~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elani had just reached the secluded cul-de-sac where Bulma had chosen to live. The Saiya-jins had preferred to fly to keep a look out for any form of a militia or army that was stupid enough to try and attack them. None were. They had been following Elani and she had purposely taken the long way hoping that Bulma would have regained consciousness but she had had no such luck.

The Saiya-jins were suspicious that Elani was purposely prolonging the trip and were now very aggravated.

"Oh come on already." Turles whined.

"We must have been walking around for hours and I’m hungry."

"Oh please!" Chichi said with annoyance.

"It’s only been 45 minutes."

"Well, I’m still hungry." Turles said as he pouted.

"Yeah me too. Do you think there’ll be food at the human girl’s house?" Kakarot asked his mate.

"I don’t know and I don’t care." Chichi replied coldly.

"Ask our tour guide." She continued as she pointed to the small girl.

The Saiya-jins all came to a stop and floated to the ground.

Elani was standing in front of a small three-domed house, which was colored a light lavender and white.

Vegeta was the first of the group to realize that Elani had stopped and was already standing in front of the house.

"Is this it?" he asked the Checkisu-jin girl.

Elani nodded briskly.

"Well, you don’t have to present it like it’s something special. Open it!" Vegeta commanded.

The three Saiya-jins behind him exchanged a glance. Prince Vegeta was very impatient and could get very irrational when he was angry. Elani did not favor being yelled at.

"Well what if I don’t know how?" she asked smartly.

Vegeta balled his hands into fists.

"Don’t you know that we can just blast the door down?" He asked whilst trying to keep a calm composure.

"No you can’t. Bulma-san usually trains near the house so she made the walls ki-resistant." Elani stated.

Vegeta blinked. ‘The girl insists on persisting with her nonsense.’

"Let’s make this simple, eh? If you can’t open the door in 30 seconds your friend will be barbecue, understood? She’s not ki-resistant, now is she?" Vegeta asked with evident mockery.

Elani’s eyebrows furrowed. She muttered something quickly under her breath then turned around towards the security keypad. She typed in a pass code then waited while it processed. Behind her she heard Vegeta start counting down. He was on twenty-one. Then the mechanism asked for permission to scan her eyes. She let it. Vegeta was on seventeen.

When all the procedure was finally over the door’s ‘whooshed’ open. Before she could step in the four Saiya-jins pushed past her.

"You are so lucky." Chichi, the last one to go through the door stated.

"The prince was on two. Heh heh."

Elani quietly followed the Saiya-jins inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Noel was almost sure that he had figured out how to summon the dragoness. He was no magician or sorcerer so he wasn’t even sure if he had the right of birth to do what he was planning to.

Margo watched over his shoulder as he read the old inscriptions.

"Noel…" she whined as she saw the confused look that passed over his features.

"Wait… I’ve almost got it." He said through gritted teeth. He was very aware of her powers and did not want to see her angry side yet with all of her impatient prodding he grew very annoyed at her.

"Look, why don’t we just blast it?" she asked him with an air of superiority.

"Because you can’t solve everything with brute strength." Noel said in spite of her.

Sure she was beautiful but she had the personality of a stuck-up queen.

"I’ve got the inscription… it’s just that it doesn’t make any sense. It talks about a blue moon and a black one, two sorceresses or something like that and it talks about war… I don’t understand." He stated as he traced his fingers over the carved message.

"Well, if you think that whatever. Skip the intro and get straight to the incantation. I really don’t care what Miranda’s history is, ok? Read what ever is printed there. If they wrote it they must have meant it." She groaned.

Noel cursed under his breath.

"Fine." Noel grumbled as he stood over the pool of almost black water.

