Note: This had to be one of my favorite chapters to write in the entire book. It was just so absolutely 'them' that I had to do it. And cheers to all of you who have been visiting my site, and for some of you, even adding me to YOUR profiles! It really is one of the nicest compliments in the world, having people like something of mine so much that they want to tell people about it.

This chapter's intended lyrics come from the Depeche Mode song "Blue Dress." You'll understand why in the next chapter.


And the Greatest of These

Chapter Six

"SHE DID WHAT?"

Krillin momentarily held the phone away from his ear as Goku's shout nearly deafened him. When his friend's ranting finally quieted down, he replied, "One of the guys tried to shoot Yamcha in the back and she teleported between the two of them. She took three or four shots to her chest and shoulder, but she seems to be all right now. Bulma looked her over once we got back to Capsule Corp."

Goku's thoughts were nearly incoherent at Kurenai's close call. To think that she… that they almost got her… my God, I could strangle her for scaring me like that! Before he could stop himself, he lashed out at Krillin. "I can't believe that the two of you would let her do something so reckless!"

"How could you accuse us of letting something like that happen?" Krillin shot back. "In case you've forgotten, you of all people should know firsthand what kind of people are after her. And let me remind you, Goku, that Kurenai saved your friend's life today, because if she hadn't jumped between them, Yamcha would be dead right now!"

"And you're sure they were after Kurenai?" Goku's voice was incredulous over the phone.

"Well, it couldn't have been just a mugging or something, they'd have just knifed us and taken our wallets." Krillin exhaled loudly and leaned against the wall of Bulma's lab. "No, they were after her specifically."

"But how could they have known who she was?"

"No idea. But we're going to find out."


Bulma was still carefully poking and prodding Kurenai, staring in astonishment at where the bullets had struck her… now healed as though it had never happened.

"I've never seen anything like this," she whispered. "Nobody heals that fast."

Kurenai shrugged, and wrapped her arms around herself.

The scientist glanced up and saw the haunted look in the immortal's eyes.

Your body appears to be fine, she thought. But your spirit will take much longer to heal, I'm afraid.


Krillin heard Goku draw in a deep breath, clearly trying to calm down. "Well, at least you three are safe, that's the important thing. Is Kurenai there now?"

"She's here in the lab, talking to Bulma, Yamcha, and Vegeta. You wanna talk to her?"

"Yeah."

Krillin covered the mouthpiece of the phone and called out across the lab, "Hey, Kurenai, Goku wants to talk to you."

She approached and took the phone. "Hello?"

The sound of her voice had the Saiyan's heart slamming in his chest, and a sudden sense of frustration and helplessness overwhelmed him.

"Don't you ever do anything that foolish again, do you hear me!"

How dare he yell at me! Suddenly, all the pent-up fear and anger from the afternoon washed over her, and she clutched the phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"No, you listen, Goku!" she shouted, not bothering to keep her own voice down, and Bulma, Vegeta, Yamcha, and Krillin all flinched from the raw fury in her tone. "I am not going to let someone get killed for helping me! You have no idea how many people have died protecting me, and I refuse to let it happen again if I can possibly help it! You hear me? I WON'T!"

For a long moment there was silence both in the lab and on the other end of the line. Then finally she heard a long sigh, and she dropped into a chair, letting her head fall back as she stared at the ceiling. It's just so unfair… I thought at least this time, I'd have a little peace before the killing started again…

"Are you okay?" She could feel Goku's concern even through the telephone connection.

She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling the last of her anger fade into weariness. Then she rested her free hand on her chest over where she'd been shot. "I will be, eventually."

"I'm sorry I shouted at you," he said quietly. "I guess… I guess I just realized how close a call you all really had."

"I hate to say this, but get used to it, Goku. It's an occupational hazard of being in my life."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," he replied, sounding a bit more cheerful.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ever done any martial arts training?"

▲▼▲

Word of the attack on Kurenai quickly circulated, thanks to Goku calling all of them and telling them what had happened. All of them were suitably outraged at her attempted abduction, and impressed at her bravery in saving Yamcha's life. But realizing that they couldn't always follow her everywhere, the Z Warriors were soon visiting her almost every day at Capsule Corp, having taken it upon themselves to train her.

