Part Two: "SuperSaiya-jinn"
***
Gokuu looked hard and long at the city that sprawled out before him.
Mere minutes ago he had landed his space pod on Vejiita-sei, in the great, dense forests to the South of the great capitol city. Thanking Kami that Bulma had had time to make of his escape pod a capsule before she had been murdered by Epinard seven years ago, he had depressed it and stuck the resulting capsule in his boot.
Aleta had wanted to come to Vejiita-sei with him, but Gokuu had said rather plainly, "No."
In the old days he would have loved the company on adventures. He remembered fondly the first time he met Bulma, and how he had broken Yaumcha's tooth in their first fight, and how he used to have to 'touch' to know if a person was a boy or a girl. How Piccolo had offered to help fight Radditzu and his squad when they had first arrived on Earth to find it 'un-purged', how he had thought that, perhaps together, they could stand a chance.
Gokuu had seen Piccolo's blood before, but pooling on the ground like that, the Demon King's eyes and jaw slack, his antennae quivering in his death throes... it just hadn't seemed REAL.
*Yaumcha, duck! Krillin, no, to your left! Oh, no, please! Radditzu, brother, please, I'm begging you! She is my mate! I am on my knees, please! Don't kill my wife...! CHICHI!!*
Yaumcha... Krillin... Chichi... Gohan... Bulma...
*"I promise Bulma, I promise."
"You be careful, Son-kun. *Coff*"
"Sleep well, Bulma. I won't let them do to Aleta what they did you, and Gohan. I'll take care of your baby. Of all the babies."
"Aleta. That's a pretty name, Gokuu."
"Yes. It is a pretty name. That's what Chichi and I were going to call Gohan, if he was a girl. 'Little Winged one'. She will fly Bulma, I promise. She will fly free."
"Arigato, Son-kun."
"Good-bye, Bulma. Good-bye."*
He meek smile faded.
No, he was not about to let Aleta go traipsing about the universe, 25 years old or not - she was saying on their hidden planet. She was all he had left of Bulma.
He wasn't going to loose her to Epinard too.
Epinard had raped Bulma, making her pregnant with Aleta. However, though Aleta may have been that bastard's offspring... she was Gokuu's DAUGHTER, dammit.
And he wasn't about to watch anymore of his children die.
He was going to kill Epinard, once and for all. He should have done it the first time they fought, after Bulma's death, he'd had the strength. But Gokuu hadn't had the heart to commit murder.
But Epinard had escaped his eternal punishment one too many times. His fascination with the pain of a human woman while carrying a Saiyan child was getting out of hand, and it was no longer safe that Epinard remain alive. Gokuu had finally realized that Epinard really did not regret his actions - he wasn't going to change.
So Gokuu was really going to kill this time. And if he had to, he was going to kill every other Saiya-jinn who got in his way too. Even if it meant going up against the King himself.
With that vow in both his mind and heart, Gokuu began to walk towards the city, where he could sense Epinard's ki.
It was time to end it.
***
"I don't want to stay behind." I said softly, and apparently Rurutip decided to ignore me and continue to pack away his armour. "I don't want to be alone for a whole month."
"You won't be alone." he answered, tone gentle and eyes on his work. "Kado's here."
"That's not what I meant."
"Hn," he snorted, and turned to bite my lower lip, his version of a casual kiss. "I have been ordered on this mission, and there is no room for either you or my brat. You both stay here, and that is final."
I lowered my head and said nothing as he strolled out of the bedroom. He didn't even pause to look back.
***
A week after his first arrival on Vejiita-sei, Gokuu was still having some trouble locating Epinard. Sure, he knew his rival was in the wings of the palace that held the Elite Royal guards and the Squad leaders who had no where else to live until their next mission; that much he had learned.
But there were so many of them in there with blood-stained ki that it was practically impossible to pinpoint the exact room.
And Gokuu HAD to find the right room, for all he wanted to do was slip in, slit Epinard's throat, and slip back out.
There was no honour in it, to be certain, but Gokuu was not here for honour. He was here to eliminate a threat.
