Disclaimer: All work and no play makes Toshiba a dull girl (I). All work and no play makes Toshiba a dull girl (don't). All work and no play makes Toshiba a dull girl (own). All work and no play makes Toshiba a dull girl (DBZ).

Notes: This chapter is one that is particularly violent, lots of violence, gruesome, sick, Saving Private Ryan type violence, okay well maybe not that bad. Either way, you know what this means; after all the waiting we finally get a war. Also some sexual type stuff and the ever present swearing. Not for the weak of heart or stomach, or people who are under legal age.

The silence was overwhelming when the announcement hit, every soldier, slave and attendant in the massive hall froze in the their place. The frantic words of the survivor still echoed in everyone's ears, mixing with the sounds of lighter conversation and barked out orders that had filled the hall before. Everything stopped at that those words, everyone merely reflected on the day and time, stamping it on their collective memories where they were when they all heard. And turning to the far wall of the hall, all eyes regarded the deadly presence before them. Seated upon the ornate throne, fist clenched, mouth tensed with rage, black eyes burning, the commander of the largest standing army on the Central Continent, the Scourge of the Fates took in the impossible words of the messenger. Shaking with righteous rage, the warlord did not waver in his gaze, the hard stare levelled at the unfortunate individual who relayed the news.

"If you value your existence at all, you snivelling coward, you will repeat to me what you have just stated and if I find you have been lying to me on this matter, I promise you that painful will take on a whole new meaning." The man merely dropped his head, the weight of the stare and the measure of his message too heavy to bear as he kept his half kneeling position before his liege. His shoulders slumped and the soldier crouched lower to the ground, swallowing hard; he prepared to relay the message that had once before brought the active hall to silence.

"My Lord, I regret to inform you that the Coltello has fallen, slain to a man in a surprise raid last night. We had been close to reaching their camp; we were able to decipher the location from their movements over the past weeks. We were to set out for the final strike within the week; but we were attacked. They came from all sides, out of the darkness of that hell-spawned forest, brandishing weapons I had never seen before. We tried to fight back but their technology, their tactics, their sheer numbers. For as many as we killed they took three times that number. I slaughtered three myself before I was finally brought down, and kept alive to deliver their message. My Lord, I await your command, if you wish me to follow the fate of my squad, I would ask only that you strike me down by your own hand." Gone, the stoic warlord realised, all gone; the pride of his army, his hand picked Elites. The soldiers who had been a part of his ranks since those first frantic years in the desert, all dead. It hit him like a lead weight, the first perception of defeat, the cold wave of denial and the burning strike of rage too much; not now, against someone who knew no fear. He was so close, it was only a matter of time before the Amazonian bitch fell, once he was able to take out Modulus. Without a centre to rally around, the rebels were sure to fall. So close, by the time spring descended upon the land once more, his fleet would have been ready and the land beyond the Mountains would be his, and then, with his navy he could move out to the lands beyond the oceans. All the ends of Gaia would feel his wrath, be under his control, all to be destroyed by a monkey. It was the hardest thing he had ever done, standing calm and collected under the pounding weight of everything, holding fast in the face of his emotion as if it were just another opponent. He could not give up, this weakness would give way to strength, this defeat victory on the battle field, there would be time enough to honour his dead later.

"Tioce, Reismen, stay, the rest of you, out; prepare to move out at dawn for Noi Tide. They think of this as a victory, let it be the last they take." Showing their proper respect, the hall quickly emptied of all but Tioce, Reismen, Enleo and the lone Coltello soldier.

"Please my Lord, I beg you to take my life. I have failed you in battle, have failed my comrades. The only honour left to me is death, the end by your hand."

"Go soldier," the voice so light and tired it could scarce be thought to belong to the man that had ordered the deaths of so many, or had just barked out that order only a moment ago. Staring up in veiled curiosity, he waited nervously to hear the cause of his reprieve.

"You are more valuable to me alive than dead, the dead do not strengthen an army, the dead cannot take revenge. I am giving you this chance, soldier, to redeem your name and that of your dead squad men; do not abuse this gift." Raising his head finally to look upon the man who pardoned his life, he gave his salute and stood proudly before the three sets of staring eyes.

"I will not fail, My Lord Enleo." Bowing and turning, the soldier left the three men alone.

"Did you notice something unusual about his story, Tioce?" Enleo asked as nonchalantly as if he were inquiring about the weather. The head servant, as stunned by the announcement as everyone else in the room couldn't even ponder the question, let alone answer it.

"You must listen more carefully, Tioce, there is more in what his story that what he was saying, it was what he didn't say, or mention." Deciding not to make them guess at his cryptic meaning, he continued to speculate. "He said that they were still hunting the rebels, that they were to strike the rebels main encampment within the week. Did you not send the messenger to tell them to prepare for the battle against Bushi, even if they had not dealt with the rebels? Two messages you sent, and yet, neither was received. It is also of interest that the enemy was more informed of my action than my own men, which would indicate that I've been betrayed." Thoroughly shocked and horrified was the only description one could give to the expression on Tioce's face.

"I swear to you, My Lord, I would sooner betray my bonded oath than cut off my own arm." In a rarity that only added to Tioce's shock, Enleo laughed, a low laugh of true humour and inherent superiority.

"If you wished to betray me, you would have struck deeper with that razor. It is not your loyalty I question but those of my messengers, and my own common sense for choosing them. It will be a lesson not long forgotten, never send a boy to do a soldier's job. But now you can be of great value to me, go and request of those hell-spawned teches to contact their leader and make whatever improvements that are necessary to perfect that pulse cannon. Where we have lost out now in brute force, we must make up for with cunning and technology. Come for me in the war room when you have gotten the old psycho's attention, the less time I have to spend in his presence the better." Soon the number had dwindled down once more until even the last, the commander and second in command made their war towards the army's centre of operation.

"My Lord, if I might inquire, how do you possibly think that old man can help us. I saw that creature destroy the pulse cannon with no visible effort, even produced a blast of greater intensity from, somewhere. I hate to use the word inconceivable..."

"Then don't, such word infects men's minds, makes them vulnerable, gives opponents an exploitable weakness; a fighter cannot have such hindrance when his very life is at stake. But to the matter of what to do about the Saiyajin, the answer is what I can, but you put too much thought towards this tailed abomination. There is more behind his actions than just power, if there was he would have killed me four days ago when he put that hole in my window. No, he is not interested merely in power, not like that; it would be harder if he was, ultimate power is a simple clear goal, and can be pursued without question or complication. Our enemy is obviously a soldier, obviously has fought for power before, but fighting for peace by its very nature is contradictory, it will be a weakness, perhaps the only one he has. I have worked too long and too hard, Reismen, to be destroyed by a mere monkey and some half breed bitch. They have struck closer than I would have thought possible, I see that I have become too lax since my last victory against old Bushi forces, but this is far from over I can assure you. I have survived too long to just give up and I will see the end of this as I stand triumphant in an ocean of their blood." Reismen had long ago learned of his leader's madness, that loss of that part of his brain that could allow him to slaughter masses at will and feel neither pity and guilt at the deed. Whatever deficiency of conscience the man had, his sadistic madness made him a winner, brought men to his side to fight, and butchered those that stood in his way. It was his maniacal nature which brought him to the top, but the detached tremor in his proclamation sent a shiver down the seasoned warrior's spine. For all of his attempts to quell the hard core madness of his truer nature, Reismen could see the restraints loosening, his grip on reality or common sense weakening, the insanity that only came about when he was torturing or raping women now pushing to the surface, at the time when they needed the rational tactician the most. Just seeing his tense posture, the minute shaky from the strain of holding everything in when all his master wanted to do was explode, was a silent reminder of who he truly served. The last line betrayed the most, that pure sadism, how hard the loss of the Coltello was to him, both in the power of his war machine and to his pride, beaten by rebels, ambushed and massacred by the most unworthy opponents. Before the soldier's revelation, the extent of this battle never entered his master's mind; after coming face to face with his opponent, and had reluctantly ordered any available re-enforcements from the Eastern provinces. He had always reassured that they could win, their foe was strong, but the soldiers that serve under him were flesh and blood and were easy enough fodder in a battle. The Saiyajin too seemed not to concern the warlord, if his master's first mistake was joining forces with that decrepit old bastard, his greatest was having too much faith that those twisted sentinels of mental and wire would accomplish what his own fighting force could not. It was the hardest of blows to learn that it was not the Saiyajin, a being with power that the second in command could scarcely dream of, but a group of common nothing soldiers, men barely trainees in battle who crushed the mighty symbol of his rule. The war had lost its exact meaning now, it wasn't a territorial dispute, a fight to avenged loved ones or comrades or egos, or the eventually clash against two empires as the previous battle. All causes or grievances were there, mixed and moulded together into one singular need to fight, to survive and to win, at any cost or any sacrifice and even with that boast to live through, to walk through an ocean of blood, the outcome for all of them was uncertain, the future would be written on that battle field tomorrow.

"You know as well as I, my Lord, that we must plan now more than ever, the victory is not assured, for all of the Saiyajin's weakness, we do not know what his, or Modulus' involvement will do." The admission of failure, even if it was just stating the possibility brought Enleo back to a measure of sense, he only needed to hold on long enough to get through this latest threat but in the battle tomorrow, he would exact his need for release by the end of his sword.

"Of course, I have seriously underestimated my opponent, it would seem. There is a price for mismanagement and complacency and we must make up the difference; are you coming with me, Reismen?" After every torture and evil he had seen at the hands of this man, the number of times he had faced death at his command, and the very real possibility that his payment would soon come due, Reismen still did not hesitate.

"I gave you my vow of loyalty and I will not falter under it."

"See that it is so." Enleo replied, finally making it to his grand study. Grinding his teeth, he conceded his defeat, it didn't matter right here and now, he had to dig himself out now, pull out all the resources he could to pull off the victory, which, like the one before, was going to be a miracle; it was going to be a long night.

~~~~~

He had been through every map, chart, the listing of all of his troops and an inventory of his armoury, it wasn't enough, not in such a short time.

He had reserves of men and resources to crush Bushi and Modulus, but at the cost of losing his other holdings in the south, east, and west. He had never wanted to admit that those two houses were worthy of such a fighting force, that two women, two creatures lower than the filthiest mule could possibly take so much effort to crush. He had never seen the necessity in building up any kind of greater force to take down Bushi, leaving the Amazonian brat as he conquered and lay waste to the old Lord territories. It had been more important to secure the hostile areas than to go after some half breed bitch. Now, he was again facing his greatest challenge, the house of Bushi under a new leader with a new ally. Over four years the positions of the two rivals had reversed, the once great fighting house now the upstart nipping at his heels. And while he had grown strong and almost unbeatable in that time, he had encounter the problem of all great powers and empires, forces spread too thin, the reigns of power too loose in his grasp. He could have done it; given another month or a couple of weeks, he could have made the necessary manoeuvres, forced those damned teches and their accursed superior to build him something to equal the power of those Saiyajins. But he didn't have a month, or a few weeks, or even days to do such planning, he had no more than sixteen hours until he once again met his destiny. Sixteen hours, with three thousand soldiers, one thousand hand held pulse weapons, five heat laser cannons and twenty thousand troops too far away to reach in time. And in only six months, he would have conquered the land east of the mountains and all of the Central Continent would have been his, so close.

There was still a chance he could win, if he took out that damn flying ape, the enemy soldiers would lose both their leader and their greatest weapon. With his newest rival out of the picture, he would complete the job he was too slipshod with the first time and purge the name and blood of Bushi off the face of the planet.

"We could try to contact the honour guard from the North eastern territories. In the case of a siege, they could … " Of all the enemies that would take him down, he never had thought it would be his own pride, and a space monkey. So close, but it wasn't enough; what was he thinking, he would not allow this to happen, to allow himself to be defeated.

A light knock sounded at the door, halting Reismen's strategic speculations and brought Enleo's anger, now recovering from the overt shock, boiling to a rage. The rush of the opening door felt unnatural in the silent room, the stark, ashen face of his stunned valet only added to the atmosphere of misery that had surrounded the day.

"It had better be good, Tioce, what in the hells did that old fucker have to say?"

"I, I, I'm afraid, Lord Enleo, th… that I was unable to speak with Master Gero…"

"WHAT! What the fuck do you mean you were 'unable to speak with Master Gero'? If that old bastard has decided to ignore our alliance, I swear I'll rise up from hell itself to destroy him. And, Tioce, if you don't have something to tell me quick, you will join him; I'm sure Dolore would love another crack at you." The sudden pressure of so much, so fast was evident by the etched lines of stress, fatigue and rage on Enleo's dark face. The soulless black eyes that revelled in the pain and misery of other was now drowning in their own defeat.

"My Lord, I was unable to contact the Master tech, I was instead told that a visiting dignitary and ally of Gero's wished to speak with you, sir." The grounding sound of the warlord's already clenched jaw caused Tioce to gulp nervously and back away from the human powder keg. While the temperamental warrior had grown more into the role of a emissary than a conqueror as of late, he loathed beyond all imagining the airs and graces of diplomacy. That now, in the time of his greatest crisis that he must be called upon to act in such a manner to a primping weakling, it made the whole ordeal that more gaoling. It took a second or two to get under control, the tension to ease from his muscles and that calm, cool, collectivism to return to his eyes.

"Reismen, implement the changes to the formations, avoid all one on one combat until we've disarmed or destroyed enough of their number, or eliminated those light weapons of theirs; we have the sharp shooters, they don't. I want the laser cannons focussed on their leader, if he goes so does their best chance at victory. Tioce, this had better be good."

