Tag Team Showdown

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Sacred Planet of the Kais, a beautiful paradise teeming with life, from the bountiful fish inhabiting its many pure rivers and streams to the various other wildlife whom called the untainted haven home.

CLICK.

With a blink of an eye, and an audible but short noise, two stood where none were. One a rotund pink kai sporting a daring purple Mohawk while the other a deep red majin displaying a jeweled infinity knot on his belt.

“Viola and welcome to the utopic Sacred Planet of the Kais. You should consider yourself lucky Kazama, very rarely does a kai take a student here to train.”

His words weren’t harsh but rather informative. Then again one would be hard pressed to ever see the delightful protector in anything less than a pleasant mood. Physical indicators of this could be seen in the seemingly permanent smile which rested just below two squinty, yet cheerful, eyes.

“You have been a remarkable student Kazama, as was your ally Orenji. However you have gone farther than he had in his training, so I find myself at an impasse of sorts. I was gifted with the knowledge of a legendary technique and I have been searching for the right pupil to teach it to, but one cannot be too careful when entrusting another with such a powerful attack. So I will give you a chance, a chance to prove you are worthy…”

Looking at his empty wrist, a watch suddenly appeared, and the Kai studied the time.

“Yes, your final test should be here shortly. I have arranged a… Let’s saying sparring match between you and the student of another kai. Given past occurrences, this should be quite an eventful day.”

Lifting his feet, Heiwa, the Northern Kaioshin, began to levitate while in his hands a newspaper blinked into existence. Opening to the crossword section he began searching while he waited for the other pair to arrive.

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Kazama looked on the utopic site lying in front of his eyes. He glanced back at the now reading North Kai with a skeptical look. The way he had been talking Kazama knew the person that he was waiting to appear before him.

It had been so long since he had last seen someone other than Heiwa that he honestly couldn't think of anyone's face without putting them on the pudgy kaioshin body. Despite his weird quarks for his car and some of the little stuff that Kazama noticed, such as every once and a while Kazama would catch Heiwa summon up some action figures than proceed to play with them. Or Kazama's favorite little habit that Heiwa did not know the majin knew until recently was when Heiwa would summon up fun house mirrors and look at a skinny reflection of himself. Kazama laughed to himself as he thought of the look on Heiwa's face when he found out.

Suddenly a twinge of pain shot through the majin's mind. It was a fail safe and punishment that Heiwa had inserted into his mind to make sure that no one found out about the Northern Kaioshin's embarrassing secret. Kazama turned away from Heiwa and returned looking out over the Kaioshin home world. The increase in gravity was wearing on his limbs beginning to sap energy that he normally did not require when he was standing around normally.

"So what are we waiting on?" Kazama asked but to his not so great surprise Heiwa did not answer him. It was one of the things that over his entire time with the kai that had bugged him to no end. He was always lacking on the more explicit details about the tasks that he had him to do.

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Kasai appeared mid air with Sohko right next to him on the Sacred Kaio Planet. Kasai instantly felt the gravity apply to his body but since he grew up on the planet he was more than used to it. However between appearing mid air and the sudden addition of gravity to his heavy weights tore the saiyan out of the air. He slammed into the ground with a thud causing Kasai to roll his eyes.

"Really? I told you that I still haven't worked out the final kinks in Blink and to be ready for anything. So what do you do? You ignore me! Well you get what you get." Kasai said as he slowly drifted to the ground. He gave him a light kick to the side as he sighed before turning away.

That was when his eyes locked onto Heiwa and the red bubble gum creature across the open plain. The fat pink kaioshin could not be missed but the sight of his new student both concerned and intrigued. The Northern Kaioshin had chosen a Majin as a student, the very race that nearly drove the Universe to over the cliff of complete destruction. From what his kaioshin senses were telling him the Majin not only was as much tainted by sin as Sohko but still struggled with those sins.

Interesting choice Heiwa. Running the gauntlet on how to piss off Dai Kensei and the council of elders now are we?

He used his telepathy to talk with Heiwa partly to show off some of the powers he developed over the past couple years but also to make sure that their students did not hear the conversation. Kasai turned back to Sohko.

"Kid, welcome to the jungle. The fun and games are just about to start. So get up already and get ready." Kasai laughed.

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One moment Sohko was standing on the planet of the Western Kaioshin, his mentor and teacher for the past five years, a planet somewhat battered by its owner oppressively offensive fighting style. There were weapons, weights and practice dummies everywhere. Well, practice dummies were a relative term, they were technically demons that Kasai had bound and gagged with mighty chains. Thus, given his surroundings for the past year, one could hardly blame Sohko for being taken back by the beauty of their destination.

In quite literally the blink of an eye he was in the most serene place he could imagine.

