Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Rebirth of Destruction ❯ The Beginning of the End ( Chapter 8 )

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

The king of Glai’keel-sei stood frozen in wonder as he struggled to internalize what he was seeing. Above him, the porcelain fusion powered up to impossible levels that he was certain that even with a scouter he would not comprehend.

‘Not one or the other…’

The words of the creature echoed in his mind and he wondered if there truly was logic behind them. This being came from both his sons, both being extremely different from the other personality-wise, yet somehow it had all come together to give birth to the ultimate Glai’keel-jin warrior. He wondered for a moment what they were feeling, if they even felt at all.

King Kold paused and considered what he had just thought. Feeling was something that was denied to the Glai’keel-jin since childhood, at least in the way most other species thought of it. Emotions and feelings were viewed as weakness enemies could exploit hence they were not tolerated. However, cold as his species was, they reflected what they felt in a way unlike most other races. He thought for a moment of the way he felt towards his sons. Honor, loyalty, respect, patience and endurance, pride… Raising them had not been an easy task, yet he was willing to do anything to defend them or their honor. The corners of his lips curled slightly. Already that had cost him his life once, but he was more than willing to do it again. He took an unconscious protective step towards Coran’s crouching form.

They were his flesh and blood. The part of him that would endure after his body was gone. Many on his planet called him blessed. Two sons, when many struggled to get even one. His first-born was everything a future King should be. If memory served correctly, he had been just about Koola’s age when he had stepped up to the throne after his father’s assassination, Koola being born shortly afterwards. Not nearly as hotheaded as Freeza, Koola had always been the type to cut to the chase. He had grown up in his shadow absorbing all he was taught, questioning things, and learning all he could from everything. Koola was more logical while his younger sibling was driven more by impulse. His power had also been great, in time it had turned greater than even his. Koola would make an excellent ruler some day.

Freeza had had a different story from his older brother ever since the beginning. Prior to his birth, his egg had cracked before the shell could fully harden. This had been an almost sure thing that the unborn child would die, and if by some miracle he survived, he’d probably suffer some sort of mental retardation. Freeza had proven wrong all of the doctors and lived to become a great warrior prince. He recalled the everlasting second in which he realized the Saiyan brat had murdered one of his sons and felt the red hot rage boil inside him again. It had taken every ounce of self-control that he had possessed to not throw himself at him that very moment in a single mad attempt to rip him to shreds. What had started out as a matter of personal pride had just hit so much closer to home. It had been obvious that the Saiyan was stronger than he was, yet he set his mind to one last desperate gamble that would either destroy the other, or he would die trying. Honor, loyalty, responsibility, pride . . .

Many species would call this love, yet he wasn’t so sure he’d classify it under that. He had seen the word ‘love’ used many times and each involved a certain degree of fickleness that couldn’t be ignored. ‘Love’ in the terms he had mostly heard it, involved unions between two opposing sexes that he didn’t nor did he care to understand. What was love one moment, usually meant hate, the next. It was this inconsistency that drove him to think in the absurdity of emotion. All it brought was confusion and the clouding over of judgment.

The Ice-jin King lifted his eyes back to the battle above their heads. At that very moment, Kooriza had just finished blocking a series of punches from Gogeta and had oppositeed rapidly appearing behind the Saiyan and firing a ki blast that sent the other fusion crashing towards the opposite wall of the courtyard. Upon impact, the onyx walls cracked and broke, opening up a dark maw where the Saiyan fusion had disappeared. King Kold cringed unconsciously at the thought of the ancestral palace being demolished the way it was, but his thoughts were cut short by a sudden blaze of ki from the opening, wrecking it further, and revealing the powered up Gogeta. Kooriza’s dark lips curled into a cruel smile as he dashed towards the other fusion, engaging once again in too-fast-to-follow movements with it.

Most would have found it strange that such a delicate-looking creature could be so powerful. But King Kold had long ago learned that it wasn’t at all uncommon for the most beautiful and fragile to be the most deadly. He shifted his eyes now to Dalia. Her face was expressionless, but he could tell from her stance that anything unwanted that came within Coran’s range would die. He remembered that the first time he had seen her; she had still been a child in more ways than one.  She had been barely out of her species’ adolescence, yet he could tell from the way she carried herself that she possessed great strength. How ironic, he thought, that he had known Dalia to have had her share of the fickleness of love, however, if it ever came to believing in the existence of any such thing or anything like it, she would also be his best and only example.

Freeza had told him that when Coran had first been brought, he had gone completely mad. She had somehow brought him back out of the world of darkness and torment inside his head. He imagined it must have taken time, but they now shared a bond that was unlike anything he had ever heard of before. They could be worlds apart and still know what the other was thinking. It was a strange union. The two of them worked as one unit. It had been they who, with Dalia’s wit and Coran’s power, had single handedly restored a dynasty that had been extinct.

King Kold turned to Coran and couldn’t help but feel respect for his abilities. The Konack-jin was still crouching with his hands clasped together as if in prayer and his brow furrowed in deep concentration. His eyes, however, no longer shined white. A blood-red light now emerged from the narrow slits he had barely opened. It suddenly hit him that it was the same hue as the eye color of the Glai’keel-jin fusion. In his hands he was now holding a completely different union who possessed a completely different power. What unworldly mastery was he wielding that allowed him to hold two souls together and make them one? How long could he keep it up?

