Heart of Fire

What?

Vegeta stared at him wide eyed and confused. What did he mean? What was going on?

“Kakarot, what are you doing?”

Tarneus glared back at him and frowned. “Again, who the hell are you?”

Vegeta looked closely at him and with morbid realization saw that he was not joking. He really didn’t seem to know who he was. But how? Something wasn’t right….

“What is wrong with you Kakarot, how is it that you don’t know who I am?”

Tarneus shrugged. “I don’t. But you must be one of the people in my dreams, calling me that.”

Vegeta was shocked. This wasn’t what he was expecting to happen. King Kai said he was different but he never said he was THIS different, never told him things were so amiss. “What do you want? I know you didn’t put your face on that screen for your health.”

Kakarot had already destroyed a planet. Wondering why had done Vegeta no good for the most part. It was obvious it was something this deep, this bad. He dreamt about it, perhaps there was some hope?

“I don’t know, or care who you are. Get your mug off my screen or I will come to your ship and kill you slowly.” Tarneus didn’t want the other man to see his shock. That voice was in his dreams. It was getting clear now, the voice Goku was talking about. Was this him? “Goku might have mentioned you, though I’m not sure.”

It was all Vegeta could do not to gasp. This man was not Goku. He was Kakarot, but if he didn’t answer to that, then what was his name? “Who are you?” he asked. The man on the monitors face didn’t change.

“Tarneus.”

Vegeta only stared. He looked the same but there was something in his eyes that made him somehow different. Definitely not Goku. “That’s your name? You said you know ‘Goku’, how?”

“He told me all about him and Kakarot, of course, it doesn’t make much of a difference now. Now you, I’ve heard your voice before voice in my head and I have to tell you, it’s annoying.”

Vegeta was getting frustrated. This guy seemed to know exactly who he was, and where he came from yet he still wasn’t the same person he knew. Whoever he was and whatever happened to Kakarot ha already been explained to him. Now what did this mean?

“Kakarot, we need to talk!” Tarneus shook his head and smiled. “No we don’t, and my name is not ‘Kakarot’, I told you that. If you’ll excuse me, I have some purging to do. Goodbye.” The screen went blank.

Tarneus continued to look at the monitor even after Vegeta’s face disappeared. Who was that man and how did he know him? It had something to do with his past life and damned if the curiosity wasn’t getting to him. There was something about him, something that Tarneus felt he should know, what he didn’t know.

Before he had the chance to put his thoughts together the man on the screen was behind him.

In an instant.

Tarneus spun around. “What the blazes? How the hell did you get into my ship?” This was weird. Vegeta raised an eyebrow in confusion. Surely he knew how he got here but the look on his face said he didn’t. Goku knew. If ‘he’ didn’t know, Vegeta wasn’t about to tell him.

“Nevermind that, I want to know what you are doing?”

“It’s none of your business. It won’t matter when you’re dead!”

Tarneus charged at Vegeta, fist making contact with air. “What?” He was met with a backhand that sent him into the wall of the ship, putting a dent in it. He got up slowly and smirked. This should be fun.

“It was miraculous that you managed to get a hit in like that, normally I have my guard up. I better pace myself.” Vegeta only nodded and turned. “I don’t have time for your games, you do know that fighting you in space could get us both killed. I suppose you aren’t Kakarot, he is smarter than that, and he’s not very smart so that’s saying something.” The other Saiyan seethed. This guy was a wise ass, where did he think he was going?

“Oh no, you don’t just leave, I’m too far from done with you yet!”

A split second later and Vegeta was gone. Teeth digging into his bottom lip, Tarneus rubbed his cheek and growled. That hurt. That bastard was a strong one. He wasn’t to be taken lightly, and where the hell did he go? Tarneus stalked over to the screen and punched the ‘on’ button. The screen flickered into the picture of the inside of the other man’s ship.

He was sitting in front of the screen waiting.

“Something you need?”