"Wow this place is gorge-"

He couldn't finish his comment however because although it was glorious, it was also a bit distracting, as the saiyan did not notice the gravity’s pull on his body until it was little too late. With his heavy weights on, reducing his power significantly, there was no stopping himself as the planet beckoned for his embrace. Smashing into the ground with a resounding thud his body sank a half inch into the planet’s surface.

"Really? I told you that I still haven't worked out the final kinks in Blink and to be ready for anything. So what do you do? You ignore me! Well you get what you get.”

The shock of taking a face plant into a beautiful countryside caused him to take pause, lying in his own imprint while trying to respond instead of getting up, which proved difficult given the amount of dirt and grass which gravity had jammed into his mouth. Turning his head and speaking it out he tried again, this time more effectively.

“Ah c’mon, a heads up on the gravity would’ve been freaking nice!”

"Kid, welcome to the jungle. The fun and games are just about to start. So get up already and get ready."

Kasai was right though, in a sense. Sohko shouldn’t have been surprised, as the Western Kaioshin had done the same thing to the saiyan the first time he had taken him to his own planet. It seemed to him that the kai got a hell of a kick out of it. In truth, Sohko thought it was funny too, although he’d never admit it. Ten times gravity wasn’t nearly as big a deal as a hundred times but he figured he had adjusted to ten times what he was used to before then he could do it again. Pushing himself away from the ground, beads of sweat running down his face from the effort, Sohko stood up, albeit a little shakily.

“Okay, gimme one sec, I’ll be right back.”

Kicking his knees kicking up high into the air he began to jog towards a nearby mountain. With every step his strides became stronger and faster, his muscles slowly but surely adjusting to the immense gravity. Soon he was up to the highest speed his weights would allow. Appearing around the other side of the mountain a few moments later, he jogged back to his original position, a dust cloud kicking up behind a whirlwind of legs. He was perspiring heavily but thankfully his tactful bandana kept it from running into his eyes as he took several deep breathes.

“Alrighty, much better! It will still take some time to get used to but I’m getting the hang of it.”

Turning to his teacher, Sohko noticed him glaring at the pudgy pink kai across from him. It was then that the saiyan also noted the presence of his dear friend Kazama. Kasai had been vague on the details of what he had been referring to as “the ultimate tag match,” but now it made complete sense. The adorable pink man couldn’t be anyone else besides Heiwa. Kasai had mentioned him often, although it was rarely ever positive comments. That of course meant that his friend had escaped hell as he had hoped.

“Kaz, Jesus tap dancing Christ, I’m glad to see you made it out of hell!”

Seeing his friend made him gush with joy. The saiyan, who had been a loner most of his life, had only recently acquired friends in Kazama, Drexx and Orenji. They had formed a powerful bond and Sohko cared for them dearly, although his saiyan pride made it nigh impossible to soberly admit it. Seeing Kazama dying before his very eyes was the most traumatizing thing, besides the curse, that had ever happened to him. Azmodan and Azrael, Sohko thought to himself over and over again. It had become a mantra to the saiyan, who wished to avenge the deaths of his majin companion and himself. It had been what pushed him through his training with Kasai, which he would classify as more painful that his time spent in Hell. To his side he heard his teacher clear his throat, which elicited a sigh from the warrior.

“Oh yeah, almost forgot! Go big guy, I got it covered.”

Nodding, the kai put his fingers to his head and disappeared with but a blink. Waving his hands, Sohko repeated a few words under his breath. Although Orenji’s mentor had taught him the ability to materialize magic, the saiyan had decided to mix some of the magic words in he had found in his mother’s book to make the process less draining.

“Waka… Waka… Waka… Waka…”

He repeated, waving one hand over the palm of another. Then a bag suddenly appeared in the open hand. Dropping the bag to the ground he quickly pulled out several small rectangular boxes. Walking over to where Kasai had appeared and disappeared, he marked an x in the dirt with his foot. Measuring out ten paces he then pulled a small grey stick from the small box and jammed it into the dirt. He repeated this again and again, ten paces in every direction from the marked spot. When the boxes were empty he tossed them back into the bag, grabbed it, and blinked, instantly disappearing.

A couple moments went by before he reappeared, the bag now noticeably emptier than before. Pulling out one last item he waved his hand again and the bag vanished. Taking position a fair distance from the circular area marked off with the small grey sticks, he unraveled the item, revealing it to be a scroll. The unraveling took quite some time though, as the bottom of the scroll hit the ground and just starting rolling away, the parchment more than long enough to make cover the distance. Clearing his throat, Sohko began speaking in a deep, bellowing voice, his own perfect impersonation of a pro wrestling announcer.

“L---adies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you the Sultan of Swing, the Don of Destruction, the Kai of your girlfriend’s dreams…”

This continued for about a half hour, at which time Sohko had to take a sip from his flask to ail his dry throat. Skimming the rest, there was a good day’s worth of material there, he finally reached the bottom.

“Two consecutive centuries as Mr. Otherworld and the ‘one true’ Sexy Kai, the one, the only, the Western Kaioshin, KAAAAAAAASAI KAAAAAAAAGE!”

