Q: If all it took was a reminder of Broly for King Vegeta to stop the fight, how come no one mentioned it sooner?

A: Well, it wasn't really a reminder. He knew about Broly, but King Vegeta didn't know that he needed Bardock and his family or that he and his son would most definitely be destroyed without them. And it was important that Kara pointed out that her family needs the royal family to survive. It was also not public knowledge about Broly or that the Legendary Super Saiyan was real. Vegeta might have still been angry enough to kill Bardock anyway, but he did have an audience and he is a king. And now everyone will understand Vegeta letting Bardock off the hook.

Q: Are you going to list power levels?

A: Nope. Sorry. I hate having to remember ages. Power levels are a bit much, especially since everyone can sense energy now anyway.

Chapter 20

Bulma tried climbing out of Vegeta's bed, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back in and smirked. She was glad for all of the attention, but she knew she had other things to do. "Come on, Vegeta. We've been in here all day. Everyone will start to get suspicious if we both never get to work. Besides, your mother thinks you're irresponsible."

"She does?" he questioned.

Bulma nodded. "You don't take your responsibilities seriously."

"I don't need to take them seriously right now. It's not like I'm going to be king any time soon. As of right now, I'll do as I please." Vegeta was happy with his arrangement with Bulma, but there was something lingering on his mind that he had yet to speak to her about. "But there is something—"

"I'm not in love with you," she blurted out.

Vegeta was surprised that she just knew. "You're not?"

"No. You use me, I use you, it's perfect."

"Oh…" Vegeta was relieved at first, but then he felt a little cheated.

Bulma looked confused. "…Do you want me to love you?"

"No," he said quickly. "I told you that nothing would come out of this. I just enjoy your company in my bed. That's all. I'm going to mate with a Saiyan."

"That's what you keep telling yourself." Bulma began to get suspicious and smirked. 'I think he's actually beginning to develop feelings for me.' "And if I did really love you, what would happen?"

Vegeta thought about it. He didn't want her to love him. It would complicate everything. He did eventually plan on breaking things off with Bulma…when he was ready. He was sure that he would like other Saiyan women more than he liked her in bed. After all, he couldn't do certain things like satisfy his raging lust during the full moon with her. Things like that were too risky. He didn't care for the idea of bonding, but he couldn't do it with Bulma. Plus, it was still against the law to be with her. "We'd have to break things off immediately."

Bulma chuckled. "You're such a liar!"

"What do you mean?" he asked offended.

"If I told you today that I loved you, you wouldn't do anything to me. You wouldn't break off the relationship, because you're addicted to me. Nothing would change."

"Stop acting like you know me so well, Woman. I would do what I needed to do."

"Well, don't be concerned. Right now, we're just friends with very good benefits."

Vegeta wasn't sure if he did believe Bulma and Bulma believed that Vegeta actually was beginning to love her. It should have been something beautiful between the two of them, but it bothered Vegeta and almost frightened him and Bulma couldn't respect his feelings and began to think of ways to corrupt it and use it to her advantage.

"I've got to get to work," Bulma said. "Unlike you, your mother thinks I'm responsible."

"Whatever…" he mumbled. 'Maybe it's time that I get more serious about business and focus less on Bulma.' He knew that was the right decision.

'Poor Vegeta. He's never going to be able to shake me.' Bulma smirked to herself, but she wouldn't let Vegeta see.

Bardock opened his eyes. He felt so rested, but he didn't understand how. The last thing he remembered was going to save his son. He rose up quickly, but then hit his head. After his head stopped ringing, he recognized his surrounding's and realized he was on the bottom bunk bed in the twins' room. That posed even more questions, but at least he wasn't dead or in a prison.

The lights weren't on, but it was light in the room. Bardock estimated that it was sometime in the afternoon. He sensed that some of his family was around and he could smell meat. He walked out and eased into the kitchen where Colleen was making cheeseburgers. He was glad to see that she was alright. "Colly."

She did a double take. "Bardock?" She smiled when she walked over to him, but when she reached him, she made sure to give him a good punch in the gut!

"Ow! Woman, what is your problem?"

"Raditz might have been an idiot, but he must have inherited it from you! When all of this started, you and Kakarot were at that human girl's house."

"We were hunting the dragonballs!"

"That's not why you invited yourselves to stay the night. You were obsessing with Kakarot's life again and you weren't there when your family needed you. Then when you finally got to Raditz, you barged in and failed miserably. It's amazing that we're alive!"

Bardock wanted to say something and yell it back to her, but he did screw up from trying to hook up Kakarot with Chi-Chi and falling into the trap at the prison. "How did you guys make it?"

"Kakarot got Cerina to somehow get Raditz released and our boys fought King Vegeta while I fought Cellena."

He tried not to sound surprised. "And you all managed to beat them?"

"No. Kara did some kind of weird thing with her powers and jumped inside of Cellena's body."

His eyes bucked. "What?"

"Yeah, but she couldn't even make much of a dent in Cellena's body. Then that crazy woman took back control of her mouth and told Vegeta to wound her enough to force Kara out."

"That sounds like Cellena. She does everything on her own terms."

Colleen grunted and pushed Bardock in his chest. "Stop sounding so impressed with her. She did try to kill me and in the end, she was going to let you die too."

"I'm not impressed. I was just commenting!"

"Whatever. The only reason why we made it out was because Kara had a vision or one of her strong feelings that Vegeta couldn't kill us because we're the only ones who can keep him alive when Broly comes to kill him."

Bardock laughed. "And he believed her?"

"She wasn't joking. And apparently, we need them alive."

"You're kidding me!"

"No, so now you can't kill King Vegeta.

Bardock was pissed. After he made sure his family was okay, he had every intention of going to go finish King Vegeta off. "Well, that is unfortunate."

"They were waiting for you to wake up. Now we have to go to the palace to discuss the terms of our truce." Colleen was not looking forward to it. She wasn't sure if she could control her mouth and she knew King Vegeta was going to be as unfair as possible. Cellena was the only reason why their life was as good as it was, but she was really pissed about what Kara did to her. Colleen didn't know if she could depend on her friend anymore.

"They can wait." Bardock crossed his arms. "I've been meaning to talk to Summer and Raditz."

Summer then walked out of her bedroom, dressed in a pair of spandex shorts and a tank top.

"Well, here's your chance," Colleen said.

Bardock could tell that Summer was trying to avoid him and walk right by the kitchen, but he just couldn't let her slide. "Summer."

She stopped and faced him respectfully. She knew that he would want to talk to her when he woke up. "Yes, Bardock?"

"You got us all in a big mess all because you don't like to listen!" He didn't particularly dislike Summer, but he didn't get her and she did do some things that bugged him. She just wasn't tough and she thought she knew so much. He was going to blow up all of his frustrations about her that had been mounting up over the years. He expected her to cry, but he didn't care. "I know your family owned a bookstore and you're all intellectual. You read your books on parenting and you think that's good enough instead of listening to people who have been there and done that. I may not be smarter than you, but I'm still wiser. You screwed up and you almost got my blood killed. What do you have to say for yourself?"

She stared at him stubbornly and refused to cry or to even talk back to him. "I have to go start my training."

Bardock blinked a few times. "What?"

"I have started training. May I go train?"

He turned around to look at Colleen and she nodded to confirm that it was indeed true. It was still extremely hard to believe. "I don't understand. Why did you start fighting?"

She began to get furious. "Men came into my house and they stole my children from me—my babies. The next time someone does that, it'll be over my dead body! I may never be as strong as you Saiyans, but I swear I will never be as weak as I used to be."