“Who are you and what the fuck do you want? I think I deserve to know your name before I send you to hell.” Tarneus spat.

Vegeta’s brow creased. This was serious. Not only did it look like Kakarot lost his memory, but this freak apparently knew who he was and he spoke to Goku. However that was possible, he didn’t know. This was no ordinary run of the mill amnesia. Kakarot was almost fully aware of himself and his power. And he was almost pure evil. Someone or something changed him and not for the better. It was like he wanted to be this way.

No, Vegeta shook his head quietly. Something happened on that planet, Lais. Kakarot was not possessed, Vegeta would feel it. He was…fine. Nothing was wrong other the fact that he was evil. There was nobody controlling him. In fact he seemed to be totally alone in that ship.

“Well I suppose it won’t hurt telling you my name, you told me yours, sort of. It’s Vegeta, I hope you don’t forget it again.” Again? Tarneus wasn’t liking this one bit. This guy was a tad too comfortable in the face of death. Too mellow. “I’m going somewhere, if you follow me I can get a chance to get off of this ship and turn you to ashes, what do you say?” Vegeta had a few questions of his own. The screen flickered again and Tarneus waited patiently for an answer. “You said you spoke to ‘Goku’, which is funny seeing as you are him…so you know what happened to you to cause this change?”

A smile and a curt nod was his response.

“Oh I know. And I don’t mind, in fact it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Goku, who I refuse to be thought of as, told me the basics. I care for nothing else. So, Vegeta, you seem strong, but you have not seen even a third of my power. Think of that offer.”

“You have not seen a third of mine either. I know what power you posses. I possess the same. It’s new to you but very old to me. You don’t appear to know why you have such power. However, it’s not enough to have me shaking in my boots.” Vegeta didn’t smirk even as he said this. Things were too serious for amusement and there was nothing amusing about the situation.

Had it been anyone else this would have been just another shit talking foe. Anyone else. But it wasn’t just anyone. It was Kakarot. Tarneus, whatever.

The aura around this guy poured evil off in waves. But there was a small bit of something that told Vegeta that there may have been a chance. A small one, but a chance still.

“I don’t present much of a threat. I didn’t come here to fight you. I hadn’t expected you to be like this when I found you. I knew something was wrong but this…” The asshole on the other screen somehow found this funny because he was smiling. A dark smile that stretched across Kakarot’s once smooth and cheery façade making him look all the more nefarious. Kakarot always had a pretty face and so the sneer didn’t look right on him. It made him look like a light skinned version of Turles, who had no relation to him (1).

“You don’t know what you’ve been for the past 87 years. If ‘Goku’ really spoke to you, then you know of Earth.” Tarneus threw his head back and cackled.

“Oh yes Earth! That planet. I was sent to destroy that planet as a child. I never did get to do it, but it looks like fate has dealt me a second chance. A chance that I won’t waste. I have not gotten around to asking you were you came from. Want to tell me?”

“Earth. It is my home. It was yours but it looks like the hellholes of space suit you fine now.”

“That they do. I can’t wait to grind your bones into powder. I’m thinking your screams might make good music. You have a nice voice.”

“Thank you, but there won’t be any killing of anyone. I have come here to bring you back to Earth and find out why you left. You told me you couldn’t stay. You looked upset.” Tarneus shook his head. “Not me. HE looked upset. We are not the same person. HE couldn’t stay. I’m glad he left. It was fate that bought this about. I won’t let a chance like this slip through my fingers. Not again.”

Vegeta didn’t like what was happening. It was becoming harder and harder to get Kakarot to listen to him. This man was not going to come willingly, and while Vegeta would have rather it not turn physical, it was starting to look like either it was hopeless or it had to come to blows.

Either way, he didn’t think he was ever going to get Kakarot back at this rate. Maybe he was better off where he was, he liked it and Vegeta wasn’t having any luck in persuading him otherwise.

“What am I going to do?”

“What?”

