Post by Emperor Ninjin Hattori on Feb 20, 2015 17:50:24 GMT -5
“I am asking you a serious question. How did you survive for as long as you had?!” Everyone gathered laughed mirthfully at the angel’s question, but it was abundantly clear that Alexandra meant business. She had her arms crossed across her chest and behind her back, whether she knew it or not, her wings did the same. Her icy inquiry was directed straight across the campfire at Ninjin Hattori. They were gathered around the fire sitting on the outskirts of one of the many clusters of forests on the plains of Heaven. Ninjin shrugged and leaned further into the log that he was using as support. It was, after all, a damn good question.
A lot of had to do what his martial prowess. That could not be denied even by her. Ninjin had been trained by some of the best warriors that the Saiyans had had to offer. His father Tsyuo, had ensured that the Saiyan throne would not lack a king that could fight. Even after his time at the academy and his bodyguard moved on Ninjin had never stopped having to fight. He had been trained by some of the best that was undeniable, but if his skills had been forged there they had been honed by survival. Attack after attack had come at him from the Universal Church of One. Since even his very birth. They had never stopped their relentless pursuit of him, and he had fought them every step of the way. Sure he made mistakes every here and there in combat, but that’s what training was for. And he had not lacked in his life for training. First Vil, then the Saiyan academy, then Gen Fu for years when he was trapped in Neapness. They had all been masters, or an academy, that had forged the crimson Saiyan into the warrior that he was.
A warrior that had not made a mistake when it had really counted. Even his end had been of his own devising. And even then, if he was the perfect warrior he wouldn’t be in Heaven because then he wouldn’t be dead. Who could kill the perfect warrior? By that logic she couldn’t claim to be either, a fact he reminded her every time she began to grow haughty or prideful. It caused her to scoff in retort nearly every time.
Then there was the inherent power within him. He was a true-blood Saiyan King. That blood had been mixed with the power of Iblis. There was magic within him. Blood magic. He could control the very blood that flowed through his veins, a powerful weapon. His arsenal had been expanded over the course of his adventures picking up techniques that had helped him stay alive, and others that had helped him end lives, but only when absolutely necessary. His powers ranged from that of power drawn from the solar energies of a far-away sun to the summoning of armor given to him by a dear friend. They had been good to him, and he was ever expanding his powers any way he could. His powers revolved around three basic forces, his inherent ki powers, his Iblisian blood-magic, and the solar energies that he had acquired in Neapness. They had served him well, his ki longest of all.
A lot of his survival had to do with luck as well. He would have been here a lot sooner had the UCOO had their way, and there were times in his life where he wasn’t so sure he would have headed in this direction had he well and truly died then. If he had not nobly sacrificed himself, would he have well and truly blown up that world? Was there a shade of grey there or was blowing up a planet a one way ticket to Hell? Still, would that person that would have done that even care? It wouldn’t, couldn’t, be the same Ninjin Hattori that was sitting in a field in Heaven. It was a lot to think about, and he was grateful for the choices that he had made in the end, even if it had ended with his death. Luck had gotten him far in life, he but no longer needed it. Luck was for the living. Ninjin Hattori was dead. The dead had little use for luck. Still even though he claimed to have no use for it he seemed to retain all of the luck he had had in life, if the bouts in the Eternal Tournament meant anything.
Out of all of the combatants Ua proved to be the best sparring partner, which made sense as he was oldest and most trained among them. He was also the strongest. It had not surprised the crimson warrior to learn that. The demon carried itself with an air of confident power, despite claiming to love peace it was obvious that he could ‘mess someone’s day up’ should he so desire. He was a proud and powerful Makaio. He was a fighter. Ua had made that obvious in the tournament, and he had earned Ninjin’s respect. In turn the Saiyan had earned Ua’s as well.
While they had still been at the bar Ninjin had scanned each and every one of their power levels. The Eternal Tournament prevented them from reading each other’s power levels, the bar did not, and it was not an inherent trait of Heaven. They were mighty warriors indeed. Nika however was not, but the objects within her bag were giving off feelings that led Ninjin to believe that maybe they themselves had power levels. They all could easily fight Ninjin in even his True Power. Still none of them came close to what Ninjin could put out in Super Saiyan form. Thus the need for the training. If they had been able to keep up with him, if they had been able to give him a run for his money, then something was wrong. Still They were some of the best warriors in the universe, he probably shouldn’t feel too bad.
They had set up a makeshift camp in one of the many fields of Heaven nearby one of the many forests. Ua said that Heaven had whatever type of biome, whatever type of environment that you wanted to live in, you just had to travel in the right direction to find it. Ninjin had an eternity, he figured he would scope out all that Heaven had to offer. The very small parts that he had seen thus far had been gorgeous. After he trained to be the perfect warrior of course. Even though he was dead, Heaven gave him an eternity to perfect that goal. His body and mind would be fine-tuned so that he could be the perfect Saiyan warrior. Then he supposed he would be at peace.
The group was reminiscing on the day’s events as the sun set and the campfire popped and crackled. They had grown into a merry band of misfit friends in quite a short time, though time meant nothing up in Heaven. The first thing they wanted to do was train. Train Ninjin specifically. They had beheld the power of the Super Saiyan, seen it in all of its glory and majesty… They had also met Ninjin. He was a powerful force for good, but he needed more training. A lot more from what they had seen. He was still young, and regardless of how experienced he was, they were all proof that he would run into challenges that would be able to fight back, and if they had proved anything, it was that some would be able to defeat him, if he couldn’t reach that level.
Kabocha and Shiitake had immediately offered to simply sit and watch the training sessions as they occurred. Ninjin smiled, his friends were good people, but they had been surpassed as warriors a very long time ago. Those that were gathered round were legendary heroes. What hope did they have to try and better Ninjin when he was already better than they? They were content to sit and watch. Alexandra had demanded to spar with Ninjin first. It had been… interesting to say the least.