"Alright here goes nothing." He muttered as he cleared his throat and prepared to read the ancient inscriptions.

~~~~~~~~~

The Saiya-jins had allowed Elani to tend to Bulma’s wounds while they explored the house. Of course, Chichi had been assigned to watch over Elani and Bulma.

The Saiya-jin, Checkisu-jin and unconscious human were all in Bulma’s lavish bedroom. Chichi was seated in a wooden chair near Bulma’s desk glaring at Elani and Bulma with hatred. She hadn’t helped Elani take Bulma to the bed. She had dropped the injured human in a pile on the threshold of her bedroom.

Elani watched with worry as Bulma’s thin eyebrows knitted in pain and fatigue. Elani decided that the longer she waited the less of a chance Bulma had for surviving. She stood and immediately crossed over to the other side of the room to search Bulma’s shelves, which were filled with books, packages, items, and different odds and ends. Elani however was very aware of the Saiya-jin woman who was, with her presumptuous glare, practically burning holes into her back. Elani felt very uncomfortable.

‘What will Bulma think when she wakes up and sees this person in her room. She hates strangers and also hates uninvited guests in her house.’ Elani thought with worry as she ran her hand over the top shelf.

‘Where are all of the recovery items that Bulma uses when she’s injured from training??’ Elani asked herself frantically.

Bulma let out a loud moan of pain from where she was lying on her bed and Elani’s heart sank.

"I hope she doesn’t come to so soon. I don’t want her to wake up and have to be I pain." Elani muttered softly.

"Does it matter? She brought it on herself by being cocky and attacking me." Chichi stated as she let her eyes wander over to the suffering girl.

"You- your race- I mean, people from your race destroyed her family, friends, life, planet- her whole existence. I don’t think you can be very rational when revenge looks oh so sweet to you." Elani said calmly as she found the kit and pulled it off the shelf.

"You don’t get strong and win battles by being dumb and making stupid decisions. You can only win if your head is screwed on tightly and you are aware of all your surroundings." Chichi stated.

Elani noticed that the sarcasm and anger had slowly yet surely departed from her voice.

Elani walked over to Bulma’s bedside and started to unwrap the emergency kit.

She removed gauze, bandages, antibiotics, pain relievers and some strange white patches that she had seen Bulma use before. She also removed a pair of scissors deciding that it’d be easier to cut off Bulma’s torn clothes then to have to pull them off and risk worsening her injuries.

Chichi shifted off her seat and onto the floor, though making sure to keep her distance from Elani and Bulma. She looked at all of Elani’s gear and seemed interested at the least.

"We have things like these on Vegeta-sei." Chichi stated as she pointed to the bag of white patches.

Elani looked up at her. "They’re used in place of Rejuvenation tanks. When in space we cannot carry with us the tanks because of their size so we use these strips that concentrate on a certain part of our bodies to heal that. I am surprised that this kind of medical treatment is available on this planet." Chichi said as she stared at her dust-covered boots.

‘Bulma would have a fit over the dirty prints on her white carpet.’ Elani thought aimlessly.

"We don’t have this kind of equipment on Checkisu-sei. Bulma-san just made it to relieve the pain of the injuries she gets while training." Elani stated.

"She must have known that her race was prided on their intelligence, not on their strength. Why she thought she could fight is beyond me. Yet she did it, probably just because of sheer will. She’s so… overconfident, arrogant yet noble. She reminds me so much of the prince and that, I think, is why I despise her. I commend her fighting skills because, I will admit, if it had not been for my mate Kakarot I would have died right there and then by her hand, but also she is too irrational. It makes her reflexes slow when she is only thinking about attacking but not defending. She is too high on her prowess and I think that someone needs to put her back in her place." Chichi stated as she stood and stretched.

The trademark scowl, that Elani noticed the whole band of Saiya-jins had worn, reappeared on the young woman’s face.

"Too much like his highness for her own good. She’ll either come out of this warming his bed or dead by his hand. Get her cleaned up. I have a feeling that we won’t be leaving here with just the four of us. I’ll be outside since the stench of perfumes and disgusting flowers reeks in the air and is making me sick. If you make a single move from the spot you are in right now, you won’t live to see another day. Is that understood?" Chichi asked.

Elani nodded furiously and waited until the Saiya-jin woman left to start tending to Bulma.

~~~~~~~

Margo stood over the black pool of water, gazing at her reflection sinisterly.

Noel stood behind her, with a nervous frown on his face.

"When the wind blows north and south, and howls reverberate off the walls. The dragon demon deems it time to call. Beware of the greed for it shall dig your grave, beware of the hate, only those with hearts impure receive the demon’s ghastly fate." Noel started but was cut off when Margo started laughing.

Noel’s eyebrow’s lowered as he watched the lithe woman stand there and mock his race.

"That is very dishonorable of you. To ridicule a beast which you aspire to control. Nothing will listen to you if you choose to underestimate it." Noel said.

Margo continued her crude laughter.

"You sound like the old geezers who wrote this stuff. They sound like bad poets." Margo said evenly.

Noel sighed as he turned back to the writings.

"The beast, for we can not utter the name, has only thoughts of destruction and misery in its brain ingrained. No mercy comes to those weak of will and poor of righteousness. Not meant to be controlled by her likes she bides her time and doing the biddings of her master only to turn on them when her maximum power is fulfilled. Heed the warning of the three prophetical knights. The demon beast does not fear the sins of spilling blood of the evil. She will be your downfall if you ignore our admonitions. As the wind turns west and the bubble boil," Noel read as he looked over to see the pool start to simmer, "May god bless you on your road to misery and havoc."

Margo stared wide-eyed at the pool. The black water took on a less clear look, what little of that it had to begin with, and looked like thick clinging oil… or blood.

The liquid in the pool started to move. Margo shrieked and stepped back ward and collided with Noel. She watched detachedly as the liquid dissolved into regular water again. She glanced at Noel, who also, was looking wide-eyed at the pool.

"It’s not working." Margo growled in an icy tone.

"M-maybe I have to read something else… Something more?" he asked her.

"Maybe. It had better be." Margo said with meaning dripping from her words.

