emerged from the alternate dimension that had tested his resolve and might in his race's most honoured ascension. This Black Demon had an immense amount of power, and an appetite for destruction to match. For what energy Goku could draw upon, he hoped it would be enough. He failed in his duties of saving his home planet against Dars, and he could not fail again. Whatever it took, Goku would send the possessive virus straight into the pits of hell, even though it felt as if those very flames burnt within his soul. Goku couldn't help but ponder the fate of the original Broli. What happened to him? Did he still even exist in that hollow husk that the Black Demon dwelled within?

The golden flames of ki that danced on Goku's skin blew backwards against the wind as he dived into a full sprint towards Broli. His speed was incredible compared to his previous state; a thick spray of snow jetted out from his heels as if he were a super powered ferry charging across the waves. With a chesty roar, the Black Demon rose his aura to life and boosted towards Goku, his beefy legs shaking the earth with every pound of his feet. Despite their menacing, muscular frames, the Super Saiya-jins met each other within a few moments.

The real battle would now begin.

Goku threw both his feet forwards, pointing his toes towards Broli and let his heels and momentum propel himself across the frictionless snow. Predicting the attack on his ankles, Broli crouched in mid run and catapulted his hefty body into the air, somersaulting over the Super Saiya-jin comet. Goku dropped his right hand into the snow to slow his skidding and spun around to launch himself at Broli again. However, he wasn't where Goku predicted he would land. A whisp of wind rushed past Goku's ears, but by the time he assumed Broli's form had materialised behind him, he found his cheeks slammed hard against the sub zero earth. Broli stood above him without compassion or sympathy, grinding his right foot against the back of his adversary's skull.

Goku grimaced as he tried to withstand the pain, finding himself, for the most part, pinned down. He clawed desperately at Broli's shin, but with the advantageous position the Black Demon was in, Goku could do little. Formulating a plan to end the throbbing in his cranium swiftly, the father of Gohan placed both hands beneath his chest, palms open. A sparkle of ki appeared in each hand, which proceeded to combust. The explosion from the ground knocked Goku's body upwards, breaking the foothold Broli had against him. The Earthling's back crashed into Broli's chest, knocking both Super Saiya-jins off their feet. As the disturbed snow fell back to the ground, Goku and Broli's forms clashed in a blurring flurry of melee attacks. Fists and feet moved swifter than the gods themselves, firing as efficiently and cleanly as well maintained pistons. The stormy heavens above grew more agitated and dark with the progression of the battle. Rippling lightning bolts tore through the sky, the thundering soundwaves shadowed by the collision of the Super Saiya-jins attacks.

Neither warrior was making any strong headway. Broli drove a hooked punch into Goku's gut, causing him to expel the air in his lungs. An invisible spherical shockwave expanded outwards from the impact point, rattling the already unnerved atmosphere about them. Goku retaliated with an ascending clenched fist into his jaw, jerking the Black Demon's head upwards. Another forceful wave blew ferociously, removing the snow from the ground in some parts and heavily defacing the naked earth. Goku arched his right leg around and aimed for the same place on Broli's face, but a bulky hand rose to catch it. Broli grasped the ankle of Goku in his hand and rolled his fingers over his leg, sending his enemy into a horizontal spin. The Black Demon smiled with malicious intent as he clasped both hands together and rose them over his head, guiding them forcefully into the spinning Saiya-jin's torso. Goku's body was launched straight for the ground, but he now had stopped spinning. A golden flash reignited Broli's aura as he soared down after his prey.

His world raced towards him like an unstoppable meteorite careening through a planet's atmosphere. The ground moved closer and closer with evey passing moment, and Broli was in hot pursuit. No doubt the Black Demon was enjoying the prospect of tearing Goku to pieces; although it was a fruitless expedition for the most part, the Earthling had sensed a dark bloodlust in Broli's soul during his telepathic probing, one even more potent and insatiable than a normal Saiya-jin would or could ever experience. Goku only prayed that he would never be as heartless and twisted as the 'Saiya-jin' he faced today.

There was little time for a counter attack. Devising up a simple but promising plan, Goku forced his arms to his right side, cupping his hands.

"Ka... me... ha... me... " Goku chanted his most well honed attack as it pulsed to life within his hands. The Super Saiya-jin closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating hard on the task at hand, and his body shimmered. It was like he attempted to teleport, but he hadn't gone the entire way. Nonetheless, Goku was still fine, and he thrust his hands at the fast approaching earth.

"Ha!"

The unstable orb inside Goku's hands exploded from the spherical confines its master had set and became what it longed to be. From the palm sized ki ball, a monstrous energy column erupted. The yellow-white energy scathed the snow, melting away the abundant precipitation anywhere near the blast. In a violent jerk, Goku's body was fired in the opposite direction to the ground, flying upwards towards the descending Black Demon. Broli smirked, only just stopping himself from laughing at his enemy's blatant recreation of his previous attack. He increased his speed, rushing towards Goku like a golden lightning bolt, which still raged on within the clouds. Did this brilliant strategist believe that an identical move would go unnoticed by the Black Demon? Perhaps Broli had overestimated his opponent.

Perhaps not.

Broli swung his arms open, ready to embrace the sailing Saiya-jin in a bear hug grasp until he squeezed the air and life out of him. However, just as Goku was about to make impact, he turned his head and met his gaze with Broli. He smirked. The Black Demon's brow furrowed in the few seconds he had to decipher the earthling's actions, but even he could not stop what was now set in motion. With a much more enthusiastic smile, Goku's body shimmered away, teleporting out of sight from Broli. Now, in his direct path, was a golden beam of kamehameha energy. On the ground, standing in the sleet burdened earth, was Goku. The Black Demon's eyes widened as he tried to process the physically impossible event that took place in front of him, but he was quickly interrupted by the ki beam blasting him in the chest.

A large explosion of light and smoke detonated upon the Black Demon's chest, catapulting him into the cushion like snow. The blast had hurt Broli, but it wasn't anywhere near as potent as he had braced himself for. Climbing back to his feet, he saw Goku still standing in the same place.

