Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Rebirth of Destruction ❯ Rebirth of Destruction ( Chapter 6 )

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

“Fu… sion… Ha!”

The squadron of guards that had been struggling to control the two newly brought prisoners froze. The two golden hair boys performed a series of funny looking dance steps and were engulfed in a flash of light. Most of them took a few steps back as a precaution while the light dimmed away then stared astonished at the sight before them: instead of two boys there was a new one.

“How dare you keep me here!” it exclaimed suddenly. “I’m really pissed now!”

He let out a challenging shout and lunged himself at the guard nearest to him. The poor being didn’t stand a chance. Before he knew how to react, he had been snapped in half by the golden projectile. Gotenks turned around a full circle and released multiple ki attacks at the shocked spectators. He powered up in a sudden burst of yellow aura and flew straight through the nearest wall into the next room.

“Get reinforcements!” one of the surviving guards screamed as he and the other ones left alive ran after the Super Saiyan.

Gotenks whirled around suddenly and narrowed his eyes at the dozens of people running towards him armed.

“Enough!” he screamed powering up even more. The shock wave sent several of the closest guards crashing into the walls. The room grew impossibly bright and the only thing that could be heard was the single scream of the Saiyan boy. Not fully recovered from the previous shock the guards were met with another: the boy had now physically changed. His eyes had slanted upwards and were crowned by an eyebrow-less crest. His sun colored hair had doubled in length and now reached his heels.

Gotenks finished his transformation and glared at his attackers. For endless days he had been kept captive. Both his components had struggled and fought with all their strengths to escape the strange prison that had been imposed on them without success. It had been only recently that their jailer had passed them on to someone else and finally left. They had at last found themselves free to act fighting individually at first, but later deciding not to take any chances and fuse.

He had been born this time out of their desperation of escaping, and that was exactly what he intended to do. He’d escape and crush anyone who’d get in the way. To ensure furthermore his success, he had powered up to Super Saiyan three. No one and nothing would stop him now. Fueled by his determination he charged once again sparing no one or nothing in his path.

~oOo~

“How could they let this happen!” Coran was saying as he and Dalia sprinted ahead. “I specifically told them… I warned those idiots about the kids!”

Dalia bit her bottom lip. The power of the fusion was hard to miss, but now it had suddenly grown and blown her expectations out of proportion. She took a second to pause in mid-stride and power up to her maximum.

Coran turned and looked at her in horror. “You aren’t planning on fighting that thing, are you?” By now Dalia’s hair had gone silver. She stared at him with emotionless emerald eyes and flew on without a word.

“Dammit, Dalia! It’s insane!” he called out doing his best to keep up with her incredible speed. Led by the numerous explosions, they finally reached the newly remodeled dungeon, courtesy of Gotenks. Coran stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide at the extent of the destruction in the place. Most of the walls and a few floors had caved in, so now a giant arena-like stance was left. In the bottom of the crater, a single golden light could be seen still blasting people and objects to oblivion.

Dalia methodically examined the damage. “If he goes on at this rate, he’ll blow a hole on the outer wall and all the air will be sucked out into space,” she spoke.

Coran turned to her quickly realizing the truth of her words.

“Contain him in this area,” she told him closing both hands into fist and floating above him.

Coran swore, but did as told. He closed his eyes and powered up suddenly surrounded by a fiery aura that on his command stretched out to the walls around them bathing them in the fire of his ki. He muttered a few words only his kind could understand and saw how the sea of fire around them went solid.

Dalia nodded her acknowledgments and lunged herself down to meet the Saiyan transformation. Gotenks whirled around feeling the new and powerful ki behind him. He jumped out of the way just as Dalia smashed down with all her strength in to the spot he had previously occupied.

“Damnit!” Gotenks said and prepared himself for a more worthy battle. Dalia charged again and the met in mid air to engaged in a rapid exchange of blows. Gotenks broke contact for a second and Dalia took the opportunity to fly upwards. She glanced down at the Super Fusion before closing her hands into fist and powering up again. Gotenks clenched his jaw as he felt her ki rise.

“Shit…” he muttered. “She’s as strong as I am…”

Koola and Freeza arrived shortly afterwards and stood next to Coran watching the fight.

“He’s a… Super Saiyan!” Freeza cried out, his eyes wide, suddenly re-living a nightmare.

“Impressive,” Koola muttered staring at Gotenks. “For his age, his power is incredible.”

“He’s not only a Super Saiyan, but a fusion. The two children have transformed into that,” Coran told them, fists clenched.

“Why did they stop fighting?” Koola thought aloud.

Coran looked at Dalia and saw the stunt she was pulling. She had copied the fusion’s power level, greatly confusing him in the process. This way, though his strength was far superior, Dalia had the psychological advantage. Coran saw that neither Koola nor Freeza were wearing a scouter, although a scouter would never be able to read the power levels coming from these two.

“Dalia!” Koola’s voice boomed in the sudden silence. “That’s enough.”

Dalia turned to look at the Glai’keel-jin prince and immediately back way to stand next to them. Gotenks followed her with his eyes until he was met with the rest of the group. He could immediately tell that these were the strongest fighters in the entire vicinity.

“Most impressive display,” Koola called at him raising a few feet into the air. “I must say, I never expected such display of strength from a Saiyan brat.”

Gotenks narrowed his eyes and levitated to his level since it was obvious he was in command.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” Koola continued. “I am known as Koola, son Kold, the King of Glai’keel-sei, and this is my brother Freeza who shares the respective titles.”

Suddenly snapped back into reality and forced out of the ocean of anger and hate reborn at the sight of a Super Saiyan, Freeza gave his brother a questioning look. He soon saw where Koola was going with the charade and decided to join him in mid air.

“How dare you…” Gotenks started but Koola brought up an appeasing hand.

“I hope you know we do not appreciate rowdy guests,” he continued. “And blasting this place to Hell won’t get you anywhere.”

“I remember you now,” Gotenks said. “The two of you… My father and brother have told me about you! Why should I not finish you off!” His aura intensified and the wall around them hummed and vibrated under the pressure.

Koola chuckled. “Go on,” he said. “Try to blast this moon away, but like I said, you’ll only gain your own death in the process.”

“But you’ll be joining me!” Gotenks cried out sending and shock wave of aura that drove them a few feet back.

“We can breathe in space,” Koola said simply, looking down at Dalia and Coran.

“Besides,” Freeza added with a smirk. “Blowing up your own mother would be naughty.”

Gotenks was about to say something but closed his mouth. “Mama’s here too?!” he finally spoke looking around earnestly. “You brought her here too?”

“Yes,” Freeza told him. “Until she and your little sibling go down to King Enma when you collapse a wall on top of her.”

Gotenks clenched his fists and shut his eyes tight. They could all tell he was trying to keep in aura under control if only to prevent his mother from dying. Coran narrowed his eyes and began to shrink the perimeter he had formed with his ki to enclose the fusion. Gotenks looked up and noticed the wizard’s proceedings. He glared down at Coran and sent a shock wave with his aura to the barrier that was closing in on him. Coran smirked as the energy wave simply bounced back towards the boy who looked around in confusion before letting out a sudden yelp of surprise and pain when the countered blast hit him.

“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” Gotenks challenged.

“ You don’t,” Koola said with a smile. “But are you willing to risk it?”

“So you see,” Freeza continued bringing up a finger at him. “Tantrums will get you no where, monkey brat. Now be a good boy and cooperate.”

Gotenks screamed and started pounding on all sides of the shrinking walls making them tremble with each blow.

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to hold him…” Coran muttered while concentrating hard on the spell. Dalia bit her lower lip and looked up at the super fusion knowing that if it were to break free, they’d be in deep shit. To her surprise, just as Gotenks threw himself at one of the walls, there was a bright flash of light and a very startled purple and black hair boy right afterwards.

“Damnit…” Gotenks muttered glaring at them.

“The power up is over,” Coran said feeling extremely relieved. “I’ll have no problem with this one.”

“Oh my,” Freeza spoke. “What happened to your golden hair?”


“Let’s sit back and watch the show,” Koola suggested moving towards the confined Gotenks. “At ease, Dalia.”

Dalia nodded and powered down to her normal form noticing the fusion’s power sank with each passing second. It was only a few more minutes before the frustrated Gotenks turned into a very frustrated Goten and Trunks.

“Well, well… What have we here?” Freeza said mockingly. “Are these the kids you spoke of, Coran?”

“Yes,” the sorcerer replied breaking the cell into two individual cubicles.

“They certainly resemble their fathers, don’t you think so, Brother?” Freeza said examining them more closely.

“Oh don’t worry,” Trunks sneered. “You’ll see the resemblance soon enough. Just wait ‘till we get out of here!”

Freeza chuckled. “Son of Vegeta, I presume?” he said. “That attitude got your father nowhere, unless you are willing to share his fate…?” Freeza’s eyes suddenly flashed in recognition. “It was you wasn’t it? But you were older…”

“What was that Freeza?” Koola asked from besides him.

“He’s the one that killed Papa and I,” he answered. “This is . . . fascinating.”