Noel knew that it sounded like a threat for a reason.

~~~~~~~~~~~

After a short detour to raid the human girl’s kitchen the two male Saiya-jins, by command of their prince, made their way deeper into the house.

"Where do you think she would stash that kind of equipment?" Turles asked.

"We already answered that." Kakarot said with annoyance for his almost identical older brother.

Turles shrugged. "I can’t remember, so why is it?" Turles asked.

"Because she has some way to make things smaller and hide them." Kakarot said, though sounding unsure of himself.

Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"We should look in the basement." Vegeta pointed out.

"It looks too modern up here. The capsules wouldn’t have everyday use, so they’re either down there or somewhere upstairs."

Kakarot and Turles beamed.

The three walked towards the basement door. Finding it odd that it was locked. Vegeta smirked as he placed his hand around the doorknob. He turned his wrist quickly and the lock broke. The door popped open.

"Pitiful humans. If they were trying to keep anything out they should protect it with lasers or something not with just a damn primitive lock." Vegeta said in disdain.

"So, we gonna explore, or what?" Kakarot asked enthusiastically.

"We are not going on an excavation dumb ass. We are searching for damn capsules. It shouldn’t take us long to find so just calm down. So god damn excited about everything." Vegeta growled impatiently.

Vegeta went down into the dark basement first. Kakarot and Turles following slowly behind. Vegeta’s eyes scanned over the area. Nothing but boxes and some old unusable machinery occupied the basement floor.

"Inspect the shelves and inside that vehicle." Vegeta said as he pointed to Bulma’s shiny blue hovercraft.

"Those things have got to be here somewhere."

~~~~~~~~~

Elani hummed a soft song as she cut through the soft fabric of Bulma’s sweater. Or what was left of it actually.

She grimaced as she took in the site of the bruise on Bulma’s side. The dark ugly purplish mark stretched from right under her bra to just above her hipbone.

She touched the spot lightly and watched as Bulma moaned vehemently in pain. Elani recoiled backward as if she had been burned. She stared at Bulma with worry.

‘What if I can’t help her? What if her injuries are too drastic and she dies?’ Elani asked herself.

She finished cutting through the fabric, pushed it off and inspected Bulma’s stomach. Nothing seemed to be fatally wounded. There were just some light marks around her stomach.

"Where she was pounded on by that Saiya-jin woman, no doubt." Elani muttered. She then proceeded to remove Bulma's shorts.

There seemed to be no substantial damage below the waist, apart from a few cuts and scrapes around her knees. The real concern was her chest and stomach.

"Probably broken ribs." Elani told herself as she stared at the ugly bruise that had first caught her attention.

Also, Bulma’s face looked like it might start to swell.

"Why didn’t that Saiya-jin woman have any scars or bruises? She said that Bulma put up a good fight yet she is unharmed…" Elani muttered in confusion.

Bulma narrowed her eyes and groaned as she clenched and unclenched her hand.

Elani whispered words of comfort in her native language as she started rubbing ointment on the tender skin around Bulma’s damaged ribs. Bulma, in her unconscious state, sucked in a big gulp of air as the pressure of Elani’s fingers scaled over her ribs. Elani bit her lip. She hated to have to cause Bulma pain. She pulled open the pack of adhesive healing pads and affixed a large one on Bulma’s side. Hoping to cover most of the bruise.

"Does this heal broken bones?" Elani asked as she watched Bulma’s face contort in anguish.