“I trust you won’t be distracted this time?” She asked roughly as she pushed past him towards the make-shift ring they had set up. It was reminiscent of the ring that housed The Eternal Tournament, but perhaps that was done on purpose. Ua had made the make-shift arena, perhaps he had also made the arena for the Eternal Tournament. The group had formed a bond in a very short time. Ua, Alexandra, Nika, and Volg had all known each other for some time, and had heard of each other from various legendary tales. They had also heard of each other from their interactions with the Eternal Tournament. Ninjin hoped that his time training with each of them would allow him to delve further into their histories. These were not just random nobodies that he was training with. These were heroes of legend. Each one of them had countless tales fabricated from the truth that was their life.
Ninjin nodded to her. Her beauty wasn’t going to distract him once again. It had seriously caught him off guard during the tournament, but that was because he had not been expecting it. Yes she was gorgeous, but this was about training. This was about him gaining the ability to full control the Super Saiyan form. It wasn’t as if the Saiyan could be serious when he needed to be, and this moment called for seriousness. If he was ever to get better, he would need to train. Practice made perfect. And who better to train against than legendary heroes?
Vil too had agreed to sit out. Ninjin had tried to get him to train with them anyway but Vil rolled his eyes and sighed finally.
“Kid, you are way beyond any level of power that I could hope to reach. I’ve accepted that. Hell most of the heroes gathered are way beyond a level I could hope to reach. If we were to train, there wouldn’t be anything that I would be able to teach you. You’d whoop my butt through and through. You though? You’re Ninjin Hattori. You’re a Super Saiyan. You damn sure wouldn’t have gotten there without me though.”
Vil ruffled his hair as if Ninjin was a small child once more. Then he apologized, muttering to himself that he should really knock that off now that Ninjin was a fully grown man. They man had been king of the Saiyans for Kais sake! If even for a very brief amount of time. Ninjin smiled after his bodyguard and then turned his attention towards Alexandra. She looked over at him and it was hard to read what emotion she was feeling or what she was thinking. Somehow the pole-axe she had used during the Eternal Tournament was back in her hands, as if Ninjin had never broken it. Volg’s shield had returned as well.
Volg, Ua, and Nika all wandered over to observe. Their job during the training would be to instruct Ninjin on how to better control himself and fight more effectively. The first thing would be the most difficult, and wouldn’t be fighting at all. Ninjin needed to learn how to access his Super Saiyan form whenever he needed it. It was the power that he had within him that could change things in the universe. It did him, and them, no good if he wasn’t able to utilize it when he needed to.
“Suit up. You need to be wearing your weights for this.”
With a thought Ninjin summoned the armor of Bubebolos. As he did He thought of his friend and the epic journey he had undertaken to become king of the vampires. Someone else would have to make a similar journey now. Thankfully that person would not be from the Maugh clan. That particular clan of Iblisian’s had been exiled when they had revealed their demon dalliances and tried to kill the new king. Still the thought of his friends brought to mind questions. Was their universe linked to this one? Was this Heaven the same one that the heroes that died there went to? If so was Gen Fu around here somewhere? It made Ninjin’s brain hurt to think about, but it gave him hope that maybe he would see those friends that he had lost on his journey to becoming King of Iblis.
Ninjin gathered all of his energy to him, raising his power as high as it would go. His hair began to lift and shift back and forth between its usual jet black and a bright yellow gold. Veins began to bulge on his already well defined musculature. Tiny rocks began to float from the ground as the force of gravity itself bent to Ninjin’s power and will. He had done it five times before. They had all come from a need however. This time it was done with nothing but the force of his will. There was still an edge of anger that came when he ascended, but it was easier to force aside with the power of his will.
“Depower. Again.”
Ninjin let his power fade and his aura quickly subsided with it. His hair fell back into its natural resting position and back to its natural color. Then Ninjin released a roar and once more shot back up to his Super Saiyan form. This continued until Ninjin could ascend no longer, even despite the restful nature of Heaven his body could not sustain any further.
Alexandra drew from within her armor a shiny glowing crystal. The others gathered did the same. One after one an image was cast from the crystals. The images were identical to the fighters themselves, complete with weaponry. They all seemed to be hard, solid copies of the fighters that had projected the images. The clone warriors all fell into fighting stances. Ninjin swore. This could only mean one thing and the former Saiyan prince wasn’t an idiot. They were going to fight him. After all of this exhaustive training now they meant to test him? No doubt that was their plan. Then why the simulations?
Clone Alexandra rushed at him and Ninjin barely had time to bring his forearm up to block a kick aimed straight for his head. He stumbled backwards and dropped the guard, rubbing his forearm with his other hand. Alexandra righted herself quickly and spun through the air, landing another kick that Ninjin barely had time to block. The dead king fell to his ass and scuttled backwards. He was exhausted, but he understood the point right away. Learn to fight well at your weakest, and none can beat you at your strongest. Another armored foot smashed into the ground next to him, but he rolled out of the way just in time.
His armor made him feel like a turtle, rolling back and forth on the ground with not enough strength to get it off of him or him off of the ground. The point of the exercise was to have as many limitations as possible though. The armor stayed on even if he could dismiss it with a thought. Alexandra took to the air and Ninjin swore. Flat on his back with her above him and barely the strength to get up? That was a bad situation. A fire ball rocketed towards him and the turtled Saiyan barely had time and momentum to rock out of the way. Still the heat of it singed his back.
“Get. Up!”
Ninjin felt the thick hands of the clone of Volg close around the front of his armor and he was roughly lifted to his feet. That confused him at first. Why would the wolf man be helping him if he was supposed to be..? A massive fist punched him in the face and made him see stars. Oh. He wasn’t helping. He was a clone. The ground beneath Ninjin erupted upwards and constricted around him as it formed into a fist. None of them were helping, got it. The hand tightened and crushed Ninjin. The crimson warrior’s hands shot out to the sides of the fist and pushed back, albeit weakly. It was all the Saiyan could do to keep himself from getting crushed by the hand.