He was totally unprepared for a new kind of Summer. It was a little unsatisfying that he couldn't yell at her the way he wanted to, but it was better that she didn't act like such a whimp. "Okay. I respect that."

Summer knew she could have left it at that, but she wasn't a Saiyan and she felt the need to apologize. "I didn't mean to endanger your family. I understand that you are the head of this family and I promise I will listen to your wisdom."

He knew that she was close to tears, but he liked that she held them back. He liked the new Summer already. "Go on."

She nodded and walked out of the house to go join her mate, who had been training since sunrise.

Bardock didn't know what to think of everything, so he started laughing from unbelief. "So, she wants to be a fighter?"

"Don't mock her," Colleen said. "A lot has changed."

Bardock was hungry and began scarfing down cheeseburgers, even though he didn't know who they belonged to. He appreciated that Colleen didn't give him any lip about it. He did leave a few though. "Where's Kakarot? It's not like him to miss a meal."

Colleen sighed heavily. Her son had been most irritable and irritating lately. "He barely stays around. He's a moody preteen and if he needs to have a human friend right now, fine."

"Chi-Chi?" he asked surprised. "Last we spoke of her, he blew up on me."

"Remember what I said about change?" Colleen wasn't very pleased with that particular change. After finding out that Cerina aided her family during their fight against her own, she was very much on her side. She made sure to lecture Kakarot at least a hundred times about Chi-Chi and how it was still illegal for a Saiyan to be with a human. He swore up and down that they were only friends. Because he was only a boy, she decided to believe him temporarily. He'd get a lot more grief when he was a teenager. "Kakarot lost his tail and King Vegeta beat him really good. Chi-Chi's hospitality comforts him and it beats being cramped in Raditz's house."

Bardock was ticked off to hear about his son's tail, but it's not like he had ever seen his son without one before. He got along fine without one. He was a long time away from becoming a Super Saiyan Four and it could still grow back. "It's not the end of the world because he lost his tail."

"Go tell you granddaughter that."

Bardock recalled what happened to Fasha and he hoped that Baga was dead. If he wasn't, he was going to have to correct that sooner than later. But in the meantime, he decided to find his granddaughter. She was in the backyard playing with a doll near a tree on a picnic blanket. When she noticed her grandfather was coming, she took her doll and hid it under the blanket as quickly as possible. "Fasha?" Bardock asked suspiciously. "What did you just hide?"

She didn't want to get in trouble and hesitantly revealed the doll to her grandfather. "My doll."

Bardock thought that was a stupid thing to hide and sat down beside her. "Why?"

She was embarrassed and couldn't look him in the eye. "I figured you would think that it's stupid," she mumbled.

Bardock noticed that the doll had a tail made out of an old brown shirt and stuffed with something soft. "You gave her a tail?"

"All of my dolls are Saiyans."

Bardock realized that he had done something terribly wrong. He didn't mean to, but he knew that it was his fault and he didn't like to get emotional, but he felt terrible about it. "I apologize if I give you the impression that I don't like a part of you because you're half human. If you want to play with your toys, that's fine. You're still an amazing fighter."

Fasha's lip began to quiver and her eyes welled up with tears. "Grandpa..." She could barely speak through her emotions. She didn't want to cry in front of him, but she felt so awful inside and she couldn't help herself. "…do you think I'm ugly now?"

His eyes bucked. "No, of course not. Why would you say that?" Bardock was the general who destroyed and conquered many worlds, but he couldn't be that person when it came to his little granddaughter—not when she was that upset and needed him to be someone else.

"Because I don't even look like a Saiyan anymore!" Fasha began wailing and tears streamed down her face. She would have been screaming from her grief if she had enough breath, but she didn't.

Bardock felt so helpless and he didn't know what to do. He looked for the girl's mother, but she was nowhere in sight. She was the one who was supposed to give her affection. He couldn't just leave her, so he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to calm her down. "Hey, you're a good looking kid because you look like your mom. Your dad got with a good looking woman." He smiled. "He's got a good eye like me. I can also see your grandmother in your face."

She began sniffling and calming down. "I still miss my tail."

"I know you do, but just because you don't have a tail doesn't mean that you're less of a Saiyan. So what if you can't transform? You're not allowed to anyway. You don't have to deal with the craziness of the full moon side effects. The only downside is that you can't go Super Saiyan Four."

"I can't?" she shrieked.

Bardock chuckled to himself. He took great pride that his descendants were so determined to be powerful. "Fasha, if you're strong enough to make it to that level, I swear we will use the dragonballs to wish your tail back."

"You promise?" She had these big, innocent eyes that reminded him so much of Colleen.

"I promise."

She wiped her face. "Will you play with me?"

"No." He was not that sentimental, but he was still a bit of a sucker for Fasha. "But I'll sit with you for a while."

"I'd like that." She smiled and cradled her doll. She liked that she didn't have to feel ashamed of her human side. "Do you think boys will think I'm still pretty?"

"What are you concerned about boys for?" he yelled.

"Well..." She started blushing. "I wanna have a baby one day and I'm gonna name her Tiger."

"Tiger?" he asked confused.

"Yep, because my baby is gonna be fierce and be a ginger like me." She hugged her doll and swung from side to side.

"Don't worry about things like that." Bardock hadn't really thought about Kara or Fasha growing up and attracting boys and he really didn't know how he was gonna take it. Fasha wasn't his daughter, but she was so close in age to Kara that it seemed like she was. "You can't date until you're five thousand years old."

"But, Grandpa, my mom and dad aren't even that old!"

"That's because they're whores, Fasha. You don't wanna be like them."

Her mouth dropped. "Ooo! Grandpa, you can't say things like that."

"I can't?" he said. "Why not?"

"Because good people don't talk like that. Besides, you're not five thousand years old either."

"I never said I wasn't a whore." He smiled. "Just promise me you won't think about it and if you find a boy that you actually want to potentially mate with, you have to give me the heads up."

"What about my dad?"

'He's probably gonna screw this up.' "I don't care if you do or don't talk to them. You talk to me!"

"Okay. I'm gonna go get ready and train with my brother." She felt so much better and kissed her grandfather on the cheek. "I love you, Grandpa. Thanks you so much for making me feel better!" She ran back inside of the house with her doll proudly in her hands.

Bardock didn't get such affectionate displays of emotions and it surprised him, but it wasn't that bad to be kissed by his granddaughter and knowing that he had made her feel a little bit better. The only disappointing matter was that he knew Summer was right about her children needing affection. 'I don't ever have to admit that to her though…'

"Aw!" Colleen mocked from the back door. "The General is so soft!"

He was embarrassed. "Shut up! I was trying to build up her pride!"

"And I'm glad you did." She laughed. "Come on you big softy, we've gotta get ready to go meet the royal family."

He grumbled to himself. 'She's never gonna let me live this down…' "Fine. I'll get dressed."

"Another impressive meal," Kakarot told Chi-Chi as he finished his last plate of chicken and dumplings. "And you made that one yourself?"

"Yeah," she said excitedly. 'He really likes that I learn all these meals for him. I'm off to a really good start.' "When will you be back? I need to know when I need to know a new dish."

Kakarot smiled. He did really enjoy her cooking and it was nice to hang out in her palace instead of being squished in Raditz's house, but he was feeling conflicted. He would think about Cerina sometimes and he reminded himself that he didn't want Chi-Chi to really get too attached to him. "Why don't you do this for yourself or professionally? It doesn't just have to be for me."

