Painful Truth


Bulma felt Kakarot's arm on her breast tighten. After a bloody and painful battle, everyone had returned, and before she could ask what had happened, she felt herself being lifted and tossed over Kakarot's shoulder. "Let me know when you want to head out again... Until then..." Bulma when she touched his mind with their link... flinched. Perhaps she had pushed it a little when she let Raditz out of confinement. She honestly had no idea what had gotten into herself over the past several months; she used to care only about herself, but ever since meeting these people, she had become impulsive.

The moment she heard the clicking of her bedroom door, she shivered. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, but Kakarot had his own way of dealing with her when she got reckless with her life. That had been almost twelve hours ago. Curling back into him as he slept, she decided that it was okay to take a break from the files, and the chaos... His tail was draped across her thigh; brushing her fingers along the fur, she didn't see his eyes snap open.

It was soft, perhaps more so than her satin sheets. With great care, she massaged it, and it wasn't until she noticed how hard he was trembling that she paused, glancing up at him. I'm so going to die... she mentally told herself. Bulma debated on letting his tail go. While she wasn't hurting him, just holding it left a Saiya-jin in a state of shock and vulnerability. She knew she was playing with fire, but Kakarot was always doing things to ensure she was taken care of and satisfied.

"Bulma..." he growled. "I'm starting to wonder if you're really a genius?"

"Oh I don't know... I can think of a few things I'm able to do while you're like this," she smiled.

Watching his facial expressions, she realized that his tail wasn't just used for a weapon, nor did it cause pain when grabbed. Depending on how she touched and held it, there were a variety of emotions playing through his mind, and the key one was mind numbing pleasure. "I think I'd like to keep you on edge for awhile," she taunted.

"You're going to want to sleep sometime..." From the tip to the base, she ran her thumb across his tail and he clamped down on her shoulder. He was right, and she had a feeling that the moment she let go of his tail, she was going to remember her high school days when she pulled several all nighters back to back. Pushing him back, she looked down at him... It wasn't very often she could get this kind of power over someone. She knew he'd never hurt her; that knowledge gave her the courage to keep him where he was, wanting to give him the same pleasure that he gave to her.

She wondered if she could increase it. Moving down, sliding aside the sheets from his waist, kicking them off with her foot, her hair tickled parts of his lower half that had him digging his nails into the mattress and shredding it. "I had a question for you," she whispered, sliding her tongue along his length. She knew he was beyond the point of answering. "How did you put it yesterday... Did you have any major plans?"

"Woman... I swear... the moment I get my tail back..." he gasped, feeling her mouth close around him, her fingers still stroking his tail at the same time. Kakarot wasn't a loud person, but with the combined sensations of her massaging his tail and her warm mouth in places he wasn't aware could give the kind of pleasure that was happening to him... He roared, the entire house shaking. Bulma's eyes widened... I think I might need to soundproof this place.


"I'm starting to wonder how that kid is my son," Bardock growled, trying to ignore the sounds above them. One would think that being in the basement of Capsule Corporation, with several layers of steel and concrete between them, that they'd have a barrier between them and the couple that hadn't left from their room since returning from Fire Mountain.

Even Vegeta had retreated to the lower levels, exhausted and growing increasingly frustrated. While he wasn't as young as Kakarot, he did have the same need and desire for a mate like any of them. He had no idea how he was supposed to get through the red heat that took over his kind when they wanted to hunt a woman down and claim her. He usually had some way to re-direct his mind to combat, but there was a definite lack of robots at the moment. "How the hell is she getting that kind of reaction out of him," Vegeta demanded. He was starting to envy Yamcha. While he checked in with them on a regular basis, he kept to the desert regions.

"It's easy enough to do if someone gets our tail and uses it a certain way," Turles answered, scanning through the files on Bulma's computer. He had to admit... Her intelligence made her an invaluable asset to anyone, but the fact that the Saiya-jins now had her... She had decoded the entire Ice-jin language, something no one outside their race had been allowed to learn or read... There was extensive information and research on every known legend throughout the Universe, the Moon Guardian and the Super Saiya-jin being at the top of the list.

"However," Bardock continued, "She's going to probably regret her decision the minute she lets it go. I knew humans were crazy, but she seems to find herself in an elite category of her own. Is she trying to get him to kill her?"