The sudden silence that had fallen over the battlefield made him turn his attention back to the fight at hand. Both fusions had simultaneously separated from each other allowing for the dust of the destruction around them to settle down. No one dared to breathe as the two titans stared each other down measuring the other’s strengths and looking for a weakness. For that instant, there was peace before the storm.

~oOo~

Krillin braced himself with the wall as the ground shook for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes. Somewhere far away, he could hear the distinct sounds of battle and the strong odor of burned building material. He shot a nervous glance over his shoulder, in the general direction of the battle and let loose and uneasy chuckle.

"Looks like they've started on the fun without us," he muttered.

In front of him, Piccolo and Ailill were too busy tracing Trunks' ki signature to dignify the obvious with a reply.

"I mean, I would've thought we'd be outta here by the time they started fighting," Krillin continued. "This place gives me the creeps."

"It should be up ahead, right around this corner," Ailill said quietly. Piccolo nodded in silent agreement.

"Not that I actually wanted in on the fight myself," Krillin added. "I don't think I could've held up my own against Freeza or Koola..."

"Krillin..." Piccolo's strong voice was heard, a warning in his tone.

"Um, sorry," Krillin said. "I'm just a little nervous."

"Right down here," Ailill said, pointing at the long, winding stairs that led down into a vast darkness.

Krillin peered through the space between Piccolo and Ailill, his eyes widening in surprise. "D- down there??"

There was absolutely no light past the point they were at. No torches, oil lamps, or any other similar mode of illumination. He couldn't even see the bottom of the stairs from his vintage point. All they would have to guide them from this moment on was their ki senses.

"Couldn't we at least get a flashlight, or something?" Krillin asked.

Piccolo was already on his way down the stairs, quickly disappearing into the complete darkness. Ailill motioned Krillin to go next and followed the shorter man into the palace dungeon. They had only taken several steps down the stairs, but the light from the passage they had been on had all but vanished, leaving the three beings in the all-consuming black of the stairwell.

"Hikari."

Suddenly, a glow began to emanate from behind Krillin, making him give a startled jump. He whirled around to find Ailill holding his palm upward, a large ball of pure, white light floating a few centimeters from it. Ailill smiled warmly as the ball floated up from his palm and glided down the stairs to settle above Piccolo's head. Now Krillin could see more or less clearly on what he was walking on. There wasn't much to see. Stonewalls on either side lined the staircase as far as he could tell, heavily contrasting the regal splendor of the palace above they had seen while sneaking in.

A few minutes later, they finally reached the bottom. A long hall illuminated by a handful of scattered torches with cell doors on either side led to yet another set of stair as dimly lit as the previous ones. They descended several similar levels before finally reaching Trunk's ki.

"This is the place," Ailill announced.

Krillin stepped up to the door as if to push it open, then paused, turned to Ailill and stepped aside. "Maybe you should try it first," he said sheepishly.

Ailill stepped towards the door and leaned forwards to examine it. "Somebody's been busy," he observed smiling curiously and pointing at the indentations, bumps, and cracks that ran the length of the entire steel door.

"Poor Trunks," Krillin said. "So how do you plan on opening it?"

Ailill didn't answer. Instead, he gently pushed Krillin and Piccolo back a few steps behind him and stood a few paces from the door. "Trai dami kruath," he said softly. Something crackled around the door and it suddenly fell slightly ajar.

"Cool," Krillin cried. "Uh, can I touch it now?"

"Go ahead and open it," Ailill replied. "We better be quick, though..." He trailed off as another blast rattled the walls.

Krillin jogged to the door and cautiously pushed it open. Not knowing what to expect, he poked his head on the other side and glanced around. He frowned and pulled his head back. "Now that's weird," he said. "I can feel him but I can't see him..."

Piccolo stepped past Krillin and walked into the prison cell. There were shackles and chains strewn across the floor in pieces. Obviously, Trunks had pulled himself free of his restraints, but it would've been impossible to escape a magic barrier. He was still puzzling over the situation when the door suddenly shut itself and someone jumped him. Taken by surprise, Piccolo was knocked to the ground. "What the...!" he yelled in surprise.

His attacker stopped abruptly at the sound of his voice. "Piccolo!!"

The door slid open again, Ailill and Krillin stepping through in alarm. "Piccolo, what happened?" Ailill cried. He was surprised to find Trunks standing over Piccolo's rather large frame on the floor.

"Trunks!" Krillin exclaimed. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Krillin," Trunks greeted happily. He turned to look at Ailill, narrowing his eyes at the Konack-jin. "What's he doing here?"

"It's alright, Trunks." This came from Piccolo, who was now standing up again. "Ailill's one of the good guys. Don't worry."

The statement didn't seem to put him too much at ease, but he reluctantly decided to trust Piccolo and Krillin's judgment at the moment. "How did you guys find me? And where's Dad?"

"We'll explain later," Krillin told him, starting to usher him towards the door. "Vegeta, uh... has his hands kinda full at the moment."

"How come?" Trunks inquired. Another blast shook the place again. He looked up and a sort of understanding lit in his eyes. "Is there a fight going on?"

"Never mind that," Piccolo said. "Let's just get out of here."