Soon her days were filled with training, and when she wasn't fighting, she was meditating or sleeping. It was a grueling regimen, but with the same determination that had seen her through time and time again, she rose to the challenge.

To everyone's surprise, ChiChi allowed Gohan to train with them.

"Wow, Gohan, I didn't think your mom ever let you out of the house these days!" Krillin remarked on one occasion, and Gohan shrugged.

"Hey, I'm not gonna complain. The more time I spend here, the less homework I have to do."

Krillin and Piccolo, especially, knew how ChiChi put Gohan's education ahead of everything else, even the looming threat of the androids two years hence. But at least two or three times a week, the boy would fly out to Capsule Corp or wherever the group was training and join in the sparring sessions.

Even more puzzling than Gohan's presence at the training sessions was Goku's absence. Of all the Z Warriors, Goku was the only one who never showed up when they practiced. Gohan suspected that his father was being kept home by ChiChi, but he didn't know why.

I guess it's more important to Mom that Dad stays at home than it is for me to study.

Privately, however, he was glad that Krillin was joining them for these practice sessions, as it took his mind off his recent break-up with his girlfriend Maron. While Krillin certainly wasn't up to finding a new girlfriend, Gohan believed his interest in Kurenai had to be a step in the right direction.

Bulma also had her suspicions about the Saiyan's absence, but she wisely kept her thoughts to herself. God knows that Kurenai feels guilty enough for getting us all involved… she'd really feel bad if she knew the truth about why Goku never comes to train with her.

"I still don't understand why they're all doing this," Kurenai remarked to Yamcha one evening while at dinner with the Briefs.

"We all want to protect you, but we can't always guarantee your safety, so we have to make sure that at least to some degree, you can take care of yourself," he replied.

"But why in the world are you all risking your lives for me? Those thugs in the alley would have willingly killed the two of you, just as those soldiers would have killed Goku and Gohan."

She looked sad, and he rested a hand on her shoulder. "Because you're our friend. It's that simple."


Physically she was in excellent shape, she had already mastered the technique of enhanced speed, and with the added benefit of accelerated healing, she could push herself harder and learn faster. She also learned more than the Z Warriors gave her credit for, just by watching how they fought. Yamcha's enthusiasm often pushed her to try and second-guess what was going on behind that sly façade, while Krillin's resolve taught her time and again not to give up, no matter how grim the odds were. From Tien, she learned how to still her mind and sense energy through meditation and focus, and from Gohan, she learned again how to have fun, enjoying the feeling of succeeding at a new task. Day and night she practiced, sometimes with all of them, sometimes individually, learning martial arts moves, balance, and coordination.

Before anyone knew it, she was able to hold her own against any of them in a one-on-one sparring match. While she still could not use energy as they could, to fight or to fly, little by little, her fighting skills continued to improve.

Then Piccolo began joining those sessions, and the Namek's grim focus quickly had her struggling to keep up.

While Kurenai had never considered herself an expert martial artist, Piccolo had her doubting what abilities she had in a matter of hours. At first, she couldn't even touch him, no matter how fast she moved. He mocked her, hit her, and dodged every attack she threw until she was finally fast enough to catch him. Then when she'd improved, he began using his special techniques on her. It was enough to drive her mad, but she refused to give in.

Damn it, I'm not giving up until I can face him as an equal! she thought angrily each day as Piccolo and the others arrived to train.

Piccolo, on the other hand, was slowly developing a grudging respect for the immortal. She's got guts, that's for sure. Most other people would be running like hell from the beatings she's been getting from me, but not her. If she can keep this up, she'll be unstoppable. It reminded him a lot of training Gohan when he was just a child. Once he actually learned to fight, that is…

"Come on, Kurenai, learn how to block! Don't just dodge!" he shouted at her one afternoon as the two of them practiced, while the others watched and shouted encouragement. It was a warm day, and for once, Piccolo had removed his heavy cape and turban as a concession to the heat. Kurenai wore a loose-fitting gi like his with a pale blue sash around her waist, her hair in a long braid down her back. Both were sweating heavily in the sunshine.