With a roar he attempted to go into his Super Saiyan form. Nothing happened. The fist threatened to grip tighter. Ninjin’s arms felt like noodles, but they held firm. The fist suddenly changed into a sphere surrounding Ninjin completely. It was pitch-black within the sphere, and fists came out from all angels to strike Ninjin in various areas as the prince struggled to not get crushed.
“You can do this kid!”
Ninjin could barely hear Vil from inside the deathtrap he was in. At one time, when they were all alive, it would have been terrifying to face Nika. The things that she was capable of doing… The things her orbs were capable of doing. With a roar Ninjin attempted to go Super Saiyan once again, and once again it failed him. The sphere began to fill with sand and concrete. Ninjin had been here once before, but then he had been able to access his Super Saiyan form. Now here they were again, and this time he seemed to be unable to access the form. The sand built and built and Ninjin struggled seemingly uselessly against the fill.
The trainers on the outside waited with baited breath, for only Nika truly knew what was going on inside. All they saw was a sphere of sand. Even though he knew the stakes, even though he knew that Ninjin could not die again in Heaven, Vil chewed on his fingernails in worry. The boy was like a son to him, how could he not.
Ninjin roared, but sand threatened to fill his mouth so it was cut short. A thought came to mind. It was an act of desperation but it would no doubt work. Or at least he hoped it would no doubt work. A shining orb appeared in his hand. He pushed it out over his head until it hit the top of the sphere where it stayed there glowing. The sand was filling up fast, but the former prince was lost to the world. All sound faded out and his pupils began to swell. His arms and legs bulged and bucked, engorged with muscle and growing, fighting against the fill of the sand. His face was pulled forwards as the bones broke and rest themselves into a snout. It still hurt every time, but the pain was like a welcome rush to the Saiyan.
The ball in Nika’s hand twitched and twerked about, as if fighting against some unseen force. The sphere began to expand and the trainers and even their clones began to take a step back. Nika and her clone took in a gasp at the exact same time. Vil’s eyebrow cocked as he looked from Nika to the sphere. What exactly was going on in there? Kabocha and Shiitake had stopped wrestling and were now also fully paying attention to the growing sphere. Cracks began to form as the sand attempted to harden to the consistency of rock to contain… Ninjin? It was Ninjin still in there right?
Blinding light poured from the cracks seconds before it exploded. Where Ninjin had been now stood the majestic Oozaru. It looked from itself to Nika and slammed its fists against its chest in challenge unleashing a roar that threatened the run cold the blood of those gathered. The clones sprang into action wasting no time. Ninjin too surged forwards, running like a gorilla would. The ground itself shook with every lope the massive ape-form made. Alexandra took to the air while Volg and Ua charged. Nika looked down at her magical ball. It looked defeated. With a curse the young elven woman retreated and slid into cover behind a tree just inside the forest line and began tinkering with a remote control.
Ninjin’s massive forearm smacked Volg away as the wolf-man jumped into the air with a howl. Ua ducked under and fist that threatened to knock him away as well and then brought all four arms up to block a blow that would crush lesser beings. Alexandra began to lob orb after orb of sticky fire towards the massive ape. One caught Ninjin in the left side of the face and he lost sight in his left eye. The smell of burning hair and flesh did not escape him though and nearly caused him to vomit. With a anguished roar he turned at her and unleashed a torrent of ki from his mouth. It just barely caught the tip of one of her wings and she careened into the ground with a solid thud.
Ua, under the massive fist and pressure of the Oozaru, had transformed and grown to fifteen feet tall, though was still dwarfed by the thirty-five foot tall Oozaru. Alexandra when she stood was engulfed by flames, a fiery angel. Volg had transformed into his massive wolf form. Still the Oozaru had a way of inhibiting things like worry and doubt. Ua appeared behind him as if he didn’t move at all and smacked the Oozaru’s feet out from under him. A torrent of fire just barely missed as Ninjin rolled his massive bulk out of the way. Then a pain bit into his side. He had rolled over right onto a patch of icicle stalagmites Volg had summoned there. One of them had pierced his side, and it stung. Still….
Volg launched himself at the neck of Ninjin Hattori, but was deflected aside by a massive fist covered in a gauntlet of blood. The Oozaru’s other hand reached out, and it was glowing with solar energy. It collided with the fiery angel. A look of surprise passed over her fiery visage as she careened away, her ability to burn him canceled out by the solar power. The Oozaru turned and punched forwards with his solar hand, and with the blood gauntlet covered hand. Hundreds of tiny blood spears shot off from the gauntlet as a whip of solar energy shot forwards from his other hand. The both collided with Ua and caused a cloud of dust and debris to rise up, further obscuring the smoke-creating demon. It gave Ninjin a much needed moment to catch his breath.
A huge metal war-hammer-head collided with his ribs and forced the air from his body all at once. Ninjin spiraled through the air and slammed through the tree-line with his Oozaru body before he had time to register what had happened. When he came to a rest he had crashed a good distance into the forest. Painfully he realized he had also transformed back into his Saiyan form. Ua appeared at the far edge of the tree-line some four-hundred feet from Ninjin. A mech slammed down next to him, a giant war-hammer clutched in her hand. Alexandra and Volg soon joined them as well. Ninjin regained his footing and stared through the mass amount of destruction to his four trainers. His body hurt. Sticks and twigs jutted from spots where they had impaled him. His fists clenched, but not with anger, with focus.
Leaves and twigs began to rise slowly in the air as Ninjin’s aura rose all around him. His hair began to flash between its normal jet black and that of a yellow gold. His muscles bulged, and the veins were pressed to the surface. He roared and his aura exploded all around him into violent gusts of wind. The Super Saiyan stood in front of them once more. Ninjin raised both of his hands and launched an energy wave out of either. Ua and Alexandria each stepped forwards and raised shields. Meanwhile Volg and Nika began to circle around. Ninjin quickly moved the wave towards the advancing two, and Ua and Alexandria surged forwards.
