Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Rebirth of Destruction ❯ A Glimpse of Tomorrow ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

There was a deep silence in the room as the Z warriors considered their options. It hadn’t been too long ago that the fighters had been arguing about a sensible plan of action, when they had felt an amazingly powerful ki several thousand miles away from the Lookout. Taking charge immediately, Goku had ordered his friends to stay behind while he and Paikuhan had gone by themselves to investigate. They had returned twenty minutes later, completely unharmed, carrying the unconscious, bruised body of a creature whose species looked suspiciously familiar. Many questions surfaced, mainly about why the creature had powered up so much, but were ignored for the moment as Dende showed them to a room in the palace where the being could rest.

Once Dende had healed and clothed the new being properly, they were finally able to see the resemblance. His orange-tan skin was completely unmarred and rested above a well-muscled body. A pair of pointed ears decorated the sides of his face, finished off with a mane of wild light purple hair and matching eyebrows. Gohan had finally made a connection after seeing him clearly.

“He looks like Tapion!” he exclaimed, somewhat excitedly.

“He does, doesn’t he?” Goku replied thoughtfully.

There was another silence in the room as they regarded the creature once again.

“What I don’t understand,” Kaio-shin said, breaking the silence, “is why he’s still unconscious. By all rights, he should have woken up when Dende healed him.”

“You can heal his body, but you cannot heal his soul,” Paikuhan said quietly. “Perhaps his state was caused by something that goes beyond our comprehension.”

“That’s for sure,” Goku muttered as we walked over to stand by the creature’s bed. “His power level rose unimaginably, then suddenly disappeared. He must have done it on purpose.”

“But why?” asked Gohan. “Was he trying to get someone’s attention?”

“Well, if he was, it certainly worked,” Krillin added. “Poor thing, he must have had it really rough.”

Goku was silent as he stared down at the alien with a furrowed brow. He was completely healed now, so if he wasn’t awake yet, it had to be because of something inside of him. There had to be something that was keeping him in this state and Goku felt so helpless simply standing there and staring. He clenched a fist at his side and looked away painfully. His gut feeling insisted that this creature was important to their new quest. He just knew it.

“… through complex magic. He has to be incredibly powerful,” Kaio-shin was saying. Goku snapped back to attention and turned to face him.

“Is he some kind of magician?” he asked. It went unsaid, but they all knew the other was thinking back to Babidi. The entire ordeal had left them disturbed.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Kaio-shin answered. “But it wouldn’t hurt to go back to the site where you found him. Did he have a transportation device?”

“Yeah, there was a ship…” Goku began, then trailed off as he realized something he hadn’t give much thought to before. He thought back to the design of the ship. A round white torso covered in small, oval windows with yellow designs across the middle of the ship, two yellow claws jutting out from the side of the ship and several more that looked like they were barely about to be released… “And it looked an awful lot like one of Freeza’s ships.”

“You think he could be working for Freeza?” Tenshinhan asked in alarm.

“I wouldn’t doubt it…”

Gohan was already shaking his head. “No, that doesn’t make sense. Why would he make such a big show with his ki, then?”

“He could have been trying to power up for a fight,” Krillin suggested.

“It’s possible,” Kaio-shin said, “but judging by his former condition, he had to have known he wasn’t fit for it. No, he took a risk and he knew it.”

“So the question is why,” Videl spoke what was on everyone’s mind.

“Well, we know one thing for sure: he’s connected to Freeza in some way and I don’t wanna wait around to see if that’s good or bad,” Tenshinhan said with resolve. “I’m going to check out the ship and see if there’s anything that’ll give us a hint. C’mon, Chouzu.”

“Good idea,” Gohan called after their retreating back. “And see if you can get Bulma or Dr. Briefs to help. Yamcha’s been gone for a while.”

“Sure thing,” Tenshinhan answered as he and Chouzu disappeared from view.

“Do you think they’ll find the Dragonballs in there?” asked Krillin.

No one replied, each lost in they’re own similar thoughts. Finally, Piccolo pushed off the wall he was currently leaning against and walked over to stand next to Goku. He studied the creature lying unconscious on the bed for a long moment before shaking his head firmly. “Something here just doesn’t add up,” he spoke softly, as if to himself. “If he were really working for Freeza and Koola, he would have gotten the Dragonballs quietly and left immediately.”

“I agree,” Paikuhan added. “It’s too careless to attract that much attention for no reason.”

From her spot next to Gohan, Videl frowned in thought. She had watched for several hours as these people, the strongest beings in the universe, discussed their current situation. They spoke of these beings released from Hell with great fear, as if they were helpless children with nowhere to run. She had to wonder what exactly was magnitude of the problem. She had never met either of them, but she knew the bare basics of the situation by now and she didn’t understand how her husband, who had put Cell away for good when he was just a boy, was still so concerned.

“Gohan,” she called softly, touching her husband’s arm to get his attention. When he shifted his eyes to regard her, she took hold of his hand and walked away a short distance from the rest of the group. “I still don’t understand. I mean, I know the balance was thrown over with what happened, but…” she trailed off, trying to think of how to explain herself. “Well, can’t you just put them back in? If someone could open a portal to Hell just like that, I’m sure you guys could too.”

Gohan shook his head. “It’s not that simple, Videl,” he explained. “Freeza and Koola aren’t stupid. They’re incredibly powerful and they’re very dangerous. We can’t just pick them up and put them back where they belong.”

Confused, Videl cocked her head sideways. “But you’re the most powerful being in the universe.”

“Only because beings like Freeza and Koola have forced us to get stronger,” Gohan replied. “I seriously doubt they’ve been sitting around doing nothing for all these years. Not to mention that we have no clue as to where they are or what they’re planning with the Dragonballs…”

Videl swallowed hard as a thousand images of possible scenarios flashed through her head. She supposed that when Gohan put it that way, it was easy to see why he and the others were so worried.

“… I mean, the best thing we can do right now is hope to find away to send them back to Hell before they’re able to put their plan into motion,” Gohan finished.

“If they haven’t already,” commented Juuhachigou, who had been standing amongst the shadows the entire time. “I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but I think Vegeta had the right idea when he took off like that. Sitting around here isn’t going to fix anything.”

Whatever reply anyone was going to make was cut short as everyone’s attention suddenly focused on a pained groan coming from the bed.
“Is he awake?” asked an anxious Krillin.

~oOo~

The darkness was overwhelming. He tried scratching toward a surface that seemed not to exist. Each limb appeared to weigh over a hundred tons, making the task all the more impossible. His lungs burned with a desire to take in just one precious breath, but even that simple right was impeded by an invisible force.

Time had disappeared in this world within his tormented mind, making him get lost in its endlessness. Sometime before, the back of his brain had registered a commotion in the real world, but he had paid no heed. At the moment, he was too busy being helpless to break free of whatever holds this imaginary world had on him. He kept seeing flashes, events he had witnessed before among others he had never seen and hoped vehemently that wouldn’t happen.

…two figures stepping out of a large whirlpool of energy, content grins on their beautifully hideous faces…

…a beam of light shooting from seemingly out of nowhere to hit another creature square on the chest, blood bathing those around him…

…a pregnant woman surprised as she was grabbed by the wrist and suddenly appeared elsewhere…

…a young boy with flaring golden hair, angrily blasting walls around him and yelling at someone to be let out…

…a newborn child with unnaturally pale skin and glowing red eyes, glaring maliciously at the person holding it…

…something new, a creature he didn’t recognize with a large build, yet delicate features and pallid coloring, laughing with a wickedness that sent cold shivers down his spine…

…a gigantic explosion of a peaceful planet, debris flying everywhere as the vortex of yellow light expanded all around it in a beautiful show of colors…

No.

Thrashing wildly, he struggled to loosen the grip of the images.

“No,” he murmured. Bitter tears formed inadvertently at the corners of his eyes and he felt them run down his cheeks and jaw. “No! No, I refuse! It won’t happen! No…!”

