"Hey, you're back early!" Goku shook hands with Trunks as the younger Saiyan touched down right in front of him, and slapped him affectionately on the back, practically knocking the wind out of him. "Heh, sorry about that. Don't know my own strength lately."

"You've been training?" Trunks asked.

"All the time! And the extra six months in the time chamber with my father didn't hurt, either," he added with a grin. "My older brother, Turles, is so jealous already," Goku chuckled. "He's trying like hell to ascend, along with his mate, but they won't listen to a thing I tell them about using your better emotions to get there."

Trunks just stared at him and blinked. "Turles?" Turles was on Earth, too? He exchanged a look with Usagi, but when she merely shrugged, he shook his head. "Uncle Turles and Aunt Rei weren't here when the androids appeared. Uncle Raditz tried to contact them near the beginning, until we learned that they were tracking all of our scouters. We had to destroy them all on the very first day; it's how they found and engaged my mother the first time."

Usagi smiled at that. "The first time? So I held my own, then?"

Her son frowned and shook his head. "No, you were forced to flee, since you had me on your back. You died the next day, when the androids attacked West City. You fell defending Father and trying to heal him at the same time." He looked to Goku, then. "Are you feeling any symptoms, yet?"

"Nope, healthy as a horse!" He laughed. "I've got the medicine in the desk drawer, though, and Chi-Chi knows about it—don't worry, I only told her about the virus, and that's it—so when it hits, she'll give me the antidote."

"Good. I brought more with me just in case; since everyone died in the first few days, we would have never known if anyone else contracted it from you. Especially you, Mother. You were at Goku's side night and day, trying to heal him and beat back the virus."

"Really?" Usagi simply shook her head. "But… my powers don't work like that. Wounds and injuries I can heal, I can even fight off a tumor… but I can't fight off a virus." She thought about that hard for a moment, but decided it really would be impossible. "I mean, a virus is in your blood, son. I'd have to pinpoint every last bit of it and eradicate it, and if I left even a few cells untouched it would just come right back."

"I know. Aunt Bulma said that you gave the virus a run for its money for a few days, but you just couldn't seem to keep up with how fast it was reproducing in Goku's system. Even Chi-Chi accepted that you'd done all you could; you were so drained by the time he passed away that you nearly died, too. Father and Uncle Radu were feeding you their kis for days afterwards."

"Damn, that long? You must have really given it your all, Usa. Thanks!" Goku said, and hugged her tightly.

Usagi rolled her eyes and snorted, but returned the hug. "Whatever, Kakarot, it's not like I'll have to do it now, so don't go getting all soft on me. Come on, brat, I'm going to drop you off with Mako if she's not too busy, and then you and I are going to train," she said to Trunks with a feral little grin.

Trunks swallowed and nodded, both ecstatic at getting to finally train with the woman he'd been aching to know all his life, and sufficiently intimidated by the expression on her face; it predicted a major ass-kicking in his near future.

"I'll come with you," Goku said cheerfully, lifting into the air with both of them. "Father and I were going to spar today, too. It's so nice to have a partner that I can go all out with!"

"Bardock's as strong as you, too?" Trunks asked in surprise.

"Yup, I beat him to within an inch of his life in the time chamber," he cackled, "but it was at his insistence, so I let him have it. And when he healed up, he was a lot stronger, almost even with me, in fact. Now we're pretty much equal." Goku's mouth turned into a genuine smile. "I'm so glad I finally got to meet him and train with him. He's really awesome."

"Get all girly like that in front of him, and he'll be more than happy to make you eat your words," Usagi chuckled. "I've been on the receiving end of one of Bardock's beatings, Kakarot. Don't forget that he's a proud Saiyan warrior."

"Oh, I know that. But it doesn't mean he isn't a good man and an all-around decent guy." There was a glint of dark Saiyan humor in his eyes as he turned his head against the wind to look at her. "At least he is when he's not trying to feed me his fist for breakfast."