~~~~~

"So I finally get to meet the man that thinks he can take on the Saiyajins, though I do not appreciate being made to wait." Only twice in his life had he felt it, that numb, fevered, horrific sense of fear which had gripped him only once before that week. Once, he had been inspired to truly fear at the black stare of that powerful monkey, now, oh the hells and all the Pantheon, nothing could come close to the terror born out of those ruby eyes. Such a contradiction, so much evil in that doll-like face. The scene before him, the faces looking out at him in both light or shadowed made the blood freeze in his veins. Looking out at him from the screen of Gero's communication device was the devil himself, smiling mockingly at his pitiful fear. And behind him, standing at attention was the devil's army, a collection of beings enough to inspire a decade of nightmares on their own accord.

"It is no matter, supremely arrogant I am, thinking my reputation had proceeded me. I guess there are still corners of this universe where I am unknown, though not unfeared it would seem." A raspy chuckle, slightly distorted by the transmission, the sound followed by the odd snicker from the shadowed figures in the background.

"It would seem you have the advantage them, then maybe you would tell me your name, as you already mine." He couldn't even keep his fear out of his voice, let alone his expression. His words were uncertain and broken as he spoke his first words to the creature, his overwhelming pride deserting him under that ridiculing, alien gaze.

"Now, now, it is unnecessary for you to know my name, though I am glad to see you know something of the way of servitude, it is so rare in a soldier to find such an attitude. I know much of the two warriors you are dealing with, the truest definition of thorns in the side and yet you think you can beat them with simple gadgets and weakling soldiers. Valiant attempt but ultimately futile, if my dealings with humans has taught me anything, it is that you think big but can do very little."

"And why are you telling me this, if I and my fight against the Saiyajins is nothing but a mockery?"

"Getting right to the heart of the matter, a quality I've always admired, cutting through the unnecessary pleasantries, a trait of a true warrior. It is also a rare thing that I've found amongst your kind, my interactions with Gero had almost made me give up on humans all together. Out of all of your annoyances, you can be of some use. I propose an alliance, I'll assist you with your Saiyajin problem if you swear fealty to me. I wish these creatures wiped from the universe, and you want them gone as well; as we want a similar end, I cannot see any reason we cannot work together."

It was a miracle, a reprieve from the last minute, pulling him back from the edge of hell, or maybe he was tossing himself into the very pit.

"My fealty, seems like a small price to pay for such a task?" Enleo's words grew bolder, almost with the sheer weight of disbelief at the offer. With the unexpected announcement, so too did he lose his paralysing fear, the creature might have crushed him like a bug, but the demon's intent was not his death, but to actually help him. Yet, there was something more, beyond the simple words from the pink, purple and white monstrosity. The returning bravado to his voice earned the now cock sure human a growl and a curse from one of the various armoured figures stationed behind their leader. A raised hand and a look of pure rage ended the blowfish's tirade and confirmed Enleo's first impression before him. The demon's own men feared him, fear well earned it would seem; Enleo smirked, almost feeling sorry for the Saiyajin but he would truly obtain his vengeance.

"There is a find line between getting to the heart of the matter and insolence, do not cross it unless you are willing to face the consequences, especially with what I am offering. You and I both wish to rule, though your goals are much smaller than mine; I want a foot hold into his galaxy, something to expand my empire; but I am wise enough to know that I cannot monitor all of my acquisitions. I will allow you to rule this planet under my name, all resources will be forfeit for my use, and you will rule as my agent on this planet. Gero long ago sold away whatever soul that was left in that shell, I give you the choice now, will you be the saviour of your planet, or just another nail in its coffin?" What difference did it make; he, once with dominion over his fate was now merely another blip in the grand scheme, tossed about in the currents of history. He could not change the future, it had been written long ago by powers and forces he didn't know existed. And now, there were here, the long held reality swept away and the best any of them could do was survive. It went against his personal dignity, against everything he believed and prided in himself to get down on his knees and swear his life away to that deceptive looking tyrant. Heroism be damned, this was about survival, about coming out on top, a little humility was well worth the price for continued life and the promise of unlimited power.

"I vow on my life to serve you, My Lord."

"Excellent. I was under the impression that you are to face your enemy tomorrow and I see no reason for you to change your plans. I only need for you to throw down those that follow the Saiyajins; once they are disposed off, I am sure the rest of the world will follow. My men and I will take the two monkeys, all you have to do against them is survive for one hour while I have another matter taken care of." The deal was struck, it really was much easier than Enleo could imagine, signing over his independence. By the scale of his honour, defeat weighted heavier than his own self rule. He was presented with his price and his options and he took the less of the two personal evils. The welfare of Gaia and her people were not of his caring, diplomacy was only of use until he possessed the power to crush his enemies total and now he had. It was truly in his best interest, there could be no difference between his tyranny and that of the being before him; in the end, he would control the whole planet and that was his goal from the beginning. It was a means to an end, Enleo assured himself, exacting a revenge for the massacre of his men and with that, the devil of a single planet signed away his soul to a greater devil than himself.

~~~~~

It was a scene many times encountered in this room, the thick old table surrounded by individuals, the heads of their respective fields. Often the top of the wooden circle could not be seen for the maps and paper strewn about, but not today, not for this council. It would be perhaps the last council held at the familiar table and it held only one map, a geographical relief of Noi Tide. The euphoria at the unexpected announcement late last night about the rebel victory and the end of the most feared fighting force on the known Central Continent was still high amongst the warriors. It truly was the best they could have hoped for, a lightning quick strike that caught the Coltello off guard, a victory with few casualties and no prisoners. Now the four beings around the table hoped such a successful victory could be carried over to tomorrow, the influence of the encroaching battle coming over all of them as Kreden presented his primary strategies for troop placement.

ChiChi watched the proceedings with a mixture of excitement and sadness, her troops were headed into battle tomorrow and she would not be with them. Four years of preparing, battling, leading her people in both triumph and defeat all boiled down into six days of training to face their greatest adversary. War always did make strange bed fellows, it had brought her into an alliance with Modulus, a rarity for a fighting house to ally with a technical house. And now, looking up at the man who had turned her life inside out, she wondered about what forces had brought them here to this point; strange bed fellows indeed. From finding such soaring joy in the wake of her worst defeat to date and then to face being enemies and strangers again. How he had wounded her, decimating her pride and throwing her reluctant sacrifice in her face. She didn't know what was more maddening to watch him take over her house and destroy her, or that even through all of it that she was coming to care for him. He could have done worse, could enslave her warrior, betray them to Enleo, use that fascinating destructive power of his to kill them all without a second thought but he didn't. Instead, he trained them, claimed her warriors as his own, took up their righteous cause; only her, her place and the treatment given to her was the last sticking point. She sighed softly, lost temporarily in her thoughts, what would her father think of her falling for such an unpredictable, impossible man? He's probably shout, threaten and try to fight the cocky Saiyajin until he saw Kakarott's power and then embrace his claim to her as a worthy husband. A husband, she guessed he was, the first man to win over her, bed her and she would surely not take another now. Absently she rubbed the scarred puncture wounds on her neck, his mark of ownership and their union, he had said. Even at the though of her being owned brought her blood to boil even as she recovered from his touch. She had railed against him vehemently, proclaiming that he better wait until she got her hands on a brand, then they would see who had marked whom. The smug bastard, he had only laughed at her anger and began touching and tasting her again until she was first laughing with him then melting into his arms.

"The plans seem fine, as long as the soldiers are in a state to actually fight at the level we'll need, and since you were in charge of training, I guess I would like to hear your opinion, ChiChi." Damn him, he must have noticed her vague stare, probably could even guess what she was thinking about. Huffing to herself, she straightened, not giving him the satisfaction of knowing he caught her off guard.

"The majority of my men were under my father's command or came from strong fighting or military backgrounds; they have been ready and willing since Enleo's thirst for power wiped away their former lives. We do have a fair number of newer, greener troops, originally farmers, peasants that were just victims of disputes between Enleo and local landowners. I've noted a few with considerable talent, both in combat and leadership skills, maybe not for direct, one on one assaults but defensive manoeuvres. I did also think of establishing a platoon of the newer soldiers, those familiar with the area as we have a few hunters and trappers in our number, could circle around unnoticed through the surrounding wilderness. They could be part of the forces guarding our back but when signalled could be used to attack the rear guard of the main enemy forces. As brilliant a strategist as Enleo might be, he is equipped mostly for desert fighting, open field against the opposing force and the elements, but he is not against using lower tactics to win, it would be wise to have guards around the woods to cover any underhanded attack. Even with the loss of the Coltello, he will be a formidable force."

"Protection of our sharp shooters is less of a priority, they would be far enough behind the main line that their safety is a non-issue. If you think we can trust them for the such a task as that then I want them situated here, and here," Kakarott indicated on the well lined map.

"After the main battle has commenced, a platoon will circle around through the surrounding brush and attack at their rear guard, it will definitely help, even if it spreads our main force out. With two fronts opened they will be fighting back to back, a defence that will be hard to maintain no matter their number. Make sure that those who are assigned have the top ki weaponry and training for the weapons, it might be too much to hope for that the same basic scenario will work a second time against Enleo's troops but as they are not our best, any deficiency should be supplemented. I guess that would be your department then," the Saiyajin indicated to the white and blue garbed tech. Looking rather blustered and out of his element, Sar'in stood, the lines of exhaustion forged so strongly on his face, attesting to the countless hours and sleepless night of working first under her and then the Saiyajin. Fates, for that degree of loyalty, especially from a slave. She knew that Bulma could be hard and cruel when the need arose but she did she soft with many of her people, remembering when that insolent, scarred guard had spoken so out of terms back when this insanity had first begun. It seemed years and years ago now, only a few weeks really, and always Sar'in was by her side even while her own men were honour bound to desert her. She had never known a life without freedom, well, for most of it anyway, and that this man had spent his life in that sort of environment, beaten and used as property, until he was finally brushed off and educated into something more than a mere labour saving device. Perhaps that's why he followed Bulma so faithfully, it was rumoured she had once known the sting of slavery. Such a past might also explain why he did so much for her, knowing what a Kennel cage and uncertain future at the hands of a cruel owner could be like. What would happen to him if they failed, she knew she shouldn't think so but considering Enleo's tales, or his list of atrocities, for those that stood in his way, particular women, the punishments were harsh. She would just have to hope that he would die in the case of defeat, and that she and Bulma would die too, before death became a release. Dear Fates, please let it not come to that.

"I've analysed the heat weapon you brought us, it is quite remarkable in design and power source. As far as I can tell it consists of a chamber of super heated neon, a focussing lens and a small electrical source. When they pull the trigger, a jolt of electricity surges through the chamber, forcing the neon to form a strong light source. The lens aim and magnify the light until it forces it into a concentrated laser, and a weapon that can burn through almost anything. The good news is, there is a relatively simple method to adjusting the armour; the bad news is, it only works on the hard held models, not the larger, cannon weapons that you described."

"That's okay, I had originally planned for Vegita and I to be decoys against the cannons. While they centre their attack…" ChiChi stifled a shutter at that name. Vegita, just the thought of that diminutive tyrant, a cruel, sadistic creature; what horrors Bulma must be going through now, and what Kakarott was subjected to before. The conversation continued, switching voices from Kakarott's low tenor, to Kreden's gritty tones and back to Sar'in's soft, calm voice, but she took none of their words in. Why must this space pirate and royal spoiled brat have to participate in this battle? She understood the need and the contribution he could make but just the thought of him and how callously would have killed her the other day, could he even be trusted? Even in that question she had to pause, Kakarott obviously trusted him, thought enough of him that he felt it necessary to come to an unknown planet to protect his Prince. In a perverse sense, she actually owed Vegita for bringing Kakarott to her, not that she'd be thanking him anytime soon. He was a reminder of what Kakarott was before he came to her; that the gentle compassionate man was only a recent occurrence for him, that he too was a slayer of planets, his hand so stained with blood. Either way, she wasn't about to grant the Saiyajin Prince any pardons, at least Kakarott was trying to amend his wrongs, Vegita simply revelled in his sadism.

"… after the silver coating is applied, another spraying of a carbon-fluoride based polymers Thak and I developed is applied, based on the outer layer coating the space pod. Between the two of them, we're hoping to deflect the beam and dissipate the heat away from the skin. The laser required seven milliseconds of direct contact with an object to allow the beam to being cutting; out hope is that the silver coating can deflect and reduce its intensity. We've had mostly positive tests so far and we're hopeful that it can take away whatever threat the smaller lasers might have presented."

"How many can be produced before tomorrow?"

"We've already produced seventy but once we can get some more help twelve hundred is a good estimate."

"That's enough to protect the main force, use what means are necessary to complete it. We move out at nine in the morning, using the carriers we should arrive in an hour and a half. I'll see you all in the morning." A salute from Kreden and a dejected look from Sar'in, ChiChi and the Saiyajin were left to themselves. Breathing slowly to calm her pounding heart, she could feel his gaze burning her, as it had for most of the meeting, the odd glance he gave her way enough to make her mind go blank. Her unresponsive, far off look was so obvious she could imagine what they all must have thought. Oh well, it was either now or never, if she was going to prove herself and trying make them equals, this was the time. Besides, the man was so adamant about her not going he would probably check every carrier to ensure she wasn't aboard.

"I am only going to make this request one more time …"

"Hmph, I could only wish." That cool mocking voice interrupted her carefully worded plea, plucking at her anger and frustration like the string of a bow and in response, she cracked. Husband, lover, vowed leader or not, she would not let anyone, especially some cocky male, dictate to her. She had argued, raged and reasoned against that indelible will, but if he thought she would be silent on this point once more, he was very much mistaken.

"Don't you dare speak as thus to me. I am requesting, no demanding, that you allow me to fight with my troops." Her anger receded by slow increments as a large, heavy hand fell over her shoulder, the hand griping her, lifting her out of the chair and turned her, her legs dangling above the ground. She hardened herself against anything he could say, any denial he could give her; it was the last sticky point of forging a true workable equality between them. Faced with those twin pools though, neither of them looking very friendly, she lost her voice for the moment and remained silent as he snarled at her.

"I told you before as I am telling you now, no; you will not be allowed to fight. If you're out on that field, I'll only worry about your safety, I'll be thinking more about you than about destroying the cannons. As good as that armour, or those ki weapons are, it is nothing against those things and if they are not quickly done away with they could easily wipe all of you out."

"Is that your grand excuse, my safety, or is it that you need to make excuses for your own weaknesses. I can't believe you sometimes, you deem me good enough to train, but not to fight. It was quite alright for me to fight before, damn it, you wanted to kill me before; and now, now that you've gotten what you wanted out of me, you deny me my dignity. Don't you understand, I've spent my entire life fighting, it was the one true thing that my father granted me, the right to decide my fate." Feeling the moisture well up in her eyes, her body lightly shaking with the weight of her confession, she brushed off the weakness she was showing in front of him. She would be damned if she gave him the excuse of her gender as reason, she was surprised he hadn't used it yet. She was about to stop for a minute, to collect her thoughts, prepare herself for the obvious backlash and refusal that would come from this little speech, as he had to all the others before it. Who was she kidding; maybe she just should give up, she was a sign of the old times, of her people's defeat and a link to their terrible past. She couldn't give them victory, could do nothing more than provide a few years of sanctuary, a dream none of them could never have and a past that was gone forever. He was the future, was stronger than Enleo or her father and she had seen inside of him at his goodness, so long hidden but there none the less.

"It might not have been my fate to lead them into battle, or to bring them victory but I've earned the right to fight tomorrow. You know I'll be needed, that I'm the best fighter in this house, and that I'll be a leader on that field and yet, like some edict from the Fates you just proclaim that no, you can't. If you won't let me go, than at least tell me, is it because I'm a woman, because you think I'm weak, or that damn chauvinistic pride." In the end she was actually smiling, the weight of so much finally lifted off of her, and now she might at last make him understand.

"And what if it is my chauvinistic pride?" His smirk and the sarcasm of his words was tempered by his soft tone and the way he held her gently in his arms.

"Hmph, guess it's just another failing I'm going to have to beat out of you." Giving a small smile at the impossibility of her boast, he then got serious, his hold tightening minutely.

"My pride aside, as a warrior you understand the risks, as the former leader and the daughter of their greatest enemy, you'll be a prime target. I won't be there to protect you and you humans are much too delicate."

"I would hate to think of that as the words you will use in our battle cry tomorrow. I understand the risks, you can't protect me forever, better to face my death head on. I'm sure a Saiyajin would expect nothing less from themselves. I'll wear Sar'in's armour, and I'm just as well trained in the use of the ki weaponry as any of our troops." He was giving in, she could feel it, that damn stubborn, wonderful ass might actually relent; there might be hope for him yet.

"It's nice to see that your brain works just as well as your mouth, after such a display of logic as that, I guess it would be prudent to allow you to lead the second wave. You had better be wearing that armour though, and if I heard one word out of you, I'll …"

"You'll what?" She couldn't keep from laughing, what difference did it make if she was finally meeting her parents' killer, she had actually made him give, and it was a victory that never tasted so sweet. Her laughter was short lived as she was pitched forward and found herself slung over his shoulder. Screaming and cursing him and it was he now who laughed at her expense.

"I warned you." He chided her, walking down the hall towards their room, grinning as she pounded on his back; Kakarott not caring of the scene he was making and ChiChi too mad to realise. He growled softly as her fingers brushed his tail; his little Amazon, never giving up, even with her back at the wall. Even without him at her side he knew she would be safe, every single man on their side would guard her with their lives.