"Professionally?" she asked. "I'm a princess. I don't need to cook professionally."

"The only authority on this planet that matters is from King Vegeta and Queen Cellena. Saiyans don't recognize you as being a princess. Besides, don't you wanna do something for yourself? You don't seem like the type of girl that would be happy just shinning up your tiara all day."

Chi-Chi really began to think about it. "Well, I do really enjoy cooking. Maybe there should be more to it."

"There you go! I just helped you with your life path."

"Thank you, Kakarot." She smiled dreamily at him.

Kakarot rolled his eyes. 'Oh brother! No matter what I do, this girl is going to like me.'

"Maybe I can help you."

He laughed. "With what?"

"Well, you're obviously upset about something. Maybe I can help you feel better."

"Well, you can't make me stronger. You can't grow my tail back, so you can't help me with that either. You supply me with some breathing space and good meals. That's about all I need from you."

"And my company."

He cocked his brow. "What do you mean?"

"You don't just leave when you're done eating. You usually talk to me for a little bit and show me a couple of moves. You must enjoy my company."

"That's not it!" he spouted defensively.

Chi-Chi was grinning from ear to ear. "Why can't you just admit that you're my boyfriend?"

"Because I'm not!" 'What is with this girl? She can't accept that I just want to be her friend.' "You're so pushy. What happened to that shy little girl I met?"

Chi-Chi laughed. "I don't think you need a shy woman."

"I certainly don't need a pushy one!" Kakarot didn't know what to do with her. He liked that she was beginning to show a backbone, but he was cautious. He didn't know if he wanted a woman as loud and crazy as his mother. She was okay for being his mom, but he didn't think he wanted to mate a woman like that. "I'm gonna go. I need to go train and my mother wants me to check in or else she'll send my brother and there will be a mess."

"I'll see you next time, Kakarot."

"If there is a next time."

She smirked. "Tomorrow. I'm gonna try a pot roast."

'Darn it. That sounds delicious.' He grunted. "I'll be here." He left after that. He didn't want Chi-Chi to get too comfortable with her or too cocky about their relationship, but he did want to hang around her and she was easy on the eyes.

Kakarot flew home and he was surprised to see his father and his mother standing outside with Kara. "Look who decided to drag his lazy butt out of bed!"

"Kakarot…" Bardock was pleased to see his boy. Colleen told him about how hard Kakarot fought against King Vegeta and he was much stronger than the last time he saw him. "What happened to the dragonballs?"

"I left them over Chi-Chi's when Kara did the weird body thing, but I went back and got them. I haven't hunted for any more of them. I didn't know where to find them."

"Okay. We'll get the rest of them later. Your mother and I have to go to the palace."

"And what's Kara doing?" Kakarot asked.

"Nothing," Colleen said. "She said she wanted to go into the city, but I told her that wasn't an option."

"But what if Kakarot comes with me?" she whined. "Nothing bad will happen if he's there!"

"What do you even want to do there?" Bardock asked.

"I never got to go in the city. I really want to. Kakarot and I will be okay, Papa, I promise!"

Colleen crossed her arms and prepared herself to crush her daughter's dreams. She made the mistake of looking at her mate. As soon as she saw his face, she knew that he was going to cave. "Fine. You two can come."

"Nobody even asked me what I thought!" Kakarot said.

"Shut up!" his mother said. "You're gonna do this for your sister. You've had enough private time."

Bardock placed his hand on his mate's and son's shoulder while Kara grabbed onto his leg. Seconds later, they arrived at the capital of the planet, Vegeta City. Kakarot would have rather trained than babysat his little sister, but there wasn't much he could do if he wanted to live. Besides, he had never really visited a city. It might have been cool. "I think I'm gonna look around."

"That's fine," Bardock said, "but you have to keep Kara with you."

Kakarot rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll take care of her."

"Be careful," Kara warned her father. "Don't let your temper get the best of you."

Bardock didn't like that Kara had to warn him, but he was going to try and take her advice. "Fine."

"You kids have some money, right?" Colleen asked.

"Yeah, but we could use some more." Kakarot reached out his hand and his mother gave him some more cash. When the flow of cash stopped, Kakarot frowned. "What about Kara?"

She slapped Kakrot in the head. "You take care of your younger sister. You can starve for all I care."

"Thanks," Kakarot said sarcastically. "It's affection like this that makes me wonder how I could be sent alone in a space pod across the universe."

"Don't be such a drama freak," she said.

"Let's go," Bardock said. "I want to get this over with." Bardock touched Colleen's shoulder and disappeared.

"I wonder if he's gonna beat King Vegeta to death," Kakarot said with an evil smile. He wanted the honor of doing that himself one day, but he wouldn't be too broken up if his father did it.

"I hope he doesn't," Kara said. "I was serious when I said we needed the royal family and that they needed us."

Kakarot knew about his sister's gift and believed in it, but it was just too hard for him to believe that they would need the royal family. His father was the strongest person on the planet and there weren't a lot of people in the universe capable of defeating him. Kakarot was not afraid of Broly, no matter how much the other Saiyans freaked out about him. "Whatever. Do you want to get something to eat?"

"Not a lot. I want to get Mom something too."

"Fine, but it's coming out of your food."

Kara frowned, but she wasn't too upset. She knew what she was doing.

Cellena and King Vegeta were eating together in the sunroom in the palace. Cellena was going over some of the mission logs and preparing the next trips. "Frieza is somewhere in the North Galaxy and Broly is rumored to be somewhere in the South, but there's no way to know for sure...besides asking you know who."

"I'd rather not. I will trust our intel. As long as we keep our forces in the North Galaxy, we will be fine."

"And Frieza?"

"I'm not concerned." King Vegeta had lost a lot of men when Frieza found them in space, but the gravity chamber really turned the tide. His warriors were powerful and they could handle Frieza's men as long as Frieza wasn't around. Slowly, they were demolishing his forces.

"He will find us eventually."

"I suppose I'll destroy him then." He smirked.

Cellena knew her mate was being arrogant, but she also trusted in his new power that he had worked so hard for. He had been open and honest with her in the past few days and she saw a different side of him that was much stronger than he had ever been. "You're going to leave the planet after all that just happened?"

"Everything will be fine." Vegeta observed his mate. She was gorgeous and they hadn't been like they used to be. He was looking to rekindle their flame. "I want you to come with me."

"Come with you?" she asked laughingly. "And who would look after earth?"

"Our son."

Cellena adored her son, but she was no fool. "He could care less about all of the work that goes into being a great leader. He only wants to train, hang out with Bulma, and enjoy Cassava's company. He's bored out of his mind when I try to give him responsibilities."

"But he is the future king. He will be very egger to prove himself. I know our son."

Cellena frowned as she thought about it. She just wasn't sure. "Oh, alright. I suppose I will put my trust in our boy." She was worried, but the thought of leaving the planet and going on a mission excited her. 'When was the last time Vegeta and I brought a civilization to its knees? It's been far too long.'

"We'll have fun, Cellena." He smirked and stroked her hand. "It's been ages since I've watched your delicate hands kill anyone."

She smiled. "How about just the two of us go? We don't need an army with us. It could be romantic."

Vegeta laughed. "As romantic as death, destruction, and brutality can be."

"So it'll be very romantic." She laughed herself. Saiyans were supposed to fight and conquer. She was trying too hard to be tamed for Bardock. Her graceful brutality was what attracted Bardock and Vegeta to her in the first place. It was time to be her old self again. "I can't wait, my king."

Bardock and Colleen appeared in front of the royal couple and they were disgusted by their display of affection. "Are we interrupting?" Bardock asked particularly annoyed.