As they started going for the stairwell that led back up to the palace, Trunks' stomach rumbled loudly. "Man, I'm starving!" he cried. "I've barely eaten anything for days."

"Yes, your energy reserve isn't too high at the moment," Ailill spoke. "I can do something to help you for now, if you'll let me."

Trunks stepped back from him and glanced at him warily.

"It's alright, Trunks, really," Krillin reassured.
Desperate for something, anything, that would help him not have to go through so many pains to restore his ki, Trunks allowed Ailill to come near him again. Ailill closed his eyes and rested his hand on Trunks' shoulder. A glow of energy lit them both as he worked on passing some of his own energy into the boy. When it was over, Ailill sighed and stepped back.

"I guess that'll have to do for now," he told Trunks. "I can't spare too much, because I need it for other things."

Already feeling revitalized, Trunks nodded. "Let's go!"

~oOo~

Having calmed down baby Bura's crying, Bulma now shifted her focus to the battle happening above. Her heart leapt to her throat as the full impact of what was happening sank in. She cradled her baby in her arms as she realized that they were standing way too close to the fight for their own good. If anything were to happen to her baby now it would be on her shoulders. Videl realized the same thing, speaking a warning moments before she could.

"We should hide somewhere," Videl suggested, holding baby Goten against herself.

Bulma nodded in agreement quickly standing and sheltering the baby against her chest. She had learned that lesson rather painfully multiple times by now. As they began to move away from the battle scene, another blast sounded up above them. Bulma cringed and instinctively looked back up. No matter how many times she saw it, the fusion between her husband and her oldest friend always awed her. It never ceased to amaze her how much Vegeta had changed in the last several years. The very fact that he was willing to fuse together with his long-time rival just to save the people he loved—those he now openly called family—spoke volumes.

“This way!” Videl cried, motioning Bulma to the general direction of the castle interior. It wouldn’t be safe if a stray blast hit the structure and made it crumble above them, but it was sure as hell a lot safer than staying in the middle where a stray blast could hit either of them. They hurried to a temporary safe haven and dropped down on the floor, leaning against the wall. Bulma glanced up again at the fight, cringing as Gogeta took a particularly heavy blow and flew back a few meters. She forced her eyes away from the fight so that she could finally direct her attention to her newborn child.

“Oh, Bura…” she sighed as she began to fuss over the baby, examining her from head to toe to make sure nothing was out of place, and that she didn’t have any remaining Ice-jin parts. “My sweet baby, what did they do to you?”

“Don’t worry, Bulma, she’s okay,” Videl said. She shifted Goten in her arms and turned back to where the action was. “They’re both okay. And I think they will be, too.” She nodded in the direction of Gogeta. They watched as Gogeta ducked a punch and seemed to disappear suddenly. He appeared behind Kooriza, the latter landing an elbow on Gogeta’s chest, making him lose his advantage for a few seconds. It seemed that was all Kooriza needed to take control of the fight. With a hard kick to the back, Kooriza sent Gogeta flying back to the ground. Gogeta regained himself halfway down and flew back up to meet his foe. As if somehow rejuvenated, Gogeta began a series of punches and kicks that started forcing Kooriza back into submission. “Gogeta has the advantage for now, but who knows how long they can hold out.”

“You’re right.” Bulma turned to look toward the inside of the castle. She knew her son was fine; he just had to be. Now that she had her baby back, her faith was renewed. “I wish they’d get here soon. What in the world could be taking them so long?”

Everything will be fine once Trunks gets here with Piccolo and Ailill. I know it will be.

~oOo~

“Hurry up!” Trunks called back to the others as he stopped with irritation at their slower pace. “I don’t wanna miss any of the action!”

Piccolo frowned at Trunks as he caught up to the boy. “This isn’t a game, Trunks. If Freeza and Koola win, it will mean the end for all of us.”

“I wish there was a way to help the others, but I don’t think I even want to go take a look at what’s going on up there,” Krillin muttered as he reached the others.

Ailill was the last to reach them, stopping to try and get a feel of the way back up to the surface. “I think we came from this way,” he told the others, pointing.

Krillin and Piccolo started following, but Trunks held his ground. “Wait!” he exclaimed. “We can’t leave without my sword!”

“You’re going to have to forget your sword, Trunks,” Piccolo said with irritation. “There are more important things happening right now.”

“But Tapion gave it to me; I can’t just leave it behind!”

Before Piccolo could reply, Ailill turned to Trunks curiously. “You’ve mentioned him before, in reference to my brother. Who is this Tapion?”

Trunks crossed his arms over his chest impatiently. “He looks a lot like you and the other guy, so I figured you were the same species,” he said. “But he’s like an older brother to me and he gave me that sword as a gift. I’m not going to lose it to these morons.”

“Was it a sword from his planet?” Ailill looked thoughtful.

“Yeah, it’s legendary. According to my dad, it’s the sword that turned Freeza into cold cuts,” Trunks said proudly.

Ailill turned to Piccolo. “I think it might be wise if we did go retrieve it. If what I suspect is correct, I may know of a way to help the others after all.”

“So where is it?” Krillin asked Trunks.

Trunks pursed his lips sheepishly. “I’m not sure where they took it to.”