“Nothing. I was saying that to myself. I will fight with you. Just lead the way.” That bastard smirked and crooked his finger at Vegeta before blanking off the screen. ‘Damnit, I don’t like this’ Vegeta thought. He wanted to know what happened to his friend an if Lais had anything to do with it, then he would have to Instant Transmission there and take care of some business. Kakarot must have been hurt or somehow tricked into being one of them. King Kai said that like Saiyans, Lais-jins were a purging people.

If that was the case, then Kakarot was practically being one of them, his Saiyan side taking a backseat. Whether or not he knew what he was was still unclear, but to Vegeta it could have been an advantage. If Kakarot had hit his head, then it wouldn’t be hard to crack him over the skull again.

The rest of the trip was pretty damn uneventful and trying to think up a way to stop Kakarot from destroying the planet he was headed to wasn’t helping. Nothing he thought of was good, most of his ideas leading to someone dying. Dende be damned if it was his death anything would be leading to.

He had to think this over as carefully as possible, because he was used to being the one that had to be stopped, it was never easy to stop someone on a mission. There was a rush in killing an entire race of people once and he enjoyed just as much as the next purging elite. Sure it was enticing to see a whole planet beg at his feet and be able to do anything he wanted to with them, but there was a price.

There was always a price.

Being in hell twice wasn’t enough to make him pure, he supposed this was the price he had to pay for walking so far in the shoes of evil that he was thought to be so far.

But then Kakarot came along and changed him for the better and in a way he changed Kakarot for the worst. Because of him, the other Saiyan was out there, ripping planets apart with the malice he had fought so hard to rid Vegeta of. It was unfair. The irony did not escape Vegeta. This was a destiny he would not let be. Goodness knew Dende couldn’t do anything about it, the little Namekian brat wasn’t good for anything. Vegeta was on his own.

Nothing could have been more mocking than to see the most innocent, nicest, most compassionate person probably in the universe be taken by evil. The way Vegeta had been so many years ago. There was a time where Vegeta envied him for deriving strength from his emotions, where as Vegeta’s had come from the nothingness he once had in place of his heart.

Over the years, Kakarot had brought him out of the hate and misery he had known all of his life and with so much effort. It didn’t go to waste. Vegeta had raised a family with a human and learned inevitably to love them, he had even risked his life for them. Kakarot had done that for him and now it was time to save him from himself as he had done for Vegeta. Even though, nobody said it would be easy. He couldn’t just IT into his ship, crack him over the head and drag him back to Earth.

Kakarot had already taken the first steps in the shoes that Vegeta once filled, having already killed so many. Vegeta had been addicted to that feeling, the feeling or killing whom he pleased with the power he had worked so hard for. He even went as far as to let himself be possessed to an extent to hold on to that hate and evil, just so nobody could ever hurt him. Nobody would ever be able to blame him for letting emotions get in the way and he would survive. He had not known that there was another way until another Saiyan taught him that sometimes it was okay to feel.

Something.

Kakarot felt some thing and so he left. Irony was kicking Vegeta in the face, the possibility that Kakarot would have, could have possibly allowed himself to become this way was not lost to him. After all, he was practically reliving a moment in Vegeta’s life action for action. But he had gone farther, much too far because there was nobody to stop him. Vegeta didn’t stop him. He should have. He really should have. Without Kakarot to show him that there was an alternative, Vegeta was sure he wouldn’t have had all did.

But he didn’t stop Kakarot, he didn’t even try.

~*~“Fine then, go, I don’t need you here anyway, third class”~*~

It was all his fault. If he had pushed his pride aside for just that moment, it could have made all the difference. Kakarot had looked at him that day with a mixture of sadness in his eyes that morning. Vegeta didn’t care. He had taken the time to come by and tell Vegeta he was leaving. Vegeta tried to slam the door in his face and he stopped him.

Kakarot stopped him.

He wanted something. He tried again to tell Vegeta he was leaving, tried to give him a chance to absorb it and Vegeta didn’t even try.

Could it have been that Kakarot had wanted a different reaction from him?