Trunks took and involuntary step back pressured by the Ice-jin’s penetrating glare.

“Trunks …” Goten asked softly. “What do we do now?”

Trunks bit his bottom lip. “Damnit…”

~oOo~

“LET…MER 30; OUT!!”

Bulma frantically pounded her fists against the steel door. Who the hell did these people think they were? She no longer cared if it really was Freeza she was dealing with; this was an outrage. Bulma had been escorted to her new quarters by half a squadron of guards that had made any movement she had attempted an impossibility. She took a step away from the door and sighed in exasperation. To make things worse, she had heard and felt explosions close by minutes before, increasing her worry over Goten and Trunks, which had been steadily increasing the last few weeks.

Her captors had fed and clothed her providing her with all the essentials she needed to survive and maybe even a few luxuries along the way, but she knew the dark intentions behind the good deeds. She had spent her everyday during her journey plotting a way to escape. Her anxiety and worry had grown to a point that it no longer mattered who was behind all this, she was ready to give him or her a piece of her mind. No one could hurt her children and get away with it.

“Who the hell do you think you are!” she screamed to no one in particular. “Let me out, dammit!” She was ready to throw her entire weight at the door, but then felt that subtle kick coming from inside her belly. Bulma bit her bottom lip and caressed it softly. “I’m working on it, sweetheart…” she whispered softly panting from the exertion of yelling. She sighed in frustration before throwing herself onto the bed in the far corner of the room.

“I’ve got to get out of here…” she muttered staring at the ceiling. She sat up again and looked around. This room wasn’t fancily decorated, but it looked comfortable. It had no windows or any other wall decorations, yet the furniture it had almost gave it a cozy look. It had a dresser with a looking glass and a small desk on the far corner opposite to the bed she sat on as well as a door that she assumed led into the bathroom. This was no hotel room, but it wasn’t a dungeon cell either. She stood up and walked towards the dresser. Checking the drawers, she noticed they had a full stash of clothing that proved to be her size. Others were filled with books and other entertainment items. Regretfully, she could use none of the provided material to help her escape.

“What the hell is this?” she mused out loud.

“My masters wanted you to be comfortable.”

Bulma whirled around and saw that Dalia had silently entered the room and was now setting down a tray of food on the desk.

“I’d be gracious of their hospitality.”

Bulma glared at her then noticed that another two servants had entered the room and were apparently checking to see that all was in order.

“Tell your masters,” Bulma spat out with disgust. “That I’d like a word with them. Who the hell do they think they are?!”

Dalia grinned. At her words, the two servants froze and turned towards her with a curious look on their faces.

“She has an attitude problem, I see,” one of the mused.

“Reminds me of Vegeta when he was young,” the other replied. “Goodness, they’re made for each other.”

“Oh shut up!” Bulma exploded. “I’ve had enough of this! I want to speak with them right now!

“Temper, temper…” the darker one of the two said chuckling. “Don’t you appreciate what they are doing for you? After all, this room is comfortable and it should suit your necessities just fine.”

“Like shit I do,” Bulma raged. “Like getting kidnapped out of my home planet by some power-crazed lunatics is what I’ve always wanted!”

“My, aren’t we feisty,” the other muttered walking back towards the door. “Dalia-san, make sure our guest is as comfortable as possible. We wouldn’t want her unborn child to suffer any for her rashness, now would we?”

“Definitely not,” said the other catching up to him. “Children shouldn’t pay for their parents mistakes, after all, but this isn’t a perfect world.”

“Yes, sire,” Dalia answered nodding her head. The two creatures exited the room leaving the women alone for the time.

“Well,” Bulma said glaring at the spot they had just been at. “Don’t they think highly of themselves? With servants like those, I can’t imagine what big assholes their superiors must be.”

Dalia looked up at her without being able to contain her amusement. “You have no idea who they were, do you?” she asked walking back towards the door.

“Should I care?” Bulma snapped sitting on her bed. “And tell your masters I want a word with them.”

“But you just had one too many,” Dalia told her. “You’re lucky they’re in a good mood.”

“Wha—” Bulma gasped. “But… they were…they’re dead!”

“They seemed pretty alive to me,” Dalia said turning to exit the room. “Congratulations on that first impression.”

Bulma’s jaw dropped. “That was… They were…”

“I thought you should know,” Dalia called from the other side of the open door. “I’ll bring you food three times a day and doctors will check up on your pregnancy from time to time. If you need anything of importance, let me know.”

“But…” Bulma started, but Dalia had already closed and locked the door behind her.


Bulma collapsed on her bed. That was Freeza? And, what had she called the other one? Koola? They were the tyrants of the universe on whose name whole worlds trembled? Thinking back one what they had said the few seconds they had been in the room, she could tell who was who.

Freeza…

So that was the creature that had tormented Vegeta so many years before. But he was so… could she say beautiful? She felt her hairs stand on end. That porcelain looking being was nothing like the muscle-bound brute she had been expecting. He looked… innocent…?

No.

She remembered the strange fire in his ruby eyes and felt a chill go down her back. That creature was anything but innocent. Neither of them was. She recalled the two creatures again, but this time seeing them with new eyes. Appearances were deceiving, but eyes couldn’t lie. Someone had once told her that when you looked into someone’s eyes, you could see their soul reflected there. What she remembered was terrifying. How could she have been so stupid! She had been blinded by her anger and hadn’t noticed they had come here to mock her.

Suddenly her amazement was replaced by cold fear. Kami protect the kids that were out there under the mercy of these tyrants.

~oOo~

Dalia narrowed her eyes thoughtfully considering the blinking red dot on the radar that had been approaching their base for the last few days.

“What is the status, Dalia?” she heard Koola ask from behind her.

Dalia turned to face the two Glai’keel-jin before replying. “They’ve made excellent time, my lord. It’s obvious now they didn’t use an Earthling space craft.”

“Do you think they might be using one of our own?” Koola asked moving one of the pieces in the game he was playing with his brother.

“Yes, Lord Koola,” she replied. “Probably the one Coran’s brother use to escape. Your predictions were correct.”

Koola nodded but kept his eyes on Freeza’s next move. The game they were playing was of strategy, known throughout the universe for as long as anyone could remember. It consisted on two rows of various-shaped figures on a checkered board. Each could be move a certain way across the two-color squares from diagonally, to in every direction, and even making an ‘L’. The idea of the game was to check the other player’s ‘king’ figurine without letting him check yours.

Freeza narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at Koola’s last move before making his. “Check,” Koola announced moving his bishop into the appropriate spot.

“How long until they land?” Freeza asked momentarily looking up from the game.

“A few hours,” Dalia replied.

She looked over to where Coran was standing and found him studying once again the film the security cameras had captured on the two Saiyan brats fusing. She still didn’t know why, but he had spent a lot of time staring at the recording and mumbling to himself. Dalia had shrugged it off figuring it was another of those things Coran did that seemed completely pointless, but then proved useful. She grinned. Last time he had one of those little projects, he had discovered how to release both their masters from the world of the dead.  He understood himself. Whatever Coran was up to, she’d know at its due time.

“Do we have a welcoming committee yet?” Freeza asked moving while switching his ‘king’ with his ‘tower’ piece.

“Yes, sire.” Dalia said. She narrowed her eyes at the game board noticing the way the two brothers played. Koola moved his ‘queen’ from where it was to threatening Freeza’s own ‘queen’.

“That’s the way it goes…” Freeza muttered absentmindedly. “You set the bait for them,” he said moving his knight forwards, “And then strike when they unsuspectingly take it. Check-mate.”

Koola froze for a moment then narrowed his eyes looking for a way to strike back before sitting back in his chair. He smirked while knocking his ‘king’ down. “Very good play, Freeza,” he said chuckling. “Very good game.”

Freeza’s dark lips curled slightly. “Same here,” he replied. He then turned to Dalia and Coran. “The two of you know what to do.”

Coran turned from his contemplation to face them. “Yes, my lord.”

Dalia nodded in agreement.

“Very well then,” Freeza spoke standing. “Let our game begin.”

~oOo~

“Well, that was interesting,” Krillin muttered as he set foot on the ground. “Remind me never to travel with Vegeta again.”

Vegeta glowered at him as he too stepped out of the ship, adjusting the gloves on his spacesuit. “Nobody forced you to come along, baldy,” he told him. “You could have all stayed behind, for all I care.”

“Now is not the time, Vegeta,” Piccolo came next. “Bickering will only be a setback.”

The group gradually stepped out of the ship, taking in their bleak surroundings warily. They had been dutifully following Ailill’s trajectory to Glai’keel-sei when an urgent voice had echoed into their minds. It had been none other than King Kai, who had quickly warned them that Freeza was not headed toward his home planet. Instead, they had chosen a decoy location on a far moon. Immediately, the group had changed their course to the new location.

Said moon was no more than a piece of hard rock with craters and no atmosphere. As a result, they each had to sport a spacesuit in order to be able to breathe. Dr. Briefs had insisted on installing the suits, much to Vegeta’s disapproval, and now it turned out they were going to need them.