"Should we stop them?"

"NO!" Turles and Bardock said at the same time. "It was a figure of speech... Vegeta... I think leaving you with Raditz this entire time might have been a mistake." Going to another computer, Turles pulled up a file that the Ice-jins had on Saiya-jin mating. While there were others that detailed the drugs they had developed and used on their kind, he focused on the older files and ordered Vegeta to sit and read them.

After an hour, Vegeta leaned back, his frustration levels higher than what they had been. "A lot of good this does... Even if I were to give into what I'm feeling, there's a lack of females to hunt."

"Are you forgetting Bulma isn't a Saiya-jin?" Bardock pointed out. "Humans are 100% compatible with us, and... There's no reason to think that they can't provide a brat or two."

"I think I'm going to my apartment," Vegeta snapped. "If I have to keep listening to those two..."

They glanced at the retreating Saiya-jin male with concern. While Bardock and Turles were starting to feel the call for a mate as well, the memories of their past made it easier for them to ignore and focus on other things.


Vegeta stepped into the sunlight and just when he started to take off, he spotted a familiar woman sitting at the gate of Capsule Corporation. He knew he had offered for her to come, and when he dropped down, he spotted the reporter and camera man as well. "Did you mean what you said... will you help us fight the Red Ribbon Army?" she asked him.

"Is that really the question that you wanted to ask? I'd wait another day or two to talk to Dr. Briefs though. It's rather... distracting in there."

Chi-chi stood, her back facing him when she answered. "In two days, the refugees from Fire Mountain will arrive. Whether or not they wish to continue fighting is up to them. However, that being said... I've decided to head back... Now that there's a place for these people to go..."

"Would you like my help?"

"Wha-?"

"I need a distraction, and you're providing one. Did you have a plan if you ran in to their robots?"

"No, but..."

"These aren't the same robots that we fought two years ago; they're stronger, and they have a lot of our battle power information. Let's just hope that we destroyed them before they could process our ape forms."

"I wanted to let you guys know..." The reporter said... "Those transformations were deleted from our news feed."

"Not that we asked for you to do that, but why?"

"If there is someone collecting information about high battle powers, weapons, and technology, I couldn't think of anything better than what the six of you did at Fire Mountain. It's easy to just say that the last couple minutes of that fight were a result in camera failure. I've been in this fight from the very beginning, and part of my responsibility is to ensure the end of this war. Providing intel to the enemy is not something that sits well with me; so this was my way of contributing."

"It probably wouldn't hurt for you to link up with Commander Turles. When it comes to fighting a war, there's no one better than him. Give him what you've gathered and seen on that army; if you have map details, give that to him as well."

"Are you going to tell the others?" Chi-chi asked.

Vegeta thought about it. His sister had done exactly what he was about to do, never once involving them. One Saiya-jin could afford to help Chi-chi, but Bardock and Turles needed to continue focusing their efforts on battle preparations and planning. They weren't going to go after one human that had a good possibility of being dead. He owed this woman, and Raditz wouldn't say anything if Vegeta chose to honor their promise to give her anything that she wanted. However, he couldn't say that Turles wouldn't order him to stay.

"I can let them know," the reporter offered. Vegeta nodded.

"Sir..." the camera man asked, watching the Saiya-jin and Chi-chi take off, "When I see them, I feel like there's an end in sight to all of this. There's no reason to think that, but..."

"No... I felt it to. While I'm not familiar with the new addition to their group, I noticed that he was a higher caliber of fighter than the others. I'm not sure how he ranks against Raditz, but I'm not in a hurry to get on his bad side either."

"What about the other guy that looks like him?"

"I think he's like that girl... There's something holding him back and until he overcomes his demons, Raditz and Turles will remain stronger than him."


"You lost the dragon ball and the girl?!" Dr. Gero roared. The human general tried to apologize, but the words never left his mouth when he felt a hand grab and crush his skull, pieces of blood and flesh splattering against the walls and floor.

"Thank you, Android 15. Can you find them?" He asked.

"The last three dragon balls are no longer on our radars."

"We can assume they'll come after the four that we have then."

"It's a safe assumption; if they're stupid enough to divide their man power to come after them, then I can work on a plan to infiltrate the enemy location. If executed correctly, not only can we gain the last three dragon balls, but we can obtain the girl as well."