Vegeta drew his hand away from his woman and fought off the urge to blast Bardock into oblivion and smirked instead. "Did you enjoy your nap, peasant?"

Bardock also had to resist the urge to blast Vegeta, but he decided to remember his daughter's warning and he took a seat at the table. "You're very lucky that it was restful."

"You look well," Cellena told Colleen.

"And you've looked better," Colleen replied.

Cellena laughed. "You're not holding a grudge, are you?"

"No," Colleen said while taking a seat. "I didn't get toppled by a four-year-old girl, so I don't have anything to be embarrassed about."

That aggravated Cellena, but she kept her composure. "The first order of business to discuss is about your daughter."

Bardock narrowed his eyes in on Cellena. "What about her?" He could take a lot of bashing, but he was not going to tolerate anything being said about his daughter.

"Taking over Cellena's body was crossing a line," Vegeta said.

"Really?" Bardock asked. "Trying to kill me while I was sleeping wasn't crossing a line?"

"To be fair," Vegeta said, "I didn't know you were going to be that idiotic. I would have gladly killed you without any aide."

Bardock cocked his brow. "Really?"

"Yes," Vegeta said confidently. "I thought you would come save the girl's parents. I wasn't expecting your son and I certainly didn't think you'd be foolish enough to be knocked out by the sleeping gas. It's a normal protocol." He laughed. "How has your psychic abilities been treating you?"

"Let's cut the crap!" Colleen said. "If you were that powerful, you would have just kicked down our front door and beat us all. There would have been no point for traps."

"That's not exactly true," Cellena said. "Bardock may be banished, but he's still the hero of our people. Believe it or not, but he's respected. He couldn't be destroyed for no reason or it would have looked bad."

"You're the king," Bardock said to Vegeta. "You could do whatever you want."

"You still want to be favorable with the people. Usually it's fine for me to kill whoever I want to and the people have accepted that my will is law. You have proven different, unfortunately."

Bardock found that surprising. He didn't know that he actually had a little bit of popularity. He noticed how his mate perked up a little bit and she started fighting off a smile. Bardock took a peek inside of her mind and saw that she was proud of him. He was actually pretty pleased with himself.

"I wanted a plausible reason for when I decided to kill you," Vegeta admitted.

"It's too bad you don't have a plausible reason to hate him," Colleen said.

"We're getting off topic," Cellena interjected. "You have to talk to your daughter and make sure that she never body snatches again."

Colleen crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair stubbornly. "No offense, but you can both go shove it! My daughter's ability might be a little freaky, but she's the only reason why my family is alive. She might need to use a technique like that again. What would happen if she used a power like that against Broly?"

"That's very presumptuous," Bardock told his mate. "He's too powerful and psychotic. I don't think it would work out well for her."

Cellena was concerned that she was only coming off as bitter, but she was above that. "Bardock, I'm not just telling you to talk to your daughter about this because she came into my body. There's more to it than that." Cellena did feel violated by Kara, but she honestly had no agenda. "Her ability is going to cause mass hysteria. Every crime committed is going to be pinned on her. They'll say 'Kara made me do it'."

"But you'll know it's a lie."

"How?" she asked. "I'm not saying that I believe Kara will do such things, but I think jumping inside of people's bodies is a big temptation, especially after handling so much more power. It must be difficult after handling my power and then being forced back into her little one with a limited supply."

"Kara is fine," Bardock assured.

Colleen didn't say anything, but she had noticed her daughter had been passionately training like a fiend ever since the fight with the royals. It made her begin to wonder if Cellena maybe had a point. Training was the right way to handle how inferior Kara felt, but there could have been more to it. "We'll watch her. Let's just move on."

Bardock looked at his mate surprised, but she ignored him. 'I guess I'll have to pay attention to Kara and make sure she's alright.'

"Now," Colleen said, "with that knocked out of the way, let's discuss the real reason why you want Bardock dead."

Vegeta was a little irritated. He didn't know how Colleen knew about his agenda, but he smiled anyway. "I'm aware of how you have gone soft, Bardock. I wanted to make sure that you didn't try to hinder my plans about ruling the universe."

"I believe that's Frieza's department," Bardock retorted smartly.

"And he's about to be dethroned."

Bardock rolled his eyes. "If you say so."

"This isn't a game," Cellena said. "We've already begun demolishing his men, Bardock. This is real."

Bardock figured that King Vegeta was full of crap, but he figured that he would go along with King Vegeta's little fantasy. "And let's assume that you can do as you say and can defeat Frieza. What will happen next?"

"We won't be planet trading, but we will be building our empire across the universe."

That worried Bardock. "And the humans?"

"They won't be wiped out, but I can't say that for everyone else that dares to stand in my way." Vegeta smirked. "Are you going to cry for all of the innocents, Bardock?" he mocked.

Bardock felt conflicted. Goku would try to stop Vegeta from going across the galaxy and destroying innocent lives. Bardock couldn't say that he was that sympathetic, but he couldn't let all those people die. He looked to Cellena. He thought she might understand.

Cellena recognized his look, but she couldn't stay anything. 'Don't worry, Bardock. It's not going to be like before. We're only going in to conquer, not purge. If a planet cooperates, no one even has to die. It's no different than when these humans wage their wars for land.'

That gave Bardock some comfort about the situation. He wasn't exactly a saint. "Sorry to disappoint you, Vegeta, but I don't really care."

He frowned. "That is disappointing." Vegeta was hoping that Bardock would be angry about it, but there were other ways to push his buttons. "But know that if you ever stand in my way, I will finish you off."

"I'd like to see you try," he admitted.

Basila then came into the room holding a big black box wrapped in a silver ribbon. Cellena saw her and was upset. She did not summon her. "Basila, what are you doing disturbing our meeting?"

King Vegeta smirked as Basila placed the box on the table. "I asked her to bring a gift for Bardock and his family." Vegeta shooed her away and she did as instructed and left.

Cellena looked to her mate worriedly and asked quietly, "Vegeta, what sort of gift?" She knew her mate could be quite the instigator and she did not want to start another war with Bardock now that they were sitting down and discussing their issues.

"You'll see in but a moment."

Bardock looked at the box and he had a feeling that he shouldn't open it. He remembered what his daughter said and he knew that if he opened it, he would be in danger of breaking his promise. Still, he was curious and he had to open it up. Bardock cautiously touched the ribbon and pulled on it until the ribbon came undone and the sides fell down to reveal two tails that Bardock recognized.

"Don't you like it?" King Vegeta asked evilly.

Both of the women's eyes bucked and they knew they had to say or do something to calm down Bardock, but they were both too shocked to do anything about it. They kept watching as Bardock started getting pissed off. His nose started twitching and he started clenching his fists. Then, he gritted his teeth and started growling. When Vegeta started chuckling, that's when Bardock completely lost it and lunged from across the table to attack him.

"Bardock!" Colleen and Cellena both said. They both tried to pull him off of Vegeta while he was punching King Vegeta and they temporarily succeeded, but Bardock was able to fight them off when Vegeta got back on his feet. He wasn't satisfied with Vegeta only having a bloodied nose. He needed to die!

Bardock was operating purely on rage, but he did have enough sense to know that Colleen and Cellena would be determined to stop him. When he got his hands back on King Vegeta, the two of them disappeared.

"Where did they go?" Colleen asked.

Cellena sighed. "Probably to the last place they were when Bardock beat Vegeta."