“Do you expect us to go room by room in this damned place, then?” Piccolo said harshly. “It could be anywhere; this is a waste of time.”

Ailill shook his head. “No, if I know the Ice-jin, I’m sure they’d want to display it somewhere proudly. It’s not going to be out in the open where we can find it easily, but I’d be willing to bet they stored it with the rest of their weapons.”

“The armory?” Trunks asked.

“There’s a strong possibility,” Ailill replied.

“Well, it’s certainly worth a shot…” Krillin added, looking at Piccolo.

“Alright, let’s go. Quickly,” Piccolo relented. “But if it’s not there, I’m not going on a wild goose chase.”

“This way,” Ailill said and turned to start leading the way.

They had walked for five minutes in silence when they heard loud footsteps coming directly at them. The owners’ ki were definitely stronger than a regular person’s, something that made the four companions stop in their tracks. Piccolo pushed Ailill behind him as Krillin and Trunks stepped forward beside Piccolo.

“Why do these ki feel oddly familiar?” Krillin muttered nervously.

It didn’t take long to get an answer to his question. His eyes widened in shock as he got a look at the creatures that were suddenly in front of them. Blocking their way down the large hall were the remaining four members of the Ginyu Force: Jeice, Recoome, Burter, and Guldo. On both sides of the Ginyu Force stood Zarbon and Dodoria, while hovering off behind all of them were Koola’s Special Force: Neizu, Dore, and their leader, Sauza.

Jeice smirked at the four compainions. “Going somewhere?”

“I think they’re upset that they weren’t invited to the party up there,” added Burter.

Piccolo narrowed his eyes dangerously. “If I were you, I’d get out of our way now.”

This caused a round of laughter from their enemies. “Ooooh, we’re sooo scared,” said Recoome.

Zarbon’s eyes zeroed in on Trunks. “Is this Vegeta’s little brat? Doesn’t look so tough to me.”

“Wanna try me?” taunted Trunks. His hair was already blowing around him from the force of his own energy as he started to power up.

“The little monkey kid has spunk, I’ll give him that,” Guldo chipped in.

“Just let us kill you real quick so that we can get back to watching Freeza and Koola kick the living shit out of the Saiyans,” Dodoria said.

As Koola’s Special Forces chuckled from behind the living blockade, Piccolo turned his attention to them. “I’ve already killed you once before,” he called to them. “What makes you think it’s going to be any different this time?”

“You’ll find we’re full of surprises this time, Namekian,” Sauza shot back.

“You’re not so tough without your precious leader, Ginyu,” Krillin called to the Ginyu Force members. “Last I heard, he was living a happy life in Bulma’s pond as a frog.”

Jeice gritted his teeth and gestured toward Recoome, Burter, and Guldo. “You’ll find we’re more than enough to make sure you don’t make it out of here alive.”

The gesture had been a sign for the others to prepare for battle. Almost immediately, Recoome struck a rather uncomfortable-looking pose and called out his name. He was followed in the same fashion by Burter and then Guldo, and finally Jeice in the middle. Their routine had varied slightly from the one they had seen before. It seemed that now that Ginyu was gone, Jeice had taken up the leader position. When they finished, everyone, including their own companions, were looking at them in strange amusement. Trunks blinked several times before he burst out into laughter.

“I can’t believe you were the guys that gave my dad and the others trouble before,” Trunks said between snickers.

“Leave the kid to me,” Zarbon said, his eyes not leaving Trunks. “I have a score to settle with his father and I believe this is the perfect payment.”

That did it for Trunks. He powered up into Super Saiyan form in a matter of seconds and charged into Zarbon. Not having expected Trunks to be so bold, Zarbon was caught by surprise and lost his footing. Dodoria wasn’t far behind, making sure to back up his partner. Suddenly their movements all became a blur of light too fast for the others to follow with their eyes.

Piccolo, in turn, quickly jumped in to distract Koola’s lackies from Trunks’ fight. He knew the boy would be able to hold his own against those two without much problem, but he might tire easily if he had too many enemies at once. Suddenly, the only ones left unoccupied were Krillin, Ailill, and the Ginyu Force. Ailill was staring at the four aliens nervously.

Krillin squared his shoulders and readied himself for battle. He knew he was stronger now than when he had first encountered the Ginyu Force, but he knew that they probably were too. There was no way he would be able to take all four of them at once. If only Goku were here…

“Krillin,” Ailill said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I can lend you some of my energy for you to fend them off, but it won’t last long.”

Krillin nodded. “It’s better than nothing.”

“Just be careful,” Ailill warned, loud enough so that the other could hear. “Any heavy attacks and we’ll bring down the entire building over us. Then none of us get out.”

Ailill took a few steps back and muttered a spell that formed a light shield around himself. Then he said a few more words that seemed to startle Krillin into attention. He stood up straight and hovered off the ground for several seconds. When he landed again, he took notice of the Ginyu Force. Recoome and Guldo were playing rock, paper, scizzors for some bizarre reason that he could not comprehend. With his new surge of energy, he charged at Jeice. The other was ready for the attack and met Krillin’s blows effortlessly. Burter joined in from the other end, but surprisingly enough, it wasn’t too much for Krillin to handle. He was fending them both off nicely, when suddenly he realized that the other two Force members weren’t attacking. It didn’t take long to realize that Piccolo, apparently having finished off two of Koola’s lackies, was engaged in a fight with Recoome, Guldo, and Sauza.