"There were no reports of that female in the last battle; perhaps I'm overestimating her worth to us."

"You can decide that after we bring her to you."

"I suppose your right; if nothing else, I can offer her my gratitude for the Battle of West City."


Raditz looked around. The room was adequate enough... There was food, water, shower, and a place to sleep... It was the white void that intrigued him, and as he stepped out into it, he felt the room trying to crush him. It definitely wasn't for a sub par fighter, but for levels of training that were designed to push the spirit and mind past their limits. Pepper didn't seem interested in it, but she hadn't tried to say or do anything either.

He was a quiet shadow in her mind; while the memories of her past were there, they were too fragmented to do anything with at the moment. Thankfully, her visions were as silent as she was. Moving to the kitchen, he set her on the counter top and quietly made her a large sandwich. Nibbling, she put it down, but Raditz gave her a look. Sighing, she took another bite, forcing herself to become accustomed with eating again.

Raditz wanted to test the room's capabilities, but he wasn't quite ready to let go of Pepper yet. Sensing his inner turmoil, she made up his mind when she took his hand, walked outside, and sat next to the wall, pointing for him to do what he wanted. "I can wait another day or two," he suggested.

"I don't want to cause you more trouble than I already have," she finally spoke.

Kneeling, he waited until she looked at him. There was no emotion in her gaze, just an acceptance of what she thought was the truth. "And how is allowing me to train or not trouble?"

"I think I've always been a handful for you... even now."

"That's partially my fault; if you need to rest, I'm fine with that. Everything, while you're with me, is a choice. All I ask is that it's something that you want to do, and not for someone else."

"I don't understand... Is that not what I exist for?"

"I think we put too much faith in your abilities and forgot to rely on our own. In a way... I'm okay if you never had another vision or your old memories back." He hesitated, but then decided to brush his fingers against her cheek, the softness of her hair sliding through them. "I'm a Soldier and I have more than enough power to protect them and you."

Her expression didn't change, but he didn't expect it to. The damage to her mind and soul wasn't going to fix itself in a handful or hours or days. "Doesn't it bother you?"

"What?"

"The mating mark... I don't know what to do, how to act, what we were like before..."

He felt a flicker of guilt in her mind, as if she had caused something that shouldn't have been done. Raditz smirked, standing and looking off in the distance as he considered his answer. Pepper wasn't one to talk about what bothered her and he decided he preferred her this way over the way she had been before. "The Oozuru is quiet... Ever since I met you, he's been restless, anxious, and on more than one occasion furious. As for how to act... We don't need to concern ourselves with that. I'm fine with how it is for now; with the Red Ribbon Army to deal with, my only purpose is to keep you alive and out of their reach. As for how we were before... I can't really say that we had much of anything, not until the Battle of West City. The last time we had any real discussion was when you were eight; those visions of yours forced you to act in ways that wasn't normal for our kind."

"You're lying; at least about that part about how you were feeling."

"And what of it... you were sixteen... I was still wrapping my mind around the idea of wanting a mate in the first place. It wasn't in my life or battle plans."

"You had battle plans for your life?" Pepper asked, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes.

"It didn't involve becoming the Saiya-jin baby-sitter for all the kids! I love fighting... Other than how to kill my opponent, I didn't have to chase anyone down, turn around, and do it again. Just when I started to accept that maybe I wanted something that didn't revolve around combat... well... I'll leave that discussion for when we're ready for it."

"I really made it hard for you; didn't I? I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize; not for that. While I did find it exasperating that you'd take off the minute I left you with your brother... It made the link we already had stronger."

"I don't remember him."

"Do me a favor... Don't tell him that."

"I had no intentions of it... It's easy enough to figure out what to say or not to say from the link you and I have." He thought she was done talking, but then she said something that caught him off guard. "I could see the links... all of them, but regardless of how hard I tried, I couldn't reach or connect with them. For awhile though; I only saw yours and it's a lot different than the others." He glanced at her, waiting for her to explain. "Other than the darkness, there wasn't anything to focus on... just one thread that existed along side me. It was gold-black, with red, blue and silver mixed in it. I don't know what all of the colors mean, but it wasn't until much later that another one appeared. Like yours, it too was unique, and it went straight to you. Eventually there was, not including your own, six."