~oOo~

“Somebody hold him down!” Kaio-shin exclaimed in surprise as their latest acquisition began to thrash in his bed. Already, Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, and Paikuhan were each holding the creature by a limb, trying their best to not hurt him.

“No!” the being was now yelling as he unyieldingly tossed and turned. “Nonononono…”

His eyes snapped wide open and he looked around frantically, his muscles obviously tense. Those around him that had been previously trying to hold him down released him warily and eyed him uncertainly. As if in a trance, the creature gazed down at his hands, watching as they moved from side to side. He flexed his fingers, and then tensed his hand, palm down, to stare at it. After a few moments, he looked up and examined his surroundings.

“I am no longer in the desert…” he said softly.

No one in the room dared to speak, the tension so thick, a knife couldn’t cut through it. He looked up and seemed to spot the people in the room for the first time. “Where am I?”

Goku was the first to step forward. He offered the alien a small grin and bowed in greeting. “I am Son Goku,” Goku introduced himself and then motioned to the people around the room, “and these are my friends. You’re at Kami’s Lookout.”

He was met by several blinks from the other. “S—Son Goku? You are Son Goku?”

Goku brought up a hand to scratch the back of his head, eyes wide with innocence. “Yup, that’s me.”

To his utter surprise, the alien being jumped from his resting place and stood before him excitedly. “Thank the gods!” he exclaimed with relief. “I was not sure if you would find me and was afraid that final power surge would be the end of me…”

“You mean… you did do it on purpose, then?” Dende asked.

“I did,” the creature replied. “I am called Ailill. You are just the ones I have been searching for…”

“What for?” asked Goku. “That was a pretty dangerous stunt you pulled. You could have been killed!”

“Yes,” Ailill said gravely. “And I am sure it would have been a much better fate than if I had not found you.”

~oOo~

Vegeta brought his fist down hard against the wall of a metal pole near the middle of his ship, promptly making a hole through it. The bottom half then made a protesting noise before breaking off and falling to the floor with a loud clatter. His ki flared out of control and Vegeta knew that if he didn’t cool it, he would blast the spaceship into oblivion and he would die alone in the vacuum of space. With that thought in mind, Vegeta began a series of clenching and unclenching fists, trying to bring himself to a clearer state of mind. This was most definitely not helping Bulma.

After Dalia’s ship had taken off just moments after she had stumbled inside—making it quite clear that she wasn’t alone in her quest—Vegeta had flown back to his own ship, intent on following Dalia. He had gotten as far as to power up the ship and begin plotting a course based on the radar readouts of Dalia’s craft, before realizing that he barely had enough fuel to get back to Earth. The blip on the radar that indicated Dalia’s ship was getting further and further away, making him come to grips with the harsh reality. Dalia’s ship was a lot faster and probably had all the capabilities for refueling that it needed.

By now he knew better than to take such insane risks, especially since he had so much to lose. He had made a split-second decision, plotting a course to Earth instead. Vegeta had a general idea of where the ship was going and he knew of ways to track it once he got the proper equipment.

If it was a fight they wanted, then it was a fight they were going to get.

~oOo~

“…that is when I knew I had to get to you,” Ailill was saying. “You cannot imagine the horrors I’ve witnessed—the horrors that will happen because I was too weak.”

No one dared speak a word as they absorbed Ailill’s story. With fidgeting hands, Ailill waited nervously for his story to sink in. It was as if he half expected one of them to suddenly jump on him or blast him straight to Hell, where he belonged.

At least then, he’d be put out of his misery.

“So… let me get this straight,” Krillin said, breaking the silence. “You opened this big portal to Hell and you let Freeza and Koola step out… just like that?”

“Well,” Ailill replied, uncomfortable with the line of questioning, “not exactly just like that. There was a lot more to it…”

“…and the reason you’re here now is…?” Piccolo inquired.

Ailill blinked. He could have sworn he had made at least that part really clear. “I need your help. I—you need to help me put them back in their place. They simply cannot be allowed to roam free anymore… it’s—it’s disastrous!”

“Hmm,” Piccolo muttered. “And how do you propose we do this?”

“Uh, well, I suppose that we would have to locate my opposite-energy and bring him to the ceremonial altar. During this process, our energies combine to open the portal and…”

“…and we simply ask them nicely to step inside, right?” Piccolo interrupted sarcastically.

Ailill pursed his lips together. “Well, it would be nice, but I seriously doubt Freeza and Koola would be willing to cooperate.”

“Then I guess the only thing we need to figure out is how to get them to step inside,” Krillin commented.

“Yes, and where they are and how we get there and how long it will take and where we can find this opposite-energy…” Gohan began to list.

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Krillin backed down.

“Am I the only one who’s seeing a big flaw in this plan?” Juuhachigou asked dryly. “How do you know you can trust this guy, anyway? He’s obviously connected to these Freeza and Koola characters.”

Ailill bit his bottom lip in frustration. Of all the ways he had imagined this meeting to go, this was the last thing that had passed through his mind. But of course, he should have expected it. It was obvious these people were wary of newcomers… especially newcomers that released old enemies from Hell.

“I understand your anxieties,” Ailill reasoned. “There is nothing more I can do to prove myself, but you must believe me. I am here to help.”

“Well, I believe you,” Goku replied, stepping up next to him and looking at his friends. “It makes sense…”

“Like staying on Namek to fight Freeza did?” Piccolo said. As much as he liked and trusted Goku as a close friend, he still had a hard time understanding the other man’s line of thinking. “I have no problem putting Freeza and Koola back where they belong… if what you say is true.”

“All right, everyone, calm down,” Kaio-shin finally spoke up, thoroughly silencing anything else anyone wanted to say. “I can see everyone’s point of view, but attacking each other like this is not going to help. Now, Ailill is the only lead we have on this development. I’m not saying we should trust him so easily, but—”

The slamming of the door cut him off. Everyone looked up to see Vegeta standing by the door. His training suit was hanging on to him in tattered shreds and he was covered in dirt and bruises. When Goku held up a hand in greeting, Vegeta narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Hey, Vegeta! Welcome back!”

“Bulma’s missing,” were the first words that tumbled out of Vegeta’s mouth.

“Huh?” Goku asked. “But Yamcha and Tenshinhan left about an hour ago to find her…”

“Obviously they didn’t because she’s not on Earth!” Vegeta interrupted loudly. “Dammit, Kakarot, don’t argue with me on this, I can tell when my own wife has been kidnapped!”

“Kidnapped?!” Gohan cried. “What do you mean?”

Vegeta sighed in exasperation. “I don’t have time for this,” he muttered to himself. “You’re all a bunch of idiots.” He started to turn to leave when he caught sight of someone that hadn’t been there when he left. His gaze narrowed in on Ailill, who blinked in surprise and back away involuntarily.

“You!” Vegeta exclaimed accusatorily. “I don’t know how you got back here so quickly, but you’re about to leave just as quick.” He raised a hand, palm out, and formed a ki ball.

“Whoa!” Goku cried, quickly stepping in front of a terrified Ailill defensively. “Whoa, calm down, Vegeta.”

“Get away, Kakarot, unless you too are looking for a one way ticket back to the afterlife.”

Goku narrowed his eyes. “Just calm down and tell me what happened to Bulma.”

“You have three seconds to step away from that filthy son of a bitch…” Vegeta threatened.

“Vegeta…”

“Three̷ 0;”

“Wait a sec—”

“Two…”

“If you’d just—”

“One.”

Vegeta released the ki blast from his hand, watching as it went on a straight path toward Goku. Goku responded by swatting it away, causing Krillin to jump sideways in surprise as the blast exploded on the wall behind him. Vegeta was already forming a second one, when Piccolo stepped directly in front of him.

“That’s enough, Vegeta,” he said with a commanding voice. “This is getting us nowhere. Now tell us what happened.”

Vegeta glared at the tall Nameku-jin with a surprising air of arrogance for someone so short. “That fucking bastard kidnapped my family and took them to god knows where. Now out of my way before I destroy you as well…”

“What’s he talking about?” Goku asked Ailill.

By now, the attention of everyone in the room was focused on Ailill. “I see you’ve met my brother,” he commented.