Appearing in midair on queue the kai thundered down directly onto the x, encased in a surging lightning bolt of ki. Landing with one knee down and fist planted in front, his famous pose, the force of created a crater which just reached the protruding sticks, but did not encapsulate them. The ki surged through his fist and outwards from the center of the crater, sending off bolts of energy in distinct directions. The small surrounding sticks where all lit by the sudden surge and began to sparkle with light. In every direction that the ki bolts had traveled, recently lit fireworks arched through the sky, exploding high in the air, perfectly lined up with the kneeling Kasai Kage. There was a hush silence as everyone took in the elaborate entrance. After about a half a minute Sohko turned to Kazama.

“Aaaand boom goes the dynamite.”

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Looking to Kasai, who was speaking to him telepathically, no doubt to show off as he usually does when he learns a new technique.

It is not my aim to garner the disapproval of our Master or the wise Council. Kazama has more potential than anyone I've met in my time, even more so than you or I. He is capable of being the greatest warrior this universe has seen in over a thousand years and it is my wish that he uses that power in the name of good, not evil. He is but a tortured soul in need of guidance.

Then began "the show," which was Heiwa's best attempt at describing it.

The pink protector stared at his self-proclaimed rival for a moment. Not exactly sure what to do, as this was Kasai’s most extravagant attempt at a glorious entrance in all the time that Heiwa had known him, he began to clap awkwardly.

“Bravo… You certainly outdid yourself this time Kasai.”

He did not share the Kasai’s love of competition, or rather, love of winning. It was true he enjoyed a good sparring match on occasion; however he did not care for winning, rather enjoying the friendly competition. However, he did notice the tail of Kasai’s student. Sohko was his name, however Heiwa didn’t know much about him apart from his time spent on Earth, for his home planet, Vegeta, was under the watchful eye of Kage and not his own. He did know of the saiyan’s special ability though causing him to quickly look to the sky. The sacred planet of the kais had several moons but none were in view at the moment, a rather rare occurrence.

It was no doubt a reason Kasai had picked their home planet as the arena for their “ultimate tag team match” as he had called it in a previous conversation. Well, it was mostly him putting himself over, but Heiwa didn’t mind; he was used to it. Looking to Kazama, he knew the majin had become quite powerful but he wondered how he would fair against an unencumbered Sohko in oozaru form. Kasai had a tendency of instilling his own overbearing fighting style on his students, and Heiwa did not want the two of them trying to steamroll his student.

“Shall we set ground rules then? I believe we should first agree to keep our power levels even with one another. I know you don’t like to be anything besides full strength, Kasai, but this isn’t about us, or brute strength. This is about technique and battle awareness. Also, students and teachers shouldn’t mix. Not to take away from them, but we have centuries of experience. Plus I’m sure you’d much rather fight me anyways, hehe.”

He then turned to his dear pupil, the red majin Kazama, and spoke to him directly.

“When Kasai and I are fighting I want you to pay attention closely, learn the advantages and disadvantages of the defensive and offensive based styles we respectively use. Also, I want you to try and fight more defensively in this battle, using counters and split second reactions to cause damage while keeping up a strong guard as this is about using everything I’ve taught you in the past year. Oh, and be creative, while Kasai’s style may be more flashy, it tends to be rather straightforward. Patience and ingenuity will be your best weapons. Is there anything you’d like to add to the rules discussion?”

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Kasai watched Sohko stand up and realize that it was time to begin the set up. Kasai nodded to Sohko and then Blinked away. Instantly the utopic view of the Sacred Kaio Planet was replaced with the battleground that had become the Western Kaioshin planet. There were weights and various training equipment thrown every which way with the occasional "dummy" or "punching bag" scattered along the small planet as well.

Kasai strolled on over to one of the "dummies" who groaned groggily. Bruises and bumps covered his body from where Sohko had been training. The red skinned training instrument slowly shook its head before looking up at Kasai, he spit on the shoes of the kai.

"Piece of crap cloud livers! All you do is float up here on your fancy smancy planets with your noses stuck up in the air against everyone who was not a member of your club." The dummy said spitting saliva towards Kasai.

"You really just spit on my shoes you pathetic demonic scum..." The Western Kaioshin said looking down at his feet. "You do that again and...am going to have to show you that my pimp hand is still strong despite my new position?"

The demon looked straight into Kasai's eyes before hawking a loogy landing on the shirt of the Western Galaxy Guardian. Kasai looked down at his shirt and then back up at the smiling demon. He sighed before back handing the demon with incredible speed and enough power to cause the demon to spin in the air.

"I can't believe that I still have to drill into that stubborn drunken Saiyan's head to knock these losers out before we leave for places." Kasai said as he walked away from the demon.

