~*Chandra*~

Warnings: A bit of language, gee, aren't you terrified? Thought not.

Notes: Listening to Jewel while taking a bath is an inspiring experience. I got this idea while taking said bath and listening to the cd "Spirit."

He had long ago lost count of the times he had cried. It had been two years and nothing had changed. He watched her sadly, day after day, as she became an empty shell of the exuberant blonde she had once been.

It hurt him deeply to see her like this, but he did all he could to help her. If he could go back in time, he never would have taken either of them along. He had lost the two women who mattered to him more than life itself: his wife and daughter.

He had forgotten how many times they had saved the world when he found out that his wife was pregnant. He was going to be a father! He couldn't have been happier.

When she was born and he held his baby girl in his hands, he was moved to tears. He sat beside his beloved, cradling their tiny daughter in his arms. His young and happy wife had touched their child's forehead gently, smiling as the baby opened her eyes.

"Little blue-eyed Chandra, beauty and power shall both be yours." She smoothed the dark and fine hair atop her daughter's head.

His wife was more of a prophet that she could ever have believed. Chandra grew to be more than beautiful. Her dark hair and ice blue eyes giving her a dark seductiveness that got her more attention than it should have. She came to be taller than her mother, nearly matching her father in height.

At sixteen, she was the happiest teenager her parents had ever seen. Chandra became the strongest warrior on the planet, mightier even than her mother and father combined. But before she could turn seventeen, it all came to a halt.

The three of them, together with the rest of the fighters, were in a vicious battle with a powerful foe. Many of the others were already out of the fight, no longer able to take part because of their injuries.

Chandra's right leg was shattered, but she had no intention of giving up. With a roar, Chandra allowed her ki to be released, making her muscles bulge and her hair turn platinum blonde.

Ignoring the pain that shot through her leg, and too proud to eat one of those wretched beans, Chandra launched herself at the villain.

Taken off guard by the sudden onslaught of the demi-saiyan, the foe was forced back. Chandra's victory was brief however, and she shouted in anger at him. "Damn you! Why won't you die and leave us in peace?!"

"Quite simple, halfbreed! The bloodlines that created you shouldn't have mixed!"

"It's a bit late to stop that now!" Chandra swung a vicious kick to his rib cage, making him double over as his bones were shattered.

The demi-saiyan sneered. "Worthless, filthy thing. You don't belong in this world!" She kicked the downed fiend repeatedly with her good leg, breaking bones with each hit. One particularly forceful kick sent the battered body flying, landing in a cloud of dust.

Chandra limped over to her enemy and looked down at him without a shred of mercy in her icy eyes. A ball of energy formed in her right hand. "Time to meet your maker," Chandra said softly, her voice seething with hate. Veins standing out against her skin, her energy skyrocketed as she slammed her fist into the center of her opponent's chest.

The two fighters seemed to disappear as all were blinded by the flash of light. Her foe crumbled to dust beneath her fingertips and she flew off at rapidly while the others were still unable to see clearly. She was about to do one of two things: heal and grow stronger, or die.

As their eyesight returned, Chandra's parents and their friends looked around for her. They knew that the foe was defeated, but could the brave and selfless Chandra really be gone?

Her mother dropped to her knees as the events finally sunk in. "My little girl..." She trailed off with tears in her glacier blue eyes. "Chandra..."

He held her close as she cried. "She did it to save us all..." he said softly, on the verge of tears himself.

His wife hadn't said any other word but her last since that day. She appeared nearly autistic, trapped in her own mind. Each day, his wife would wake, wash, dress, and eat. The rest of her day was spent on their back porch, leaning against the rail, looking out at the mountains as though awaiting Chandra's return.

It had been two years, and she spoke one word each day; "Chandra..."

He leaned against the door frame that led to the porch, watching his wife silently. She was still beautiful, even after all these years. Her short blonde hair was swept back from her face by the breeze. She was virtually ageless, yet her pensiveness made her seem older than time itself. He wanted to hold her in his arms, to tell her that Chandra wasn't coming back, to tell her that she needed to get on with her life. In the end, he didn't have the heart to do it. He was afraid of what she would do if reality were to smack her in the face.

Today was the two year anniversary of their daughter's disappearance, and presumably, her death. He walked over to the railing and stood beside his wife, looking silently at the mountains. If nothing happened today, his wife would be told the truth; Chandra was dead.

The black haired saiyan blinked. Something was coming, now only a small speck on the horizon. He could feel an enormous amount of energy coming from the fast-approaching dot. There was something vaguely familiar about the feel of that energy...

A smile overtook his wife's features and she waved her arms frantically at the figure. "Chandra!" she shouted, laughter filling her voice.

Her husband watched the girl land in their backyard, he was completely stunned. His wife dashed off the porch and tackled their daughter, hugging her fiercely. Both of them were crying, as well as laughing, with relief.

He was standing stock still, tears running unbidden down his face. The two women were now standing, so overcome with emotion that they couldn't speak. The husband and father ran to them, embracing them both tightly in his strong arms. The trio stood together, glad to finally be reunited once more.

After a few moments of silence, the man spoke to his wife. "Eighteen, how did you know it was Chandra?"

The blonde looked at her husband with a smile. "It's simple, Gohan. After carrying a body within you for nine months, a bond is formed that can never be broken. I didn't realize it right after the battle because of all the other distorted auras that were around. I just couldn't find her then." Eighteen squeezed her daughter tightly . "As soon as we got home, I knew she had to be out there somewhere."

Gohan held his daughter back at arms length. "Let me look at you, Chandra."

She had gotten taller, her ice blue eyes were now level with her father's. Her whole body emanated more strength than any of them had ever imagined. With a small smile Gohan said, "You've been training, I see."

With watery eyes, Chandra nodded. "More than you'd think a dead girl would, right daddy?" She laughed and hugged him tightly, making his back pop loudly.

"I can tell," he smiled.

"Come on, Chandra. You don't want to hurt your father, do you?" Eighteen said with a smirk.

"Of course not, mom." She released Gohan and he took a deep breath, checking for cracked ribs.

Chandra looked at the house with a smile. "Wow... it feels so good to be home."

She turned back to her parents with a grin very like her grandfather's. "When's lunch, mom?"

Her parents fell over backwards and laughed. 'Some things never change,' they thought.