"Well, Kakarot, you'd best return the Saiyan hospitality of feeding a guest."

"Oh I will! With my foot right in his ass!" He poured on the speed when Bardock's cottage came into view, and when he saw the older Saiyan just standing outside the house, he barreled into him at full speed, the collision throwing Bardock into the air with his son right on top of him, trying like hell to bring the pain.

Trunks watched all of this, more than a little awe-struck at the sight when both of them erupted into lightning-streaked golden flames and were apparently matching each other blow for blow once Bardock got over his surprise. "Wow."

Usagi just shrugged. "Eh. You should see them when they're pissed off. This is nothing, they're both in cheerful moods. Well… cheerful is a loose term when you're talking about Bardock, but right now he's probably as happy as he usually gets. Unless he's getting laid, anyway. But that's all Saiyan males."

"I've gleaned that much from being around Uncle Raditz," Trunks snorted, the noise sounding just like his mother's own snort of amusement. "He's always happiest after a whipped-cream incident, or when he's being fed. Or when he's winning the crown," he added with a chuckle. "Oh." Trunks blushed a little when his mother gave him a questioning look. "It's a game we play back home, that's all."

"Oh? And you win a crown?" Usagi giggled at that. "I'm sure your father would love to play it, in that case. What are the rules? Is it like a king of the mountain type of sparring match?"

"Oh, no. You see, we don't have TV at home, and you can only watch the same videos over and over before you're a little crazy from it, so it's a game we play for entertainment. I'll um… explain it another time, maybe. It's so stupid that it's a little embarrassing." Trunks was relieved when his mother just gave him a little shrug and flew down below him towards the house; the last thing he wanted to do was introduce this game to a whole new group of overly-creative Saiyans.

Usagi wasn't surprised to find Mako's kitchen full of hungry Saiyans, and giggled when Gohan came up behind the thundershaker and called her grandma. "I hope I look that young when I have a grandchild Gohan's age," she teased.

"Ah, let the kid call me that. I like it. Here, honey, just don't tell your mother," she told him, slipping him a couple cookies from the counter.

"Thank, Grandma!" Gohan giggled, hugging her leg before going back to the table to nom on his prizes.

"Any cookies for us, Grandma?" Usagi teased, reaching around her to nick one. She yelped a bit when she got a light shock, and glared at Mako when the baby cried. "Smooth, Mako. Real smooth."

"Oh, gods, Usagi, I'm so sorry!" She said quickly, moving around the woundbinder to unstrap Veggie. "Come here, pumpkin," Mako cooed, rocking him gently. "Aunt Mako's sorry, she didn't mean to shock you, she just wanted to smack your mommy's greedy little paw!" She stuck her finger in a melted chocolate chip and then stuck it in Veggie's mouth, effectively shutting him up. "There we go, sweetness. That's good, isn't it? Here, we'll let you play with your cousin for a little while," she soothed as she carried him to a playpen in the corner and sat him down. She turned to find Trunks standing behind her, looking down at the long-haired, green-eyed baby in wonder. "Oh, hey. Who are you?"

"Ve—uh, Trunks. So, that's Kale?" He asked softly.

Mako smiled and nodded. "Every last twenty-five Saiyan pounds of him. The little heifer, he eats as much as his father, I swear."

"So he's… Bardock's son?"

Mako snorted and whacked him with a wooden spoon. "Of course he is, and if you even mention that he looks like Raditz, you'd better be prepared for a pounding, boy. Bardock said his father had long hair like that, but Raditz and Vegeta keep giving him shit," she added with a roll of her eyes. The way he kept staring at the baby made her smile softly. "You want to hold him?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I wouldn't want to be any trouble," he said quickly, but before he could word another protest, Mako had dumped her squirming son in his arms. Kale looked up at him for a moment, making eye contact, before purring loudly and nuzzling into Trunks's chest, his tail wrapping around his wrist.

"Wow! Usa, come look at this! Kale usually zaps the shit out of strangers!" Mako exclaimed. "Look, he's actually dozing off!"