Their kicks and punches met nothing but air. Ninjin appeared behind Alexandria and chopped her roughly against the back of her neck, where her head meets her spine. It was a very quick motion. So much so that later Vil, Kabocha, and Shiitake would swear they never saw him touch her. She gurgled slightly and stumbled forwards, the flames dissipating from her body as she did so. She fell face forwards unconscious and then faded away. From the side-lines the real Alexandria’s face was stuck between glare and pure awe.
The clones of Ua, Nika, and Volg all stopped mid position, their mouths agape. The power of the Super Saiyan truly was awe inspiring, enough to even stun a replica. Their emotions masked those of their real-life-but-dead counterparts. Ninjin moved quickly, grabbed Volg by the scruff of his neck and threw him into Nika in her Mech suit. They collided and went down in a heap. Ninjin turned and caught a blow just as Ua was throwing it towards his face. His right arm came up and punched Ua’s elbow the wrong way, filling the forest with a sickening snap. The clone faded away, leaving Volg and Nika. In a heap.
Ninjin floated into the air and brought his hands to his side as Volg tried to untangle himself from the wires of the mech, but it seemed useless. The full powered energy wave Ninjin called the Shirishiri cannon ripped through both of them as if they were paper mache. The dead king floated back down to the wrecked forest floor. All around him the forest began to bloom, going through the stages of growth once again, but minus the decay. Instead of decaying new life sprung from the trees that had fallen. Ninjin powered down, having dealt with all of the clones. It had not been easy. They had tested him. But he had done it once again. From somewhere outside the forest came the sound of applause, and of Vil’s hearty laughter.
~~~
Ninjin found that he could not sleep, despite being in paradise. His mind was filled with thoughts of what could be occurring on New Vegeta, on Mement Mor, anywhere that he had those that he cared about. If they died, would they too reach eternal paradise? Or would they suffer the same fate as his parents did. Doomed for all of eternity. It was a difficult thing for him to imagine, especially since he was in Heaven. Still the former prince had very nearly walked that path. He rolled over and once again tried to still his mind, but found he could not. He stood, and was surprised to see Ua sitting by the fire, tending it, very much awake.
“Is early.” Ua remarked, earning a grin from the dead Saiyan.
“It is very early. Are you having trouble sleeping as well?”
“Ua has been around very long time. Sleep comes and goes.”
Ninjin sat down on a log next to Ua and watched the fire with his friend. Heaven had been good to him thus far, if not odd. Still he couldn’t help but think what must be occurring in the world of the living. He thought of Azuki, Nasu, and his sister. The only three living links left to the Hattori name. Well that he knew of. For all he knew his father had whored around even more, or his own play-boy nature in the past… well there could be more Hattori’s running around than anyone knew. Still Azuki was the last full blooded Saiyan Hattori. Akassa and Nasu also carried their name on their shoulders. Not only that, but what of their fate upon death? The thoughts weighed heavy on Ninjin’s mind.
“You worry for them.” Ua said the words whilst staring into the fire, as if he could read his friends thoughts. Ninjin glanced over from the fire and stared at his friend. Around Ua had grown dark due to staring into the light, but his friends massive elephantine features were lit by the orange glow. Ninjin simply nodded.
“Is understandable.”
“My parents are suffering in eternal damnation. I fear that fate for my sister. And Nasu too should he somehow be led astray by her. And my child.”
“Ironic. Aon spend long time after Ninjin. Finally kill Ninjin. Send him paradise. Ironic.” Ua chuckled and picked up a small block of wood from the ground. It was a perfect cube, so Ninjin had to wonder if he had summoned the item, or if Heaven had provided it. A large knife appeared in one of his four hands and he began to whittle away. The fire popped and cracked. The golden glow it threw off illuminated those sleeping around the fire. Heroes all. Would his brother and sister someday sit around a fire for heroes? Or would their eternity hold fire of another kind?
“Is not all ways end.” Ua finally said after a long moment. Ninjin turned to him with one eyebrow raised, face furrowed in confusion.
“There’s something else that comes after this?”
“No… This always End. But not always first time.” More confusion.
“Everyone path end in Heaven or Hell. Some go through first, loop back around.”
What was the strange elephantine demon telling him? There were ways… out of death? What’s more one could go from Heaven to Hell or from Hell to Heaven? How could one soul judged good then somehow be deemed evil? Ninjin asked his friend the same question, and his response was simple.
“Free will. Even after seeing paradise, or suffering damnation, this not enough to change who are. Sentient beings odd.”
So Heaven or Hell was the end, but only ultimately. There was more that came between, or could be. If Ninjin could return to the world of the living…. Then what? It wasn’t as if his sister would magically believe him about returning from the dead. It was not a common thing one did. Still maybe she had heard of his demise on the planet of Mement Mor. Even had she though, she would probably just assumed that whomever had told her of his demise lied for some reason.
Could he save Akassa? She had killed Leke. There would be much she would have to do to redeem herself, but no doubt it was not impossible. The road she was walking was a treacherous one. Ua once again seemed to sense the turmoil that raged within the dead Saiyan.
“Is Heaven.” He said with a chuckle. “Generally souls relax.”
“How can I relax knowing my family is suffering in eternal damnation and the rest of my loved ones may very soon join them?”
“Ua admit is problem.” Two of his hands came up and began to play with the tips of his tusks as he sat in thought. A third arm brought a long pipe up to his mouth and he sucked on it. After a long moment he spoke once more.
“We train.”
His words took Ninjin by surprise and he nearly fell off of the log that he was sitting on. They were going to train? They had been training! They had kicked Ninjin’s ass for most of the day, and time meant nothing here in Heaven. It could have been years that they were fighting for earlier and it would have meant the same. Still it had exhausted him. It was not easy mastering the Super Saiyan form. They had worked him to exhaustion and back. Ua held up a hand as Ninjin moved to protest.
“Ninjin Hattori powerful. Stronger than Ua. Stronger than most.” Ua left the words floating between them for a good long moment as he gathered his explanation. Ninjin was about to thank him for his kind words when the hand shot back up.