"Behind you," a familar voice chimed. Broli curiously looked over his shoulder, taking in the image of Goku again. He looked forward, and Goku was there. He looked behind. He was there too.

"I'll tell you what," the Goku in front of Broli spoke in a calm manner, "it wasn't easy splitting my body, teleporting one half to the ground and collecting enough energy to damage you with the time I had." The second Goku cut in. "But I suppose you had already figured that out?" Both Gokus smiled arrogantly at the presumed displeasure Broli felt. The Black Demon's face contorted with the frustration and anger of being played for a fool. He couldn't have foreseen such a move; after all, body splitting wasn't a common technique. Broli rose both arms to the cloned Gokus, and fired two lethal energy blasts from his palms. The split Gokus jumped into the air as a wave of snow erupted beneath them. They met each other in the sky, fusing together to produce the original and more powerful Super Saiya-jin.

With a slightly inflated pride in his ability to defeat the Black Demon, Goku teleported back to the ground. As was usual, he appeared upside, but quickly flipped himself upright. However, moving with more speed and grace than Goku gave Broli credit, the Black Demon raced straight into him. Broli's burly fist slammed into Goku's stomach, then twice into his chest, and another deep punch into his gut. Goku doubled over Broli's arm, his eyes as wide open as his mouth. Without removing his fist, the Black Demon slid his knuckles up Goku's body until they connected with his chin.

The possessed Super Saiya-jin reared back and formed a fearsome energy ball in his palm. With a maniacal chuckle, he hurled it into Goku's stomach. The orb forced the earthling Saiya-jin backwards, travelling on his abdomenal. Though volatile, the energy ball only exploded after Goku's back crashed into a large hill of snow, enveloping the Super Saiya-jin in a shroud of splattered snow and smoke. The Black Demon laughed at his success. The universe would never know such terror as he. With this pathetic Saiya-jin slaughtered as an example, none could ever hope to oppose him. This world was as good as his.

Abruptly, over on the snowy hill silhouetted by the fading smoke, an eruption of snow arched into the sky. A faint cry was accompanied by a flash of light that blanketed the small alcove of snow that remained. Goku stood on his feet again, engrossed in the dense glowing aura. He was short of breath, his chest rising and falling to recouperate the lost oxygen. Blood oozed from the left side of his mouth and a cut just to the side of his right eye, which he let flow as it pleased. Small collections of snow rested against the flaps on Goku's baggy gi despite the warmth from his Super Saiya-jin aura, but he shook them off as he took his fighting stance again. The Black Demon frowned, but turned his lips up in a smile.

"If only you joined me," Broli chirped to himself, unable to wait until the eradication of this true Saiya-jin.

[Android-18]

Her agile feet kicked her up and into a flip that had her body twisting in the air. She landed gracefully a few feet away from the pain filled android lying upon the ground. He struggled out of his hole that she had gotten him into. He still had some fight in him, though, it was a pity he was not stronger. She dashed forward and let her fist fly toward his face. It smashed against his cheek and the force of the blow sent him flying upwards through the air. She let his body fall to the ground and lightly made a sound of disgust. He was an easy opponent, it was a disappointment. He was not a worthy android. Her feet crunched against the snow as she made her way toward him. Once more he struggled to his feet, at least he had determination.

?You know, you could just give up.? She said and crossed her arms against her chest. He gave no response, not yet anyway. This time he was the one to move first. He rushed in with all the speed his possessed. She was almost caught by surprise, but she was quick with her reflex. He shot a fist forward in hopes of colliding with her face. Her hand shot up and caught it before any damage could be dealt. She hauled him in and then threw him into the air. He landed hard in a snow drift, but got right back out. ?You?re a fiery fighter, I?ll give you that.? She said and wiped a few strands of hair from her eyes.

The two androids charged at once. Their hands connected and for once she felt his actual strength. It was not his power, but his physical ability. His hands were strong; they gripped her digits with extreme pressure. She felt slight pain, but it would not help him. She yelled and pushed harder against his palms. It was a struggle, as usually there was one. Ki cracked along their bodies and fire burned within their eyes. Finally it ended as the male android cleverly buried his knee into the females gut. She gagged and let go, her feet carried her backward in a stumble. She gripped her soft abdomen in pain and anger. To win, one had to do anything. She straightened and glared at the other creation, wherever he had come from. He was nothing compared to her.

OOC: Not a whole lot to do.

[Android-18]

A slight feeling nagged in the back of her mind. She stared down at what would seem to be a helpless fighter in the snow. A frown edged across her lips and she uncrossed her arms from her chest. ?You aren?t such a bad warrior, albeit a bit weak.? She looked toward Raditzu and motioned for him to join them. ?I accept your surrender, and perhaps someday we can have a rematch, I like your style, android.? She held out her hand to him. Perhaps it could be a trick, but at the moment Android 18 didn?t feel like disintegrating this figure. Perhaps it was the fact that they seemed oddly similar, or maybe because she hardly knew many androids. He gripped her hand and she hauled him to his feet. ?Raditzu, do you mind taking him to the Synex base? I know you?re able.? He rolled his eyes and gripped the larger androids arm as 18 let go. ?Keep training.? Was all she said as she let Raditzu take him to the base. ?I didn?t even get his number, shoot.?

OOC: I accept, and yes it was a?pun, you know, androids have numbers, har har.

[Broli]

OCB:

+2500 Zeni to 18. I didn't think the fight deserved a point, but if you disagree at all, PM me.

16's out.

[Android-18]

Android 18 waited for Raditzu to return. As she did she sensed for any other ki signatures left in the tournament. There were not many left, she bwegan to wonder who she would have to go up against next. She also wondered what would happen if she had to go up against Raditzu. She sighed slightly and sat down in the snow.

OOC: I wanted to point out that we weren't going for points anyway =P, otherwise I would have tried a lot harder.

