Notes: In terms of giving my typical warnings, this chapter contains a fair amount of violence, swearing and reflection, as well as some evidence of a female/female relationship. Nothing remotely yuriesque so get your minds out of the gutter. The Saigyno words were all taken from the web site: http://www.ceantar.org/Dicts/search.html and are found in the glossary. The attack names were all taken from the Ultimate DBZ Information Site (if you wanted to find out in more detail what they are) and the tarot card excerpts were interpretations from of the readings in the Companion book to the Sacred Circle Tarot. Credit also goes to Lisalu for the use of one of her species names, even though I didn't ask for the privilege =(.

The normally orderly and vacant halls of Bushi were alive with noise and chaos; black, white and silver clad bodies rushing here and there with the overwhelming sense of after battle. Even now, less than a half an hour from when the 'Scourge of the Fates' met his death on the field, the soldiers that saw, and they who hadn't, were telling tales of the ending. Recounts of the tale were fancifully enough now, Kakarott almost wondered how bad they would become, or maybe if was a better word. They had won, a victory wrought with heavy casualties, a war unlike any that had been fought on the soil of this planet; and none of it would matter now. He could feel the end upon them, this wonderful life that might have been vanishing in the gaze of those ruby eyes; oh Kami, Freeza.

He had not given thought to why the enemy trio were there, the rush of battle, the need born of his Saiyajin blood washed away all reason and his questioning nature. It didn't matter then why they were there, nothing mattered but the fight, the need to kill what was a threat, merely the need to kill which had infected them all in that battle. While below the two armies ripped each other apart, he and Vegita partook of their own madness, the combat and slaughter beautiful, something he might never know again after this day, the blissful ignorance of it all. After the calculated, clinical fight with those machines, to match strength against a true opponent, with a foe whose only goal was to take your life, he had forgotten everything, even the war beneath him. It didn't matter that he couldn't feel their ki, that they knew of Vegita's imprisonment, even that they were there at all, concern didn't enter his mind, his focus switching from one battle field to another when Vegita took on the last of them. He had watched the end, his little Amazon fighting with all her might until she could not stand, even in her weakened state she was still a force to be reckoned with, deadly and beautiful on that blood washed field. He saw all in the final moments, the sadistic bastard, stripped of his army and honour finding death at the end of a stray ki blast. It was so fitting, for all the lives he had destroyed so casually; it was a nothing death he suffered, shot in the back by an unknown assailant. The rest was inconsequential after that, the war on the ground had ended, as had the one in the sky, they had won, she was safe, nothing else mattered. So short lived that peace was, all of it ending with those high pitched, mocking words as the white tyrant stared down the field at them, contempt and triumph shining in those eyes. The ignorance of before was gone at those words and the sight of Freeza above the field, cold clarity was swept into his mind in the weight of hindsight, those three did not come alone; what they thought as a victory was merely a reprieve. He hadn't realised it, never considered what the presence of the three minions had meant until reality came, all triumph turned to misery, relief to anxiety, all celebrations stayed, the peace so hard fought for torn away before most could breathe in the sweet smell of freedom. And all at the hands of a tyrant who knew nothing of the planet he was about to destroy, never saw what its people even looked like; yet how many times had the Saiyajins committed such an act, how often he had been the cause of death to so many other planets? Long ago the fate of this planet and the infinite number like it was decided, upon a map or celestial chart by being who saw them as nothing more than one more possession or a reservoir of usable resources. It sickened him now, looking out at the collective panic as insanity washed over the helpless inhabitants; before the events of the past few weeks, he would have been the same, a killer of intelligent cattle.

Now, to look into that sea of faces and to see every one of them, the parts and the sum, a tapestry of life before him and he wondered if any of them would survive. How many would he see after tomorrow; would he ever walk upon this beautiful world again; would he be holding the woman in his arms again? NO, it would not end here, he would not see her and this end today, not when he had found such happiness, brought such happiness to others; he would not lose her. He couldn't just stay back and go on unaware, he had to fight for his people, protect them. From every doorway and crevice they were flooding out, human entities, blocking his way; infuriating him all the more. He couldn't think, couldn't reason or even breathe, the woman curled into him shaking lightly with the shock of the day's events and the pain of her injuries, in need of help that he could not provide her. How desperately he wanted to do more, organise these people, get help for the wounded; Kami, he wasn't strong enough for this, not in that way, he needed her there with him. Why could he not do anything, his mind cried; dread, anger, and overwhelming wash of responsibility flooded him, it had all gone so wrong.

To win the day for a second, and it all ended, the death nail coming with those mocking words from that all too stoic veneer. 'Fight against me, alone,' the challenge given and accepted before he could express any emotion at all. He should have intervened, refused to allow Vegita to go and fight, gone with him, anything to help his Prince; it was his duty to protect him. The reigns of control slipped through Kakarott's hands, as he looked for a moment at Vegita before the Prince took off into the skies after the tyrant. It was a trap, how carefully laid or organised it was he didn't know, but Enleo, Zarbon, Dodoria, Kuwi, Freeza, they all knew. Enleo's confidence was more than mere arrogance, he knew of the intervention, he sold his soul to Freeza for the means of defeating his enemies, the earlier diversions merely a way to exhaust the two, Kami it had worked better than they could have hoped. It was a fool's errand Vegita was embarking on, he was too weak from the previous fights, there was no hope against a creature such as Freeza, even Vegita with his gargantuan pride understood the odds. But before their parting, a low growl rumbled in the Prince's throat, a phrase spoken with such calmness it stunned the other Saiyajin. He should have intervened, refused to allow Vegita to go and fight, gone with him, but it was too late. In a flash, the pair were out of sight, the ever arrogant Prince as emotionless as the day they had met, betraying nothing but in his eyes, in those singular depths was held a nobility and a sense of clarity that he had never seen shining out of them.

"Sibh aym cosnith bhur saorsa laa jiu, Kakarott; mi faighich a mhain gur sibh coadey ise."

How could you do that to yourself, Vegita, and to me, giving me complete power over my fate at the expense of your own, all for your own human burden? It was his last command, given with the finality of a master giving freedom to a slave, or a death bed wish from one comrade to another. He couldn't think about the meaning behind those words, the spirit behind them or what bridge had been built between him and the woman, it was his final command, one to a loyal guardsmen from his liege and in this one request Kakarott could not fail. And he could not succeed if he did not get his own woman to safety. Even if there was no where safe on the planet surface, he couldn't do anything in this chaos, these people needed a direction, a force to lead them and give comfort in such a time as this. Show them stability, Vegita had told him, show them your mastery, ability, give them a guide and they will follow onto hell.

"Every one under the banner of Bushi or Modulus, listen to me!" His voice pierced the deafening noise, drawing the attention of the chaotic mass. He had to be a beacon to them, a light of hope as ChiChi had once been, his yellow aura enveloping him and he rose to the air, becoming a physical beacon to their eyes.

"We cannot panic now in this, our greatest time of crisis, we can only organise and prepare for anything and everything. You fought and won a brave battle this day, you are beings of great inner strength with a fortitude worth of the name Saiyajin, and human." The bundle against his chest shifted, acting as if she wished to watch the spectacle. Looking down at her, he gained confidence from her gaze of admiration and the desire to follow him, to trust him now in what could be there darkest hour. Turning once more to the now silent mob, he saw that look again copied a thousand times over in those expecting eyes.

"We must tend to our wounded first, any who know anything of medicine or any able hand willing to help, go to the arena and set up what you can. The rest take up arms and guard this fortress against any threat of attack, we cannot be so lucky to believe the creatures on the battle field were the only ones. And I request that you send the Mistress of Modulus to the arena as well." No cry of agreement was given and none was needed as the once fragmented mob found its direction. They had purpose now, it was better than any false hope or optimism, setting them in a path that made them believe they held their fate in their own hands; it was the best he could do. There was no safe place for them to go, not on the whole planet …, sometimes he praised Kami for the gift of his father's intelligence, it wasn't often but this was one of those rare moments. Still hovering about the rush, he glided through the air, racing down the hallways and passages he could recall by instinct alone. Those two men had truly been the bane of his existence, if circumstances had permitted, he might of actually smiled at the realisation of all that those two had done from that tiny out of the way room in the lower belly of the black stone edifice. In a house full of warriors, it had been two physically weak technicians who had given him the means to find this planet, for Vegita to be free of the collar, for a small force of rebels to defeat a mighty army; now he had to call upon their services again.

"Where are you taking me, this isn't the way to the arena?" His passenger finally piped up, he was almost taken back by the sound of her voice breaking through the daze that was his mind at the moment. Not slowing down in the least, his attention was drawn back towards the woman in his arms, his face betraying none of the emotion currently choking his soul, the agony of it all making his stomach clench. Her face was finally so trusting, her eyes holding absolute belief in him, even as the fear of their situation crept in. Flying through the first empty corridor, the nearness of his goal spurred him on, so much had been laid on his shoulders at this moment, his duty and emotions warring within him, Vegita's final words still pounding through his skull:

"Kakarott … coadney ise" but he had to protect ChiChi first. He didn't pause at that old wooden door but busted through, taking the liberty to yell out, express his raw emotions where he could not before.

"Get the pods ready NOW!" The high pitched whine of the weak door splintering under the powerful force of the Saiyajin was so quickly overtaken by the frantic command that the two tech had just managed to duck for cover before they realised what was even going on. The cluttered room descended completely into chaos as Kakarott blasted in, his aura whipping and tossing the lighter objects about the room before the Saiyajin finally calmed enough to repeat his request.

"You said you had repaired the pods, to what degree; are they capable of space travel?" Disregarding the insanity which he had caused, the focus of the Saiyajin now firmly placed on the two cowering humans, his rage almost boiling over again at their idleness in the face of such a crisis; every second counted and precious time was wasting away.

"Put me down!" Reality once again reasserted itself for the woman in his arms, the calm uncertainty in her voice replaced by her maddened scream, signalling the return of her explosive temper. Slipping out of his embrace, she turned on him, her gaze burning with her rage as the shock of Kreden's death began to wear off. Taking ChiChi's outburst as a reprieve, the two techs quickly scurried out of their impromptu shelters, the younger of the two beginning to charge up the patched up space crafts while the older slowly approached the bombastic couple.

" … And don't you dare try to brush me off and leave to go with your egotistical Prince, I want answers and I want them now! Why are we here? Who were those, those things? What was that white … doll, and why are you acting like a madman; what do you need with Bulma?" It didn't take the young woman long before she was red in the face from her exertions, the sight of her anger unleashed was enough to drive nearly any man into compliance, but all that went through the Saiyajin's mind was the ruby stare and calmness of Vegita's last words.

"I don't have time to explain it now, know only that those things were enemies, as is their leader, only that he is much stronger. This planet is in danger, from nothing else than the fact than the is in the same sector of universe. I can't speak for my 'egotistical' Prince," Goku added, looking pointedly at the woman in front of him, his helplessness now giving way to anger. "But as to why you are here, you are getting in that pod, if it is ready, I have a something I have to take care of, an oath I gave to Vegita, and I can't complete it if I'm unsure about your safety." At the last moment he shifted his gaze to the frantic Thak.