He turned his focus back to the Sacred Kaio World in time to sense that Sohko had finished his preparations. With a smile he Blinked back to his paradise homeworld. The kai shot down out of the air while charging the air with ki causing a lightning to follow him to the ground. Striking his famous pose a burst of wind shot out from the Western Kaioshin's landing spot. Everyone paused for a bit to take in the awesome entrance that had just occurred. One thing that he had to hand to Sohko was the fact that he knew how to create entrances that even Jishin would be envious of.

“Bravo… You certainly outdid yourself this time Kasai." Heiwa paused and then let his voice boom over the landscape to make sure that everyone heard him.

"Shall we set ground rules then? I believe we should first agree to keep our power levels even with one another. I know you don’t like to be anything besides full strength, Kasai, but this isn’t about us, or brute strength. This is about technique and battle awareness. Also, students and teachers shouldn’t mix. Not to take away from them, but we have centuries of experience. Plus I’m sure you’d much rather fight me anyways, hehe.”

Kasai looked up and sighed. With elaborate arm motions to go along with his words he spoke.

"Heiwa you always take the fun out of things. I wanted to string the two of these students along for a while before we revealed that they would be having them face off. Sheesh...you are no fun..." Kasai said as he threw his arms down in protest.

When the kaioshin turned to Sohko the Saiyan was not sure what to do. It could have been the fact that he finally saw the giant pink ball that was the Northern Galaxy Guardian or the fact that he had to fight what Heiwa had told Kasai was his former companion.

"He is going to have that...that Majin fight using counter strikes just like he does. I want you to go in there and over come it. A counter fighter can be crushed by the sheer power of a charging bull. Go in there and run him into the ground! Do not believe for one second that this is not about winning. I told you when you accepted the position that you would have to prove that my students were more powerful than Heiwa's. Well today is that day! Go beat that pathetic excuse of a mistake to ever enter into this existence, INTO. THE. GROUND."

Kasai said as he was beginning to psych himself up for another match against Heiwa while getting in Sohko's face with the intention of psyching up his student for the fight as well. Kasai knew full well that if Sohko was to live up to his full potential he was going to have to get over the fear of killing. Or defending himself against an enemy that would not stop. This would be a good test to see how far in hardening his resolve once again he had come over his time training with Kasai.

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Sohko listened intently to his master, the Western Kaioshin, Kasai Kage. As his words became more and more violent, the saiyan began to cast an eye to his friend, Kazama. He knew he had never been as cutthroat as his teacher had wanted. Ever since the curse, he always fought with reserve. The curse he thought, even in death there is no escape. He had been afraid to tell Kasai about the curse, worried what the kai might think of a student who couldn't deal a killing blow.

However looking to Kaz, Sohko could not help but smile. He had seen firsthand his friend reform, five times escaping death, and now he was even more powerful. The saiyan was not afraid of killing his friend, now understanding his amazing regenerative ability gave him courage that his blow, no matter how mighty, would not be enough to finish his friend. Shrugging off his coat Sohko revealed that he had changed much over five years.

His brown jacket was gone, replaced by the black duster coat with titanium shoulder pads which fell to ground at his feet. The long wild black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, to keep his vision clear at all times. The sunglasses were much thinner now, long and sharply angled to give a more intimidating presence. Strapped around his waist at his side are his two swords. First was his black katchin wakisashi, the traditional side arm worn at all times by the Kensaru. It was his family sword that he had sold in a drunken haze for another forgotten night’s drink.

Many years later he would rediscover it. It was an ornate shorter version of the katana, his main weapon. It was the reformed Brave Sword, wielded by the legendary warriors Tapion and Trunks over a thousand years ago. Upon finding it in his father’s secret den in the scorched wastelands, breaking the spell which incased it, it became a piercing light within his grasp. Changing from its broad sword shape, it took the personality of its new wielder, Sohko Masamune.

The long katana had an ornate katchin hilt plated with gold. The blade teamed with mystical energy and made of an unknown metal from a long forgotten people. Popping the Masamune family sword free with his left thumb his hand, with blinding speed evident of endless days of practice, Sohko caught the beautiful masterpiece with his right hand, holding it out forward with a firm grip and a trained eye. In the blink of an eye the Brave sword was in left hand, both weapons portraying a well-deserved menacing presence.

“Have no fear Master Kage. Kaz and I are good friends, but we’re even greater rivals, and never has the playing field been leveled like this! We’ve both grown and learned with the help of the mighty kaioshin and to be quite frank I am about defecate masonry I’m so damn excited! Saiyans live for a good fight! LET IT BEGIN!”

With a smile and a blink Sohko was gone, appearing directly in front of the red majin, swords pulled back for the strike. Reeling downward the saiyan brought the mighty katanas in dual overhead slashes, from his red head to his black shoed toes. Following, in flashing arcs, the weapons slashed back and forth in blinding fashion, crisscrossing over the initial cut. Turning for a fraction of a moment, sheathing the Brave sword and sneaking his left palm underneath his right arm, stretched across himself due from the last slashing strike and into the sliced (or unsliced) chest of his opponent, Sohko roared.