[Reijin]

From the Saiyan?s viewpoint, the fight between the two was a bit weak. He assumed that Android 18 had kept her power to a low level specifically to avoid annihilating the other android right at the beginning. Perhaps she was in a good mood. Either that, or she was weakened severely, and he could not sense it. Either way, it wouldn?t be appropriate to swoop down on them just to find his self destroyed by the Saiyan.

He watched as Raditzu lifted the android onto his shoulders and burst off into the air, and then chuckled. It seemed that she was alone. Perhaps now would be the time to talk. She dropped down to her knees in the snow flurry, almost sadly, and gave a tired look into the snow. He slowly floated down, like a fallen leaf, as she sat, arms wrapped around her knees, in the snow, looking almost depressed.

His feet touched bitter earth, crunching the snow where he landed, and alerting the android to his presence. She looked up sharply at him and narrowed her eyes in recognition. ?What do you want??

Reijin chuckled at the hostility. ?Sadly, I am not here to fight you. You may avert your threatening eyes for the moment.?


**OOC- Bored and wanted to roleplay.**

[Android-18]

She gave a slight shrug and shifted her gaze toward the distance. A light snow was falling and blanketing the already snowy ground. She hugged her knees to her chest and then spoke. ?So if you aren?t looking for a fight, then what are you looking for?? She said and looked back toward the strange figure. He looked familiar, but she couldn?t quite place him in her memory. ?If it?s Raditzu you want you?ll have to wait.? She looked away again and toward the falling snow. When would she have to fight again? Or kill again? She had spared that androids life, but was that wise? She felt changed now, and she couldn?t tell if it was good or bad.

?Not many people left.? She commented as she sensed out the others with her ki sense. She could feel the familiar ki of Goku, but that was it. ?You think this will be over soon? We?ve been fighting for a week.? She stared at the white snowy ground and considered the past few days. It felt like ages. What was all of this fighting for anyway?

[Broli]

Broli knew that Kaio-ken couldn?t be the extent of his opponent?s power. He had detected something deep within Goku, something eager to burst its way forth and make itself known. Indeed, the Saiyan had ascended into that of a Super Saiya-Jin, at last reaching the mark of superiority. The Black Demon wouldn?t admit it, but it felt as if Goku was, ultimately, the stronger fighter. From the moment the body split was used, Broli could feel victory escaping, slipping from his grips. It now rested on his fingertips, ready to fall from his hand at any given moment. While the battle was indeed far from over, he knew that something would have to be done. He had given Goku a show of his awesome power, and it had all come down to the fact that the Black Demon, in all truth, was inferior. It couldn?t be true. He wouldn?t accept it. He had to prove to Goku and the entire universe that he could not be stopped, that he could not be beaten? not by anyone. A simple Saiya-Jin wasn?t about to end him now. He had destroyed cities, brought about the destruction of dynasties, portraying his power all across Vegeta-Sei, and now he was to be beaten by a mere creature sharing the same race as his host? Impossible.

Perhaps he wouldn?t need to be more powerful than Kakarot, the demon thought. A plan began to form within the cruelest depths of his mind, alleviating a sense of uncertainty as to if the battle could indeed be one. Broli climb to his knees, snow clinging almost as much as he himself clung to the idea of victory. His eyes traced the contours of his blackened arm, a thin smile appearing across his face; only the malicious could recognize this smile, and the good could do nothing less than receive the utmost curiosity as to what was at hand. The good were so close minded. They saw only what was at hand, biding no time other than to prepare for the evils that would sprout like weeds across the world, a world with soil so potent that no one could resist its luscious extents. Demons, on the other hand, had a mindset that contrasted to everything and conformed to no one. It was a means justifies the ends battle day in and day out; every act, as devious as it may be, was to be done for a future day. Whether it be the destruction of heroes for world domination or the murder of millions for one?s own sick pleasure, all came down to seeing what needed to be done and doing it. In a sense, the evilest of characters were the most pure of all. They stuck tightly to their methods and motives, more than willing to partake in any harsh act that called upon their names. Heroes would only take what came their way. Demons would see what was on the horizon, reach out their hands, and take it with full authority. Broli, a demon of his own, had his own prospecting plans, and he was ready to set those means into motion.

The Black Demon tightened his fists, charging towards his golden opponent. He remained ignorant of all snow, sleet, and hail that barred down on him, nature itself almost seeming to side with Goku in a feeble attempt for survival of the planet. Goku, expecting Burori to be taking part in an intricate plan to catch him off guard, tossed forth an energy orb. However, rather than rolling to one side to avoid the attack, Broli flew directly into it, a mass of energy exploding from the very depths of his soul and propelling him all the more closer to his opponent. Goku took a step back, surprised by his enemy?s tenacity. Yet, just as he was to sidestep to avoid the demon, he felt a hand tightening around his throat. The Demon cackled, lifting Goku into the air as he sought to end his opponent once and for all. The winds screeched at the sheer possibility of the battle ending, Goku summoning out all strength he could manage to remove his challenger?s icy grip of death. Suddenly, Goku?s golden aura flared, lighting up the area with a beautiful incandescence that could almost be described as blinding. Broli caught a kick to the chin, sending him whirling backwards and finalizing the brief skirmish with a point for Kakarot. Immediately, Broli was back on his feet, and the conflict continued once again?

* * * * *

Medics rushed around the bruised and bleeding Bardock, one hand wiping away the salty sweat from his eyes. As people cheered for the victor, the announcer?s voice could be heard over the microphone. ?May I have your attention! Please, may I have your attention!? One by one, the crowd grew silent, focusing their attention on the man who stood in the center of the crumbling ring. He held a microphone in one hand, his eyes hidden behind a set of eyeglasses and a smile apparent from ear to ear. ?I?ve just been informed that a fight is occurring all the way in Sector A, and since we?re here to give you all a good show for your money?? He lifted one hand to a set of massive screens that had been erected near the end of Bardock and Pan?s fight. ?We?re bring it to you? LIVE!? In a flash of light, the screens turned on, revealing two warriors throwing fist after fist. Instantaneously, the crowd erupted in a roar of approval, jumping from their seats to get a better look at the fight at hand. Those who were not fortunate enough to get close enough to one of the VDTs were able to watch the fight from the gargantuan monitor that had been assembled on one side of the coliseum. They watched in utter furor, their hearts gasping for more battles as the one they had just witnessed?

