Vegeta stared out the window, over the still dark cityscape. He would never have believed that Kakarot would support a plan of running rather than fighting. It seemed that Bulma had been much more central to it than he had though. There wasn't really much point in thinking too deeply about the woman's motivations. She and their son were gone now...safe... At least for now.

The King's tail flicked back and forth while he remembered the conversation he and Trunks had when the exile was first announced.

"I suppose you want me to explain myself" Vegeta had said tiredly. He purposefully never thought too hard about the amount of power each of them had in relation to one another. Gohan's indifference to his attack a moment ago angered him, but at the same time, gave him hope...

"No, father. I understand" Trunks told him with a look of quiet knowing. The King regarded him with a different gaze upon hearing that.

"Gohan... His anger is not necessarily misplaced, it's just that he cares for certain things quite deeply. Myself being one of them. But I do understand, father, it's just paper, just words. It doesn't make it true" Trunks stared back at him without flinching, and let the proclamation fall to the floor with an absent toss. "I'm still your son, and no matter what takes place here, I'll always do my best to make sure our people remember the name Vegeta" he said with conviction.

The young prince bowed then, taking a knee in front of the King's chair. Vegeta felt the silly urge to do something almost human, like hug the brat... Instead he placed a hand on Trunks' head.

"I should have given it to you too..." he found himself saying, knowing it hadn't exactly been Trunks' choice to be born a half breed. His fully grown son had grinned up at him then, telling him in all seriousness,

"It's alright, we both know mother would never have allowed it."

He should have gone ahead and hugged the brat, he saw that now. Trunks hadn't seemed too disappointed though. As the glow of the first of vegeta-sei's suns began to stir on the horizon, Vegeta wished his son luck. He wished them all luck.

Vegeta had been just a whelp, a small cub when he assumed the throne upon his father's death. He took comfort in the fact that Trunks was much more ready than he had been. As he steeled himself to whatever this day might bring, he realized he had one last wish.

He wished for his son to get to know the satisfaction of revenge, just as he had all those years ago.

~/~

When they awoke to their third day of travel, a small light was flashing on the ship's instrument panel. They had a message. Earth was still weeks away from being reached, even with the increased speed of Bulma's modifications. Gohan's first thought was that it would be a communication from Bardock, even though they were 'technically' forbidden.

When Bulma hit the button to play it, a very elderly male with glasses came on the screen.

"Uh, darling, I don't mean to alarm you" he said while obviously pressing buttons and flipping switches, "But earth seems to have come under a bit of an attack..."

In the background, a female voice was calling 'here kitty, kitty' off screen while the entire picture shook. Chunks of plaster cracked and fell from the ceiling after what must have been an explosion.

"When we detected the ships, the saiyan emissary was confident they could handle it...but seeing as how they've just been wiped out, your mother and I are heading down to the bunker, just to be safe" he elaborated. "I'm sorry I don't have more info for you dear, but their technology is rather adv-..."

The transmission began to be streaked with static, the audio cutting in and out.

"...Won't get to...but it..."

"...Organization..."

"...When you get here..."

And then it ended entirely, leaving the room in stunned silence for a moment.

"Shit" Aaron said with feeling. Bulma looked a little pale, but determination was setting in right away. She maneuvered her chair closer to the console and began getting to work. Trunks wasn't going to disturb her until she came out of that state on her own.

A soft sound of someone definitely trying not to cry caught Trunks' ear. He turned to find Aaron leaning heavily on Cumin, emotion clearly overtaking him. It was then that he remembered Aaron's father had been last stationed on earth.

"He went in battle, there is nothing more noble" Cumin seemed to be trying to help, but not really sure how. A warrior's death was usually met with a stoic respect, if not anger and retribution. Tears were certainly not a common occurrence among saiyans.

Trunks commiserated with him all too well, fearing they both would have lost fathers to this conflict before it was over. He placed a hand on Aaron's shoulder, intending to offer him some comfort as well. His attendant looked up to him, holding back sobs, but not the moisture from his eyes.