That must have been it. He wanted Vegeta to stop him. For what? Was Vegeta supposed to know what he wanted?

Vegeta dug his nails into the skin of his forearm and rubbed his eyes. He should have known that his companion wanted something. Because he knew what Vegeta wanted all the time. He always knew how to read Vegeta like a book, and always respect what he was feeling. Vegeta wasn’t willing to give him the time of day that morning and he would have let that door close without another word, but Kakarot…stopped him.

And he should have stopped Kakarot. At any and all costs because it was now that it hit Vegeta, just what it was that his younger friend had wanted.

He wanted Vegeta to care.

And that was it.

It wasn’t a lot to ask, just a small favor for the moment. Just enough to ensure him that there _was_ another way. Like he had done for him. Reciprocate. Even if it was just to say that he didn’t want him to go.

Anything.

Vegeta could have said anything else. He told him to leave and that he didn’t care.

He…

Didn’t…

Care.

And that was all Kakarot wanted. For him to care.

Vegeta felt like slapping himself hard in the face, maybe the blow would be hard enough to send him back in time to fix this terrible mistake. But the deed was done and Kakarot was well on his way to being the next threat to the very planet that he protected his whole life. He would be the greatest known threat to the universe and to himself because he had Goku inside of him, fighting to find a way out. That was the feeling of hope Vegeta sensed. Goku. He was still there. So strong that he could separate himself from the throes of evil and hold on. With hope. Hope that Vegeta would care enough to save him. This time…he would.

He cared and he would show that freak in the ship in front of him that he was not getting Goku’s good soul without a fight.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tarneus couldn’t believe that there was someone out there with a power level to rival his own. In the instant Vegeta punched him, he could feel an inkling of his power and as far as he could feel, the fight between them would not be easily won. His cheek was still feeling the sting of the punch but it was only a reminder of what he had to do with the short bastard when he saw him again. Once he disposed of the little screw, he would go on to Earth and find his family and torture them to a slow death.

Tarneus smirked and sat back. It was a discrepancy in his plans but not an altogether unwelcome interruption. It was the perfect opportunity to test his full power on someone. Vegeta would make a good adversary but an even better accomplice. For someone so short, he had an aura about him that demanded attention and the utmost caution around him. Yes, he would have to be carefully around this man. He wasn’t human either. He could be another ‘Saiyan’ or whatever Goku said he was. But Goku couldn’t change him, he had said so himself. Then why was he bothering him at all?

It bothered Tarneus that he couldn’t kill that naked fuck, always in his head at inappropriate times telling him things he didn’t want to hear. Tarneus didn’t give a shit about what happened to him, now that he knew it wasn’t mysterious enough for him to want to know. Useless information.

But that guy appeared out of nowhere, he didn’t even know he existed. What if there were others like him? Up until the time his face appeared on the screen monitor, Tarneus had not even known that he would show up. He thought he would at least remember someone like that. In that mans eyes there was a look of pity. He had seen it and it mad him angry.

He should have hit him!

Anyway, that would have to wait until they got to Dusk then he would kill those people in front of him, just to spite him. If it was a fight that guy wanted, then it was his death he’d get.

“Space just got a lot more interesting”

Dusk was now no more than a week away, too long to spend in the lonely, boring ship. As stupid as it sounded, he liked that strange mans company. It was a refreshing change from the way the last three months in space had been. There was something about him. He wasn’t a goody good, he had some edge. Tarneus liked it. Perhaps if he tried, he could get Vegeta to join him. It seemed sort of farfetched but them that was what made it something he had to have. With Vegeta by his side would bring the universe to its knees, and he would still be superior in every way.

The idea made Tarneus grip the arm rests of his seat until they cracked. Everything was falling into place and he barely had to lift a finger. The fight wouldn’t count as real work for it would be something he looked forward to and enjoyed. Thoroughly.