~~~~~

She was greeted from her sleepy haze by the warm light of the sun streaming through the thin silk curtains, a hand caressing her stomach and a soft, furry tail stroking her inner thigh. A light growl sounded from the hard body behind her at the change in her breathing and she stretched leisurely against the male who enveloped her in his embrace. Rubbing herself against him, she was half hoping he was interested, even against her better sense that begged for rest, his previous intentions the night before completely exhausting her fragile body. It made her wish he had never broken the collar, he might have had good stamina before but now, it was beyond anything she had experienced with her former lovers. It was more than that though, more than just the pleasure he brought her in bed; it was his scent, his voice, those eyes that just bore through her, and the sharp wit and intelligence that lay behind them. After all of her years of searching, of all the men who had faced against her or brought her the simple pleasure of sex, she had found her challenge, someone who was her match. It wasn't often a woman found her match, a being to challenge her mentally, physically and emotionally, could both soothe and excite her with his presence, and still leave her wanting more. He was the first to earn her respect, that rare part of herself she had bestowed only to her father and her old benefactor. None had come so close to being her equal, and for that alone she would follow him wherever he might take her, for all of the arrogant ass he was. Besides, it was hard to give into sleep when her Saiyajin no Ouji was touching her so. Nuzzling up against him, she cooed softly as his lips traced the line of her neck, lingering on the light symbols of his affection he left from the night before.

"You don't happen to know what time it is?" She whispered softly, leaning her head back to give him more to play with. Vegita couldn't help but smirk at her dream like voice; he had picked up through the intangible link her confession of exhaustion, not that he couldn't sense her body like he could his own. It was a weight off of him to hear her proclaim those words, though she didn't realise that he heard her confession of loyalty and the wish to willingly come with him, to hear her claim it as an absolute truth even as his own certainty was in question. Kami forbid she learn the full extent of their mental bond, if she knew, would she try to seal her thoughts away from him, or worse, look into his own? Whatever unguarded thoughts she had picked up since that night would have to stop; he would have to construct a stronger mental barrier against such occurrences, for her safety as well as his sanity. He couldn't have her peering into his mind and using his hidden thoughts in argument against him. Worse would be if she realised about how much he didn't reveal to her, what she might see or experience through the bond, even feel his pain during a battle. He had to take whatever steps were necessary hide the little advantage he now had over her, even while he knew it would only be a matter of time. His control and sense had almost splintered apart during the night and it soothed him more than he wished to contemplate hearing the candid truth of her thoughts when her actions spoke otherwise, revelling in the strange comfort of reaching out and caressing his soul against her own.

He had stayed awake long into the night, merely dosing when his mate was fast asleep after making love. The questions that plagued his mind since that night, what he had been thinking when he allowed himself to bond and chain himself to her, the sacrifices to his pride, the ones he had already made in keeping her alive when his oath had been, at one point, to kill her. How could he explain to his father and his people that their new queen would be a creature so weak she could not even stand without protection against the gravity; her very existence and that of the child in her womb went against Saiyajin tradition. Even the fact that they were bonded at all, the unseemliness of it all, tied to another for all time. Then there was her, bringing her into a place where she would, at best, be a pariah and at worst the target of assassins. Hmph, just another punishment thought up by the damn powers that be, Kami getting his digs in even further, first by letting him be captured and humiliated, then to bond with her, and now to question his right to even do so. He was the future king, what was good for him was good for Vegitasei, he would give his oath to serve the planet to the best of his abilities but his choice of mate would be his own. It would do neither he nor Vegitasei good if he ignored the bond; once it had taken hold nothing could have stopped it and that brought upon his second worry. She put up a good front, considering that she would, at some point, leave her planet and only known home behind and go to a place where everything could cause her harm. As much as she spoke of acceptance and understanding, there was a fear in her about the whole ordeal, the fear prompting her to create those odd machines to protect herself from her preconceptions about his home world. For all her weaknesses as well, she was an independent woman, quite capable of handling herself and she had left lovers before, how much did he really know of these humans anyway? In all of her memories he could not pick up much on the aged, or how long they lived but with such low powers, their natural life spans could not ever compare to a Saiyajins. What would happen when her life ended and he was possibly only coming into his prime as a warrior? The possibility of a one sided bond for so long a period popped into his head and he had nothing to quell his new insecurities but to hold her lithe form in his arms, watching her through her dreamless sleep. It was halfway through the night before he realised how unseemly his actions really were, he realised how crazy he had become when he had thought her in danger. Beyond the fact that the bond was still very unknown, the fact that he had lost all measure of control and discipline horrified him, made him realise how strong the pull his little human had on him. It was painful though, after two and a half decades of experiencing no feeling at all, to have it all come at once, these strange, dangerous, unSaiyajin feelings that had the potential to undermined everything about himself. A Prince and Saiyajin warrior could brood so over such pettiness, and he finally gave up on the effort; he had never shown indecisiveness with anything in his life, and he would not show weakness now. He finally allowed himself to rest for a few hours; he would not give anyone the satisfaction of knowing he was unsure about his course. Whatever Dharma was his to face, he would do it with her, the alternative a torture beyond this brooding. He sought peace for a few hours, holding that fragile warm body against his own to join its owner in sleep, his was not a dreamless one.

The darkness was around him, a pit devoid of all light and life and worry that offered a strange comfort to him like a meditative trance that shut out the world to let him have one singular focus. It reminded of the calmness in space, watching the nothingness go by from his quarters on the ship, the infinity of the universe before his and the prospect that he might rule it the only thought in his haed. Before he had come into his true power, and the strain of two obstinate personalities brought them to a permanent state of war, there had been times of connection between him and his father. They came few and far between when the king would watch him train, showing, against his own pride, a smirk of admiration at his son's achievement. Not long before his testing, the King called him to the council chambers and presented to him the expanse of the heavens and told him it would all be his; everything he could ever want would be his. It became a mantra through his head, his father's words echoing through his head, as it did when he was a child. At first the words were soft, barely piercing the surrounding silence, the sound then swelling, louder and louder, pounding in his head like an approaching climax, the voice morphing from his own to that of his father, stronger and clearer until it filled his head.

"Silence, I wish to hear the traitor speak; the Prince of Vegitasei deserves the right to speak on his own behalf." What, traitor; Vegita growled at his father's words, the mere sound of that voice causing his nerves to strain. He tried to rally his power, to blast away all remnants of his father's presence from his mind but he could not touch his ki, couldn't move his arms and legs.

"Open your eyes, Saiyajin no Ouji; explain to me why you have destroyed your pride for a human." What, how dare his father …, his tirade ended when he opened his eyes to the grand hall of the palace, on all sides the Elites and guards of the palace, his father on the throne and he in the centre with the collar around his neck and his arms and legs in chains.

"You have finally graced us with your presence, brat; the once great Prince Vegita now tied down in this worst manner possible. You must tell me, Ouji-sama how does it feel to be bonded to a human, chained like an animal to a weaker being? You dare look me in the eye, boy, after the shame you have committed towards your people; where is your pride, you who were a destroyer and slayer of millions, that you give it all up for a lusty bitch, disgusting maggot letting himself be led by his penis." Whatever his memories of the collar were, they were nothing to this now, his body drained of all but the power to breathe, even speech was lost to him.

"And I thought it was bad enough when you found such kinship with a third class mongrel, you have shamed yourself further by taking a human bride, how does it feel to know that you poisoned your blood for all time by mixing it with hers. How great your legacy would have been, but now you will know nothing but chains. Tell me, Vegita, did you enjoy it when she had you beaten like an animal, now you will forever have her, forever be her slave." The King bellowed and the collar around Vegita's neck tightened, his breath now so laboured he could barely think. The effort became all the harder when the King appeared before him, kicking him in the stomach, the force of the blow enough to throw him across the room. Landing in a heap, he rasped out a growl against his father as he dangled in the air, held there by the accursed collar.