"Bull shit, don't you dare give me that 'run and hide for my own protection' garbage, didn't we go through this with the battle today? And if you think I'm going to just sit idly by while you go off to Fates know where to get your head bashed in, I swear I'll cut off your precious tail. Answer me, where are you going, what kind of mission is it and why do you want Bulm …" The last syllable died in the air, the Saiyajin's hand moving faster than the human woman could detect and with the base of his palm struck her temple. Just like the first time they met, she crumpled under the slight but calculated blow, as Kakarott grabbed her and turned to the two other occupants of the room.

"Are the pods ready?" After all of the yelling and shouting, the cold, emotionless tone of the Saiyajin's voice sent a chill through the two techs, that he had just knocked out the Mistress ChiChi without a second thought did not help matters much either. Unaware that Gaia had gone from a land at war to a land in danger for its very existence, Sar'in could only stare dumbfounded at the Saiyajin's behaviour as Thak went through the final check.

"Are they flight worthy, yes; they'll get you off the ground but it'll take time to program in a flight course and even prepare them for launch, and we can't do that in here. I do ask one thing, sir, what is going on; it must be something big if it requires you to ask our help again, that you would actually knock Mistress ChiChi out. I have but a few questions, how, how long do we have to live?" The powerful rage that had radiated off the Saiyajin's whole being released at that question, the reality of the situation brought sharply into focus with those simple, honest words. Feeling along the side of ChiChi's skull for any damage he might have caused her, he couldn't even look at the men whose lives were hanging by a thread because of him and his royal counterpart.

"The chances do not look good, this enemy Vegita is facing right now is strong, far stronger than anything you could imagine. As hard as it may be for you to believe, there are worse creatures in the universe than the Saiyajins, and that monster now fighting Vegita is one of them. Whether you all live or not depends on how much of Freeza's madness comes through and how much energy he uses against the Prince. I have to make sure she is safe, this planet isn't safe anymore, the only place I could possible think of would be outer space, send the two pods into a safe orbit around the planet. I won't see her die today because I couldn't protect her, both she and that Lady of Modulus will be blasted into space until it's all over; if you wish put as many humans as you can in the pods, save as many as you can." Silence followed the doomsday message and Kakarott looked over at the stubborn human, half expecting a reaction like ChiChi's, only to be met with a look of compliance in those grey eyes, the first he had ever received from the man. The last being on the planet that had fought against him, holding out even longer than ChiChi had now looked on him with admiration equal to that that the mob had just a few moments ago. The stand off final broke when the propulsion gages to the last safe havens on the beautiful planet let out a sharp hiss and both men turned to the nervous human now setting in the flight pattern, the full weight of everything coming into complete focus at the sound. Life and death hung in the balance now, so many to save, and there wasn't enough, enough time, resources, not anything.

"My Lord, they're ready." So many more that could have been saved if they had only known, but he still had his obligation.

"Bandage her up as best as you can and put her into a pod, I'll be down momentarily when I find the Mistress of …"

"You will not find her, Saiyajin." A new voice rang out in the too silent room and the three men nearly jumped at the interruption, only to turn towards the door and the source of the intrusion. Three woman, all unknown to the royal lieutenant, stood before them, a more ragtag trio he had never encountered. Focusing on the two in the front, he rounded on them, amazed when neither of the young women showed any fear. They had used the term 'Saiyajin', so they knew about him, or Vegita, but from the looks that Sar'in gave at the sight of them, he didn't recognise the two girls either.

"Who are you and what do you mean that I won't find her? Since you seem to know the word 'Saiyajin', I'm assuming you know the danger that comes when you threaten one." Again the two did not back down, only stepping further into the light of the lab, as Kakarott got his first good look at them. There were as different as night and day, the two before him, blond to brown hair, tan to pale skin, and their eyes, the lightest of gold to the deepest of green; two polar opposites such that he had never seen. Even their expressions differed, concern and fear in those green eyes, and defiance and mockery in the golden ones. His anger began to boil even stronger as he watched the mockery move from her eyes to her mouth and she laughed, actually laughed at him, only to descend into a coughing fit at the exertion. The other girl didn't even register his rage as she comforted her companion, rubbing her back to try to halt the coughing and it was then that Kakarott noticed their closeness; what in the name of Kami was going on?

"Who we are doesn't matter, in a few hours, we might not even exist at all, or so she tells me." The golden one replied as her voice returned. "You can search all you like through this whole house but you will not find the Mistress Bulma, she is gone, during the middle of the battle she was captured and taken to Okazaki by a traitor in her house. It was all completely planned, that doll creature you were faced against has his allies on this planet." Kakarott was stunned, how, how could she know about Freeza, who were these allies, where was this place; he had to find that woman, he had to complete his mission.

"How do I know you are even telling me the truth, that you aren't leading me into some trap?"

"It's true," the final girl in the hallway replied, her eyes as solemn and fearful as that of the green eyed girl and with a gasp from behind him, he knew that Sar'in and Thak knew of this girl.

"Dessai, no; who could have done such a thing?" And the maroon haired girl snarled out a name he could hardly make sense of, a mumble that sounded like 'Dim Sum' or 'Yamcha' or something equally obscure and unknown to his ears. While the name meant nothing to him, it a surprisingly violent reaction in the two other males; yet another mystery on this planet that he knew nothing about, and the annoyingly silent humans had no intention of telling him about. What difference did it make, who or why something happened; it had and now he had to find this place, rescue this girl, all while the time they had left was slowly slipping away.

"If she is gone then tell me where she is, this is a matter of honour. There isn't enough time to argue about the past, just get in the pods and save yourselves while you still can." Kami, it was going to be hard enough to find her before, now she was in the den of the enemy and he couldn't feel their ki, no signal he could track to find her or any of Freeza's soldiers.

"I'll show you the way, only if I can come with you, I know that pit better than anyone." The first speaker called out to him, though obviously in a weakened state, the bravado in her voice never dimmed, her eyes not faltering in that hard piercing gaze that spoke of a fighter, an indelible spirit. Words of protest followed her announcement, the green eyed girl going even paler and grabbed on to her shoulders, pleading with her in a low voice to reconsider.

"Please, you can't, the dreams, my card readings, they all point to destruction. I can't let you go, not alone; please, you're too weak, let me go with you. You said I was strong, I could go instead, I could find the way for him, what is the point of seeing the future if you can't save those you care for; if you can't change it for the better." Tears glistened in those too dark eyes and the pair embraced, the golden one breathing a few words into the other girl's ear and she loosened her grip ever so slightly.

"Some things were just meant to be." She replied and with a move so very reminiscent of his own with ChiChi, the smaller girl knocked the other unconscious, holding up her dead weight as much as her strength could muster. Turning towards the only other conscious female in the room, she leaned her own burden into the pair of waiting arms and marched over to the Saiyajin.

"It's about one hundred miles south south east of here, if we take a horse or one of the new shuttles we can be there within a few hours." The young woman didn't miss a beat, acting for the gathered assemble as if she hadn't just knocked out her companion, or looked almost on the brink of collapse herself. The other occupants of the room remained silent, too stunned by the recent developments both in and outside the fortress, and could only watch the spectacle unfolding before them. He didn't know whether it was impossibility of the young woman's confidence, the prospect of a potential fatal mission in front of him or that the woman actually thought they would be taking human transport, but Kakarott actually smiled and began to charge a small ball of ki in his hand.

"I didn't say I would take you."

"You never asked, but as you did say we are wasting valuable time …" Her words didn't get passed her lips before Kakarott had sent his sphere flying into the one tiny window that help light the temporary laboratory. The ball took out the window, and a square metre of wall with it, the sight causing the cocky girl to cover herself from the strike and look in awe at the Saiyajin's power.

"What is it with you Gaian woman, is insolence something that is taught or known from the cradle?" Kakarott chuckled and picked up the girl like she weighted no more than a feather, securing his arm around her waist and allowing his power to once more flare to life around him. The human girl once more looked petrified, fearful and yet fascinated by it all. She couldn't even snap out a reply as the Saiyajin took to the air, streaking across the sky towards the South, leaving the other humans dumbfounded in their wake. Walking to the enlarged window, Sar'in watched their progress, his stance that of a man set in his course; they all had their battles to face, but his had come to an end.

"At least we don't have to worry about how to get the pods out." He replied absently to himself, a slight smile gracing his too tired face. Still turned away from the room, he simply stood for a moment, taking in the beauty of his surroundings, enjoying the warmth of the Sun and the last smells of summer.

"Get those two in the second pod, Thak, and you and Dessai get in the first, any more passengers could cause the disruptions in the flight pattern. Besides, if we go up there now and announce that there is a place for only one more that could mean life or death we'll have a panic, it's more harm than good." He didn't even turn away from the window, just stood transfixed while the two others prepared the second pod for its departure. The hatch eased closed and the older tech finally faced the room and the ashen faces that he had learned to know and love in his time in his old home.

"Sir, please there is still room in the pod, you could get in and save yourself, don’t give up hope like this." Thak's saddened voice pleading with his mentor, his friend to escape; the thought that the elder tech was sacrifice his life for him too hard a blow on a day such as this. Clapping one greasy hand on the younger man's shoulder, the once smiling face went stern, and his soft voice became firm with his resolve.

"Thak, my boy, I've lived my life as best as I could, and now I will have it end, doing what I can to make it better for the people up there. I have come to know you like a brother, or a son; there is so much promise you in, you have the potential to live the life I never had, do what I never could, see what I had only dreamt about. Go, Thak, get in that pod and save yourself, I ask only that you remember me." Never one to display his emotions, the young man shook at the strain of keeping it all in, but stood tall before his fellow tech, placing his own hand on Sar'in's shoulder. The tenuous embrace ended and Thak did as he was told, sat inside the pod as Sar'in walked over to the uncharacteristically silent Dessai.