Trunks felt tears welling up as he walked over to a chair, sat down, and quietly held his cousin while they both purred contentedly. This didn't make up for Kale's death in his timeline, not at all, but it sure made him feel a lot better.

The door opened while he was stroking back the long hair hanging in the baby's face, and they all looked up to see Bardock walk in, bruised and bloody, and place a kiss on his mate's lips.

"Good spar?" Mako chuckled.

"Feh, if you call that a spar," he snorted. "The boy ambushed me and I put him in his place. That'll teach him to fuck with his old man."

Goku walked in, even more beat up than his father, wearing his usual easy grin. "Good spar, Father!" He only chuckled when Bardock snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Why is this boy holding my brat?" Bardock suddenly growled, reaching down to scoop up his son. He made a noise of impatience when Kale let out a scream and grabbed hold of Trunks's hair, apparently damned and determined not to be wrenched from his lap. "What in the hell is this shit?"

"He likes Trunks," Mako said patiently. She strode over and untangled the infant from the wincing time traveler's hair before setting him back in his lap. Kale immediately settled down once more and started purring in contentment.

"He's the boy from the future I told you about, Father. He's come back to help us fight the androids. Don't worry about him, he's like family," Goku said with a smile and wink towards Usagi.

"Speaking of family… come on boy," Usagi chuckled. "Now that Veggie's down, I can give you a proper Saiyan welcome."

"In the form of an ass-kicking," Bardock added with a chuckle as he filled a plate for himself and the baby. "Just stay out of the way when Turles shows up, Kakarot and I are having a three-way match with him after breakfast."

"Ye gods, the triplets," Usagi snorted as she led her son outside.

################################

"Harder," Mina whimpered, lifting her hips as her body pleaded for more. She bit down on Broly's shoulder and moaned at the taste of him, even when he shook his head and continued to make love to her slowly. "Please, Broly, I need you."

"Won't hurt the brats," he whispered in her ear. "Here, beloved… I have what you need." He clamped down on her mark then and sucked, groaning when he felt her tighten around him as she cried out his name. "That's it," he purred.

"Don't stop," Mina begged, gripping his hair to drag him back to the lightly bleeding bite. "Please, Broly." She moaned in ecstasy when he bit down on it harder in response and purred, his chest vibrating against hers, and immediately came again. "Oh gods, not again," she whimpered, arching her back as another climax rode on the heels of the last one.

Broly couldn't hold back anymore when she tightened a third time, and finally let go, spilling into her with a groan and a final, gentle thrust. "Mmm… mine," he whispered happily.

"Definitely yours, monkey man," Mina murmured, basking in the afterglow. "Don't you have to be at the ring soon?"

"Yeah," he sighed, wondering why in the hell he'd been fool enough to ever accept Usagi's offer of acting First. "You'll be home alone until Father and Reiko get back home, ok? Don't leave the house, and if you need anything, just call Nappa."

Mina sat up and sighed, her golden hair pooling around her. "Broly, no one's going to attack me. I'm the leader of the benders and the talkers, and I was always well-loved among my people."

"And so was Ami. If anything, being a leader makes you even more of a target. You're a traitor in their eyes," Broly replied flatly.

"Broly, this isn't a war!" Mina cried in frustration, flopping onto her back again. "And frankly, I'm getting fed up being kept inside all the time! I'm didn't become your mate just so I could become a captive again!"

Broly stared her down, his feelings clearly hurt by her words. "If you feel like a captive, Mina, I'm sorry. You know that's not my intention… I just can't bear the thought of anything happening to you or our brats. I'd… I'd just fucking lose it, woman. You don't even know. Look," he added gently as he sat back down on the bed, "I'll make it up to you. We'll go out to eat tonight. I'm sure Father and Reiko would appreciate being left alone for the evening, anyway. And then I'll talk to the king about maybe getting a day or two of leave. Hell, the old man would probably jump at the chance to lead the Elite again," he chuckled, "even if it's only for a couple days. He's really been chomping at the bit since his son and daughter made Legendary."