"How long do you think you will live now, boy, you have already gotten the bitch with child; how does it feel to know that she carries your assassin. I wouldn't worry about her dying before your prime, you will not know it yourself, if she stays with you at all." He wanted to scream back at his father, blast away at the disgusting presence before him. His hands were poised on the edges of the white metal, ready to rip away at the offending gadget, but it wouldn't give, only tightened on him the harder he pulled. The hall was filled with his father's indignant roars, the shouts mixing with those of the Elites yelling their outrage at the unseemliness of it all. All he could was fight against the collar, stay off the draw of unconsciousness, he had to avenge his pride, show them all of the power he possessed; he was to be the Legendary, he could do anything he wanted. He would be the most powerful warrior in the universe and those that spoke against him or his mate would pray for their own deaths. In the end, his promises came to not, his father talking another swing at him, this time landing head first against the wall and the darkness surrounded him once more. He slipped back into that void, but only for what seemed a moment before the scene changed once more, cool graceful hands caressing the bruised skin of his face, soothing his injuries and calming his explosive rage. There was no sound now, no yelled accusation or insults, nothing more than the even sigh of his woman's breath; her smell overtook him, and he opened his eyes to her worried face. The chains were gone, the collar removed from his neck, the wounds from the previous vision still remained and she was kneeling above his prone form, tending to the various cuts and bruises. Kami, she was beautiful, even after the shame he had experienced at her hands, the trial he had just gone through with his father and his people, he could not imagine his life without her, his obsession growing to almost unnatural proportions. It satisfied him to no end to know that she was his, that none other had a claim on her and reaching into her mind, he felt all the pain that his father's words had not inspired. In her mind, through the recesses of her thoughts he saw her pity for him, disgust for the life he had lived and a hatred of him for chaining her to him. He howled in rage at the emotions, that she would dare think such of him after all of the sacrifices he had made for her, giving up his pride and the respect of his people.

*You disgust me.* She whispered through their link and he drew back as her pure blue eyes levelled at him a look of abject rage and she slapped him across the face.

*You force your way inside my mind, looking into my thoughts as if they were yours, you kill and take pleasure in that fact, everything you touch is destroyed. It does not matter though, does it, 'My Prince', because you have found your equal. In the end you were like all the others, how does it feel to know an obsession that can never be quenched; to face the punishments of your sins?* She smiled at the look of shock on his face, a smirk of pure cruelty not unlike his own, and she turned away from him and into the arms of another man, his face hidden in the shadows. This time his power did come, flooding out from the emotions he had never experienced but ripped through him as surely as the strongest attack from Kakarott. He lunged at the man, ripping his head off and confronting his woman once more, her eyes filled now with fear of him; after everything they had been through she did not understand him, couldn't see his life as anything more than the tale of a murderer. She faltered under his gaze, away from his blood drenched hands and she screamed now to the open air.

"Why did you do this to me, you could never offer me what I wanted, you would never have given me my freedom. Know that my death is on your hands." He reached for her then, his hand grabbing at her arm and she turned to dust in his hands, the Saiyajin could only watch helpless as her blue eyes turned ash grey. He screamed then at the loss of it all, nothing left but the smell of her mixed with another's. Sleep was a living torture after that, how long it took for his breathing to return to normal he wasn't sure, the restlessness he know felt nearly unbearable with her by his side, the comfort of her and the bond countered by the imagines that invaded his head. The questions of the dream and its meaning plagued him to no end as he finally slipped from the bed, walking about the room to stare off into the void that was space. He was thinking about it too much, his fears were even entering his dreams; he had to stop this, he had to create some distance between them before it became too much, before he lost himself to the bond and her. Slipping his clothes back on, he left to train in the practice hall to work off his pent up energy, he would also have to discuss with the guards his plans for tomorrow. When he returned his mind was clear, his body sore but satisfied and he once again sought out the comfort she provided him, slipping back behind her to doze for the rest of the night. He was up again before the coming of the dawn, taking in the smell of himself on her skin and his mind whirled with far more pleasurable thoughts then what he had experienced the night previous, the need to control her now paramount in his mind.

"It's about a half hour since sun rise, you slept through it, you lazy woman."

"Fates, do you ever sleep?" Not expecting an answer, at least not a verbal one, she considered foregoing the pleasure of his arms for a long hot bath to rid herself of the aches and soreness of last night. Just as she was about to break his grip, it tightened on her and his hands became more active, sliding up to her breast and down to her thighs. She moaned, her own hand tracing the well defined muscles of his forearm, accepting his advances; the smug bastard, she was sure she could feel the smirk of his lips against her neck.

His hands were soft and gentle against her, he was taking it so slowly as he stroke her flesh, kneading the silky skin of her breasts while his teeth skimmed down her neck and attacked the hollow of her throat. He set his mouth against her neck, lapping at the still visible puncture wounds, his lips curving into a grin as she groaned at his ministrations, only to shiver as he blew on her wet skin. She could help but melt against his beautiful warm body, letting him just touch and taste her into a leisured state of arousal even while she was fighting off the fatigue. Faster than her sluggish mind could realise, he had turned her around, the two now laying front to front, his eyes shining in the low morning light and she felt lost in those eyes; what the world must look like behind those eyes. As if looking into her thoughts and being discontent with what he saw, she leaned into him as his hands cupped her face, and he began to kiss the skin of her forehead, down to her eyes, nose and mouth, his touch robbing her of conscious thought. Fates, even when she had him figured out, he revealed another side of himself that surprised her, kept her on her toes. After being so rough and passionate the night before, making her scream out at the intensity of it all, she couldn't believe he could be like this, so skilled and relaxed. It was almost too much, to feel her body beginning to burn like this after such a short amount of time, another element of him that made him stand apart from all those that came before. He could obviously tell as well, their mouths parting and he laughed at her as his hand slipped down the column of her neck and began to caress her shoulders and sides. Pulling herself out of the dazed state, she searched her mind for a comeback, until both his mocking laughter and her thoughts were silenced, his mouth once more returned to her throat and her mind slipped back into lethargy. Damn him, damn him for learning her too well, she gasped when he nipped at her scar, even with the sheen of sweat that covered his back and his hardness that pressed against her thigh, he still had remarkable con…; a moan ended her rant as his hot mouth found her breasts. She was arching against him now, the heat of his skin and his slow, unconstrained lovemaking making her crazy. He continued to ravish her breasts, stroking and suckling them until she could merely whimper at him, the sound only growing as he slipped a finger inside of her to feel her wetness. All she could do was bite her tongue and tried to keep down her pleas for him to go inside her, her shaking hands smoothing down his wonderfully strong back. The soft fur of his tail traced the curve of her hips and up her side, and she couldn't help herself as she tried to grab at it, wanting to feel the downy mane between her fingers, but the wily appendage eluded her as Vegita smirking at her attempts. She can be the aggressor too, the thought came to her and she smiled, her hands skimmed down his back to finger the soft tail at its base, her touch earning her a groan.

"My time now, Vegita." she chide him, and he grunted when her human teeth bit hard into his shoulder, all the while she held his tail, her skin still on fire from before, mustering up everything she could to speak clearly.

"Silly Saiyajin, I don't subdue so easily; face it, my Prince, in the end we are equals in this and in everything."

"Is that what you think, little one?" Even through his now ragged breathing, he still laughed at her, and his once stationary finger in her sheath became active again, stroking her more roughly to prove his point. Whipping his tail from her loosening grasp only to loop it around her waist; he brought himself up against her, his heavy body covering hers, keeping her under control as her body as she bucked violently, groaning as he finally slid into her, and began his hard pace. With shaking arms she clutched him, her body arching from it all, the ecstasy of his flesh against her, inside her, ripping away everything but the maddening need for him and the release he was all but torturing her for. In the heat of the moment she went for his tail again, wishing for more than anything to hear him yell out in pleasure, to assert herself as his true mate, not simply a passive lover. He growled once more, the harsh unintelligible words almost sounding like her name and she moaned as he increased his pace, wrapping her legs around his waist and she strove against him, using all of her meagre energy to stay with his pace. It was too much for her in the end, her body straining against his, her throat sore from her screams, yelling out his name, lost to everything but feeling. She laid back against the bed when the tremors finally stopped, panting in amazement at what had happened between them. Even at peace, they still lived in a state of conflict, two powers always at war, who knew each other as intimately as two people could but there was a wall still there, their differences a hard mount to overcome. Why was change so hard with him, never trusting or letting down that guard; how much she had seen that night a few days hence, of the man that he could be, and the night before when he came to her 'rescue'. There was so much potential for good there, everything that had been left of him after the misery that had been his life. She rolled away from him again and sighed, her desire to confront him was weak compared with the desire for slumber that pulled her to the brink of sleep.

"Silly, weakling woman, that you could possibly think yourself equal to the Saiyajin no Ouji." He chuckled at her exhaustion, his breath warm against her skin and she debated giving a remark or just melting against him, to let him have that jab at her pride. She thought of retorting back about his time in the collar, the mention of his great defeat and how their roles in this little drama had been reversed would put him in his place. That pride of his, never had she encountered anything so overbearing and absolute, the man was as stubborn as a brick wall. Not that she could think completely ill of him, not after the pleasure he had just given her, not after she had seen through those eyes. He had more pride than any man she had ever known, it had made him stand up to her that first encounter and proclaim himself a prince even while he was in chains. Punishment had come that day for that act of overweening pride, striking him down, thinking she could tame that force, as if the collar around his neck could curb his spirit as well as his power. What would it have been like if she had destroyed his pride as was her first thought? All this pain would have been for not, all the hardship and death if she had just let Yamcha discipline the irate Saiyajin as he saw fit. Bulma shivered at the memory, what she wouldn't have done to rip away that pride, make him a perfect slave, someone who could please her in every way she wished, someone worthy of her, if only he would obey her absolutely. Now though, living his harsh life, if only for a few moments, feeling what went on inside that mass of complexities, to make such a move would have destroyed everything she admired in him, ruined him as a challenge and a 'mate'. She now knew why he wrapped himself so tightly in the cloak of his own self-importance, and tracing her hand against his hip, she knew she would not strip him of it for all of Gaia.

"What, no screaming rebuttal? Do not tell me I've lost my screeching hoyden, little one." Hesitantly, her fingers brushed his tail near the base, the slight, soothing touch bringing the merciless warrior to a purr. The gentle iron grip loosened and she turned in his arms to face him, her solemn blue eyes piercing his own uncompromising black.

"Do you think of me so?" She suddenly asked him, the thought of a bath, or a lazy morning in bed before he had to leave, absent now to that the pointed, questioning look. Slipping past her simple mental defences, he caught sight of the anxiety behind her question; he approach to further investigate, only to be faced with a stone wall around her though. Her gaze never faltered as she broke the temporary mental link, whatever it was she wanted it in words.

"What do I think of you so?" he finally asked, exasperated by her obstinate behaviour. Damn it, as if it wasn't bad enough she had the ability to see into his inner thoughts, her very presence tore away at his veil of control as only Kakarott and his father had done in the past. His libido extinguished for the moment, his arms unwound from around her, only to have her come closer to him, the look of anxiety on her face quickly changing to anger as she perceived that he was going to avoid her. The rage in her eyes brought him back to his nightmares from before, and he tensed himself against whatever she had to say, the need for control and distance ever present in his mind.

"Do you think of me as your equal?" It was against his pride to answer her, even if it was show her that her question affected him, brought out another alien emotion, hesitation. What difference did it make, was this just another annoying human tendency to want what is infeasible to have? She was his lover, and even though it was against his better judgement, his bonded mate and queen, and she now demanded to be his equal. He didn't know whether to laugh to scream at her, he had given her much but for such a thing as his respect as an equal, were all humans so gripped by this madness? He felt equality to no one; no one on the whole of Vegita-sei could match his strength, especially after his recent power up. None would question his absolute right to rule, his right to govern himself, and when the time came, the right to anything he wished within reason. He was a force unto himself, the last individual he had to answer to was his father, and even that was under the veil of mummery, and yet she wanted the right to question him, to think herself as powerful and worthy as he. She had and could cost him everything he worked for, for all of his power even he could not recover if it was learned about the collar and his slavery, and what if she did leave him or was unfaithful; she did not understand the strength of the bond. He had given up his arrogance and freedom to take her as mate, a shame within itself, and now she asked for more, something that was not hers to ask but his to give if she possibly earn it, an honour he had never bestowed on another. He couldn't let her in, not that far, it was too dangerous for the both of them, they needed their distance, he needed his control, and staring deeply into those angry blue orbs, he made his decision and began to chuckle at her request.