On Trunks’ end, things were starting to get heavy. Zarbon was stronger than he’d anticipated and it didn’t help that Dodoria was weighing him down as well.

“You know,” Zarbon said conversationally amidst their blows and punches, “I used to be able to crush your father to pieces when he was your age.”

Trunks growled in anger. “Yeah, and then he finished you off.” He pushed Dodoria off him with a surge of rage, making the ugly pink creature slam hard against a wall, promptly removing him from the fight.

Startled, Zarbon backed away from Trunks and quickly shifted into his more powerful form. Trunks shot a burst of energy at him, which Zarbon ducked out of the way for. The energy ball hit a wall behind Zarbon, making a large hole on the wall.


“You keep doing that, and you’ll bring the entire palace over all of us,” Zarbon told him as he lunged at the boy again.

With another growl, Trunks kicked Zarbon away from him and used the opportunity to power up to Super Saiyan 2. As he caught sight of the powered-up boy, Zarbon’s eyes turned to saucers and he backed away. “What the…?”

Trunks smirked and caught Zarbon with a hard kick to the stomach, causing the ugly creature to knock against another wall. There was no hesitation on Trunks’ part; the boy shot a quick energy ball at Zarbon, completely eliminating any trace of the other being. Dodoria’s unconscious form of the ground received the same fate. By the time he turned around to look at the others, the only ones left fighting against Krillin and Piccolo were Jeice and Sauza. Ailill was sitting in the ground, far behind the action, breathing hard. Jeice and Sauza were already tired and Trunks could tell they would be defeated soon.

He was right.

When they were done, the four companions regrouped around Ailill.

“Are you OK, Ailill?” asked Krillin.

Ailill nodded. “Yes, I am well. I can feel the energy being restored already. I must not waste too much of it, if I am to open the portal again.”

“Good,” Piccolo replied. “Then let’s go get that damn sword and get out of here already.”

~oOo~

The battle had dragged on to what seemed like an eternity even though in reality, less than half an hour had passed. Both fusions faced each other, but from her vintage point Dalia couldn't tell for sure who had the upper hand. Several times her masters had dominated, at others the Saiyans had, but overall the battle was in constant stalemate. To their advantage, no one had challenged her or the Ice-jin king so the endurance of the fusion was ensured. Her immediate worry was Coran. Even though his expression had not changed throughout the entire ordeal thus far, visible signs of strain were beginning to makes themselves noticeable. His breathing had become rapid and shallow and on more than one occasion, Dalia could have sworn she had seen a trickle of blood oozing from his lips or nose, only to have it disappear instants later.

"This is not good," she muttered.

"I beg your pardon, Dalia. Did you say something?" King Kold said pacing towards her. Dalia considered for a moment whether or not to speak of her worry to King Kold, but finally opted to.
"Have you noticed how my Lords' fusion has taken little damage from the attacks of the Saiyans despite the fact that they appear to be matched in strength?" she said deciding to verbalize something that had been bothering her for several minutes.

"You have discovered the reason for this," he replied. It wasn't a question.

"Coran is absorbing all the damage," Dalia told him. "It gives us an advantage, but not sure for how long Coran will hold."

"Can we do anything for him?" Kold inquired.

"Not like this…" Dalia said. "I fear any outside influence might break his concentration and affect the fusion."

There were a few seconds of silence while they both thought of possible solution.

"Perhaps we could-" King Kold started, but was cut short by a burst of light from the aerial battle field. Both beings looked up at the battle to find that the Saiyan super fusion had stopped glowing. The characteristic super Saiyan blonde hair had been replaced by a dark mane and the golden aura had completely disappeared. For a moment, the arena was quiet as everyone present took in what had just occurred.

"They lost power…" Dalia said incredulously. "They've completely powered down!"

Gogeta looked at his surrounding with an expression of confusion and insult written all over his face before finally locking eyes with Kooriza. The Ice-jin super fusion couldn't look smugger. The few seconds of peace were ended as the Glai'keel-sei prince fusion lunged itself at the Saiyan, driving him into what was left of the far wall making it crumble under the force of the impact. Kooriza moved to hover over the spot the Saiyan had fallen and waited for it to emerge, but no one did.  Several seconds later, part of the rubble flew aside and a couple of very stunned Saiyan stepped out. The only thing that Dalia could hear was a distinctive "Oh fuck…" coming from Vegeta before the Ice-jin fusion charged at them once again punching both Goku and Vegeta into the sky, then appearing behind them and blasting them through several of the palace's walls.

Vegeta emerged from the rubble several seconds later in full Super Saiyan two form and charged at Kooriza while bellowing a challenge, Goku just at his heels only to have their target disappear before their eyes nano-seconds before impact. Kooriza appeared behind them strangling Vegeta with his tail and grabbing Goku by his hair, then sending him slamming into the ground several hundred feet below.

