[5] Prison

[Ruhiel]

Blood. The blood of his friend, flowing before him on the pike of a monster. The blank stare he had looked into, that of death. He had failed. He had failed as a leader and as a friend. The only word he could seem to utter was "No," for the shock of it seemed too much to take in.

And then everything disappeared, with only a vision of his deceased ally remaining in his mind. The world slowly reappeared before him, but Gero no longer cared where he was or what was going on. Even if Krillin hadn't really died, Gero had still failed him. He had sworn upon himself to protect those around him, and yet here he was again, allowing the one person he felt he could trust to perish. He had witnessed the death of Zarbon, while fighting alongside him. He had endured the pain of watching Tottepo beheaded before him, and now, he had been force-fed the image of Krillin's decapitated head on the top of a spear.

The android dropped to his knees, trying to withold the rush of emotions that were flowing inside of him. He knew there were many others in the room, as he could feel the echoes of their life, but he didn't care if they saw him break down. His entire body tensed up as he could feel the emotional barricades within himself crashing down. Trickles of tears began to roll down his wrinkled cheeks, and his lungs seized up and heaved spasmodically. The seemingly stoic android was crying.

"No!" Gero cried out again, raising clenched fists over his head, bringing them slamming down onto the floor.

"No! No! No! No! No!" Gero repeated, slamming his fists into the ground with each word, causing the ground to begin to crack and shatter.

He brought his fists down a final time, biting his lip in an attempt to stifle out his sobs. He slumped down onto the floor completely, and lay there, just reflecting.

It had been a warm day on planet Earth. Doctor Gero was just getting used to his cybernetic body. Having accidently used too much power, he had brought an entire gym around his ears, and then simply walked away as if it were nothing. How cruel and simple-minded he had been then.

It wasn't much longer before he found himself in battle against a foe of saiya-jin blood. It was all a game to Gero then. He was completely unaware of where this road would take him, but back then, this fight was exhilarating. He and the saiyan fighter were fairly evenly matched, and were still going at it when a newcomer arrived. Bald, and very short, he looked very much like a little kid who had wandered away from home to see what all the explosions of energy were coming from. However, the mechanoid's saiyan opponent had swiftly kicked the human, sending him hurtling into a tree.

Such a strange meeting it was for the pair. They hadn't even introduced themselves, and yet, Gero would never forget seeing the dazed body of Krillin with his head slammed into a tree. Little did he know that he and that little human would meet again, in a myriad of locations.

"Gero... it's alright. He's still alive you know." Zarbon murmurred, trying to make an attempt to calm the android.

"I know... but I shouldn't have let him go alone!" Gero cried, punching the ground again. "Why did I send him to the front lines of battle? Why? I should be the one who's dead, not him!"

"Stop blaming yourself, Gero. Stuff happens, and sometimes there's just nothing you can do about it. Right now you need to realize that." Zarbon told him sternly.

Gero nodded, slowly pulling himself off the ground. Wiping the tears away from his eyes, he turned to Zarbon with a look of renewed vigor.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that. Let's get back to the task at hand, shall we?" Gero said, his breakdown hidden in the recesses of his mind where only Android 20 lurked.

OOC: Hope I didn't misportray you Zarbon, but if I did, sorry about that.