Colleen knew what her mate was going to do and she wasn't exactly upset about it. "Bardock is going to kill Vegeta this time." She hoped that her daughter was wrong about needing the royal family, because she wanted him to suffer for what he had put her family through.

Cellena knew that Bardock was going to try and she didn't doubt that Bardock had the advantage, but she had much more confidence in her mate than she ever had before. "I'm afraid it's not going to be as easy as you think." She even smirked at the thought of what her beloved had accomplished. "There's a little secret you need to know about Vegeta, something that I'm sure he's about to reveal to Bardock."

"I'm confused," Vegeta said while wiping away the blood on his face. "Did I do something to offend you?"

"You're a real dick, you know that?" Bardock yelled as he charged King Vegeta. He didn't plan on toying much with Vegeta in case someone tried to stop him.

Vegeta was ready for Bardock and was able to block Bardock's attack. "I thought your granddaughter and son might want their tails back."

Bardock growled in rage and his next punch made an impact and knocked the king back. "You just exhausted your last chance. I'm gonna destroy you!"

"I'm interested to see you try."

"Do you feel that energy?" Kakarot asked his sister while they walked together around town.

"Yes," she said frustrated. "Father has decided not to listen to me."

'Father is going to destroy him.' Kakarot smiled to himself. "Should we do something?" 'Because I would love to watch.'

"No. We have things to do." She smiled once she spotted the bookstore she had seen in a dream. "I wanna go in the bookstore."

"Why? You can barely read."

"Come on, Kakarot! You might find something that you like." She smiled and rushed inside of the bookstore. There were mostly humans inside, which was no surprise. There were lots of humans that worked in the city for the Saiyans. It wasn't a very big bookstore for being in such a major city, but most Saiyans didn't like to learn like Kakarot and most didn't openly like to read about dramas like Colleen.

Kakarot decided to ditch his sister and headed off into the science department. He started browsing through a couple and put them back. He wasn't impressed with their selection. Even the ones on Saiyan technology were out of date, but it didn't make sense why current schematics of Saiyan technology would be made available to the public anyway. He did find a couple of physics books that were a little ambitious, so he decided to give them a shot.

"Kakarot?"

Kakarot turned around surprised when he heard the voice of Cerina and he started to blush from embarrassment. "Princess Cerina." He bowed slightly to her. He didn't care for etiquette, but she was royalty.

She knew that it was risky being scene with Kakarot, but it was a complete coincidence that they were together at that bookstore. "What do you have there?" she asked surprised and very intrigued.

Kakarot frowned and held the book behind his back. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Act like it's so amazing that I read."

"Well, I've barely seen any Saiyans in here, so it is pretty weird, especially when it's…" She got a glimpse of the cover and she was very impressed. "You're a scientist like your grandfather?"

"No," Kakarot said irritated at the mention of his grandfather. "I'm just smarter than the average Saiyan is all. I'm still a fighter."

"Don't get so defensive. It is possible to be both."

Kakarot spotted Kara spying from a balcony and realized what she had done. He should have been upset that she played him, but it wasn't a bad thing to see Cerina again. "Speaking of my grandfather, please tell me that he did not survive my father's attack."

For some reason, that made Cerina frown.

"What? Why do you look upset?"

"Nothing." Cerina didn't know how to say what she felt without sounding weak and she really did like Kakarot. She didn't want him to be disgusted with her.

"Spit it out," Kakarot commanded.

"Well…he's your grandfather. I know he's been opposed to your family, but I guess I don't understand how his death could hold such little value."

Kakarot was astonished and not really in a good way. "It does hold value. It holds high value. He betrayed all of us. Even my mother wanted him dead after what he did to my niece."

"I understand all that. It's just…" 'I shouldn't have said anything. He's going to think I'm a weak fool for being so compassionate.' "I don't think we should fight for revenge. I think that's terrible motivation."

"I don't fight for revenge. I wanna prove myself. I wanna be the best I can be—the absolute strongest."

"Maybe you should fight for yourself, not everyone else."

Kakarot didn't know what to say to that. Of course he fought for himself, but he wanted to prove something to all of his doubters and for everyone who believed in him. He wasn't exactly obsessed with revenge, but beating King Vegeta one day was a big goal of his. 'But maybe it's wrong of me to get to him by being with Cerina. She doesn't seem like she'd have the stomach for such a game anyway.' Kakarot suddenly wasn't sure if he was so interested anymore.

Kara gasped. She had been reading her brother's thoughts the entire time. 'You idiot! You feel guilty for using her! That's not a sign that you're not interested. It's a sign that you're not a jerk and that you care for her!' She wanted to scream at him for being so stupid!

"I think I'm gonna get my book and go."

Cerina nodded. "Very well, Kakarot."

"Princess Cerina!" said a young Saiyan. He came before her and bowed. "It's an honor bumping into you here."

Cerina smiled brightly. "It's a pleasure to see you, Fenn."

Kakarot sneered at the young Saiyan before him, but Kara—who was watching from above—was quite smitten. He was a year older than Kakarot and taller and much more handsome. His hair was dark brown, thick, and true to Saiyan form, but it seemed to be styled in a modern and cool human way. He also had a vibe that was bright like Cerina herself. Kakarot didn't like him at all. "Fenn?"

"And you're the son of Bardock," Fenn said. "I've always been interested in meeting your father. It must be cool to see the future."

"I can see the future!" Kara yelled.

The three Saiyans below looked up at the little girl who was blushing very hard. She didn't say anything because she was so embarrassed.

"So that's your sister who can put her mind into other people's bodies?"

Kakarot grunted and created a fist. "What about it?"

"Nothing," Fenn said. "I've just heard some chatter from some other Saiyans. I'd keep her close to your side, if I were you. Some people think she's a freak."

"A freak?" Kakarot became angry at Fenn real fast for no good reason. "How about you and I go for a spar? I bet you don't even last five minutes."

"You might wanna rethink that," Kara said. "Fenn is famous."

"He's a prodigy," Cerina told Kakarot. "His power level was about as high as my brother's when he was born. His parents were decorated war heroes. Fenn is one of the strongest members of my father's army and he's only thirteen years old."

"So?" Kakarot said. "I can take him."

Fenn was nice enough for a Saiyan, but he smirked at the idea of fighting. "I'm more than happy to prove you wrong, Kakarot."

"Then let's do this!"

"This is ridiculous!" Cerina said while getting in between the two of them, but really looking at Kakarot. "You don't have to be mad at Fenn for warning you, Kakarot. What's wrong with you?"

He frowned, but controlled his mouth. 'What is wrong with me? I'm getting all worked up over nothing.'

Kara rolled her eyes. 'Oh, Kakarot! You're totally jealous.'

Kakarot calmed down. He couldn't fight Fenn just because Cerina smiled at him or some crap like that. Everyone thought he was so powerful and if he was, Kakarot wanted to test his skills. "I'm just interested in a spar. That's all."

"I can oblige," he said. "I haven't had a good spar in a while, so please be a challenge for me."

"Master Fenn?" A human woman came from around the corner. She was blonde and didn't look very powerful and she seemed like a cheerful person. "I've got what I needed. I'm ready to go."

"Master?" Kakarot laughed. "You've got slaves or something?"

"No. Misty and her husband are my servants. The 'master' thing is just a formality they can't seem to shake."

"It's an honor to be in your presence," Misty said to Cerina as she bowed.

Sometimes Cerina felt so humbled by all of the praise she got. She didn't relish in people worshiping her like her mother and Bulma. "Fenn won't be acquiring your services anymore today. It would seem that he's about to fight Kakarot, so we'll probably head to the center of the city to the Arena."

