Authoress' Note: Ever since I've been playing Tales of Berseria, I have seen nightmares that our heroine had to deal with that made little sense of her life before things went to absolute hell for her. Then again, being on the reader's side of everything, I have been following Espeon804 for quite some time now.

For the first time, I am going to write something rather than doodle. Mainly because I have quite a few ideas that I cannot help but ponder about as I write. So, this is a stand-alone idea that follows the relationship of Kakarot and Youzi, the demonic monkey that seems to burden our Saiyan's every thought.

So, thank you Espeon804 for letting me borrow your pet monkey for this one-shot/exploration nightmare thing. I don't own this series—just the idea that's been rattling in my head.

OTES-Kakarot's Nightmare

One-Shot

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Kakarot's eyes opened as the world around him became nothing but absolute darkness that seemed to go on for what felt like an eternity. He had no recollection of how he wound up in this place. The one thing that seemed off-setting was the smell of rotting flesh, the taste of blood, and a chill rolling down his spine. He could see the steam of every exhale of breath—how long had he been out?

Where in the hell was he?

'Fancy you'd ask where you were, considering what you have given me.' A sinister, yet familiar voice whispered, almost though Youzi was once more flesh and blood lurking in the shadows that surrounded the Saiyan.

Kakarot jumped in fright from the voice that had been haunting him ever since he made a deal without his full consent. He regretted ever saving what was left of the only friend he had after he had turned his back on humanity.

The bone necklace hung upon his neck like a noose—it was almost though it were growing tighter by the day ever since he had escaped his imprisonment and killed Chille. Kakarot had mistakenly accepted the demon's extended hand back then. He had foolishly misinterpreted Youzi's hand as a sign of friendship—not knowing that he was surrendering his soul to such a cruel mastermind.

"What's going on?" Kakarot questioned, racking his mind to try and figure out the blank in his mind. One minute, he had been regretting his choice of toying with Mr. Satan—especially after seeing the picture of the little girl whose father he had taken away from the world with his latest game.

Then, nothing.

It was almost though recent events were temporarily misplaced purposely by the resident demon that wanted nothing more than for Kakarot to give up what was left of himself.

His soul.

The only reason Kakarot refused was because he knew that if he gave it to Youzi, there would be nothing that would separate him from protecting his son, his wife, and unborn child. Hell, Youzi would more than likely go after his nephews—both the infant and teen from the future—he would go after Turles, Raditz, and Kauli as well. Then, once Youzi was done, he would have his way with Vegeta and Tarble—perhaps even go after the weaker brother before going after the elder prince just for laughs.

As for whatever remained of humanity, he was certain that what was left would crumble like a deck of cards, and not even the dragon balls would be able to restore all of those lives—especially considering if the demon cared enough to bring them back.

No, he doubted that the demon would even bother to gather them unless to wish for immortality. If Piccolo was even still alive and unfused to Kami, that seemed more like a possibility, but he doubted the Namekian would consider allowing such artifacts to fall into a corrupt soul's hands.

'Would you like to see?'

"Yes," Kakarot growled, irritated by the lack of tact the demon was giving. If Youzi still had a body, he would have been able to walk away from all of this. Unfortunately, this was the grim reality of giving the demon monkey a foothold into complicating his life.

'Very well, though I'm sure you're probably not going to like it...'

The lights temporarily blinded Kakarot as he lifted an arm to allow his sight to focus. When he could finally see, the breath in his throat caught almost though he were choking.

In front of him were the lifeless bodies of his wife, son, brothers, nephews, Kauli, and both princes. Each of them were covered in blood as he saw that they had died in different, horrific manners. He fell to his knees in dismay, horrified by what had happened.

"How...?" Kakarot asked, his voice shaking. A part of him knew how, but he did not want the answer. He did not want to know the truth.

'After you had your episode, I figured it was high time I took matters into my own hands and relieve you of your pitiful attachments.'

"I... I never asked for this," Kakarot grabbed his hair in frustration. "I only wanted..."

Kakarot paused. What did he want? He never took into consideration what he would do after he took care of the foolish humans.

Yet, as he looked them over, he noticed that the most brutality fell upon his wife, who was a full-blooded human. Trunks, both baby and future versions, and his son Karot—no, Gohan, took a little less, but it was still gruesome. The rest of his family, his comrades and the princes, they did not deserve to die.

Did humanity deserve this kind of treatment? Did Kakarot deserve to see his family and comrades' dead because he had no recollection of how they died?

Did humanity actually feel like this when they saw their friends and loved ones lying dead? If so, he felt guilty for what he had done.

Guilty for letting a monster take up residence in his being and telling him to kill without questioning Youzi.

Kakarot thought humans were selfish—hell, he was convinced that humanity hated his kind due to his heritage as a Saiyan. If he did not have a tail, he could have passed as one of them without question.

'Now you don't have a reason to not give up your soul to me...'

"YOU--!" Kakarot started, but the complaint died quickly in his throat as the demon appeared before him, his eyes glowing purple as the Saiyan began to lose control of himself. He was powerless, at his absolute weakest point when the demon took advantage and opened his arms wide. Without meaning to, the Saiyan took a step forward towards the demon who sadistically waited for the puppet to give him exactly what he had longed for.

'Yes, give yourself to me...' Youzi beckoned. It was like a siren's call that Kakarot could no longer fight.

Why should he at this point? He had nothing left to fight for.

Nothing left to live for.

Nothing.

But the end.

________

Kakarot jerked awake, the nightmare heavy on his mind. He looked around and noticed that everyone was still alive. Yet, deep inside, he felt the demon coil almost like a viper—preparing to strike without warning.

How long can he keep up this resistance?

Perhaps until he died.

However, even then, his soul would not know rest.

Especially with the demon that is waiting to devour what is left of him.

Fin