"You let words mean too much to you, wench, thinking since you are now my mate you are my equal, a frail member of a weak species of aliens can even be on a level any where near the Saiyajin no Ouji. You think you are my equal, why, can you stand with me on a battle field, fight toe to toe with me, even have enough power to walk freely on Vegitasei's surface? Because you can yell, and have a wit when your 'Fates' please you with enough sense to fight verbally against me, or that you can challenge me one of your simple games; do you think that qualifies you to lead an army or rule a planet? We are mated, woman, and though you will be given an honour that has not been bestowed on any female since the first Vegita, it makes you my companion, the bearer of my children, and I give my vow to protect you but that does not win my respect. I have no equals, simleag, and my first will not be from a species that cannot even manipulate ki." For all of her deadly looks against him, he could feel the spirit in her being slowly crushed by his words; his resolve faltering until he caught sight of her thoughts, her mind now centring on the thoughts of her former lovers.

"You said we were equals in this bond, Vegita, you cannot now say that you care nothing for me. I refuse to live a life without knowing that the man I will spend it with does not know respect, loyalty and trust for me." Bulma bit back, choking on the words. Her mind, still in haze over the wonder of his lovemaking was reeling now by his sudden harshness to her. This was not just a game to him now, rage blazed out of him mind and into her, and she almost lost her nerve at the force behind it. This was her future as well as his, and she could not imagine a future where she would not share an equality with her husband.

"We are equals only in that we both tied, each to the other, fate has decided this for us, what we make of it is our own concern. What did you really expect of me, wench, to be spouting sonnets and respecting you merely because you grace my bed. Is that why you inspired so much emotion in so many other men, because you were so good in the sack?"

"BASTARD, I did not ask them for anything they could not give me and all gave me their respect." She clenched her teeth in fear when his finger grabbed her chin; his expression mocking her yet his eyes were devoid of light.

"And yet you felt nothing like that for them, how does it feel to know that pain?" His voice was low and rough, his hot breath brushing against her face and she felt like she cracked, only her pride kept the flood gate closed and allowed her to retain the appearance of stoicism, even while she was screaming inside.

"Then what did that night where we completed the bond mean, what of the night after, what of tonight and this morning? I have felt it, you are lying, there is something beyond the bond, you are holding back." She was clutching at straws now, anything she could to catch him in a lie. The weight of her thoughts were becoming so great, he had to stave himself from them, but her words were just as harsh. Kami, how close had he come to becoming like those men before; his own words burned at his soul, even while he let all of his anger out to the air.

"The bond binds us together for all time, and for that I care whether you live or die. Beyond that, you are lucky amongst your species, you have some honour and brains that are lacking in the beings here, particularly of the female persuasion. You should be happy enough that we have passion, Bulma, I will allow you to keep your dignity and tinker with your machines, no harm will come to you, but hope for no more than that, I will not give you any of it. Never forget, little one, it is I who control your fate, no matter what agreement we would come to in this, my word is still law and you are subject to me. And now, woman, get ready, I'm ordering you and your simple minded slaves to Bushi for the duration of the day." If it had been any other who had spoken to her so she would have screamed, railed, thrown them out of her bed for such insolence but now she stayed silent, taking in everything the he had told her, the new reality of her life. She felt numb now, the insults he had so calmly slung at her burrowing inside her now, eating away at a small part of her pride, Fates what had she truly done? She never could imagine a life without having respect for her husband and he the same for her, but the cost of him, her pride and respect, to get none in return was she willing to pay it. It took her a moment for her to realise that he had just given her an order, asserting his control over her already.

"What do you mean 'go to Bushi', you can control many things, but if you dare think to move me out of my own house, that I would leave my people …"

"Your people are packing for you as we speak, and you will leave this place or they will follow my order to drag you out." Did he think she would not fight him on this point because he presented it as a measure of her safety, as if it wasn't bad enough that he had beaten her down, now he trampled on her as well? Soon she would scream and railed against him, but now the weight everything so fast was keeping it all bottled up.

"Why?" It was so much like the dream now, he opened the link a crack and he felt it, the old wall that she kept around herself, steeling herself from the world was returning; he could create the necessary distance, all as he tried to hold off the need to take it all back. It was the best in the end, he was not going to change, not for her or anyone, he was a fighter, a killer, a Saiyajin warrior, and the sooner she understood that the better. Deliberately fanning ignorance, he took her plea with indifference, centring himself on the upcoming battle, or what there would be of it.

"They are committed now to your safety, not your will. For all of your faults, I have found evidence of sense in some of your species, the captain agreed with me completely, and you will go to that eye sore Kakarott has taken for a stronghold or I've given ordered to take you there by any force necessary." She couldn't even look at him after that announcement, she knew her power had been displaced, but such a move behind her back, to think that she had to leave her home, her father's legacy. She could see the sense in his action but to do it in such a manner, and in the face of his accusations sickened her, even the sight of him brought a dread to the pit of her stomach. Sliding out of his grip, out of the bed warmed by their bodies, she stood, defiantly with her back turned to him. Rustling material met her ears and that immense radiative heat played across her back as he stood behind her, not touching her but close enough for her straighten herself all the more, hold back her disappointment a little harder.

"I am going to check on the troops and secure everything with the move, I am leaving you with two hundred troops; if this human deceives us and attacks you will not be left undefended."

"I then must bid you good bye then, Ouji-sama." She replied in the calmest, most unaffected voice she could muster. The shuffling of feet against the plush rug came to her attention, followed by that of clothing being slipped and strapped on, until there was only that uncomfortable silence once again. He seemed to pause in a moment, as if unsure, but his pride, or arrogance got in the way and he left, not a word, gesture or sign of good bye. It was like reliving that dreadful morning's shame all over again after she nearly gave into him, but it was worse than she could have feared. Biting back the sob that tore at her throat, she realised that she did give in to the one man she saw as her equal but he would never see her as the same.

~~~~~

The thumping of his heart overloaded his senses that were even now pulled taught as a draw string; it was before battle, before the moment when all the planning and preparations were thrown into action, before the blood, death, pain, triumph and loss. The sound grew louder as the Sun rose infinitesimally higher in the sky, foreboding sense making his blood pound through his ears, strengthening the thump. It was a song to his people, a pounding constant beat, basic and primal, calling to his blood; it was the symphony of battle, and this was the beginning, the moment of anticipation.

Before him, lain out almost like a board of Shueisha that fascinated the Prince, stood the two opposing forces, gathered together on the unassuming field that stretched out five kilometres in length and three in width. Sizing up his opponent, he gave his enemy a grudging hint of respect, Enleo was certainly taking his engagement of battle seriously, almost making Kakarott wonder how much of it was spurned on by the loss of his troops. The enemy soldiers were a mere wash of black and gold against the backdrop of forest that surrounded the expanse of the windswept field; all along the edge, spread out across the imposing length they stood. He caught the whispered of his own troops closer by, but he could see the cause of their distress; against them, the line was three deep for almost one kilometre, the total number, possibly one thousand to his eyes. A second line of one thousand men, obviously his sharp shooters, wielded hand held cannons; several, he noted balefully, were far larger and more powerful than the model he presented to the teches. Behind the line, the key to Enleo's victory gleaming in the near noon sun, stood five mechanical monsters, all manned aimed and ready to fire. The black and golden men all stood at attention, perfect examples of the almost statute like discipline of the enemy, even as another thousand troops, all on horse back, thundered up behind them, taking positions at right, left, and rear guard flank. A murmur sounded through the masses immediately in front of him, whatever this man's ability on the field was, he knew the importance of intimidation, but show was just show. What matter was what happened on the field, and again he felt the call of his Saiyajin blood.

He could hear the murmurs of fear, the odd prayer to their favoured deity or a loved one lost; there had been so much training, but it wasn't enough to them, it would never be enough until they faced what they feared. Little did they know the impressive display they all made on that field. On the Northern side of the wind swept field, facing their enemies, were the troops of Bushi, dots of red lined black and silver armour, all standing proud and tall. Thirteen hundred dots now in their ranks, the number swelling in the last days, from the people from the surrounding villages, once farmers now fighters, joining in the fight. Each held in their hands a weapon infused with that unholy power that was so similar to Vegita's ki signature; his sacrifice to this war, no matter how much against his will it was to give it. Kakarott, watched as the last of Modulus' fighters slid into formation, the white and blue garbed fighters appeared so much like Saiyajin troops, he could only imagine what type of fighters they would be. Vegita had given him the impression that he took a fair amount of the soldiers training personally, an occurrence unheard of on Vegitasei, even more to take pride in your soldiers, as Vegita obviously did. He watched the Prince who stood by his side make a sweep of their combined ranks, his gaze lingering on beings he must have known well, a soldier with he saw with great potential, and the captains and leads of his troops. At first Vegita had arrived with anger in his ki and a growl in his throat, whatever had happened in the last few days since their previous meeting had gotten to the Prince. Even now though, the unknown anger in Vegita aura was draining away, being replaced by something far more cool and determined, and far more deadly; Kakarott almost pitied anyone would get in his way.

The Sun raised itself higher in the sky, so close now, he could feel the beating getting louder, the empty whistle of the wind and rustling of the slowly dying leaves adding in their part. So little time left before he would see them go into this battle, he could have spared them all of the pain that was to come, was it even right to expect them to fight, to die when he could spare them this blood shed. Why had he thought this plan up, he knew nothing of ruling, the Saiyajin were conquerors, not benevolent dictators, was it right to make them fight at all when he knew not what kind of life would come after this. He spared the last few glances at the turned heads he had grown to know so well after such a short amount of time. How many would he see make it through this day; his attention pausing over Kreden and the scared man that led him to this destiny. It sickened him to think of this planet as purged, he would not be its killer, but become its defender, from its own enemies and those that could come. Looking for a brief moment to the hills, he spotted that young girl; brown hair, brown eyes glowing in the sun, even she came, weapon in hand to take up the torch that failing hands had passed to them. He could protect this planet, he would protect its people, give them back their dignity, he resolved, his gaze finally centring on the dark head of this little Amazon, he would let them fight for this day.

A lone rider moved through the warlord's line, the sea of soldiers parting the ways for their leader's procession as he cantered out to the front of his line, a look of all business on his face.

"I see that you have showed up, the little monkey did not turn tail and run, even brought another of your kind, impressive little show you have here as well, thinking of blinding us into submission, I'm afraid the sun is off for something like that. I am offering you the chance to surrender if you hand over the bitch and step down from the helm of Bushi. Nothing will come of this battle by your blood shed, though I have no trouble slitting throats if the need is necessary." Enleo yelled across the field, his words heard far and wide by every ear within distance enough to hear. There was a moment's pause after the outrageous offer was announced before anyone reacted, his own soldiers' muted cries of defiance were quickly overcome by the mocking laughter of other side; yet another tactic to weaken the enemy without engaging in any kind of physical combat.

"Rather a stupid little bug, I could not imagine that you will let that one go by. I trust that when we finish with this little decoy mission you dreamed up we can try targets a lot more lively." Vegita's voice was well below a whisper, and he too was chuckling lightly, though not at the warlord's comments at all. About to turn his gaze away from his opponent to his liege but he noticed Enleo's own gaze shift over from himself and Vegita and his stare went from stoic to unsettled. It would seem that the human was learning a hard wrought lesson about Vegita, that diminutive size concealed a measure of power and cruelty that was as astounding as it was frightening. Those that underestimate the Saiyajin Prince do not do so for long, well for as long as they have.

"I was very impressed myself by the fact that you showed up, you seemed somewhat distraught after our last meeting, or is it that you naturally indulge in such theatrics; thinking of hiding your fear in a show of power? But as to your offer, you must think me mad to accept such a gesture, to eliminate all possible threats against your rule and give you reign to butcher these people, that I or any here would sit by and let you rip this land apart unopposed. I personally swear, on my honour as a Saiyajin warrior, that this will end today when one of us lays dead." A flicker of something other than the cool, calm collectivism flashed across his face, a moment where his eyes lit up and a moment of secretive joy passed over him, his black eyes shining with an almost madness but the window of emotion closed quickly and Kakarott was left to ponder what the tiny scene meant. Muttering under his breath, the best he could make out was 'yes, it will won't it?'. There was no time to ponder or speculate about any hidden agenda as the first line of black and gold moved up in position behind their leader, the marching feet all in sync as they moved up the field. Kakarott listened as the one thousand weapons whirled to life, an awesome display of power so finely in tune with roaring in his head, the collective metal clack of the heat weapons being raised up and aimed for the multicoloured troops of Bushi and Modulus adding to the battle song. It was all silence again from both sides, even the wind went silent for this moment, the pounding within him calmed for that one perfect moment of clarity, the singularity of it all finally accented by the vibrations of a battle sword as it slid effortless out of its sheath. The softness of notes played off the tip of that sword so stained with blood, the resonance changing as the sword was raised above Enleo's head, the point glistening in the Sun, becoming the central focus of every eye on that field.

"Attack." The single cry grew louder and louder, echoed by every man, the roar deafening as the line ran up the field, all brandishing plain metal weapons, charging for the Bushi front line. Their comrades behind them, weapons raised and ready pointed out their targets over the expanse of the field, a thousand muzzle positioned at various soldiers, more than one pointed at the old Wolf's daughter. They needed only to wait for the command to start firing at their solemn, statuesque counterparts.

"Hold your ground until the signal." Kreden was crying out, the screamed order a reassurance that this was right, that they all weren't going to die, that this would work and they would see the end of this day. The flashes of black and gold grew closer, the thundering force of boots against the sun dried earth shook the ground beneath all of their feet, those strange rifles all aimed at their heads and it was with blind loyalty that they all stood in the face of death, it was all or nothing now.

"Ready." The curved sword sliced the air again, raised up proud and tall to fire the deadly weapons of Gero's, to take down as many of their numbers, weaken the opposing side. Enleo grinned wickedly at his still counterpart, stupid fool, he didn't have to make it this easy.

"Now!" The Saiyajin voice boomed across the field, the sound startling for its intensity, and before Enleo's very eyes, a force of six hundred men and woman, young, old and in between raised themselves out of the grass around the upper lands behind Bushi's main fighting force, carrying their own deadly energy weapons. What followed after was horrific to the man's eyes, volleys of blue and white light hurtling towards his soldiers, the mechanical ki meeting the charging mass of flesh and blood and the ki shots won. It was carnage as the energy whizzed through the mortal bodies, the sound sickening as it ripped through armour, skin, muscle, bone, nerves and organs only to exit again and scorch the earth. The cries of battle turned to screams of agony, many becoming a wheezing chorus of sorrow as the energy punctured their lungs, and the breath of life drained out of them. The move had caught both the rushing mass and the waiting reserves off guard, that any warrior would depend on lowly peasants to fight his battle for him was sickening to the stunned warlord. The attack was so sudden, so mocking towards his natural beliefs as a warrior and he merely watched as his precious soldiers were mowed down like dogs, some cut off in mid stride as their legs were literally shot off from under them. He could not lose, not now, he only had to last another fifty minutes, and finally brought out of his stupor at the loud 'Charge' which overpowered the wail of the white light rifles. Like a repeat of the last few minutes, one force began to rain down on the other, weapons at the ready to meet in pure armed combat.

"What are you waiting for you idiots, fire, fire. Laser cannons at the ready, I want those pretenders destroyed. Attack!" He screamed, about to join the fray as well before a longer range shot burned through the face of the soldier beside him, the man not even given the chance to scream as his face was burned and the energy ripped through his brain, the sight, sound and splattered blood shocking his horse. The animal reared wildly, the warlord fighting for control both with his mount and with his men. Another cry of battle, this time from his own side started, the soldiers equipped with smaller weapons charging against the foe, while the more skilled sharp shooters keeping the fort, firing against silver warriors. The red flashes of light flew all around him, the air thick with the charge of heated particles and the whirl of the polished chrome and tempered glass of the larger pulse cannons, the anticipation of screams of pain from his enemy like music to his ears. The shots burned through the air, a veritable torrent of death but even in this he was found he was out matched, the shots raining down on the argent shielding and bounce off, as if they had just hurled sticks and stones and not the deadly heat beams. Another horde of shots flew through the air, the belief that the weapons in their hands would take away the need to aim revised and the screams of pain and the muted sound of beam hitting exposed flesh from the few areas unprotected by the armour.

"Aim for the faces, scythe them down like animals! Keep firing until the second wave hits, then join the cavalry troops to attack the flank side." Enleo's almost maniacal cry for bloodshed was bared heard over the continued roar of both the Bushi and his forces as they moved up field towards their enemies. The charged air finally came to life as the cannon's beam lit the sky that familiar blood red and a hill side full of peasants exploded with the sheer force of the attack. Another strike screamed to life around him, aiming for the two Saiyajin standing just beyond the multicoloured force, the turf flying but no sign of the deadly pair.

"Sir, in the sky." He caught the shouted warning, in time to turn and see one of his keys to victory enveloped in pure blue light. For the briefest of moments the laser stood whole and unharmed after the assault, the modifications by those teches proving too much for the Saiyajins to bear. He was again about the set the order for his flanks to charge, the cavalry to take on the enemy soldiers on foot, the remaining sharp shooters to crush the last of the peasant troop and the white clad Modulus guards. He was going to win; he might not even need that fucking freak to … his thought was lost as the number three pulse cannon blew apart in a crescendo of light, smoke, torn metal, spattering blood and the piercing shriek of destruction.

"That was far easier than I had anticipated, you offered me a challenge, Kakarott." Vegita watched the proceeding battle with little concern or care, his supreme confidence that he was greater than any human securing his belief in eventual victory. Kakarott was about to give out a warning of complacency, the words poised at his lips before the air charged with the unholy power of the human machines, the strike aimed for his particular energy signal. Damn it, the sooner they were all down, the quicker he could join the true fight; he was chopping at the bit just as much as the Saiyajin Prince for hand to hand, but his rationality was far different from Vegita's. Silencing his complaint, he allowed his ki to swell and swirl around him, the energy collecting and forming in his hands and he yelled his kiai and the yellow beam leapt from his hands to meet the red strike dead on. The two beams met, the force of the colliding energy lighting the sky, both holding strong against the push of the other, held suspended in the air, jostling for dominance. A cry of greater channelling of ki energy sounded from the air borne Saiyajin and the yellow strike grew larger, thicker, the light blinding to those that watched from the ground, the victory assured until the machine made a similar shriek, the red now matching the yellow. Kakarott grit his teeth at the effort of keeping the enemy strike at bay, the power the machine could muster had been upped enormously since the last one he had encountered, the force to almost equal one of his attacks. This was what the human meant; oh Kami, if it were used again the humans, not even corpses would remain, he could destroy Bushi, Modulus, everything with it, the whole planet, like Vegita was with his Gyariku Hou, … . His lips twisted in a smirk that would make any son of Vegitasei proud, for all of their power, they were still just machines, they couldn't think like warriors but they can be deceived like them. He had a few seconds to get out of the way before the beam of red would burn everything in his path, but to see the look of shock on his enemy's face and to hear that clash of destruction would be worth the possible risk. Letting his aura twist around him, he diverted his energy away from the attacking red streak. The two beams were running parallel, the two energies sparking as both neared their targets. As true as it was on Vegitasei, the yellow hit true, taking out the laser cannon and everything around it for a radius of ten metres. With only a second to manoeuvre Kakarott dodged out of the way as the blast skimmed past him, the heat nearly blistering his skin as it escaped into the upper reaches of the atmosphere. His blood was high and his senses sang at the sight, sounds and smells of battle, the creatures below him like ants tearing at each other for the pure need that had concentrated in his veins. Now that he had found a worthy test of his strength on this planet, he was almost loath to give it up but the sooner he could crush the machines the faster he could join the greater war. The red light burned through the slowly darkening sky, even the elements themselves were beginning to war allow with them, fires had begun to break out on the field, the force of the blast overtaxing the dry grass. The first clashes of black and silver had met, screams and clangs of men and weapons battled on the field, the thundering rush of the cavalry was moving up the left side, about to attack his troops from the rear with only the white clad Modulus soldiers guarding the flank to protect them. The Saiyajin's eyes then focussed on their leader, the white and blue armour barely visible as Vegita, dodging the remaining cannons' fire, his face alive as he cackled against the pitiful strikes. Whatever melancholy had gripped him earlier was forgotten for the primal release of their blood, the Saiyajin Prince shooting off his own volleys to set the earth below him alight with his need for the fight, to feel the fear of his enemies, the screams of his victims only fuelling that need. He might have left Vegita there to fight alone, to take on the mechanical entities with the fire power of an Elite, until he once again gained their attention, a beam just a hair's breath from his shoulder brought him once more back into the fray.