"Or they could do that…" Dalia commented with a sly smile. Coran's breathing had normalized and it was painfully obvious the Ice-jin princes had full control of the battle. She knew the Saiyans were made out of sturdy material, but she seriously doubted that they could survive in this for more than several more minutes. Currently Goku had managed to pick himself up and was engaged in a series of too-fast-to-be-followed jabs and parries with Kooriza while Vegeta had still not managed to free himself from the fusion's iron grip and was rapidly changing color from a bright shade of red to purple. In a swift movement, Kooriza moved Vegeta to intercept Goku's punch while still dangling from the tail's grip. Goku froze in horror as he realized the fusion had used Vegeta to shield itself. Kooriza smiled then released Vegeta who hovered in the air for several seconds before crashing down to the ground.

"You… monster!" Goku cried out in outrage.

Kooriza acknowledged his comment by tilting its head forwards ever so slightly and smiling innocently.

"How could y-"

Goku's words were cut short as Kooriza slammed him down next to Vegeta. For a moment, they were both still.

"Kakarot… you asshole…" Vegeta muttered turning his head towards the other Saiyan who had just crashed by his side. He rose to his knees and heaped in deep breaths of the precious air that had just been granted to him once again.

"I'm sorry, Vegeta…" Goku stammered wiping the blood that was dripping down his chin. "I didn't see-"

"You didn't see that fucking lizard was choking me?" Vegeta yelled at him. "These people do not play fair! You should have known!"

"The break is over boys," Kooriza interrupted appearing several feet above their heads. "If it's not too much trouble, could we wrap this up sometime today?"

"You filthy son of a bitch!" Vegeta roared throwing himself at Kooriza. The fusion single handedly blocked his punch then help Vegeta by the attack arm and fired a ki blast into his torso.

"Vegeta!" Goku screamed as the other Saiyan once again flew across the makeshift arena. He could feel himself trembling in anger at the way the battle was turning out. Yet he wasn't going to give up. Things had looked bleak before, and they had always triumphed. Somehow, they would succeed. They had to.

~oOo~

Finding a legendary sword was the easy part, Ailill thought as they raced towards the battle scene. The journey he had embarked on several weeks before was reaching its climax and the simplest action performed to date had been navigating the palace maze using the hazy memories of his escape. They had stumbled into the armory and, thankfully, Trunks had quickly identified the ancient weapon they had bee hunting after. To make his task easier, the sword had been set up on a pedestal in trophy-like fashion. As Ailill had hoped, the sword was indeed not an ordinary sword, but had been crafted by his ancestors with a very specific purpose in mind. Now, it just might prove useful once again. Their musings had been abruptly cut short with the disappearance of the Saiyan super fusion’s ki. All three other members of their party had immediately made haste in retracing their steps and finding a way towards the place where the battle was unfolding.

The circle was slowly drawing to a close and he would do everything in his power to see it through. The same way this had all started, it had to end if he and his companions were to ever find peace again. It soon became obvious they were drawing closer as the sounds and vibrations from the nearby explosions became louder.

“We’re almost there!” Ailill encouraged.

Before anyone could respond there was a loud crash to their right followed by Vegeta smashing through the wall closest to them.  The four of them instinctively dashed for cover then gaped in total disbelief at the golden haired Saiyan.

“Bastard…” Vegeta swore while picking himself up and preparing to dash out again. “You’re going to pay for th-”

Now it was Goku’s turn to come crashing through the wall, right into semi-standing Vegeta and together with him, through another two rooms behind them.

“Dad!” Trunks exclaimed immediately running through the rubble after his father.

“Trunks! Wait, no!” Ailill exclaimed diving towards Trunks and knocking him flat on the ground several yards away seconds before a ki ray dashed right through the spot he had previously occupied and exploded somewhere beyond.

“Take cover!” Piccolo called as the entire palace shook to its foundations because of the powerful shock wave. For several agonizing moments, it seemed like the entire hallway was going to cave in on top of them as building material and large blocks fell from the ceiling, but somehow it held.

“At least we can thank them for sturdy architecture…” Krillin muttered while dusting himself off.  He then looked around for his friends. “Is everyone alright?”

“What the hell was that? I’ve never felt anything like it!” Piccolo said walking towards Ailill and Trunks. Ailill was checking on a stunned Trunks, who was still looking in the direction the ki blast had gone.

“Was that Freeza?” Krillin exclaimed, horror visible all over his face.

“No…”

The four of them turned to find both Vegeta leaning heavily against one of the crumbling walls. Goku soon appeared besides him. Both could not have looked worse. Their bodies were covered in freely bleeding wounds and scratches, their clothing burnt in several places, and from the swelling it was obvious both sported several broken bones. It was difficult to believe they could still stand.

“Dad!” Trunks cried in relief, throwing himself at his father. A pained groan caused Trunks to back off sheepishly.

“That was Kooriza…”Goku spoke. “It’s Koola and Freeza’s fusion.” He then forced a weak smile. “He’s giving us a little trouble.”

“That was a little?” Krillin said in shock. “Have you seen the state you’re in, Goku? No offense, but I’ve seen you look better… and you were dead at the time.”

“We must go, Kakarot,” Vegeta intervened. “He’ll come after us any second! We must finish him now!”

“No!” a high pitched voice yelled from the other side of the hall way. “You’re going to get yourself killed!” Bulma was running towards them, baby girl in arms and followed closely by Videl with baby Goten and Dende.

“Now is not the time for your sermons, Bulma,” Vegeta retorted. “There are bigger things to worry about!” With that, he levitated and flew back towards the fight. Goku took a deep breath and followed.