“Strong yes. Strongest? No. Wise warrior knows he knows not.”
Despite his thick accent Ninjin got the meaning of Ua’s words. Ninjin nodded. Training it was.
“For record? Ua believe this pass-through for Ninjin, not end.”
PL please, Heavy Weights and Simulator in effect.
A lot of had to do what his martial prowess. That could not be denied even by her. Ninjin had been trained by some of the best warriors that the Saiyans had had to offer. His father Tsyuo, had ensured that the Saiyan throne would not lack a king that could fight. Even after his time at the academy and his bodyguard moved on Ninjin had never stopped having to fight. He had been trained by some of the best that was undeniable, but if his skills had been forged there they had been honed by survival. Attack after attack had come at him from the Universal Church of One. Since even his very birth. They had never stopped their relentless pursuit of him, and he had fought them every step of the way. Sure he made mistakes every here and there in combat, but that’s what training was for. And he had not lacked in his life for training. First Vil, then the Saiyan academy, then Gen Fu for years when he was trapped in Neapness. They had all been masters, or an academy, that had forged the crimson Saiyan into the warrior that he was.
A warrior that had not made a mistake when it had really counted. Even his end had been of his own devising. And even then, if he was the perfect warrior he wouldn’t be in Heaven because then he wouldn’t be dead. Who could kill the perfect warrior? By that logic she couldn’t claim to be either, a fact he reminded her every time she began to grow haughty or prideful. It caused her to scoff in retort nearly every time.
Then there was the inherent power within him. He was a true-blood Saiyan King. That blood had been mixed with the power of Iblis. There was magic within him. Blood magic. He could control the very blood that flowed through his veins, a powerful weapon. His arsenal had been expanded over the course of his adventures picking up techniques that had helped him stay alive, and others that had helped him end lives, but only when absolutely necessary. His powers ranged from that of power drawn from the solar energies of a far-away sun to the summoning of armor given to him by a dear friend. They had been good to him, and he was ever expanding his powers any way he could. His powers revolved around three basic forces, his inherent ki powers, his Iblisian blood-magic, and the solar energies that he had acquired in Neapness. They had served him well, his ki longest of all.
A lot of his survival had to do with luck as well. He would have been here a lot sooner had the UCOO had their way, and there were times in his life where he wasn’t so sure he would have headed in this direction had he well and truly died then. If he had not nobly sacrificed himself, would he have well and truly blown up that world? Was there a shade of grey there or was blowing up a planet a one way ticket to Hell? Still, would that person that would have done that even care? It wouldn’t, couldn’t, be the same Ninjin Hattori that was sitting in a field in Heaven. It was a lot to think about, and he was grateful for the choices that he had made in the end, even if it had ended with his death. Luck had gotten him far in life, he but no longer needed it. Luck was for the living. Ninjin Hattori was dead. The dead had little use for luck. Still even though he claimed to have no use for it he seemed to retain all of the luck he had had in life, if the bouts in the Eternal Tournament meant anything.
Out of all of the combatants Ua proved to be the best sparring partner, which made sense as he was oldest and most trained among them. He was also the strongest. It had not surprised the crimson warrior to learn that. The demon carried itself with an air of confident power, despite claiming to love peace it was obvious that he could ‘mess someone’s day up’ should he so desire. He was a proud and powerful Makaio. He was a fighter. Ua had made that obvious in the tournament, and he had earned Ninjin’s respect. In turn the Saiyan had earned Ua’s as well.
While they had still been at the bar Ninjin had scanned each and every one of their power levels. The Eternal Tournament prevented them from reading each other’s power levels, the bar did not, and it was not an inherent trait of Heaven. They were mighty warriors indeed. Nika however was not, but the objects within her bag were giving off feelings that led Ninjin to believe that maybe they themselves had power levels. They all could easily fight Ninjin in even his True Power. Still none of them came close to what Ninjin could put out in Super Saiyan form. Thus the need for the training. If they had been able to keep up with him, if they had been able to give him a run for his money, then something was wrong. Still They were some of the best warriors in the universe, he probably shouldn’t feel too bad.
They had set up a makeshift camp in one of the many fields of Heaven nearby one of the many forests. Ua said that Heaven had whatever type of biome, whatever type of environment that you wanted to live in, you just had to travel in the right direction to find it. Ninjin had an eternity, he figured he would scope out all that Heaven had to offer. The very small parts that he had seen thus far had been gorgeous. After he trained to be the perfect warrior of course. Even though he was dead, Heaven gave him an eternity to perfect that goal. His body and mind would be fine-tuned so that he could be the perfect Saiyan warrior. Then he supposed he would be at peace.
The group was reminiscing on the day’s events as the sun set and the campfire popped and crackled. They had grown into a merry band of misfit friends in quite a short time, though time meant nothing up in Heaven. The first thing they wanted to do was train. Train Ninjin specifically. They had beheld the power of the Super Saiyan, seen it in all of its glory and majesty… They had also met Ninjin. He was a powerful force for good, but he needed more training. A lot more from what they had seen. He was still young, and regardless of how experienced he was, they were all proof that he would run into challenges that would be able to fight back, and if they had proved anything, it was that some would be able to defeat him, if he couldn’t reach that level.
Kabocha and Shiitake had immediately offered to simply sit and watch the training sessions as they occurred. Ninjin smiled, his friends were good people, but they had been surpassed as warriors a very long time ago. Those that were gathered round were legendary heroes. What hope did they have to try and better Ninjin when he was already better than they? They were content to sit and watch. Alexandra had demanded to spar with Ninjin first. It had been… interesting to say the least.
“I trust you won’t be distracted this time?” She asked roughly as she pushed past him towards the make-shift ring they had set up. It was reminiscent of the ring that housed The Eternal Tournament, but perhaps that was done on purpose. Ua had made the make-shift arena, perhaps he had also made the arena for the Eternal Tournament. The group had formed a bond in a very short time. Ua, Alexandra, Nika, and Volg had all known each other for some time, and had heard of each other from various legendary tales. They had also heard of each other from their interactions with the Eternal Tournament. Ninjin hoped that his time training with each of them would allow him to delve further into their histories. These were not just random nobodies that he was training with. These were heroes of legend. Each one of them had countless tales fabricated from the truth that was their life.