"It was probably the other Saiya-jins. That leads to another question... I'm guessing the threads are in a sense what connected us to you... so why didn't they try to attach themselves to you again?"

"They weren't looking for me and I think you know why."

"I was the only one of the seven that believed that you were still alive."

She nodded, her tail curling around her ankles. Without warning, she found herself being lifted and held just above Raditz. It felt awkward... "I said to stop worrying about all of this... As for what I want to do... I've decided that I can train later. I'm tired."

"Alright." Raditz thought he had hated how she always did her own thing, constantly running off just to get him to chase after her, but when she agreed to everything he said or asked... He felt disappointment. Lying on the large bed, his back facing her he started to drift to sleep when he felt her move against him. While she didn't try to hug him, she seemed to want the contact from being close to him.

"Pepper... do me a favor?" She didn't answer, but he knew she was listening; "The reason we're in this mess is because you kept everything to yourself; start asking for what you want. My answer might not always be yes, but I doubt there's going to be a lot of reasons for me to say no either."

"I know it was just your link, but it was always there... I couldn't touch or interact with it, but I found that it was the only comfort that I had. I just... well... I just realized that I can't sleep without being close to you."

He started to hear her breathing slow down, and glancing over his shoulder, he saw that she had gone to sleep. Raditz had never tried to coddle them... While he might do what he needed to calm them down when they were upset or frightened, he didn't do anything past that. Pepper wasn't expecting it now... Growling, he tried to go back to sleep himself, but it didn't feel right and with a snarl of frustration, he turned around and pulled her into his arms, enclosing her within a protective shell that had her eyes sliding open. She seemed surprised, but it quickly passed and she went back to sleep. He hadn't told her the complete truth... The Oozuru wasn't calm and holding her like this... He was about to fight one hell of a fight... Against himself.


Raditz decided to leave the Time Chamber after half a year. When he walked out after only half a day had passed on Earth, Kami and Mr. Popo gave him a questioning look. Knowing that Kami could read his thoughts, the Namek seemed to understand the situation. Pepper's mind was shredded, and Raditz didn't know if finishing the bond would help or hurt her further. The pain he was feeling was minimal at the moment, but the longer he fought his Oozuru, that pain would increase.

"We need to get to Capsule Corporation." When Raditz jumped off the lookout, he realized she wasn't beside him. Turning, he saw her leaning against a pillar, regarding him with confusion and contemplation. "What are you doing?" Dropping back down, he walked over to her, and she glanced away. "Pepper, I told you... If you want or need something... ask for it!"

"I don't want to burden you!" Pepper snapped; it was perhaps the first emotional response he had gotten out of her since she had first woken up. "I can stay here. I promise not to run off; where would I go? My memories are shattered... Unless I touch something, I don't see anything at all. I refuse to get in your way! I won't have to hurt anyone when they realize that I can't remember who they are!"

"I've never known you to take the easy way out," Raditz growled. He was furious; while what she said was true, he still didn't like the fact that she was so willing to let him leave.

"Raditz, while I try not to run around in your head... You keep coming to my rescue or whatever, but it's only because you had to, not because you wanted to. So why continue forcing yourself to stay with me? You didn't even want a mate and I've forced that on you in addition to protecting me! I might not know who all of you are, but I've seen enough to know that you spent a good deal of time training and sparring with the others. You've developed and mentored them, but there's someone missing. Why am I the only one you've never trained? Why am I the one left out? You've been angry with me for a long time, and I can't remember why!"

That was the one question he had never wanted to confront, and now that he had no choice but to answer it, his power exploded, threatening to take out the lookout with just the energy waves. He had never forgotten their one battle, how she had forced him to fight her, to push her into a stale mate that had almost killed her. Pepper felt the agonizing pain of that battle, the suffering and rage he had lived with... She had done that to him and she had no memory of it or why she could have a justified reason to make him do what he did.

While he might have kept his promise to protect her, he never wanted to find himself in a position to fight her like that again. "Raditz..."

"Don't you dare apologize!" he snarled, baring his fangs at her. She took a step towards him, his power increasing, trying to push her back. It had no effect on her, and with gentle hands, she reached for and grasped his cheeks in the palms of her hands. "Don't..."

