Authoress' Note: Well, I ran out of steam for a bit writing exploratory sniplets, but I've returned with another that breaks the darker writings a bit. Even though I had a rough week, this idea kind of stayed with me, and while it might be a milder version compared to the other sniplets, this could expand this oddity of a universe a bit.

With that said, here's a different sniplet that explores the kindness of humanity, even if it does have some sadness attached.

Yeah, call me a sap, but not all my stories have violence or happy endings. Sometimes, the sadder endings are bittersweet to say the least.

I also blame the dreams I've had this week provoking this idea out of me.

Kakarot's Unexpected Encounter

One-Shot

Deep within a forest, a troubled warrior finds himself alone with himself and his thoughts—a rarity compared to the torment he carries within himself.

While his head was downcast, it was obvious who it was due to the wild hair. And yet, the figure did not seem the least bit lively as he usually tended to be due to the circumstances that occurred recently.

The tortured cries of his enemies echoed through his mind. The pained expressions as he sadistically towered over his adversaries while they died in horrific manners during his 'games' made him purr. For each general he killed, he was one step closer to fully achieving the vengeance he vowed when he was captured and put in that horrific cage.

As for the soldiers, Kakarot found absolute delight in chasing them down and picking them off one by one. He found it to be a favorite pastime when they foolishly try to kill him only to fail so hard...

Kakarot shuddered in absolute disgust at the barbaric methods he used to dispatch his enemies. In the past, he would have given people a more honorable death if they lost and not tortured them through such sickening measures.

'What kind of monster have I become?' Kakarot thought to himself.

Footsteps made his head jerk up in surprise. Was it a soldier? A general? The warrior's blood began to boil at the thought of the enemy finding him here of all places. The sound of bushes being brushed aside made him tense.

'How did they find me?' Kakarot almost growled but decided to remain silent. He would ambush whoever it was.

Out of the brush emerged a monk wearing a wooden hat on his head. He had a staff that was carved of a regular branch. The demonic part that reared its ugly head within the Saiyan was whispering warnings to kill the man; however, Kakarot saw him pause for a moment and kneel to the ground. The monk reached down and gathered herbs to put in the satchel on the side of his waist.

'What are you doing? Kill him!' Youzi's voice literally roared in the Saiyan's mind.

Kakarot flinched as his tail hit a stick that flew into a bush. The monk paused in his gathering and glanced up at Kakarot as they both stared at one another. Cover blown, Kakarot was prepared to flee rather than kill the monk when he stood up and approached the troubled Saiyan.

"What are you doing out this far in these woods?" the monk asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Kakarot coldly spat. He did not trust him, and it was getting harder to ignore the siren's call to surrender to Youzi's command and end the monk's life.

"I am gathering herbs to make a medicine for a sick child," the monk replied. "The young one does not have long to live, but I am gathering these to help ease the pain."

'He's lying!' Youzi's voice whispered in the man's mind, but Kakarot ignored the voice. His thoughts fell upon his own son Karot and the unborn child ChiChi carried. If anything happened to either of them, he would have been beside himself with worry and concern for their health and livelihood.

"How long has the child been sick?" Kakarot asked, showing a bit of concern.

"He has been sick most of his life," the monk sadly told the Saiyan. "The doctors have determined that he will only last a few more days..."

'One less selfish human... the others should just roll over and just die already!'

"Can... can I see the little guy?" Kakarot found himself asking. He had no actual business trying to warm up to these fools, so why should he ask this?

"Of course," the monk gestured the Saiyan to follow, not in the least bit afraid that he could try to kill him.

_______

A small hut in the middle of nowhere was the last thing Kakarot had expected as the monk approached the door. He knocked out of politeness as a tired woman came to the door.

"Thank you very much for coming," the woman greeted kindly. Kakarot saw how exhausted the woman happened to be after tending to her child.

'She would be an easy kill...'

The monk went inside and Kakarot followed. Under the dim candlelight by a bedside laid a child no older than ten years old, his pale skin almost as white as a sheet. His dark hair was in disarray and yet, he was breathing shallowly. The monk set about his task making medicine for the child, knowing that the boy would soon need it.

"You do not need to stay if you have somewhere else to go," the monk told Kakarot.

"I don't really have anywhere else to go," Kakarot muttered absentmindedly. It was true: he did not to go back to the others considering how they treated him. At least here, he was anonymous, and he could observe these humans without judgement. The question is how did they live without dying during the purge years ago?

The monk lifted the young boy's head as he gave the boy the mixture. He gasped in relief, almost though he were given something to dull the pain. Kakarot saw the boy's eyes open slowly as he looked directly at him.

"D-daddy?" the boy questioned.

"I'm not..." Kakarot started to correct the child, but then, he realized that the woman's husband had been absent since he entered the hut. Had he perished?

"Daddy, I'm not feeling well," the boy told the Saiyan. "Can... can you hug me?"

This made Kakarot feel uncomfortable as he approached the bed towards the boy. The smell of death was emitting strongly from the child, and despite what the doctors said, the child may not make it through the night the rate his condition had advanced. Squelching his urge to leave, he gently pulled the child into his arms as the boy exhaled softly.