Before Trunks could open his mouth though, a burst of power so intense it could barely be fathomed hit his senses. Aaron must have felt it too, judging from the shock on his face. Both of them, all of them, turned their heads back toward vegeta-sei.

Broly.

It, he, was so terrifyingly strong that Trunks could barely distinguish the super saiyan powers of his father and Kakarot. Everyone froze, their focus being invaded by the reality of what they were feeling. Trunks hadn't been expecting to be able to feel the power of the battle, not from this far away. At this rate, he wondered if they would be able to feel Broly from earth...

And then it was over.

The sharp, acrid smell of fear reached Trunks' nose before he could even fully grasp the situation. Kakarot was dead. His father was dead. Their powers were snuffed out so quickly...and only Broly's remained. His ki continued to pulse and challenge the universe itself afterward, making a cold sensation settle in the pit of the prince's stomach.

He couldn't give in though. Trunks was royalty, and he had readied himself for this day, however unwillingly, ever since Gohan's vision. They were on their own, and what was left of his people would look to him now. He squeezed Aaron's shoulder, his hand still resting on it since everything had happened that quickly.

"Many fathers have been lost today" he told him, feeling tears running down his own face as well, "Their memories live on in us, and we will fight to keep them alive."

The ceremonial words didn't seem quite strong enough to convey the depth of what Trunks was feeling. He wasn't sure he could have put a name to his emotions though, even if he'd tried. Aaron nodded, and the prince let him go back to the arms of his bond mate. He had to admit, that looked like a good idea.

Gohan had just lost a father himself too, as well as the sire that raised him. Trunks expected him to be rather shaken. That wasn't what he saw in his face upon turning though. His husband slowly got on one knee in front of him, sorrow and stubbornness warring within him.

"You are my King now..." Gohan told him, the fierce loss they all felt showing through in his tone. Trunks felt his tears dry up under the steadiness, the love and devotion in Gohan's gaze.

"Wait, what?" Bulma's head finally whipped around toward them, taking in all their postures, their tears, and her son's firming resolve. She knew what must have happened before Trunks even answered her, but she needed to hear it for sure.

"It's done" Trunks said softly.

"We couldn't change the future then..." Bulma whispered, almost to herself.

"No" Trunks said more forcefully this time, drawing everyone's attention to him, "We did change it. You're here" he said to his mother, "Gohan and I are here, the rest of the half breeds are safe. This is infinitely better than it would have been" he contradicted, watching them all closely.

There was strength in the prince's manner; he hadn't broken under the strain. Trunks knew just being strong wasn't good enough though. The saiyans, and the half breeds by extension, were exceedingly strong. They didn't need that. What they needed was a true leader.

When Bulma saw the spark of understanding in her son's eyes, she was proud to have ventured off into unknown space all those years ago.

"Of course, son" she gave Trunks a small smile, still sad, but in control.

"That we knew it was coming doesn't change the fact that they will pay..." the prince said firmly, his fists clenching.

Knowing that the rest of those exiled would have felt what happened, Trunks initiated a mass communication with the other ships. He could only risk the barest of details over a transmission in space though. They had followed along willingly enough with Bardock's minimalist orders before this.

No one questioned Bardock's previous decision not to tell them the true depth of what was happening. Respect earned among saiyans would always continued to be bestowed, even after death.

~/~

Bardock crouched against the wall, surprised to be alive. He and Toma had been blasted backward by the power of Broly simply transforming. This... This was nothing like what he had seen. It was almost unfair, that the time they'd used to grow stronger had let their foe become so much more as well.

"Ah, and here we have the great seer, Bardock" Paragus smirked as he surveyed the room. What was left of Kakarot and the King's bodies were still bleeding out on the carpet as Broly sat in the throne. It usually miffed Bardock to have the thing he be known for be the one skill completely out of his control. He bit his tongue and stilled his every reaction in that moment though.

He didn't answer Paragus, just kept his eyes on the real threat. The lighting in the palace's main hall flickered as the traitor walked toward him. Who knew what all had been damaged in that blast... Toma was conscious a few feet away, but in rough shape and bleeding pretty badly.