* * * * *

King Vegeta froze in mid-air, his widening eyes and cavernous mouth doing nothing less than revealing his astonishment as to what was occurring. Explosions rippled the planet from afar, his sights jumping from spot to spot on the horizon as he witnessed what he could describe as nothing less than earth-shattering. He could feel it, as far as he was, with each wave of air that brought forth an essence of sheer destruction. An anomaly, it was, that such power could be construed into a single battle. While it was unclear as to who was doing battle, one of the fighters had the slightest hindrances of that of Burori. He felt it, here and there, as if the warrior was showing his face but for a mere moment before disappearing into a clasp of turmoil. A force of tension was set upon the King?s heart, his feet enclosing upon the soft snow as he descended from the frigid aspects of the atmosphere. The sky was clear, the air cool, almost as if he was standing within the eye of a traumatic storm waging war only miles away. ?Are you there, Burori?? he whispered, listening to the incessant explosions that ranged so deafeningly that even he could hear them clearly and effectively, each sound catching his ear but a mere few seconds after eyes focusing on a dome of light on the horizon. He was uncertain as whether to fear this power, or embrace it. After all, perhaps this Saiya-Jin now referred to as the Black Demon simply wished to restore the power of the Saiya-Jins, reviving the race from a long received notion of weakness and ignorance. His tongue connected with his lips, his breaths audibly escaping the confines of his lungs. ?Would you turn against your King?? One foot stepped before the other, resolve and rigidity encompassing the emotion across his face. ?You?re going to tear this planet apart??

* * * * *

The battle had raged far from the bunker, making its way to the most uninhabitable place in all of Sector A, a place that had been described as an area where only ?unmatched warriors or pure fools? would venture to. Icedawn Lake stood before them, crystallized so perfectly that it could serve almost as effectively as a mirror lying upon the world. Broli received a swift punch to the jaw, proceeding to rub his cheek as he locked eyes with Goku. The two hovered high in the sky above the lake, the wintry storm executing all methods of nature?s wrath around them. ?It?s useless, Burori. I?m not going to let you beat me.? Goku?s words came with the most tenacious of expressions, the warrior holding his hands at his sides as his eyes deepened, converging on the demon. The creature spat to one side, the crimson fluids of his existence spattering onto the earth below. He allowed his anger to show, copulating with a sensation of frustration that he did not bother to hide in embarrassment. Brashly, he charged towards Goku, his roars doing nothing to compensate for his carelessness. With a spinning kick, Broli was sent plummeting to the earth, Goku quickly following to continue his combination of attacks. If it was going to end, it was going to end now. He couldn?t hold back any longer.

Goku?s aura licked viciously around him, almost trying to keep up with him as he blasted towards the falling Burori. He held out an open palm, energy showing its face in his hand. Electricity twitched and hissed around his arm as the attack formed, a small smile forming on the face of the father of Gohan as he began to feel the warm embrace of victory. He was tired of being cold, tired of shivering off evil?s blight. All he could ask for now was for success to burn its way into his heart. To his wild surprise, as the energy attack left his fingers, Burori disappeared. His body shuddered, head craning slightly as the words that served to be an answer to the riddle slipped off his lips, ?Instant Transm?? Burori delivered a rocketing punch into Goku?s side, the protector of earth able to feel each and every knuckle pressing against his body. He felt the demon slide an arm around his throat from behind, tightening his throat once again. With a cackle, Broli followed the energy blast that Goku had just shot, his arm held ever so tightly against Goku?s oxygen flow. As the energy blast ruptured the earth, evaporating snow and dispersing shards of rock amongst the environment, Broli and Goku crashed into the crater, doing nothing less than adding to the already billowing cloud of smoke.

Their bodies appeared amongst the dust, Goku pinned to the ground by Burori?s hulking form, still enclosed in a headlock. Broli, gnashing his teeth, grabbed Kakarot by the back of the head and slammed the warrior?s forehead against the shimmering ice of the lake. Goku closed his eyes, feeling a warm liquid bathing his face. ?Look at the ice!? shouted Burori. While the fighter had yelled directly into his ear, Goku had barely heard, the shrieking wind about him seeming to be the only resonance amongst an encapsulation of pain and distress. Again, his head was slammed against the ice, fissures splintering off into various branches of a crater that had been made. ?Look!? The words came again, the speaker attempting to ?persuade? Goku by tightening the grip around his throat. Succumbing with the nonexistence of no other choice, the father of Goku opened his eyes, his pupils met with full exposure to winter?s luminosity. His eyes adjusted to the brilliance swarming the area, and at last he focused on what was before him. He lay there staring at the ice before him, his reflection staring back at him. His body trembled, his eyes trailing from his throat to his lower jaw. His veins pulsated visibly, each vessel portrayed in a color of daunt. ?M-My? My face?? The skin immediately around the veins shared the same black color, almost as if the warrior had been bruised time and again. He had been infected.

And then, casting off all fear and surprise, Goku gritted his teeth. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and there he screamed with such a bellowing yawp that the ice ruptured and shattered and the earth itself broke apart. Broli winced against the ferocity of this new energy, his arm slipping away as he lost grip with the Saiya-Jin and was cast into the sky. With a thud, he slammed into a rock. Goku, climbing to his feet, continued to roar, his anger having broken from any constraints into a wild rage that could not be thereby reproduced in anyone except him. As his yelling diminished, his breath could not stay in his lungs long. ?What have you done to me?!? His aura glowed more violently than ever, the golden flames dancing around him. The Black Demon rubbed his head, climbing from his feet in a groan. As he stood, he hunched slightly, one hand holding his side. Blood streamed from his mouth; the warrior had been dealt a blow that would be hard to recover from. ?Answer me, demon!?