He rushed her in a swift series of feinting jabs, but Kurenai continued to twist and evade them. "DAMN IT, I SAID BLOCK!" he shouted at her, and threw a mighty punch straight at her face, but Kurenai gritted her teeth, raised her arms across her face, and took the punch across her forearms. She yelled in pain as the force of the blow sent her skidding nearly ten yards back, but when the dust cleared, she was still on her feet and in her defensive posture.

"Yeah, Kurenai! Way to go! Clean Piccolo's clock!" Krillin laughed, but he shut up as Piccolo glared at him. Kurenai took advantage of his momentary distraction to leap straight at him and attack, but he was still faster than she.

"I don't think so," he said smugly, and he swiftly pivoted, grabbed her arm, and threw her at Krillin. With a loud yell, she plowed straight into the monk and the two landed in an undignified heap.

"Well, that's the first time I've had a woman actually throw herself at me!" he gasped, grinning widely, and Kurenai elbowed him in the process of getting up.

"Shut up, Krillin," she groaned as she staggered to her feet while Krillin lay on the ground, still chuckling to himself. "That was cheap, Piccolo!" she called as he watched her.

He shrugged and remarked sardonically, "Do you always expect your opponents to fight fair?"

She had the good grace to blush.

"This is worse than training Gohan. At least HE had potential," Piccolo grumbled, loud enough to be heard.

Yamcha shot a dirty look at the Namek. "Gohan is half-Saiyan, remember? And he's been using his energy since he was little! You can't possibly compare the two!" he protested, but a harsh laugh above them made them look up.

"Oh, please! I told you that if anyone was going to teach her, it should be me," Vegeta said, landing among them while Kurenai dusted herself off.

"What makes you think that they haven't been teaching me well?" she asked as the prince strode toward her.

"Your fighting skills are laughable, that's why! You've been training with these fools for weeks, and what do you have to show for it? You're still getting beaten by our little Namek friend!" he scoffed.

Piccolo growled fiercely at Vegeta's insult and shouted, "Do you think you can do any better, Vegeta? If so, I suggest you get your scrawny backside over here and we'll see who's a fool!"

As both fighters began powering up, Kurenai stepped between Vegeta and Piccolo to stop them from coming to blows. "Hey, calm down, you two! Piccolo, relax, he's just trying to get a rise out of you!"

"He's asking for a beating, that's what he's doing," Piccolo grunted, but he powered down, gritting his teeth and lowering his hands. The prince stood to one side and looked superior, clearly thinking he'd come out the victor in that encounter.

"Don't look so self-satisfied. You talk tough, Vegeta, but I bet that Kurenai could give you the pounding you deserve."

"I doubt that. She can hardly keep up with you, let alone beat me!"

Piccolo shrugged in dismissal. "Dream on, Vegeta."

Kurenai was startled at Piccolo's faith in her, and a mischievous gleam appeared in her eyes as she tilted her head and looked at the prince, then back at Piccolo.

"I'll take that bet," she said confidently.

Both the Namek and the Saiyan looked at her in surprise. "Say what?" they said in unison.

Kurenai pointed at Vegeta.

"Tell you what, Vegeta… I'll make you a wager. You and I will spar, and last man or woman standing wins."

Vegeta threw his head back and laughed. "Give me a break! It's not like you even really know how to fight! It'd be a total waste of my time!"

Yamcha smirked. "Sure, that's a good one. What's the matter, Vegeta, afraid she's going to win?" Vegeta rounded on him with a glare that would have melted the polar icecaps.

"I'm not afraid of anything! Least of all this woman!"

"So you're going to fight after all?" Krillin grinned, and Vegeta threw his hands up with a loud sigh.

"All right, I see there is no satisfying any of you until I thrash her." He glanced over at Kurenai, who was trying unsuccessfully to hide a wide smile. "But if this is a wager, what are the stakes?"