"Seems you're getting a bit, rusty" Paragus gloated. Since this was the end, Bardock went ahead and looked away from Broly after he powered down. The male didn't need to be transformed to do them in, so it made no real difference.

"If you're going to kill us, do it with ki and not bad jokes" Bardock said gruffly, grimacing the entire time.

"If?" Paragus said as though the word were a ridiculous notion, "Why in the light of the moon would I not kill you?" He was certainly enjoying his victory, relishing these moments for all they were worth.

"You wouldn't" Bardock shook his head, meaning Paragus wouldn't not kill them, "We'll never serve you." The disgust in his voice seemed to offend Paragus at first, and Bardock hoped they'd get a quick death if they angered him into it...

"You know, I've learned a thing or two in the courts, all these years. Appearances can be deceiving...but sometimes, they're important..." the male tapped his finger against his cheek as if in deep thought. He looked Bardock over, calculating, and glanced over to Toma as well.

"Raw power is all well and good, but sometimes these kinds of things can leave, divisions, in a populace" Paragus finally spoke, his eyes drilling into the crouching male. "I will make you this deal, Bardock, trusted adviser to the former King... You and your bond mate will publicly declare your loyalty to me and my son, urging all others to do the same. You will also testify to the fact we all know, that your own son was far stronger than the King he served. You will lay out for them just how much of a mockery that line had already become. In exchange for this, I will let you and your bond mate live" he said in a haughty, self-satisfied tone. He clearly seemed to think he was offering them an extremely enticing deal.
Bardock could feel the bile coming up in his stomach just thinking about it.

"Never. Fuck you" he spat out, willing himself back from physically lunging at Paragus. In the background, Bardock could see Broly get up and descend the throne, coming to his father's side. Eerily, the male never said a word the entire time. Bardock was beginning to think there was definitely something abnormal in his behavior... Paragus pressed his splayed fingers together, resting them against his lips for a second, as if Bardock was being troublesome.

When he lowered his hands, he bent down to Bardock, whispering, though there were nothing but corpses around the four of them.

"You think I don't know exactly where those brats went?..." he gazed into Bardock's eyes with certainty of success. A chill ran down the wounded male's spine.

"Since when do you care about that?" he responded, letting Paragus know that his true motives had been understood for a while.

"What I care about is power, and consolidating it" the sire of the new royal line chuckled a little, "I am not burdened by the same weaknesses that you are."

Broly moved from standing right behind his father, and toward Toma. Bardock's eyes flicked over to him of their own accord. Toma wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and gave a hard, challenging stare to the massive male. Broly returned the gaze, not attacking yet, though the threat was certainly implied. The most terrifying thing about it was the utter emptiness in the new King's eyes.

" ... Fine. We'll do it" Bardock felt something physically snap inside his chest to agree to such a thing. It was probably his pride. He would have preferred that he and Toma got to go down fighting right now, but the brats... He only hoped Toma would forgive him for agreeing to it.

Paragus grinned, the smile seeming slightly deranged for it's intensity on his face.

"Good lad" he said condescendingly, rising slowly back to his full height.

It didn't take long for the Purists to finish sweeping the castle. Nearly the entire population had felt first Kakarot, and then the King be killed. It took a great deal of fight out of them, those that could sense ki anyway. Of course the other side of that was the awe in what they had felt of Broly's power.

Bardock wasn't so sure Paragus really needed their cooperation to get a majority, not with that kind of strength. But he wasn't about to say anything to that effect afterward, since now he knew just how far the male was willing to go. Attacking earth just to wipe out a few hundred cubs not capable of putting a dent in his son would be ridiculous of Paragus.

Watching their new King's manner, and Paragus' preening, Bardock wasn't sure rationality entered into it a whole lot though...

~/~

They would have no choice but to land all at once. There were no other life sustaining planets near earth for them to leave the humans and cubs on. It made Trunks very nervous to risk this kind of maneuver. He was being counted on to make the final decision though. The prince had to take into account the fact that whoever had taken over earth might put up a strong fight.

"But the saiyan emissary was only a couple of guys, we have almost eight hundred half breeds with us, this will be a piece of cake" Bulma argued with him.