And as much as he hated to be so methodical and cruel, so cold in his fighting, there was no other choice.
An all out brawl would bring other Saiyans, and then Gokuu would be finished.
There was no way they'd let a traitor live, SuperSaiya-jinn or no.
The thought of his label - 'traitor' - made Gokuu smile. He'd never wish to be anything else when it came to the Saiya-jinn.
***
I watched with a heavy heart as Ru's ship blasted off without me.
It wasn't often that I was alone for more than a day or two, and the empty swell of loneliness had begun to accumulate in my gut.
What was I supposed to do for a whole MONTH without Rurutip?
Lounge around doing nothing? Well, no, I suppose I was exaggerating things. I still had Kado to look after - make sure his sparring outfits were cleaned and repaired properly and all that; I swear that boy would go around naked if weren't there to remind him to wear clothes. And I still had Vejii to entertain.
So, no, I wasn't going to be bored stupid just.... well, cold and lonely at night.
I wasn't used to being alone in bed.
Vejiita, who had been on the platform as well to see of Ru and the group of 'ambassadors', must have seen my distress, for he slipped over to stand beside me and said very very quietly, "He'll be back before you know it, Ningen."
I nodded morosely.
Then a bade my King an elaborate good-bye and went back to my rooms. I met Kado going out as I went in, and stopped him.
"Oh no you don't." I said sternly, staring at my son's gi. "That thing's filthy. Turn around and get a new one."
"But ... Okassan!" he whined, his amber eyes wide. "I was supposed to meet Aurek under the big tree!"
I pointed back to the room and he went back inside, his tail dragging on the ground. He stripped as he walked, leaving discarded cloth all over the floor like his father does, and stomped into his own room. Within seconds he was changed and back out.
I sighed and shook my head. What a character, my Kado.
I then made a point of collecting the pieces of his gi and very happily tossed them in the trash. The once white of the material was now a sweat-stained, blood-tainted, torn parody of what it used to be, and I'd been trying to get Kado to toss it for weeks. But he was stubborn about clothing he'd worked in.
I then looked around the sitting room, my hands on my hips, and sighed again.
A whole month... with no sex.
I groaned at the thought and resolved not to think on it anymore. I had to do something to clear my mind... and what better than a few laps in that big old bathing pool?
It would be nice to be able to swim around a little without Ru there to tackle me.
Having picked up Ru's habit too, I slid out of my dress as I strolled into the bathroom and flicked the switch that would make the pool heat up a little. I dumped my own soiled clothing in a tiny pile to the side and pulled the bottles of stuff and towels off the shelf and placed them on the ledge.
That shampoo-stuff still smelled horrible. With all the technology they had in this vast universe, you'd think they'd figure out a way to make their shampoo smell nice. That had been one of the pleasant things about visiting Chikyuu all those years ago - scented hygiene products. Damn, did I ever miss those.
I slipped into the rosy water, pulling the band out of my hair that held it up out of my face and relaxed against the side, breathing in the steam that rose from the surface gratefully.
Letting my mind wander to earlier times, I could clearly recall the first time Rurutip tried to teach Kado how to swim. He had been about two at the time, and he was caterwauling something awful.
Rurutip held him above the water, standing in the pool himself. Kado's tail was wrapped so tightly around his wrist that Ru's hand was going white.
"Kado!" he kept snarling, "Let go!" but the kid wasn't stupid. Kado knew that there was water down there, and if he let go, he'd end up in it, which was a bad thing.
So finally Rurutip just dropped Kado, and I - who had been staying out of it, sitting on the side, dangling my legs in the water - I screamed.
"Ru, he'll drown!"
However, Kado still had hold of Ru's wrist, and had by then learned that he could float very easily, and there was no danger of falling all the way if he just kept a grip on Ru. It was a little while after that - maybe an hour or so - that Kado felt confident enough to let go, and he began to splash around, spraying water everywhere and throughly exhausting himself.
I had to carry him to his bed, and when I came back into the bathroom, Ru was all set for some splashing of his own.
