Azule-san
This fanfic was inspired by the movie, The Iron Giant, and how it ends with Giant speeding off into space and blowing up the city-bound missal. Based on the futuristic timeline, of course.
Piccolo lay on the ground, body trembling as he tried to regain himself. Android 17 approached at a steady walk, knowing that the namekian was too weak to flee. Vegeta and Kuririn took a step back, unsure of what to do. Piccolo squeezed his eyes shut as that foot came to rest on his chest, ready to rip right through him.
�NOOOOOO!!!!� Out of nowhere came a loud earth-shaking explosion. Thrown off balance, 17 reeled back, allowing Piccolo to raise his head in the direction of the ruckus.
Gohan leaped from the shadows of the demolished buildings, anger turning his hair gold and his eyes green. Lashing out with the all the viciousness he had in his 9-year-old body, he struck the stunned android in the jaw, sending him flying a good several yards away. Even Vegeta gawked at the outburst.
�G-Gohan?� Piccolo gazed wide-eyed as his pupil�s energy level went back down and he fell to his knees, gasping for breath. He couldn�t believe it. For a second or two, Gohan had actually managed to sustain super saiyajin.
The demi-saiyajin emitted a breathless laugh. �Sorry�Piccolo-san�I know you didn�t want me to come,�
BOOM!!! Android 17 reemerged from the rubble with a loud shout of rage. Burning, yet lifeless eyes sought Gohan, who was too stunned to move. So Piccolo did. Snatching the child up, he burst into an all-out run. Sensing the impending danger, the other two warriors followed close behind.
�Where do you think you�re going?� a deadly calm voice questioned. Piccolo and the others slid to an abrupt halt to find Android 18 perched on top of an overturned car, just a few feet ahead. To make matters worse, 17 was approaching from behind. The z-fighters were trapped.
�Stay back,� Piccolo growled, placing Gohan behind him so that he was in between the group. The child, anger vanished, gripped his mentor�s pant leg, shaking in uncontrollable fear.
�Hey 18, I have an idea!� 17 chirped excitedly.
�Shoot.�
�What say we try that �special� move?�
18 snickered evilly, �Sure! That would be a terrific way to end this!�
�Prepare yourselves, earthling trash!� the male android yelled, exploding up into the air. �Save yourselves�or doom your planet!�
�What?!� Vegeta�s eyes widened in terror. �They can�t mean��
Floating just overhead, brother and sister of death shot massive pillars of energy into the air. The two yellow orbs slowly combined as they gained altitude, creating one massive blast. The sky turned blacker and blacker as the life ki was drained away. The androids laughed hysterically as they flew off into the distance to allow the missal attack to turn back for Earth.
Gohan glanced up at Piccolo, who stared fixedly at the sky. His stiff legs brought him closer in reluctant steps, �W-What do we do, Piccolo-san?�
The namekian tore his gaze off the heavens and looked down at the boy. Before him stood his surrogate son, his pupil, the demi-saiyajin he�d trained and raised for almost 5 years. He also saw the Earth�s last hope.
Piccolo felt an incredible wave of sadness wash over him. He knew what had to be done.
Vegeta and Kuririn glanced over their shoulders as the namekian drew Gohan close, holding him in a one-armed embrace.
Gohan looked up at his mentor questioningly. He wondered why Piccolo was doing this. It seemed like an awfully odd moment to be hugged. All the same, he felt a wave of affection rush through him.
�Farewell�Gohan.� the namekian muttered softly. �No following.�
�What?!� the child drew back, a sudden fright taking hold. �Y-You�you don�t mean that�?�
Piccolo smiled gently, and released him. By now, the beam had turned downwards and was rushing back to earth. Wasting no more time, Piccolo burst into flight, summoning up all his strength. He would need it for this one. �PICCOLO-SAAAAAN!!!!!!!�
Kuririn rushed forward, overcoming his shock to grab hold of the boy before he did anything drastic. Vegeta watched as Piccolo gained altitude. He suddenly knew what was about to happen. Spinning around, he shouted, �FOOLS!! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!!�
Dragging Gohan by both arms, Kuririn followed after the saiyajin prince. If not for the demi-saiyajin having burnt himself out, he would have escaped and gone with Piccolo. Realizing this as he doubled his speed, the namekian silently thanked Kami that the boy had become a super saiyajin too early for his own good.
Closing his eyes, he sent out one more telepathic message, �Win, Gohan.�
The blast hit dead-on, tearing him to shreds. Using all the ki he�d collected from within, he cancelled it out. With a mighty roar, the incredible energy dissipated. Piccolo�s charred body fell. But as he crashed to the ground, body and life spent, a determined smirk remained. His sacrifice had been worth it, even though it was the ultimate.