Ninjin nodded to her. Her beauty wasn’t going to distract him once again. It had seriously caught him off guard during the tournament, but that was because he had not been expecting it. Yes she was gorgeous, but this was about training. This was about him gaining the ability to full control the Super Saiyan form. It wasn’t as if the Saiyan could be serious when he needed to be, and this moment called for seriousness. If he was ever to get better, he would need to train. Practice made perfect. And who better to train against than legendary heroes?
Vil too had agreed to sit out. Ninjin had tried to get him to train with them anyway but Vil rolled his eyes and sighed finally.
“Kid, you are way beyond any level of power that I could hope to reach. I’ve accepted that. Hell most of the heroes gathered are way beyond a level I could hope to reach. If we were to train, there wouldn’t be anything that I would be able to teach you. You’d whoop my butt through and through. You though? You’re Ninjin Hattori. You’re a Super Saiyan. You damn sure wouldn’t have gotten there without me though.”
Vil ruffled his hair as if Ninjin was a small child once more. Then he apologized, muttering to himself that he should really knock that off now that Ninjin was a fully grown man. They man had been king of the Saiyans for Kais sake! If even for a very brief amount of time. Ninjin smiled after his bodyguard and then turned his attention towards Alexandra. She looked over at him and it was hard to read what emotion she was feeling or what she was thinking. Somehow the pole-axe she had used during the Eternal Tournament was back in her hands, as if Ninjin had never broken it. Volg’s shield had returned as well.
Volg, Ua, and Nika all wandered over to observe. Their job during the training would be to instruct Ninjin on how to better control himself and fight more effectively. The first thing would be the most difficult, and wouldn’t be fighting at all. Ninjin needed to learn how to access his Super Saiyan form whenever he needed it. It was the power that he had within him that could change things in the universe. It did him, and them, no good if he wasn’t able to utilize it when he needed to.
“Suit up. You need to be wearing your weights for this.”
With a thought Ninjin summoned the armor of Bubebolos. As he did He thought of his friend and the epic journey he had undertaken to become king of the vampires. Someone else would have to make a similar journey now. Thankfully that person would not be from the Maugh clan. That particular clan of Iblisian’s had been exiled when they had revealed their demon dalliances and tried to kill the new king. Still the thought of his friends brought to mind questions. Was their universe linked to this one? Was this Heaven the same one that the heroes that died there went to? If so was Gen Fu around here somewhere? It made Ninjin’s brain hurt to think about, but it gave him hope that maybe he would see those friends that he had lost on his journey to becoming King of Iblis.
Ninjin gathered all of his energy to him, raising his power as high as it would go. His hair began to lift and shift back and forth between its usual jet black and a bright yellow gold. Veins began to bulge on his already well defined musculature. Tiny rocks began to float from the ground as the force of gravity itself bent to Ninjin’s power and will. He had done it five times before. They had all come from a need however. This time it was done with nothing but the force of his will. There was still an edge of anger that came when he ascended, but it was easier to force aside with the power of his will.
“Depower. Again.”
Ninjin let his power fade and his aura quickly subsided with it. His hair fell back into its natural resting position and back to its natural color. Then Ninjin released a roar and once more shot back up to his Super Saiyan form. This continued until Ninjin could ascend no longer, even despite the restful nature of Heaven his body could not sustain any further.
Alexandra drew from within her armor a shiny glowing crystal. The others gathered did the same. One after one an image was cast from the crystals. The images were identical to the fighters themselves, complete with weaponry. They all seemed to be hard, solid copies of the fighters that had projected the images. The clone warriors all fell into fighting stances. Ninjin swore. This could only mean one thing and the former Saiyan prince wasn’t an idiot. They were going to fight him. After all of this exhaustive training now they meant to test him? No doubt that was their plan. Then why the simulations?
Clone Alexandra rushed at him and Ninjin barely had time to bring his forearm up to block a kick aimed straight for his head. He stumbled backwards and dropped the guard, rubbing his forearm with his other hand. Alexandra righted herself quickly and spun through the air, landing another kick that Ninjin barely had time to block. The dead king fell to his ass and scuttled backwards. He was exhausted, but he understood the point right away. Learn to fight well at your weakest, and none can beat you at your strongest. Another armored foot smashed into the ground next to him, but he rolled out of the way just in time.
His armor made him feel like a turtle, rolling back and forth on the ground with not enough strength to get it off of him or him off of the ground. The point of the exercise was to have as many limitations as possible though. The armor stayed on even if he could dismiss it with a thought. Alexandra took to the air and Ninjin swore. Flat on his back with her above him and barely the strength to get up? That was a bad situation. A fire ball rocketed towards him and the turtled Saiyan barely had time and momentum to rock out of the way. Still the heat of it singed his back.
“Get. Up!”
Ninjin felt the thick hands of the clone of Volg close around the front of his armor and he was roughly lifted to his feet. That confused him at first. Why would the wolf man be helping him if he was supposed to be..? A massive fist punched him in the face and made him see stars. Oh. He wasn’t helping. He was a clone. The ground beneath Ninjin erupted upwards and constricted around him as it formed into a fist. None of them were helping, got it. The hand tightened and crushed Ninjin. The crimson warrior’s hands shot out to the sides of the fist and pushed back, albeit weakly. It was all the Saiyan could do to keep himself from getting crushed by the hand.
With a roar he attempted to go into his Super Saiyan form. Nothing happened. The fist threatened to grip tighter. Ninjin’s arms felt like noodles, but they held firm. The fist suddenly changed into a sphere surrounding Ninjin completely. It was pitch-black within the sphere, and fists came out from all angels to strike Ninjin in various areas as the prince struggled to not get crushed.