I smiled to myself in the memory of that pleasant afternoon. Rurutip had done some really fun things that time, and we had giggled more than we had kissed.
I pondered that afternoon and decided that I wanted to have some tricks ready for Ru when he got back., so snuggled into my little place on the bottom step ( I was far too short for the benches that were along the side of the bathing pool) and began to day dream.
A flush played along my nose and cheeks as I thought of some particularly fun ways to welcome my Rurutip home, and I leaned back, settling my neck and head between Ru's muscular, naked, thighs.
I made a little happy sound. It was so nice of Ru to sit up on the second step like that so I could sprawl myself in his lap, he'd never done that for me before. His warm hands came down on my neck, but did not move in the familiar circular patterns that I had taught him a massage consisted of.
And then, of course, I realized...
This was not Rurutip.
There was no way in HELL that whoever this was behind me was Ru. Ru was off-world.
I squeaked in horror and tried to turn around, but the hands on my neck tightened and I could not move.
"Who are you?" I panted, trying to ease out of the person's grip, but he -for the hands were far too large for it to be a woman - would not let me go.
My chest began to rise and fall with panicked breaths, but I forced myself to be still. My old survival instincts kicked in; I had learned in the early years with Rurutip that fighting had only made everything worse for me, so I stayed very still.
"You haven't answered me," I said softly, and my words earned me a light smack in the back of my head. However, neither of the hands moved, so I had to assume that I had been hit with a tail - therefore, my attacker was a Saiyan.
"You talk too much, bitch." An oily, sleazy voice hissed in my hear, the breath it travelled on sour. "Rurutip hasn't beat you enough."
I swallowed heavily, eyes stabbing from left to right, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man behind me.
"I'll solve that soon enough," the sleazy voice chuckled. "I'll rip your voice box out - then you can't influence the King anymore, either."
I whimpered, cringing away. Whoever this man was, he knew too much. No one was supposed to know that I was anything more than the evening's entertainment in court to Vejii.
Unless... unless Vejii had told someone, or Rurutip...
*Epinard turned to face me over the dinner table. "And that?" He looked back to Rurutip. "What's so special about that?"
Ru spared me a guarded side-long glance. "I dunno." he shrugged. "I guess I just haven't gotten around to getting rid of her. She's a good slave. She does what she's told."
I lowered my eyes demurely, playing my part of the social charade.
"Ah." Epinard stroked his pencil mustache thoughtfully, and the light from the garish flourescent bars in his ceiling made his hair look like oil as he lowered his head. "And the King? You'll forgive me, Commander, I've been off Vejiita-sei so long, I've missed the politics of these years. Vejiita-sama seems to favour this slave."
"She sings." Ru shrugged non-comittedly. "He likes to listen to what she says... in her songs."*
I gulped. Yes, that was the only time that Rurutip had slipped. And that meant that the man behind me was...
"Epinard."
I was smacked again. "Epinard-SAMA to you, bitch."
"Epinard-sama," I corrected myself, the tears pooling in the corners of my eyes, my mind falling into a panic. There was no WAY I'd be able to fight off an Elite like Epinard! And he'd strangle me before I could so much as scream for help.
I had to do whatever he wanted. That's how I'd get out of this alive. Mangled... but alive.
"Tell me, bitch," Epinard said lazily into my ear and I shivered as I felt him begin to nibble on the flesh just under my lobe. However, unlike when Ru did it, he was beginning to draw blood. "Were you in much pain when you were carrying your bastard child?"
My only answer was a whimper as his hands slid around and down, trapping me firmly against his chest.
"Human women are so lovely when they're hurting." he purred deep in his chest and lifted me up out of the water. I wiggled wildly, trying to get away, but only served to have the breath squeezed out of me.
"Sadist!" I snapped on impulse when I realized that I could not fight my way out of his viscous grip, then hastily wished my rash insult back.
"I'm going to fuck you." he snarled and pushed me onto my stomach on the bathroom floor, holding the back of my neck so I could not see him. I could tell by the feel of him against my back that he was already nude. "I'm going to make you pregnant. Then Rurutip will kill you for daring to fuck someone else. And I'll be able to do whatever I want with your son."