~~~~~

It was here, now, there was no turning back, after all of the work, the pain, the constant arguing she was here on the field, the dust in her eyes, the blood of both her comrades and enemies staining the finished surface of her armour. Two solitudes met on an open field and fought for life and death, no matter how much she trained nothing could prepare her for the fear and rush of coming so close todeath. She charged blindly into the fray, it was euphoric the adrenaline pumping so strongly, she felt close to losing her head, losing all sense of purpose in the mad, wondrous need to get to the other side of the field, drawing the blood of any that stood in her way. With a sense outside of herself, she realised that the tiny blips of light behind her had stopped, the attention diverted now that the two forces were so close, the sound heavy to her left; the enemy flank must be on the move. Air filled with smoke and dust as one of the sentinel cannons faced off against the Saiyajins lost out, the sun light taking on blood red tinge at the constant beam hurdled skyward. Pockets of noise filtering through the general haze of chaos, giving her an idea of what was happening, even as she was locked away in her cocoon of oblivion. A scream of triumph roared from the opposing side as the sky drew darker, and she spared a glance to see one of the dots in the sky fighting against the imposing weapon, and it seemed that it was giving the dot a greater fight than they had intended. The shouts around her changed once again, the call of victory muted as they plunged into battle, metal against metal, metal against flesh; the gasps and cries of pain now paramount to her ears, the sounds knowing no owner or loyalty as death descended upon them. The noise grew louder and stronger as voices she knew like the back of her hand entered the fray. The sound of combat crept all the closer as her perception flickered again at another booming explosion, the high pitched wailed of horses and riders as the ground from under them was sent tens of feet in the air and they with it; another weapon from Bulma. The almost inaudible cry of Love, Honour, Compassion rang out from the site of the explosion, and she actually smiled, they could do it, they could see this day end in victory, and all of them live, it was almost too much to hope for.

Another explosion rocked the land beneath her feet; the third laser ended as the first two had in a maelstrom of twisted, hot metal and a flash of light. She wanted so much to look and see, watch as they two warriors fought; to see a struggle far more titanic than the one which was being fought on the ground. Another mechanical eruption, either from the other side or her own, sounded off again, but the sounds were being filtered more and more into the background as she receded into her own mind and focussed on what was coming at her. The fighting was only a few feet from where she was, the noise around her was gone as she drew the prototype ki sword sent from Modulus only the day before. The only sound that existed for her was the whizzing of her own sword, and a further whistling, the sound like a higher pitched version of the cannons still firing into the sky, and a shout to attack. Since the two armies had advanced neither side had used the smaller weapons, the risk of hitting a friend and not a foe too great to take in a war where the casualties were already so high. It was nothing between her and her revenge than a line of soldier now, victory a sweet taste in her mouth. The world was coming more into focus now as she neared her first opponent, the man screaming as he raised his axe … and an energy blast slammed through his body. It took a second for either to comprehend until another soldier fell to another energy blast, and another, and another, the shots all coming from the South side of the field. She heard the shout once more, a command to shoot into the crowd, the melee now becoming a slaughterhouse; Enleo had ordered to fire on the crowd of soldiers, if he was not going to win, he would leave no witnesses to speak of his defeat. The man in front of her gave her a look of abject betrayal; a tear in his eyes as the man that he had served onto death was the one that stuck him in the back. She didn't even have time to think as another shot rang out, the thread of red light aimed for her head and with speed she didn't know she possessed, she dodged the attack, putting up the sword to deflect the shot. Crouched down in an attack position, she glance quickly as another shout of battle approached her and a man charged at her. She didn't even have to think as instinct pulled the sword around and the white hot blade sliced through the man's gut, her enemy giving nothing more then a gurgle as blood flooded his mouth and fell, convulsing as his hands covered his exposed innards. She was like a hunter now, any that came at her was her prey, she realised, snapping up from the crouched position and kicking the feet out of a black and gold soldier that was behind her as her sword took care of the rest. Another round of volley flew threw the air, striking at their human targets as another wave of soldiers hit the dirt. A beam was coming once more for her and she put up her forearm to guard, the shot bouncing off the metallic surface and going skywards; by the Pantheon she could kiss Sar'in for this. Tightening her grip on the glowing sword, she charged forward, taking out any bottled up emotion she ever had on the enemy soldiers that stood in her way. Again her ears rang with a sound beyond that of the general chaos, the enemy line was weakening, the left flank of their army had been reduced to rubble; they would win the day. The shots continued to fire into the sky, the last cannon firing at the twin dots, all that remained of Gero's totted genius. There was still internal fighting in the centre of the field but the first of her soldiers had broken through, their advance now backed up by the Modulus guard. The first of the Bushi soldiers charged for the enemy stronghold on the field, only to be mowed down as the last ace the Scourge of the Fates had up his sleeve, his right flank and rear guard cavalries. The thunder of all the hooves were deafening, the earth shaking once again with the violence of the eight hundred rampaging mounts and at the helm, his black eyes glowing with assured success, was Enleo. One last blast from the sky struck the earth and the last of pulse cannons became another crater in the turf. It was finally quiet up above, the sky taking its usual blue instead of the red, yellow and purple that had marked the war of the air. In a moment, the Saiyajins would join them in this fight, and after five years of hell, they would finally cut off the head of the evil empire that had nearly the whole Central continent in his grip. What they had done on this day would write a new chapter of their history, again written on the dry earth of Nio Tide. She'd never felt so in shock as when another flash of light met her eyes, the men not yet in the pure heat of the battle, yelling about new attackers, the sky once again filled with the light of ki beams, but there was nothing left on the ground. He knew, that bastard knew this would happen, was only toying with them all the while he had an ace up his sleeve, let his own men get killed and sent all of those people to be slaughtered. ChiChi held back the rush of bile that burned against her throat at the thought, there was nothing that she or anyone on the ground could do, it was up to Kakarott and that monster he called a Prince. Under Kreden's shouts to reform the original line, she yelled to the men under her specific command to stand as back up, to do as much damage as they could and to hold off the charge of the cavalry. She spared the shortest of glances upwards to see the specks in the sky that was her husband her loathed enemy face off against this new foe. He promised her she could fight but she wasn't going to lose him today, she didn't go through everything just to have him die on her. The strain of holding everything in and to wait to attack was eating away at what was left of her patience and she could only shouted with joy as Kreden brandished his sword and gave the command.