“Like hell I did!” Vegeta snarled. “It was you! You’re Coran, don’t try to weasel out of…”

“I’m not!” Ailill hurried to defend. He sighed and glanced at the floor. “I’m sorry about your family, but it was not me you saw.”

Vegeta glared at Ailill for several more moments, his clenching jaw noticeable to everyone around him. Behind him, the doors suddenly burst open again and Yamcha ran inside, Puaru floating beside him.

“Guys!” he cried. “Bulma’s missing!”

All eyes focused on him, Vegeta’s snort resounding loudly in the small room. Before anyone could form a proper reply, the doors flew open again and in came Tenshinhan, followed closely by Chouzu.

“Hey, everyone, Bulma’s missing!” Tenshinhan informed.

“Uh, yeah,” Krillin cracked. “Thanks for telling us.”

“We all hadn’t heard it the first time that Vegeta told us,” Gohan added.

“And Kakarot is standing in the way of the person responsible for it,” Vegeta growled.

Goku’s face became serious as he nodded once. “Look, I don’t know what happened with Bulma, but this guy couldn’t have done it. We found him in a ship just about an hour ago and he’s been unconscious ever since.”

Vegeta’s narrowed eyes glowered at Ailill, and he took one step forward, pointing an index finger in his direction. “What the fuck are you?”

“My name is Ailill and I am a Konack-jin. We are a race of powerful magicians…” he trailed off, looking pensive for a few seconds, then shaking his head as if too clear it, continued, “I was taken from my home by my twin brother Coran and was a prisoner under Freeza until I escaped just recently. I—I don’t know how long I went unnoticed, but I am sure they know by now where I am headed. If we don’t move quickly, all will be lost.”

“Spare me,” Vegeta told him spitefully. “I will back down for now, but if I for one second have reason to doubt any of what you’ve said, nothing in this god-forsaken universe will save you from my wrath.”

Ailill nodded nervously.

“All right, let us think this through carefully,” Kaio-shin spoke. “We know how to return Freeza and Koola to their, uh, eternal prisons. What we need to do is find them first, correct?” He turned to Ailill. “Do you know what they are planning with the Dragonballs or with Bulma?”

Ailill shook his head. “No, I was a prisoner. They don’t exactly tell prisoners this type of information.”

“Very well then,” Kaio-shin continued. “How about where they are? Do you know that much?”

This time, Ailill nodded an affirmative. “Yes, I could take you there.”

“I think we should assemble a team and head over there,” Piccolo suggested. “The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get this over with.”

“Um, I don’t think it’s going to be that simple,” Gohan stated. “Remember who we’re dealing with here, you guys.”

“Oh, it won’t be so bad!” Goku exclaimed. “Paikuhan and I fought them in the afterlife and we totally kicked the crap out of them. Right, Paikuhan?”

Paikuhan simply smiled and nodded once at the praise.

“I’m not talking about physical strength. I’m talking about strategy, and they’ve obviously got the upper hand right now. We have no idea what they have planned plus they already have the Dragonballs and Bulma,” Gohan replied.

“…and Trunks,” Vegeta added, then looked Goku square in the face, “…and Goten.”

~oOo~

Leaning against the shadowy wall of the room, Piakuhan listened to the ongoing events thoughtfully. He had opted to remain quiet for most of his stay, only speaking when he thought he could add something more to the discussions or bring up an important point. He had never been the talkative type and besides this, he didn’t really know anyone that well besides Son Goku and Piccolo, who like himself, also was the quiet type. Krillin, Yamcha, and Vegeta he had seen, and maybe even had short conversations with but not enough to really get to know them.

But he could feel for them.

He had had the ‘pleasure’ of meeting this Freeza character once before when he and some other being named Cell had decided to gang up together and torment their tormentors in Hell. He had been sent by Dai-Kaio to set things right down there and had been accompanied on this quest by Son. The impression he had gotten of the creature was that he was extremely evil, but fortunately for him, Freeza’s strength ranked nowhere near his. This would prove very useful now that the fiend was roaming free once again.

Looking at the group, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of fellowship for them, especially Vegeta. Though he had never lost his family this way, he had been about to and the thought alone had almost driven him mad. Thinking back on it, he didn’t regret the consequences. If he had too he’d do it again; dying for his loved ones and his people was the ultimate proof of his dedication and love towards them.

~oOo~

Contemplating the darkening sky, Paikuhan thought back at how all this had come to be. He knew that there, just beyond the atmosphere, an irrefutable threat lurked making its way slowly towards his helpless planet. This had begun decades ago when his peaceful people had been forced to take arms in a desperate attempt at fighting off the Nebura invaders from their sister star. He had been General at the time, and had been ordered by their Chief of State to alert the army and defend that, which had been theirs for millennia.

The war had been hard and long extending for decades in a frozen stalemate: they refused to give in and the invaders to back away. Both species were incredibly strong, so both planets now carried the scars of battles fought on their soil. It had been on one of those combats that one of their moons had been destroyed. It had no immediate consequence but a few decades later, long after the war had been over and their freedom re-won, the damage had been clear. It had been one of the minor moons only used for some mining, but it played a key role in the cosmic dance of their double star system.

Every few hundred years, their skies would be decorated by the close passing the T’ry comet. What no one had counted on was that the only thing that would have kept the comet from crashing into the planet had been that particular moon and its gravitational pull. The comet would have passed extremely close by, but the force pulling it in the other direction would have prevented the disaster.

The news came unexpected to all since the calculations to the comet’s route hadn’t been changed since the moon blew up. As a result, they only had a few days to prepare for the inevitable destruction of the world. Many solutions had been presented, but none that would fully function. It was a big comet and blowing it up in space would only make one projectile turn into many. Hence, the planet was being evacuated. Otherwise, no one would survive.

Paikuhan clenched his jaw in frustration. They only had a few hours to admire their lovely planet for the last time. With a sigh, he turned to return to his home and family. His wife and only son had already packed when he arrived. All their belongings were stashed away inside boxes that would be shipped off planet to where ever their new home would be. He had been enjoying the final meal in his house when the call had come. Feeling his blood turn cold all of the sudden, he set down the receiver and turned to face his wife and child.

“Dad? What’s wrong?” Diroi, his son, asked him immediately picking up his sudden change of mood.

“Paikuhan?”   

Paikuhan inhaled sharply knowing that there was no use hiding the news from them when soon, the whole word would know. “The Nebura,” he started. “Attacked simultaneously all Transport pads on the planet and destroyed our cargo vessels.”

His wife, Atima, brought both her hands over her mouth and released a horrified gasp. “We can’t leave?!”

“The Chief of State if gathering all none commercial ships left on the planet to evacuate as many people as possible but…”

“There won’t be enough…” she finished for him.

Paikuhan looked back and forth between his wife and his wide-eyed son. “Chief’s having an emergency meeting. I have to report over there, but the two of you can come along.” He smiled weakly. “Might as well.”

They had reported in as ordered and had there learned that, as Paikuhan feared, almost everyone that had private vessels had already left. There weren’t enough ships to evacuate three quarters of the remaining population.

The hours crawled by slowly sinking every one into anguish at their impending doom. Out the window, the night sky was already lighted with the ghostly blue light of the approaching comet now only a few hours away. He had already given up on attending the chaos-ridden meetings of the governors and pondered silently on a solution to their problem while spending his remaining time with his family.

It had been an hour before dawn, while holding the sleeping form of his son that the idea had come to him. He generated a ki ball from his fiery aura and contemplated it thoughtfully. Quickly making up his mind, he handed his son over to his wife and exited the room they were in. It was a long shot, but they might just get lucky. The Chief of State agreed with the idea and accepted Paikuhan’s volunteering knowing that he was the only person on the planet that could pull off such a stunt.