Kurenai knew what she wanted, and said, "If I win, then you… have to go out on a date with me. Well-dressed, nice food, best manners."

"And what do I get if I win, other than the satisfaction of beating you?" he asked with one eyebrow arched.

"What do you want?"

He thought for a moment, and then an evil grin crossed his face. "Well, if you win, you get an evening with me. If I win, I get an evening with you. You'll be my personal servant for a day, polishing my boots, cleaning my room, even being my personal masseuse after a hard day in the gravity room!"

This is going to be like taking candy from a baby, he thought smugly.

"That's not fair, Vegeta," Tien argued. "A date with her is an evening, you want a whole day if you win. So change it – if she wins, you're her date for the whole day." Tien lowered his voice so Vegeta couldn't hear. "And I'm gonna laugh my head off if she beats him."

Kurenai and Vegeta both nodded. "Fair enough," she said. "Ground rules. No energy attacks. Straight sparring, but you can move fast. And no flying." The others moved back to give them plenty of space as Kurenai and Vegeta dropped into fighting stances.

Gohan, however, was the first to notice that Kurenai was still breathing hard from her fight Piccolo. "Hey, Vegeta, hold on a second!" he called out. "She's been sparring with Piccolo all afternoon, and you're coming into this fresh! At least give her a moment to catch her breath!"

He smirked. "Too bad."

The others watched Kurenai and Vegeta stare each other down, each studying the other's technique, looking for an opening or a weakness.

Damn, he's good, Kurenai thought. He's so absolutely focused on the moment, he leaves no room open for mistakes. I don't know what'll be harder – trying to outfight him, or trying to outthink him.

Then she grinned.

"Ding."


They both lunged simultaneously, opening with punches that had them braced against one another, forearm to forearm. Being nearly the same height, the pair struggled against each other for a few moments, trying to shove the other off balance. Vegeta succeeded first, and took control of the fight, forcing Kurenai back with a flurry of punches and kicks. She was not making it easy on him, however, meeting his attacks blow for blow, refusing to let him through her guard.

"Come on, Kurenai, get him!" Yamcha shouted.

"You can do it, Kurenai, come on, kick his butt!" Gohan cheered.

Why, that little… Vegeta thought, but the momentary distraction was all Kurenai needed to break his advance and clobber him with an uppercut that sent the Saiyan flying backward. When she lunged at him to follow through, however, she was startled as she passed right through him.

What the…

Vegeta appeared behind her and drove a painful kick straight into the small of her back that sent her flying at the others.

"Hit the deck!" Krillin shouted, but before she reached them, Kurenai cartwheeled in mid-flight, and the instant her feet touched the ground, she sprang back toward him. She increased her speed to match his, and soon the two were moving fast enough to leave after-images. Then they both kicked it up a notch until they were only blurs in the air, but everyone there could feel the forces of their blows. They seemed to merge and flow with the air, appearing just long enough to strike before disappearing again. This time she took control, driving the Saiyan prince back little by little, forcing him to keep his guard up rather than attacking her. The Saiyan's techniques focused more on brute strength, while Kurenai's were more graceful and fluid.

He was clearly stronger than she was, but her speed and agility somewhat leveled the field.

"Man, she's good," Tien murmured to Piccolo as Kurenai and Vegeta continued pounding on each other. "She's really giving him a run for his money."

The prince was surprised at how much she had really learned. She'd gotten even faster from training with Piccolo, and she had developed an unorthodox fighting style from training under different people.

Hmm… maybe those clods did a better job with her than I gave them credit for.

When she caught him across the face with a well-placed kick, he became so aggravated that he forgot the rules and threw a blast of energy right at her head.

"Vegeta, you idiot, you're not supposed to do that!" Krillin yelled, but Kurenai didn't even hear him. She stared at the rapidly approaching ball of light, frozen in fear.

I can't block that! I…

But even stronger than her fear was her anger.

Don't…

Anger that Vegeta had cheated.

Know…

For a moment, something within her flared to life.

How…

A cold and devastating power surged through her.