"Attack."

~~~~~

All around him it was war, the earth, the air, the very weather almost seemed to turn dark and participate in this battle for the fate of one planet and it was wonderful. The very sight and smell of it made him feel alive, confident in the knowledge that he had found a challenge, something that could make him work and strain, make him earn his victory, taunting him to take it. He couldn't even stop for a moment for the attacks that they threw at him, this chance to test his skills in a battle that literally meant, in a grander scheme to the figures below him, life or death was more than what all of his trainers and sparring partners up until Kakarott could ever give him. Dodging past burning beams, the heated air exploding around, he laughed to himself, finally understanding what Kakarott meant; the thrill of taking on the weak pales when compared with challenging the strong. Now he had two of them chasing him, the air filled with smaller bursts of energy while the other sent out a solid beam that was always a few milliseconds behind him. His ki shield raging around him, he always had to be alert to meet and deflect the shorter bursts before the larger trailing beam had a chance to burn through his shield. Facing the last of the trio, Kakarott was testing the strength of his own blasts against those of the mechanical demons, the two very evenly match, at least on this level. Before his imprisonment and the power up that came with it, this would have worried him, those strikes that were a few milliseconds too slow would have hitting their target only a few months ago, but it was now an interesting game and not much else. This contest was almost too easy, it made Vegita wonder who in the name of Kami this human thought he was fooling. For all of the sport and challenge of the cannons, they were hardly a match for an Elite, or his third class guard, but Vegita had seen as well as Kakarott had, that look of hidden knowledge in the creature's eyes. This was the greatest that this Gero had created, he almost absently wondered what his own little loud mouth genius could come up with, if she were given the use of any technology in the universe and let her own imagination run wild. It was strange to feel his own ki signal everywhere, she really had learned enough about ki to manipulate and bend it into beams, a blade strong enough to pierce even his flesh even through a ki shield. Her words from this morning flashed through his mind, how he must have hurt her, the numbness that his words inspired in her, the thought giving him pause until he realised the position such worrying was putting him in. That she thought anyone, particular a weak female human could be his equal, the influence of his dream strengthening his convictions. He had no equal, he was the Saiyajin no Ouji, he had no equal, not in all of the universe. What difference did it make that she was the first female to even catch his eye, or the first to challenge him intellectually; she could never exist in his world, she could not understand what it was like to be Saiyajin. Vegita's own fury raged out of control as he smelt her on his skin, the force of his uncertainties battling against his admiration for her.

Rapidly switching his course, Vegita began to descend towards the ground and the solid beam laser; flashing in and out of perceivable view than any human's eye or radar device, close enough to get into physical striking range. Swooping down low, Vegita smirked as he tightened his clenched fist against his body, and finally struck the machine, the force of his punch tearing through the metal as if it wasair, then he easily flew to safety, the mangled cannon blasting to pieces. Heading skyward once more, watched transfixed at the scene before his eyes, the tiny moving dots of black, silver, and white was all that his eyes discerned of the chaos that reigned on the ground. The battle had already begun, Kakarott's and that pitiful human's soldiers were facing each other in armed combat, their cries and the sounds of battle rang through his ears, the muted sound of slaughter mixed with that of the high pitched of more equal combat, but it wasn't not that equal, even he could see that their troops were beating back the enemy. If this were his war, he might have felt proud now, not for his own achievement but for those that had followed him. But this was not his day and not his fight, but he still felt that uncanny sense of pride at watching these humans, so like the Saiyajin race, well for weaklings. He did smirk as he saw his own soldiers fight against the enemy, one throwing an explosive device of Bulma's at the humans riding those four legged animals and destruction followed in its wake. He also thought to fight with them, to take to the ground and a more living opponent, and was caught completely unprepared as the three short range beams slammed against his ki shield, the force enough to throw him back several metres, scorch his armour and cut through his cheek. Stunned back into reality, he once more began to dodge through the barrage, his complacency costing him dearly. Reaching up with his hand, he wiped at his cheek and made the unfortunate error in looking down at the once immaculate glove. Something in him snapped at that moment, seeing his royal blood spilt by a pitiful machine because his own carelessness, and his ki flared monstrously. He stopped in mid air, the thick beams nothing against the strength of his shield; and he let the power amass in his hand, the light swelling and forming into something he had only begun to practice while on Vegitasei. There had never been enough energy before, never like the well that he drew from now; the power rising up to the limits that his body could handle. He was actually smiling at the end as he let it fly to the ground, the multiple blasts that were all sent hurdling towards him were eaten up in the sheer magnitude of the attack, only the sound of his scream could be heard over it all.

"Big Bang Attack!" The beam struck true, swallowing the cannon and all the land around it for twenty metres, the satisfaction of testing his abilities at such a level were wondrous.

"I see you have improved after all, Vegita." Kakarott was at his side, the final mechanical albatross easily turned into scrap by his fellow Saiyajin. It was a stupid move on his part, letting down his guard, his eyes focussed on the world below him and not his immediate surrounding; watching the lights flash, his woman's genius on the field, not fighting herself, but fighting all the same. For all of her weakness, this victory today was as much hers as it was his, or Kakarott or those that were fighting here. He thought back to her insane inventions from the other day, that odd breathing device he had accidentally slipped into his armour; whatever she was lacking in brute strength, she could make up for with her intelligence. Curiosity getting the better of him, he opened the link between himself and his mate, catching a glimpse of her in her lab and in a fine rage no less. He chuckled as she cursed his name, that spirit of hers still alive even after his words of insult; she has pride that one, he reminded himself and damned to any that stood in her way. He wondered vaguely what sort of greeting he would get when he saw her when they finished this simple fight now, with her eyes snapping fire at him and one of her weapons at the ready to take what she wanted, even if it was his blood. There was potential in his little human, she had impression more times than he could remember and that was something very few could boast. He would be fooling himself though if he thought it would not be difficult with her, the images of his dreams still haunting him, giving him the reality of this alien situation. He had dealt with it poorly, had actually given into fear, and though he could not give her the equality and freedom she seemed to crave, he would be her challenge, as she was his. It was her safety now that was his primary concern, his responsibility to protect her from his enemies, but, as he smirked, revelling in the feeling of power that momentarily flared through his body, he was more than up for that task. Sparing a glance over to his fellow Saiyajin, he looked down into the field, his eyes catching sight of the coming of the end, the remains of his and Kakarott's army going against that of the snivelling coward's. It would be no trouble at all to throw a ki attack into the enemies main strike force and end the whole conflict forever.

He never saw it coming until it hit him on the side, the already scorched armour cracking under the force of a ki blast, an attack coming out of no where, to blind side him and he fought to right himself in the air. Left stunned at the flash of pain; he heard Kakarott's scream of rage and a chuckled reply, one that grew and grew to three voices, three loathed and familiar voices.

"You have definitely improved, Monkey Prince, let's see if being a woman's lapdog has taught you anything." Never in Vegita's life had he known such anger, pain liquefying to rage, triumph into vengeance, shock into hatred, and letting his aura flare around him once more he attacked.

~~~~~

That egotistical, fucking Saiyajin, how dare he order her out of her own home, that she couldn't defend herself; the labours of her mind were good enough to be taken on the battle field but when it came to defending herself … argh. To go behind her back was bad enough but her own people had gone along with him, had already begun the evacuation, her fastidious house servants had already packed away most of the valuables. It had been more disheartening than she could imagine walking through her own home and to see it void of any signs of life, the only thing not completely cleared was the last remnants of her lab.

"Mistress, please we have to hurry, the last of the transports is about to leave." One of the last lone guards yelled out to her across the expanse of her lab. The words echoed in the desolate lab, the scurrying teches and constant hum of equipment all gone, the teches on the road to Bushi, the equipment in storage. All that remains was to pick just a few items from her desk, the last remains of this life that she built for herself. The injustice of it all, everything that she had worked so long and hard for was already packed away and physically thrown aside by the one man she gave her life to; so this is what bitter irony tastes like? There was so much now, if the worst happened, if this was the last she would see of her precious lab and home. She needed longer than this, not this mere casting off of her old life for the new, Fates, even her head hurt at the strain, her side as well. The guard called for her once again but what he said she couldn't say, as the pain returned again, thrice fold and her brain throbbed to the point of nausea the flicker of an imagine burning past her eyes; a blue mud sucker attacking her. She screamed at the pain, the noise and the house rumbled with her cries, the fight must have already begun, the violence of it must be intense to affect them all the way in Modulus.

"Mistress, what's wrong, are you injured? If you wish, I can carry you."

"No, no, get to the transport, secure everything for the journey. I'll be fine, I just need a moment, please." Alone again, there was never enough time, even circumstance was against her. She didn't think as she grabbed a few elongated pills from the top of her bench, 'capsules' engineering had called them, and to their credit they gave her the formula and work up notes inside the tiny thing; smart but they would need a better coding system. The rest she could only guess, possibly some weapons or smaller pieces of equipment. The uses were limited but there was potential there, her mind whirling now with possibilities. True to her word, she left the lab, rushing through the empty halls to the Northern entrance, just another couple of corners and … smack, she ran into the flesh equivalent of a brink wall. The shock of impact nearly knocked her off her feet, or would have if a pair of arms hadn't grabbed her around the waist and righted her. All the while Bulma remained silent, looking into those black eyes that were so familiar and at the scar that he had acquired so early in life.

"Yamcha, what are you doing here, where have you been?" The young woman babbled, the stress of everything starting to get to her. The old head guard said not a word, or altered from his hard, determined expression, merely held the woman in his arms tightly as she tried to break his grip.

"Please, Yamcha," she said, finally breaking his grip and grabbed his hand. "We have to go, come on …" She began to run through the halls with her companion in tow, getting all of ten feet before she stopped dead in her tracks and her face went white. At her feet was the soldier that had been at her side not five minutes before, laying dead in a pool of his own blood with a knife embedded in his back.