"So I've heard. One of the girls at the palace told me that she saw you two sparring, and that you put the king in the tank for a day."

"Shit, he asked for it. The old man told me not to hold back, so I beat the shit out of him. He's clearly trying to take his licks in order to heal up and come back at a higher power level. I'd be doing the same if there was someone that could even take me left on this planet." He rose again and threw on a clean tank top before cracking his knuckles. "Alright, it's already dawn, I'd better get my ass moving," he sighed.

Minako echoed his sigh when he bent down and kissed her thoroughly, his tongue tangling with hers for a long minute. "I'll see you tonight, I guess."

"I tell you what, I'll come home for lunch today. I don't think anyone's going to have a problem with me wanting to spend an hour with my mate." He smiled when he felt her happiness through the bond, and wished he didn't have to be away so much. But he'd taken the mantle of First, and he had a job to do. At least for another few months, anyway. Hopefully Usagi would be back by then.

The king was waiting for him in the ring, as expected, and Broly grinned when he landed. "Ready for another pounding, old man?"

"Bring it, puppy," the king chuckled, taking a fighting stance as he powered up to his maximum. He was much stronger now, nearly as strong as his daughter had been upon her departure, and he regretted not training this hard during the last ten years of his life. Toma had been the one to tell him to stop thinking about it; he couldn't change the fact that he was the king and had other duties to take care of. But now that he wasn't embroiled in a war with Althea—at least, he hoped it wouldn't come to that—he had plenty of time to try and kick Broly's ass in the ring.

A few cheers came from the early risers that were already sitting around the ring, eating their breakfast while they waited their turns. For the Elite, Broly and King Vegeta's fights had become something of an early morning ritual, and were immensely entertaining.

"Before I kick your royal ass, I need a couple days' leave, Majesty," Broly said semi-seriously.

"And who would be in charge of the Elite?" Vegeta snorted. "Nappa's got enough on his plate as it is, boy."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Broly said with a little smirk, "I was under the impression that your elderly ass could handle the Elite for a few days. I guess I'd better get you a cane, old man. Or would you prefer a wheelchair?"

"I'd prefer you on the ground, bleeding at my feet." Vegeta swung then, and actually made contact due to the element of surprise before Broly countered and put him on his back.

Broly wiped the blood from his lip and grinned. "You're still too slow, old man. Care to take this in the air? Maybe it won't be so hard on your knees… since you're going to be on them a lot today."

Vegeta erupted from the ground in a flurry of punches, and hid his surprise when he actually landed a few on his younger opponent. Damn it, he had gotten stronger during his time in the tank! A lot stronger!

Broly grunted in approval when the king landed yet another hit to his face, but not to be outdone, he swiftly broke his nose with a right hook. "I have lunch today with my mate, Majesty. Make sure you let my face stay pretty," he chuckled in between blows.

"Now I'm going to have to try harder to fuck it up, boy," the king snickered, and made sure to focus his punches and kicks mostly at Broly's face. Vegeta was blindsided, however, when Broly vanished in a burst of speed and came in from behind to drive his elbow into the king's spine, laying him low.

"How's the view from those old, arthritic knees?" Broly asked smugly. He coughed suddenly and clutched at his crotch when it felt like a freight train had collided with his nuts, and he promptly fell.

Vegeta shook his fist and managed a tiny smirk at the bugged out expression on his opponent's face. "I don't know, boy… why don't you enlighten me?"

###########################

While her mate was teaching the king about youth and endurance versus age and experience, Mina was groaning at the sight of the near-empty shelves in the pantry. "I could kill the lot of them… Saiyan males are simply hell-bent on devouring everything!" She huffed. "I just went shopping three days ago!"