Broli laughed, taking a seat on the rock behind him. He felt exhaustion encumbering him, his forearm attempting to wipe away the blood from his mouth. ?You and I both know the answer to that.? Goku shook his head. It couldn?t be. He turned and looked back at the ice, the same image speaking back to him. Facing Broli once again, he held up a clenched fist. ?Fix this!? Broli couldn?t help but chuckle at the naivety of the Saiya-Jin. ?It?s futile now?? His eyes trailed off into the distance, focusing on the setting sun. ?I gave you a choice, a choice to join me. Yet because of your foolishness, I didn?t have much of a choice. And now, no matter what, I win.? Goku roared, throwing an energy orb to one side. ?I don?t care what you think! I won?t let you beat me like this. I?m stronger than Burori, and I?m strong enough to beat you!?

Broli took his glance from the sunset and focused back on Goku. The storm had subsided now, almost as if nature had seen it all too late to intervene. ?Don?t you understand?? He stood once again, one hand held firmly to his side. ?The Black Virus?s plan was never to be the strongest warrior. The scientists who engineered it made the mistake of assuming that. Once it had been let loose, it developed its own purpose, a purpose to annihilate this world and everything amongst this universe. Broli was just a host. That?s all he ever was! It doesn?t matter who?s stronger than whom; it never did." Broli shook his head, almost pitying Goku's realization of what fate was left for him. "Only the virus?s survival matters, and by infecting you, I live on. Kill Broli, if it makes you sleep better at night. But that?s all it will do for you. You see, when Broli became infected, he sought to wreak vengeance on the one Black Demon that existed. Whether he accomplished that goal or not doesn?t matter. Look at him now. Vengeance got him no where.? The demon removed his hand, grunting as his aura reappeared around his figure. He slid a foot back, lowering his form into a fighting position.

?Well?? He held out an open hand. ?You simply can?t allow the virus to take its course. Fate just won?t allow that of you. And so, you have a choice. You can fight and defeat me, or you can die and be cleansed of the virus? forever. Either way, you lose. So, what?s it going to be, Goku? Will you wage war on the very thing within you?

OOC: Had work all day Wednesday, so I couldn?t work on it then. Sorry it took so long; RPs of this magnitude take a ton of time.

[Bardock]

Darkness pervaded the horizon of perception. Slowly, consciousness returned to the sluggish pink lobes that were housed in the thick skull of a certain Saiyan. A hazy palette of colors greeted his unfocused pupils as Bardock slowly opened his eyes, shaded by the green glass that hung over one orb of vision. Blood swelled to his head, pounding mercilessly.

The fighter looked around without lifting his heavy head, pupils contracting and sharpening, seeing he was still alone. He couldn?t have been unconscious for more than an hour, if even that. A dull burn embodied itself in his weary muscles, the after effects of an arduous battle. It was his gift and his curse that he was unsatisfied with rest, although it was the wisest of his current options. Struggling to his feet, Bardock saw that the blood that bathed his body had dried and caked over. What he had not wiped off was crusted onto his armor and sunned skin. The arm that clutched his bandana seemed to be in well enough working order now, but the fist that had destroyed his granddaughter was still unworkable. Belatedly, the inner dynamics of his mind kicked in. A recovery of considerable magnitude was required for him to be in even the most destitute of fighting conditions, which would span days at best. There was no way he could wait that long. It simply was not a conceivable avenue, but his strength had deteriorated beyond even a Saiya-jin?s ability to heal quickly. Regardless of this, even deep within his hollow shell, an ember of promise lingered deep within him. Bardock would fight on, no matter what. Still clutching his bandana, the fighter reached within his armor and pulled out a small object. He had been saving it for an emergency. The restorative vegetable endowed to him from the very beginning was his window of opportunity. Without a second thought, he flicked it into his expectant mouth. The Senzu rolled along his salivating tongue until cusps of enamel pierced its crunchy exterior. Familiar warmth emanated from its very core. Bardock couldn?t suppress a throaty roar as feelings of ebullience surged through his battered body. Whatever euphoria he had felt when his power had been previously regenerated was nothing compared to this augmentation. His whole figure quaked and trembled as his essence was overwhelmed with the overload of Ki that engulfed every last molecule. Brilliant white ambience cleansed his epidermis, rehabilitating the burns that enshrouded his limbs, dissipating the dried blood. The gash on his cheek was repaired without so much as a trace of a scar. Energy elatedly glutted his muscles as they were forcibly embellished. Invigoration replaced enervation seamlessly and effortlessly. Vitality was bestowed unto him once again. Without even realizing it, Bardock summoned the flames of crimson, a vivacious emblem of his rejuvenation. His primitive brain was unable to handle such a manic transition. Twin black eyes coruscated with pure, unadulterated thirst as his barbed ebony locks billowed furiously in the wake of his self-generated power. He mindlessly tied the bandana around his forehead, now conferred with the blood of his granddaughter.

In a burst of fervor, Bardock levitated from the floor and blasted out of the compound. Moist trees bent and splintered in the wake of his presence as he bolted towards his scouter?s indications. The only readings left on Dante were in Area A, and that was where he was headed at an unchecked pace. The fight there was, after all, good enough to be displayed before the audience in the Main Arena. Gradually, the thickness of trees receded and gave way to vast patches of frost. The Saiya-jin?s body pulsed with the warmth of his recharged energy. He didn?t feel the stinging cold that this new environment presented, although his cheeks flushed deeply against the bitterness. Dark plumes of clouds rolled along the sky, spewing forth frosty flakes of snow. Off in the distance, the wind howled, a harbinger of some lingering frozen doom. Icy powder pelted the impending antagonist, melting and steaming upon contact with his deep glow.