It was still odd that Goku said he should remember the voice, who he was sure was Vegeta. He should have remembered the power, forget the voice. What was so special about this man that he would have to remember? Maybe that was where fate stepped in, Vegeta was meant to be at his side and share his place as the ruler of the universe. That must have been it. Tarneus knew it was not on the inside. Goku didn’t like Tarneus the way he was and promoting his notoriety didn’t make sense. More mystery, and he wanted to know then once he knew, he wouldn’t care anymore. Goku said he would find him. But it was Vegeta would found him.

*‘He is very relevant to all of this’*

He meant something, otherwise he would not have said anything at all. It was a good thing he was tired, because he was ready to ask Goku more questions. Now that Vegeta found him, what was going to happen? Tarneus closed his eyes and willed himself to go to sleep, but to no avail. His excitement kept him up. He would have to be more relaxed and calm if he was going to go back to that dark place in the back of his mind. That ghostly thing was going to tell him exactly what he wanted to know. Tarneus didn’t like things he couldn’t explain, they made him nervous and paranoid. There were some answers to be found, and he was going to find them in that dead man.

He didn’t recall going to sleep, but sure enough he found himself standing in the dark. Waiting.

“ Hey where are you?”

Silence.

“You’re always here when I don’t want you to be and when I actually want to see your moronic face, you aren’t here.”

Nothing.

“Come out!”

Was that wind he heard blowing?

Where the hell was that thing?

“You’re going to answer a few questions for me!” This time, Goku scared the shit out of him when he appeared not even two inches away, in front of him. “Gahhh!” Tarneus recoiled away like he had a disease, almost tripping in the process. “Don’t do that again, you disgusting freak!”

Goku frowned. *“I’m not a freak, I told you what my name was so you could use it. And I’m not answering anything.”*

Tarneus resisted the urge to hit him and lowered his head, growling. “You fuck! You’ll tell me anything I want to know, when did you have a choice, you’re in my head!”

*“That wasn’t very nice, you. I won’t call you what you desire to be called since you can’t seem to get my name right. And get real, I don’t have to do anything _I_ don’t want to do. I have more of a choice than you think, or I suppose you’ll somehow make me tell you? Not hardly. I tell you what I want you to know, and only when I want you to know it. This isn’t just some portal you can jump into and get the same effect every time! I only tell you things when I feel you need to know. You came here expecting that I would tell you everything and all you had to do was fall asleep. Fuck you! You get nothing from me.”*

That was it. Tarneus summoned Ki in his right hand as fast as he could and threw it at Goku. It went right through him.

Right THROUGH him.

The bleeding hole it left brought a smile to Tarneus’ face and he jumped back to avoid anything Goku had up his skin. Goku glanced down at the gory hole that barely contained his stomach and smiled.

Wha---

*“Was that supposed to hurt me or were you trying to get me mad?”*

“What the fuck?!”

That thing was standing there NOT DYING!!! He was sure it would defend itself or the blast would go through it like a ghost, but it HIT him and he let it! Disgusting! He didn’t even care that his intestines had dripped out and fallen onto the ‘floor’ with a sickening ‘squish’. It was worsened due to the fact that he didn’t have any clothes on.

He wasn’t making an attempt to heal himself or retaliate he just stood there smiling like an idiot, letting his insides squirm out of him. “You monster! Do something you fool, that’s disgusting! I don’t want to watch something that looks like me with a bleeding, gaping hole where his stomach should be!”

Goku quirked an eyebrow. *“I’m a monster? You’re the one that made an entire race extinct and plan on doing it again. I didn’t do anything, you did this to me, you fix it if you don’t like it. In the mean time, I’ll just bleed here until my flesh eats away from decay, because if you didn’t know, you just killed me. Physically, but I was never a physical being, I’m just here. I’m physically dead, but only in your mind. I’ll always have a body as long as you live and if I choose to bleed here and wait then I will.” *

“Wait? Wait for what?”