"I hope it does."

~~~~~~~~

Bulma ran through a dark void and even though she knew she was dreaming she panted heavily and was frightened terribly. She was cold and was in large amounts of pain.

‘What’s going on?’ she asked herself.

She could not open her mouth yet she heard her voice and it wasn’t in her head.

She felt, however slightly, someone near her body yet not near her mind. Someone far away, probably tending to her wounds.

"Why am I not dead?" she asked and this time her mouth moved.

"You will not die until your purpose has been fulfilled." A familiar voice stated.

"My purpose was to defeat the Saiya-jins… and I failed." Bulma said angrily.

"Do you believe that is your fate?" Another voice asked, yet this one was also familiar to Bulma’s ears.

Bulma clutched her shivering hand to her side in pain.

"Yes, I do believe that. If that is not my purpose then why did this happen to me?" she asked as she removed her hand from her side and presented the darkness with her blood stained hand.

"Your purpose is not what you choose. Foolish child! It is what we, the gods, and the wills of otherworldly beings have chosen for you. How dare you think you have the right to determine your future?" an angry voice asked as a blonde woman appeared.

Bulma stepped back.

"Do not be hard on her, my friend." A lavender haired woman stated as she slowly appeared before Bulma.

"She does not know-."

"And she will not." The blonde stated curtly, cutting off the other woman.

They regarded each other closely.

"It’s time for you to return back to your friend. She is terribly worried about you." The blonde woman said as she turned to Bulma.

"No wait." Bulma said frantically.

"What am I doing here? What’s my purpose? Please tell me!" she shrieked.

"You only arrived here by chance. We did not request you nor did you transport yourself. The heavens must be astir. Something must be wrong on land, sea, heaven, or hell. Mishaps like these don’t happen often, Bulma. And we cannot make you forget this time. Heed our warning. Everything happens for a reason. Don’t let anyone control you because it will be your downfall." The lavender haired woman spoke softly.

The next thing Bulma knew she was tumbling through dreamless sleep.

"Why do these things happen to me? Why can’t I be normal and just die." She asked the emptiness angrily.

A thought zapped into her brain and stuck.

"Those two women." She said as realization passed over her features.

"They were Recca and Sage."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Rise with a vengeance. Ring the bells to awaken the beast. Your fate is sealed." Noel read.

‘I don’t like this. They are blatantly telling us that if we are to rupture this tomb we are damned.’ Noel thought with unease.

"Well, why isn’t it working?" Margo asked angrily.

"I think we have to ring a bell." Noel replied.

"What BELL??" Margo screeched as she tossed her head and glared at Noel.

Noel covered his ears as her voice reverberated off the walls and seemed to multiply in intensity.

He looked up at the ceiling and wondered what could have made the echo so large and when his eyes focused on the vast opening his mouth hung open.

"There’s your bell…" he murmured.

Margo pursed her lips in defiance.

"You have got to be kidding me…" she started but trailed off when she took in the sight of the towering chimes.

"Then do we ring it?" she asked.

"There’s no way to get up there." Noel said, now truly believing that they were saved from awakening the dragoness.

"I can fly." Margo stated as she floated upwards and inspected the dark bells.

"They look old. Maybe they won’t work." Noel stated.

"No, Aho, no matter how old they are bells are bells and will work if the interior isn’t destroyed or clogged." Margo said as she flew up into one of the bells.

"Looks good to me." She said as she landed next to him.

"What do I use to ring it?" She asked as she glanced around.

"Maybe you should just hit it?" Noel asked uncaringly. He knew he was sealing his fate by getting involved with Margo.

She flew upwards again and examined.

"Alright. Here goes nothing. Mega punch!" she yelled as she struck the bell.

The bell rung yet swung away from Margo and crashed into it’s twin bell making that one ring too. Margo floated to the ground and covered her ears with her hands. Noel watched in horror as the black liquid of the pool shot upward and was suspended in the air. The gooey liquid slowly started forming arms and legs. Margo clasped her hands together in joy.

"Yes! Awaken Miranda!" she said as she cheered for the bubbling mass.

Noel stepped back because he suddenly felt an overpowering sense of dread. Evil energy was radiating off of the mass and he knew that what he had taken part in had been wrong.

"Margo! This isn’t a great idea! This is dangerous!!" he yelled to her but she was too enthralled with the formation of the dragoness.

In a few moments the dragon goddess was formed and her uncontained power threw them both backwards into the wall. Margo was the first to recover and immediately took charge of the situation.

"I am your ruler, dark dragon Miranda, and you shall do by bidding because I have summoned you!" She yelled loud enough for the dragoness to hear.

Miranda let her violet tinted eyes lock onto Margo’s orange ones then she fell to the ground in a heap.

Noel stood and regarded her warily. She looked like a human in dragon’s skin. She had black scales that covered every inch of her body except for her hands, feet and face. She had thick violet hair and slanted eyes of the same color.

‘It sort of reminds me of Margo.’ Noel thought as he watched the panting dragon at his feet.

"What’s wrong with her?" he asked.

"Nothing. She’s just probably getting used to the environment." Margo stated.

"Rise dragon! And worship your goddess!" Margo exclaimed.

Miranda slowly rose to her feet and watched the two in front of her wearily. She then focused her gaze on Noel.

"You read the scripture to that broke the seal to my tomb?" she asked him.

He swallowed and nodded nervously.

"Yet you rang the bell set me free." She continued as she turned her gaze to Margo.

"My master can only be one person. Not two. Why was it two? Who should I obey?" Miranda asked.

"I am your master. He is just a pawn. I had him read the scripture because I cannot read your language." Margo said as she shot a dirty look to Noel.

"I don’t want to be your master. It was all for Margo." Noel said to Miranda.

Miranda nodded.

"Yes, then I shall obey the orders given by the goddess and only her." Miranda stated as she bowed at Margo’s feet. Margo grinned widely.

"Yes, I am the goddess. The impeccable and almighty goddess…" Margo said with pride as a wicked glint shone in her eyes.

~~~~~~~~~

Elani jumped up from the position she had fallen asleep in. Bulma was awakened by Elani’s sudden movement and was struggling to sit up.

"What’s going on?" Bulma asked with concern.

"I don’t know something’s wrong." Elani muttered. "I can feel it. It’s weird."

She then turned around to glance at Bulma.

"Oh no! You have to rest." Elani said as she put her hands on her hips.

"No time." Bulma stated as she pushed back the covers and swung her feet over the side of the bed. Her head swam as she tried to focus on Elani. "I- I’m fine…" Bulma murmured.

"Yeah, right." Elani said angrily. "You’ve only been out for an hour at the most. Those things don’t work that well." Elani stated.

Bulma stood up expecting to feel the sharp pain of her broken ribs, but she felt nothing. She opened her eyes that she hadn’t noticed she had squeezed tightly shut. She didn’t feel pain at all, only slight soreness around her side.

"See." Bulma exclaimed as she stretched. "I am fine."

Elani regarded her cautiously. "I dunno…" the little girl said suspiciously. She walked over to Bulma and jabbed her in the side.

"Ow!" Bulma shouted.

Elani crossed her arms and gave Bulma a smug look. Bulma pouted.

"It’s just a little sore… And besides, if I poked you as hard as you poked me, you’d be in pain too!" Bulma said as she walked over to her closet to change clothes.

"Bulma-san, no." Elani pleaded.

"Where are the Saiya-jins?" Bulma asked seriously from in side her closet. She was changing her clothes so her voice came out muffled.

"Why should I tell you? You’re just going to go out and get yourself killed." Elani said spitefully.