"There aren't eight hundred. I am not ordering children, who may have no desire to fight, into combat" Trunks said firmly, arguing back. He found sometimes it helped to put things in his mother's human terms to make her understand.

"Ok, ok... But still, that leaves, like, at least three hundred or so who would be considered 'of age' left. I don't care who these guys are, they're not going to be able to withstand that" Bulma was supremely confident in all their abilities, not just her own. Unfortunately, Trunks thought her own past gallivanting around her planet and then the universe when she was young, was distorting her perception.

"Nevertheless, I am not going to leave the mothers and young children to fend for themselves while everyone else attacks. What if the battle goes on for a few days? It would be entirely probable, and a good strategy for them, to attack our base camp" Trunks pointed out.

"I think it's highly improbable for the fight to take more than a few minutes... I hacked back into earth's satellite feeds, and they really only took over a few major cities. They're concentrated around those, and probably just ruling most of the planet with fear of their power" Bulma reiterated.

They had been going over details, strategies, all the intelligence they could gather for weeks. They would arrive at earth in just a few days now. Aaron, Cumin, and Katsu stayed at the ready for anything that might be needed during the planning. They were still Trunks' attendants, even in exile. Of course Cumin hadn't been expected to come, but it wasn't necessarily Trunks that he was here because of.

Gohan was glad to see the loyalty to the old ways that the two young bond mates had displayed. He was a bit concerned though, for their image of Trunks after all this. Watching Bulma argue with him and treat him like, well, like her son, couldn't be allowed to go on indefinitely. Gohan realized this was a sort of 'behind closed doors' scenario, but he made sure to address the issue with Bulma later after everyone else was asleep.

"You know, eventually you're going to just have to trust him" he said softly the next time they were alone, by way of addressing the situation. The blue haired woman turned and gave him a look.

"I don't even get three weeks without you going all 'Bardock' on me?" she kind of sighed and huffed, not exactly acting remorseful. Gohan wasn't going to be thrown off by the compliment though.

"How can he become their leader if he's following you?" Gohan asked her, point blank.

"Oh my god..." Bulma rubbed her temple, "Listen buster, I know how to play the game, don't you worry about that" she scolded Gohan, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. Gohan's were already crossed, but he didn't back down, even though he knew what Bulma was capable of.

"I just needed to make sure... That you understand you can't treat him like you did the King" Gohan said evenly. Bulma raised an eyebrow at him.

"I know you and Vegeta had your differences, and that he probably needed the push back...but Trunks is really only leader by default here, I think we all know that" he said softly. Their prince's mother was obviously looking at Gohan in a different light, after hearing him say that. Gohan went on.

"Earth has a King, one we're trying to help. All the human mothers have a loyalty to him still, at least a residual one. And their children have a strong pull to go along with them. Trunks needs this moment, to shine, to lead, or he risks losing the very thing that makes him a prince, which is his people" Gohan reminded her.

"And you think I'm getting in the way of that?" she questioned, though it seemed more academic than an admission.

"It's not that he doesn't need your advice or opinion, it's just that once you've given it, you need to defer. At least in public" Gohan quickly added, knowing that was not Bulma's specialty...

"You know, I was going to get upset at you for barging in here, saying these things to me... But sometimes I forget you didn't have a mother..." Bulma said softly. Gohan's spine stiffened, not sure if she was meaning to insult him with that.

"I will never hesitate, to bring any of the males in my life down a peg if they need it...in private" Bulma assured him. "Not that that's what I'm even doing right now, mind you. Did you ever think it could be that Trunks looks even stronger to his attendants for standing up to me?" she asked him. "You think those brats haven't been passing on their take of him to the general crowd of half breeds for years now? We're actually on the same side here, Gohan" she said firmly.

Gohan wasn't sure what to say to her, but he felt confident that she was telling the truth when she said they were on the same side. He regarded her with an easing posture, uncrossing his arms and indicating his agreement. Bulma smiled at him, nodding.

"I'm glad you're thinking along those lines though, Gohan. My son is lucky to be married to a guy like you" she said. "In a few more years, the two of you will be political forces to be reckoned with, not just physical ones."