"Raditz..."

"No! I don't want it!"

"You're lying... You do want an apology. I'm sorry and I wish I could give you a valid reason to why I would make you do that; and I can't. Perhaps losing my memories wasn't a bad thing. If it's caused this much pain, to you... the others... Raditz... I'm so sorry..." She pulled away, trying to hide the tears that were threatening to fall. What right did she have to cry when he was the one that had gotten hurt? He was always going out of his way to help them... He did everything that was asked of him and more, and she had done something beyond cruel. Why? Why would she do it? What had she been trying to accomplish? It wasn't to gain their help... It was like she had been trying to push all of them a way! Did the link snap because of her? They didn't want her help anymore because she had conditioned them not to need it.

She didn't need her memories to realize that was what had happened, and she felt her knees crash to the ground, her hands reaching for her head. The fragmented pieces of her mind started to fragment further, and then it stopped, Raditz lifting and crushing her against him. "You need to calm down," he whispered tiredly. Raditz was at his emotional limits... Yes he was still angry... but when he watched her recoil away from him, he saw something... he felt it in her mind... Raditz had never tried to figure out why she had demanded that fight... Nor did he ask why she had kept running off and taking on suicidal missions. She had wanted them to hate her... It had been ripping her apart, but she had kept doing it anyway. Even though she was the result of them drifting away from her... She had let them do it because she felt it was the only answer to keeping them safe and out of Frieza's reach. Bardock had stopped seeing visions with her in it; that part of the link had weakened to the point that all he saw was Frieza.

Pepper wasn't a child any longer. With her memories gone and her visions restricted, only the guardian part of her remained and that was the part of her that had fallen apart. Achieving what she had felt was necessary, it had almost destroyed her. He couldn't grasp the selfless pain she had purposely inflicted upon herself. Every one of them had thought she wanted to fight on her own... Her desire to protect them had become a double edged sword and because she had been a child, she had done what any kid would do when they were in an impossible situation. Damn he was an idiot! It's something he would have done and he would have been a lot more ruthless about it.

Confused and broken, Pepper cried. It was too close to how he had found her several years ago. She had tried to push aside her fear and turned it into self-isolation. Pepper fought battle-after-battle, hoping to end the pain she was in, but when she remained standing, it only cut deeper. "Fine... I'll train you, but if I say enough is enough; you're not going to argue." She shook her head, but Raditz tightened his grip on her. "Pepper, I'm not giving you an option. In truth, I've wanted to, but everything seemed like an all out war with you." Pulling back slightly, he brushed aside her tears. She refused to look at him, and with a gentle grasp, he took her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. "I'm not sure who the bigger idiots were... the child that decided it was a good idea to turn everyone against her, or the adults that let her get away with it."

Pepper slowly calmed, letting the warmth of his hands melt through the ice that had crept around her soul. Even when she had woken up, it had still been there. "I had a second reason to stay..."

"I'm not going to let you, but to humor you; what was it?"

"I can't fly."

"Wha-?" Raditz wanted to say that she could, but when he thought about it, it made sense. Pepper lost every memory she had and it was a miracle that she was able to recognize him enough to forge the bond in the first place.

Turning around, he glanced at her. "Climb on," he ordered. Pepper hesitated. Was he really okay with this? "I could throw and catch you before you hit the ground," he offered. Pepper decided that getting on his back was the better option.

Raditz had felt something shift inside of him... He knew the Oozuru had wanted her, but he had fought it constantly over the years. Now that he understood more about this girl... He couldn't force himself to hate or resent her any longer. While some of his animosity had slightly thawed during the Battle of West City, this emotion was different. When he felt her arms wrap around his waist, her cheek pressed against his shoulder blades... He knew he was in trouble. It seemed the Oozuru wasn't the only one that wanted her any longer. They both did.


Turles and Bardock was sleeping outside, back to back when Raditz arrived. Pepper peeked over his shoulder, trying to figure out why they wouldn't want a warm bed when she had a brief image flash in her mind. Raditz, seeing it with their link, growled, uncertain if he wanted to blast them out of their room, or retreat to the island. He was leaning towards the first idea, and he heard Pepper trying not to laugh. "That's what you're going to find funny?"

