I want to apologize for the really long wait; my work had me pulling double overtime shifts! *dies* As always, thank you for your time, and for reading my story. In the last chapter of Brothers in Blood, the Z Fighters were brought to the brink death by the mighty Saiyan Turles after a single, devastating attack! Even Piccolo's new technique was powerless to stop him. Now, Piccolo appears to have been obliterated, and Yamcha is left on the battlefield, broken. Just as it seemed that the Earth's heroes were going to be destroyed, Turles offers Goku a reprieve! What does the sinister Turles have planned?!

I'd like to thank all my readers; Brothers In Blood just hit over a thousand views! *sniffles* Anyway, additional thanks go to Chi-Chi's FAN, NatNicole, and SSJ2Ivan! Thank you for your kind comments and reviews on Chapter Six! Enjoy Chapter Seven!


CHAPTER SEVEN - THE CAUSE

Kakarot stares at Turles in disbelief.

"How about it, little brother?" Turles presses. "You get your whelp back, your planet lives, and you rejoin your people! Not a bad offer, if I do say so myself."

(Turles... what are you up to?) Raditz wonders silently, glancing at Turles, but keeping his expression blank.

"Think about it, Kakarot." Turles urges. "You've lost; two of your allies are dead, and there's nothing that can stop us from wiping out every miserable being on this planet. Except your choice."

Kakarot grinds his teeth, and looks around. The landscape had become a baren scar, Yamcha lay dead from afar; Tien, he could sense, is still alive, but fading. His best friend Krillin lay prostrate before Turles, awake, but unable to move. Piccolo... there was nothing left of his arch rival. And with his death, came Kami's as well. A realization hits Kakarot; without Kami, the Dragon Balls had become inert, useless. Now there was no way to wish back Yamcha; or any other innocent these invaders have or could kill.

"Why would I help you?!" Kakarot barks back angrily. "You killed my friends! And you kidnapped Gohan!"

Turles smirks. The ball of crackling energy in his palm dissipates, and he nods at Raditz.

"Hand the brat over." Turles orders Raditz.

"What are you saying?!" Raditz argues. "Kakarot is weak! He's a shame to our family and to our race!"

"That weakling isn't much weaker than you now." Turles chuckles. He crosses his arms over his chest and looks back at the youngest brother. "Now then..."

Turles walks over to Raditz and takes Gohan by the scruff of his coat, holding the boy up for Kakarot to see.

"Last chance; what'll it be?" Turles says with finality in his tone. "Will you choose to defy us, and lose everything? Or will you do as your big brothers tell you?"

Kakarot shuts his eyes hard, gritting his teeth. His fists shake with anger, and he comes to his decision.

"...How... do I know you're telling the truth?" Kakarot asks.

"I'm a man of my word." Turles replies simply, smiling at his most distressed youngest brother. He tosses his unconscious nephew to Kakarot, who dives forward and catches his son. Kakarot glares at Turles.

"...Fine... I'll play along for now." Kakarot says finally. "But I swear; if you hurt anyone else on this planet, I will make you pay!"

"Whatever you say, Kakarot." Turles laughs. He looks back at Raditz. "Call for a pod; we'll leave as soon as it arrives."

"Fine." Raditz huffs. "But the closest outpost is on Planet Spyc. It'll be a few weeks before it arrives."

"That's fine." Turles concedes. He looks back at Raditz. "You go ahead and take my pod; I'll wait here, and give our little brother some proper Saiyan training while I wait."
"And what about what you said earlier; what's this about revenge?" Raditz insists.

Turles' smile vanishes.

"That's something we'll discuss another time..." Turles responds, sounding somewhat angered. "You go back to the Prince, and tell him that I'll be coming to chat."
Raditz looks confused for a moment, but sighs. He starts towards the undamaged spacepod.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Raditz mutters.

Raditz settles in the pod, and rockets skywards after a moment of powering up the ship. Turles watches as the pod quickly vanishes. Kakarot, Gohan still in his arms, approaches the Saiyan warrior.

"I hope you leave as soon as that ship gets here." Kakarot says angrily. "I will never forgive you for what you've done here!"

"What, never lost a comrade in battle before?" Turles smirks.

Turles appears to be distracted suddenly; and then a wily smile appears on his face. He presses a button on his scouter, and seems to be listening closely to something; but Kakarot could not hear.

"I'll be damned." Turles mutters. His sneer disappears when his scouter beeps an alarm.

Kakarot gives a confused expression, but Turles offers no explanation. Instead, the two turned their attention to the incoming vehicle bearing down on them from the sky...


"Noooo! Yamcha!" cries the young, blue-haired girl.

"Bulma...I'm sorry..." Kakarot attempts to console his oldest friend.

"Tch! Quit your bawling, woman." Turles says a few yards away. "Your man fought like a warrior; you should be proud that he died as such!"

"You...!" tears streaming down her face, Bulma glares at Turles, still holding Yamcha's head in her arms. "How dare you! How could you be so callous!? We did nothing to you! Why did you have to come here and start... and start hurting people!?"

From nearby, Tien was seeing to his own injuries beside Krillin and Master Roshi.

"What a tragedy, but today could have been far worse, if this scenery is any indication..." Roshi says, surveying the area, and settling his view on Turles, who stands some ways away, looking less than interested in Bulma's wails.

"You don't know the half of it." Tien says, sounding somber. "Who are those guys, anyway?"

"Long story short, they're aliens called Saiyans." Krillin explains. "They go around conquering planets, and sell them. Apparently, those two are Goku's brothers."

"What? Goku's brothers?" Tien repeats, sounding incredulous. He looks at Turles, and nods grimly. "Yeah, I can see that being true enough... But... they're so powerful. And here I thought Piccolo and Goku were strong; but those two were ridiculously strong..."