I gasped in protest as he pressed his weight on top of me.
Epinard chuckled and lifted my rump up into the air by wrapping his tail around my waist. I began to sob bitterly, fearing that he was right. Would Rurutip kill me for betraying his trust?
"Kado, wasn't that the worthless little freak was called? I'll fuck him too. I'll rip his intestines out with each thrust. What do you think of that?"
"Don't you touch my son!" I shrieked my fear burning away in a sudden backlash of unadulterated anger. "Do whatever you want to me, but if you hurt Kado I will find a way to kill you – from beyond the grave, if I must!"
He laughed outright at that, and I dug my nails into the soft spaces between the tiles on the floor.
"You're going threaten ME?"
I snarled, and he laughed even more.
"Oh, it's going to be fun, screwing YOU."
I chewed on the bottom of my lip, eyes squeezed shut, tears leaking down my face as the cold air around me and the hot flesh of Epinard's stomach and thighs pressed against my ass raised goose bumps.
"Enjoy it." I spat, deciding that if I was going to have to suffer through this humiliation, that I might as well make him nervous. "When Vejiita finds out, he'll rip you to shreds."
"Our King!?" Epinard laughed and thrust forward, tearing into me. He seemed satisfied with my pained scream. "You've ensured that he won't." He thrust again, his fingernails digging into my hips, slamming against me so hard I swore I was about to break. Once more I screamed. "You and your silly morals have made him far to WEAK." Another thrust, another scream, and he began to grunt.
I buried my head in my folded arms and wept.
I realized that no one could hear me screaming. The doors were all shut. So were the windows.
Epinard was really going to get away with raping me, and it would be seen as my fault. I would be punished for it. I tried to shut my brain down, ignoring the pain, the humiliation, the absolute, abject, earth-shattering TERROR.
But another sound reached my ears besides my screams -was I really still screaming? It didn't feel like me anymore- and Epinard's strained grunts.
This sound was a rather unexpected one, but welcome nonetheless.
It was the sound of my son's voice.
"Okassan?" I heard him shout, and I was torn between delight and horror.
There was no WAY my little Kado had the kind of power necessary to fight Epinard... and win.
"Okassan!" he called again and Epinard pulled away from me with a snarl. I tried to scramble away, but he grabbed my ankle and pulled me back into his arms, trapping me between his knees.
"Answer him, bitch, and I'll rip your head off."
I nodded slowly, the tears falling in rivers now. Kado was going to die!
"Okassan!" came a third shout, this time angry. "Where the Hell are you?!"
I heard a murmur of consultation between him and a voice I recognized as Aurek's, then the hiss of the bedroom doors sliding back. When he didn't find me in there, I knew he was going to try the bathroom next.
As I predicted, the doors slid back and I tried to cover myself. Not that I was modest - Rurutip had explained such things as men and women and their bodies to Kado at a very young age- but I was terrified of his reaction.
"Okassan, I want food--" Kado froze in the doorway as his amber eyes lighted on me tangled up in Epinard's lap.
Epinard smirked. "Kobanwa, little bastard."
"Ki-kisama!" Kado swore, his aura beginning to flare to life around him. Aurek peeked over his shoulder to see what was wrong and quickly covered his mouth in horror.
"Let her go!" Kado snarled, his face darkening, "She belongs to Otousan! You can't touch her like that!"
In defiance of Kado's words, Epinard ran his tongue along my neck and I gagged.
"Stop it!" Kado said, glaring at Epinard, his eyes beginning to light up with that familiar battle lust. "I said STOP IT!"
"Or what, bastard halfling?" Epinard laughed, fingers tangling in my hair. "You'll fight me? You'll lose."
"You CANNOT touch my father's slave like that!" Kado stubbornly answered, fists glowing at his sides.
Epinard tapped the top of my head thoughtfully. "It that all you can say?" He lifted that same hand and began to charge a ki ball. "Won't even admit that the bitch is your mother, will you?"