Wait…

She clenched her fists at her sides, threw her head back, and howled, exactly as Goku and Vegeta did when they powered up.

Vegeta stopped dead in his tracks in surprise.

What the hell…?

A corona of pale blue energy exploded into existence around her, and his energy blast slammed into it and dissipated.

Piccolo's jaw dropped at the blue flames that seemed to sheathe Kurenai's lithe form. "Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing!" All he could do was stare in amazement as lightning raced and danced around her, her long braid swaying from the energy emanating from her body.

"Wow, where'd she learn to do that?" Gohan gasped.

"I… I don't know!" Tien said in disbelief.

Slowly, she slid down into a low horse stance, one arm before her with her fingers hooked, the other behind her and extended – a stance that Vegeta was well familiar with, as it was the one he often took right before attacking.

And attack she did, faster than a striking cobra. Suddenly she was fighting with all the skill of a master martial artist, whirling like a dervish as she swept his attacks aside effortlessly with one hand while lashing out with the other. No matter which attack he used, she blocked them and struck back with a power that the Saiyan prince never dreamed she'd possessed. It was as though she had become a completely different person.

Vegeta was staring at Kurenai in open astonishment, his ki senses nearly overwhelmed by the energy level of the woman before him. He had no idea where she'd learned the power-up technique, but there was no arguing that the power surging around Kurenai was far, far higher than he had ever seen it before

Such power… but how… where did she get it from? He spared a quick glimpse at the others standing nearby. They see the aura, but none of them seem to sense this extraordinary power of hers! What in hell is going on here?

For a short while, she gained the upper hand on him, but then Vegeta powered up as well and slammed into her so hard that he broke her concentration. As she slipped and fell, however, she blinked in surprise and the halo of energy immediately disappeared.

The prince was now thoroughly confused. One minute she's got a power level even higher than mine, then the next it's gone as if it was never even there! I don't get it!

"It seems that you HAVE learned how to use energy," Vegeta snarled, "so let's see if you know how to fly yet." He lunged forward, grabbed her, and flew them straight up.

"Vegeta, stop it! I can't fly!" She kicked and fought the whole way, but he headed upward until they were about a hundred yards above the ground.

"Okay, hotshot, let's see you get out of this one!" he laughed, dropping her. She cried out and fell toward the ground, while the others began shouting. But just as Gohan was about to leap forward and catch her, she let out a deafening scream and somersaulted in mid-air. She landed in a crouch as Vegeta touched down a few yards away.

He merely glared at her as she turned and cursed at him. "You're telling me that with all your training with these idiots, none of them have taught you how to fly? Pathetic!"

He turned his back on her, and Kurenai tackled him from behind. They both hit the ground, her on top, hissing like a cat. Her eyes filled with rage, she clawed at him as he struggled to get her off him.

"Enough of these games!" he shouted as she continued to pound him with her fists. He quickly rolled the two of them over so that he was on top of her and put his full weight on her with his hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened as she flailed helplessly under him and desperately tried to breathe, but his grip was relentless, and her face went red, then pale.

Piccolo and the others had stood by while Kurenai and Vegeta had sparred, but they could not just watch him choke the life out of her. But as they started to move forward, Vegeta shot them all a glance that clearly told them to stay where they were.

Finally, as Kurenai was losing consciousness, she acted on instinct and brought her knee up between his legs.

Pain like nothing he'd ever felt before in his life washed over the Saiyan. Bright sparks danced in front of his eyes, and his whole body went hot and cold and throbbing at once.

Vegeta gasped and let her go, rolling off her as he cursed loudly. She lay on the ground, frantically trying to fill her lungs with great gasping breaths, but Vegeta recovered first and he was soon on his feet.

"Damn you, Vegeta! Were you trying to strangle her?" Piccolo shouted, but Vegeta glared at him.

He turned back to where she lay, still gulping in air. When she finally relaxed, she saw him standing above her, smirking. But she glared back at him, refusing to let him intimidate her. Kurenai tried to get up, but collapsed again, apparently weakened by exhaustion and fear.

"She will be fine," he said with a shrug.

The Saiyan turned away.