"Alright, my princess." She turned to Fenn. "I'll have dinner prepared for you at seven."

"Thanks. I'm looking forward to it."

Kakarot was beginning to get irritated. 'Is this guy for real? What kind of Saiyan is this nice? It doesn't make any sense. He must be trying to show off to Cerina or something. Well, he's not gonna look so hot when I beat him senseless.' Kakarot smirked. "Alright, let's go to the arena."

"Let's sneak out the back," Cerina said. "My entourage is outside and I'd prefer not to have them follow me all day long." 'I also don't want my father to know that I'm hanging out with Kakarot. I guess word might get back to him eventually, but I at least want a little time.' "Let's go."

Bardock was a little surprised how well King Vegeta was fighting. He was matching him blow for blow and his speed was incredible. Bardock had to make sure he stayed on his toes if he didn't want his head blown off. 'I didn't expect him to be this good. I thought I would have been able to end it by now.'

"This fight won't be like before," Vegeta warned as he powered up and charged Bardock with the ferociousness of a wild beast, but with the precision of a gifted surgeon. He really knew where to hit and Bardock was just slow enough to get hit by a few blows that left him stunned and unable to move for a few seconds. But in a match with people who moved at impossible speeds, a few seconds was enough for Vegeta to gain the advantage and he was actually able to deliver an uppercut to Bardock that sent him flying through the air in great pain.

'What is this?' Bardock struggled not to lose consciousness. There was no way of denying that Vegeta just happened to be way stronger than he was before. Bardock couldn't gather himself together before landing making a rough landing on his back and Vegeta wasn't slowing down.

"What's this?" Vegeta landed on the ground and ruthlessly began kicking Bardock in the back. "You didn't believe I was any stronger than you, did you? You thought you would somehow be able to best the King of all Saiyans. Didn't you?"

Bardock hollered out in immense pain, but his yelling soon turned into hysterical laughter and blood seeped out of his mouth.

Vegeta was terribly confused. "And what's so funny, Freak?"

"Oh nothing." Bardock spit up blood. "It's just funny that you are quite strong." He smirked. "But I'm still stronger."

The ground beneath King Vegeta's feet began to shake and Vegeta began to take a step back. Bardock continued laughing and slowly rose up to his feet. "Poor Vegeta. He thinks he's so powerful!"

Vegeta noticed that Bardock's eyes were blue and his hair kept continuously flashing gold as it fought to rise up. "You're transforming?"

"What was your first clue, genius?" Bardock yelled as he forced out the last bit of energy necessary to ascend to another level and in a glorious golden flash, the transformation was complete. He smirked with pride as he finally revealed the transformation to his sworn enemy. He didn't want to have to deal with Vegeta's obsession, but it was going to be irrelevant because Bardock was going to kill him. He was looking forward to seeing the horrified look on Vegeta's face…

…Except, Vegeta did not look horrified at all. "Oh my," he mocked. "Are you waiting for me to be impressed?"

Bardock was confused. "Yeah, a little bit."

"I hate to break it to you, but you're not the only Super Saiyan, my friend." Vegeta's energy exploded out of his body in a furious yell and his energy even pushed Bardock back.

By the time Bardock gathered himself, the king was standing before him surrounded by a golden aura and transformed into a Super Saiyan. "You've got to be kidding me!" Bardock yelled. "If you're a Super Saiyan, then how come Frieza isn't dead?"

"I could ask you the same question!" Vegeta yelled angrily. "I just recently reached this transformation though, Bardock."

"So that explains why you finally had the stones to go after me and my family."

"But you're not much more powerful than a Super Saiyan, are you, Bardock?" Vegeta smirked.

Bardock had ascended to higher level where he could expand his muscles and become a bulky creature, but he hated that form. It was a big waste of energy and it diminished his speed. He had been trying to reach Super Saiyan Two, but whatever mental or physical barrier he had to personally break through to reach it, he had yet to find it. "I've been a Super Saiyan since I defeated you the first time. Beating you in this form won't be impossible."

"But it will be difficult."

"How impressive!" Bardock mocked. "I'll make sure to have Cellena say that in your eulogy."

"Let's finish this, Bardock. I grow tired of your annoyances."

"I couldn't have said it better myself."

Just before the two colossal forces met, Cellena and Colleen both landed in between the two of them and they stopped. Both men were disappointed that their mates came, but they were still determined to fight to the death. However, the women pressed onto their chest and began pushing them away.

"You promised me…" Cellena said furiously. "You said you were done trying to kill him. You said you would put our differences aside so we could defeat Broly and keep our race safe. Do you remember that?"

Vegeta crossed his arms and looked away. "I'm the king. I can do as I please."

"Don't be such a child, Vegeta! There are some things bigger than you!"

"Bardock," Colleen said.

"He should die!"

"I know and I want you to kill him…horribly. He deserves to be humiliated like we all were, but you have to ask yourself what's more important: your hatred or your family."

Both of the Saiyan males both looked at each other. They hated each other so much, but their mates were right.

"Fine!" Vegeta barked. "He can live and I won't purposely provoke him to wrath anymore."

"I won't kill him." Bardock then mumbled under his breath. "Right now anyway."

"Good," Cellena said. "Now we'll return to the palace and discuss the details of our agreement."

The Arena was one of the busiest places in the city. There was a huge stadium outside that was meant for large events, but there were smaller rings that Saiyans used to fight with every day. Crowds would gather and watch the matches and then others would get involved once the loser gave up, passed out, or touched the outside of the ring. Saiyans and humans alike would come and place bets on the matches and the winning fighters got a cut as well. There was a long line for fighters who wanted to participate, but once the Saiyans realized that Princess Cerina wanted a ring, it only took a matter of minutes.

"You really want to have this low level fight Fenn?" the officiator of the match asked Cerina.

"It's going to be an interesting match, I'm sure. Fenn is a prodigy and a pride of our people and Kakarot fought my father and at least lived to tell about it."

"Okay…" He still thought it was ridiculous. Fenn had never lost a fight, even with grown men. "But I don't know how I'm gonna get anyone to vote against Fenn."

"I will!" Kara said. She felt indignant for her brother and she took it upon herself to take all of the money her mother gave them and gave it to the official. "I bet everything that I have that Kakarot will win!"

There were a few people who overheard and considered for a moment changing their minds—since Kara is a psychic—but they came to their senses. There was no way that a Saiyan prodigy that was privileged enough to train in the gravity chambers could lose to some outcast banished to some hick mountain. The official searched and searched, but everyone thought it would be easy money to vote for Fenn.

Kakarot was annoyed, but it was expected. He was soon going to show everyone exactly what he could do. "I'm ready to do this right now!"

Fenn nodded. "I expect this to be fun, Kakarot. Don't disappoint me."

They both stepped into the ring and Kara and Cerina stood on the sidelines to watch with about a hundred people. There were only that many bothering to see the outcome because the princess of their race thought it was important.

Kakarot prepared himself by getting into a defensive stance, but Fenn was very relaxed. Kakarot was not happy about that. 'Does he think I'm some kind of joke?' "Are you ready?"

"For you," he smirked, "always."

"Fight!" the officiator yelled.

Kakarot charged into action and seemed like he was about to hit Fenn, but a faded image of him appeared in front of Fenn while the actual Kakarot was gone. "Ah, I've heard about this technique," Fenn said. He closed his eyes and searched for Kakarot's energy. Then, he raised his hands and crossed them above his head just in time to block Kakarot's punch. "It's the After Image Technique. Correct?"