“They are going to get themselves killed!” Bulma exclaimed angrily. “Ever since Gogeta disappeared they’ve done nothing but take a heavy beating! That thing seems unfazed; their attacks are not getting through!”

“Where’s Gohan?” Piccolo asked.

“Locked in combat with Cell,” Krillin responded taking a quick peek at the arena. “At least he doesn’t look nearly so beat up.”

“We need a plan!” Videl exclaimed. “Stupid Saiyans; they think they can solve everything by punching holes into things! Look where that was gotten them!”

“My brother is holding the Ice-jin fusion in place,” Ailill observed. “As long as he is in control, that will not change.”

A deep silence followed his statement each remembering the power the other twin had been capable of showing.

“Wait!” Videl exclaimed. “I’ve got an idea! It might not be perfect, but it should buy us some time.”

“What is it?” Dende inquired.

“Ailill,” Videl started. “What is it you need to send those two back were they came from?”

“The same setting that was used to bring them,” he replied. “It was an altar, but the important parts were the two stone circles my brother and I stood in.”

“Ok,” Videl said thinking quickly. “We can manage that.”

“I also need my brother,” Ailill added. “It was a double spell. Both of us need to participate.”

“That may be harder,” Videl said. “But I’ll leave it to you.”

“Where are you going with this, Videl?” Piccolo asked stepping towards her.

“I’ve got a plan,” she replied eagerly. “It’s going to be dangerous, and it’ll put all of us at risk… But we have so much to gain if we succeed.”

“What did you have in mind?” Krillin asked her.

“Here’s the thing…”

~oOo~

What are they doing?

The arena had been pretty much desolated from the moment the serious fighting had begun. Everyone that didn’t need to be there was gone, and even some that should be, had disappeared. Victory was only a stone’s throw away but suddenly now Dalia looked on as from within the relative safety of the surrounding palace, one of the warriors from Earth, a tall green one, flew out and join the fight the eldest son of Goku was having against the android, Cell. Several seconds later, the young Saiyan tore himself from that battle and joined his father and Vegeta against Kooriza. Before she could see more, her senses flashed to life as she sensed two beings speed in their direction.

“My Lord!” she called out to King Kold and immediately dashed to intercept them.

“You!” she exclaimed noticing that the one who had engaged with her in battle was the same purple-haired demi Saiyan they had kept locked in the dungeons. Vegeta’s kid. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the other short human intercept King Kold.

Trunks took the opportunity to release all the repressed anger and desperation he had experienced the past days. Still, the silver haired woman he fought was good, and not nearly enough of the punches he was throwing at her were actually hitting her. But that wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. He risked a sideways glance and saw Ailill coming towards them. The split-second distraction cost him as Dalia blasted him towards the ground. Not giving him a second to recover, Dalia dove after him, but halfway there, she felt her entire body freeze in mid-flight.

Dazed, she looked around only to realize she seemed to be caught in an invisible web. She sighted Ailill out of the corner of her eye, but before she could fully understand what was happening to her she screamed as a thousand invisible knives tore into her body. The pain stopped, but before she could fully catch her breath, it began again intensifying with each second. Next thing she knew, she was on the ground, still bound by invisible strings that were slowly ripping her apart. She cried out again in pain and shut her eyes tightly. Before she knew it, her strength had been completely drained by the spell that held her.

Not like this… She thought bitterly as locks of her now indigo hair blew into her face. She was being defeated by the same power she was trying to defend. Overwhelmed for the first time in ages by the feeling of complete helplessness she gritted her teeth and waited for the deathblow that was sure to come.

But it never did.

In utter disbelief, she saw Ailill dive out of the way of a giant ki ball. Seconds later, Kooriza had landed next to her. He looked down at her momentarily then turned its glare upon Ailill.

“My Lords…?” Dalia managed to say through her pain, not able to believe what had just happened. This was something out of character for both her masters. Before he could respond, a bright light engulfed him, and a handfull of seconds later, it had divided back into a startled Koola and Freeza.

“No…” she whispered. “Coran…”

Dalia climbed to her knees and risked a look at the mage. Coran had half collapsed onto the floor in exhaustion but seemed uninjured and Dalia noticed that he had not been attacked. Coran looked up at her and smiled weakly.

“Why did you…” she said even though she knew he couldn’t hear her. All battles had unanimously paused and now their small group was the center of attention.

“What happened, Brother?” Freeza spoke into her thoughts.

“I’m not sure…” Koola replied.

“What’s happened is that now we can have a fair fight,” Vegeta called out from the other side of the arena. He and Goku were stepping out of the palace ruins and to Dalia’s horror, looked fully healed. “Perhaps now you’d like to pick it up where we left off? No dirty tricks this time.”

“You idiot!” Freeza snapped at Coran.

“Now the little Namekian has healed them,” Koola seethed. He focused his enraged glare on Coran. “Fuse us again, now!”

Coran opened his mouth to express his desire to do so, but found that he couldn’t even control his vocal chords from the exhaustion. It wasn’t difficult for everyone to realize that the energy he would need to make and hold the fusion once again had been depleted. In a split second, Vegeta and Goku, both powered up to their respective levels of Super Saiyan, had engaged Freeza and Koola in combat once again.