"There isn't a lot of time, child, just get in and take care of yourself, Dessai." Having witness the scene between the two men, Dessai could not hold back her emotions and hugged the man before her, silent tears streaming down her face, before she released him and slipped through the open pod hatch. In the end, it was an eternal sense of calm which washed over the man as he pushed the button and the two alien crafts whirled to life, all of his hard work and sacrifice rising up off the ground and shooting out through the hole in the wall. With the room still filled with the back draft of their launch, he ran back to the gaping opening to watch the pods, like the Saiyajin before them, flying through the sky in a blaze of light.

~~~~~

"Forty eight minutes until we reach steady orbit around the planet, captain." A lizard like voice hissed out, to the assembled crowd on the bridge. Looking out of the main window of the giant craft, a collection of creatures every size, shape, facial feature and colour was there, their eyes all focussed on the round blue jewel shining out in the infinite sea of black. After so many days of chasing after an obsession, they were finally to see the end of their Master's plan and the end of one of the most accursed races in the universe.

"Still no word though from Master Freeza or first lieutenant Zarbon, are we still to proceed as planned?" A purple scaled creature at another console asked again to the vessel's captain, the red skinned being merely nodded his reply, his grin growing wider as the ship sped closer to the unsuspecting planet.

"Of course, we wait until the sensors detect the escape pods, or if they aren't out by the time we reach the planet, then we move in for the kill anyway. Why, are you so blood thirsty you actually think you could take down Freeza as well as the Saiyajins, I would not take the son of Cold to be just some coddle court brat." The overconfidence man crossed his arms over his armoured chest, a smirk growing across his face at the muted whispers of his crew. They were so close to the final target, the chase short but the victory would be no less sweet because of it, every second brought the completion of this mission upon them. His eyes were set on the unsuspecting planet before them, even the crew were growing louder in anticipation of their arrival. It wasn't often one saw history in the making, even less often did one make it, and here today his name would be known throughout the whole of the Cold Empire. Already he had seen the mightiest empire to oppose the Colds' reign crushed, their planet destroyed in a blaze of glory, as would the planet before his eyes, all sacrificed to one man and his madness. Oh well, better to profit from the spoils of war than be the poor unfortunate bastard whose life was only a casualty of that greed. How many more would see their end today, even if it was not by Freeza's hand but his authority alone, for no better reason than they were there? Not that it mattered in the end, death came to everyone, as arbitrary as his Master had been with the Saiyajins. Because they were filthy creatures, he had said, that they had grown too strong and were too ambitious, but in the end it was merely that their presence displeased him. There had been no declaration of war or premise of hostile, they even went under the guise of a visiting dignitary, the Saiyajins never even knew until all hell itself rained down upon them. And so marked a new era, the small Empires falling away until one true leader would be proclaimed, their rule baptised in blood.

As they approached the planet, the mood of the gathered men grew more potent, the use of so much power all to rid the world of two tailed aliens, allowed uncertainty to creep into their minds. To take on a whole planet of Saiyajins, the Master needed nothing more than a tenth of his own power to blow up the planet and the accursed race that called it home, and yet, for a planet of weaklings and two Saiyajins, he was using all of the power of his flagship and top warriors. There had been word about Freeza's history with this place, of a payment long overdue, but that wasn't just it; he wanted something on this planet, and he wanted it alive.

"Sir," his second in command said, finally grabbing the distracted man's attention. "Are you sure this is a wise course of action, I mean all of this to take down two monkeys?"

"Are you questioning Master Freeza's command?" The room abruptly went silent at the captain's words, even an allegation of doubt to Freeza's motives or methods was a sentence of death. All eyes, or the nearest facsimiles, were set on the bulky figure stuttering desperately to save himself, trying to grasp upon the words that would save him from a charge of perfidy and failing miserably.

"I, I … meant no treason, but to travel out into an enemy galaxy, to destroy some nothing little planet and possibly kill his own officers, all to kill two annoying pests?" The creature's bright red face paled pink, his black pupils going wide with fear; he still had not learned to keep his mouth shut, even as he knew the punishment that awaited him. With merely a nod, the standing guards swarmed the man, their weapons whirling to life and were all aimed at the few vulnerable points not covered by the white and black armour. The man didn't make another sound as he was surrounded, but the fear in his eyes, the tremors in his stance was signal enough to display his terror for all to see. His cowardliness earned him a chorus of snickers and grunts, the doubtful nature in the man give everyone present a chance to prove their loyalty to Freeza, even as he spoke the truth that all of them could see. In such times of life and death, the captain replied to himself, it was better to suffer the life of one to death for the safety of others, and with a nod, the armed warriors attacked him; a soldier behind him sweeping his feet out from under him. The unfortunate man couldn't even slow his descent as his head crashed to the floor and the guards attacks soon following until the metal floor was stained as red as the man's body. Waiting until the men screamed out in pain, the captain finally halted the crowd, trying to get the mob under control. This was what was definitely needed, the smell of blood and the need to let it was in the air and now all that needed to be done was to point it at the planet.

"Annoying monkeys? I'm guessing you've never seen a planet after a Saiyajin purging squad has been through it; ruthless, blood thirsty, lovers of battle and death, that is what the Saiyajins are. Master Freeza is doing the universe a service, even one of them is too many to be allowed to live, never mind that the two were are coming up against are the two most powerful. We are ushering in a new era, if it gives birth to martyrs then so be it, and unless Master Freeza decides it to be otherwise, I guess you'll be one of them as well." At the mention of their leader, and the possibility of his wrath, the man's reaction went violent as he began to choke on the blood flowing out of his mouth, all sense and decorum gone as he writhed madly, thinking of only getting himself killed before Freeza had a chance. One last strike to the temple and the man quieted once more, two soldiers already taking him down to the hold until full punishment could be administered. While the little episode and his speech had quelled the voices of dissidence, the captain could sense uncertainty in the air, the smell almost over powered by the blood and the lust for it but it was there. Even without the power of telepathy, he knew what worry was going through the minds of those still sharp and cynical enough to keep their wits about them, deep down, he knew because he shared that feeling, the low gnawing at the base of his skull. What could possibly inspire so grave an action as to kill another Empire without the justification of conflict, and to fly at damaging speeds and through a potentially deadly magnetic gas cloud to reach a planet not even on a galactic map? Was it truly a bid for absolute power, the Tsiru-jins' tendency towards madness, the fear of the supposed curse upon Freeza's head, maybe all three combined. Bah, curses and fortunes and foreboding, nothing but poison to a man's mind, besides, no Saiyajin could possibly be as powerful as Lord Freeza.

"Sir, we have picked up two pods on the radar, the communication links appear to be down; it could be the Saiyajins."

"You've give them that much credit, that they could actually run or repair a pod. Ha, besides, a Saiyajin would never run from a good fight, they are on the planet, or at the rendezvous location with Master Freeza, if there is anything left of them. I'd say that those pods hold first lieutenant Zarbon and Dodoria, I guess Kuwi finally got what was coming to him." The tension that still permeated in the room slowly drained at the announcement of the two pods, some how the whole operation became much less unseemly now that they would only be firing at a planet of weaklings and two Saiyajin refugees.

"Pods taking steady orbit around the planet and is still not responding to any signal, should we pick them up, sir?" About to reply to the question, another loud beeping began throughout the bridge.

"Captain, sensors sweeps indicate an unusually high power level reading on the planets smaller satellite. It would appear that Master Freeza has decided to engage the Saiyajin in combat at the rendezvous point."

"Excellent, now you bastards, get your posts, we'll be planet side in twenty-two minutes. When we pass the inner satellite's orbit, power up the every laser cannon on the ship and point it at the planet; I want a blast so big it'll be seen from Tsiru-sei." Finally given a standing order, the idle men were spurn into action, rushing back and forth as the ship rang with the announcement of impending combat. Preparing himself to return to his seat, one of the engineering officers grabbed his attention once more.

"Sir, if we take the course and the orbit that you've planned, there is a very likely chance that the ship might be severely damaged, to put that much energy into the cannons we'd have to divert most of the ship's energy supply to the weapons. There wouldn't even be enough power to keep the shields operational, they wouldn't make it through the blast intact even if they were at full power. There is also a question of the pods …"

"Are you questioning Freeza's command, soldier?" The captain interrupted and the man, like the one before him, paled and went silent.

"Divert the power from the non-essential first and put the shields on stand by, as soon as the blast hits the planet, bring up the shields. I choose this distance so that we would not interfere with Master Freeza's scheme for the Saiyajin Prince. For the pods, if they do not wish to return our request for a message, let them stay out there, I'm sure they will enjoy the view. Besides, if we can get rid of those two like the Saiyajins did with the others, then so be it. Now, get back to your post."

"Yes, sir."

~~~~~

The air had grown thinner as the pair flew, higher and higher up, into the upper reaches of the atmosphere and farther still, past the bonds of gravity and into the vacuum of space. Halfway up, between where the air could freeze the lungs and the molecules so superheated they could burn the skin, the auras of blue white surrounded them, blazing out to capture the fleeting air and maintaining the pressure around them as they travelled into the oblivion of space. It looked for the world below like two pinpoints of light, a thing of beauty rather than a procession of fate. After this fight, the very structure of the universe would change, Empires would fall and chaos would rise in their place.

Neither man spoke out, the need to ask or explain unnecessary; the conflict was long in the making, and for all that the super powers had played at their niceties, an underlying hatred existed, which would now be played out between these two strongest sons. Ever since the Saiyajin Prince learned how to hate the emotion had been reserved especially for his father and the Cold Empire, towards the youngest son and deadliest of creatures. Still now, looking at the diminutive being, his blood boiled over with hate, both culturally insisted and personally gained. That evil sneer of superiority, how he lorded over everyone and everything, and expected Vegita to bow to him; Vegita bowed to no one. Many were the times that he let his anger burn out of control, and had been within a hair's breadth of calling the icy bastard out, avenging the humiliation of his father servitude, but he did not. Always he held back, his reason winning out against his rage as he sensed the power level behind that mocking black smile which stopped his younger self from a course that would most definitely be suicide. The hate of those days galvanised all the more for his weakness, he would defend the Saiyajin honour, the conflict that had always raged under the surface would now see light; one of them would not leave this place today. Maybe that was why he had said yes and allowed himself to be led to through the nothingness of space by the greatest of his enemies; was it for the politics of their Empires, or just the challenge? Whatever the immediate and dire reason was, it was there, calling to him, in the pull of his blood and breed calling him to arms, the need for the burning loss of all self and obligation to the fight.

It had been so long since he had felt it, ever since … . He stared down once more at the receding planet, the detailed surface of plains, mountains, rivers and forests was growing fainter by the second, until only the existence of land and ocean could be discerned; what this planet had done to him. He could still remember when he had said those words, spoken them in a moment of play in the bed of his little human, the accursed collar still around his neck. The irony of it all, how much stronger he was now since the beginning of this odyssey since he had that collar around his neck, because he had suffered the indignities of wearing it. How strong it had made him he could only imagine, or fear to control, every time he powered up, it was a struggle to keep it in check, keep the energy from burning away at his being, so much he couldn't even touch. But for all his apprehension, he wanted more than anything to see what he could do with a power that was beyond anything ever recorded or imagined on Vegitasei, possibly even near to equal to the golden warrior of myth. Since his release he had been infuriated by it all, what good was the power of the universe if it could not be controlled, if there was no one to challenge it, to reach the point of death itself in combat, the rushing need in every Saiyajins' blood? So why was he being pulled like this, experiencing an apprehension that ripped him in half, making him wish to abandon this fight, there was something wrong, he couldn't feel her.

How the misfortune of finding this place had changed him, even if only infinitesimally within himself, but he had, not even he could deny it; nothing had been the same since he had met her. Before, he had never known doubt, his every action was sure and set, always the proper Saiyajin ways, but just her presence put his emotions into disarray. Half of him hated her for the unnatural hold she had on him, the other knew it was true, he that had allowed her to take it and had fallen so far into her that coming out again was unthinkable. No, he could not think about her, that part of himself that was screaming about her safety and that it was his duty to protect her; Kami how he had given away the task that was his by right of the mark on his neck and the link in his mind. And he knew that for all that he wished to think to the contrary, it was the thought of her and her need for protection which had brought him up here. Past the need and the hate and the desire for the fight, something else brought him here, that gut wrenching emotion of horrible, wonderful feeling and the undeniable need to protect the source of that feeling. So un-Saiyajin to feel that way, how he fought and resisted against its pull, even now he couldn't admit it to himself but it was there an emotion so alien to his primal Saiyajin nature, or maybe a primal part so deeply hidden, he didn't even know of its existence. He held no false belief about his fate, death was staring him in the face; and he simply flew on, like it was nothing at all. He knew the legends and myths about the hidden strength and forms of the being before him, and yet he could not feel a thing, not the spike of an energy surge, there wasn't even enough power radiating off the Tsiru-jin to allow him to fly. For all the curiosity that plagued him, the need, desire, hatred and … that, he felt no fear, his mind was calm and his goal was set in his mind, he would kill Freeza, or die trying.