"Fates, NO!" She screamed, and turned to look at the man she once trusted with her life; the hands that had once held her stained red with blood. Instinct kicked in and she ran, no thought but to get to the safety of transport, away from the death and the bringer of it. As fast as the adrenaline made her, her former lover was faster still; she didn't get more than thirty feet before the stained hand grabbed her waist once more and a white cloth descended over her face. She kicked and struggled against the iron grip, desperate to be free, the struggles dying completely as the strong smell of ether began to have its affect with her body; her eyes drooping closed and she knew no more.

~~~~~

Enleo couldn't seem to keep the malevolent smirk off of his face, he never felt more alive than when he was on the battlefield, the smell of blood in his nostrils, to feel the resistance against his sword; the greatest cost of victory was a loss of opponent. He was not a man of peace and diplomacy like Tioce, he needed the chaos and pain and destruction of war, he was a man of combat and he revelled in every part of it. The thunder of the horses echoed like a song from a childhood forged from such things. It almost saddened him to know that this might be his last great battle, after this he would be unchallenged on the Central Continent, and with his new alliance working above his head, he would have total supremacy over this planet. This was his revenge; his swan song to the battlefield where he would avenge the shame of his defeats, life for life he would take today, an ocean of blood and mountains of corpses for him to lay his Coltello to rest in. How truly sweet death is, he thought, and he charge full speed into the black, silver and white crowd, the hooves of his horse crushing the bodies of those that did not get out of his way. With subtle movements of his legs, the horse reared up and kicked out its front legs, sending a pair of enemies to the dirt with dents in their armour and cracks in their bones; the screams were already rising higher and higher the farther his men wade into the crowd. All around him, the cries of horses and dying men blared through his ears and he brandished his sword and started his mount again, those that were not trampled in the fray were ripped apart by the edge of his weapon. Stupid creatures, did they really think that he could be so easily beaten by a few flashes of light and an assembly of grieving weaklings? He gave a battle cry to rally his men, the remainer of his forces, the cavalry and infantry amassed against the weakening Bushi soldiers once again. Riding past a small group of enemies, he tore through them with a savagery that spoke to the extent of his madness, he needed the blood, the fear, he was the Slayer of Kings, the Bringer of Death, the Scourge of the Fates. In all of the enemies that had come to meet their fates against him, only one had ever really escaped, but this time, bitch; she would die like her mother, screaming for death. It took him only a moment to spot her in the crowd, fighting off three of his own men at a time; the silver armour, though dented and stained, like a beacon to anyone. Annoying wench, he sneered and brought his mount to a gallop again, an honourable death was too much for a woman; he'd see her die on the edge of his sword, stabbed in the back like the abomination she was. No matter what this day would bring he would see her and the monkey dead, just a few more …

"For Bushi!" A scream rose up against the general din of battle and Enleo turned in time to see a group of six faces, all part of the faint memories of five years ago and at their helm, a single gruff old solider, each of them wielding on of those damnest ki weapons. Shifting his momentum, he was too slow to take on the enemies, and prepared himself to take their strikes when another horse swerved between him and the encroaching mob, Reismen on the mount, attempting to beat down the attackers. Giving a silent thanks for the last minute intervention, Enleo attacked, twisting himself around to charge at those at the other edge of the rabble; between the two of them they downed almost all but the last, the leader, the man actually skilful enough to severely injure Reismen's horse. For all that he had trampled in that first attack, twice that number were coming at him now, their strikes now centred on him. Sparing whatever glances he could to Reismen and the Bushi warrior, he rode into this new challenge, smiling gleefully as they got a few good hits in against him until his skill and brutality out did their own and they died to a man. His sadistic happiness was cut short as a shout of pain caught his ears and he turned in time to see his second in command fall, watching in horror as the fellow warrior was run threw in the heart by the lowly maggot. Uncaring of any thing else on the field, Enleo stared down the man who had taken the life of his closest comrade. He did not deserve the honour of killing as good a warrior as Reismen and for it he would get the privilege of death by the warlord's own hand. This time he couldn't perceive anything, the sounds muted from his mind, the smells, sights and emotions all silenced as he raised his sword to strike the fucking bastard down. Those green eyes burned through his, he knew the soldier wouldn't jump out of the way at the last minute, he would fight until the end. Bring his sword up, he moved without thought as he parried his enemy's thrust, overpowered the block and struck. He wasn't even aware of the sound of his sword piercing through that armour encased body and the blood that flowed down the gutter of his sword, only flung the body off the end of his broad sword and turned to enter the battle again.

This time the attack was not announced, only a single cry of 'Kreden' met his ears before his rival jumped on him, the force of the combined weights too much for his horse to take at that moment and it rolled, crushing him beneath it. He had only gotten one look at the creature before he fell off his mount, an image of long black hair and fierce brown eyes flashing in front of him; that damn fucking bitch would pay. Every muscle ached from the fall and roll as he staggered to his feet, his opponent was already being swarmed by his own men, looking tired and injured after the fall. Searching the high grass for his sword, he tightened his grip on the hilt and silently stalked towards her, waiting until his sense returned to him and then he charged, his weapon at the ready to strike down the last member of the accursed clan.

~~~~~

Before he could even think of why and how the strange trio were on the planet they had attacked, the Changling and the Gnath going for Vegita while he got the pink Myxini; damn it, for a fat bastard Dodoria could move fast. It didn't help either that he couldn't sense a ki signal off of him, that little fact making the fight all the harder. Flashing in and out of sight, Kakarott growled as the pink blob taunted him, the Saiyajin passing through his empty image once again, one step behind the minion. Hearing the rush of wind behind him, Kakarott side stepped the attack, the move faster than Dodoria was expecting and he over extended himself, the mistake costing him dearly, the royal guard kneeing him in the gut and punching the grotesque creature across the face. Stunned by the strength of the Saiyajin's blows, Freeza's lieutenant watched helplessly as the tailed warrior's ki flare around him and shot the pink abomination point blank in the face. The force of the attack was enough to sent Dodoria flying straight into Kuwi who was at that moment about to hit Vegita from behind. The Prince was having much more difficulty with his opponents, the weakling blue Gnath was hardly worth the effort but Zarbon was definitely a different matter. Snarling as yet another of his punches were blocked, his ki shield almost breaking when Zarbon's own strikes slipped past Vegita's defences, the green haired Changling not giving Vegita a chance to power up. Letting Zarbon grab his arm, Vegita ducked the coming fist and knee to his stomach, finally taking the time he needed to use his ki and he flung Zarbon away, just as Kuwi and Dodoria were recovering. Flying to Vegita's side, the two Saiyajins took positions back to back, crouching down in stances to prepare themselves for the coming attacks.

"What the name of Kami are they doing here?" Kakarott finally asked, the pause in fighting giving him a chance to let out his curiosity. True to his nature, Vegita growled out a curse and got tighter in his stance, the closest facsimile Kakarott would get to a 'I'm not sure'. The two watched as they opponents circled them like wolves ready to pounce, their eyes all searching for a weak point in the Saiyajins' defence.

"Whatever reason they are here, you can bet Freeza is behind it, maybe he's thinking of declaring war on the Empire, inching his way into our territory." The Prince finally replied back and the trio laughed out again, the sound only bringing the two Saiyajin's blood to a boil.

"You really are blind little monkeys aren't you. Oh well, I guess you'll learn soon enough, as soon as we can get you to Freeza, you will be of great service to him." Kuwi finally barked out, and the other two attacked, thinking of catching the two Saiyajins off guard. This time, their opponent's reversed, Kakarott stayed off Zarbon's assault while Vegita made easy work of the cocky Myxini. Catching one of Dodoria's fists, the Prince began to crush the thick bones of his fingers and wrist, taking out the radius before he starting to kick the screaming blob in the stomach.

"What the fuck do you mean we are blind? Speak you disgusting bakayaro, before I burn out your eyes." Dodoria was thrashing in Vegita's grip, his ki still indistinguishable but his fear very evident, his eyes widening as a ki strike began to form in Vegita's hand, the epicentre of the energy only a few centimetres from his face. His attention so focussed on his task, he missed the movement from the only static member of their team and was thrown off the lumbering pink blowfish as Kuwi charged for him, the blue guppy laughing as he thought he might finally exact revenge against the Saiyajin. His advantage, though, was short lived, Vegita easily blocking the simple flurry of punches, broke through the minion's defences and grabbed him around the neck. Kuwi had only a moment before the power of the ki blast previously reserved for Dodoria severed his head from his body; the lifeless corpse falling to the ground. Again the wind around him shifted and he was faced with Dodoria; his one good arm cocked back and ready to strike, his mouth clenched in a snarl until he too met his end from a energy attack from behind, this one from the stoic Kakarott.

"Ready to give up yet, pretty boy?" Vegita chuckled, the odds now reversed as it became two against one. Zarbon could only smirk at the two Saiyajins, the calmness of his manner making Vegita all the more angry and in need of a good fight.

"I see you haven't changed, still don't think much with your brain. You must tell me though, Vegita, how did it feel to be under a woman's power; did you beg for mercy or did you just she just beat you into submission? I'm sure Freeza would love to know as well, he did always think very highly of you." This time, it was Zarbon who chuckled, laughing at his own words and the look of utter fury now painted on Vegita's face, the words cutting him to the bone. Questions of how he knew about the Prince's imprisonment were not important now, to Vegita it was just another thing he could beat out of the blue freak when the time came. At one time, Zarbon taunting the short Prince might have caused great pain for Vegita, the former's power overwhelm the latter's, but now, with Vegita jump in level, the fury that burned out of him at those words made them like last testament on a suicide note. The Prince didn't even look at his fellow Saiyajin, nothing existed but the being in front of him and the need to beat the creature to death. Putting all of his emotions to the side, Vegita centred wholly and completely on his rage and let the ki that had lain dormant for so long rush through him, into his aura until it surrounded him, a blue white ball of pure contained energy.

"Kakarott, go, help your soldiers and leave this scum to me." It was not a question or a request but an order and there was no other option but to obey it and he dropped from the sky to join his men in combat. The cockiness behind Vegita words, even if his tone was completely collected, brought another round of laughter from the blue skinned alien.

"What's the matter, don't want you're little friend to see you humiliated, wouldn't matter if he was anyway, it still won't save you. But since you think you're so tough, Saiyajin," he growled and let his body grow to the intimidating proportions as only his kind could. "I'll gladly give you a challenge you won't forget."

~~~~~

Gone, he's gone; ChiChi's mind screamed at her, the only thought that seem to breach the mile thick wall around her, her surrogate father, the last link to her past was cut down by the author of all of her misery. How could he do that, he knew he couldn't face him alone, she had tried to yell a warning to him to duck, was running to his side when the attack felled and she saw his lifeless body at the end of that sword. Another person, another face in her life gone now and forever, she couldn't let it happen, she had to fight, she had to will. Anger and sadness fuelled her then when she leapt at him, trying to bring up her sword to take his life as he had so many others. She wasn't fast enough though, the horse staggering under her weight and the change in balance, she had leapt off just in time to avoid getting trampled, only to be confronted with two other attackers. Her energy waning, the strain of her muscles making difficult to stand, she could barely hold off their attacks, she could feel the end coming. No, no she couldn't die like this, not this way; she had finally found a measure of happiness and she would not lose it on this field. Mustering up the last of her energy, she struck out at the larger of her two opponents, the man crumpling under the strength of her sword and she whirled on her final attacker until a cry of fury sounded behind her and she turned to see Enleo coming at her. If Kreden had been there then, he would have yelled at her to protect her back, but he wasn't and she didn't and she found herself with a gash along her side, the man behind her taking advantage of her diverted attention. She fell to her knees at the pain, holding her sword at her side, she thrust it backwards and caught the calves of the man behind her, cutting him down near the knees. One enemy finished with, she held her weapon in front of her, and for only the second time in her life, she prayed to the Fates that Kakarott might save her.

He was coming closer and closer, the madness evident in his eyes, staring down at his victim, the young woman clutching her injured side and trying not to tremble. The battle didn't matter anymore, even survival wasn't important, if he was going to die, though, he was going to take her with him. The torment that was his early life and the trouble the bitch had caused him over the last year fuelled him as he drew closer and closer. Finally, his mind screamed, I'll wipe the Wolf's blood from this pl … . At first there was the mild sensation of burning, and then his body doubled with the mind retching pain of it all, his hand covering the hole now burnt through his chest, trying to stay the blood that gushed from his wounded chest. Looking around frantically for an answer, he watched as his men still atop their mounts were struck from behind by the white beams of light that could only have come from the strange weapons that the Bushi warrior's carried. No, he couldn't die like this, not shot through the back like an animal or a traitor; he was going to rule the world, it was all his, everything, everything.

"I am the Scourge of the Fates!" He yelled to the world, the maddened cry silenced by yet another ki blast, this one through his cerebellum, and the warlord Enleo died, convulsing and vomiting up his own blood. There was a moment of silence at that point, the last dying cries of the devil were heard all throughout the field, every warrior, her own and his included, stopped at the sound, looking in shock as he fell to his knees and died. A moment later, streaming through the trees on the south side of the field, were her own warriors, faces she had recognised as her guerrilla fighters, the fresh warriors closing in on the remaining black and gold troops. Swaying to her feet, she watched as a congregation of her followers swarmed the dead man's body, stabbing, kicking and mutilating it for all the evil its owner had done in life. They had won, triumphant on this day that saw the use of the most deadly weapons known to all Gaian kind. She couldn't find words to describe the sadness that gripped her then, so much loss, so much death, all of her father's soldiers, so many lives, so much promise, all dead to one man's insane greed and the need for revenge. Staggering under her own exhaustion and injury, she found herself wrapped in a pair of strong arms and looked behind to see that placid Saiyajin face, slighting bruised but none really the worse for wear. Collapsing against him, she couldn't keep the emotion down any longer and she cried into his chest as he held her close, the weight of all the loss and the sorrow for those he could not save written plainly in his pitch black eyes. Away to the south she could hear the guerrillas bellowing their rage, exacting their punishment the only way they knew how against the broken man's corpse. To the north and east, the remains of Enleo's army were slaughtered to a man; without their leader, the soldiers were left without a centre and a purpose, killing them almost a blessing to letting them face the evil they had done in the name of their master. Even Vegita descended slowly from the sky, the colour once more returning to that too cheerful blue after the frightening purple it had taken when he destroyed the last of their mysterious enemies. Soon they would leave this place, they could build their lives now, they had brought peace back to Gaia; finally everything was alright.

"I must say, Vegita, you put up quite a fight; when they told me you had grown to eighty thousand, I did not believe them but to kill Zarbon so efficiently. I must say that you Saiyajins are an extraordinary species, to grow so strong after every battle, you really have the most impressive luck. Too bad it has run out for you, Vegita; but you have intrigued me with his new power of yours. I propose a fight, alone," the youngest son of King Cold proclaimed from his place in the sky, looking pointedly at the other Saiyajin presence on the field. His innocent, almost doll like face looked at the survivors in complete mockery, those blood ruby eyes skimming over the human female in Kakarott's arms to the two Saiyajins. Not even trying to hide his glee, his white tail whipped back and forth, how ironic to see such evil in such an innocent face. "Do you agree, Prince of Vegitasei?" Giving only one glance to his comrade in arms, he let his ki flow around him and brought himself to the level of the tyrant.

"Lead the way."

* * * * *