The base where King Kai had informed them Freeza was at was actually on the other side of the planet. Upon arrival, Vegeta and Piccolo had decided to land the ship as far away from the base as possible, so as to avoid unnecessary attention. Ailill had happily complied, relieved beyond belief when his ship actually landed smoothly on the firm surface.

As the group had left the ship, Piccolo had adamantly insisted Dende stay behind while he and the others went outside to check for any abnormalities. Now Dende poked his head out of the hatch meekly, watching with interest as his companions discussed a plan of action.

“Piccolo-san?” he called. “Is it all right for me to come out now?”

Reluctantly, Piccolo nodded, allowing the little god to set foot on the moon. Dende blinked up at them questioningly. “What are we waiting for?”

“For Piccolo to stop acting like your mother and get the hell moving,” Vegeta commented with irritation as he started pacing away.

Piccolo glared at him but followed motioning for the others to do so as well. Having been reminded a thousand times while on board not do bring attention on to themselves with their power levels, no one took flight. Instead they set out on a fast sprint.

“So what’ll we do when we get there?” Krillin asked.
“We’ll have to divide into groups and search for Bulma and the kids,” Piccolo informed him. “The base will probably spread over a few miles.”

“Freeza’s bases on average are quite extensive,” Vegeta added. “It would take a few hours to explore it on foot.”

“Great,” Krillin muttered. “I’m sure we’re all looking forward to that.”

It took about an hour, but the group finally reached their destination. After having gone through the trouble of leaving the ship on the other side of the planet, they decided they’d at least try to get inside the compound unnoticed. As per Vegeta’s suggestion—which was usually expressed as a demand—they looked for some sort of a back entrance. It turned out not too hard to find said threshold, though it did come as a surprise that it was protected by such a large amount of guards, considering that it was an “unknown” entrance.

“It looks like Freeza and Koola are expecting guests,” Vegeta muttered.

“Maybe I can use my Instant Transmission technique to get around them,” Goku suggested. “It would save us some trouble…”

“Try it, Dad,” Gohan told him.

Goku closed his eyes and frowned in concentration as he put two fingers to his forehead. He opened his eyes, only to find himself in the same place. “That’s weird,” he muttered. “It doesn’t work.”

Kaio-shin sighed. “They probably have some sort of block on any sort of telepathy,” he said. “The same thing happened to me back on Earth.”

“We’ll just have to do it the old fashioned way, then,” Krillin replied.

“I’ll wipe out the guards,” Vegeta said, as he made his way forward.

“Quietly,” Kaio-shin called after him. “We don’t want to inform the entire base that we’re here.”

Vegeta ignored his comment, blurring in and out as he snuck up behind the guards and knocked them out. Before Vegeta could have all the fun, though, Goku followed closely behind and took out his share of guards as well.

“It seems that perhaps Freeza has underestimated me,” Vegeta said.

Well, he did kill you… thought Krillin, but wisely opted for keeping that particular bit of information to himself as he and the group stepped forward to meet Goku and Vegeta.

“So what do we do now?” asked Goku.

“I don’t give a damn about what you do,” Vegeta said turning away from them and starting inside. “Just keep out of my way.”

Goku stared after him for a moment, before turning his gaze to meet Piccolo’s. Piccolo nodded almost imperceptibly and motioned for Dende to follow him, together following Vegeta into the compound.

“I don’t think it’s safe for them to go alone,” murmured Kaio-shin worriedly.

“Nah, it’ll be alright,” Goku replied. “Piccolo can handle Vegeta. Gohan, you take Videl and Lord Kaio-shin. The rest of you come with me. We’ll meet back here in about an hour and a half. Just remember to keep your ki down. We don’t want to be found before we get to find the others.”

They each divided into their respective teams and crept inside the compound, mindful of watching eyes or stray guards. Once they entered, Ailill hurried to keep in stride with Goku.

“That Vegeta is pretty intense, huh?” he murmured nervously.

~oOo~

As Vegeta stalked down a hall, he spared a glance behind him just in time to see the two Namekians on his heels. He scowled at them, hurrying his pace as if trying to get away from them.

“I thought I said I was going alone,” he spat.

“That’s fine, Vegeta, we’re right behind you,” Piccolo answered. “Just making sure you don’t get yourself into trouble.”

“Unlike the little brat,” Vegeta replied angrily, “I don’t need a babysitter.”

Piccolo narrowed his eyes at Vegeta’s back, but restrained himself from any sort of attack. “You could’ve fooled me,” said Piccolo, “with that attitude of a spoiled three-year-old.”

Vegeta stopped abruptly and whirled around. “You’re lucky we can’t use our ki, Namekian, or you’d be back at King Enma’s by now.”

Piccolo regarded him coolly before a smirk appeared on his face. “I suppose I am, then.”

Without another word, Vegeta continued on his way.

~oOo~

Their footsteps echoed loudly in the long corridor, a steady sound in the otherwise cold environment. The lack of sound served only to increase the already thick tension that grated on Ailill’s enhanced nerves, making his eyes dart around nervously, as if he expected something horrible to jump at him any second.

“Relax,” Goku’s voice broke through his thoughts, causing him to gasp loudly and jump a few feet in the air. Goku chuckled in amusement and patted him lightly on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I doubt Freeza or Koola will be around here right now.”

“I know,” Ailill responded once his breathing had gone back to normal. “It’s not them I’m worried about right now.” He stopped and narrowed his eyes at something unseen by any of them. “I have a feeling my brother is near somewhere.”

Krillin scratched the back of his head nervously. “How near are we talking here?”

“I can’t pinpoint his exact location, but I can tell he’s in our vicinity,” Ailill said.

“I take it the two of you have a shady past,” Paikuhan commented.

“You could say that,” Ailill answered. “We used to be close, but… let’s just say we differed in our way of thinking, especially when it came to joining Freeza’s so-called empire. When Coran left, I severed the mental connection we had, for the safety of our planet. It… was a painful process. For both of us.”

“Connection? You mean you were psychic?” Paikuhan asked.

Ailill furrowed his brow slightly. “I guess you could say we were, but term ‘psychic’ would leave a lot of what it truly was out.” At Paikuhan’s obvious confusion, Ailill continued. “We were born twins, but besides the natural link that such brotherhood brings, we were also mages. This fact alone was enough to join us in a way that would be impossible to explain.” He sighed. “I knew how good or bad he felt before he even was aware of the emotion himself, and vice-versa. To break that bond… It felt as if my soul got ripped in half. To know that it had been I that had torn it was like a thorn bleeding my mind dry. To know what was lost…”

“You mustn’t be so hard on yourself,” the taller being told him fondly. “After all, you said it was for the safety of your world. It had to be done.”

Ailill nodded. “Yes… but when you’re a twin, you see the other every time you look in the mirror…” He closed his eyes as if blinking away bitter memories. “After Coran left, I felt as if I was going to go mad. My whole world crumbled shortly afterwards. The planet was torn by civil wars and eventually my worse fears came to be… Coran used his magic to counter my own; there was nothing I, or any of the other priests could do to protect our home. We were invaded. Most of the leaders killed; our peaceful world… shattered.” He stopped for a moment losing himself in his thoughts. “That was the last time I saw him, until recently of course.”

“Blood ties aren’t always equivalent to love,” Paikuhan told him solemnly.

“Tell me about it!” Goku spoke up as he remembered his own first encounter with his brother Radditz. A light scratching noise interrupted him from saying anything else. His head instinctively snapped up to the direction of the sound and his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Wait here, guys,” he said, already moving in the general direction of the noise.

Krillin, not loving the thought of being left alone with a psycho and a dead guy, hurried after Goku. Paikuhan opted for staying behind with Ailill, knowing the man was not in a state to be unaccompanied.

“What do you suppose that was?” Ailill asked Paikuhan curiously.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of Freeza’s minions,” Paikuhan replied thoughtfully, his back turned to Ailill, still looking guardedly in the direction Goku and Krillin had gone in.

Ailill bit his lower lip, frowning in thought. Something just wasn’t how it should be. He felt as if he had been handed a puzzle that was a few pieces short of being complete. If he could only find…

His eyes widened and his mouth formed an “O”. A loud gasp reverberated in his chest as if the wind had been knocked out of him. In the blink of an eye, he was suddenly somewhere else. He brought a hand to his head, and looked around with a deep sense of trepidation. “What—”

He looked at his surroundings warily and narrowed his eyes. It was obvious he wasn’t in the same place he had been a second ago. The stance was a wide rectangular room with a large, circular window in the back and two throne-like chairs before it. He felt something heavy settle in his stomach as his senses picked up what his eyes could not.

He was not alone in here.

Ailill turned briskly feeling unseen eyes look through him from the shadow cast walls around. Then he spotted them: a powerful something… or some things, in the darkness. He clenched his jaw keeping the sudden desperation that swelled up inside of him in check. This was no time for this; he had to pull himself together. His sensitive ears picked up a melodious chuckle and he instinctively brought up his guard.