~/~

They had blasters. Their enemy was made up of a mix of species, some Trunks knew weren't strong enough for ki manipulation. Blasts came their way, nonetheless. Those left with the ships had to give an active defense, to keep them from being blown away. Seeing the caliber of force they were up against, both Gohan and Trunks went super saiyan at nearly the same time.

The lesser soldiers were taken care of easily by them, but not the modified ones. It seemed one out of every dozen or so had the laser mechanisms grafted right into their limbs. Trunks had never heard of a force that used these kinds of tactics. They were faster and stronger than what he had expected, in all honesty.

The half breeds held their own, but it was a fight. He could see why the humans had succumbed so quickly. It was taking a couple of the non-super saiyan half breeds at a time to dispose of the modified soldiers. Even though he concentrated on taking out his own opponents, Trunks tried to keep an eye on the battlefield in general.

Since he and Gohan were such beacons for attack, they tried to keep their distance from the ships. Weird chemical smells, mixed with blood and burning, drifted in the air as they fought. The stream of minions couldn't be endless though. Buildings and trees caught in the exchange of blasts were smoldering, leaving a haze in the air.

Eventually, the numbers of those attacking dwindled, leaving some of those on the field with no one to fight.

"Stay sharp!" Trunks ordered, his command carrying to all ears with heightened senses. He and Gohan scanned the area and skies as well. There were two other cities' worth of occupiers who could be used as reinforcements.

"Are there any wounded?" he called out while Gohan stayed on alert. A few of them had injuries, and Trunks ordered them taken back to the ships. He'd not risk losing any lives they didn't have to.

"Two o'clock!" Gohan yelled, putting them all at the ready again. Being on the ground, Trunks saw every head turn with his to look at the incoming threat. The flying shapes were too far way to make out clearly. Trunks purposefully turned around, checking the opposite direction. Not just soldiers, but an entire ship was coming into view, approaching them from behind.

"Gohan, stay here! We need a super saiyan on each side!" he ordered, shooting across the space between them and their own ships, to intercept the encroaching one. As he flew over their encampment, Trunks noticed his mother sitting in the cockpit of a huge, mechanized suit of armor.

"Oh my god, what does she think she's doing?" he cursed to himself. He couldn't spare the effort to go tell her to take cover with the other humans though. Shit. Trunks did his best to put it out of his mind... Then he heard the deep, reverberating 'thwum' of a hugely focused energy beam go shooting through the air.

It struck the side of the incoming ship, blowing a huge section out of it. Trunks only had a moment to stare in pride at the glowing aftereffect from his mother's attack. Since the ship was going down, all it's inhabitants came pouring out of it, swarming in the air and heading straight for them.

That, that was a lot of soldiers... The prince could feel some of the others from Gohan's side coming over to help him...but would it be enough... Hoping to take out a good chunk of the weaker ones while they were still clustered around the ship, Trunks fired a wide area attack at it. Many of the smaller dots fell out of the sky after being hit. Apparently there were a higher percentage of the stronger version in this batch though.

Aiming for the safety of their own ships, Trunks charged, leaving them a good distance behind. The other half breeds filled in the space behind him, cleaning up those who got past. It was working. And like all things, it kept working, until it didn't.

Trunks felt Gohan's power surge, pushing at the boundaries of his maximum. He was tempted to look back and see what was happening to his bond mate, but he didn't dare. He felt he understood a moment later, when the modified soldier he went to attack next didn't crumple under his fist like it should.

The knee that connected with his stomach right after that nearly knocked him out of the air. Actually, he did fall a few feet at the unexpected pain, but managed to hold himself together. With a roar he lunged at the hardened enemy, forming all the ki he could in his palms. A flash and blast that should have incinerated a small planet left half this thing still existing, though it did die and fall.

At first Trunks continued to take out smaller opponents around him, but then made a conscious choice to let some of them slip past. The hardened ones, there was little chance of non-super saiyans being able to defeat them... The prince sought out his larger prey, trusting the warriors behind him to handle the rest. He could feel Gohan's power still pulsing, and it comforted him.

