Dragon Ball; Sage of Hope

Prologue

Chapter 1:

Flying. Flying as if Lord Beerus himself was after him. Then again, he could have used Instant Transmission and escaped to anywhere in the known universe but all rational had been replaced with a need to escape.

Goku certainly had no idea where he was flying off to, ideally, he could go somewhere with plenty of life forms and lay low for a while, whilst staying invisible to Ki sensing. However, he had to run, away from the pain of betrayal, from the pain of hurt, from the pain of watching people he had called close friends betray him as he watched.

After flying for what felt like hours, Goku flew down and landed ungracefully on the ground before rolling into a kneeling position with his head towards the ground, hot tears running like rivers down his cheeks before impacting with the ground.

Slowly but surely the clear skies were soon replaced by thick black clouds that rolled in from nowhere. The previous calm breeze picked up and turned into a howling wind storm and yet Goku chose to stay in his position on the dirt. A few drops of rain fell before they quickly turned into a downpour, churning the dry dirt into thick flowing mud. The hero of earth had been quickly soaked to the bone, yet he chose to stay in the rain, as it washed away the tears.

Pushing himself up he faced towards the sky, as the heavy downpour continue to wash away the tears. Goku forced himself to open his eyes even though the pouring rain made it an arduous task. His dark onyx eyes that had once been filled with hope and a childlike innocence were now nothing more than swirling pools of pain and regret. Goku stared off into the dark clouds as he recalled what had transpired no more than 15 minutes previously...

-Flashback-

A lone figure was cruising slowly through the summer sky, with the midday sun on his back whilst the wind pushed through his hair and the folds of his garments. The legendary blue and orange colouration belonging to the Turtle School of one Master Roshi. A content smile was on his face as he twirled with glee in the air, laughing like a kid as he passed through the scattered clouds. Sure, he could have used instant transmission to get to his destination much quicker, but nothing was better than a slow flight after a long training session, with the cool air capable of cooling both himself and his sore muscles.

His eyes fell upon his destination; Capsule Corporation home to his lifelong friend Bulma Briefs and her family. Goku couldn't help chuckling at the memories of when both he and Bulma had been younger. He shook his head with a chuckle at the specific memory of her shooting him when they had first met. Landing on the ground lightly, Goku then expanded his Ki sense and could sense most his friends in the centre of the large building, alongside two high power levels he recognised. 'Everyone is here, including Beerus and Whis, but why?'

The hero walked up to the main doors of the compound and as a force of habit he expected them to slide aside to give him passage however this time they stayed shut and as such the Saiyan walked unceremoniously nose first into the door with an audible 'ooof' he stumbled back whilst looking puzzled. "That's never happened before." commented Goku to no one before shrugging, "Bulma won't mind if I use instant transmission this time." said Goku as he recalled the amount of times his friend had snapped at him for teleporting into her house randomly.

Pressing the forefinger and middle finger from his right hand simultaneously to his forehead he focused on the Ki signatures in the compound and with a 'shwing' he vanished from the spot. Goku re-materialised in the centre of the living room, with the whole room going silent as soon as he arrived.

"Hey guys!" greeted Goku enthusiastically but got no answer in return. Looking puzzled and worried at the same time he turned slowly on the spot and took in the expression present on everyone present in the room, and he instantly regretted doing so. His eyes fell on Vegeta and Piccolo standing near the entrance, one with a stoic expression and the other with a sick smirk.