Arms wrapped around the man's neck as Kakarot held him gently. He had way of knowing how much time had passed before the boy's eyes fell shut for the last time. His arms that had embraced the Saiyan fell listlessly to his sides. Kakarot felt the boy's form still as he realized that the child had died in his arms. A child that had been sick for most of his life and found solace in the arms of a stranger in his final moments made his eyes sting with tears.

All of the previous deaths he had taken immense satisfaction in, but this death, this one hurt. And Kakarot felt an arm rub at his back as he was jarred by the soft touch. He glanced back up at the monk as he gestured Kakarot outside.

_______

Underneath the cover of the forest, Kakarot and the monk stood side-by-side as the Saiyan tried to rein in his emotions. He had thought that humans were selfish—and yet, this child—a child that's barely lived had merely asked for something so simplistic as a hug from him. He did not plead for his life, nor did he plead for mercy.

'He was only a child...' Kakarot thought silently to himself. 'A child that reminded me of Karot... my son... Have... have I made a huge mistake without realizing it? Have I allowed my own hatred to blind me from the truth?'

"Monkey King," the monk finally acknowledged Kakarot by his prestigious title, and this made the Saiyan look up at him in shock as he was jarred out of his inner turmoil, "do you know why I permitted you to follow me here today?"

"If it was to bring me here so you could kill me, then I haven't fallen for your tricks..." Kakarot warned, ready to reach for his staff if needed.

"No, I brought you here to give you a glimpse of how much humanity suffers the more you refuse to acknowledge those who are worse off than you are," the monk answered. These words were barely enough to still the warrior's hand, even for a moment.

"Worse off? In what way were they 'worse off' than I am?" Kakarot demanded. He had no idea what this man was talking about, and he was closer to following through with Youzi's earlier request if needed.

The monk walked away, and Kakarot angered at this lack of response from the man, followed him once again. While they walked, Kakarot noticed that the monk was leading the Saiyan into a clearing with rock-like structures standing around. He saw something carved into the surfaces, uncertain of what it was until he realized that there were names and dates on them. The scent of decomposing bodies reached his nose, and it was then he realized where the monk had brought him.

"W-what is this place?" Kakarot questioned, feeling somewhat queasy as he looked around in confusion.

"A graveyard, a final resting place for the dead," the monk somberly told the puzzled Saiyan. "Most of them had perished from diseases just like the boy had, others were murdered out of greed and selfishness. As you can see, there are more fresh graves, and soon, no one here to tend to the deceased. The more humanity continues its downward spiral towards extinction, the more likely you will find yourself at odds at the struggle you face within yourself."

"You know nothing about me," Kakarot growled angrily.

"I know that you are a troubled spirit that carries guilt for your crimes and are trying to atone for your previous actions," the monk spoke calmly. "If you continue to run from your problems instead of facing them, you will never find peace."

Those words made Kakarot recall the demon that was demanding for his soul—the very soul that he would give up to him when he did finally die. He would be forever separated from those he cherished, and it hurt. Even though the monk had no idea of the true reason he had killed many a human, it was less likely he would be able to save him from the demon's grasp.

"How can I find peace?" Kakarot asked the monk who turned to leave.

For a few quiet moments, neither spoke. The wind blew against them as the monk glanced back over his shoulder at the warrior.

"By first finding a reason to live," the monk cryptically answered. He started to walk away.

"W-what...?" Kakarot started towards the monk, wanting a better explanation; however, the moment he made one step towards him, he vanished almost though he were a ghost. 'What just happened? Don't tell me I was with a ghost this whole time... but then, why did it all seem so real?'

The graveyard was silent as Kakarot turned and noticed a grave of a child. He once more though of Karot and how cold he had been towards the boy.

'He... he has every right to hate me... so then why...? Why do I feel so guilty?'

The air had a chill as the warrior decided to leave the forest and head back. He had more questions than answers swimming in his head, but he cared not about what awaited him back at home. The only other thing that burdened him was what the monk had said.

How could he find a reason to live if he was a dead man walking at this point?

Fin

_______

Well, this story went a completely different direction than what I was anticipating. Then again, I was pulling some of this from dreams I had in the past month.

The graveyard scene was different in my dream honestly—I dreamed I hugged someone there that I love dearly that had passed away a few years ago. I had another dream that spawned the boy hugging Kakarot on his death bed in similar circumstances.

If I made anyone cry during this sniplet, then I have done my job. I did come close to doing so while writing that death scene—I had to rein in my emotions long enough to finish writing this.

Why I wrote this depressing piece is mainly to explore how Kakarot would react if he knew what his past actions would have had on humanity. It was something to consider since he was more focused on hunting down the last of them. If he did succeed in killing each human except for ChiChi, would Kakarot truly become nothing but Youzi's puppet?

Who was the monk in this story? Was he dead or alive?

Well, I'll leave that to your imaginations considering he did disappear in a graveyard. I love to leave people questioning my writings at times.

As for the poised question he departed with, it was aimed at what Kakarot's morals (or lack of them) by this point in the series. Would he continue his endless genocide route? Or would he reconsider this path after seeing another side of humanity?

If you made it through all these pointless post-story questions, then thank you for reading. This might be the last sniplet for a bit since I am about to start my online class next week. If I do get more writing challenges, they may take a little longer to complete.