“My, my… Our little troublemaker is back…”

“We best be on our guard,” Kaio-shin said as Gohan, Videl, and him made yet another bend on the never-ending tunnel system. “There is more to what meets the eye around here.”

Gohan nodded in agreement and instinctively set himself before Videl, thus earning an elbow shoved into his side as his new wife glared at him and walked past him.

“How long do you think it will be until we find Bulma and your brother?” Videl asked Gohan once she had reclaimed her spot next to Kaio-shin.

“Not long, I hope,” Gohan replied. “We’ve been following her ki for a while, she shouldn’t be much further ahead.”

“You can sense her ki?” Videl asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Gohan said. “Trunks and Goten are back in the other direction the way Dad and Krillin went.” Something else tickled Gohan’s senses but he paid it no mind. “I hope they’re OK, they sure seem that way.”

They walked on for a few more minutes before Kaio-shin held up a hand motioning for them to stop.

“The woman we search for should be just around the corner,” he told them.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Videl asked pacing ahead.

“Wait!” Kaio-shin called at her. “Something’s not right here.”

Videl paused and turned around. “Why? What is it?’

Kaio-shin narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “She’s guarded,” he said. “Two guards.” He shook his head for a moment. “For some reason, I’d think Freeza and Koola would be more… cautious.”
 
“Bulma isn’t exactly powerful,” Videl pointed out. “Why would they waste guards on her? I’d say they would be better off having them around the exits.”

“That’s precisely it, though,” Kaio-shin told her. “We barely met a resistance coming in, and we’ve encountered no one in the halls.”

Videl crossed her arms over her chest. “Then let’s thank our good luck. Obviously we weren't expected just yet and caught them unprepared.”

Kaio-shin still looked skeptical but nodded. “I suppose so, but we should still be vigilant.”
“Lord Kaio-shin,” Gohan said seriously, “I’ll take care of the guards. Stay here with Videl.”

Kaio-shin nodded just as Gohan turned into a blur and disappeared behind the wall. It wasn’t long before they heard the muffled grunts of the startled guards and a soft thump as the hit the floor.

“It’s OK now,” Gohan called at them. “The coast is clear.”

They joined him in the hallway as he studied the mechanism locking the room that they presumed held Bulma captive. After making sure it wouldn’t set out any alarms, Gohan proceeded on turning it into a pile of technological rubble.

“Is breaking things all you Saiyans are good at?” Videl asked pushing the now broken door open.

Gohan blushed lightly, but said nothing. Instead, he stepped past Videl and pushed the door open warily. The room was small, but comfortable looking, even if a bit bland on the decorations. From the door they could see a small bed and a wooden desk, complete with a lamp. Besides that, it was devoid of any furniture whatsoever. There were no windows, which was to be expected. On the bed, Gohan spotted a figure, apparently asleep on her back with an arm strewn across her face, a large bulge on her belly making it blatantly obvious that the figure was a woman. Upon closer inspection, they saw a mound of blue hair that covered her head.

“Bulma!” gasped Gohan in alarm. He hurried over to her and kneeled next to the bed. Gently, he moved the arm from her face and studied her sleeping face. He ran worried eyes over the rest of her body, spotting only a minimum amount of bruises. There was no way he’d find out if she was all right unless he woke her.

“Bulma,” he said as she shook her. “Bulma, wake up.”

Bulma moved her arm from where Gohan had placed it above her head and blinked her eyes open. She squinted at Gohan and sat up on her elbows to look around, seeing Kaio-shin and Videl. With a weak smile, she turned back to Gohan.

“Gohan…” she said smiling. “Are you real?”

Gohan returned the gesture and helped her to her feet. “Yes. How are you? Are you hurt?”

Bulma looked around for a moment. “I’m fine… where’s Vegeta? Didn’t he come with you?”

“Oh,” Gohan said. “Yeah, he’s here. We divided into teams to search the place. He must be on Trunks’ trail, don’t worry.”

“Ah…” she replied looking thoughtful. “And Son Goku? Did you all come for us?”

“Dad’s with Krillin,” Gohan replied, quickly dismissing her odd use of his father’s name as lack of awareness for a sleep-muddled mind. “He too must be on Goten’s trail.”

“Bulma!” Videl said upon seeing her well. “I’m so glad you are alright, is everything well with the baby?”

Bulma blinked a moment before smiling warmly. “Yes,” she said. “They kept an eye on that. Doctors came almost everyday to check on me.”

“That’s good,” Videl replied before turning towards Gohan. “We should be on our way. Wouldn’t want to spoil our good fortune by staying too long where we’re uninvited.”

Gohan nodded while looking around. “Dad will be sure to get the kids out,” he commented. “Best to get Bulma to safety.”

“Gohan,” Kaio-shin called from the door. “We better leave now, I sense someone’s coming.”

“Right,” Gohan said taking Bulma by the hand and leading her out after Kaio-shin. “Lets go, Videl.”

“What about the others?” Bulma asked. “Shouldn’t we look for them too?”

“Naw,” Gohan told her. “Dad and Piccolo can take care of themselves. To say nothing about Vegeta.”

They stopped their fleeing for a moment under the insistence of the Supreme Kaio.

“Lord Kaio-shin?” Gohan asked warily. “What is it?”

“Lord Kaio-shin!” Bulma exclaimed in surprise. “You mean the Kaio-shin?”

Kaio-shin looked at her curiously. “We’ve never met, but I have a long history with many of your friends.” He went serious and turned to Gohan. “Something’s not right here,” he said. “I just felt… I don’t know. Something that wasn’t ki or strength, but extremely powerful nonetheless. I’m afraid it could have been other wizard Ailill spoke of.”

“What should we do?” Videl asked worried.

“I’m not sure,” Kaio-shin replied. “But whatever it was, our presence is no longer unknown. I could feel it look into our hearts.”

Gohan frowned. “That can’t be good.”
“We better get out of here as fast as we can,” Videl said. “Before something really bad happens.”

~oOo~

For the past half-hour, the silence that had lingered between Piccolo and Vegeta had been deafening to Dende. The two had personalities that came together and clashed, creating nothing but friction—which was pretty ironic, considering they were really so alike. Perhaps, Dende reflected, that was why they barely got along. Their stubbornness and fiery spirits combined with their strong pride only got in the way of a friendship they could have had based on a mutual respect they already had for each other.

Right now, though, they were both focused on finding Vegeta’s and Son Goku’s families. Only about ten minutes before, Vegeta had picked up on his wife’s ki. They had begun a determined stride, following the ki and narrowing in on it near the bedchamber area of the extensive base. Vegeta could recall from his years under Freeza’s rule the layout of the base, therefore having an idea of where she was being kept. Even with his short size, he had managed to match the ever-towering Piccolo stride for stride, making Dende speed to a trot to keep up with the two men.

Vegeta suddenly stopped walking, causing Dende to slam into his back. Vegeta narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the side, as if to listen to something.

“What is it?” asked Piccolo.

Vegeta was silent for a few moments as Piccolo and Dende waited patiently. “How bizarre,” Vegeta said finally. “It’s as if Bulma’s ki were in two places.”

Piccolo nodded. “I feel it too,” he replied. “But the one that’s closer is right here. We might as well go in and check it out.”

Without another word, Vegeta stepped past him and walked a few doors down. He opened a door to his right and stepped in boldly. Inside, he immediately spotted his wife lying on her back on a small bed. Her eyes were closed and she was tossing her head from side to side, as if she were caught in a bad dream that she could not get out of. Vegeta walked over to her and gently stirred her awake.

“Bulma,” he called.

Her eyes snapped open. When she saw Vegeta she breathed a sigh of relief and threw her arms around his neck. Behind him, she caught sight of Piccolo and Dende. “Thank goodness you found me,” she murmured.

“Are you alright, Bulma?” Dende asked. “The baby—?”
“Is fine,” Bulma assured with a small smile. She turned worried eyes back to Vegeta and saw concern reflected back at her. “But I don’t know for how much longer. They want something with her, Vegeta. They want my baby…”

He nodded resolutely and proceeded to pick her up from her bed. She winced as she was lifted, shutting her eyes tightly in obvious pain. “What is it?” inquired Vegeta.

“It’s nothing,” Bulma dismissed it. “I think I have indigestion from the food they gave me this morning.”

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her. “You’ve been eating their food?”

Bulma looked at him incredulously. “No, Vegeta, of course not. I thought it be better if I just starve myself! You idiot, what do you think I’m made of, stone?”

“They could be poisoning you,” Vegeta told her.

“Well, we all gotta die sometime, right?” Bulma muttered. “And put me down, I can walk.”

Vegeta rolled his eyes. Yes, she was definitely fine. He ignored her demands to be put down as they walked out of the room and began to make his way through the maze-like hallways. Now he had to figure out where to go from here. Piccolo had informed him that after he had stormed off, they had agreed to meet outside in an hour and a half. He wasn’t keeping track of the time with a watch, but his senses told him that it had only been about forty-five minutes, give or take. Their ki were being suppressed, so he had no way of sensing the others or contacting them without Freeza detecting them as well. He could only wonder if Kakarot and his weakling followers were already on their way to Trunks and Goten.

