Phoenix Fire
Chapter 2
Finally, chapter two! Someone review this time, pleeze! Like it, hate it, just so I know someone's reading this!
"Vegeta?" Bulma stepped forward uncertainly. "Is…it really you?"
"Well, yeah," he replied, blinking slowly. He smiled lazily. "Who did you think I was?"
"But Goku told us you died fighting Buu," Yamcha said. "Krillin and Piccolo saw it themselves!"
"That was simply part of the timeline," the green-haired woman said. "It had to happen to open the way for other events."
The others stared blankly. "What?" said #18. "Wait, who the hell are you anyway?"
The woman raised her eyebrows. "I am Setsuna Magami, princess of the Saiyan race and Guardian of the Second Gate, also know as the Gate of Time."
Piccolo's mouth dropped open. "You're the Guardian of Time? But why are you here? According to the legends, you're not supposed to leave your post!"
"Whoa, whoa." Videl cut in. "I'm not too sure what you guys are talking about, but why don't we all sit down somewhere and sort all this out?"
Bulma started to protest, then changed her mind. "Fine," she said. "But first things first- I want to know what's going on with you." She looked pointedly at Vegeta, who grinned slightly.
"Deal." Setsuna replied calmly.
So they all sat on the steps of the Lookout. Vegeta explained that when he blew himself up, he didn't go straight to the other world. Setsuna had known what would happen and made an arrangement ahead of time with the Guardian of the Third Gate, which was also the Gate of Life. They agreed that Vegeta would be sent to the Third Gate, then given a new body and told to go to Setsuna. She had told him about the fire power, which until then had lain dormant within him, and also about the redhead, whose name was Toru and was in fact Vegeta's mother. Apparently Toru had done something horrible before Vegeta-sei was destroyed and made Vegeta and Setsuna hate her forever. So Vegeta had come to kill her. That was all.
But that wasn't good enough for Bulma. "What could your mother have done to make you want to kill her? Or is that just a convenient excuse?"
Vegeta scowled, not understanding her snippy attitude. "Never mind that-"
"Never mind my ass! You better tell me or-"
"Or what?" Setsuna interrupted.
Bulma started to say something a bit rude, but Vegeta spoke up first. "Stay out of this, 'Suna. Fine," he said to Bulma, "I'll tell you, but don't blame me if you have nightmares." He paused a minute. "Did Toru mention the name Alissa?"
"Yeah, she did," Bulma replied uncertainly "Who's she?"
Vegeta hesitated, then sighed a little. "She would have been my sixth sister had Toru not killed her."
The others gasped. "Killed her?" Bulma said quietly. "Her own daughter?"
Vegeta and Setsuna looked uncomfortable. "Yes. Tore her to pieces when she was just three days old. I saw it myself," Vegeta said.
"Why?" Bulma almost pleaded.
Vegeta wouldn't look at her. "Because, as I said, she is mad. Went insane when I was four. I don't know why. I assumed it was caused by her powers."
"The fire power, you mean?" Bulma asked gently. The others seemed content to let her do all the talking for now.
"Mm-hm."
"But you have the same power. And you're not… you know…"
Vegeta grinned. "Are you sure?"
Bulma smiled slightly. "Sometimes, no. But you're not like-like her."
"Yeah. I thought if I used that power it'd… you know. But it didn't. So…well, I suppose she just…lost it."
"Mmm." Bulma looked thoughtful.
Piccolo cleared his throat. "What exactly is this…fire power?"
"Hmm?" Vegeta looked up. "Oh. I'm not exactly sure. We Saiyans had legends claiming that whoever possessed this power would become some kind of deity. Obviously that's not the case."
Setsuna spoke up. "Other legends say that this power is given only to 'chosen' people who would go on to become Guardians. They were given the power as a mark of apprenticeship, if you will."
"But that's just legend," Vegeta continued. "No one knows what's true and what's not, but I don't care. I just know it packs a hell of a punch."
"That's for sure," Yamcha muttered.
Bulma looked about to say something, but just then there was a flash of orange-red light on the horizon. The earth shook slightly as the light grew stronger, then vanished. Vegeta and the others were on their feet in an instant.
"Oh, crap, don't tell me that Toru freak is back!" Yamcha cried.
Vegeta and Setsuna looked toward the place where the light had disappeared. "No," Setsuna said quietly. "It's not her. But I might know who it is"