How appropriate the battleground was as they approached their final destination, the smallest of the rocks that circled about the planet, like a floating graveyard in the sky. Pock marked and devoid of all life, it was a desolate grey wasteland, perfect for a violent battle, nothing but a fighter and the harsh terrain, with no danger of outside influences interfering in the match. Kami must be looking favourably upon him now, if his opponent did become too great he could always destroy himself, the Moon and Freeza without risking Kakarott's life, or his woman and son. Or maybe it was nothing more than a just opportunity for the 'Fates' of the planet below, what better way was there to rid the universe of its two greatest plagues? No, he could not think of defeat, a Saiyajin knew only victory and today would be no exception. Erasing the blasphemous thoughts from his head, he felt the subtle pull of the Moon's gravity and the force of the slight but breathable atmosphere pushing against his ki shield as they rapidly approached the surface. The pair touched down at the lip of one of the larger craters, the twin auras whipping up the tiny rock fragments that littered the ground, the dead air of the small world whirling itself into a furious storm on the land that never knew of wind. It was a show of power now, the two opponents accessing the being across from them, memories and previous encounters were of no use now. Still somewhat unsure of his own power, Freeza offered no comparison from which to judge, there was no ki at all, nothing radiating from his tiny pink, purple and white body to give the Saiyajin a glimpse of what he was facing. Even if he could feel, would it have made a difference at all, recalling the legends, rumours, and myths he had heard about the Tsiru-jin, about their royal family and a particular ability they possessed. Before him was the face, the eyes, the disgusting sneer that bore into his brain, and that small frame that hid the great power that was beneath and how much more was he capable of. They could change their shapes, it was said, growing stronger and faster with every form taken, the very concept could turn the blood cold. He was so deceptive really, so small, a face both innocent it reminded him of a child's porcelain, and so malevolent to be the tyrant of a dozen galaxies. Finally his enemy spoke, the high pitched, almost feminine voice echoing across their stark surroundings.

"Ah, Vegita, at last I finally have a chance to fight against you, you have no idea how long I have been waiting for this opportunity," Freeza said, only to look at the anger burning out of the Saiyajin's eyes. "Well, maybe you do." The final add in was spoken with a mocking smirk plastered to the Tsiru-jin's face, the creature attempting to rip away at the Saiyajin's control and provoke the Prince's classic anger. For his part, Vegita held back his rage, his teeth clenched so tight in his mouth, his hands gripped tightly in front of him, transferring it all into his hate and the need to fight.

"I must say, you showed so much promise when I saw you last, that the mindless Saiyajin race could actually product a fighter that could do so well against my father's and my best, this was an opponent I would have to face. Stupid old laws, isn't it, keeping true warriors from the fight, keeping the strong from exacting their rightful place over the weak, but here there is no rule, and I will enjoy it, if what Zarbon told me is true." What, what did that blue skinned pretty boy have to do with anything, how long had Freeza known about this planet, how much did he know? Kami, why could he not sense her, something was wrong, what the fuck was the bastard third class doing?

"What, has the little monkey nothing to say, after all the trouble I've taken in trying to find you. If I could, I would have arrived earlier, you must tell me Vegita, how does it feel to be the lap dog of a weakling bitc …" The word didn't even get out of Freeza's mouth before the Saiyajin finally reacted, he knew about Bulma, he knew about his imprisonment and the collar and his instinct took over from his reason. As soon as his ears picked by the idle boast from Freeza's mouth he attacked, the aura around the enraged Vegita now going from defensive to offensive as he lashed out with the energy, slashing at the uncovered Freeza with his ki. Taken by surprise by the Saiyajin's sudden assault, he could only block the piercing strike and was caught completely off guard by Vegita's right hook as it connected with his left cheek. How was it possible, even if what Zarbon had said of the Saiyajin Prince's power level, it could not be strong enough for something like that, Freeza sneered to himself as another slash of Vegita's ki cut through the tyrant's armour. The little bastard, he would not be made a fool by a Saiyajin, especially the last of his kind; he would see the Saiyajin Prince grovel at his feet, and when he finally secured that woman and the fucking collar, he would destroyed this bakayaro and every other being that stood in his way. Blocking Vegita's second attempt at his face, Freeza took advantage of his enemy's weak point and ploughed his fist into centre of the Saiyajin's breastplate, the armour cracking under the blow. Vegita was stunned for a second by the punch and it was enough for Freeza to whip his tail around and swat the Prince away as if he was nothing more than a common pest. So much for a challenge, the Tsiru-jin smirked, chasing after the flying Vegita, if he could do nothing else, he was going to enjoy beating the Saiyajin within an inch of his life before crushing his pride. What he couldn't do with such a power working for him, no system in the universe would escape his wrath with a Saiyajin servant moulded into his own image, or better, made into a mindless drone. At last the phases of his plan were finally coming together, the elimination of one rival empire and the assimilation of its greatest symbol would speak of his unquestionable power. But first he must kill them all, there was never going to be a legendary or super powered Saiyajin that would kill him; he would never be beaten by a monkey.

Through the maddening rush of his own blood he could actually hear the bastard laughing, as if he thought that such a pathetic attack could stop him, stupid fool playing right into his hands. Whatever ability Freeza had acquired to hid his power level, they did not allow him to sense Vegita's power level, either that or he chose to ignore the gradual but massive power up that was now being emitted from the Prince. A moment more and the freak would be right no top of him, if he was lucky enough he could blast out his brains and severe his tail with one shot. Vegita waited merely a second, until he could smell the noxious breath and hear the wailing breeze and fired point blank into the tiny warrior's face, the blow blistering that pure white face, sending the body like a shooting star into the opposite wall of the giant crater. Charging up his power again, Vegita watched gleefully at the stunned face of his enemy before they hit the crater face, if the impact didn't bury him, this would. Flinging his arms and legs out, he cried out across the barren plains, maybe Nappa was good for one thing after all.

"Zenshin kara no Shyougeki Ha!" The black sky filled with hundreds upon hundreds of tiny ki balls, all under Vegita's control, all centred on the black horned midget now hurdling into the satellite's surface. Dust and rumble followed in the attack's wake, what Freeza hadn't dislodged with his landing the barrage of ki blasts did, burying him under several tonnes of rock, stopping the Tsiru-jin, if only for the moment. Touching down on the edge of the crater, his breathing laboured but hardly winded, he searched out for any sign that his reprieve might have been cut short, but the Moon's surface was as still as death. He didn't know what it was, the power, all of that power had just surged through him, his angers mixing together, the loss of all thought and self to the battle making him alive, allowing him to realise his potential. He had just beaten the highly vaulted Freeza, the greatest warrior of the Cold Empire, most feared being in twelve galaxies, it was laughable. He was the strongest, the greatest, he could feel the power coursing through his veins, and he was only scratching the surface; had the fight continued, he might have reached a higher level, maybe even … .

Something was out there, not on the planet, but out in space, a huge power level and it was growing, approaching the Moon, no Gaia. Freeza didn't come alone, Vegita realised, as a ship half the size of the tiny satellite world came into view as it near the outer edge of the second Moon's orbit, possibly twenty five minutes from reaching a collision course with the blue planet. Damn it, they were going to purge the planet, Freeza knew about Bulma, what else did he know, it didn't matter, he had to stop that ship. It was that same, un-Saiyajin, horrific and ecstatic feeling as the pure ki thumped through his veins, only the immediate need existing in his mind. The aura once more sprang to life around him, a few more moments and he would have what he would need to destroy the ship. Just a few more minutes, until they got into range. Ignoring the pile of rock that now encased the downed Tsiru-jin, he missed the subtle whitish glow, until it grew larger, brighter, stronger; but at the end, when the tonnes of rock flew off with a primal scream of hatred and a burst of ki that Vegita could only see but still not feel. The very force of the explosion threw the Saiyajin Prince back, as he skidded around the rocky terrain, making him total unprepared for what followed him out of the crater. The legends were true, the Tsiru-jin, they could evolve. From the tiny being that reached the Saiyajin shoulders Freeza had grown into a giant that towered over the short Prince. The creature was an almost exact copy of the father, looking down from the massive head which was all the more accentuated by the set of giant horns. The armour that had encased the smaller, first form Freeza was gone, shattered to bits by the force of the transformation displaying in perfect detail the huge, hard wrought white body so unlike the original creature he had faced.

"What's the matter, you seem shocked, you didn't really think that was the strongest point I could reach, that you could possibly defeat me? But what is the point of fighting an enemy if they do not know what they are truly facing?" Freeza snarled and with a mere flick of his hand, the thick silver band that encircled his wrist shattered under the force. And it was, oh Kami, it was worse than he could ever imagine, power so monstrous and horrific that it defied description. Seeing the tiny flicker of shock from those ebony eyes, the now imposing figure smirked at his victim, and rose up in the air, his massive tail swinging in the air.

"Very impressive, Vegita, and here I was thinking you had grown soft being under the control of a woman. Annoying little Saiyajin, but to put up such a fight, I see there is a warrior in you, much greater than your father. You should be thankful, I'm actually giving you the opportunity to face me in my second form, I can't even count on one hand the number of people who have seen we in this form. It was a nice match, but your little game ends here, Saiyajin." Looking once more into those eyes, Freeza growled in shock and dismay; instead of fear the little Saiyajin Prince shook with rage, his aura turning brighter and his voice rising in a kiai until the boy glowed like a white torch. Looking out once at the great expanse of the sky, and in the corner of his vision he saw it, his flagship was approaching; it would only be a matter of time before the accursed planet was but a memory. Smirking at the prospect of finally ridding himself of the last great thorns in his side, Freeza attacked the fuming Saiyajin, one of his razor sharp horns aimed at Vegita's partly uncovered shoulder. He was within a second of striking muscle and bone before the small blue garbed figure moved, and a sharp agonising pain wrenched through his tail. The ki blast was still flying off into the oblivion of space, as it sliced through his precious tail, the length of it now slithering about the now blood stained ground.

"I am thankful, 'Freeza-sama'," Vegita finally replied, sarcasm heavy in his deep voice. "You have no idea how I will enjoy ripping you apart, piece by piece." And with that, he laughed, and lifted the flat of his palm towards the speechless Tsiru-jin, a smirk as malevolent and sadistic as the one that was once on Freeza's face gracing his lips. The wondrous raging madness of combat was filling him again, all thoughts to anything beyond the confines of the small planet were inconsequential to his mind, instinct was all that existed now, and he would revel in it as he anticipated his victory. His mind shifted the power from a chaotic force around him towards his hand, shaping and moulding it into an attack like the one he had just performed on Gaia's surface.

"Big Bang Attack!!" The world went blue as a beam as large as the man who fired it raced towards its target, the very foundation of the Moon shaking violently under the unholy intensity of the blast, clearing the land of everything in its wake. For a few eternal seconds after, everything was quiet, no movement, no scream, no ki signal to indicate that anything but he had survived the blast. His shoulders slumped in the effort to keep his head up as he fell to his knees and tried to force the air into his empty lungs. Damn attack had taken more out of him than he realised, but it didn't matter, he had won, he had won, he had … . He couldn't even get out a scream before the ground beneath him spilt apart and a massive hand grabbed at his leg, driving him mercilessly into the jagged rocky soil. A three toed foot pushed down on the back of his neck cutting off the air to his lungs as the second foot came down with bruising force against his back, every hit cracking his armour that much more, the fragments digging into his ribs.