They entire city had gathered to meet the comet face to face, knowing that there was nowhere they could hide. Kising his wife and son good bye and after a long farewell, Paikuhan set out to carry out his plan. Powering up at his maximum, he flew as high as his lungs allowed him to wait for the comet. A few minutes before it hit, he released his power.
Screaming in pain and exhilaration, Paikuhan dispersed his fiery ki to engulf the planet creating a shield around it. The comet hit, slowly consuming itself in Paikuhan’s ever-growing aura. The process had only lasted several minutes but in the end, Paikuhan had gotten consumed by his own strength along with comet. Next he knew he was standing judgment before the legendary King Enma. After reviewing his deeds, he had been allowed to keep his body and been set under the tutelage of his sector’s guardian for training.

~oOo~

Paikuhan smiled at the bittersweet memories. The rest of his existence was history. He had trained under the West Kai ever since, his training culminating when Dai-Kiao had invited him to his planet and asked him to take care of the troublemakers for him. Needless to say, the tournament held afterwards where he had fought Son Goku was the climax of his time dead, excluding that weird incident with that Janemba character and, of course when Majin Buu had popped out of no where looking for a fight… and now this. The fact that he had randomly been cast once again into the world on the living with the Supreme Kai was a bit unnerving at times. More so after they learned of the havoc Heaven was in. He returned from his walk down memories lane and concentrated once again on what was being said.

~oOo~

Inside the void of chaos, two pairs of crimson orbs stared at each other. A bright ruby versus a deep scarlet, Freeza and Koola backed out of the combat they had been engaged in to catch their breath. Around them, space rumbled dully as if in complaint to the pressures of the colorful, giant spheres in their ever-present journey around the single blue sun that commanded their dance.

Koola observed his brother’s shadow-cast silhouette recalling idly the first time that the two of them had battled in this same arena together. Their father, King Kold had brought Freeza with him one day to continue his training in space since teaching him on the planet was becoming dangerous. Freeza had been in his first years of adolescence, and he thought this would give him an opportunity to show off for younger Glai’keel-jin. His father had proved him wrong however, when instead of making them fight each other, he had set them to battle him. Fair odds for them, two against their father, but he still had the upper hand for that battle and gave them both a good beating.

King Kold had trained them this way for years until Freeza finally reached his first transformation. Overcome by cockiness the two of them had charged at their father, Koola transforming in the process, thinking that now that they both had reached their father’s apparent level of strength, they could finally win a round. Incredibly enough even with the two of them transformed, they still weren’t able to damage their father, and Kold had made that quiet clear.

Later he had learned the reason for all the team battles. When they had finally been allowed to spar each other, they found themselves ‘evenly matched’ even though he was stronger than Freeza. His father’s plan had been for them to learn to anticipate the other’s moves in an effort to coordinate them against him. They had learned this so well, that even with his superior strength, the battles with Freeza almost always ended in a stalemate.

It had been numerous amounts of years before they had battled the way they were today. Little by little, they had grown stronger and adapted their bodies for the new power they gained, Freeza showing off every step of the way. Koola had granted him this favor figuring he got his slightly spoiled attitude because he was the youngest. Over the years however, it became ever more annoying and he had been force to discreetly show his younger brother a lesson or two along the way. He had been intending to do just this the day he had committed the biggest mistake of his life. One so big, that it had haunted him for years and even now.

It had been the day of the destruction of Vegeta-sei, he had been invited by his brother to watch the light show and though a bit reluctant to give his younger brother another chance to show off, he had gone if only to finally see the destruction of the Saiya-jin. Just as the planet was being destroyed, his men caught site of a pod escaping the planet. Closer inspection revealed that it contained a Saiya-jin brat, undoubtedly being sent to a planet for it’s conquering. Though angered by the fact that one of the monkeys had escaped, he had opted not to destroy it; it was Freeza’s responsibility to see to their destruction after all. It Freeza’s mistake one had survived and Freeza’s problem to fix, not his. Intending to show his reckless brother a lesson in responsibility, he had let it slip by and had left to finish his duties for the day.

As in Physics, every action had a reaction. That little brat had grown up to be Son Goku and ironically enough, Freeza had learned a lesson that had eventually cost him his life. Koola had learned of this little after it had happened and, blinded by an intense hatred to who ever dared touch his family and a pang of guilt at having let the Saiya-jin brat live, he had embarked on a journey to correct his mistake. The battle had eventually almost cost him his life being saved by sheer luck and a miracle. He had faced Son Goku again in his rebirth as a metal form, but the monkey and that damned Vegeta had somehow managed, by a strike of good fortune, to destroy him.

He sneered unconsciously. He’d make him pay dearly for what they had done. Soon, he would correct the mistake that had haunted him even in death.

“Amused by something, Koola?” Freeza’s voice broke into his thoughts.

Koola returned his attention to his brother and grinned. “How about we finish the warm up and get serious? It’s obvious you’ve improved a lot, but so have I.”

Freeza’s lips parted into a smile. “I was wondering when you’d stop fooling around. You had to be doing something besides cursing your existence in Hell. By the way, Papa and I felt your death, but where were you? We didn’t find you.”

Koola smiled bitterly. “They had a ‘no family’ policy down there. It’s rare that you and Papa were together, probably because of the proximity of your deaths. I was there, but probably on the opposite side you were in.”

Freeza nodded then increased is ki in a sudden burst of red aura. “Let’s see what you’ve got then.”

Koola grinned and increased his own ki before lunging himself at his brother. The battle intensified over the next few minutes before they had to interrupt it again, but this time because of a message from their ship.

“Koola here,” he said and tapped the scouter for the appropriate channel.

“Sire,” came the raspy voice from the speaker. “We are receiving a transmission from Dalia. Shall we put it through?”

“Yes,” Koola replied though the answer was obvious. It took a few moments, but Dalia’s voice finally came through.

“My lord?”

“Report, Dalia. How was the mission?”

“Successful, sire. We have the Dragonballs and the Earthling woman as well as a couple of other surprises.”

“And our opposites?”

“On Earth. Coran believes that they and the rest of the Earthling scum will try to follow us, reason why I think it unsafe to meet with you on Glai’keel–sei.”

Koola smiled. “Perfect, you know of our base in the N’ree system, correct?”

“Yes, sire.”

“Meet us there. We should be arriving in about a week, if we embark today.”
“No problem, Lord Koola. It’ll take a few more days than that for us to reach it at top speed.”

“Then we’ll see each other there. Koola out.” He cut the transmission and turned to his brother who waited a few feet away.

“I take it everything’s is in order?” Freeza asked.

“Yes,” Koola replied. “We should be heading back to the ship. It won’t be long now before our waiting comes to a close.”

~oOo~


Bulma rested her head on the palms of her hands and sighed. It had been around five hours since she had last had any sort of contact with other living things. Wondering idly if Vegeta was still following, she leaned back against the wall. She was sure Vegeta would somehow move Heaven and earth to get them back, that much he had proved to her the last time she had seen him. Even though he hadn’t gotten his way, that glint of determination in his dark eyes had given her the information necessary to be certain of this.

Vegeta had always proved to be unpredictable and she sometimes had trouble keeping tabs on his behavior. This only served to make things more interesting for the two of them in the long run since she too tried to catch him by surprise. Their relationship could be called a lot of things, but uninteresting was undoubtedly not one of them. They certainly did have a way of keeping each other on their toes. A smile parted her lips for a moment as she thought back at how this game had begun.

~oOo~


“Bulma? Bulma, dear? Are you—oh, there you are!”

Bulma held the mouthpiece of the telephone away from her mouth as she turned to see her mother walk into the kitchen. “Is there something you need, Mama?”

“Oh, yes, dear,” Mrs. Briefs chirped happily as she hurried into the kitchen and began opening and closing cabinets. “Your father wants to bring one of his best bottles of wine to the party tonight and I could have sworn I had one up here! Could you do me a favor and head down to the basement to get one? You can meet us there tonight. I have a hair appointment in half an hour that I don’t want to miss. Thanks, dear!” With that, the ditzy woman patted Bulma’s cheek and headed out the back door.