“SHINING SWORD ATTACK!”

A huge wall of ki exploded from his palm, fully enveloping the form of his opponent. Sohko did not hold back, knowing that his friend was completely capable of surviving the otherwise lethal attack. Whether or not he was able to dodge some, or any, of the attacks would remain to be seen, but the saiyan had hoped that his sudden transportation would throw off his friend, whom had no idea that Sohko knew such a move.

The battle begun has begun, Sohko thought with a smile of gritted teeth behind the monsoon of energy which surged from his palm.

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Kazama had watched the entrance of the Western Kaioshin and was surprised to see the sight of Sohko standing next to him. A shot of pain went through Kazama's as he realized that despite his efforts back on the planet where he had died he was unable to protect Sohko.

"Even then...I failed..." Kazama muttered under his breath trying to make sure that Heiwa had not heard him say that. It was one of the things that the Northern Kaioshin had tried to drill into the Majin's head.

To let go of his past deeds.

That was the statement that he had said over and over again but it seemed to have no effect. Kazama could not rid himself of the images of his friend's dead bodies that he had killed, the family that he was forced to kill many year's ago, the little girl sitting on his knee joking and laughing with the family that had graciously taken him in. Then the images of the human Zach, that had badly beaten the majin in the tournament on Earth, and Azrael, the Icer that had finally killed the majin after many tries, would fill his head after that. It was one of the things that had plagued the majin whenever he would close his eyes for some sleep.

Kazama had been so focused on trying to repress the images that he had ignored the conversations that had erupted between the two parties. But it was the Western Kaioshin's screaming that seemed to drag him back into situation at which point he noticed that Sohko had changed. His hair was longer, he had changed up his outfit and found two swords. Though the saiyan could have looked like that before they both had died but Kazama was in such a depressed state that he didn't even notice.

"So...when does this match start?" Kazama asked as he turned his mentor.

When he turned back Sohko appeared suddenly out of thin air in front of Kazama. He felt his eyes go wide as the two swords, now in Sohko's hands came arching downward towards Kazama's head. The majin was caught off guard but managed to take a step backwards just out of the arch of the swords which sliced into the ground. Quickly Sohko brought up his hand launching a giant ki blast at the majin.

“SHINING SWORD ATTACK!”

Kazama let his power flare up close to it's max level just out of reflex as he moved quickly to the side of the blast. Kazama then slid forward and threw a kick that landed into the gut of Sohko with enough power just to send him back a short distance. After creating the distance in between the two fighters Kazama put his hand to his shoulder where he noticed that he had not quite moved fast enough out of the way of the swords.

"I have to say that was pretty low of you Sohko," Kazama said as he rolled his neck. Then suddenly Kazama let loose an intense volley of ki blasts all around Sohko, some exploding in the air while others hit the ground creating a cloud of dust and craters.

[Deleted]

“Have no fear Master Kage. Kaz and I are good friends, but we’re even greater rivals, and never has the playing field been leveled like this! We’ve both grown and learned with the help of the mighty kaioshin and to be quite frank I am about defecate masonry I’m so damn excited! Saiyans live for a good fight! LET IT BEGIN!”

Sohko blinked away from standing right in front of Kasai. The Western Kai had become amused by how much Sohko loved the technique Blink. He would often spend his just bouncing around the planet trying to come up with combos for future fights. Kasai wondered what the upcoming fight would be like because several times Sohko mentioned Kazama by name as being a friend, it would be a good test as to see how much he had improved. It was what Sohko said that caused the kai a moments pause as he thought about the Saiyan's loving combat. Perhaps that was why Dai Kensei had put Kasai in charge of sector with a planet that loved combat as much as he did.

When Sohko appeared in front of the majin, which still the idea of left a bad taste in Kasai's mouth, and attacked him suddenly the Western Kaioshin could not help but roar in cheers as his student launch a massive attack.

"That is what I am talking about Sohko! Blow that majin clear off the planet!" Kasai cheered.

His cheers were quickly silenced however when he felt Kazama's power level spike up to full despite the rule that Heiwa had imposed on the combatants to stay balanced in power. The majin appeared beside Sohko and knocked him away with a powerful kick before launching a rapid volley of ki attacks.

"Come on Heiwa! That is bullshit! You can't even get your student to follow the rules that you dictated!" Kasai screamed blood murder across the field of combat like an overzealous parent watching his kid play any kind of sport at his age level.

[Deleted]

"Heiwa you always take the fun out of things. I wanted to string the two of these students along for a while before we revealed that they would be having them face off. Sheesh...you are no fun..."

The Northern Kaioshin blushed a little, nearly impossible to recognize thanks to the deep pink of his adorable chubby cheeks, because he was notorious for ruining small pranks and the such. He remembered once when Jishin had fallen asleep with his shoes on at a kaioshin only event. Kasai Kage immediately put a bowl next to him filled with water.