"You did seem concerned about the mating process; I'd say they're enjoying themselves."

"I don't find listening to them screaming and breaking things encouraging!"

"He's done most of the screaming," Turles growled, glancing up at them with exhaustion on his face. "I'm starting to regret sending my ship back to the main fleet!"

"That brat is an embarrassment," Bardock commented. "Bulma got a hold of his tail and figured out the third side effect that it could be used for."

"Side effect?" Pepper asked.

"Why are you two back already," Bardock asked, ignoring her question.

"Is there a reason why we shouldn't be? Other than needing to rest and recover, I didn't see why we couldn't do that here."

Bardock and Turles gaped at him... When they realized he was serious, they gave up trying to understand the insanity their lives had become. "He's your son," Turles sighed.

"You're the one that raised him!"

"So have you! At least you should have been! If you knew this was a possibility; don't you think you could have talked to him about this?"

"Am I missing something?" Raditz demanded.

"YES!" They both shouted. The noise from the bedroom stopped, and Pepper exploded with laughter. Bulma must have realized how loud they had been, and in her distraction, she had let go of Kakarot's tail. Hearing a thunderous crash and the bed flying out the window, followed with the dresser and any other object that got in his way... "I'm going to the Lookout," Bardock said. "That human needs to understand that he's a Saiya-jin male; whatever." Blasting off, Turles tried to shut out the noise, but with the window shattered, that was impossible.

Before following Bardock, he glanced at Raditz and Pepper. It didn't sit well with him that the two hadn't done anything past marking one another... While it had been necessary to reconnect them to her, they couldn't stay the way they were. Raditz had spent his entire life avoiding women and anything about mating with one... He probably had no idea what to do with her, and she didn't seem any different. There was something that was off about her... He felt the link, but it was different than he remembered. Bardock had sensed it as well, and the visions that he used to have because of her, still hadn't returned. Pepper amplified all of their abilities... it was almost like... wait... She had asked Raditz to forge a mark with her for a reason... Why?

Bulma didn't know a lot about the Protector or what his role was; it was just mentioned that the Guardian always had one... at least that was true until the last one a thousand years ago. The Guardian was compatible with only one person and it was impossible for her to mate with anyone else; she had enough power to prevent it. Turles studied her... She was far too quiet... From the images he had gotten from Bardock, she had gotten into more trouble than any child he had ever heard about.

"Raditz!" Turles and Raditz turned to see a man running up to them.

"You're that reporter."

"You can call me Johnathon."

"What did you want?"

"Chi-chi wanted to let you guys know that the survivors from Fire Mountain will arrive in two days. Second, Vegeta took off with her to go after someone."

"He what?!" Raditz shouted. "Why would he do that?"

"He said that you guys owed her for saving Pepper; so he chose to grant the one wish that she wanted more than the war ending. About a year ago, her best friend went missing and while she's been searching for her, she's freed everyone that's she found. She was going to go after her again, and Vegeta chose to go with her."

"There's no guarantee that she's still alive!" Turles pointed out.

"That doesn't stop someone from searching; I think Raditz would understand."

Raditz did understand; the only reason Turles had tried to track Pepper down was to determine what had happened to her. The Saiya-jins had needed closure, regardless of the outcome. It seemed Chi-chi was the same, and he sympathized with her refusal to give up. Vegeta, it seemed, had a lot of regret after what happened with Pepper, and this was his way of making amends for it.

"I'll go after them."

"She won't come back," Raditz said, "And this might be the one time Vegeta will refuse to listen if you order him to abandon her."

"I'm aware of that; however, he should know better than to take on an enemy like the Red Ribbon Army without one of us to back him up." Pepper's lack of a response caused further anxiety for Turles.

After Turles left, Raditz felt her start to tremble... She was trying to remember who Vegeta was... She had felt the worry in Raditz's mind, but he wasn't going to go after him and leave her at Capsule Corporation. It was impossible to expose her to the enemy in her current condition; knowing that the enemy was after her, he had no choice but to stay where he was. "You know I'm going to have to tell them."

She nodded, and she let him carry her inside of Capsule Corporation.

"What's wrong with her?" Michael asked.

"It seems she's physically better, but she's apparently suffering from severe psychological trauma. That's not something that anyone can cure in an instant..."