Bulma blinked a few times at the door her mother had just walked out of and then shook her head in exasperation. “Longeray?” she said into the phone. “I’ll have to call you back… yeah, Mama’s in her own little world, I know…” She giggled and placed a hand on her hip. “Well, that’s our family for ya!” She waited a few beats and then nodded, despite the fact that the woman over the phone couldn’t see her. “Right, see ya then.”

She pressed the “talk” button of the phone to hang it up and placed it on top of the table before turning to leave the kitchen. The basement her mother had mentioned was, simply put, a bomb shelter. Years ago when her father had first built the company, he had decided to put said shelter in for any emergency. It was small, consisting only of a bedroom with two beds, a kitchenette, a bathroom, and a tiny living area that the Briefs used mainly to store things—among them, old bottles of wine saved for important occasions. There was some plumbing and electricity wired to it, though Bulma wasn’t sure if it even worked anymore.

With careful deliberation, she descended the stairs leading down to a gigantic steel door that was left open with a doorstopper. She went down yet another set of stairs and began to search the wall for a light switch. Finally finding one, she pressed it and held her breath as a single light bulb in the middle of the ceiling flickered to life somewhat reluctantly.

What it illuminated made Bulma think that perhaps the room looked better dark. I should tell Papa to send a clean-up crew down here, she thought with a level of disgust as she weaved through old junk and ducked sticky spider webs. How gross.

It didn’t take long for her to reach the wine rack. She crouched down in front of it to look for just the right bottle. As she examined the dates on the labels, she heard a small screeching sound and felt something warm scurry across her toe, which was exposed through the front of her sandals. She jumped back in surprise and let out a loud shriek when she saw a large white rat looking up at her innocently. With yet another scream, she proceeded to jump unto a nearby chair. The rat moved its nose and twitched its whiskers, as if wondering what all the fuss was about, then scurried under her chair.
Bulma whimpered and followed it with a cautious gaze as it screeched and scampered through the ground.

“Stop that inane bellowing, already!” a gruff voice came from the top of the stairs. “You’re hurting my ears.”

Bulma glanced up to find a very annoyed Vegeta standing by the top of the second set of stairs, holding the edge of the door with a gloved hand. He wore a pair of dark green, non too lose training pants and a matching green tank top, making Bulma deduce that he had probably been taking a lunch break when he had heard her scream. As always, he completed the wardrobe his white gloves and boots.

She glared at him from her perch on the chair and looked down at the rat—only to find it gone. Suddenly feeling incredibly stupid, she tentatively stepped down from her chair and looked around her for the missing rodent.

“The way you were screaming, one would think the androids decided to attack earlier than expected,” Vegeta continued, releasing the door and coming down the steps.

“For your information…” Bulma began, then trailed off, realizing that letting Vegeta know that she was scared of a measly, insignificant… large, ugly rat would simply fuel his delight with making fun of her. “I was just… practicing my reflexes…”

Vegeta simply arched an eyebrow, clearly not buying it for a second, but figuring he really didn’t care. “What are you doing down here?” he asked, glancing around the place with masked curiosity.

“Oh, Mama asked me to get the best bottle of wine for the party tonight,” Bulma explained, warily crouching down again to get the bottle. This time, she didn’t even stop to look at the dates, just taking one and getting up immediately. She just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

“Hmm…” was Vegeta’s reply, as he continued his inspection of the basement.

Bulma could tell that he wanted to know what this room was, even though he didn’t ask.

“This is Papa’s storage room,” she told him. “It’s supposed to be a bomb shelter of sorts. See? It even has a kitchen full of canned goodies. Not like we’ve had to use it anyway.” She shrugged and started walking backwards towards the door. “There’s a bedroom, a bathroom…” The sound of a creaking door behind her made her stop and whirl around—just in time to see the huge steel door swing close. She blinked in shock, simply staring at in blankly. Then she tossed the bottle of wine on top of a small couch and ran up the stairs.

“Oh, shit!” she cried as she reached the door and began to push it as hard as she could. “Uh, uh, you have got to be kidding me!” She pressed her shoulder against it and shut her eyes tightly as she tried to budge the door to no avail.

From his place in the living area, Vegeta watched with interest as Bulma continued her antics.

“What the hell is your problem?” he demanded after several more seconds.

“What the hell is my problem??” Bulma repeated incredulously, whirling around to face him. “My problem is that we are now stuck inside this fucking room, thanks to you!”

“Me?”

“Yes, you! The door had a stopper to hold it open and you obviously moved it when you came gallivanting down here! It only opens with a key.”

“So?”
“So!” Bulma yelled, her chest heaving with exasperation. “I… don’t… have it!”

She turned around again and started pounding on the door. “Papa!” she called as loud as she could. “Papa! Can you hear me?! Papa!”

Vegeta watched her for several moments before rolling his eyes. He formed a ki blast in his palm and raised it to the door. “The old man is deaf,” he said. “Now step aside unless you want to go down with it.”

Bulma’s eyes widened and she hurried down the stairs again. “Are you insane?” she cried as she held on to his arm and tried to push it away with no success. “You’ll blow the entire house down on top of us with the amount of energy needed to knock that door down!”

“And I should care because…” Vegeta replied, still staring straight ahead and not budging an inch.

“…because no one else in this entire planet is brave or rich enough to take you in,” Bulma retorted. “Unless, of course, you wouldn’t mind living with Son-kun until the androids get here…”

Vegeta’s previously smug expression turned sour at the mention of Son Goku and the idea of having to depend on him for anything. He extinguished the ball of ki from his hand before crossing his arms over his chest and turning away from Bulma. She breathed a sigh of relief and opened her mouth to snap at him when she caught sight of the rat once again. Releasing a loud scream, she jumped back and latched on to Vegeta’s arm. Surprised, Vegeta twisted his head to see what had gotten Bulma so alarmed.

Upon seeing the rat, he let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “That’s what made you so scared?” he asked in amusement. Shaking his head, he uncrossed his arms. Bulma gasped and moved to stand behind him, still not letting go of his arm. With his free hand, Vegeta pointed an index finger at the rat and shot a small beam of ki at it. The poor rodent never stood a chance. In less than a second, all that was left of it was a black mark on the floor where the rat had previously been. “Pathetic. Whoever heard of being scared of a rat?”  

Bulma glared at him and hastily released his arm. “Okay, so I’m not that fond of those ugly little creatures. Can you blame me? Stupid little furry bodies with… whiskers that twitch when they make that stupid noise… and the eyes! They’re so… beady. Poking out of their face. I mean, who needs to have their eyes poking out like that? They stare at you all innocently, as if…” she trailed off when she saw Vegeta’s eyebrows were raised in pure amusement. “Okay, the point is that I hate them.”

Vegeta’s eyes rolled skywards as he turned around to examine the room once again. There was just no way he would spend another minute trapped down here with her. Without a doubt, he would go completely mad before the day was over… if he didn’t kill her first, that is. The first thing he noticed was that the place didn’t have any windows and he commented so. Bulma responded that it was because the place was built completely underground, which lead to the assumption that there had to be a source of breathable air in the probable case that the air conditioner wouldn’t work if it were a real emergency.

“Over here,” Bulma called. She motioned to an air vent above her head. From the ground, it looked big enough for a person to fit through. But before she was able to find something to stand on in order to reach it, Vegeta had already levitated up to it. He released the covering and tossed it to the ground, causing it to resound loudly in the absolute silence of the room.

“It should be connected to the other one at Papa’s workroom,” Bulma said thoughtfully as she watched Vegeta’s head disappear through the hole in the ceiling.

“Well?” She watched anxiously as Vegeta levitated back down. “Can we get out?”

“No such luck,” he told her. “It’s not large enough for either of us to crawl through.”

“Ugh!” she cried angrily, glancing down at her watch impatiently. “I have an appointment with my stylist in half an hour. I’ll never get to the party on time…”

“You won’t be getting to the party at all if you don’t stop whining and figure out a way to get us out of here!” Vegeta spat furiously.

Bulma took a deep breath and tried to think. “Okay, the door is stuck, there aren’t any windows and the air vent isn’t large enough for us to go through. Umm… We could…” She glanced around the room, looking helplessly for anything that might help her figure something out. “…dig a hole through the ground and end up on the other side?” she finished weakly.