“You can do this kid!”
Ninjin could barely hear Vil from inside the deathtrap he was in. At one time, when they were all alive, it would have been terrifying to face Nika. The things that she was capable of doing… The things her orbs were capable of doing. With a roar Ninjin attempted to go Super Saiyan once again, and once again it failed him. The sphere began to fill with sand and concrete. Ninjin had been here once before, but then he had been able to access his Super Saiyan form. Now here they were again, and this time he seemed to be unable to access the form. The sand built and built and Ninjin struggled seemingly uselessly against the fill.
The trainers on the outside waited with baited breath, for only Nika truly knew what was going on inside. All they saw was a sphere of sand. Even though he knew the stakes, even though he knew that Ninjin could not die again in Heaven, Vil chewed on his fingernails in worry. The boy was like a son to him, how could he not.
Ninjin roared, but sand threatened to fill his mouth so it was cut short. A thought came to mind. It was an act of desperation but it would no doubt work. Or at least he hoped it would no doubt work. A shining orb appeared in his hand. He pushed it out over his head until it hit the top of the sphere where it stayed there glowing. The sand was filling up fast, but the former prince was lost to the world. All sound faded out and his pupils began to swell. His arms and legs bulged and bucked, engorged with muscle and growing, fighting against the fill of the sand. His face was pulled forwards as the bones broke and rest themselves into a snout. It still hurt every time, but the pain was like a welcome rush to the Saiyan.
The ball in Nika’s hand twitched and twerked about, as if fighting against some unseen force. The sphere began to expand and the trainers and even their clones began to take a step back. Nika and her clone took in a gasp at the exact same time. Vil’s eyebrow cocked as he looked from Nika to the sphere. What exactly was going on in there? Kabocha and Shiitake had stopped wrestling and were now also fully paying attention to the growing sphere. Cracks began to form as the sand attempted to harden to the consistency of rock to contain… Ninjin? It was Ninjin still in there right?
Blinding light poured from the cracks seconds before it exploded. Where Ninjin had been now stood the majestic Oozaru. It looked from itself to Nika and slammed its fists against its chest in challenge unleashing a roar that threatened the run cold the blood of those gathered. The clones sprang into action wasting no time. Ninjin too surged forwards, running like a gorilla would. The ground itself shook with every lope the massive ape-form made. Alexandra took to the air while Volg and Ua charged. Nika looked down at her magical ball. It looked defeated. With a curse the young elven woman retreated and slid into cover behind a tree just inside the forest line and began tinkering with a remote control.
Ninjin’s massive forearm smacked Volg away as the wolf-man jumped into the air with a howl. Ua ducked under and fist that threatened to knock him away as well and then brought all four arms up to block a blow that would crush lesser beings. Alexandra began to lob orb after orb of sticky fire towards the massive ape. One caught Ninjin in the left side of the face and he lost sight in his left eye. The smell of burning hair and flesh did not escape him though and nearly caused him to vomit. With a anguished roar he turned at her and unleashed a torrent of ki from his mouth. It just barely caught the tip of one of her wings and she careened into the ground with a solid thud.
Ua, under the massive fist and pressure of the Oozaru, had transformed and grown to fifteen feet tall, though was still dwarfed by the thirty-five foot tall Oozaru. Alexandra when she stood was engulfed by flames, a fiery angel. Volg had transformed into his massive wolf form. Still the Oozaru had a way of inhibiting things like worry and doubt. Ua appeared behind him as if he didn’t move at all and smacked the Oozaru’s feet out from under him. A torrent of fire just barely missed as Ninjin rolled his massive bulk out of the way. Then a pain bit into his side. He had rolled over right onto a patch of icicle stalagmites Volg had summoned there. One of them had pierced his side, and it stung. Still….
Volg launched himself at the neck of Ninjin Hattori, but was deflected aside by a massive fist covered in a gauntlet of blood. The Oozaru’s other hand reached out, and it was glowing with solar energy. It collided with the fiery angel. A look of surprise passed over her fiery visage as she careened away, her ability to burn him canceled out by the solar power. The Oozaru turned and punched forwards with his solar hand, and with the blood gauntlet covered hand. Hundreds of tiny blood spears shot off from the gauntlet as a whip of solar energy shot forwards from his other hand. The both collided with Ua and caused a cloud of dust and debris to rise up, further obscuring the smoke-creating demon. It gave Ninjin a much needed moment to catch his breath.
A huge metal war-hammer-head collided with his ribs and forced the air from his body all at once. Ninjin spiraled through the air and slammed through the tree-line with his Oozaru body before he had time to register what had happened. When he came to a rest he had crashed a good distance into the forest. Painfully he realized he had also transformed back into his Saiyan form. Ua appeared at the far edge of the tree-line some four-hundred feet from Ninjin. A mech slammed down next to him, a giant war-hammer clutched in her hand. Alexandra and Volg soon joined them as well. Ninjin regained his footing and stared through the mass amount of destruction to his four trainers. His body hurt. Sticks and twigs jutted from spots where they had impaled him. His fists clenched, but not with anger, with focus.
Leaves and twigs began to rise slowly in the air as Ninjin’s aura rose all around him. His hair began to flash between its normal jet black and that of a yellow gold. His muscles bulged, and the veins were pressed to the surface. He roared and his aura exploded all around him into violent gusts of wind. The Super Saiyan stood in front of them once more. Ninjin raised both of his hands and launched an energy wave out of either. Ua and Alexandria each stepped forwards and raised shields. Meanwhile Volg and Nika began to circle around. Ninjin quickly moved the wave towards the advancing two, and Ua and Alexandria surged forwards.
Their kicks and punches met nothing but air. Ninjin appeared behind Alexandria and chopped her roughly against the back of her neck, where her head meets her spine. It was a very quick motion. So much so that later Vil, Kabocha, and Shiitake would swear they never saw him touch her. She gurgled slightly and stumbled forwards, the flames dissipating from her body as she did so. She fell face forwards unconscious and then faded away. From the side-lines the real Alexandria’s face was stuck between glare and pure awe.