She checked the time and made a quick decision; the market was only five minutes away, and it was still early enough that no one would be up and about except the shopkeepers. There would be no reason to bother Nappa just so she could shop for fifteen minutes to grab everything she needed for the day; she could shop for the week whenever Broly came home, just before they went to supper. "Ok, maybe thirty minutes," she admitted aloud, "there isn't even enough in there for me to eat breakfast."

Mina muttered a few more choice phrases about gluttonous Saiyans while she got dressed, and quickly darted out the door and into the rays of the early morning sunlight. Practically jogging, she slowed down when she drew a few stares on her way, and nearly sighed with relief when she reached the market. She noticed the few Altheans mixed in with the Saiyan women, all out doing their early morning shopping, and realized that her mate was absolutely right.

Her smiles and nods were returned by some, but not by all, and it felt like the few smiles she got didn't quite reach their eyes. Mina hurried and made her purchases, and while she grabbed some breakfast, she got it in a to go bag; she simply couldn't eat when she felt so many damning eyes on her. She was making her final purchase and shoving the food into her subspace when she felt eyes on her, but before she could turn, a jolt ran through her and sent her to her knees.

Her first thought was for her unborn children as another shock sent her sprawling, and she rolled over to find herself staring at Naro, the thundershaker that had resparked Mako months ago. "Please no," she said quickly. "Naro, it's me, it's Mina!" BROLY!

"I know who you are, Mina. And you're not going to be allowed to bear more Saiyan spawn. Mating with them is one thing when you're a captive and practically forced to, but that's where we draw the line."

The last thing Mina expected right then was for several Saiyan women to start pounding on Naro and several other Altheans that were with him, but they were, and in her defense, too! She did what she could with the wind to aid them and instructed them to stay off the ground, but the fight was over in minutes when a waterwalker put them down with little effort.

She did the only thing she could then; she ran. But she only made it to the center of the market before a blast of water overtook her and bowled her over. "Please, Naro!" She cried out when he gathered a ball of lightning in his hand. "Please, not my babies! They haven't done anything wrong, Naro, and neither have I! And my mate wasn't even on Althea!"

"Doesn't matter," he said emotionlessly, "he's still Saiyan, and so are your children, Minako. We won't allow any more Althean women to be used as breeding stock for Saiyan warriors. I'm sorry," he added, as he pointed the lightning at her abdomen. "This is going to hurt, Mina. A lot."

Mina refused to close her eyes like a coward and wait for the impending shock that would kill her children; instead, she looked Naro right in the eye with as much hatred as she could muster while she threw the mating bond wide open, hammering away at her mate's mind to hurry, to come as quickly as he could.

That look of quiet defiance made the shaker hesitate for a moment, and it was that moment that saved Broly's progeny. A streak of gold came rocketing out of the sky just then, absorbing the lightning ball meant for Minako as it drove Naro into the ground.

"Broly!" Mina cried, as the blur slowed down just enough for her to make him out. Holy shit, he was blonde! He'd gone Legendary! She saw it all in the furious haze of his mind, how he'd heard her cry while he'd been in the middle of a spar and had immediately shot towards the market. He had then felt her pain and her fear, and in his desperation for more speed, something had clicked inside of him and he found himself able to access a whole new well of power.

The Altheans weren't going down easily though, clearly unintimidated by Broly's transformation, and started to focus on Mina. She bent the light around her, something that required immense concentration, and managed to obscure their vision of her while she used the wind to counter their water attacks.

She didn't have to defend herself long, Broly screamed in rage and turned on the new attackers, throwing Naro's mangled corpse into the foremost assailant before he powered up and fired a huge ki blast at the others.

Mina watched in horror as Broly lifted one of the Altheans, who was just barely alive, and proceeded to beat his face in until his fist was covered in blood and gray brain matter. "Broly, stop it!" She shouted, running towards him at full speed. She suddenly felt herself trapped, held in place, and panicked as she looked around for a waterwalker that would be strong enough to control her blood. "Broly! Broly, what's happening!?"

"You stay put," he snarled at her. He dropped the body he was holding, and growled at the Saiyan women that had come to her defense.