At Vegeta’s incredulous look, she huffed and hit her hands against the sides of her thighs. “We’ll just have to wait for Mama or Papa to notice that we’re missing and go looking for us,” she said. With a deep sigh, she picked up the bottle of wine she had dropped on the couch and plopped down on the spot it had been. “So much for the party. This is all your fault,” she added.

“My fault?!” came Vegeta’s predictable explosion. “I wasn’t the one who screamed at the sight of a puny rat!”

“No, but you were the one who took the stopper off the door and let it slam close!”

“Well, if you hadn’t been such an idiot, I wouldn’t have come down here in the first place!”

“Right, I held a gun to your head and forced you to come down and check on me.”

“You might as well have, with your pathetic screeching. You probably had it planned!”

“Oh, yeah! ‘Cause Kami knows it’s my dream to be trapped in a basement with the likes of you!”

“So you admit it.”

“Now you’re blaming your clumsiness on me?”

“I am not clumsy!”

“Are too!”

“I am n—” Vegeta caught himself before he could continue on this childish game. By now, Bulma was standing mere inches from him, the bottle of wine clutched at her side, her face flushed from her anger. He clenched his teeth and tightened his fists to try and keep the last remnants of restraint he had left. “Look,” he began again. “Your parents will notice your absence soon enough and they’ll eventually find us here.”

“I have places to be!” Bulma exclaimed.

“You think I don’t?” Vegeta oppositeed. “I should have been back to my training a long time ago. This is an utter waste of time!”

“Kami only knows when Mama and Papa finally notice we’re missing.”

Vegeta narrowed his eyes dangerously at her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Bulma explained, “that they’re both always on cloud nine and they’ll eventually hop on a plane and not notice I wasn’t at the party until they’re well on their way to Hawaii.”

“Hop—” Vegeta blinked in surprise. “You mean they’re going on vacation?”

“Right after the party,” Bulma confirmed. “’Till Monday.”

Vegeta groaned in misery. “We would have been better off if I had just blasted the door.”

~oOo~

Bulma couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory. Little had they both known that their three-day captivity in her father’s old bomb shelter would ultimately turn into a blessing. For their entire stay, they had alternated between getting on each other’s nerves and yelling at each other for it, and going to separate ends of the room in absolute silence. Sometime around the afternoon of the second day, the sexual tension that had been building up between them for the past year finally exploded. They had been arguing profoundly (not that their arguments differed from that, anyway) about lack of food. Vegeta had consumed over half of the food stored and Bulma was afraid they would run out before they were found.

~oOo~

“Well, excuuuuuse me for not wanting to die of starvation, Oh Mighty Royal Pain in the Ass!” Bulma was yelling.

“A Saiyan consumes food in larger quantities,” Vegeta told her matter-of-factly. “When it comes down to it, it’s either you or me and I choose me.” He ended the statement with a self-satisfied smirk.

“Why…! Of all the low-down, dirty things to say…!”

But Vegeta had already turned his back on her. She looked absolutely livid as she stalked after him into the bedroom. “Look at me when I’m talking to you, Vegeta!”

He still ignored her as he opened the door connecting the bedroom to the bathroom.

“I am so sick of—”

Whatever Bulma was about to say was caught off when Vegeta abruptly turned around, grabbed her by the waist, and pressed his lips against hers. Her eyes went wide and she stood still, thoroughly shocked at what he had just done. After several moments, she closed her eyes and responded to the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and twining her fingers into his hair. She brought their bodies closer as he deepened the kiss and walked her towards the wall behind her.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, old fantasies were brought forth. She clearly remembered some of them that had started developing months ago when she had accidentally walked in on Vegeta wearing nothing but a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, water droplets glistening on his torso and legs, and a strong scent of soap. Her knees went weak at the thought and she had to hold on to his muscle-corded neck tightly to keep from falling Vegeta proceeded to pin her against the wall as he trailed kisses down her jaw and to her neck.

“Behold,” he murmured against her neck. “There really is a way to shut you up. If I would’ve known this when we first met, I definitely wouldn’t have wasted so much time arguing.”

She let out a soft moan that reverberated in her throat and tickled Vegeta’s lips.

“Definitely would’ve saved us both a lot of trouble,” she replied. She opened her mouth to say something else, but was once again silenced by Vegeta’s lips. She forgot anything else that might have been on her mind, focusing instead on the warm taste of Vegeta’s mouth and the feel of his hands on her body. Finally, he lifted her against him and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. With no protest from her, he continued his exploration, leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, then her shoulder…

~oOo~

Bulma cut the train of thought there. She knew that now wasn’t the time to be remembering those particular bits of her relationship with Vegeta, since she already missed him well enough as it was. That had been the way they had spent the rest of their confinement. Monday had rolled around and her parents had finally returned from their weekend getaway. Dr. Briefs must have noticed the closed steel door, because Bulma and Vegeta could both hear him calling Bulma’s name from the other side. Bulma had rushed to the door and pounded on it as hard as she could, informing her father that they were indeed trapped and she didn’t have the key with her. Without a moment’s hesitation, the elder scientist had rushed to find his key, and with Vegeta’s help, had managed to get the door open. Both her parents had apologized profusely when they’d learned that she had been down there since before they had left on their trip and had attributed it to their excitement over getting away for a while.

After that, Bulma and Vegeta had each gone to their separate routines, while still keeping a rendezvous regularly at nighttime. Bulma had been so lonely since her and Yamcha’s breakup and she welcomed the distraction and the no-strings attached fun. Their attitudes never changed, since they both enjoyed their constant verbal sparring matches. They also had both agreed that they would maintain their relationship a secret from everyone else. Neither of them felt anything particularly loving toward one another at the time, except for a deep lust and light caring (the latter on Bulma’s side anyway) that they were sure wouldn’t lead to anything permanent.

And then came Trunks.

Her pregnancy had come as a shock to them both, turning their lives upside down and forcing them to publicly admit their rapport, thus bonding them together for the rest of their lifetimes. Vegeta had been livid and had determined to have nothing to do with her or his son after that. Times had changed since then, however, and it certainly hadn’t been so bad and they eventually grown to love each another deeply. That was, of course, what had led her to this very situation she was in. Biting her lower lip, she furrowed her brow as she though of how her son was here too.

She knew it was only a matter of time now because eventually someone would come for Trunks, Goten, and her. All her hopes were based on this.

Trunks and Goten…

How the hell had they gotten here! Had they been kidnapped before her? She closed her eyes and sighed. Kami be with them and keep them safe. Not that those two little rascals couldn’t take care of themselves, but a gut feeling she had, kept telling her this place and these people were far from normal.

Where were they being taken?

Why?

She knew Vegeta had more than a hand full of enemies, but why Goten, then? Was it because he was also half-Saiyan? Bulma had long ago given up trying to escape since the small, square room she was in provided no means for a get away of any sort. Four plain white walls and a small bench in the back where she sat.

Nothing she could tinker with or do.

The rumbling inside her stomach reminded her that she was famished. It had been well over six hours since she had had her last meal and since she ate for two people, this was far too many. She was still thinking about her hunger when the door to her cell slipped open and the blue-skinned woman came in holding a tray of a smoking cuisine. She set the tray down next to Bulma and leaned back against the wall opposite to her to watch her eat. Bulma took one look at the delicious looking food and figured that if they had wanted to kill her they would already have, so there were no real chances of poisoning.

She had already ravaged down half of her food when she looked up to see the woman before her more closely. She looked fully recovered from the beating she had gotten from Vegeta. Her clothing had been change, but she still wore the same style: tube top with a small, sleeveless jacket decorated with beautiful patterns, and low cut, hip hugging pants, that opened in that strange Arabic style she had noticed before, over her sandals. Her hair was loosely braided and she carried herself with a sense of sovereignty that made Bulma think she belonged to high nobility.

 Bulma looked away for a moment before setting her eating utensils down and asking her the question that had been eating at her mind for some time now. “Why? Why are we here? What do you want from us?”