Suddenly, his sensory machine went crazy. Two powerful signals of Ki were cause for much technical aggravation. Bardock?s inner senses had detected it long before. A strange, foreboding feeling made home in his gut. As he loomed closer to these powers, the seasoned Saiya-jin spied a familiar figure: Android 18. Someone else was nearby, talking to her. Bardock abruptly landed, shaking off the snow that had accumulated in his thick thatch of dark hair.

?We meet again,? he greeted apathetically.

OOC: Left Area C, entered Area A. Rendezvoused with Android 18. That was my first Senzu bean, one of the originals, so it should be okay.

[Reijin]

?Not many people left. You think this will be over soon? We?ve been fighting for a week.? Her voice was somewhat apathetic about the situation, while dipping briefly into concern. Reijin?s brow rose for a moment and he finally walked over to her, unthreateningly, and sat down next to her.

She seemed slightly startled, but showed very little outward signs of it. ?We either are going to be enemies soon, or allies, but I think one way or another, it will be over soon?? he replied, leaving his thoughts open to interpretation. ?In reality though?? his voice trailed off. He sighed, looking off into the distance. The blizzard had seemed to calm down a bit, finally, as if settling with the fighting. It helped to convey the desolate and empty atmosphere of Dante. ?We are merely prisoners. Originally, this was an entertainment venue, something to keep the masses happy. We were warriors, proud and at our top skills, hoping to either kill a rival, make a name for ourselves, or simply to release some tension. Each had their own agenda.?

He coughed a moment, the cold having made his throat a bit raw, and then continued. ?Now, however, it seems that we are all reduced to rats, struggling to kill before we ourselves are killed. Do you see any irony in this? I have been thinking lately?? For a moment, he paused, debating the twist of fate in his situation. He, the blood thirsty warrior, Saiya-jin demon out to restore the race to its prime, was contemplating possible reasons for the Dante tournament. He had always been a strategist, though, and this seemed to be the type of thing he should have caught onto immediately. ?The guy who is supposed to be running this thing? I can?t bring myself to remember his name? but wasn?t he a changeling? I remember hearing something through the updates sent to us that Koola and his brother and apparently clone were found missing, along with their father. They all vanished from the tournament, and we are still here, fighting as if gladiators for the people. I think that there may be some form of insurrection going on.?

He turned and looked to her, watching as her fingers seemed to draw images throughout the snow at her feet. ?Frost? That?s the name of that planet I went to?? he was almost just talking out loud now. He wasn?t totally sure why, but he was feeling comforted after all of the mindless killing by just letting out his thoughts. He had been away from Videl for far too long, and despite the Saiyan instinct to kill, he was beginning to think that they had evolved beyond that for a reason. ?Wasn?t that planet supposed to be run by a changeling that had conquered most of another galaxy? Koola and Raditzu had transported me there.? He sighed, and stretched a bit. ?I guess I?ll leave those thoughts with you, rather then ramble on.? He stared at her for a moment. ?You are android, right??

She looked up at him, promptly and puzzled. He continued on before she had the opportunity to speak. ?You actually do seem to feel though. Heh? I was always under the impression that androids were mindless killing machines? But then, I guess the same has been said about the Saiyan race. So I guess we aren?t so different after all. We can?t be hard asses all the time. You seem to be more than just a mechanical being though. I can tell by your reactions that you have an almost humane spirit. Your responses aren?t just programmed and calculated responses; they are reflex, instinct, and the human emotion manifesting itself. I guess I can see how Raditzu would hang around you then, even if you did kill me before. Ha ha. Like I said, we may be enemies in the future, but for the moment, there is nothing wrong with simply existing.? He causually gazed off into the distance, watching as the sun slowly began to set beyond the peaked mountains. He found it very odd that the climate seemed to be shifting so drastically today. His eyes narrowed in thought, and then he heard the crunch of snow. He looked over to see another figure standing tall, soaked in blood, and staring at his female companion.

?We meet again.? The figure spoke his words almost coldly.

Reijin smirked a bit. It would never cease. ?Aw, interrupted right when we were getting some alone time.? The sarcasm dripping out of his voice masked his annoyance of the situation. He would never have a moment to simply exist, it seemed. Until then, he would find out this one?s intentions.

[Android-18]

She listened to his words. He rambled on and most of it she could hardly think of a response to. He was talking to her as if they were friends. Perhaps it was weird, but she couldn?t even think about it. He even talked before she could reply to questions. Perhaps it was that he just needed to talk. She listened, and finally he stopped. Footsteps could be heard. She turned as he did and took sight of the new arrival. Android 18 got to her feet with Reijin and wiped the snow off of her posterior. The warrior was none other than her vanishing foe. Why had he returned?

?Did you come to join our conversation? Or did you come for another fight?? She tensed as she clenched her fists. Her eyes took him in, and his movements. He was bloody, but appeared to be in fine shape.

OOC: Not much >_>?*Yawn* If I told you I had writers block would you believe me?

[Bardock]

Ignoring Eighteen?s queries, Bardock shot a hard glance at the younger warrior, who viewed his sudden presence with obvious disdain. The older fighter couldn?t discern whether he was annoyed or just simply like that on purpose. It didn?t much matter; he wasn?t really in the mood for idle banter. Unfortunately, the brawler had seemingly stumbled upon a tranquil moment. His piercing gaze shifted to the empty tundra before him. Delicate flakes of transformed water cascaded from the invisible bellies of the clouds above. The blazing passion that had relentlessly driven him here seemed to have been pacified by the amicable atmosphere. A tingling cold suddenly overcame him, a he sighed deeply, exhaling a puff of frozen breath. Snow crunched beneath his ragged footwear as he trudged next to Android 18 and sat near the standing beauty, not even giving her a fleeting look, and completely ignoring her new companion. He relaxed his legs and bunched up his knees, resting upon them his scarred elbows. Transient thoughts of the whereabouts of Raditzu entered his consciousness, and were gone again with the chilling breeze that embraced his tawny skin.

?You know why I came back,? he said to the blond. ?But it can wait.?

Bardock closed his eyes and let the snowflakes cover him. Strange, how this place could control his disposition. He chuckled callously.