Gotcha.

The instant the words were out of his mouth, Kurenai was on her feet, moving in a blur to come behind the prince. He had just enough time to turn around when Kurenai threw a haymaker straight into his face and sent him flying across the grounds.

Vegeta managed to get his feet under him and skidded to a halt several yards away.

Damn… should have known that one was coming.

As he used one hand to rub his jaw, he saw blood on his white glove. With a loud growl, he lunged straight back at her and punched her so hard that she flew backward into the woods at the edge of the compound, shattering several trees plus the compound wall as she slammed through them. Yamcha and the others immediately heard the loud screeching of brakes, several screams, and honking horns directly outside the compound.

"Holy cow, he knocked her right into the street!" he exclaimed.

"Kurenai!" Krillin shouted, about to run after her, when Vegeta grabbed his wrist and threw him back to where the others stood.

"Leave her alone, baldy. She needs no help from you." Krillin rubbed his wrist and glared at Vegeta. They could see Kurenai lying in the middle of the street, bloody and tattered, with several pedestrians standing and staring in amazement.

Both Piccolo and Vegeta nodded to themselves as Kurenai got to her feet, scaring the gawking pedestrians away, and she staggered through the hole in the wall. She stopped when she saw Vegeta watching her, made a face at him, and in an exaggerated display, made a show of stretching and cracking her muscles.

Vegeta smirked as she hobbled back toward the group. "She has more spirit than I gave her credit for, and she hardly needs you babysitting her!"

He had to admit, she was quite good for someone with no formal training or Saiyan blood in her. A reluctant admiration rose in him, and he turned away before she could see it on his face.

"Be ready tomorrow morning at ten," he hissed at her as she reached them, and Kurenai nodded slowly.

"Should I meet you at the gravity room to… begin my service?" she said, still rubbing her lower face. Great… indentured servitude for a day. I just had to open my big mouth. He'll never let me live this one down.

His answer surprised her, however.

"Your front door, and dress well. We have a date," he said, and he left for the gravity room.

Kurenai, Gohan, Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, and Piccolo all stood, jaws hanging slack.

"I… I don't believe it! But he beat her!" Gohan stammered. Krillin and Yamcha were shaking their heads in disbelief.

"She put up a good fight, though, something Vegeta respects. Make no mistake, he'll still have her doing his chores for a day, but it was the… honorable thing to do," Piccolo answered, still staring after Vegeta, as a slow smile spread across Kurenai's face.

▲▼▲

For the remainder of the day, the prince struggled through his intense training in the gravity room, going through set after set of pushups, punches and kicks, and aerial maneuvers. He was loath to admit, however, that his body hurt a lot worse than he'd thought from the beating she'd given him when they had sparred. And although he tried to keep his mind on his workout, his attention kept drifting back to Kurenai, and finally he gave up.

"Damn it all."

Slapping his hand against the chamber's controls, the ever-present humming of the gravitron engine fell silent as normal gravity was restored. Vegeta sank into a cross-legged position on the floor in front of the control panel and rested his chin in his hands.

How the hell am I even supposed to get anything done if she keeps distracting me? he cursed to himself. Now I'll lose a whole day of training tomorrow just to go on this stupid date with her.

Then an even more distressing thought came to mind.

And exactly what does one do on a date?

He momentarily considered asking Bulma, but then decided against it. And asking any of those other fools is just begging for trouble I don't need.

He grabbed a t-shirt, threw open the door of the chamber, and headed for his room, cursing to himself the whole way. Once inside, he slammed shut the bedroom door, sat himself down in front of the computer that Bulma had installed for him and began to type haltingly.

"Thank you, whoever invented the concept of search engines," he sighed to himself as he logged onto the Internet. Once the page was loaded, he clicked on the open space at the top of the screen that read AREA OF INQUIRY.

WHAT DOES A WOMAN WANT ON A DATE, Vegeta typed, then he clicked the mouse pointer on Search.

Then he waited for a moment while it processed the question.

Then he sat back and stared at the screen, aghast.

"You've got to be kidding me."

To be continued...