He shook his head clear of his thoughts and purposefully turned at the end of the hallway, heading to where he knew the exit was. They’d meet back outside and figure out where to go from there.

Not two steps away from the next hallway, he stopped abruptly. Behind him, Piccolo and Dende stopped as well. Somewhere, a powerful ki had flared into existence. Vegeta’s teeth clenched tightly and he growled inaudibly. Bulma felt his chest rumble and looked at him strangely. “What is it?” she asked, noticing that both Namekians behind her were also in a similar state.

“What does that fucking idiot think he’s doing?!” Vegeta snarled.

“He should know better,” Piccolo added, “than to power up like that when we’re trying to be inconspicuous.”

“Maybe it’s not him,” Dende offered, trying to be optimistic.
“I’d know that bastard’s ki anywhere,” Vegeta retorted, already making his way in its direction. “I knew we couldn’t trust him.”

“Trust who?” Bulma wanted to know. “What the hell is going on?”

Another ki flared, though this time, it sent chills down Vegeta’s back. This one was one he’d known for years and hadn’t cared to feel again. He turned to Piccolo and handed over his wife. Piccolo accepted her wordlessly, gazing at Vegeta’s face knowingly.

“Hey!” Bulma cried, not exactly thrilled at being in Piccolo’s arms. “What do I look like, a package?”

Vegeta ignored her and turned his back. “Get her to safety,” he instructed. “I have some unfinished business to take care of.”

~oOo~

A gasp behind him made Paikuhan whirl around to face Ailill, who was standing peacefully only a few steps behind. He looked the same as before, except he was now sporting a calmer, less paranoid expression. “Are you alright?” asked Paikuhan.

Ailill blinked several times, before nodding. “Yes, I’m fine.”

Paikuhan narrowed his eyes suspiciously before glancing around. “I thought I heard someone gasp…”

“Maybe it was Son Goku?” Ailill responded.

With a quick nod, Paikuhan waved him over and started in Goku’s general direction. They didn’t have to go a long way before they finally came upon the dungeon area.

Or what was left of it, anyway.

Standing near the entrance were Goku and Krillin, eyes wide in shock and mouths hanging open. The stone structure had been completely reduced to a giant pile of ruble, debris strewn all around the place in mounds and guards struggling to clean it up.

“I’ll go ahead and take a wild guess and say that this is the handy work of Goten and Trunks,” Krillin commented dryly.

Goku recovered from his shock quickly and released a laugh. With an arm behind his head, he replied, “Yeah, they certainly didn’t like being in here, did they?”

“How are we going to find them in all this mess?” asked Krillin.

“Paikuhan and I will take care of the guards,” Goku said. “You stay here with Ailill until I say it’s time, okay? Then you can take that entrance over there—” he pointed to an opening on the right side of the dungeon, “while we take this one over here.” They all looked to the other side of the place.

Before he received a response, Goku immediately blurred out of their sight and appeared behind the nearest guard. He knocked him out from behind, causing the guard to let out a startled cry and bringing the attention of some of the others in the vicinity.

“Hey!” one near the pile of ruble called. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Paikuhan was behind him in seconds, knocking him out as well. Methodically, they eradicated each of the guards, making sure none of them could escape or make some sort of transmission to Freeza or Koola.

“They’re very fast,” commented Ailill.

“Yeah, Paikuhan and Goku go way back,” Krillin told him. “They make a great team.”

“Paikuhan,” Ailill muttered, rolling the name in is tongue, as if he were tasting something. “Yes, indeed, they do.”

“Hey, Krillin!” called Goku as he and Paikuhan started toward their own entrance. “Go, hurry!”

“Right!” called Krillin, tugging on Ailill’s arm to get him to follow. “I wonder if Vegeta or Gohan have found Bulma yet.”

“I’m sure they have by now,” Ailill said. “If—”

He was cut short as a surge of power rose from somewhere in the compound. Krillin’s eyes widened in surprise. “Whoa! What was that?”

Ailill narrowed his eyes momentarily then shook his head. “It felt like someone powering up suddenly. I think it was my brother.”

“Your—your brother?” Krillin stuttered. “You feel really alike.”

Ailill dismissed his comment and stepped past him, turning at the next entrance. Krillin hurried behind him to keep up. “This place is like a maze,” he muttered. “I really don’t want to get stuck here forever.”

“Don’t worry,” Ailill responded. “I think it’s just up ahead.”

“How do you know?” asked Krillin.

Ailill hesitated for a moment before answering. “I can feel his ki.”

“Oh, yeah,” Krillin laughed. “Almost forgot to look for it.”

They came upon a cell at the end of the hallway, which was surrounded by a purple sparking aura. Inside was a lavender-hair boy, pounding against the aura and screaming to be let out. Krillin would have laughed, if not for the seriousness of their situation.

“Trunks!” he exclaimed as he got closer.

Trunks pounded on the magical barrier one more time before glancing up to spot the older, though not taller, man. “Krillin!” he cried in relief. “Where’s my dad? Did he come with you?”

“Yeah, don’t worry,” Krillin replied running up to the force field and looking at it warily. “He went to look for your mom.”

Hesitantly, he reached up to touch the purple barrier. The moment his fingers made contact, he was thrown back across the room and slammed against the wall.

Trunks cringed. “Whoops…” he muttered. “Maybe I should have mentioned you can’t touch it from the outside.”

Krillin rubbed the spot on the back of his head where he had hit the wall. “Yeah,” he stammered. “That would have been nice.”

“Sorry,” Trunks said. “Only the man that looks like Tapion can touch it.”

“Well in that case…” Krillin started. “Ailill, can you check what you can do for us?”

Ailill walked up to them from were he stood and considered the barrier thoughtfully. Upon seeing, Trunks narrowed his eyes and threw himself at the barrier causing it to shake.

“You asshole!” he snarled and renewed his pounding on the magical wall.

“Whoa there Trunks! Calm down!” Krillin said soothingly. “He’s here to help us.”

Trunks glared at Ailill who looked back at him raising an amused eyebrow. “Sure he is…” Trunks muttered, but backed off anyway. If he was getting out of here, he wasn’t going to argue for now.

Seeing that the youth had retrained himself, Ailill closed his eyes and muttered something.

“I take it you know what you’re doing…” Krillin mused.
“I’ve used this spell before,” Ailill replied. A few seconds later, the barrier flickered, then disappeared.

The moment Trunks found himself free, he lunged himself at Ailill who instinctively brought up both his arm to shield himself from the demi-Saiyan’s blow.

“Trunks!” Krillin exclaimed jumping after him. “Stop that! He’s on our side!

“No he’s not!” screamed Trunks refusing to stop attacking. Ailill narrowed his eyes and took a small jump backwards ducking his punches.

“Yes! Will you listen to me!” Krillin cried stepping between the two and holding Trunks back. “Goodness Trunks! You sure are Vegeta’s son! Don’t worry, this isn’t the one who imprisoned you.”

Trunks glared at Ailill but halted. “Well, he sure as hell looks like him!”

“The one you met is his twin brother,” Krillin explained. “This is Ailill and he’s the one who led us here.”

Arms crossed over his chest, Trunks narrowed his eyes at the Konack-jin, who met his gaze evenly, as if daring him to a challenge. Finally, Trunks turned his head away in grudging acceptance. “Fine, I’ll trust him. For now,” he muttered.

“Okay, let’s go find Goten,” Krillin said. “Trunks, do you know where he could be?”

Trunks shrugged. “I don’t know, they’re afraid of our fusion so they kept us locked up in separate places,” he said, eyes trained on Ailill. “Why don’t you ask him?” He jerked his head toward Ailill.

“Let’s just follow their ki,” Ailill suggested. “They’ll probably need me to let him out of his cell anyway.”

~oOo~


“Dad!” Goten cried as he saw his father and Paikuhan from his cell.

“Goten!” Goku exclaimed in relief. “Thank goodness I found you.” He examined with curiosity the aura of purple that surrounded the prison. “What’s this?”

“I suggest you don’t touch it, Son,” Paikuhan warned.

“Right.” Goku nodded. “We’ll probably need Ailill for this. Goten, are you alright? You look pretty beat up.”

“Yeah, uh, they didn’t really like Gotenks that much,” Goten explained sheepishly.

Goku laughed in amusement. “Looks like you almost had everything under control.”

“Well, except for the fact that we got locked up for our troubles… uh huh!” Goten said.

“Hey, Goten!” Trunk’s voice drifted from somewhere behind them. “Look who I brought with me!”

Ailill appeared first, followed by Krillin and then Trunks. “You!” snarled Goten, pointing at Ailill.

“He’s not Coran,” Krillin explained quickly, “and he’s going to let you out.”

Ailill performed the spell again and the force field dropped immediately. Goten rushed out of his incarceration and threw his arms around his father in a tight hug. “Finally!” he cried, letting go of Goku and moving to stand besides Trunks. He examined Ailill for a moment, seeing that he wore different clothing style than those of the man that had captured him. There was still something bizarre about him, but he shrugged it off, dismissing the thought as simply paranoia from hanging around Trunks for too long. “Let’s go kick some Freeza butt!”