Dalia looked down at Bulma and raised and eyebrow before replying. “It’s nothing personal, I’m just following orders,” she replied curtly.

Bulma set her food tray aside and stared at the beautiful alien woman before her. “From who? You don’t look the type to just pick up random fights for the fun of it.”

Dalia stood up straight. Sure, what the hell. “I don’t believe you’ve met them, though I do think you’ll recall the Namek incident?”

Bulma had been about to snap another question before closing her mouth in shock. “Freeza! You worked for Freeza? But he’s dead now, so what is this? Some strange plan for revenge?”

Dalia smirked. This woman was completely clue less; not that she had any reason not to be. “As far as you know, he is…”

“What’s that supposed to mean? He’s dead! I saw it with my own eyes!”

Dalia narrowed her eyes and smiled again. “Not all things are what they seem.”

Bulma began to feel more uncomfortable with the track this conversation was taking with every moment that passed. Freeza was dead, right? Vegeta had told her so and she had seen Future Trunks kill him from a distance. Not only this, but Vegeta had even gone as far to once comment that Freeza’s entire family had gotten what they deserved. What was she talking about? He couldn’t be alive! She looked at the alien again in confusion.

“Who are you? Who do you answer to?”

“My name is Dalia,” she told the Earthling. “I already told you who one of my masters is. The other is his brother.”

“But Freeza is dead! He and his entire damned family are dead!” Bulma exploded refusing to believe anything else. It couldn’t be!

Dalia narrowed her eyes dangerously. “Watch you mouth, human. You won’t be pregnant forever, you know, and it is by their orders you and your brat are kept alive.”

Bulma place a protective hand over her large belly and glared at Dalia. “Stay away from my baby!” she snarled, motherly instincts kicking in.

“Not your decision, I’m afraid,” Dalia replied cruelly. “And I’d finish eating if I were you. I’m taking that plate of food soon, so hurry.”

Bulma felt herself turn cold. They weren’t after her; they were after the kids! No! She wouldn’t let them take her baby even if she had to force it to stay inside. Not her little girl… She suddenly lost all her appetite.

Trunks.

He was out there, alone. Dear god, Goten too! This was sounding more and more like Freeza every second. They were after the Saiyan children. She felt like living a nightmare suddenly and prayed for someone to come rescue them if she couldn’t find a way to escape.

“Well? Aren’t you going to finish?” Dalia spoke into her thoughts.

Bulma looked up to her in no effort to hide the dread she was feeling. “Please! Not the children! Do anything to me, but leave the kids alone.”

Dalia raised an amused eyebrow. Freeza and Koola had long ago finished beating what little compassion she had left out of her. She had been to Hell and back in each of their little training sessions and had learned to grow cold to all emotion. She had to, especially when she came back half dead from every one of them. ‘Mercy’ was a word long ago forgotten in her vocabulary, but she didn’t care.

“Not my choice to make either,” she replied emotionlessly and moved to pick up Bulma’s forgotten tray of food. Bulma watched feeling something inside her shatter as Dalia exited the room without another word. Anxiety and fear began to consume her slowly as she considered the possibilities. She knew she couldn’t begin to imagine what they could go through and felt a pang of pain for Vegeta since he did. Bulma had never met Freeza, and though she had experienced curiosity on meeting him, all of it died under these circumstances.

She had to get out. Somehow, she just had to.

~oOo~

The sound of a wrench clattering on the ground was magnified a few thousand times than in the utter silence. Combined with the tension felt by everyone, the sound of the tool hitting the floor made Krillin jump nearly three feet in the air. He received a prompt glare from an already irritated Vegeta, which made Krillin nod an apology and turn away from him, quickly jogging down the entrance ramp of the ship to meet up with the rest of his friends that waited outside.

“Well?” Gohan asked. “Any progress?”

“I’m not sure,” replied Krillin, the look on his face suggesting that he didn’t want to go back in to find out either. “Vegeta’s in charge and he was looking kinda scary. I had to get out before he got any ideas.”

“I can’t say I blame him. I know I’d be the same way if my entire family had been kidnapped,” Yamcha said thoughtfully.

“And by the creature that held him for so many years, no less,” added Gohan. “Poor Bulma. With a baby on the way and everything…”

Krillin’s eyes widened and he glanced back toward the ship. “Don’t say that too loud. I don’t want to remind Vegeta of why he’s so pissed.”

Gohan sighed in half amusement, half exasperation. “You guys stay here. I’m going to speak with Dr. Briefs.”

He walked up the ramp, ducking under the hatch entrance and glancing around when he reached the inside of the ship. It was spacious enough; Gohan figured the lot of them would fit, even if a bit cramped. He spotted the scientist on the far end of the ship, on his back under a pile of machinery, presumably making adjustments. Vegeta stood by Dr. Briefs with his arms crossed, looking with disguised interest at what the company owner was doing. A characteristic scowl adorned his face as he impatiently and visibly clenched his jaw.

“Dr. Briefs, Vegeta,” Gohan greeted as he made his way over scattered tools all throughout the floor. He stood a few feet away from them, conscious of what Krillin had warned about Vegeta’s mood. Instead, Gohan averted his gaze from Vegeta and pretended to study the piece of machinery Dr. Briefs was laboring on.  “Have you managed to do anything with it, Dr. Briefs?”

He heard a shuffle of fabric and then Dr. Brief’s head poked out from underneath. “Oh, yes, lots!” he exclaimed. “I’m rather surprised at how similar to my own technologies it is. I’ve learned a lot also; it’s fascinating how…”

“Yes, yes,” Vegeta interrupted. “How long is this going to take?”

“So impatient, Vegeta,” Dr. Briefs told him as he turned back to his work.

Vegeta’s eyes narrowed dangerously, making Gohan nervously take a step forward, in case he was planning on anything stupid. But Vegeta simply bared his teeth and replied in a calm manner through clenched teeth, “Your own daughter’s life is at stake here.”

“I’m just as worried about Bulma as you are,” Dr. Briefs said. “But acting irrationally isn’t going to solve anything.”

Vegeta growled deep in his throat and Gohan could once again see his jaw clenching and unclenching in what he had learned was Vegeta’s way of keeping his temper in check. “We all are,” Gohan spoke up. “Which is why we need to know when the ship will available.”

“Well, the ship itself is in excellent condition,” Dr. Briefs explained. “It can fly perfectly and your friend who brought it in to Earth confirmed it. However, most of its landing gears seem to be stuck inside. When he tried to release them, the lifts wouldn’t come out, which is why he crashed-landed. I’ve managed to fix the gear itself since there wasn’t much wrong with it and now I’m fixing its connections with the controls inside the ship.”

“And that will take…” prompted Gohan.

“About another hour or so,” answered the scientist.

Gohan nodded. He then turned to Vegeta and reached out to touch his arm in order to get his attention, but thought better of it. “Vegeta, maybe you should come outside with us. Some fresh air might do you some good.”

“I’ll be staying right here until the old man finishes the repairs.”

Gohan opened his mouth to further convince him, but refrained, knowing it would be futile. He nodded in reluctant agreement and turned to leave the ship. Once outside, the cold night air of the desert assaulted his senses.

“What did he say?” Tenshinhan asked.

“Not long now. I guess we should start getting our bearings together… and we need to know who will be going besides me, my dad, and Vegeta.”

“I will,” said Piccolo.

“Me, too,” added Kaio-shin.

Paikuhan and Ailill nodded in agreement. Krillin volunteered rather reluctantly, as opposed to the firm accord Gohan received from Videl and Dende.

“No way,” Gohan and Piccolo objected at the same time to the individuals respectively.

“You’ll need my help!” Videl exclaimed. “Besides, I’m not letting you go anywhere where you might not be coming back from alone.”

“And I am the guardian of this planet. It is my duty to protect it. For years you have been doing this and I think it is time I contributed as well,” Dende debated.

“It’s too dangerous,” Piccolo replied. “For both of you. You’ll just get in the way.”