Heiwa, being the loving protector, assumed that it was for when he awoke. After as much as Jishin had drank, he’d certainly have a mighty thirst. Then Kasai put his hand in the bowl, further confusing the plump kai. When Kage scampered off, giggling maliciously to himself, Heiwa came over and took his hand out and, upon noticing the water was warm, dumped it out and replaced it with cold water. It was obvious to him why he should, for no one like to drink warm water.

Kasai never let the poor Norther Kaioshin outlive his practical joke mess-ups. Heiwa’s kindness was too strong, that sometimes it blinded even him to the events before him.

Snapping out of his momentary trip down memory lane, a seemingly endless road for a kai, Heiwa noticed Kasai had moved on from his rival and was now loudly berating his student, or so Heiwa assumed. Then the saiyan had a chance to speak before disappearing.

“Huh, impressive, not many can master the technique of instantaneous movement. Orenji was the only student I ever taught with the potential to master the move. It seems Sohko shares this potential. Interest-whoa!”

The saiyan appeared before Heiwa’s student, the red majin Kazama, and immediately began a vicious attack with his swords, followed by an impressive wall of ki. His student was, even if surprised, still aware enough to save himself, sidestepping the attack before quickly getting more space following a kick to his attacker’s midsection.

"Come on Heiwa! That is bullshit! You can't even get your student to follow the rules that you dictated!"

It was true, Kaz had gone to near full strength to dodge the move, but Heiwa still believed he was in the right for that particular moment.

“He broke no rules, did you hear a whistle? A gun? Is Big John McCarthy standing in the middle of the octagon yelling “Get it on?” There is no infraction because the rules governed a fight that had not yet begun. However, now it seems the fight is on, so go Kazama!”

As he spoke, Kazama unleashed a machine gun like volley of energy blasts against the tailed warrior. A little too offensive at first, but the dust they kicked up and the flashes they created made them a great supportive technique as well. Heiwa found himself proud that Kazama had repurposed what had before been a solely offensive weapon.

[Deleted]

“I have to say that was pretty low of you Sohko,” Kazama blustered as he rolled his neck. Sohko’s surprise attack didn’t work as he had thought it might, but it did not bother him much for two particular reasons. One was that it was the first move of the fight; surely their great rivalry would not end so quickly. Two was that Kazama reacted in what was paramount to flinching, by jacking up his power level in order to evade. The thought made him smile, a smile which did not go away even when his red friend through him backwards with a high powered kick to the gut. Thankfully, his armor absorbed the majority of the empowered attack.

“Almost like kicking someone right in the shnuts huh?”

More so the rush attack was to please Kasai and begin the fight but a small part of it was payback for the shot to the undercarriage, so to speak, that he suffered from the majin while they had been on Vegeta. Kazama’s response, if he had even heard the question, was to throw his arms out, palm first, ejecting a ball of ki. In fact he repeated this more times than one could count, throwing the multitude of energy blasts in Sohko’s direction.

He blinked left, then right, narrowly avoiding blast after blast. Some hit the ground while others exploded in midair. The flash from the explosions combined with the dust cloud made it increasingly more difficult to dodge. As he moved, he began gathering energy. With this added distraction, several skimmed him, leaving holes in his pants and small cuts on his arms. Finally tired of the barrage, Sohko closed his eyes for a moment and imagined looking down on Kazama.

When he opened them a fraction of a second later he was in the sky, looking down at Kazama. Not really above him, just high enough to be outside the spread of the volley. Locking eyes with the majin he threw his hands to his face and yelled.

“Taiyoken!”

A blinding light emerged from Sohko as he released the charged ki as light energy in a flash. Without hesitation, and before the light even completely faded, Sohko threw is arms out and his chest out as three more of himself pulled free. One from his chest and one from each side respectively. Mentally linked and with no time to spare, as the blinding effect was limited, they blinked off. Surrounding Kazama at all different angles, although never being exactly opposite one another, the four Sohkos pointed a finger at their friend.

“Dodonpa!”

They said in unison as thin beams of concentrated ki shot forth from their digits. A powerful move, made to rival the legendary Kamehameha wave, the four dodonpas raced towards a mutual target, their small nature not true to their lethal power. Sohko wasn’t sure if they’d all hit him, or if Kazama had somehow been able to block out the intense light, however he hoped the clever combination of moves would help at least one find purchase upon his friend’s red hide.

[Deleted]

Kazama did not think for a minute that Sohko was going to be impaired by the machine gun assault of the ki blasts for very long. They were designed to distract Sohko long enough for Kazama to wrap his head around fighting again. It had been so long that he had almost forgot what it was like to fight with a sense of seriousness.