“Not just yet,” Goku said. “First we need to make sure that the others got Bulma out. Let’s get going.”

They wasted no more time in the dungeon, instead proceeding to exit as quickly as possible. Surprisingly enough, they encountered no more guards as they went back to the maze of hallways that would eventually lead them to the outside where they could get back to their ship. None of them dared to raise their ki for fear of discovery before it was time, so they were generally walking blindly. The ki that were fluctuating were those of Bulma, which could barely be felt, and of the Konack-jin’s twin brother, which was particularly close to that of Freeza and Koola.

“I don’t like this,” Paikuhan commented softly. “There’s something strange going on.”

“Like what?” asked Goten.

“Something just doesn’t feel quite right,” the dead man replied.

“Hmm…” Goku murmured. “I know what you mean, but I can’t place it.”

“But what could—” Krillin began, but was quickly quieted by Paikuhan. From around the corner they could hear hushed voices. “What’s that?”

“It almost sounds like…” Goku muttered to himself and stopped when he caught sight of his oldest son. “Gohan!”

“Dad?” Gohan glanced up in time to see his father and company standing in front of him. “Thank goodness we finally found you! We’ve been searching for the exit for a while now and it feels like we’re going in circles.”

“I know what you mean,” Krillin said. “Do feel the ki radiating?”

“It feels like Ailill,” Kaio-shin spoke up, “which is bizarre, considering he’s right there with you.”

“Mom!” Trunks interrupted whatever Kaio-shin had been about to say next and ran towards Bulma. He made a move to hug his mother, but was stopped by her swollen belly. Bulma laughed and kneeled down to his height. “Hey there, kiddo,” she said ruffling his hair fondly. “Kept out of trouble?”

“You know me,” Trunks replied smiling widely.

“Guys,” Videl said stepping up from behind Gohan, “I don’t mean to be rude, but we really should get going right now.”

Kaio-shin nodded in agreement. “She’s right,” he said. “We’ll have plenty of time for reunions when we are on the ship and far from here. Right now, she should focus all our energies on finding the exit to this place.”

Without another word, they all trailed behind the path the Supreme Kai had chosen. He halted a few minutes later and looked suspiciously around.

“What is it?” Goku asked noticing the god’s wary behavior.

“Did you feel that?” Kaio-shin asked taking a few steps back.

“What?” Paikuhan inquired looking around suspiciously.

“This place…” Kaio-shin started walking up to wall they had just passed. “It feels as if it were… shifting?”

“Huh?” was the unanimous response. The Supreme Kai held a finger up for silence the proceeded to placing his hand on the stone wall. To everyone’s surprise, his hand went right through it and the action was followed by an entryway appearing were once a wall had been.

Kaio-shin narrowed his eyes. “We have been going around in circles…” he muttered. He whirled around suddenly. “There it is again…”

“Lord Kaio-shin?” Paikuhan asked following his eyes.
The Supreme Kai’s eyes closed in on Ailill. “It’s you, isn’t it?” He turned towards Bulma and examined her with new eyes.

The next few moments were a blur. Before anyone blink Bulma lunged at Videl, dagger in hand that had materialized out of nowhere. Alarmed, Gohan reacted immediately grabbing her wrist stopping it millimeters from Videl.

“What are you?” Gohan asked noticing that if this were Bulma, her wrist would have broken long ago and this creature wasn’t even complaining. Bulma’s features blurred as her rosy skin took a drastic change to blue. Surprised, Gohan released her long enough for her to jump backwards and charge a ki ball in her hand.

“Damnit!” Goku exclaimed shoving Videl out of the way of the incoming blast.

Just as Goten and Trunks brought up their ki in defense, the familiar and dreaded energy cubicles formed around them.

“Bastard!” Trunks exclaimed turning everyone’s attention in the opposite direction of Dalia. “I knew we couldn’t trust him!”

In a whirl of fiery ki, the wizard and the two kids disappeared into thin air.

“What the hell…?!” Krillin exclaimed.

Following the only lead he had, Paikuhan turned back to Dalia only to see that she too had disappeared.

“Looks like we’re back to square one,” Krillin muttered seeing all their progress go down the drain.

At that moment, the hallway around them turned blurry before focusing again revealing that they were still amongst the rubble in the dungeons.

~oOo~

“Well, don’t just stand there, Piccolo!” Bulma cried as she watched Vegeta’s retreating back. “Go after him!”

Piccolo shook his head. “No way. He’s going to fight Freeza and you shouldn’t be anywhere near them when they do. It’s your child they want, so it’s your child that we have to get as far away from here as possible.”

“Far, where? The ship? Lot of good that’s gonna do!” Bulma shot back. She winced as she felt another pang going through her belly, but she ignored it again. As long as she wasn’t going into labor, she could handle anything. And labor was still another month away. “Look, buster, if you aren’t going to follow him, then put me down so I can.”

“I don’t want to face Vegeta’s wrath if he comes back and finds you dead,” Piccolo told dryly.

“I am not some child you can order around!” argued Bulma as she struggled to get out of his grasp.

Piccolo rolled his eyes as desperately tried to resist the urge to tell her the same thing he had told Vegeta when he had made a similar statement not long before. “I’m not trying to order you around. I’m trying to do what’s best for you.”

“How about what’s best for Vegeta? He’s going off half-cocked to face not only Freeza and Koola, but also a strong-ass bitch and her freaky wizard of a partner. I don’t know about you, but I’d say his odds are pretty slim right about now,” Bulma said. “Not to mention that what the hell are we going to do when we get to the ship? I’m not taking off and leaving them behind.”

Regarding her coolly for several moments, Piccolo sighed and looked at the general direction Vegeta had gone in. He had to admit, if only to himself, that the woman did have a point. As strong as Vegeta was now, he strongly doubted that he would be able to face all of his enemies at once. But he sure as hell was not going to take Bulma along for the ride. As much as he felt the need to protect Dende, he realized he was going to have to leave him behind for his own sake.

He made a split second decision. “Take Bulma and find the way out,” said Piccolo as he set Bulma down next to Dende and started walking the other way. Vegeta’s enraged ki was not hard to spot now. “Make sure you at least get out of the base as soon as possible.”

Dende nodded as Piccolo disappeared around the corner. Thinking he had Bulma in tow, he began to head the other way. Suddenly he noticed that she was blatantly walking in the other direction.

“Bulma,” Dende called. “You heard what Piccolo said…”

“He said it to you, not to me,” Bulma replied without stopping. “Last time I checked, Piccolo was not either of my parents.”

“But..!” Dende sighed, realizing it was futile to argue with the hotheaded woman. He should have known… with Vegeta as a husband. With resignation in his step, he took off after Bulma.

~oOo~

There was a single flash of burning light as the Konack-jin wizard’s fiery ki blasted in every direction. A single battled cry echoed through the stance as he summoned forth both his ki and power. Ailill’s magenta hair blew in the wind of his energy as he turned his glowing gray eyes towards the spot he knew Koola and Freeza to be.

Freeza chuckled. “Oh, we’re scared now,” he commented sarcastically.

Ailill’s eyes narrowed dangerously and seconds after, the floor beneath all of them melted into boiling magma. Both Ice-jin released a surprised gasp as the firm footing below them disappeared and levitated just before the ocean of fire took form. They looked as their remaining surroundings caught flame and turned to stare at Ailill darkly before bringing up their own ki.

“I’m not going to be frightened of you any longer,” Ailill called at them. “I’ll put an end to your reign of terror right now!”

Freeza crossed his arms over his chest and met Ailill’s evenly. “Is that so?” he replied in amusement. “Your death wish must be bigger than I had imagined.”

Not even sparing a reply, Ailill let out another battle cry and flew at Freeza with all his might. Freeza didn’t wait for Ailill to even get there, instead blurring out of sight and appearing behind Ailill. Without missing a beat, Freeza brought his elbow over Ailill’s neck, sending him flying the in Koola’s direction. Koola grabbed him by the hair, causing Ailill to scream out in pain.

Koola looked at him in disdain. “Lights out,” he murmured the tossed him down toward the lava.

Ailill watched helplessly as he tumbled down toward the hot liquid that was the floor. Fitting that I should die in my own hell, he thought ironically, shutting his eyes tightly. His descent was stopped abruptly as he felt his body slam into another hard one. A pair of arms held on to him by his armpits, and he could feel the hot lava just inches from his feet.

“Pathetic,” the voice that belonged to the person holding him spat. “I shouldn’t even waste my energy saving you.”

Ailill opened his eyes and glanced up to see who had come to his rescue. “Vegeta!” he exclaimed, not sure whether or not to be relieved.

“You should leave now,” Vegeta told him, turning his gaze away from him to look up at Freeza. He released a more stable Ailill and flew up to meet Freeza. A smirk graced his lips as he saw his old master. “You never give up.”

“Vegeta,” Freeza said, his lips curling up into a gruesome grin. “How nice of you to join our little party. You were always one to make a grand entrance; so sad that you’ll need to leave so quickly.”