*“Wake up.”*

“AHHHHHHHUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Tarneus awoke with a frustrated scream that ripped through the ship. He tilted his head back and screamed until his throat was sore, not caring that he was all by himself and looked like a raving lunatic. That beast! It was mad! Letting itself bleed like that in front of Tarneus and he knew it would get to him because he was literally watching himself be ripped and allowing himself to die. What the fuck was he talking about? What was he waiting for? Did it have something to do with the short flame haired man? He never got around to asking, he was too busy watching the flesh drip off of the thing in front of him as he died while fully conscious. However that was possible. What sick kind of game was that bastard playing? He didn’t want to see that he didn’t have to---

*“Well now you got a taste of what it’s like to be the people you kill. They beg and plead fearfully and you don’t care that they don’t want it, you kill them and you watch them die. Now you know what it’s like and as long as you continue being the way you are I will NEVER let you forget!”*

Tarneus grabbed the sides of his head and shook it as hard as he could, trying to get the voice to go away. It could speak to him while he was awake, it didn’t have to wait until he feel asleep. When he could see it, it wasn’t as disturbing, but he could only hear it and it was driving him insane. That voice would not leave him alone because he was him. Tarneus didn’t understand, what did this thing want from him? *“Keep calling me that, see what it gets you!”*

No! “Go away! You monster!!!!!!!!! Leave me alone!!!!” He sounded crazy and maybe he was crazy. For the life of him, he couldn’t get this voice to go away. *“Say my name.”* “NO!!!!” *

“Say it, you know I’m not going anywhere, say it. I want you to know who you are. You are NOT Tarneus!”*

“Fuck you!!!!!” Tarneus spat plugging his fingers in his ears like a child. *“Say it.” *

“I SAID FUCK YOU. DIE, YOU FREAK!!!! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!!!!!”

“I’m not going anywhere now say it!”

“AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

*“Say it. Say my name, Tarneus.” *

“If I say it will you leave me alone?!”

*“....No. Now say it and I’ll at least let you go to sleep peacefully for one day.”*

Tarneus did not want to be left alone for one day. “I want to be left alone forever!!!!!” *“Say it. I have all your life to haunt you. I can be here forever. All you have to is say my name and I may allow you a few moments of peace.”*

“GOKKKKKUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHH NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It chuckled in his head. “I said I wouldn’t leave you alone, but I’ll go for now. Vegeta is counting on you to stay alive.” Tarneus stopped screaming at Goku’s words.

Vegeta? He did have something to do with this!

“Tell me what you’re talking about. I have to know what he has to do with me, with you!”

*“I’m not telling you anything. And now your moment of peace begins. Now, wake up.”*

Again Tarneus bolted up right in his seat nearly drowning in his sweat and something was rolling down his cheek. He wiped it off and sniffed it.

It wasn’t sweat. It was tears. He had been crying like a helpless child. But he was helpless, so unable to defend himself, he was being tortured and there was nothing he could do about because…

It was all in his head.

Echoing, its voice bouncing off of the wall of his conscious, vibrating in his head. Driving him to insanity.

That horrible….Goku had built up in his mind, lying seemingly dormant as Tarneus grew even more and more nefarious, waiting to strike. This sick version of himself wanted him to revert back to being him and Tarneus wouldn’t let it happen. Going crazy was not an option. There had to be something that could help him. And if he had been listening to anything Goku said…

Vegeta had the answers.


End of Chapter Seven

I know this one was short but I’m reaching the turning point in this fic and I hope you enjoyed it.

(1)I know that Goku and Turles look exactly alike save for Turles’ skin color. Goku is practically, the light skinned version of him. I thought I’d use that to show what Tarneus looks like, not that it’s much of a difference. Kindly leave reviews. And I’ll spit out another chapter as fast as I can. The inspiration for this one didn’t come until today, and I’ve had the idea in my head since the day I wrote chapter six, all I had to do was find the time to write it. I’ve been working on another fic that I have uploaded somewhere so I haven’t had time to get something worked up for this chapter in a while. I’ll get chapter 8 up when I can. I already have the idea processing in my mind.