“You need my healing powers! Lord Kaio-shin has been stripped of all his power and you need me to do this. There are barely any senzu beans left, remember?” Dende said.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kaio-shin muttered crossings his arms over his chest and turning around looking a bit childish in doing so. “Don’t remind me.” He got a few sympathetic smiles from the people around him who had witnessed his failed attempts at healing and clothing Ailill.

“He’s right,” Krillin said. “It would be useful.”

“Videl—” Gohan began.

“I don’t care what you say. I’m going.”

Gohan sighed, knowing what a determined Videl was like. “Fine.”

“Chouzu and I would get in the way,” Tenshihan spoke up.

“So would I,” Yamcha said. “I’m not a fighter anymore, I’d be useless.”

Juuhachigou pulled Krillin aside and looked him hard in the eye. “So would you, you know,” she told him. “Why the hell would you want to go with them?”

Krillin pursed his lips in thought, wondering that very thing himself. He certainly was afraid of the white lizard. “Maybe I can’t stand in a fight with Freeza or Koola. But, hey, I might be able to get at least one punch without getting the shit kicked out of me, right?” He smiled weakly.

Juuhachigou raised an eyebrow. “You’re insane.”

“But he is good to have in a tight spot,” Gohan intervened. “Don’t worry, Juuhachi, we’ll try to take good care of him.”

Juuhachigou glanced down at her husband for a moment before turning her head away. “Just come back in one piece, okay?” At that, Krillin grinned. “I’ll stay here with Marron,” she added as an afterthought.

“All right, it’s settled, then…” Gohan said.

“No, it’s not,” a female voice said from behind him.

Everyone turned around to find a sheepish-looking Goku and an angry Chichi standing not too far from the ship. “Sorry guys,” said Goku. “She threatened me with a frying pan and no food if I didn’t bring her here.”

“And a good thing I did, too!” Chichi cried. “My Goten has been kidnapped and you expect me to sit here and wait while my husband and other son go after him alone?”

“Mom…”

“Don’t you ‘Mom’ me, young man!” Chichi interrupted. “I’m going too.”

“Chichi, I don’t think that’s such a hot idea,” Goku told his wife. “It’s going to be really dangerous…”
“I don’t care!”

“But, Chichi,” Puaru spoke up next. “You don’t have the fighting p—”

“Shut up, you good for nothing flying cat!” Chichi exclaimed, turning a hard glare on Puaru. “You have no idea what it’s like to have your baby taken from you!”

Puaru shrunk away from the raging woman, while Yamcha stepped forward with a placating look on his scarred face. “You’d be just as good in the field as I’d be, Chichi.”

“I. Don’t. Care!” she cried again. “This is the second time a son of mine gets kidnapped by a power-hungry evil monster.”

Piccolo narrowed his eyes at her, but chose to remain quiet at the insult.

“Chichi,” Dende said softly. “Perhaps you should listen to their pleas. We don’t need any more unnecessary losses. We’ll try to be back safely with everyone.”

“Try is not good enough!” Chichi replied angrily.

“There is just no guarantee of our safety,” Kaio-shin told her gently. “But we don’t need to add anymore responsibilities to the mix. Please understand.”

Chichi looked from Dende to Kaio-shin for a long moment before finally nodding in an unwilling acceptance. She then hugged Gohan and Videl each, murmuring goodbyes. Turning to Goku, she pointed a finger at his chest. “You’d better come back, mister!”

“You bet!” Goku exclaimed. “I don’t know what I’d do without your cooking!”

Everyone sweat-dropped.

~oOo~

“These are the infamous Dragonballs?”

Dalia and Coran kneeled before the thrones before them while the two Glai’keel-jin royalties inspected their price. As soon as they had docked, the prisoners had been taken to the dungeons and they had been escorted to Freeza and Koola. The N’ree base had been built deep into the greatest of seven moons that orbited the fifth planet of said system. It had been strategically constructed there because the moon was mostly a ball of iron and rock: the perfect underground fortress.

“Yes, sire,” Dalia answered looking up at Koola who then passed the chest containing the seven orange orbs to his younger brother.

Freeza’s face was skeptical as soon as he received the parcel. He reached into the chest and held the one-star ball into his porcelain hand. He toyed with it a few seconds before turning his attention to Dalia again. “The Dragonballs I remember were much bigger. Where did you get these?”

“Earth, Lord Freeza,” Dalia answered. “They are smaller than the Namek set. And they only have the power to grant two wishes.”

“Two is plenty,” Koola spoke. “But I’m intrigued. You mean that there are two sets of Dragonballs?”

“There was another in Namek, but that planet was destroyed,” Dalia replied.

“But the Namekians are alive,” Koola said turning to his brother. “I ran into a planet full of the green vermin on my travels. Surely they too have a set there.”

“Oh,” Freeza uttered. “Yes… I remember the little green insect came back from the dead after I killed him. Surely others did too.”

“It’s worth looking into,” Koola said turning back to Dalia and Coran. “Which reminds me… in your absence, one of the prisoners managed to break free on his cell and escape. We haven’t been able to recapture him, but that isn’t what bothers me. Freeza checked for his record and it was empty. Do you know who it was?”

Dalia turned her face to Coran and saw him stiffen noticeably. She knew who the only person they hadn’t filed a report for was, but it wasn’t her place to say so.

“Forgive me Lord Koola,” Coran said. “The one who escape was my opposite energy. He’s the other one that made it possible to bring the two of you back.”

There was a few seconds silence before anyone spoke again.

“Opposite energy?” Freeza spoke. “Coran, was he another wizard?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“A wizard… And your opposite force… Was it your twin brother, Coran.”

Coran nodded.

“I’m not interested in family trees,” Koola spoke up. “But I do remember a specific incident. The two of you were High Priest of your home world, and while you did submit to out rule he did not. The little troublemaker even managed to get the political government involved. He and the king of Konack-sei were pretty good friends, as I recall. They even succeeded in gathering a largely impressive resistance force… Which was crushed, of course. Thanks to you.” Koola stood up and walked to the nearest window that displayed a view of the part of the underground facility. “If I remember correctly, last I heard was that the Konack-jin king had been killed and that the remaining High Priest had taken charge of both the religious and political governments since the king had no heir yet.” He turned to Coran to confirm his words.

“Yes, Lord Koola,” Coran said. “Ailill has been in charge of Konack-sei ever since.”

“He was spared because we thought we might have some use for him in the future,” Freeza added leaning forwards in his throne. “But our patience runs short. He has already served his purpose and though he was left to live, he runs off to brew more trouble.”

“I’ll find him and bring him back, my lords,” Coran said standing.

“No need,” Koola answered. “He’ll eventually come to us. I thinks it’s obvious were he went to.” The older Prince of Glai’keel-sei crossed his arms over his chest and turned back to the window. “Earth.”

There was silence for a moment, but before anyone could reply, the doors to the thrown room burst open and in ran an out-of-breath dungeon guard.

“Sire!” he screamed. “We cannot control it! It’s killed an entire squad and blasted half the dungeons!”

“Fools!” Coran cried turning briskly towards him. “You didn’t put the two kids together, did you?”

The guard made a move to answer but Coran gathered it all from his face. “I left specific orders when we docked to keep all the prisoners separated!”

“I… I—” The guard suddenly gagged and took a few steps backwards, horror written all over his face. Dalia narrowed her eyes, and then noticed the smoking hole in his chest and the blood that began gushing out of it. She turned back to the throne and saw Freeza was now standing still pointing a finger at the dying guard.

“That’s for barging in uninvited,” Freeza said. “And this is for your stupidity.” He gathered a ki ball just above his index finger and fired it mercilessly at the dying guard. There was a sudden explosion from where the guard had been, but all that was left of him when the smoke gave away was a black scorch on the floor.

“All right then,” Koola said walking towards Coran and Dalia followed closely by Freeza. “What’s this about kids?”

“The Saiyan’s children,” Dalia said mentally kicking herself for not paying more attention to the ki around her.

“Children?”

“Yes,” she answered. All of them were already making their way down to the dungeons. “Vegeta and Son Goku’s sons.”