Images flashed through Kazama's head violently. They were of Poso, Shinrai and then of Azrael. The feeling of helplessness in each situation came along with the images and it was just enough to distract him from the fight that was at hand. He knew better than to space out during a fight but he could not help it. Sohko though was not going to give him the break that he needed to get his mind together. The saiyan had become very aggressive in his fighting style since the last time they had fought which if memory served correctly was back on Vegeta.

Kazama snapped back into the fight when he noticed Sohko's energy signature disappear again and then reappear above the volley of blasts that were still flying towards Sohko had been standing. The two fighter's eyes locked for a moment, Kazama knew that Sohko had something up his sleeve. It was also becoming apparent that Kazama was struggling to hold back on his attacks as much as he had liked to. Sohko's power level when he was not in giant monkey form, a form that Kazama wished to see again, he was a fraction of the majin's power level.

“Taiyoken!”

As soon as he heard the word be called out by Sohko he cursed himself for looking upwards. The light exploded outwards from the Saiyan's hands blinding Kazama. But this time the majin was already thinking about his next move. Since this was just a friendly match between friends there was no need to run away, so that meant that the last move was meant to set up Sohko's next attack. Kazama immediately brought his arms up to his chest and curled slightly into a ball position.

He had to rely solely on his sensory abilities and his telekinesis to try and detect any active minds near by. Kazama though despite his best effort had come nowhere close to mastering the latter part of sensing people. He could only tell faintly if he focused hard enough how many people were in the room. So between that and his energy sensing he was able to tell Sohko couldn't resist himself and split into four there by dividing his power level between them. Kazama was already restraining himself as much as possible and was not about to attempt to get down to this new level.

Soon all four Sohko's surrounded Kazama, the exact positions were beyond him at the current moment because of the failure to use his eyes. He felt each Sohko let their power level spike quickly which meant the attack was coming soon, then to Kazama's prediction they did attack.

“Dodonpa!”

Kazama felt the air shift slightly just before all four attacks slammed into his body. He could have easily dodged them but instead decided he was going to pull off a little counter of his own. At the fractioned power of each attack it was enough to scuff up the majin and kick up dust but not much else beyond that. What Sohko had failed to notice was the energy that had been slowly building around the majin. Kazama took the opportunity the Dodonpas had bought him to let the energy that had been surrounding him spike.

Kazama opened his eyes and through the strain from the previous attack of Sohko's and the dust he was able to make out when of the clones that the saiyan had split into. He smiled ever so slightly and let out a small chuckle to himself.

"My turn!"

Kazama yelled as he stood up quickly and extended his arms towards the ground. Instantly the power that had been gathering around him exploded violently with the power of roughly what Sohko was normally, what it would do to the fractional power of the clones was not of Kazama's concern.

The air was cleared of the dust as the blinding light of the attack surrounded Kazama heating it as it vaporized the ground around and theoretically putting Sohko on the defense for the first time of the fight.

Kazama thought to himself as he released the explosive wave outwards of his body that it was truly a shame on how he had to destroy the utopic scenery around him.

[Deleted]

Kasai watched the fighters get engulfed into a bright ball of light. He had to admit that so far the fight had been even but Kasai knew Sohko was holding back and it was starting to irritate the Western Kaioshin. He had struggled with truly embracing Kasai's no defense and all offense approach, at times giving Kasai witty remarks, but it was time to stop playing. Or get out of the match and let Kasai and Heiwa duke it out for a while.

His eyes darting around the field of battle looking for any kind of sign of life from either of the combatants. Though he was hell bent on making sure that Heiwa's student, Kazama was going to stay dead. This was not just because he was Heiwa's student though that was another reason why as well. The main reason was that he felt that if Kazama was allowed back into the world of the living that if he absorbed someone of substantial power that he was not going to be able to control himself and would turn evil. At which point it would pose a much bigger threat to life then any of the people out there now. So for that reason he was going to try his damnedest to make sure that Kazama stayed dead. Add to the fact that it would deny Heiwa the satisfaction of having yet another student return to the world of the living was definitely a benefit.

"Come on Sohko...show up already damn it..." Kasai mumbled to himself. He was not sure how much energy he had been wasting by using Blink repeatedly but he was sure it either was already affecting him or it was going to catch up to him very quickly later on in the fight.

Kasai cast a look off into the skies of Other World and back to the world of the living he could see the gear of the engines of war starting to turn. It was only a matter of time now before a galactic war broke out. His tactical mind though began to think about depending on who won what the galaxy would look like. In all honesty, Kasai did not like a single outcome and was rather worried that unless new warriors arrived on the center stage that the galaxy would head over a cliff and into an unknown chaos.

[Deleted]

The saiyan grimaced as he looked on: his friend bracing himself just as the quadruple dodonpas connected. However the red majin seemingly absorbed the blows, almost nonchalantly, with little visible damage resulting. Sohko’s teeth clenched as he reworked all the math in his mind. Four full powered dodonpas from a quartered Sohko, each one should have been capable of doing some sort of tangible damage. While not full powered, the dodonpa itself was still much more concentrated than most bean or ball based techniques. It was apparent Kazama was having a good deal of trouble retaining his power and Sohko knew why.