"No, beloved, they defended me!" She yelled, struggling against the ki field that was holding her fast.

The women all jumped back when Broly powered up another blast and aimed it their way; clearly the Elite First was so blinded by rage and the power of a Legendary that he could no longer tell friend from foe. The only person he recognized was his own mate.

"STOP, BROLY!" A male voice yelled from behind him.

Paragus regarded his son with a mixture of pride and terror when Broly turned and there wasn't so much as a hint of recognition in those cold green eyes. "You're scaring the life out of your mate, and the threat is neutralized, boy!"

"And that ki field around her isn't good for the brats, either," Reiko added as she caught up to her mate. "Let her go, Broly. We need to get her home and to a healer."

"Althean," the Super Saiyan snarled at her, flexing his fist.

"Yes, and you're going to wind up short a testicle when I'm done with you if you don't stop this nonsense," Reiko replied fearlessly. "Boy," she warned, when he reformed the ki ball he'd absorbed, "I'm not your enemy, but I will be in a moment if you don't cut the shit."

BROLY! That is your father's mate! Mina yelled in his mind. She sent waves of love and comfort to him through the bond, and was a little surprised when he looked at her for a long moment. There was a flicker of her mate in his eyes, and in that split second, he powered down and the ki field around her fell.

Mina barely made it to her mate's side in time when he suddenly passed out, and was grateful when Paragus helped her to keep him from falling. "What… what happened to him?" She asked, choking on a sudden flood of tears. "It wasn't him, Paragus. That was not my Broly."

"The sudden flood of extra power made him a little crazy, I think," he guessed. "Combined with the rage of seeing you under attack… it made for a very volatile combination." Paragus turned when he felt another high ki level land behind him, and gave Nappa a grave nod. "I've never been happier to see you."

Nappa carefully set his mate on her feet and kissed the top of her head. "Go check Minako, beloved. Mind that you don't slip in the blood," he whispered in her hair. Once he was sure that Ami was skirting the puddles of blood and guts, Nappa moved to check the Elite First. "He seems fine, for the most part… he did it, didn't he? He made it to the next level."

Paragus nodded. "I fear that the power may have made him mad."

"He—he stopped when I—when I used the b—bond," Mina sobbed. "I—I'm so—so sorry!"

"Shh, sweetie, it's alright," Reiko whispered gently, as she held Mina tightly and rocked her in her arms. "You're fine, and Broly will be, too."

"Minako," Ami asked softly, "were you hurt at all?"

"Just some l—low level sh—shocks," Mina choked out, "nothing s—stronger than what M—Mako used to g—give me."

Ami nodded, the twins would likely be fine in that case, so long as Mina could keep it together and not go into shock. "I want to take you back to the palace and check the babies, ok? Just to be sure. I'm fairly positive they're alright, but it's better to be safe than sorry." Ami hugged her tightly when she just nodded and buried her face in Reiko's chest once more. "Nappa, we're going to take her back for testing," she called out.

Nappa just nodded before realizing that there were four people to carry and only two of them. Paragus was apparently coming to the same conclusion, and shook his head. "I'll call a friend to carry Reiko," he offered.

"Bullshit," Reiko snorted, "I might not fly as fast as you boys, but I can do it just fine, thank you. Beloved, you carry our son, I'll carry our daughter—and yes, I'm strong enough, thank you very much—and Nappa carries Ami. Hang on tightly, honey, I've got you," Reiko told Mina as she powered up to her maximum and hefted the blonde into her arms. "Come on, boys," she ordered, "I ain't got all day."

Paragus suppressed a chuckle, and only because he was lifting his unconscious, possibly insane son into his arms. But damn it if that woman couldn't bark orders like a Saiyan commander, and have them heeded at that, too!

Warriors cleared a path for them as they landed at the palace and marched straight to the infirmary, where Broly was promptly placed in a medtank for evaluation and Mina was laid on an exam table right next to him.