Bulma walked out in her one-piece violet spandex training suit. (It was sleeveless and was made in a dress form but had shorts underneath that were also a part of the dress.) She glanced at Elani and gave her a sad look. She placed a hand on her hip and stared down at her friend.

"Elani…" Bulma started.

"It’s not like I want to fight a battle where the odds are against me but… it’s like an obligation. These Saiya-jins would never have come here looking for a fight if I hadn’t been so hasty with that Saiya-jin girl. I just feel like it’s my duty to protect the people on this planet." Bulma sighed.

"You’re only one person!" Elani argued.

"You can’t defeat four Saiya-jins by yourself. And if you do, the rest of them will come looking. You’ll have the whole race of Saiya-jins here. I say just let them take what they want and they’ll leave us alone." Elani stated.

Bulma frowned angrily. "You don’t understand! If they find what they are looking for they’ll take it and blow up the planet. I’d rather die fighting for my cause then have to sit here like a coward and wait for the end." Bulma retorted as she pulled on a purple and white breastplate.

Bulma sat down and pulled on her training boots. They were high boots that matched nicely with the armor and reached up to her knees.

"But Bulma." Elani persisted.

"You can’t make me change my mind!" Bulma snapped and Elani immediately closed her mouth.

"Just think of all the innocent people that will die if I sit here and just think about myself." Bulma said as she proceeded to don a pair of white gloves.

Elani crossed her arms. "What’s with all the fancy armor, eh? Are you trying to impress someone??" Elani asked bitterly.

"What? It’s just for protection. What are you talking about??" Bulma asked.

Elani turned her back on her friend.

Bulma’s face saddened.

"Ok, if that’s how you want it Elani." Bulma said as she walked over to her vanity.

She quickly brushed up her hair and slipped on a silver ponytail holder.

"I’m leaving Elani. Ok?" Bulma asked.

"You can’t." Elani stated in a monotone.

"Why not?" Bulma asked feeling irritated with Elani at the moment.

"Because that Saiya-jin woman that you fought is keeping watch outside of your door and the other three Saiya-jins are searching the house for some capsules." Elani stated.

Bulma looked at the girl incredulously.

"You’re letting some evil aliens roam through my house?!" Bulma asked.

"Well, I had no choice really. Either let them in or let them blast their way in…" Elani muttered.

"No way! No way will I let them touch anything that belongs to me without my permission!!" Bulma grumbled as she stormed over to her door.

"No, don’t do that!!" Elani warned.