“What? No party favors this time?” Vegeta shot back. “And I thought you had manners.”

“You always were a spoilsport,” Koola commented flying up behind his brother.

Choosing not to humor them with an answer, Vegeta lunged at Freeza who instinctively disappeared from his path. Vegeta slowed down a millisecond before realizing that Koola was still there a moment too late as the other Glai’keel-jin connected his fist against his gut before kicking him upwards where he was met with Freeza who wrapped his tail around his neck.

“Clumsy,” Freeza sneered while tightening his hold on Vegeta’s neck. “This is the second time you’ll die like this. Send my greeting to King Enma in Hell.”

“After you,” Vegeta retorted. He summoned all the breath he could into his lungs and raised his arms above his head. When he brought his arms down, his hair suddenly turned yellow and his eyes blue. A burst of yellow aura surrounded him, causing Freeza to release his hold on Vegeta in surprise. The second he was loose Vegeta spun around, using the surprise to his advantage, and landed a punch into the other creature’s stomach. Freeza flew back rapidly, slamming hard against a wall.

He raised his narrowed eyes to meet Vegeta’s smug turquoise orbs. There was something different about Vegeta’s Super Saiyan form. It was practically the same as both Trunks and Goku’s form, except that his hair didn’t grow as long, and Freeza could see small flashes of lightning surrounding his yellow aura.

“You stupid monkey scum!” Freeza cried charging after Vegeta with renewed fury. He began to throw a series of punches and kicks at Vegeta, making Vegeta react quickly to duck and block the punches thrown his way. To the untrained eye, the two figures fighting in the air were just a blur of movement, fading in and out of sight for seconds at a time.

It didn’t take long for Vegeta to take the upper hand in the fight, managing to move out of Freeza’s way before he could land a punch. Self conscious smirk plastered on his face, he brought up a fist and sank it into Freeza’s gut. The Ice-jin’s eyes went wide as the air got knocked from him and he backed away a few paces. Not waiting for the creature to recover, Vegeta continued his attack furiously sending blows at Freeza eventually punching him into the far wall. He lunged after him but was stopped by Koola’s imposing form standing in his way.

The older Glai’keel-jin’s lips twitched slightly as he raised his ki in another bright flash of light.

“I was planning on saving you for last, but if you insist,” Vegeta told him before lunging at him. Koola’s eyes narrowed as he flashed out of sight. Vegeta sensed him appear behind him and turned to block a punch just Koola delivered it. The two of them engaged in a rapid exchange of attacks and blocks. Eventually, Vegeta managed to knock him backwards and the two of them stared each other down for a few moments. A sudden ki burst in the opposite direction made them turn to find Coran, Dalia, and two very frustrated demi-Saiyans inside glowing cubicles.

“Dad!” Trunks screamed as soon as he laid eyes on his father.

Upon seeing his captive son and kidnapers, Vegeta growled deep inside his throat. Coran took one look around the volcanic arena and whistled softly. He turned towards Dalia and smiled. “This is Ailill’s handy work,” he said. “I can take it from here. Go forth with what was planned.”

Dalia looked around the transformed room and the group gathered in it. “Are you sure?” she asked spotting the transformed and extremely pissed-off Vegeta.
Coran smiled. “I can handle him, and any others that might come as well.”

Dalia nodded and took one last look around the room before flying out of it. Coran looked after her for a few moments before returning his attention the Vegeta and the two bickering Saiyan brats. He locked eyes with Koola receiving the permission he needed to interfere in their fight.

“So Vegeta,” Coran started levitating himself and the kids down to the Super Saiyan’s level. “Have you come for your family? How very touching. I must say I never expected such a thing from the likes of you.”

Vegeta glared at him. “Fool…” he snarled. “If you wanted to die all you had to do was ask.”

Coran laughed. “Vegeta…” he said softly. “Look around you. This is what someone without full capacity in the Art can do. My brother is a weakling, don’t expect the same luck with my bag of tricks.”

“Really?” Vegeta said. “I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.”

Coran narrowed his eyes. “Observed,” he started. “This is an appropriate Hell for my demons to roam. If you want your brat, just come for him.”

“Spare me of your speeches, priest,” Vegeta spat. “For it is to Hell where I will send you!” With that he lunged at the wizard. Vegeta saw as Coran’s lips moved slightly and halted his approach just as a wall of fiery energy formed around him.

“What’s the matter Vegeta?” Coran asked from the other side. “Don’t you want to save your brats?” At this, both Trunks and Goten screamed in pain as they received a ki blast from their prisons. Vegeta clenched his jaw in anger and frustration and powered up his aura fully willing to tear right through Coran’s ki wall. A chill ran down his back as his sensitive ears caught the elusive and unknown words the sorcerer whispered. Looking up, he saw what he could only describe as a small orb of bubbling darkness and steam forming above Coran’s open palm. A cold breeze blew across the room making even the boiling sea below freeze over.

“Welcome to my Hell, Vegeta,” Coran said moving unworldly glowing eyes up from his summon.  “Now face my demons.”

Vegeta felt something uncomfortable settle inside him as a single shrill cry echoed through the now frozen over room. He looked around looking for its source, then noticed the thin, dark mist wisps emerging from the dark void over Coran’s hand.

“What the fuck…?” Vegeta mused narrowing his eyes at the things that circulated around Coran before moving away from him towards himself. Vegeta powered up then saw the mist take the physical form of a dozen snake-like creature with glowing red eyes shrieking as they crossed through Coran’s wall.

Vegeta prepared to blast them away, but before he could, the creatures shot towards him at impossible speed sinking their fangs into his flesh. He cried out in pain as the fiends began to chew their way into him before disappearing underneath his skin. Vegeta doubled over in pain while hearing a thousand cackles and shrieking laughers inside his head.

“What the fuck is this!” he cried out seeing his vision unfocused then returned to normal.

“I thought you called yourself a Saiyan warrior,” Coran mocked. “Find your way out of it.”

“Fuck you!” Vegeta screamed, then resumed his attack on the wizard. He was half way to him when his body got pulled as if by a magnet in the other direction slamming him hard against the ice floor. With a grunt of pain, he attempted to get up, only to be tossed up into a wall as if he were a mere feather.

Ailill watched in awe from his spot near the entrance as the powerful warrior got tossed around, seemingly against his will. He bit his lower lip, wondering if there was anything he could do to aid the Saiyan in his battle. But he knew his brother was right.
At the moment, Coran was the stronger of the two and there was nothing he could possibly do to help Vegeta get out of his predicament. All he knew was that he couldn’t allow him to die.

“Don’t just stand there,” a deep voice said from behind him, “do something!”

Ailill whirled around in surprise and slammed into a hard chest for his efforts. Moving his eyes upwards, he was met with the green face of Piccolo. “Piccolo,” he greeted. “It’s good to see you.”

Piccolo barely acknowledged him, staring instead straight ahead at Vegeta, who was struggling to take control of his body. Ailill pursed his lips and followed Piccolo’s gaze. “My brother is much stronger right now,” Ailill murmured. “I’m afraid there is nothing I can do to help Vegeta.”

Piccolo clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in frustration. “How are we expected to be able to fight something we can’t measure up against in the slightest?” Piccolo muttered to himself.

“I could be as powerful as him,” Ailill said. “All I need is the training…”

“We don’t have the time for that!” Piccolo interrupted. “We need to do something now!”

Ailill opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a female voice from behind Piccolo.

“…I swear, all I’m gonna do is watch… ugh!”

Piccolo turned his head down to glare at the woman who had just slammed into his back. Bulma glanced up to see his angry look and crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “Well, you didn’t think I’d really listen, did you?” she asked.

Piccolo then turned to look at Dende, who was standing by Bulma guiltily. “I’m sorry, Piccolo,” he apologized. “She wouldn’t listen.”

“Damnit… Now’s not the time for you to act like this!” Piccolo said turning to Bulma. “You should have been far away by now.”

“And go where?” Bulma countered. “I’d be just as safe in the ship as here considering the power we are facing!”

“But here you’ll get in the way,” Piccolo told her.

“And what have we here?” a calm, modulated voice spoke from behind Piccolo making him stiffen.

“Looks like one of those useless lizards you’re so fond of, Brother.”

“Oh shit,” Bulma said grimacing as she felt a pang in her belly once again. “This is just what I needed right about now.” The pains had been getting suspiciously closer in timing, and every time more painful. She was now certain it could be a bit more than indigestion. There’s no way this is happening, she thought.

The four of them turned to find both Freeza and Koola levitating a few meters above them. Piccolo clenched his jaw angrily.

“Vegeta!”
The voice coming from the other entrance to the room captured their attentions for the moment.

“What’s wrong with you?” Goku exclaimed as he and the rest of his party entered stance. Vegeta slammed hard against the frozen floor and glared at the Saiyan.

“Dammit, Kakarot!” Vegeta yelled. “What do you think!” With that, his body flew up and crashed against the ceiling before bouncing back down and landing by Goku’s feet.