?Don?t mind me. I?m no threat to you,? he alleged to the unknown youth, a feeble attempt to reconstitute the discontinued discourse.

OOC: Ole.

[Orion]

"... Either way, you lose. So, what?s it going to be, Goku? Will you wage ..."

Broli's smug, contemptuous words rolled off his snake like tongue, entering the victorious confident aura that his self satisfaction now oozed out like blood. Only a small portion of the Black Demon's condescending overture hit Goku's ears and sunk into awareness. The majority of the snide albeit truthful words were muted by the frantic rushing of thoughts within the newly infected Saiya-jin, circling, speeding back and forth like helpless comets, drawn into an unbreakable rotation around an empty black hole until being swallowed into its abyss.

That abyss would be the Black Virus.

Already, so soon after the black scarred skin marking the virus' entrance into Goku's body had mutated, the world was waning. Through his teal eyes, the snow shimmered, brighter than the luminosity of its natural white. The frosted lake near him revealed multiple reflections of the struggling Saiya-jin, jagged shards of ice surrounding the impact point of Goku's forehead basted lightly in his crimson blood. As each unique snow flake glided from the heavens, they pulsed outwards, expanding like helium balloons before shrinking akin to a grain of sand. He looked upon his right arm, the fingers on his hand hooked and clawed as a result of the warping of his senses. It shook ever so slightly, like the intense cold in the frost bitten wasteland was growing to be more than Goku could handle. Yet, it wasn't from the cold. Goku knew. It wasn't the virus, either. Not yet, anyway. It was the pure, unbridled anger.

He dominated Broli in terms of physical strength, although they seemed evenly matched in a war of words. The Black Demon knew how to effectively utilise the smorgasbord of abilities at his disposal; he had used Broli's Instant Transmission to position himself for the virus transfer. But what now boiled inside Goku's soul was a steaming hatred and burning refusal to accept the turn of events. Victory over this monster, a Saiya-jin husk accommodating a potentially apocalyptic demon, seemed only a matter of time. Goku was so close to gaining a real, compensating sense of redemption after his past acts, and his past failures. The death of Broli, and consequently the Black Demon, would signal the beginning of the end to his inner turmoils and break the chains that kept his soul prisoner to his transgressions. Now, those inner turmoils would only multiply.

Goku's sharpened eyes travelled back to the mirroring ice of the frozen lake. Through ten or more different reflections, he could see the hideous ebony skin. It covered the entire right portion of his neck, pronouncing the veins which had also sunk into the defacing hue. The growth ran up till the base of his jaw, with a few slithers of black arching up like carefully pigmented lines of a tattoo. The same lines also ran out of the base of his neck, craning over his right pectoral muscle like four bony fingers. He ran his fingers across the blackened skin, his rejecting gaze piercing back into his eyes. Hearing the familiar, husky voice, Goku turned to see Broli - no, the Black Demon - chuckling in his sadistic pleasure at the earthling's snowballing anxiety.

Goku shot his glance back to the dodecahedral ice mirror, his fate becoming as blindingly obvious as powerful spotlights shining directly into his eyes. In an amount of time known only to Broli, his mind would be consumed by the virus. The living, almost spectral essence of the virus was flowing through his veins, mixing with his blood and coarsing into his brain. Soon enough, no matter how much he fought it, he would end up like Broli before him. His whole life, and the powers he had trained for and mastered, would be at the unrestricted access of an exact replicate of what raped Broli of his mental awareness, and his life. His strengths would be utilised to massacre thousands, possibly millions, to sate the dark bloodlust that would eventually become his only course, his only reason, in life. With the warping intoxication this new Black Demon would provide, Goku would have no choice but to become that with which he battled so hard against.

No.

He wouldn't accept it.

In a brilliant display of light, Goku's golden aura shimmered, then exploded, his rage acting as the catalyst to his power like a lit flame to a tank of petrol. The golden beams of light cascaded over the snow and shattered ice, reflecting several fold from each other to produce a spectacular vision of beauty. In an instant, that beauty was destroyed by the utmost rage and hatred for Goku's situation. The light dispersed, replaced by a harsh, intrusive light that almost burned Broli's retinas. The immediate snow around him melted as if Goku were a heat lamp, and to an extent, he was becoming one. The shards of ice shrivelled as they dissolved into themselves, becoming puddles of water before blowing away in the torrential winds Goku was now generating.

His already impressive muscles bulged outwards, his spiky hair rigidly fighting the buffets of wind circling him. Bolts of lightning snaked across the Super Saiya-jin's skin, desperately trying to find their way to his golden crown, where they sank into the topmost spike of hair. The very earth itself shook beneath Goku's feet, trembling before the power that was being unleashed upon it. Surely everyone on Dante could feel what was happening now.

"As sure as I am that I won't be taken by this virus," Goku spat at Broli, trying to convince himself more than the Black Demon, "I'll make sure that you are no longer here to see it either way!" As the last vengeful words escaped his gritting teeth, Goku charged towards Broli, spraying a flower like pattern of snow from his feet.

"Don't try to convince me," the Black Demon retorted quickly, adding an infuriating smirk. Goku roared again, blowing perfect hemi spheres in the snow around his pulsing aura. If this is how it had to end, then he wouldn't let two Black Demons rampage unchecked throughout the universe. Pulling his fist behind his shoulder Goku could feel a new presence pounding through his head. Time was running short, and Goku's anger flared. He was just approaching Broli --

Goku.

Goku's heart skipped a beat. What was that voice? He heard it, but he didn't hear it. It was like a telepathic message.

Ha ha ha ha ha. Hello Goku.

It was in him. The virus had surfaced. It was talking to him inside his head. With a husky, commanding voice, it poked and saturated Goku's mind in an intrusive manner. The bewildered Super Saiya-jin fought against the presence, erecting a feeble wall over his mind. The Black Virus' goal for now wasn't to take over, however. A momentary brain lapse was all that it seeked, and all that it found. In the introverted second Goku spent in his mind, Broli had found the opening to break the Saiya-jin's attack.