I vaguely recall fighting him and screaming for Kado to run, that there was no way he could win, but it all got lost in the horrified haze of what happened next.
Epinard pulled his charged hand back and let fly with the energy blast. Kado had the sense to duck... but behind him, Aurek didn't.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to watch ....a large flash of light beat against my eyelids and a high pitched scream met my ears. The smell of fire and burned flesh filled my nose and I resisted the urge to vomit; the smell was horrid... but what it implied was worse.
When I heard Kado's furious snarl, I forced myself to pry my eyes open.
I couldn't find what was left of Aurek... only a smear of his purply blood on the walls and carpet.
But that seemed surreal, almost insignificant in light of what else had happened.
I'd only seen it happen once before. Years and years ago... when I was still just a teenager... before Kado was born... in Vejii's father's court... when I sang a song about the legend of the SuperSaiya-jinn for Freeza...
SUPERSAIYA-JINN
...The word bounced around between my ears, and my breath caught in my throat...
SUPERSAIYA-JINN SUPERSAIYA-JINN SUPERSAIYA-JINN SUPERSAIYA-JINN
"SuperSaiyan...." I whispered, my voice harsh and low. At least, I think it had been me. It could have been Epinard.
Before I could figure out who's voice it had been, I was slammed face first into the floor. I felt my nose break, the blood erupt from tiny gashes made in my skin by the texture of the tiles.
"AUREK!" I heard a scream - the voice vaugely resembled Kado's, but I thought perhaps it could also have been an angered Rurutip. "CHIYUSHO! SHINE! SHINE! SHINE!"
I screamed and covered my head as one energy blast after another ripped through the air, lighting the room aflame. Screams bounced all over, mine mingling with Epinard's and Kado's.
Blood hit my back, hot and sticky and I sobbed.
Was it Epinard's... or Kado's... or MINE?
There was the loud tinkling sound of glass shattering and falling to the tiles around us and I dazedly thought that perhaps Kado's power had burst the window, but I felt someone wrap my discarded towel around me and lift me into the air.
I whimpered and clutched the person's chest, blood on my mangled face.
Oh, it HURT!
Only after I had sobbed myself into exhaustion did I realize that the sounds of battle had ended and the horrifying golden blaze of Kado's aura had vanished.
I opened my eyes and stared into his. They were empty.
"Kado...?" I asked softly, but he did not answer me, he only stared slightly to my left where the purple blood stained the charred carpet.
Then I lifted my eyes painfully to the man who cradled me against his chest.
He smiled back down at me, one eye obscured by an eyepatch. But even with his face scarred and half-covered, I recognized him.
"Kakarotto..."
"My name is Gokuu now." he said softly. "Don't speak. You're hurt."
I shook my head stubbornly. "Epinard?"
Gokuu frowned. "Dead. The boy you just called Kado killed him."
I forced a smile. "Bastard deserved it."
There was a moment of deathly silence.
"Yes." Gokuu agreed. "Yes, he did."
I rolled my head back to Kado. He had begun to scratch at his arms so fiercely, he was drawing blood.
"Stop!" Gokuu shouted, and put me down swiftly before going to grab Kado's wrists. "I know it tingles. It always tingles. But don't rip your skin off."
"SuperSaiyan..." I whispered once more and I had just enough time to see both of them turn their heads to stare at me before the lack of blood in my body made welcome darkness envelop me.
***
Aleta stopped doing her kata long enough to shake out her hair, the teal locks flashing briefly into her eyes. Sweat dripped off of her face and down into her gi top, dampening the beige fabric. The wet cloth clung to her body, the moisture making it incredibly itchy.
She scratched briefly.
Assessing the room, she listened for the sounds that had disturbed her concentration. She turned toward the door when the distant sound of laughter hit her ears.
Lifting her nose into the air a little she sniffed, trying to determine from who the laughter came. She was, after all, half Saiya-jinn, though her teal hair and fur tried to advertise otherwise, and she had a rather keen sense of smell.
Her nose told her that it was just the other children, sparring with each other.