The clones of Ua, Nika, and Volg all stopped mid position, their mouths agape. The power of the Super Saiyan truly was awe inspiring, enough to even stun a replica. Their emotions masked those of their real-life-but-dead counterparts. Ninjin moved quickly, grabbed Volg by the scruff of his neck and threw him into Nika in her Mech suit. They collided and went down in a heap. Ninjin turned and caught a blow just as Ua was throwing it towards his face. His right arm came up and punched Ua’s elbow the wrong way, filling the forest with a sickening snap. The clone faded away, leaving Volg and Nika. In a heap.
Ninjin floated into the air and brought his hands to his side as Volg tried to untangle himself from the wires of the mech, but it seemed useless. The full powered energy wave Ninjin called the Shirishiri cannon ripped through both of them as if they were paper mache. The dead king floated back down to the wrecked forest floor. All around him the forest began to bloom, going through the stages of growth once again, but minus the decay. Instead of decaying new life sprung from the trees that had fallen. Ninjin powered down, having dealt with all of the clones. It had not been easy. They had tested him. But he had done it once again. From somewhere outside the forest came the sound of applause, and of Vil’s hearty laughter.
~~~
Ninjin found that he could not sleep, despite being in paradise. His mind was filled with thoughts of what could be occurring on New Vegeta, on Mement Mor, anywhere that he had those that he cared about. If they died, would they too reach eternal paradise? Or would they suffer the same fate as his parents did. Doomed for all of eternity. It was a difficult thing for him to imagine, especially since he was in Heaven. Still the former prince had very nearly walked that path. He rolled over and once again tried to still his mind, but found he could not. He stood, and was surprised to see Ua sitting by the fire, tending it, very much awake.
“Is early.” Ua remarked, earning a grin from the dead Saiyan.
“It is very early. Are you having trouble sleeping as well?”
“Ua has been around very long time. Sleep comes and goes.”
Ninjin sat down on a log next to Ua and watched the fire with his friend. Heaven had been good to him thus far, if not odd. Still he couldn’t help but think what must be occurring in the world of the living. He thought of Azuki, Nasu, and his sister. The only three living links left to the Hattori name. Well that he knew of. For all he knew his father had whored around even more, or his own play-boy nature in the past… well there could be more Hattori’s running around than anyone knew. Still Azuki was the last full blooded Saiyan Hattori. Akassa and Nasu also carried their name on their shoulders. Not only that, but what of their fate upon death? The thoughts weighed heavy on Ninjin’s mind.
“You worry for them.” Ua said the words whilst staring into the fire, as if he could read his friends thoughts. Ninjin glanced over from the fire and stared at his friend. Around Ua had grown dark due to staring into the light, but his friends massive elephantine features were lit by the orange glow. Ninjin simply nodded.
“Is understandable.”
“My parents are suffering in eternal damnation. I fear that fate for my sister. And Nasu too should he somehow be led astray by her. And my child.”
“Ironic. Aon spend long time after Ninjin. Finally kill Ninjin. Send him paradise. Ironic.” Ua chuckled and picked up a small block of wood from the ground. It was a perfect cube, so Ninjin had to wonder if he had summoned the item, or if Heaven had provided it. A large knife appeared in one of his four hands and he began to whittle away. The fire popped and cracked. The golden glow it threw off illuminated those sleeping around the fire. Heroes all. Would his brother and sister someday sit around a fire for heroes? Or would their eternity hold fire of another kind?
“Is not all ways end.” Ua finally said after a long moment. Ninjin turned to him with one eyebrow raised, face furrowed in confusion.
“There’s something else that comes after this?”
“No… This always End. But not always first time.” More confusion.
“Everyone path end in Heaven or Hell. Some go through first, loop back around.”
What was the strange elephantine demon telling him? There were ways… out of death? What’s more one could go from Heaven to Hell or from Hell to Heaven? How could one soul judged good then somehow be deemed evil? Ninjin asked his friend the same question, and his response was simple.
“Free will. Even after seeing paradise, or suffering damnation, this not enough to change who are. Sentient beings odd.”
So Heaven or Hell was the end, but only ultimately. There was more that came between, or could be. If Ninjin could return to the world of the living…. Then what? It wasn’t as if his sister would magically believe him about returning from the dead. It was not a common thing one did. Still maybe she had heard of his demise on the planet of Mement Mor. Even had she though, she would probably just assumed that whomever had told her of his demise lied for some reason.
Could he save Akassa? She had killed Leke. There would be much she would have to do to redeem herself, but no doubt it was not impossible. The road she was walking was a treacherous one. Ua once again seemed to sense the turmoil that raged within the dead Saiyan.
“Is Heaven.” He said with a chuckle. “Generally souls relax.”
“How can I relax knowing my family is suffering in eternal damnation and the rest of my loved ones may very soon join them?”
“Ua admit is problem.” Two of his hands came up and began to play with the tips of his tusks as he sat in thought. A third arm brought a long pipe up to his mouth and he sucked on it. After a long moment he spoke once more.
“We train.”
His words took Ninjin by surprise and he nearly fell off of the log that he was sitting on. They were going to train? They had been training! They had kicked Ninjin’s ass for most of the day, and time meant nothing here in Heaven. It could have been years that they were fighting for earlier and it would have meant the same. Still it had exhausted him. It was not easy mastering the Super Saiyan form. They had worked him to exhaustion and back. Ua held up a hand as Ninjin moved to protest.
“Ninjin Hattori powerful. Stronger than Ua. Stronger than most.” Ua left the words floating between them for a good long moment as he gathered his explanation. Ninjin was about to thank him for his kind words when the hand shot back up.
“Strong yes. Strongest? No. Wise warrior knows he knows not.”
Despite his thick accent Ninjin got the meaning of Ua’s words. Ninjin nodded. Training it was.
“For record? Ua believe this pass-through for Ninjin, not end.”
PL please, Heavy Weights and Simulator in effect.