A hammering fist ploughed through Goku's frozen mentality and his unaware face. Broli's knuckles dug deep into the skin upon his newly infected enemy's cheek, forcing it to mould to the bony joints. The elasticity of Goku's skin stretched out as the Black Demon's fist kept going after the collision, lifting the Earthling from his snow coated boots and sailing over the pearl white earth. His golden hair crashed into the cold sleet, clearing the way in a snow less path until the momentum in his body finally depleted.

A swift, sleet ridden wind washed over the area. The Black Demon smirked, taking proud steps through the snow. In his right hand, a pulsing energy ball flamed into life despite the bitter cold. The small flakes from the sky faded away at the presence of the ki orb, which Broli held at the ready to toss. Smacking his frost bitten lips at the prospect of burying the Earthling Saiya-jin in the cold embrace of Dante's surface, Broli soon towered over the fallen fighter. His face, forearms and thighs were covered in the white precipitation, with the fur on his tail icy and matted. Facing his palm downwards, Broli braced himself for the spray of blood that would erupt from Goku's back. Suddenly, he noticed an irregular glow beneath the snow. His eyes sharpened, but it was too late.

A prompt pivot of Goku's midsection twisted his body to face up into the sky. Upon his forearms spun two glowing yellow kienzans, cleverly construed and hidden beneath the snow. Arching his right arm towards Broli's face, the intensely rotating blades barely missed slicing across his cheek, warming the Black Demon as it passed over. Broli was not so fortunate with the follow up attack; Goku swung his left arm horizontally over the Black Demon's midsection. Although agile, Broli could not hope to dodge the razor sharp edging of the kienzan buzzsaw. The rotating ki blades tore into his taut abdominals, ripping his flesh away in a clean, concise line. Blood sprayed from the cut like watery foam from the back of a jet ski as the kienzan finally finished its job.

Still adequately fuelled by his burning rage, Goku was not about to let up with the advantage he had now. Broli roared in the sharp, excruciating pain over his stomach, putting his black and burnt hand over the top of the wound. Goku had taken a step back, dropping his weight onto that leg before pushing himself forward to recommence attacking. The Black Demon looked up with his white empty eyes, an intense flame burning within them. With his free hand, he grabbed Goku by the head as soon as he was within grabbing distance. Goku swung his arms around wildly, trying to amputate the limb that held him captive. Swiftly, the Black Demon removed his hand from his chest, which was now saturated in blood, and drove it into Goku's open gut.

Broli could feel Goku expel the breath in his lungs onto his palm and smiled at his discomfort. Again he withdrew his titanic fist and slammed him again. A similar detrimental effect was absorbed by the Earthling Saiya-jin. Broli took his bloodied hand back, clenching his fist tighter than before and tensing his bicep. Releasing a proud, insidious laugh that rung in Goku's ears, he rammed his fist one last time into Goku's abdomen with such force that his body was torn from Broli's grasp. The Super Saiya-jin flew like a paper plane, lightly skidding onto the snow before coming to a limp stop.

"Perhaps its better this way," Broli called over the snowfield, placing his hand upon his wound once again. A luminescent glow shone from his palm and onto his stomach. The Black Demon grimaced slightly as he cauterised the wound with his own searing energy. He removed his hand, revealing a blood stained scar. "If this is all the fight you can show me." Broli smirked again, unbeknownst to Goku, whose face was sunken into the snow. The Black Demon could now afford to gloat to his opponent. Goku was already undergoing the slow, diminishing process of becoming a slave to the Black Virus running through his veins. The strength that the Earthling warrior once radiated had fallen, and Broli had the upper hand.

Come on Goku. Get up.

The ethereal voice made its presence known again. Although groggy from the last round of punches to his stomach, Goku still heard the words.

"I... can't..." Goku coughed, flipping his head out of the snow and staring up into the stormy sky.

No, you're right. You can't. But I can.

"I... no..." Goku murmured, running his hand over the leathery black skin on his neck. "You... you won't take... me."

Goku, the Black Virus said sternly, I won't have us dying so early. We have immense power. Just think of the destruction we can cause. The terror. The death. We won't be silenced so soon.

"Those are your plans! Your plans!" Goku screamed with a sudden burst of rage. Broli laughed at the obvious battle going on within his enemy's head.

They don't have to be. Just let go, Goku. We could become so much more. We'll start by showing him what real power is.

"No!!!" Goku roared back, slamming his fists into the snow. After his display of anger, his body slumped onto the ground. The exhaustion was taking him over.

The Black Demon stood tall, his hands on his shoulders, waiting for Goku to get up and try again. He remembered when he had broken Broli's spirit and taken over him totally. He took immense pleasure in knowing either way, Goku's life was almost over. Hopefully the Earthling warrior had a little more fight left in him though. The Saiya-jin blood of his host craved battle.

Weakly, Goku's body stirred. Broli watched intently as the weakened Saiya-jin climbed to his feet, his back to him. He got up calmly and slowly, burning up as minimal energy as possible. The frost bitten tail wrapped around his waist, shaking to remove the collections of snow through the golden fur. His hands tightened into solid fists, hard as rocks. Goku spun around, his eyes closed. With little to no external effort, his golden aura exploded around his body, blowing away the snow at his feet. Broli was surprised to see the Saiya-jin still in his ascended form, but was nonetheless prepared to knock him down once again. Gradually, Goku's eyelids lifted, revealing his eyes.

But there were no irises to speak of.

His eyes had become white, plain voids. The beautiful teal irises had been swallowed by the engulfing nothingness. Goku's power level suddenly sky rocketed, splintering the earth around him. It rose higher, above Broli's strength again. Yet, it couldn't be possible. Goku was tired, and weakened. How could ...

"Black Demon," Broli said churlishly.

The possessed Goku chuckled. "That is your name. Not mine. I am the Dark Flame, come to cleanse the universe of inferiors with my searing fire. And I won't let this body perish at the hands of you. My plans are far greater than dying here."