Then the third round began. Trunks tried to stay out of the way while still fighting, as his mother in her suit fired blast after blast at the new ships.

Who the hell were these guys anyway?

There was obviously a charging delay between Bulma's shots, but she managed to take down the vessels on each side before they got close.

The individual soldiers still had to be dealt with though. By necessity, stronger and stronger enemies began slipping through Trunks' defense as his energy waned. He knew those behind him must be getting tired too, but there was only so much he could do. Taking a rare second, Trunks glanced backwards to survey the field.

There was only one line of defense left behind him now. Those who had been covering what he couldn't, had pulled back. They had merged with the ranks of those defending the ships themselves. There were more wounded, possibly dead, on the ground than he had ever hoped to see. His anger rising, Trunks let it power the surge of ki through his veins, taking down enemies with renewed vigor.

At least for a while.

The number of minor injuries Trunks was fighting with began adding up into real wounds all of a sudden. Shit, this was not good. He felt the energy in his limbs fluctuate badly, and then one of the hardened soldiers was suddenly past him. Refusing to give up, Trunks turned and chased him, trying to get between it and their base again.

Everyone was out of the ships now.

His mother was using the strength of the suit to grab individual soldiers and crush them in its grip. Small half saiyan children were swarming over the field immediately in front. Trunks had time to take it all in, because he already knew he wasn't going to make it. He was losing speed while his prey stayed steady. He still tried though, still pushed himself as hard as he could, as he had always been taught.

One more flicker, and he lost super saiyan.

As he fell, there was a wild mane of red hair that caught his eye, riding the back of a soldier and stabbing it in the throat repeatedly. He saw little Bran get ripped off the dying enemy's back by a different one, and could do nothing about it. A human that must have been her mother, because of the matching hair, screamed. It was a surprising noise to hear come from one of them, because it was a scream of challenge. Wait, was she honestly trying to fight against these aliens with a sword?... All the human mothers had encouraged them to take back their home world, but he didn't think they were crazy.

Trunks hit the ground hard, because he'd been looking at the battle, and not the dirt rushing up to meet him. He wasn't sure he could handle seeing anymore at this rate... How could there have been a force like this in the universe without them knowing about it? He just prayed Gohan kept fighting, and didn't do something stupid like try to check on him.

The prince rolled and tried to push himself up onto his elbows. He was still unwilling to yield, though he was in more pain than he had known was possible. As Trunks lifted his gaze, he was just in time to see the undeniable proof of his parents' genius, verified for all time. A golden flash of light burst like an explosion, as Casey went super saiyan right in front of him.

Trunks found a cheer rising from his throat involuntarily. The soldier he had been chasing was decimated by Casey before it could lay a hand on his sister. He remembered all too well the unbelievable rush of that first transformation. The power in it was nearly infinite, when you broke that barrier for the first time.

The very memory itself seemed to give him strength. Trunks pushed himself up slowly, knowing he would draw the enemy's attention eventually, just laying out here. The hand he felt grab him turned out to be one of the other half breeds though. He let himself be helped to the ships as Casey fought back an ever wider space between them and the incoming wave.

Sitting with the other wounded, Trunks felt outward with amazement, that Gohan was still going strong. He was proud and grateful too, that he'd held the line as he was ordered. Trunks was sure his bond mate was keeping a bead on his ki, and would have felt him fall. Perhaps if Casey hadn't transformed, then Gohan's resolve would have wavered...but that was neither here nor now.

Once his wounds were bound, Trunks began slowly helping to bandage up any of the injured around him that he could. There were not going to be enough tanks for everyone. Their ship had a few on it, being Bulma's, but most of the others they came in would not. With the saiyan emissary destroyed, Trunks doubted there were any others left on the planet.

While he was trying to estimate rotations in his head, and keep track of the battle at the same time, another flash of power hit him. From Gohan's side, Aaron had just gone super saiyan as well. Trunks couldn't help smile, though he hoped it hadn't been at the threat of him losing his family as well...