"I think you spoke too soon, Little Vegita." The voice had grown even deeper, it sounded almost demonic; damn him, he had more forms than that, Vegita had used his ultimate attack, and still it had done nothing to the creature. No, defeat was not Saiyajin, he would kill his enemy or die trying, he would not allow anyone to defeat him, he would fight. He didn't know from what reserve it flowed from but again he began to power up once more, finally letting out all he could to get Freeza off of him, to collect himself before he had to fight again. His ki sense had not fully prepared him for the horror that Freeza had now turned himself into, the face once somewhat humanoid was bent and elongated beyond description, his body growing huge with various spikes protruding from his arms, legs and head. No witticisms came to his head, nothing more than disgust and hatred; as Vegita flew full speed at his opponent with his mantra whirling through his head; victory or death.

~~~~~

Everything was blurred and distorted around her, where was she, what had happened and why did her head throb and her eyes sting so badly? It took more energy than she believed she possessed to open her eyes, the second the air hit them she closed them again, trying to keep herself as still as possible. Through the haze of her senses she could hear shuffling and speech around her, for the briefest of seconds that her eyes were open she had seen the blurred patches of colour that she knew were guards. Once, when she had gone into her father's lab and got a huge whiff of one of his solvents, the memory of the headache that had come in the wake of that mishap never left her; some one had knocked her out with ether, but why, where was she? With every breath of semi fresh air she forced into her lungs her mind cleared, her memory grew stronger until she saw a bloodied body and a familiar scarred face; Fates no.

Yamcha, how could you do this?

"I wonder what Freeza's going to do with the little slut? A little too feminine I'd think for his taste, maybe we can get him to give her to us as a reward for destroying this mud ball. And to think, that idiot Gero and those stupid humans actually welcomed the Master here, thought that he would let them live." A series of chuckles followed the snide comment and Bulma had to hold herself still, there were at least two of them, possibly more and whatever they were, they were not human. She could only imagine the number of eyes that were trained on her, and what they were thinking about doing with her. Praying that they would soon leave or ignore her, she searched through the small pockets and pouches she had hidden in her lab clothing, looking for something, anything that could produce a large enough distraction for her to get away, or something powerful enough to take out whatever those 'things' were. Her whole body relaxed as her finger tips smoothed over the capsules she had absently grabbed off her work bench; they created a puff of smoke she had been told, when they were opened, it might be just enough to get away. Wherever she was there had to be somewhere she could hide, all she needed was a chance to use it.

It had all been planned, so perfectly timed when their guards were all down so when Vegita and their allies were going in to fight the battle, they would be waiting, Yamcha and Gero and who knew who else. These creatures, the ones she had seen right before she was captured, they had all been welcomed, followed blindly, the lives of everyone on the planet sold for the promise of power, all to this being, Freeza. Just the mere mention of that name inspired a shutter of fear and loathing that caused her to tense up once more to keep herself from gaining their attention. Just that name had caused a violent reaction from that part of her memory that she knew but never lived, and she touched it, needed to know who it was and what she was dealing with. Her breath almost caught in her throat as the images began to bombard her mind, standing on a barren tiny world and, oh Fates, looking out at her was a monster more horrific than any nightmare could conjure up. Tiny lines of red cut across the sickening face and too white body, a look in those ruby red eyes causing her blood to run cold. Before she could even scream the thing was on her, a meaty fist colliding with her stomach, followed by an upper cut to her face. That hard look turned sinister as Bulma felt herself falling to her knees, her reflexes not fast enough a hidden appendage, a long stub that must once had been a tail ploughed through her shoulder. She didn't even last long enough to feel the impact when she blacked out. Not thinking of getting caught or any possible punishment that might rain down upon her, she opened her eyes and finally beheld her real surroundings. Dark and ominous it was, reminding her so much of the lower tunnels below …, she couldn't think about that now, but she couldn't fight the acidic taste of bile that rose in her throat as the realisation dawned on her. She was in Okazaki again, she hadn't escaped far enough to save herself from Gero's madness, and it seemed no one could escape it now. What would become of her, what had happened, where was Vegita?

"The bitch has been making some weird noises, you don't think she's up do you?" Bulma could almost hear the excitement in the creature's voice, the one from before who had joked about using her as a 'reward'. The floor against her cheek began to shake slightly as he approached her, and she bit her tongue in an effort to keep herself from screaming out. Her fingers were clasped around the capsule so tightly they were going purple with the strain, she would only get one shot at this, the creature was close enough now that her nose burned with the thick sweaty smell of him. She almost yelled out in joy when a loud beep ripped through the tense silence of the room and the alien stopped his advance and they all focussed on the beep that seemed to emulate from the devices over their faces.

"The ship is fifteen minutes to firing range, we've been given orders to clear out and bring the woman."

"But what about Lieutenant Zarbon, Dodoria and Kuwi, Freeza isn't really going to blow up the planet with the three of them still on it?"

"Who cares about them, just grab her and let's get off of this death trap." Turning back to the still figure on the floor, the soldier began to rush over to her, maybe he could at least get something out of her while they were in the pod.

Only one shot, Bulma sighed to herself hoping it turned out to be something more useful than a box of paper clips. She was working on nothing but fear and adrenaline now, alive with it all as she slammed the pellet to the ground and it exploded in a cloud of smoke. Covering her eyes, she steadied herself enough to get to her feet, she might have a few moments at the most to fend them off with whatever was in the capsule before she lost her advantage and had to try the 'run and hide' approach. At least the Fates were smiling down on her with this one, her hands grabbing tightly on one of the more powerful ki guns that her engineers had produced; hell help the bastards that dared call her a bitch. She fired, again and again into the dissipating cloud, each blast echoed by a harsh cry of pain telling her every shot that hit its mark, the air filled with the heady aroma of blood, destroying these disgusting fucks who dare thought her nothing but a prise, or an object. There were only a few more seconds before the smoke would be gone, she didn't even know how many there were, if they had heard what had happened her time might be cut even shorter. There was no turning back now, she had to get out and find some way back to Modulus, or maybe Bushi; the last words those creatures had spoken before she had opened fired still rang in her ears, 'fifteen minutes to firing range'; they were going to destroy the planet. She had to get out and warn them, tell everyone; yes what, tell them of their impeding deaths?

"Damn it! " It had become too much to bear now, there were shouts in the distance, presumably the comrades of those bastards coming to their aid, it would be a few moments before they were upon her. No way out, no door or window or quick escape she could use, her only saving grace gripped tightly in her hand. The shouts were getting louder now, and clearer as she picked out three distinct voices, two of which she had heard from earlier in the room. There would be no mercy now, not that there was going to be in the beginning, she had to get out, find a transport, a larger weapon, a friendly passer-by but as she rounded another corner something found her as a booted foot struck out and slammed her against the wall, the gun wrenched from her grip in the fall. Her head struck the hard stone and she almost blacked out again, her vision hazed and not helped by the darkness around her. The attacker stood above her, a figure in black with only their face exposed to her view but she could never forget those scars; how could he, he promised to protect her.

"Yamcha, what have you done?" Her throat was like rough sandpaper, the effect causing her voice to barely get over a whisper, to fight for so long and hard only to be betrayed. Her body seemed leeched of its strength in that one moment, she had looked so long and hard for enemies but never saw it coming when it stung her in the back. Familiar arms wound around her body, picking her up off the floor as his warm moist breath, that sensation she remembered so well, skittered against her shoulder, once it would have been a comfort, now, she was trying to hold herself together against the hatred it gave rise to.

"Oh Bulma, you don't know how long I've waited for this moment, just to be able to feel you in my arms again, it feels right, does it, like it was meant to be." Aliens were looking for her blood, the planet was about to be blown to bits and her former lover was trying to sweet talk her; that was it, had the whole planet gone insane?

"You killed Mata, that poor guard, you allowed a galactic tyrant to invade our planet, for me, for ME? You bastard, how could you, how could you betray me, betray your own people, all for the promise of power from a, a monster?" His breath, until then slow and calm hissed at her comment and his arms drew around her painfully, pressing hard enough to force the air from her lungs.

"I did all of this for you, Bulma, you didn't know how to take care of yourself; you dare say that I betrayed you, you betrayed me and your entire house to a fucking Saiyajin. I loved you, I still love you, but you cared about nothing more than maintaining your control, than getting sex. I had to save you, Bulma, from yourself. I was the one who killed Dazu, he saw me when I was switching off the security system; I had made a deal with Gero, he would get the collar and the Saiyajin and you and I would be together. If I had know that animal could have escaped, that anything bad could have happened, I would have just killed himself. Don't you understand, he is a plague on his planet, he corrupted you; we were meant to be together and that creature changed you. I had to save you from him, and now that Freeza is going to kill that fucking Saiyajin, we can be together with nothing between us, like we should have always been. I vowed my loyalty to Freeza in return for a position in his military and for your life." Bulma couldn't even speak, it felt as if her stomach was lined with boulders, all of those deaths, Vegita's life all because one man had grown from admiring to obsessing. Even after hearing his excuses with her own ears she still couldn't comprehend the magnitude it all, what could possibly have driven him so far to the edge. All of them, Dazu, Mata, that guard, every one who would die on this day, their lives were on Yamcha's head, his hands were stained with as much blood as Vegita's. She had to get away from him, she couldn’t let it happen, she had to stop it, there had to be a way. What she won't have given for a capsule now, her arms pinned so tightly against her side she couldn't even reach her hand to her pocket. Sagging against him in seeming defeat, she waited for his grip to ease just enough for her to break it when the time came, and when it came, she slammed her foot into his with all her might, the man behind her howling in pain at the underhanded move. She was off and running again, needing to create some space between herself and the man who had sold them all; she made it to forty feet this time before she was brought to a halt, this time by a shot of ki flying past her head. She stumbled in her scrambled haste to get away, but hearing a set of footsteps nearing her, there was nothing more for her than to turn and face her demon.

"I sacrificed everything, EVERYTHING for you, and you betray me, I would have died for you Bulma, I secure your life and instead you run back, like a bitch in heat, to him. I would have …"

"You would have me be your slave, you didn't want me to love you, you wanted me to worship you. I am my own woman, Yamcha and I'd rather die with a man who can take me on as I am than live with a worthless bastard who sold us all for a false promise." How long had she wanted to get that off of her, the look on his scarred face was almost worth the admission to the afterlife. Levelling the gun at her, his eyes burning with more hate than she believed could possibly exist, he growled out one last comment as he slowly pulled on the trigger.

"Gero sold us out a long time ago, his life for the collar that your father built, his death was all for Freeza. About time you knew the truth, everything brought full circle because of that damn collar." She refused to close her eyes, to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she was falling apart inside, that she had never felt so much fear. Fates, she was going to die with the last words she ever said to him spoken in anger. It was too late to attempt the capsule distraction again, the trigger going back farther and farther. The blast blared through her ears, the sound deafening and she curled herself into a ball and waited for a quick painless death. She shook for a whole ten seconds before it dawned upon her that there was nothing, no pain, no burning, no blood, no noise. Peaking through the clenched eyelids, her gaze trailed upwards, taking in his boots, battle suit, Modulus armour, the deathly pale look on his face; realisation came slowly until the blood began to pour from his mouth, like two red rivers down his chiselled face. Going from his feet, to his knees and finally landing on the ground with a thump, revealing a knife deeply embedded in his back.

"Love, Honour and Devotion to you, Mistress, but I'm afraid we don't have time for any sort of celebration. We have only a few moments before those guards are on us, wouldn't you agree?" Never in her life would she believe that she would hear that voice again, mocking and yet obedient; not even the grave itself could contain her.

"Mata, you, you're alive, but how?" The pale golden face was more pale than usual, the assassin looked for much smaller and weaker, but to be dead the last time she had set eyes on her, it was no less a miracle in Bulma's eyes. The girl could only chuckle at Bulma's incredulousness, and it was then that her blue eyes turned from the black robed assassin to her 'partner' for lack of a better word and her amazement grew larger at the sight. Standing proudly in armour the house colours of Bushi was a huge, muscular man, his eyes and hair as black as the armour that encased his torso and wrapped firmly around his waist was a brown furry tail? Another Saiyajin, this was the one that took over Bushi, a follower of Vegita, his 'knight', again remembering the brightly painted cards that Kayra has used to show this unbelievable future. The Saiyajin even had the same determined, arrogant glint in his eyes that fairly glowed out of Vegita's, her memory stirred at the sight of the man, not long ago, the flash of a friend, even though that word did not exist for his kind. Questioning his very presence before her, the man looked as if he was poised to give an answer to the confusion that must have shown from her eyes, until his head snapped up and he growled something low to the frail golden girl.

"Mistress, look out." Bulma hadn't even heard them coming, the argument between herself and Yamcha must have alerted them to her presence. She shut her eyes and tried to crouch in a tiny ball as they started firing, the guards that had been after her since her escape finally catching up with her, and began blasting the corridor as chaos ensued. Her ki gun long lost, she was nothing more than a convenient target for the three creatures; had the circumstances been different she might have actually relished her handing work, the two from before were so singed and injured they could hardly stand.

"No!" That thin, frail voice, once so full of life now sounded harsh in her ears and she felt a dead weight fall over her, like a barrier between herself and the deadly ki blasts. A raspy breath brushed against her cheek as a thick warm liquid dripped down the side of her neck and cold hard reality hit her.

"Mata, no. Please, why did you have to do this?" Vibrant blue stared into light gold, and Bulma caught sight of the shot, high through the rib cage; the wheezing growing progressively stronger, testifying to the fact that her lungs were slowly filling with blood. To come back from the dead, only to give up the new life again; it all signified more blood shed in her name or because of her and yet, looking up into that pale face, Bulma was stunned to see a small smile on her now white lips.

"Honour debt has finally been repaid, please go on and always remember, you were the key to it all; Kayra was right, damn I wish she was wrong sometimes." Coughing violently at the effort just to speak, Bulma couldn't keep her shutters back, emotion choking her up, her saviour dying before her eyes.

"Don't worry, must be strong, tell, tell Kayra I'm sorry." One last prolonged cough followed, sounded as if she was drowning and then, there was nothing but silence, that pale face with the content smile and a happy look shiny from her eyes. She went silent then, the world receded then, this latest loss too painful to bear; all of this for her. She knew, operating in such a state, she might actually make it out with all of her wits intact, but why did it have to be so hard? So much love ended in so much pain, she couldn't let all of those sacrifices go in vain, she had to fight, she would not die on this day. Rolling Mata off of her, she covered her still face with the hood of her cloak and finally took stock of her surroundings. Shouts of 'Saiyajin' and swear words rolled off the guards' tongues, yet the tailed man who now stood beside her merely smirked and fired, taking out one of the injured and then the other. Finding himself terribly out numbered, the last alien turned tail and ran, only to be shot down with nothing more than a tiny ki shot through the brain. Looking down at his two companions, his eyes grew wide as he saw the blue haired woman stain with blood, but none of it was hers. Looking around to see the golden haired girl wrapped in her huge cloak, her body perfectly still with the hood covering her face like a mourning cloth and he bowed his head.

"I'm sorry about your friend but it can't be helped, she died with honour and if we don't get out of here than her death will have been in vain. There are at least three empty pods somewhere in this house that we have to find and get you to safety." He couldn't help but stare at the woman in front of him; the memory of the morning after that Moon crazed night did not fully prepare him to see her fully in person, to finally get a glimpse into those eyes. Like two giant pools, the windows of her soul barred before him, every raw and inescapable emotion on display from him to see; the sadness, grief, shame and anger over everything that had and was to happen. So weak she was, the humanity flowing out of her eyes, but it was there, like a tiny beacon in her, that pride and an obvious fearlessness that made her face her enemy, even while he held her life in his hands. She was strong, beyond all measure of the word, and suddenly Vegita's behaviour made more sense in this very moment than it had since he found his Prince. There was so much of Vegita in the girl, and her in him that it gave Kakarott pause; cuibhreach Vegita had said, was that why he had gone with Freeza and he left his fellow Saiyajin here, to protect her when he could not. Those last words, 'coadey ise', or them, as the case may be; the Saiyajin Prince taking the kamikaze mission with only the hope that his woman would be safe, and the child he sense growing in her womb would live to see the end of this day. Vegita was giving up everything for her, his revenge upon her, his pride, his very life and position, but staring into those blue eyes he could see it was worth the price. It took him a moment to realise that he was gawking, rather unseemly, at his new queen but lowering himself down on one knee, he bowed his head in reverence.

"His highness has sent me to protect you, Mistress, with my very life." Getting at last to her feet, she laid one small hand upon his shoulder, and he looked up at the touch.

"Vegita is very blessed to have such loyal vassal as you, but now is not the time for such shows of duty. Who ever they are, they are coming and will be on top of us within a few minutes, and I will not have another person losing their lives over me." Nodding his understand, and trying to hide the smile that threatened to spread across his face, as he picked her up and flew through the deserted halls and hopefully towards the pods. Taking another look at the slight blue head against his shoulder, his smile turned into a smirk; he never realised that Vegita had such good taste.