Bulma swung the door open and came face to face with a surprised Saiya-jin.

~~~~~~~~~

Vegeta angrily stood at the base of the stairs while Turles and Kakarot searched for the capsules.

‘Where could they be??’ Vegeta asked himself as he gritted his teeth.

Kakarot popped open a hidden crate and sucked in a sharp breath.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "I think I found something." He said as he glanced down at the pill like objects in the crate.

"What, Kakarot??" Vegeta asked as he made his way over to the soldier.

"Well, is this it??" Kakarot asked as he stepped back for Vegeta to get a better look at the items.

A wide smirk spread across Vegeta’s lips. "I believe so, Kakarot." He said as he looked through the box.

"Wow…" Turles commented. "There must be at least a hundred in there!"

"Yeah, I knew we could trust the prince’s intuition." Kakarot said.

Vegeta frowned at his Saiya-jin companion.

"Turles, move this crate upstairs." Vegeta ordered as he pulled a random capsule out of the crate.

Turles lifted the wide crate and started up the stairs. Vegeta clicked the top of the capsule he was holding, but nothing happened. Kakarot leaned over his shoulder.

"So… what is it supposed to do?" Kakarot asked.

Vegeta frowned again as he looked over the little white capsule.

It was oblong shaped with a purple band around it. The band said 17.

"I think there is a lock on it." Vegeta sighed.

"Or a scanner. Look, see that green bar there." Kakarot stated as he pointed out the green scanning mechanism.

"So, she has a sort of device that she would scan here to unlock the capsules?" Vegeta asked as he rolled the small pill shaped object between his fingers.

"I suppose so." Kakarot shrugged as he scratched his head.

"Damn humans. Why do they have to be so rebellious? Why couldn’t her stupid father just had given me the damn capsules we would have recognized the technological value of the planet and kept them around! Instead, he chooses for me to annihilate the planet and go searching for his idiotic weak daughter." Vegeta growled as he clenched onto the capsule in his hands.

"Whoa, take it easy! Let’s just go up stairs and see how she’s doing. Maybe she’s alive enough to give us some information." Kakarot suggested.

"Like she would." Vegeta sighed as he led the way up the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh…" Chichi said as she took in the sight of Bulma.

"I’m surprised you’re alive. Wow, and ready for a fight too." Chichi said as she motioned to Bulma’s armor.

"Out of my way, wench." Bulma said angrily as she pushed past Chichi.

Chichi feral snarl as she watched the arrogant girl.

She grabbed Bulma’s wrist, pulled her back, and pressed her to the wall.

"I think it’d be wise for me to inform you that after a battle Saiya-jins get stronger during recovery. In other words there is no doubt that I can beat you now." Chichi warned.

Bulma stayed silent but her sparkling sapphire eyes spoke for her. Bulma was unfazed.

"I think that very unlikely. Since you were weak when you fought me. How much could your strength increase so that you would now be a challenge?" Bulma asked as she removed Chichi’s hand from her wrist.

Chichi let out a slow breath.

"This was your downfall last time. Too much attitude. Don’t let it be this time." Chichi said as she stepped back.

She pressed a button on the scouter over her ear and Bulma and Elani watched as strange numbers and readings flew across the screen.

"It seems like maybe your strength increased, too. Or are you just more worked up then I assumed?" Chichi asked.

Before Bulma could respond Chichi opened a communication link through her scouter and held her hand up signaling for silence.

"Kakarot." She said as the recipient’s link opened.

"Yes?" Kakarot asked.

"The trouble maker is up and looking for a fight. Please inform your prince. Jamatta." Chichi stated as she cut the link.

Chichi turned her dark brown eyes over to Bulma.

"You don’t like the prince?" Bulma asked as she leaned against the wall.

She placed a hand to her sore side.

"Is it that obvious? I despise him actually. He is such a… such a… well, he’s inadequate for the job of king. He knows how I feel towards him and he doesn’t like me much either. So, what’s with the interest? I thought Saiya-jins were dumb barbaric monkeys." Chichi stated as she leaned on the oppisite wall.

"I never said that. But, I will dispose of all of you." Bulma threatened.

"Oh really?" Chichi said as she tried to contain her laughter.

She raised her eyebrow at Bulma in question.

"Well, even if you could defeat us four Saiya-jins, which I know you cannot, do you really think that you could defeat an entire race?" Chichi asked.

"That doesn’t matter. I’ll die trying, if I have to." Bulma retorted.

Chichi sighed as she heard the three Saiya-jin men clomp up the stairs.

Bulma turned her head to look at them.

There were the two that were almost identical, and then there was the prince.

She noticed with embarrassment that the prince looked surprised and somewhat appreciative at the sight of her. She wished she hadn’t chosen to wear the only battle suit she owned that totally showed of her legs like that.

She averted her eyes to the ground and felt her heart quicken. It beat wildly against her rib cage.

‘What’s going on???’ She screamed in her head. ‘Why so I feel so nervous around that guy? He’s a murderer. Cold hearted Ruthless killer! He’s the enemy. The ENEMY!’

Vegeta approached her and stood staring down at the odd woman.

"We have some discussions to do." He stated as he grabbed her wrist.

"Hey!" Bulma yelled as she tried to wrench her hand from his. She immediately noticed that he wasn’t going to be as easy as Chichi was.

"Let go!" Bulma continued as she dug her feet into the carpet and refused to move.

Vegeta smirked and then hefted her over his shoulder.

That got louder protests from her and he somehow welcomed yet regretted it. He liked the feel of being in control of her and having her be so weak against him yet he did not fancy her infernal screeching.

"Put me down, you stupid ape!!" Bulma yelled.

The other three Saiya-jins slowly followed behind Vegeta.

Elani came up at the rear.

‘Oooh. I hope Bulma-san would stop that. Those Saiya-jins don’t look like they like noise much.’ Elani thought desolately.

"I’m going to kill you, you Saiya-jin prick!" She threatened as she pounded on his back with her tiny fists.

"I doubt that." Vegeta sighed.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the palace on Vegeta-sei

"All my fellow Saiya-jins. Listen to the word of your king!" the king announced as he stood in front of the massive throngs of people.

"I have been informed of your discomfort around Lord Frieza. But we have an alliance with him and there is nothing for you to fear. Frieza and his empire will only benefit us and there is no way it can hurt us! Frieza has brought many new things into our kingdom, like rare exotic foods and different warrior species. He has also provided us with the ki weaponry for the weaker soldiers under our command. What can you fear from one who has helped us so? He poses no threat. He will be in the alliance when my son takes over and I know that with the two of them this empire will prosper!" the king said loudly.

The silent citizens suddenly broke out into a cheer at the king’s uplifting words.

"Now," he said as they quieted down.

"Here is Frieza himself who will come here and guarantee all of you that no harm shall come to our nation of people." The king said as he stepped back.

The people watched in horror as the powder white lizard emerged from behind the curtains.

"Yes, King Vegeta. The Saiya-jin Empire is great. Great indeed. The strongest warrior race ever known and you all should be proud." Frieza said as he flashed the audience an innocent smile.

The king smiled smugly.

‘Damn Nappa. Such a pessimist. Frieza wants nothing but to see our great empire flourish.’ The king thought to himself.

"Yet, the rule of you monkeys is to my disliking." Frieza continued.

The crowd was silent yet every face wore a frown. Frieza let a malicious grin pass over his features.

King Vegeta stepped up in confusion. "L-lord Frieza… I don’t understand." The king said.

"You, Vegeta, are not a suitable ruler for these monkeys. You are not. You are not the strongest being in the universe, so you cannot control the strongest race. You although spawned a brat who fits that description well. Prophesied to be the ‘Legendary’, am I right? Is that what that stupid myth is about?" Frieza asked.

The king nodded slowly.

The crowd was offended. The tale of the Legendary was no fairytale to them and hearing Frieza insult their beliefs like that got them riled up.