"You said something about them making a deal with Goku?" Master Roshi inquires, looking back at Krillin.

"Yeah... they said if Goku helps them get revenge, then they'd spare the Earth." Krillin nods. He furrows his brow, looking deeply concerned. "But... I dunno if they intend to keep their promise..."

"Where did the other one go?" Roshi asks.

"The big guy with the long hair got in his spaceship and took off. But he'll probably be back..." Krillin says fearfully.

"Well, if'n that Turles fellow intended to do us more harm, he'd've done it by now." Master Roshi ponders out loud. He continues to survey the surroundings.

Krillin suddenly looks hopeful. "H-Hey! Maybe we can use the Dragon Balls to defeat the Saiyans!" he says excitedly. "And then we can wish Yamcha back!"

"And how do you suppose to do that?" Master Roshi asks, looking at him. Kakarot had also made his way over to them, and was listening. "If Piccolo died, then so did the Guardian of the Earth, Kami."

"And without Kami, the Dragon Balls don't work..." Kakarot adds, furrowing his brow. He glares back at Turles, who was blankly watching Bulma cry over Yamcha.

"What'll we do, Goku?" Krillin asks, hope slipping in his tone.


-Planet Frieza 339-

"You-you what?!" exclaims a teal-skinned, fish-like being, shaking in its grey and brown armor.

Raditz folds his arms and glares down at the alien.

"You heard me." Raditz barks. "I need two new spacepods; now!"

"But, why two?" the soldier inquires.

Raditz quickly reaches out and grabs the alien by the throat, lifting it to his eye level.

"I don't have time for your games!" Raditz growls, fuming and about ready to snap the hapless Tegrian's neck.

"Now, now, Saiyan... Behave yourself, or Lord Frieza will be angry." came a sneering, smug voice behind Raditz. The long maned Saiyan looks back, and sees a purple alien in black and yellow armor, smirking at him.

"Cui..." Raditz glowers. He releases the soldier, allowing it to drop to the ground, gasping for breath.

"That's it, there's a good monkey!" laughs Cui. Raditz glares at the alien, but says nothing to retort. "I'm a little surprised to see you away from the Prince. What, you get your tail fuzzed?"

"If you must know, I'm here in behest of my brother, Turles." Raditz replies flatly.

Cui's eyes widen, and then narrow suspiciously.

"You mean that lap-monkey Frieza keeps around?" Cui inquires, not caring in the least whether Raditz would be insulted. "Must be big then. Why don't you fill me in?"

"It's none of your concern, Cui." Raditz grunts. He turns to walk away; only to hear the alien laughing again.

"Whatever you say, monkey!" Cui chortles.

Raditz balls his fists tightly, resisting the urge to assault the being... But he knew he couldn't; Cui was rumored to be nearly on par in combat with Prince Vegeta; he'd stand no chance.

The eldest brother returns to the pod landing zone, and programs Turles' pod to return to the Earth. In the meantime, the brash warrior ponders the unknown plot that his younger brother had in mind... Just what was he up to? Raditz shakes his head, as if to chase away the thought; he had other things to do...


The blue haired genius sits, fuming, as she glances at the monster who killed Yamcha. Turles had demanded a place to stay while he waited for a spacepod to arrive; but his stubborn attitude only clashed with her own.

"Just WHAT is this nonsense?!" came Turles' angry voice for the third time this day. He rounds the corner; Bulma laughs spitefully. The moment he'd learned of her scientific skill, he had, again, demanded that she repair his armor, or make him a new set altogether. For now, he'd had to wear clothes supplied by her; today, the outfit consisted of bright lime-green pants, red shoes, and a light blue button-up t-shirt. "I am a Saiyan Warrior! An elite! Not a painting!"

"Yeah?" Bulma retorts, equally as pushy. "Well maybe you should've thought about that before you came and attacked the Earth!"

"Woman, I tolerate your attitude because you may be of use to me, but do not make the mista-"

"Yeah, yeah, you'll kill us all, and blow up the planet. Heard it a hundred times already!" Bulma quips, returning to her work.

Turles growls, and crosses his arms over his chest. Brain damage or no, he was baffled why Kakarot had not killed these creatures, if not in the least out of pure aggravation! Turles grunts and looks out a window.

((Just you wait...)) Bulma thinks to herself, a small smile appearing on her face. ((Goku will figure out a way to beat you down a peg or two!))


Kakarot stands, staring down at the Earth from the drop-off of Kami's Lookout. Behind him, Krillin, Tien, Chaotzu, Yajirobe, and a very sad Mr. Popo watch their friend, all of them nervous. Kakarot's expression is mired with concern and anger, and a hint of wonder.

"Goku..." Krillin starts, but he seems to lose the will to finish his sentence.

"How can you be sure, Goku?" Tien asks for him. He walks up beside Kakarot and looks down as well, sensing the Saiyan's presence, even from there. "He killed Yamcha, Piccolo, and Kami... And he almost killed us too... So, how do you know?"

"It's hard to say, exactly..." Kakarot replies. "He had every opportunity to finish us off; but he let us live, and he even gave Gohan back..." Kakarot turns around and looks at his friends. "I really do think that there's good in him..."

"Even if that were true," Tien insists. "He's a murderer, Goku... He's nothing like you!"

"Yeah, I know..." Kakarot smiles. "So we'll just have to get stronger than he is!"


Turles wears an evil grin on his face as he stares up at the sky... soon, his ambition would be fulfilled... It was his family's destiny... he knew it to be true... they would succeed where their father failed... They had to...


So I really have to apologize again for the REALLY late update. Work has been killer all month; but now I finally have time to get back to work on Brothers in Blood! I hope you all enjoyed Chapter Seven! Chapter Eight - Death Dance is coming very soon!