~~~~~

Battered and bruised, his body bloodied and nearly power, the thirtieth crowned Prince of Vegitasei, strongest member of his kind shuttered under the extent of his injures all the while trying to muster enough energy to keep himself alive. They had been an even match, both power levels near equal, as were their skills, only determination alone allowing one man to find victory over the other. His mind replayed the scenes in his head, so close to triumph and the cold, calculating lizard offered him the one thing that no Saiyajin could refuse; a greater challenge, still another transformation into his final and most powerful form. His reason and sense screamed about the obvious trap he was letting Freeza spring upon him, but the call of his blood was too compelling and instinct took control over sense. The tiny doll creature that had been born as a result was no taller than he, and more powerful than even the mighty Saiyajin could fathom. He held his own for as long as he could, again cutting off the thick tail after it had re-grown and getting in his few sucker shots before the increased speed and strength too much for him and his untested ability could take. Dodging a blow intended to take off his head, he wasn't fast enough to stop the hits that followed and in a twisted déjà vu, found himself hurdling to the wall of a crater, the impact strong enough to send hundreds of tonnes of the grey rock tumbling down upon him. He couldn't keep this up, after failing with the use of brute force and pure instinct the only thing left was to come up with a plan to stall of the Tsiru-jin until Bulma was safely off the planet. Arms locked to keep the crushing weight of the rock slide from pulverising him, he felt out with his ki sense for everything around him, taking the tiny break given to him to muster his resources and breathe, just breathe. He knew Freeza was watching him, waiting for him to escape the pile and return once more to the fight, the ship was passing the orbit of the smaller Moon, two pods had been fired and neither Kakarott or Bulma were on either of them. But still, to know that she was alive, to reach out with his soul and to touch hers, when she did the same and caressed his thoughts just a short while ago, he was almost overcome with relief; the emotion short lived as Freeza attacked. Taking stock of what he had left there was only enough for one more high powered ki blast and then, Saishyuu Saigo no Waze? There would be no shame in a death like that, such was the code of his people; he would end his life knowing that his son would live to take his place with a strong ki and royal blood, even if it were tainted with human. He only needed to stall for a few more moments, if Kakarott had actually braved the dangers of space to find him, the oath of loyalty given the last day they were on Vegitasei would carry over, if not to his woman then definitely to his son. Time, unfortunately, was something he didn't have as the ground around him began to shutter with ki, blasting away his covering, until finally a hand reached out through the remaining rocks and grabbed him by the throat. Icy breath assaulted his nose and he found himself staring face to face with those blood red eyes.

"Did I interrupt your nap; terribly sorry but I got tired of waiting." The voice went back to the familiar high pitched tone spoken in perfect courtly style that dripped of contempt and assured triumph.

"I must say, you have truly impressed me, Vegita, who would have thought you would have grown so strong, you have reached far beyond the expectations of your birth ki. Your time has run out, boy, your course run, unless you actually believe that you could possible defeat me?" The Saiyajin could only snarl and spat in the face of his enemy. The Tsiru-jin screamed at the insult, even at the cusp of defeat the little bastard monkey dared to spit in his face. With one mighty punch, the small white tyrant took his outrage out on Vegita's face, the strike once again sending the Prince flying. This time there would be no cover as he slid across the Moon's surface, leaving a fifty-metre trench in his wake. Coughing out the blood that now flooded his mouth, he could nothing but snarl helplessly as Freeza slowly approached; the sadistic bastard walking towards him in an attempt to draw out his pain.

"You've lost, Saiyajin, there is no where you can run now, Vegita, no were to hide, no miracle at the end of it all that will save you. How long I've waited for this, the parasitic presence that was the Saiyajin race brought to its knees and its greatest symbol, its next 'Super Saiyajin' nothing more than a member of my military. It never occurred to you, did it, why a planet with no ki wielding or powerful beings would possibly need a contraption such as that collar? And, how would I would know the location of this planet that doesn't exist on any map and know that you would be here? You stumbled into my trap, Vegita, albeit unknowingly, and I didn't even have to put the collar on you myself. Beautiful planet down there, shame it has used up its usefulness." Throat coated in his own blood, the felled Saiyajin tried to bit back, scream out his anger, or demand an explanation but nothing would come.

"I found this planet, well one of my men did it, long ago, and I made a deal with one of the residents, an old mad man trying to save his miserable life sold his soul to me for a simple device that subdued ki. I had lost faith that the old bastard would ever deliver, but he did, and with better results than I had imagined. To think, the fate I had planned for you all along had come to be without my intervention; how did it feel to wear that collar and know no power? I hope you enjoyed it, because you'll be wearing it very soon, once I've ripped the knowledge from that insolent bitch. From what I've learned you've were very attached to the slut, maybe I should let you watch as I get the answer out of her, imagine what a group like Ginyu Force could do with a creature like her?" It was like his heart had fallen into his stomach, the gut wrenching, mind numbing sensation that burned him from the inside out like a injury that would never heal; all his fault. He wasn't even paying attention to his opponent now, his eyes glazed over, his head throbbing but inside he could only hear Freeza's words echoing in his head and scenes from a life he had not led flashing through his mind. The collar was invented for him, to be put around his neck; he murmured to himself as he saw, through the eyes of a nine year old child her mother and father slaughtered right in front of her. Gero had bargained away everything for his own life, sold it all for a piece of metal he didn't even own. He witnessed every beating, every nightmare, every horror, his body reacting as if it were his back that had felt the lashes, his mind tormented with those brutal images, he that had endured every indignity. They were all done in Freeza's name; he had to protect her, defend her, Bulma deserved her retribution and he would give it. Mindless lizard, he growled under his breath, can't even feel ki, and every second that he had been allowed to rest gave him a little more strength, more purpose, more determination, even as the situation looked beyond hopeless. This fight would be in vain if Kakarott could not get Bulma away from harm, and the ship, was growing ever closer to the planet. His mind was still everywhere at once when a foot slammed into his cracked ribs and sent him hurdling again into the dust.