"Yes, your impudent, disobeying, stubborn arrogant bastard of a son." Frieza sneered.

The crowd exploded with angry outbursts. Even the king was trying to hold back his anger.

"Silence!" Frieza barked.

This order quieted most of the Saiya-jins

"He would make a horrible ruler. So that’s why he must die. Your ‘prince’ will never be coming back from that mission to Checkisu-sei and sadly, neither will you!" Frieza laughed as he plunged his hand into the heart of the king.

He pulled the still beating organ from the king’s body and squeezed the life out of it in front of the kings face. The Saiya-jins roared in unbridled rage.

"Prepare yourselves for an era of hell!" Frieza laughed as his army poured in to contain the Saiya-jins.

"Prepare for the rule of Frieza!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~

Vegeta pulled out a chair in the kitchen and threw Bulma down into the seat. She sat there with her arms crossed and lips pouted.

Vegeta let out an irritated sigh as he walked over to her fridge. Bulma raised an eyebrow at him as he rummaged through her refrigerator.

"What do you think you’re doing?" she asked him. She was outwardly appalled at his audacity.

He held up a bottle of water.

"I’m thirsty. Is that ok with you?" he asked in a mocking tone.

He then smirked at her as she opened her mouth to respond.

"No wait. It doesn’t matter if it’s okay with you. Why should I care?" he said as he opened the water bottle.

The other three Saiya-jins chose this time to enter with Elani right behind them.

Chichi stood near a wall with her tail lashing angrily behind her as Kakarot and Turles slunk to another corner of the kitchen.

Bulma locked eyes with Elani and Elani shrugged helplessly.

‘The Saiya-jins have had a fight.’ Bulma concluded as she watched the death glare Chichi was directing to Kakarot and Turles.

Chichi then turned her gaze to Bulma. She punched the wall angrily making the plaster chip.

"I want to be off this godforsaken planet as soon as possible!" She angrily growled as she stomped out of the room.

Vegeta turned angry eyes upon Kakarot.

"Didn’t I tell you to leave her at home? Now look what you have to deal with. A damn temperamental baka of a woman who can’t even defeat a pathetic human." Vegeta growled.

Kakarot looked down at his feet in shame.

‘Why is he so cruel?’ Bulma asked herself.

Elani watched Bulma looking at the Saiya-jin prince thoughtfully. She didn’t look afraid, angry, or even nervous. She just looked curious.

‘Where did all that emotion go? Where’s the anger and motivation? She doesn’t care anymore.’ Elani told herself.

She turned and walked out of the kitchen. Bulma turned towards where Elani had been standing only to find the space unoccupied.

She was about to call out for Elani when she saw Vegeta sit down in front her. Her eyebrows immediately narrowed in annoyance. Vegeta placed the little white capsule down in front of her. He balanced it so it stood straight up and he looked at her expectantly.

She frowned. "How dare you search my house! Bastards!" Bulma growled.

Vegeta sighed again. "That’s beyond the point." He said. "Open it."

"What makes you think I’ll do anything for you?? Do you know how much I’d like to kill you right now??" Bulma screamed at him.

"Turles." Vegeta commanded.

Turles looked up at the two seated at the table.

"Teach her obedience." Vegeta said with a cruel smirk.

Bulma’s statement fell.

"What?" she asked.

Turles moved behind Bulma and grabbed hold of her long lavender hair. She screeched in pain as he pulled her head back by tugging forcefully on her hair.

"Well, what a nice situation, eh? Here’s the plan; if you open this capsule and prove to me that you can then I won’t have Turles here snap your puny neck." Vegeta offered.

Bulma could barely breathe and was surprised that her neck hadn’t snapped yet. She clutched on to the edge of the table weakly.Bulma reached out for the capsule.

"Ok…" she gasped. "Ok, I’ll do it."

"Good girl." Vegeta complimented as Turles released Bulma’s hair. She immediately brought her hands upward and massaged her neck.

Vegeta slammed his fist on the table making Bulma jump.

"Open it!" he ordered.

"What do you want from this? What do you want from me?" Bulma asked, as she looked into his eyes.

Vegeta blinked in surprise as his vision was filled with her sapphire orbs.

Bulma see Vegeta’s unabashed emotions in the dark depths of his eyes and knew he had no remorse for what he did and planned to do.

"You’re just going to kill me if I tell you how to unlock the capsules." She said as she broke the eye contact.

"And so?" Vegeta asked.

"Why would I want to die?" Bulma asked.

"Woman, you’ve already signed your death wish by attacking that Saiya-jin Chichi. If she doesn’t kill you her mate will. That is common procedure for Saiya-jins. We don’t take kindly to defeat and humiliation, especially not from lower species-" Vegeta started but was cut off by Bulma’s hand flying across his face.

"How dare you! Lower species?? I can beg to differ! You’re part of the race that kill people because you think they are worthless! You’re race plunders and ravages innocent peoples’ land! You are the god damn bastard prince of that barbaric race! And you think that it makes you better because you are strong. You can’t be truly all mighty without intelligence and none of you Saiya-jins have it. So, who’s the higher species, huh? A species that preserves things and learns from mistakes? A species that has smarts and creates things that can bring forth peace, not war! Oh! And you think you are better? You are nothing but spineless monkeys!" Bulma roared.

In a flash she was pinned to the wall. Vegeta was holding her up by her neck and did not seem to care whether he broke it or not.

"You damn ignorant bitch!" he yelled in her face.

Bulma closed her eyes, almost certain that she was going to die right there.

"You know nothing yet you talk like you do! So, your fucking planet got blown up, and whose fault was it? Your father’s." Vegeta growled as he let her go.

She sunk to the ground.

"M-my father’s??" she asked in astonishment.

Vegeta smirked smugly.

"Yes, the only reason I blew up that planet was because I was pissed at your father and his decision not to make a treaty with Saiya-jins. And I thought all that technology that the capsule corporation had was lost, but you pop up." Vegeta said.

He turned around and picked the capsule up off the table. He threw it on the ground near her feet. "Now open it!" he commanded her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Bulma fidgeted with the small capsule in her hands.

She had a screwdriver and many other tools with her because she could not think of what the passwords could be. She learned with desolation that no form of machinery could open it.

Vegeta and the other two Saiya-jins were getting agitated with her.

She looked around the exterior. Wondering if her father had left her a hint of some kind. ‘Aha!’ she exclaimed as her eyes focused on something behind the old peeling ‘capsule brand’ insignia. She peeled it off and raised an eyebrow at what she saw.

It read ‘For Bulma’. And of course it was in her father’s handwriting, yet she didn’t understand what it meant.

She watched the green scanning device then averted her eyes back to the capsule brand sticker and was shocked to see a micro chip stuck to the back of the sticker.

"What?" she muttered softly. Then it clicked in her head.

‘Shit! I should have known! This isn’t a scanning device. This is a mini version of the chip function cards that dad used to make. He’s press a large chip into this green pad, the pieces would click in and the thing would open.’ She thought anxiously to herself.

She delicately plucked the chip off of the back of the sticker and held it between her fingers.

"Ok, here goes nothing." She sighed as she clicked the chip into the green bars on the outside of the capsule.

The capsule made a whoosh sound as it sucked in the chip like a vacuum.

It started beeping and Bulma picked it up. She had caught the attention of the Saiya-jins by now because she was walking towards the door.

Vegeta grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her back.

"Where do you think you’re going??" he asked angrily.

"Well, I know how to open the capsule now and I really don’t relish the thought of having something that could be like 10 meters high explode in my kitchen." Bulma stated as she jerked her arm out of Vegeta’s grasp.

He muttered angrily under his breath as he followed her out of the house.

Bulma pressed the large white button on top of the capsule and threw it far out in front of her.

Vegeta, Kakarot, and Turles were wondering why she was throwing it away but never voiced their doubt. It exploded into a small computer lab system.

"Huh?" Bulma asked.