Kakarot cocked his brow. "How do you know that?"

"I do a lot of studying about battle strategies and techniques. The After Image Technique is simple, but effective. Do you know any of your father's other techniques like Kaio-Ken?"

Kakarot grunted. 'That's my technique!' And it bothered him immensely that his father hadn't taught it to him yet. "You'll have to wait and find out!" Kakarot began throwing punch after punch, but Fenn was fast enough to dodge and block his attacks. Fenn fought back, but Kakarot was also fast enough to avoid getting hit. Fenn was impressed and was actually having a good time, but Kakarot was getting annoyed that some random Saiyan he had never heard about was proving to be so strong.

"Come on, Kakarot!" Kara yelled aggressively in a way that reminded Kakarot of his mother. "You can do this! You better win!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

Cerina was trying very hard not to pick a side, but she did have a secret victor in mind. 'Come on, Kakarot. I know you can do this!'

The two boys hands collided and they began pushing on each other, trying to overthrow the other by sheer might. "I read about your father's missions," Fenn told Kakarot. "He may be a low level, but he's a very smart fighter. I can tell you're the same way."

"What are you, his groupie?"

"It's just a good thing to honor greatness in whatever form it comes in. If you study it and respect it, then you can one day achieve the same."

"Well, tell me how that works out for you after I beat you."

"In what lifetime is that gonna be in?"

"I'm toying with you," Kakarot said. "I have a lot of power that I'm not using."

"I do as well," Fenn admitted. "But it's not the appropriate time to use that much power, is it? You're waiting for a grand finale to display your strength to everyone."

Kakarot tried not to be surprised about Fenn reading him like a book. "I'm gonna be the strongest warrior in the entire universe and when I am, everyone will know."

"That's very ambitious, Kakarot. It's too bad that you were born in my lifetime."

"You're gonna be the perfect stepping stone to my ride to glory, Pretty Boy."

He smirked. "Not today."

Kakarot hissed and drew his hands away in shock from his hands being burned. In that moment of reacting on pure instinct, Fenn drew his hand back and created the perfect uppercut that suspended Kakarot a few feet into the air. Then before he could recover, Fenn created swirling energy within his hand and plunged it into Kakarot's chest. It all happened in a manner of seconds, but the energy that moved like a small twister was powerful enough to knock Kakarot out of the ring.

Kara's mouth dropped. "Kakarot!"

He couldn't believe that he had just lost to a little kid after fighting against the king. Instead of beating himself up first, he turned his anger on Kara. "I thought you said I was gonna win!"

"I didn't see you win. I had confidence in you, but I guess that was stupid of me!"

Fenn smiled and jumped out of the ring to Kakarot. "Sorry about that," he said while outstretching his hand to help Kakarot up. "I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?"

Kakarot sneered at his hand and slapped it away. "Whatever. I'm fine." He got up on his own and crossed his arms stubbornly. "I was just taken by surprise. That attack was dirty." Kakarot's hand still hurt.

"That attack was smart. The battle doesn't always go to the strongest." He smiled. "Well, it did today, but that's not why I won."

Kara moaned. "I bet all of our money on you, Kakarot!"

"How about I take you both out to the plaza for something to eat? It'll be my treat."

Kara gasped excitedly. "Wow? Really?" The plaza was the most popular place in the city, because it was a giant food court with small restaurants and vendors that served big portions for a good price. The variety of the different kinds of food was also astounding. You could get anything from a steak sub to chicken curry. Kara always wanted to go there. "I'd love to—"

"Thanks, but no thanks," Kakarot said. "We don't need your pity. I'll take my defeat with some dignity and beat you for sure the next time."

"It's not pity," he said. "That was a lot of fun. I want to reward you for being so good. It's nice to have a rival. It will keep me on my toes."

Kara glared at Kakarot and kicked him hard in his leg. "Say yes!" she threatened.

"Ow!" 'Man, sometimes she can be like Mother!' "Fine! We'll go."

"Yay!" she cheered. "I'm so excited!"

"What about you, Princess Cerina?" Fenn asked. "It would be cool to have you join us."

"Well…" She started blushing. She didn't really have any friends, because she was afraid that she would scare them away because she was so different than the rest of her people. She didn't want her apparent weakness of heart to get out to the people. Then she wouldn't have any respect. 'But Fenn and Kakarot seem different too. Kakarot is a little rough around the edges, but he fought so hard for his family and Fenn is actually pretty nice. As long as my guards don't find me, I guess everything will be alright.' "Okay. I'll come."

It was a day for firsts for Kara and Kakarot. They had never really been around that many Saiyans before. There were a lot at the Arena, but there were even more at the plaza. Then there were so many different foods that their stomachs were ready to grow wings and fly from glee. When Kara saw gigantic steak subs that were practically as big as her, she knew what she wanted. "I've got to eat that!" she yelled.

"Here." Fenn handed her a wad of cash.

"I'm the princess," Cerina said. "I can take care of everything."

"No. I'd rather pay for it myself. I've got enough money, Princess. Don't worry about me."

Kakarot rolled his eyes and he felt a little inadequate as his little sister ran off with money that he wasn't able to give her. They had been poor their whole life and considered weak by their race. Now someone who had beaten him was buying their food. It was humiliating. "How did you get so loaded anyway?" he asked.

"You get paid when you go on missions," Cerina said.

"Really?" Kakarot asked intrigued. "But we're not part of the planet trade anymore."

Fenn chuckled. "You really do live under a rock, don't you?"

"We still send Saiyans out for special missions. So far, they've only been available for particular elites, but my father is about to expand the program." Cerina didn't let on how she felt about it. She at least hoped no one asked her to go.

"My parents were killed by Frieza about four years ago," Fenn said. "I was compensated heavily by the empire."

'Then he lost them pretty young, but he seems to be doing alright.' "Then who takes care of you?" Kakarot asked.

"My servants, actually."

"Oh, so that explains why you're so soft. You've basically got human parents."

He slightly glared. He did not like for anyone to talk about his human servants. "If I'm so soft, how come my punches landed so hard in your face?"

Kakarot grunted. "We can fight right here again!"

'Oh brother!' "Come on, Kakarot." Cerina pulled on Kakarot's arm and began luring him away to avoid a battle in the middle of the plaza. "There's something I'd like you to try."

Kakarot almost started blushing once he realized that Cerina chose him and not Fenn, but he held it together. "I don't need you to get me anything."

Cerina rolled her eyes, but she understood Kakarot very well. "You're so full of pride, just like the rest of our people." But she didn't want someone like everybody else. "Why don't you do yourself a favor and just enjoy yourself once in a while?"

Kakarot had fun all the time. "I enjoy fighting."

"Yeah, but do you ever do anything else?" she asked. "Have you ever just gone flying only to feel the wind in your face or jumped into a pool just to feel the cool water chill your skin? Or have you ever just stopped to relax and stared up at the sky to watch the clouds in the sky?"

Kakarot flew to travel and to fight. He had never been in a pool and only took baths to bathe and jumped in lakes and rivers to catch fish or when he was really hot. He could sometimes have fun in the water, but he most certainly never stared up at the clouds. "That seems like a waste of time."

She slumped her shoulders. "I know this might sound like a shock to you, but there's more to life than fighting."

"I know. There's family, honor, and loyalty." He chuckled. "There's food, of course."

"No!" She stopped and grabbed him to make him stop and listen to her as she looked into his eyes. "I mean there's the simplest of things for you and only you that have nothing to do with the big scheme of things. There's a bunch of micro things that are pretty irrelevant that make life worth living."