"I am giving you the chance now, Vegita, to join my military, such a warrior as you would make a fine addition to my forces. I will spare your life, Saiyajin, make you a part of the strongest Empire in the universe, if you get down on your knees and swear supreme loyalty to me."

"I'd sooner be the lowly soldier in the armies of hell than pledge loyalty to you." Again he was hauled off the ground and held at arm's length from the white and purple tyrant.

"Oh that can be arranged." He would only get one chance like this, his power level was fading, his breathing laboured, but his mind clear; he had to either damage the ship or destroy it all together. Forming his ki into a sharp edged blade he lashed out, his hand faster than his enemies and the strike hit true as blood poured from the Tsiru-jin's face. Releasing his hold on Vegita to cup a hand over his eyes, the Saiyajin Prince used the last chance he had and began to gather his ki once more to take out the enemy ship. It would take possibly two minutes to gather enough ki for the task, just two minutes and it would all be over until sense hit him again. Energy, not ki but still power was pulsating from the ship, the main weapons system was being activated and every laser and beam canon the ship possessed was at full power and aimed at the planet. 'Lost its usefulness', Freeza had said, the realisation now becoming clear; he didn't mean to conquer Gaia, he meant to blow it up.

"You bought your death, Saiyajin no Ou." A voice behind him that barely contained the speaker's rage and madness, hissed behind him. The once white face was now stained red but for the perfect set of teeth clenched in a snarl, and the one remaining eye; the rage that shined out of it more terrify than the fires of hell itself.

~~~~~

Something terrible was coming, that hidden sense developed over a long and deceptive life had all but screamed it out to him, since the tip of the sun's disk had dipped past the edge of the world the day before he knew it was only a matter of time. The Master had come, over a decade of seeing that face on the communicator screen had not fully prepared him for the meeting in person, those black maniacal lips, imposing horns and those eyes, like death staring at him. He often wondering when he died, how long ago was it, when he sold his soul to his Master, or was it long before that; he had been so long without it he had forgotten what it truly felt like. What did he care, what did any of his past sins matter now, the end was coming, the war of the Gaians had been fought and lost, but even that was of no consequence, real battle was for the survival of the planet, that fight long ago fought and he and Gaia were the losers in that as well. There was no where now to hide from his destiny, not sheltered on a distant unknown planet, or entombed within his underground labyrinth, all because of that girl. If it had not been for that Modulus bitch taking the collar he might have finished it, might have welcomed the coming of the Tsiru-jin Master as a day of great joy and not the coming of the end. Once he had faith, belief that for the price of the collar he would actually manage to save his own life, but all of those years crawling through the gutters and living with the rats of humanity taught him well, he would not make it off this planet this day. Yet even with the certainty of his impeding death, Gero couldn't keep that thin lip smile off his face, if he was going to die today, everyone would be going with him. Twelve years and his memory of these accursed machines had not dimmed, the programming had slightly changed but the fundamentals hadn't modified; the power core was still the same, the manoeuvring system was still set up the same way and most importantly, the self-destruct command was still activated by the push of a button. The grey haired man, who once dined with Kings and was the foremost Scribe on the Central continent, didn't even pause in reflection or remembrance as he applied the slight pressure of his pointer finger to the pod control. A flash of sky blue passed by one of the windows and he smiled once more, his defeat of ten years ago would finally be revenged as he happily blew both himself and the last means off the planet.

~~~~~

Never in the third class' existence had he ever felt so helpless, chaos was descending all around him and he could do nothing, nothing to save the people he had wanted to take under his wing but in the end he could do nothing for them. He had been powerless before within his own society, but never like this, already witnessing the death of so many before, but that girl back in the house, and the deaths that would come soon. It was his fault, he couldn't protect them from the forces that caused them harm, he could only hope that his actions might help save ChiChi, and that he might save this woman as well. He had never known such joy as when he found the group of pods together in the small bunker on the south west sector of the house. He had barely took notice of the old man standing amongst them, all that mattered was he could finally get her to safety and join with Vegita to fight off Freeza. Twenty metres away, his nostrils filled with the smell of the metal and revival gas, and an uneasy comfort settled over him as he stared at the man whose was mostly turned away from them. Too late he saw the remote in the man's hands, and then he was gone, consumed in a blaze of fire along with the last chance for survival. The heat of the flame licked at his face and he dove to the ground, keeping the woman at his side from harm, and from seeing the remains of the man who had taken his life in that blaze, not that there was much left to see. The pungent smoke rose up in the sky as the fire slowly died down, his last hope gone up in smoke, like the ground disintegrating beneath him. As soon as the smoke cleared, the woman was rummaging through the scrap and left over pieces, cries of desperation tumbling from her lips.

"There is nothing left here and we have no time."

As if copying his mood, the sky slowly began to grow dark as the upper atmosphere almost cracked apart with electricity, one of the mechanical variety. The attack had finally come, the end blow circling above their heads in the out edge of the atmosphere, one of the Cold's best flagships with every weapon charged and he could almost feel everyone of them centred on Gaia. Even with her frail power and lack of ki sense, the woman still knew that something was wrong, as the very wind turned cold around them.

"What, what is it?"

"They're here. We don't have any time." Never had he seen such a transformation within a person, her shoulder went from slumped to straight, her eyes saddened to burning with the fire of a plan.

"I am the key and I will not let them destroy my planet."

~~~~~

"Sir, we've reached steady orbit around the planet and the armoury is operating at 85% capacity, and the ship is awaiting your orders." Every ear was turned to the captain, the constant whine of the battle siren boring into every soldier's brain, nerves were taut with the anticipation of battle, death and glory. All waiting his command; what a glorious day it would be.

"How long before we reach maximum power?"

"Thirty seconds, sir."

"Excellent, lower the shields at fifteen and begin a count down at twenty; on my signal fire everything we have at the planet. Master Freeza said he wanted fireworks."

~~~~~

"Get me up to the top battlement now!" It was on the Saiyajin's lips to shout her down, to say that they should try to hide, or something, but he couldn't; not when the determination shining out of those eyes was a perfect match to Vegita. A piece of machinery clutched in her hands, the two ascended up to the highest point on the crumbling edifice. There, in all of its mechanical glory stood Gero's last great invention, the first one of its kind that he built and true to his suspicious nature, he kept the first one for himself. That laser beam cannon; even the sight of it made the Saiyajin's tail bristle in remembrance of the battle and the planet's betrayal to Freeza. He could still recall the first time he ever saw it in use, a good quality weapon but definitely not powerful enough, it couldn't even take him out, so what possible reason would the woman have for wanting to spend her last minutes here? Letting her down, the blue haired creature didn't hesitate, taking two small capsules from her pocket and throwing them to the ground, the tiny explosion that followed filling the air with smoke. Waving away the odd haze, he stared incredulously as a mini tool kit and a box of paper clips appeared out of no where.

"What are you … "

"Just trust me, when I ask you, tell me the exact location of the ship." About to ask why she would need to know something like that, he only nodded and smiled, she had a plan, and more importantly had hope.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Looking up once more from her work, she smiled at him, and his heart almost melted at the sight.

"Just pray."

~~~~~

Vegita could feel slender finger wrapping around his neck as the talons that tipped each digit gouged his neck, tearing at the bonding scar at the base of his throat. Bulma, her image blared into his mind, she was still on the planet; his son, his mate, and his loyal guardsmen, they were all still on there.

"Enjoy the show, monkey Prince; since you missed Vegitasei's farewell, I wouldn't dream of having you miss this one." In that moment, the tower that the Prince had built around himself began to crumble.

~~~~~

~~~~~

Damn it, damn it, damn it, this had to work; her fingers felt like lead as she attacked the side of the machine and furious began to rip and sauter the wires together, trying to connect the core of one of the destroyed pods to that of the beam's central power source. In one of Sar'in's message back to Modulus he had given her a schematic of the inner workings of the machine, a simple concept really, it depending only of the ability to focus the beam, and the power source that was behind it. Grabbing the set of power cables from the tool box, she thanked whatever genius had thought to put it in one of the capsules. She made the last few adjustments to the pod's core and the beam's power source; there was no time to test it now. This was her destiny, she was the key, this had to work, that was what Kayra said, she had to save her people.

"Where is the ship?"

~~~~~

"Seventeen. Sixteen. Fifteen."

"Lower the shields."

~~~~~

"Position the beam right ascension five hours, fourteen minutes and thirty-two point two seconds, declination minus eight degrees, twelve minutes and six seconds." The wheel had once more turned for her, she had returned to the place where it had all began, every event since she was nine marked by this place and the man that occupied it. The tiny engine whirled to life as she tripped the switch, rattling almost violent as it drew energy from the core; the wires were going slowly growing red with the intensity of the electricity that flowed through them. All it needed was a few more seconds, just breathe, she said to herself; just breathe.

~~~~~

~~~~~

Vegitasei's farewell, no, the slimy bastard was lying, he had to be lying, the Saiyajin people could not die, the great Empire could not fall to that creature, it was a joke, a lie, a nightmare; but the blood flowing down his neck made it seem all too real. His life, that creature took his life, his father, his people, his destiny, his promise, his Empire; it couldn't be gone.

~~~~~

~~~~~

"Ten."

~~~~~

Each glass cylinder glowed red, the beam of light growing with every molecule of the gas struck, all of that power slowly focussing itself through the concave piece of tempered glass. A slight tremor passed through the machine as more and more energy poured through the delicate wires, as the machine seemed on the verge of breaking apart. Only a few seconds more.

~~~~~

~~~~~

"Nine."

~~~~~

"Never saw it coming, your father, none of them did; you should have heard the screams, 'Vegita-sama'." So much weight on his shoulder, all of that responsibility, to his people, his subjects, his father, to the legendary Kings of old; to face his enemy and failed. His mate, his son, even the life he had forged from weakness all gone.

~~~~~

~~~~~~

"Eight."

~~~~~~

"The power surge is too much, I have to fix it." The feminine voice went frantic as the every exposed wire, the metal part of the weapon began to glow; her gamble hadn't paid off. About to run over and fix it, Kakarott knew it would be in vain, she wouldn't survive the explosion. All he could hear was Vegita's voice, coadey ise, and he grabbed her, and dove once more to the ground, using his body as a shield against the coming explosion. Soon even the woman's screams could not compare with those coming from the laser, and a beam of light burst from the over loading weapon.

~~~~~

~~~~~

"Sir, we are detecting a huge power source approaching from the planet, and sensors … ."

"I don't care, shoot the cannons, shoot them now!!"

~~~~~

It sliced the air like knife, the single, piercing beam of light, which glowed like red lightning through the Gaian sky. A pure shaft that stood out even through the clouds that kept the cover of the planet hidden from view. It wasn't possible, the distracted tyrant screamed, those creatures didn't have ki strong enough, or weaponry powerful enough to produce such an awesome blast. This was impossible, he could not lose.