With her masters distracted for the moment, Dalia focused her attention on Ailill and Trunks. The former was holding a sword over Coran’s chest threateningly, while Trunks stood in defensive stance in front of Dalia.

“What the hell do you think you’re…” Dalia began, but was promptly interrupted.

“If you attempt anything, I will use it on him,” Ailill threatened nervously. His hand had a slight tremble to it, but he managed to hold the sword well regardless.

“It’ll take more than a measly sword to kill Coran,” Dalia responded with confidence.

Coran shook his head. “Dalia,” he croaked. “Not… this one…”

“That’s Tapion’s legendary sword!” Trunks added proudly. “It was forged magically to control magic. It held back demons in its day; don’t think it won’t affect him.”

“Do as we say,” Ailill said.

“You wouldn’t kill your own brother,” Dalia insisted.

Ailill drew a deep breath and let it out loudly. Swallowing hard, he replied, “No, if I did, I would ruin our chances of reopening the portal. But I have nothing against crippling him so that he cannot leave. I will do what must be done to set things right.”

The determination shone through Ailill’s eyes, and despite his shaky appearance, she could see that he meant it.

“Over my dead body,” she vowed dangerously. She meant it too. She couldn’t lose Coran, she just couldn’t.

“Dalia,” Coran called weakly. “Let it go. There… are more… important things.”

Dalia stared at Coran curiously, not understanding what he meant.

“You must… protect… Lord Freeza and… Lord Koola,” Coran continued. The subtle emphasis on Koola’s name snapped Dalia back into reality with sudden realization. Yes, she had to protect her Lord Koola, if nothing else. There was still hope after all. Dalia risked a glance at the ongoing battle between her lords and the two eldest Saiyans. They were evenly matched and she knew that her lords could hold their own against the Saiyan monkeys with no problem. If she could just do her part and get out of there, she would meet the Ice-jin at their pre-arranged rendezvous later and continue their bigger, more important battle.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that the tall Namekian and Goku’s son had the upperhand on Cell. We must lose some battles if we are to win the war, she thought with resolve. Cell was a pawn, a distraction. By the time they eliminated him, she would be well on her way with her lords. Coran’s brother wouldn’t even have a chance to reopen the portal, and even if he did, there was no way her lords would be so easily defeated.

~oOo~


“Over here!” Videl called to Ailill as he was making his way in her general direction, Coran held close to him with a sword pointed at his side. Beside her, Dende was actively piling debris and rocks into a pyramid shaped altar in the middle of the courtyard. The battles were still raging above them, but they weren’t touching the ground near them, thankfully. “We’ve got the altar ready, just like you described it.”

Ailill examined the makeshift preparations. The ceremony called for an altar shaped like a pyramid, and a large, open space. The courtyard was wide open—even more so now that battles had blasted a large portion of the palace to pieces. Dende and Videl had gathered what debris they could to arrange a stone pyramid, as per Ailill’s instructions. Even though it wasn’t exactly how he would have preferred, they had done the best they could, given what time and materials they had been able to find. He supposed that beggars couldn’t be choosers at times like these.

“Do you think this works?” Dende asked dubiously. Nervously, he glanced up towards the sky as he heard Gohan yell “Kame-hah-meh-hah!”, and watched as he released a beam of energy in Cell’s direction. Piccolo was floating behind Gohan, watching warily as the beam caught Cell and started to disintegrate him.

“Yes, this will do,” Ailill replied. He gently pushed his brother up toward his appropriate place on the pyramid altar, and motioned Videl over. She hurried to his side without a word. “Here, hold this against him like so.” He showed her how he was holding the sword and watched as she imitated his grip. “Don’t kill him, but if he tries to leave, wound him.” He watched as Coran sagged against Videl’s side, too tired to move. “Though I doubt we will have many problems. When you hear me start saying the incantation, stand back as quickly as possible. You’re strong, but you cannot withstand the amount of power that will be released here tonight.”

“What about me?” Dende called from the front of the makeshift pyramid.

“You have done well, Dende, I thank you. But now I think it is time for you to stand back,” he called to her. “This will be dangerous.” Dende nodded and with one final glance at Coran, flew back to where Bulma had taken cover with the two babies.

As he turned to glance at his brother, he felt a tug of emotion on his heart. How had it come to be this way? How could his brother have betrayed him for these monsters, ignoring their fraternal bond to form a bond with Dalia instead? How could he care so little for his own blood and kin? Taking a deep breath, he pushed those thoughts from his mind. There was no time for that now; what was done was done and over with, and now it was time to look at the present and towards the future to right the wrongs he had been reluctantly forced to participate in.

Closing his eyes, he muttered the incantation necessary for him to gather his brother’s power. Videl didn’t hesitate in removing the sword from Coran’s side and flying away from the pyramid as quickly as she could. Before he knew what was going on, Ailill felt the immense power going inside of him, coursing through him, becoming him. When he opened his eyes, he vaguely acknowledged Coran’s slumped figure beside him, shooting two beams of light in either direction of his body. Concentrating all of the power to the task, he muttered another spell and watched as the air in front of him cracked with energy. Slowly, in the space some meters ahead of him, the dark background fabric of the night seemed to rip open little by little. It wasn’t long before the small slit became a wide circle that kept growing.