“He’s possessed by something,” Kaio-shin exclaimed sensing the numerous entities inside Vegeta’s body.

“Goku!” Bulma cried, getting his attention. “Do something!”

Goku opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again when he noticed Freeza and Koola floating above them quietly. Vegeta was still lying on the floor dragged back near the middle of the room, finally stationary now that Coran’s attention was focused elsewhere. “Freeza! Koola!” Goku called to them. “Why are you doing this?”

“Now, that’s a stupid question,” Freeza answered. “Are all you monkeys this brainless?”

Goku narrowed his eyes at him, preparing himself to power up, when he was interrupted by a panic-stricken cry. He looked in the direction of the yell, startled by the noise. The sight that met him was that of Bulma clutching at her belly, eyes wide.

“Bulma, what’s wrong?” he asked.

Bulma looked up at him, her mouth open slightly in shock. “I think my water just broke,” she replied.

Vegeta painfully sat up, getting on his hands and knees and trying to regain his breath. He had glanced up in his wife’s direction the moment he had heard her scream and was now attempting to go to her. “What do you mean? Just get another one later!” he called to her.

Bulma glared at him. “You idiot! It means I’m going into labor right now!”

Everyone around her did a double take, not believing what they had just heard.

“Now?!” cried Krillin with some fright, remembering what Juuhachigou had been like when she had been going into labor.

“You can’t go into labor now!” Vegeta said as he reached her.

“Why don’t you tell that to your daughter!” Bulma shot back, crying out again. This time, she fell to her knees, before finally plopping down on the floor with her back against the wall. “It feels like she’s about to rip out herself!”
Videl sighed in exasperation as she pushed her way though to the other woman. “You’re all a bunch of men, is what you are!” she cried as she kneeled down next to Bulma. “Can’t you see she needs a doctor?”

“I think we have some other immediate concerns as well,” Ailill commented.

“More immediate…” Krillin started then turned in the general direction Ailill was pointing. “Oh boy…”

“Goddamnit…” Kaio-shin muttered as his eyes met what had the Konack-jin so concerned.

In the brief moments they had distracted themselves with Bulma, the evil sorcerer had brewed another powerful concoction. Goten and Trunk’s screams had been hushed by the sound of cackling electricity and howling wind that had been gathered together in an ominous whirlpool of dark and light feeding from Coran’s powerful aura. His glowing eyes illuminated his face eerily as he began to speak alien words that reverberated around the room to the point that it sounded as if more that one person were speaking them. Coran turned his gaze towards Kaio-shin whom with a startled yell, got raised several meters into the air and thrown into the direction of the vortex.

“Lord Kaio-shin!” Gohan screamed and lunged into the air after him.

“Gohan! Stay away!” Kaio-shin called at him before getting tossed into the maelstrom electricity and darkness.

“Gohan!” Piccolo called following the Saiyan. “Do as he says!”

Gohan halted at his old master’s orders and looked away as the incredible energy consumed the god. His entire body trembled in anger and frustration at his uselessness. He was powerless to do anything to prevent what was happening.

Bulma’s screams of pain snapped him back to reality and he saw that Videl was aiding her as she was obviously going into labor. He looked around helplessly before touching down next to Piccolo, Ailill, and Paikuhan.

“Where’s Freeza…?” he asked realizing that the Ice-jin had completely disappeared.

Ailill’s eyes went wide with realization and he gasped, grabbing the attention of those around him.

“What is it?” Paikuhan asked worriedly.

“My brother…” he stammered trying to place his thoughts in order. “Lord Kaio-shin and Freeza—”
He was interrupted by Bulma screaming again and Vegeta muttering something to her just as a baby’s cry broke the tense atmosphere.

“It’s a girl!” Videl exclaimed cleaning the newborn with what had once been Krillin’s shirt.

“It’s freezing in here,” Bulma muttered weakly. “Wrap her in something warm before she catches a cold.”

Videl nodded and ripped yet another piece of the outfit to cover the child with before placing her in her mother’s arms. Upon receiving the child, Bulma laughed as tears of happiness streamed down her cheeks.

“Bura…” she whispered softly while cradling the child in her arms. “My baby girl…”

“Bura?” Vegeta retorted, objection evident in his voice. “I will not name my child like that! We had agreed on Naeb.”

“What!” Bulma exclaimed suddenly forgetting she had just given birth. “I will not name my baby girl after a food! Forget it Vegeta! Bura!”

“Naeb was my mother’s name,” Vegeta snarled in indignation. “How dare you mock her!”

“Well I don’t—”

“Bulma! Vegeta!” Videl exclaimed interrupting the would-be argument while glancing down at the child in horror. Whatever either of them was going to say disappeared from their minds as a deathly pale color took over the newborn’s innocent face. Before they could react, the baby scrunched up her brow as if to cry and began to struggle in Bulma’s arms.

“Oh God, she’s suffocating!” Bulma exclaimed. The child opened her eyes making Bulma scream in horror by what she saw.

“Those eyes belong to no one in our families,” Vegeta said harshly rising to his feet, completely taken aback by his daughter’s ruby glare. A glare that always managed to send a chill down his back. “There’s something not right here,” he murmured as he turned towards Ailill. Ailill’s expression was unreadable but he met Vegeta’s eyes.

“Get your wife away from that child,” he said solemnly.

Vegeta’s eyes narrowed, but then he heard Bulma scream again and turned to see that the baby was now engulfed in a bright white light.

“Fuck!” he shouted and grabbed Bulma. He flew out of the way of a sudden explosion of light followed by a familiar laughter.

“My baby!” Bulma screamed from Vegeta’s arms. “Oh God! What’s happening?!”

A melodious chuckling emerged from within the light that eventually dimmed away revealing the pale Glai’keel-jin whom it belonged to.

“I thank you,” Freeza said taking a moment to examine himself. “Your daughter was a perfect body for me to inhabit.” He turned his crimson stare at the startled party and smirked. “Thanks to you I have not only obtained life, but also more strength than either of us could have ever imagined,” he said chuckling softly.

“Freeza…” Goku snarled clenching his fists and powering up.

“Kakarot!” Vegeta barked defensively. “You idiot! He has my child!”

Freeza laughed and levitated himself a few meters above them. “My, my,” he mocked. “How touching…”

“No!” Ailill interrupted making everyone turn to him. He looked at them desperately for a moment. “We must get Paikuhan as far away from here as possible right now, before my brother gets a chance to do this again…”

“Look…” Videl whispered looking in Coran’s direction. “It’s already starting…”

~oOo~

Dalia closed her eyes as her lungs and body quickly adapted to the lack of oxygen in the moon’s cold surface. This was the only place in the entire area she could perform her task without fearing the Earthlings’ interference. By now she estimated that Coran had already finished half his job, judging by the storms of ki and powers she had been sensing the last several minutes. Satisfied with the distance she had put between herself and the base, she emptied the contents of the parcel she had been carrying.

Seven orange balls glowed dimly in the surrounding gloom as she took a deep breath before beginning her assigned task.

“Shenron!” she called into the darkness of the night. “Come forth and grant my wish!”

Upon her words, the ground trembled and even the stars above her disappeared as the Eternal Dragon got summoned once again. Dalia watched in amazement as in a flash of golden light, the serpentine form of Shenron towered up to the sky.

“Speak,” the dragon’s voice boomed. “I will grant you two wishes.”

Snapping back to reality, Dalia found her voice again.

Now to finish this.

“My first wish…”

~oOo~

“Goten!”

Tr unks panicked suddenly realizing his friend had disappeared. The two of them had been screaming for help the last several minutes. He had turned to his younger counterpart just moments before and saw how he suddenly disappeared in a flash of light.

“Damnit!” he yelled then turned towards Coran. “Bastard! What the hell are you doing!”  

Coran smiled. “Watch and learn, brat.”

Trunks had been about to snap another comment when he heard a pained scream form below. What he saw puzzled him beyond what he ever thought possible.

“Chi-Chi…?” Goku exclaimed startled after he had turned in the direction of the scream.

“Goku!” Chi-Chi called back looking beyond confused. “What— ahhh….” She cried out in pain again while falling to her knees and clutching her belly. Goku ran to her side and tried to pick her up, but she waved him away.

“I’m…. But how….” she started but got cutoff by a painful contraction ripping trough her insides. Goku looked down at her helplessly not knowing what to do.

“Chi-Chi, we have to go,” he informed her.

“I’m giving birth you idiot!” his wife screamed while gripping the cold floor. “What’s going on? Where the hell am I?!”

Videl gasped and ran to her aid. “I don’t understand…”

“Freeza!” Goku screamed lunging himself at the Ice-jin who was laughing at the happenings below. Freeza saw this and flashed out of the way just as Goku reached him.

“Son Goku…” he said sneering. “Did you really think you would be spared? Foolish monkey, indeed.”

A sudden yell from behind him made Goku whirl around to see Paikuhan tear upwards into the air towards the newly born vortex of light. His eyes widened in terror and realization.
“It won’t be long now…” he heard Freeza say. “Tell me, how exactly do you wish to die?”