The majin had an ego. Sohko doubted it was intentional, most times, instead blaming the fact that Kazama had known few equals in his lifetime. It was evident in his attitude and approach regarding fights that he had little patience for weaker opponents. The saiyan was good at ignoring this, his accursed conscience always looked for the best in everyone. On occasion his friend’s seemingly born and bred arrogance did eat at the tailed warrior though.

His thoughts were interrupted however when Kazama’s body began giving off a terrible light. Distracted by the barrage of ki blasts, Sohko hadn’t noticed the gathering energy. A moment later the power expanded outward, threatening to engulf the four Sohkos. Just as the warmth fell over them, and their skin began to tingle with the promise of immense pain, they quickly squeezed their eyes shut, their minds grasping frantically at destinations far from the epicenter of the magical exploding bubblegum creature.

Then there was the explosion. In its wake a crater sat below where the majin had levitated seconds earlier, as the saiyan is yet to be seen. Not to keep an audience waiting though, a pile of rocks some feet from the crater showed sign of movement. Sitting up in a huff, rocks of various sizes rolling off his body, the saiyan looked quite rattled. Shaking his head viciously from side to side, he shook the cobwebs from his mind. An action followed by a mouthful of rocks being expelled forcefully from between his lips. After a few extra moments of carefully routing around the recesses of his mouth, he defiantly spat out the last pebble.

Hopping to his feet, an act which proved quite painful, made his muscles cry. Although he had been able to blink away, recombining open regrouping, he had not entirely escaped the attack’s raw power.

“Alrighty, I’ll give that one to you Big Red. Round one is all yours. I mean I’m pretty sure a mouthful or rocks speaks for itself after all.”

With another blink he was beside his current master; Kasai Kage. In honest, Sohko needed a moment’s respite, not only because of Kazama’s recent attack, but also from the constant use of instantaneous movement. While the short distance jumps took little energy, its’ repeated and abrupt uses had begun to take its toll. Plus, Sohko was dying to see his master at work. Clapping the burly Kai on the shoulder, he smiled through the stinging sensation which encompassed his while body.

“Tag, you’re in big chef! Now go beat the pie out of the pink pudgy-aww who am I kidding, he’s adorable! C’mon, look at those cheeks!”

It was true; Heiwa radiated an aura of goodness which appeared to have a pleasant effect on those around him. Sohko also knew that his master recognized it as well, although the aura’s effect was slightly different to him. It only made him want to pound the smile away.

At least now he’d get his chance.

[Deleted]

Heiwa frowned as he looked at the destruction wrought upon the utopic home the overseers of the universe. He was a little disappointed Kazama had gone so offensively, but at the same time he was impressed that the majin had distracted his opponent while he gathered the necessary energy. Knowing his eager combatant would stay upon him, he went with a technique which could not miss because it’s range was everything around the magical creature.

But then the pink protector’s mind went to his master face’s twisted in anger. Not since the destruction of Buu had this place seen any significant damage. Kasai and Heiwa had thought it a good challenge to have the two pupils fight here, with its intense gravity. They realized now though that the sparring match would be far to disastrous to have in such a sacred place.

Not to mention, between the saiyan’s gung ho offense and his own student’s inability to withhold his power, it was becoming apparent that a referee of sorts would be needed. At just that moment it clicked in his mind and the kai acted quickly, not wanting to stall the match any longer. Strolling besides the downed Kazama, who was some distance from the crater and also recovering, he placed a hand upon his shoulder and with a clicking noise they were beside Kasai.

“Hope you don’t mind old friend, but our battles tend to get a bit… Messy… At times, so I propose a new location. If I may?”

Placing his other hand on Kage’s shoulder, Heiwa focused, concentrating so as to bypass the necessity of holding his hands in front of his head in ritualistic fashion in order to teleport. With Sohko still touching his master’s soldier from when he tagged himself out, the four of them were all interconnected, so when Heiwa’s destination came to mind, they all disappeared at once, leaving the beautiful calm of the serene landscape uninterrupted once more.

A moment later they were on a small planet, similar to both Heiwa’s and Kasai’s. The chubby kai took several steps away from the three and, holding his hands out, created a specialized flashlight from air. He knew of only one full proof way to summon the special referee from the depths of his mirror room (a room where the walls, floors and ceilings are made of mirrors, allowing him to constantly admire himself) of which he usually resided when not attending to greater matters.

Pointing the flash light to the sky it gave off a powerful projection, similar to that of a large spotlight of sorts. In the large circle of light was the outline of a very buff man striking an empowering pose.

“And may I introduce our special guest referee…”

He trailed off, awaiting the arrival of a good friend and confidant of his. The fact that he was also a rival, although of a different form, of Kasai’s only made it that much sweeter to the joyful kai.