~~~~~~~~~~

"The first thing I want you to do is kill every Checkisu-jin you see. Ooh, except for the one standing right next to me. And when you get to the town of Fletz stop your killing spree." Margo said to the dragon goddess who was bowing at her feet.

"There you will have to spot a pale skinned, purple haired girl. You bring her to me, ok? There will be four Saiya-jins near her. Kill them. Oh, and the little Checkisu-jin with them also." Margo continued.

"Yes, goddess." Miranda said.

She stood and morphed into a body fitting leather body suit. Jet-black scaled wings protruded from her back and she flexed them as if to get them back in working order.

Margo squealed as she skipped over to where Noel was standing.

"She’s absolutely magnificent, isn’t she?" Margo asked as she slung her arms around his necks.

Noel furiously pushed them off.

"Can’t you see that she’s pure evil?? You can’t feel the dark energy just radiating off of her??" Noel asked angrily.

Margo turned her fathomless dark purple eyes onto Noel’s form.

She bared her fangs at him.

"Almighty goddess, are you sure that you do not want me to dispose of him?" Margo asked as she turned her gaze to the flour white woman.

Margo flipped her bright orange hair over her shoulder and laughed.

"That does seem to be a relevant answer for his treachery and stupidity. Yet… he got me all the way here and I may need him later… You know to seal you back in and whatnot." Margo sighed.

"He is treading harshly on my patience. He is practically jumping on it, trying to snap it. Geez, Noel, you know how angry I can get. So just keep your opinions and bad premonitions to yourself, ok?" She asked him.

He sighed yet nodded slowly.

At the snap of a finger Margo could sic Miranda on him or even worse just turn on him herself.

He shuddered at the thought.

‘What have I gotten myself into??’ he asked himself as he watched Miranda jump into the air and float above Margo’s head.

"How is it? Can you fly?" Margo asked.

"Yes, goddess, I am fully capable." Miranda replied.

"Alright, go on. Go have fun." Margo said with a smirk.

Miranda returned the smirk then took out through the mouth of the cave.

Margo turned around to Noel after Miranda had been gone for a while. She narrowed her eyebrow at him.

"You better not screw this one up." She warned.

Noel gulped.

"Yeah, I know." He sighed as he followed her out of the cave.

* * * * *

(Oh yeah one thing. I use the name of the town Fletz. It doesn’t belong to me, I got it from the video game: The Legend of Dragoon. That game rocks… ^-^)