The renewal of fresh super saiyan strength on their side ended the battle shortly after that. Bulma climbed out of her suit as things were ending, since it was running dangerously low on power. She had a shocked look on her face as she surveyed how many of their side were down, and the damage that had been done. Trunks met her eyes sadly, and she made her way over to him.

"I..." she touched one of Trunks' bandages gingerly, "I was wrong..."

Trunks shook his head, turning hers toward Casey, who was returning from the field now.

"No, you were right..." he said, giving her a nod. Understanding flicked between them, and Bulma nodded back. Her eyes were watering as Casey landed right in front of them. Sensing this was a moment for the prince to handle, she excused herself to get the tanks fired up.

It seemed too quiet now, without the fighting going on all around them. Casey looked like he was about to open his mouth to speak, but a call rang through the air, interrupting him.

"Trunks!" Gohan yelled, the urgency in his voice belying that this was no ordinary request. Catching Casey's eye, Trunks motioned for him to follow, in case it was trouble. Receiving a nod, the prince began trotting over to Gohan's position, that being as much speed as his body could handle.

As they rounded the last ship and Gohan came into view, Trunks' chest constricted. Aaron was still super saiyan, hunched over the ground, with Cumin's body laying beneath him.

"No..." he breathed out, emotion giving him the will to overpower his pain. When he got closer, he could see Cumin was alive by only a thread. A thread that was fraying fast. Blood coated his lips and ran out his mouth, his eyes blinking slowly. Aaron sobbed over him, his power flickering several times before going out completely.

Gohan looked at him helplessly, knowing the mutilation of his chest and gut was beyond even the tanks. Trunks dropped to his knees beside them, putting an arm over Aaron's back and taking Cumin's hand.

"Yours is the highest honor among us-" Trunks began to tell the dying male, making Aaron's sobs turn into a drawn out wail. Before the prince could finish though, a small voice interrupted him.

"I can help him!" Bran was standing next to her brother, having followed when she saw them leave. Her dress was smeared with blood and dirt, and she had a knife gripped by her tail as it wrapped around her waist. This version of the child was a far cry from the toddler he and Gohan had pulled off her dying brother's chest...

"Bran!" her mother seemed ready to scold her, coming up on them as well.

"No" Casey said firmly, still glowing with super saiyan power, "Things are different now, she should help anyone she can." He and his mother were still in the middle of a staring contest when Bran shot forward, waiting for neither of them. Trunks could feel the last of Cumin's life slipping away through his fingers as she placed her hands on him.

Suddenly the ebbing stopped, and Bran's hands glowed with a blue, flowing light. The glow spread over Cumin, and he gasped, his eyes blinking more rapidly. Trunks' arm began tingling where he held Cumin's hand. He watched with fascination as the cuts and burns on it healed right along with the more massive damage to Cumin's body.

Aaron stopped crying abruptly, as if holding his breath. The prince could see the healing spreading to his other attendant too, where they touched.

"He's not a half breed..." she said curiously, her eyes still closed as if in concentration.

"He's my bond mate" Aaron said forcefully, to which Bran nodded, eyes still closed. After what felt like only a few minutes, she removed her hands, and the light began to fade away. Bran turned and opened her eyes, the blue glow of her power still lingering in them.

"Thank you" Trunks said earnestly, putting his hand on her shoulder as Cumin sputtered back to full consciousness.

"You're welcome, prince Trunks" she said, smiling happily.

"You're supposed to say, 'your highness', Bran" her mother pointed out, eyeing the girl, "And you're supposed to clean your blade when the battle's over too" she further admonished. Trunks noticed her sword was already sheathed, and he could bet it hadn't been done without cleaning first.

"Bran, can you still do any more healing today?" Trunks asked as she was wiping her blade on the grass dutifully.

"Aye, I can do more. I heal Casey all the time" she said confidently.

"I would be in your debt, if you could save all those possible" he said with conviction. He had nothing specific to really offer her in the moment, but he knew her family would understand the worth of that debt, even if she did not. He was pretty sure from the glint in her eyes when she nodded, that there was at least some understanding in her. With her mother in tow, she trotted off to go pick out the worst of the wounded.