"Are you sure we shouldn't tank her, too?" Nappa asked in worry; just the thought of Broly's twins being in danger made him want to find his daughter in the nursery and hold her tightly. That baby was everything to him, and it was terrifying to think that it could have been her life in danger that morning.

"Shh, Nappa, I already called and checked. Cicely is just fine," she whispered softly.

"No," Paragus answered Nappa, "unless she or the brats are in actual danger, Broly does not need to wake and find her tanked. Not if his sanity's in question. The first thing he needs to see is his mate awake and well and waiting for him."

"He's right," Reiko agreed, "if he wakes up and sees that she's fine, it'll calm him down."

As if on cue, Ami quickly performed an ultrasound on Mina, and once she'd declared both of the fetuses to be just fine, the blonde's weeping lost its scary edge.

"Now that we know the brats are fine," Nappa grunted, "I want to know what the fuck you were doing out by yourself?" He sighed when Minako only shook her head and cried harder. "Fine, we'll discuss it later, but don't think for a moment that I'm dropping the subject permanently."

"Back off, Nappa," Ami and Reiko both snapped at him, and the huge Saiyan actually took a step back from the pair. Apart, either woman could be scary, but together they were terrifying. "In fact," Ami added, more than a little annoyed with the fact that her mate had further upset the bender, "why don't you make yourself useful and go find Minako something to eat?"

When Nappa hesitated, Paragus smirked and nodded towards the door. "Sounds like the lady put you in timeout, Nappa. You'd better follow orders."

"Shut the fuck up," Nappa muttered, already on his way out to do his mate's bidding.

By the time he returned with the tray of food, Mina's weeping had abated, and she wore a semi-blank expression, mostly thanks to the sedative that Ami had given her. She barely picked at her food, however, as she continued to do as Reiko and Paragus had instructed her, sending waves of comfort, love and safety to her unconscious mate.

Another hour later, she was sending another one of those waves when she suddenly felt some sort of a flickering reply, and despite the sedative she jumped to her feet and pressed her nose to the tank. When Broly's eyes cracked open and stared into hers, she smiled gently at him and sighed in relief. Just hold still, beloved, we'll get you out in a moment, she assured him; she could feel his internal fight not to struggle and rip the tubing from his nose and mouth and break free of the tank, but he stayed put because she'd asked him to.

When the tank was finally drained and opened, Mina caught him when he stumbled out, and held him tightly to her as she stroked his soaked hair. "I was so worried, beloved. How are you feeling?"

Broly shook his head in confusion. "I don't know… drained," he admitted. "What happened?" He blinked and looked at his mate in suspicion when he sensed her mind go purposely blank, blocking him out. "Tell me," he growled, pulling back to glare at her. "Minako…" Her mate shuddered and clutched at her tightly when she reopened the bond, and all of that day's events came flooding into his head.

Mina trembled when his ki suddenly spiked around her in response, and his hair flickered to gold for a moment, then black, then back to gold, and she heard him emit a low snarl from the back of his throat. Immediately, she sent him waves of comfort and love, and when he tried to let go of her and stand, she jerked him back down to her. "No," she whispered, "stay with me, beloved. I feel safe with you."

The Super Saiyan nodded once and held her tightly again, purring comfort for her as he nipped at her lower lip. "Safe," he growled hoarsely. "Safe with me."

Mina gave a silent nod to Reiko and Paragus before speaking again. "Take me home, Broly. I just want to go home."

Never one to deny his mate, even in his seemingly half-crazed state, Broly dutifully scooped his mate into his arms and stalked out of the infirmary, launching them towards home the moment he was at an open window.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA! So… is Broly permanently crazy…? Maybe only if he hears Kakarot whining… I'll try to update again soon, yall, I promise! And if you get a chance, check out SeleneA's new fic, Love Shack. Yours truly wrote the smut, Ana Frost came up with idea, and Selene herself is writing the story! It's so much fun! Smutty smut smut smut!