~~~~~

"Sir, we have to put up the shields or the ship will be severely damaged. Does your glory really mean all of our lives?" The engineering officer screamed. All pleas fell on deaf ears, the crew in disbelief that anything, any attack could destroy them.

"Five seconds until our lasers are at full power."

~~~~~

He knew he should fight but shock paralysed him, everyone gone, the once proud and mighty Saiyajin race fallen to one over powered creature, and he, the mightiest of all Saiyajins could not stop it. Every emotion he knew and possessed was burning him inside. With reasoning beyond his current state he sensed a change in his opponent and a new force, the very force of it so overwhelming that it had the power to bring him back to the world of the living. It was coming from the planet, red and burning from the sky sliced straight through the centre of the Tsiru-jin battle ship.

~~~~~

~~~~~~

The very heavens themselves shuttered and cried, the Fates at war above their head, as the sky filled with light and sound, as if the two Moons had collided with one another before her. A great rumbling shook the earth, and her heart filled with joy and tear of happiness filled her eyes. She didn't even know such fulfilment could ever be reached, every life, every existence entrusted to her and she had succeed. Looking up to her companion, she wrapped her arms around him and wept for the joy of it all.

~~~~~~

For every up there is a down, every death a rebirth, such is the cycle of life.

~~~~~~

His plan, his revenge on a man who had played him for a fool for twelve years all gone in a single mysterious blast. Never, never had he in his very existence encountered such a feat, that anything, any weaker being could possibly defeat him had not even entered his realm of beliefs. Growling out, he finally released the monkey's neck and threw him to the ground, sickened that such a lower being's blood had stained his hand. Looking down at the half death creature, he smirked and let the massive power inside of himself to flow out and form a ball in the palm of his hand. If he wanted something done right, he would have to do it himself.

~~~~~

"Please, you have to tell me, where is Vegita, why did you risk your life to save me? What is this being, Freeza?" It didn't take her more than a seconds before the woman came out of her heady daze with avengence, the high of such a feat quickly shifting into curiosity as her mind tried to grasp at the whats and whys and hows. Still in awe of the impossibility of what had happened before him, horrible, horrible reality crashed down upon him. Oh Kami, Kakarott cursed to himself, his mind too preoccupied with his given task to give though to the battle so far away. There were still two powers out there, one massive and one near death and the outcome was not in their favour; Freeza had been too much, for all of Vegita's stubbornness even he could not defeat the monster, and what a monster he was. Never in the lieutenant's life had he felt such power, the very essence of it was tainted with depravity, and it was growing, shifting, being moulded and focussed into an attack.

~~~~~

He recognised that look, that smug look of confidence, of superiority and ultimate mastery over everything that had first made the Saiyajin Prince's blood boil and his hatred grow, but now, it was the cue for another emotion. Had his mouth held voice or his throat held air he would have laughed, roared triumphantly at the sight of a battle ship downed by a single shot and all by his woman's hands, a dangerous vixen indeed. The last piece was in place, his woman was safe, his son secure and now it was all up to him, his final attack, the Saishyuu Saigo no Waze.

"It's over, Freeza," Vegita smirked as he got to his feet, charging up his ki, digging up power from every fibre of his being. "Tell me now, how does it feel to know that your ship has been defeated by a woman, not so weak, is she? You didn't really believe that I would allow you off of this Moon, that either of us will live to see the end of this day? I will revenge my father and my people on this day; know now, Tsiru-jin, the ultimate power of the Saiyajin."

"I will never see defeat!" As fast as the speed of light the ball of ki flew at him and without even thinking, the Saiyajin Prince dodged, and gaped in horror as the ball grew larger and larger as it approached Gaia.

"No, Bulma!!"

~~~~~

~~~~~

It was fast, everything too strange, too fast, too much, as her companion began to scream, his eyes wide with fear; Fates, it had not been enough. Up in the sky, shiny like a second sun, a beautiful ball of light was descending upon them, thrown from the gods of the sky to punish the insolent mortals below. There was not enough time, never enough, as her mind ached and her soul cried out for her other half. She did not want to die alone, but there wasn't enough, she had failed them all.

"Do you trust me?"

~~~~~

~~~~~

At long last he would be rid of that world, for all that he had lost in men today, the payment was more than made up for with the loss. The two great pests in his life finally gone, swatted like flies, and very last thorn in his side was nothing more than a shattered boy; after so long a challenge he had triumphed. Throwing back his head, Freeza began to laugh, the sound only matched by Vegita's slowly growing scream.

~~~~~

He couldn't even think now, everything inside was burning, his very insides were retching themselves to pieces in the effort to keep it all in. He reeled from it, so many blows taken in one day, and his mind was unable to cope with them all. Oh Kami, his father, his trainers, his tutors, his people, his subjects, his guardsman, his destiny, his life, his mate, his son, everyone of them erased from existence by the madness of one person. With every word that flashed through his head, his cry of anguish took hold of him, until first he was crying and then he was screaming and still the pain wouldn't stop.

~~~~~

~~~~~

And Gaia continued to revolve, the ancient daughter of the skies travelling the path charted for it eons and eons ago by the chaotic forces of the universe, one that she would soon travel no more. And on her surface, her children continued to play their part in the drama that had been their existence; some aware of the coming end, some caught terrified by the lower of the curtain. Each life a single story and a voice which would speak no more.

~~~~~

"What is that out in the sky?" Quicline panicked voice rang out through the hall training hall of Bushi, as every eye, every able bodied person could look out at the coming doom. Kneeling silently in another corner of the massive hall, the paled face tech, his hands now thoroughly stained with blood, lifted a white sheet over the head of yet another casualty of the war. The young widow, her long black hair a near mess around her felling upon the lifeless corpse that was her beloved husband, her brown eyes red from her tears.

~~~~~

Every town and city, every farm, shop, home and gathering place bore witness to the approaching fireball, looking up at the end they never knew was coming. Children held their parents tighter, some merely grabbed hold of the hand of a friendly passer-by; old differences were inconsequential now, they were all the same now.

~~~~~

Her world was suddenly tinted red as the ball's light filled the sky, eclipsing the very intensity of the sun; confirming that nothing could stop it.

"Do you trust me?" What other choice did she have?

"Yes."

~~~~~

~~~~~

Sauvage woods was filled that day, the mourners of the dead from the battle the night before given their honours by every soul that survived, and those that would from their sacrifice. From the neighbouring villages and hamlets, they came to weep at the graves of their brothers, fathers, husbands, sons, uncles, nephews and friends. Each had taken to a pile of raised earth, two mourners in particular standing out as an old, grisled warrior stood guarding the back of a small dark skinned, three eyed girl weeping over the grave a lost man who never knew what it meant to be a boy.

~~~~~

Standing alone in that opulent grand hall, the room around him a complete antithesis to his surroundings, Tioce watched the progress of the blast that threatened to swallow the planet whole in its wake. He remembered once being told that at the end always make peace with the Fates, as he stood trying to recall a time when they had quarrelled.

"Duty unto death," he sighed, stoic and calm as he was throughout life, and waited.

~~~~~~

He had only one option left, his ultimate trump card, the greatest of gambles, but it was he had left. It was hardly perfected when he stopped his training of it, he had done no better than a few trial runs, nothing like this, not so far and not with another person. Praying that death would be merciful and swift; he closed his eyes and thought of ChiChi.

~~~~~

~~~~~

The old wily wisdom opened her eyes; the answer had come.

"The white stag and red lion have at last met!"

~~~~~

It all came in one instant, the collective cry of sorrow and acceptance as the globe of energy met the living world and Freeza was the victor. Millions of billions of life forces, from the mightiest of trees to the lowest blade of grass, every animal that crawled, flew, swam or walked upon Gaia's surface snapped out, the ancient presence had ceased to be.

~~~~~

They were gone, the tiny pinpricks of life that were his woman and son that had been so bright and strong in his mind one second, were gone the next, snuffed out for ever. That life eternity had joined him with, that presence that had found a home in his dark mind silenced, like his soul had been ripped from his very body. His father, his people, his planet, all gone, his woman, his heir, his, his friend, destroyed before his very eyes; the promise of his life, his reign was but a distant memory, but still his mind could not grasp it all. There was nothing left but himself, raw and weak with the intensity of so much, his very being seemed filled and yet it would not stop, more and more it grew, and he began to power up. Higher and higher, until the cracked armour around his torso began to break apart; he didn't even feel it as he went from white to gold.

~~~~~

~~~~~

The fireworks that came with the death of the planet ended, his amusement for the time had passed, and a wonderful show it had been. Nothing was left for him to do but to take care of the pathetic monkey behind him whose screams that had gone from being the source of deprave enjoyment to a great annoyance. When he returned to Tsiru-jin, he would have to do something about that, maybe that chip his scientists had been working could be reprogrammed to include a way to silence him as well. Looking back at the maddened creature behind him, his single remaining eye widened in disbelief; no, it could not be. The whole satellite shook with the violence of the Saiyajin's power, like a pure golden beacon whose caused the very planet under his feet to splinter and shatter like a fragile glass orb. Crying out himself in dismay, Freeza attempted to put up his ki shield to protect himself from the inevitable destruction of the Moon, and too late did he see the pure golden light stream towards him. Every cell of his body withered with the pain as the light swallowed him whole and burned him alive.

He didn't see it, the death of the author of all of his misfortune became just another event beyond the wall of sensation that he had found himself drowned in. Trembling with the strain of it all, at last the mighty wanderer of the sky crumbled apart and followed the fate of its celestial sister.

~~~~~

~~~~~

The air around him was growing thinner as the loss of the gravitational pull of the Moon allowed the life sustaining gas to escape into non-existence, into the void of space. Soon the lack of air would cause him to suffocate; his life, that collection of experiences strung together, time and space and people, place and thing would forged him out of a vessel of flesh and blood ending as simply as it had begun. Lifting his head as a small mechanical object brushed by his hand he let out one long breath of air and made his decision, the words echoing through his mind.

"Mai'ghey mi, Bulma."

~~~~~

Grow strong, warrior, and rebuild

* * * End * * *

The End? Well, no, not really. Hi there I'm Adimra Ireivilo. You might remember me from such fanfics as 'In Death Beats no Heart' and 'My Pleasure My Rogaine'. For the past year, we have embarked on a wonderful trip through a completely alternate reality. The telling of this beautiful story has captivated the minds of so many people, and that is what I’m here to address. Please show your support and appreciation to Toshiba. She dedicated over a year of her life to telling this story and the least you can do is email her! The email address is Toshiba@VegetaFreak.zzn.com.

And you know what? This is NOT how the story ends. But if you don't email her, then it will be. You see, I'm part evil, and now it's coming through. There is quite the epilogue that goes with this fic, but I ain't gonna post it until I feel people deserve it (IE Email Toshiba!). Otherwise for most people, this story ends tragically and in limbo, with the exception of a few select people. And these select people know Toshiba because they EMAILED her!!!

I'm sorry to do this but it's not only for Toshiba. If you actually like a story, and visit this site everyday, then email the author and tell them what you think. It makes them happy, and being happy could make them more productive - think about it.

*NEW NOTE* Well, you can thank Toshiba for being so nice and saying that I can post her Epilogue. I'm still keeping the above note up so that people know they should email authors if they like their story (and are interested enough for the sequal - hehe, I'm a slave driver). Anyway, continue . . .