There was something about Cerina in that moment that he didn't understand. He couldn't put his finger on it and he could never explain it. He wasn't even sure how he felt. He just knew that despite her being extremely weird, he just wouldn't be able to shake her. "I can't think of anything like that."

She sighed disappointed. "Well, try to." All Cerina had were the little things. "That's an order from your princess. Now, I want you to try pizza."

"I've never had it before."

"Oh, it's wonderful!"

Kakarot was beginning to doubt whether or not he should pursue Cerina, especially if it was only to get back at King Vegeta and secure his place as a prince. There did seem to be more to her, but he was beginning to doubt if he could even manage to really win her over. 'She seems kind of soft. She might be better off matched with Pretty Boy.' He was upset, but he was going to see how things played out. "I can't wait to try it, Princess."

Kara was happy with her big sandwich as she walked to a table. She knew by the smell of it that it was going to be delicious. When she sat down and prepared to take a bite of it, she felt something hit the back of her head. It wasn't that hard and when it made impact, it exploded and oozed into her thick hair. She gasped from shock of it and because she was shocked, she couldn't dodge the next couple of eggs that came flying at her. "Stop it!"

There were a couple of teenagers that were throwing eggs from all over and they all said the same thing. "Freak!" The chants of hatred were also accompanied by laughter by those who watched.

She didn't have to hear their thoughts. She felt their hatred and their fear of her and it disturbed her.

"Kill the freak!"

"Witch!"

Pretty soon, they were out of eggs and someone decided to move onto rocks. She dodged a couple, but some made impact—one noticeably with her head. She was getting angry, but she was so upset about what they felt about her that her rage began to turn into sorrow and her eyes began to well up with tears.

"What's going on?" Cerina asked while she and Kakarot were away in the pizza line. They could hear the commotion.

Kakarot growled and ran to find his sister. When he spotted her and one of the rock throwers, he tackled them to the ground and quickly broke their arm. "Leave her alone!"

The crowd retaliated and a couple of Saiyans began to attack Kakarot. He was faster and stronger than the five that tried to jump him, but he knew that sooner or later, he would only be able to survive if he started going for blood.

"Cut it out!" Fenn joined in on the fight and started attacking those who were throwing things at Kara. The people didn't hate him, so he didn't get attacked nearly as much as Kakarot, so he was able to take out more.

Cerina caught up to the chaos and saw how miserable Kara was standing in the middle of all of her people's hate and superstition. She had heard about what Kara had done to her mother, but she didn't fear or hate her for it. She knew that Kara was a good girl and she didn't deserve what was happening to her. Kakarot was only trying to defend his sister's honor—as he should have—and he was met with such hostility and was forced to be hostile back. His attacks were beginning to become more brutal and the more brutal he was, the more the people jumped on him and he wasn't exactly unscathed. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. "I order everyone to stop!"

They all did as she commanded. She wasn't feared like the prince or the king or nearly as loved and respected as her mother, but everyone knew that her authority rested on the fact that her mother and father would do just about anything for her. "Are you really all such cowards? This girl is four-years-old! You really need to stoop to such tactics? Where is your pride?"

No one answered her. They didn't care about Kara being young or a girl or a low level. She had already been branded as an evil witch and they weren't about to change their minds just because Cerina said differently. However, they all knew not to talk back.

"Kakarot, you should take her home."

Kakarot was still infuriated and riled up. He wanted to fight some more and punish those idiots, but he was injured and Kara looked like a mess. He preferred to take her home before she started crying in front of everyone and humiliated herself even further. "Let's go, Kara."

They both blasted off into the sky and Kara flew as fast as she could, even leaving Kakarot behind in her wake. As soon as they reached their territory, she dropped to the ground and started sobbing uncontrollably. Kakarot landed in front of his sister, but he didn't know how to comfort her. "Don't cry," he told her. "Chin up."

"Leave me alone."

"I said, chin up!" he yelled.

She forced herself to stop, but she didn't bother to wipe her eyes. "Please don't tell our family about this!"

He had reservations about telling his parents. They would both freak out. His dad was even a more wild card than his mother. He very well might have blown up the entire planet. He had quite the soft spot for Kara. "It'll be our secret."

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Kakarot. Everybody hates me!"

Kakarot sighed. "I know the feeling…" He knew that he was somehow supposed to be better at making her feel better, but there was nothing left to say. They did hate her because she was different. "They'll be sorry," was all he had to say.

Kara wasn't sure what Kakarot meant by that, but she trusted that her brother would fulfill his promise to her.

Kakarot looked around and he knew where they were. There was a lake not far off and Kara needed to clean herself off and he remembered what Cerina had said. 'Maybe it'll make her feel better.' "Follow me."

Cellena, Colleen, Bardock, and King Vegeta returned to the sunroom where they originally were so they could speak to one another about their terms. Tension was still high, but the fighting had finally come to an end.

"I want my family and me not to be banished anymore," Colleen said. "I want to be able to bring my family into the city without any drama."

Cellena sighed. "Colleen, even if we allowed you to go where you please, it wouldn't solve anything. The people are more outraged about Kara's power than I actually am. She's placed a dark mark on her and I'm not sure she'll be able to get it off. You're a family of low levels and your father did his best to tarnish your name."

Colleen's heart sank. She was a bit naïve in the matter and blamed her family being outcasts on the royal family. "Still. Would you lift the ban?"

Cellena did really like Colleen. In a way, she wanted to protect her from the ridicule, but she didn't want Colleen to resent her any longer. "Fine. You can go as you please if Vegeta will allow it, but I would be cautious about coming to the palace."

"I would ignore it all together," King Vegeta said.

"What about the gravity chamber?" Bardock asked.

King Vegeta smiled. "Access denied."

Cellena leaned over to her mate's ear. "You should help them become as strong as they can be."

"Bardock seems to be fine on his own." He smiled, but he was not happy. "We're done here. You two may go."

Bardock gave the king one final glare before touching his wife's arm. "With pleasure."

Bardock and Colleen arrived in front of a lake where Kakarot and Kara were laughing and attacking each other in the water. Kara kept continuously trying to dunk Kakarot, but he overpowered her and ended up dunking her instead. She did get him back with some heavy splashes, but the two weren't mad at each other. It was actually pretty fun.

Colleen watched her children be happy after the harsh ordeal they had been involved in and she began to feel overwhelmed. She cared about being respected in the eyes of their people—probably because her father drilled it into her brain so much. She knew Kakarot wanted to prove himself. What if there was never a way to bring themselves up? "So what are we gonna tell them about…everyone hating them?"

Bardock watched Kakarot laughing with his sister and it reminded him so much of Goku. Goku loved the water and he would take off his clothes without any sort of reservation and would jump in and start swimming. Bardock knew everything was complicated, but he wasn't worried. "Tell them the truth. We don't need anyone but each other."

Colleen smiled. "Yeah."

But there was one thing that Bardock had to deal with urgently. "I'm gonna need to leave the planet for a little while."

"Why?" Colleen certainly did believe it was poor timing and she couldn't imagine what for!

Bardock smirked thinking about the look on Vegeta's face after he got the ultimate revenge. He might not have been able to kill him, but he knew something that could be just as satisfying. "I have to kill Frieza before the king does."

To be continued…

A/N: I totally gave Fenn that name because I'm kind of on an Adventure Time kick right now. But anyway, make sure you guys check out my profile for some details about some of my original work and check out my Bulma: The Goddess of the Earth story. And I'll try to have an update as soon as I can.