With the sound identified, Aleta wrinkled her nose at her own scent.
Deciding that she'd had enough training for one day (she really wasn't all that much of a fighter, although she still loved to spar with Gokuu), she began to think it was time for a bath in the clear, cool lake just outside of their little compound.
With moves to fast for the human eye, she blurred out the door of her small sparring room and into the kid's arena.
She arrived just in time to intercept a sphere of energy that would have vaporized a lesser being. Aleta merely deflected it with one hand.
"Oi, be quiet." Aleta commanded, and the dozen or so demi-Saiyajinn immediately shut their yaps.
Aleta, being at 25 the oldest of Gokuu's adopted gang of abandoned halflings, always demanded respect, even when she was not being serious or strict.
Immediately all attention was focussed on her. "I'm going to the lake; you know when to get me." The children looked at her with solemn acknowledgment. They knew by her phrasing that if they met with something they couldn't handle, they should give the pre-determined signal, and she'd be there to help with whatever the trouble was within seconds.
"Hn," she smirked.
The children. Halfling brats, each alone was easily able to defend themselves against any thing on this isolated planet... however, there were a few things NOT from the planet that could give them trouble... like invading Saiyans.
To be sure, they had TRIED to locate the 'SuperSaiyan' known as Kakarotto, but Aleta and he had been outrunning them for years. Now that they had found a place to call home, Aleta and Gokuu-san made sure that each child here -each child saved- knew exactly what the danger was, and how to deal with it.
Aleta shook her head slightly, and gave the kids a dismissing glance. They all nodded and returned their sparring. Reeko, the oldest of them at 13, was lead the fighting. Kami, but he was an arrogant little bastard. He swore up and down he was the son of an Elite Saiyan.
Aleta often laughed at that; not one of the children knew who their parents had been. Most of them did not even know that they were her own brothers or sisters.
Epinard had impregnated and killed many human women in his deranged, sadistic adventures.
Her own mother, Gokuu's childhood friend Bulma, had been no exception.
Gokuu-san often commented on how much like her mother Aleta looked, and how they were smart the same way and had the same kind of temper. Aleta liked to believe it was all true, and often wished that the DragonBalls that Gokuu spoke of so freely still existed.
When Piccolo had died fighting Gokuu's brother Raddittzu, Kami had died with him, and the DragonBalls had vanished forever.
And Aleta wanted to meet her mother, just once. But Bulma had died giving her life. Well, Aleta had long ago decided that she'd just have to wait until she too died, and then she'd search for her mother in heaven.
Shaking herself out of her reverie, Aleta then made sure that Reeko had everything under control, and moved out of the room and into the hall. Gliding quickly down the hall, she evaded a number of booby traps designed to slow down or kill any intruders.
Gokuu-san might be almost invincible, but the children were not, and Aleta wasn't about to take any chances with their safety. They were, after all, her siblings, some by blood, and some only in her heart.
After a lot of simple explanations, (and a lot of pictures) she had brought Gokuu to understand the need for the traps, and the fact that he was to leave them alone.
At first he thought it was fun to trip them and then out-run the projectiles coming after him.
Aleta snorted slightly to herself as she walked. She had gotten so ticked off at him that she had upped the power of the weapons to be able to keep up with his SuperSaiya-jinn agility when re-setting her traps.
Aleta chuckled at the thought of Gokuu-san's face the last time she had made "adjustments". He had to power up to his SuperSaiyan form to get out of the crude building with his skin intact.
Aleta ran out of the shelter, and gave a feral smile; all tooth, gleaming and sharp. Gokuu-san never ever messed with her "toys" after that.
He now gave them a wide berth.
Following a rough path that led out of the shelter, Aleta followed it around twisting curves to a small crystalline lake. She reached the edge of the water and slowed to a stop.
The greenish purple water looked cool and inviting, and the gi started to really itch and chafe, irritating her soft skin.
Aleta had started to strip out of her clothes when she heard a slight rustle in the bushes. Dropping the gi-top in her hand to the lush grass below her feet, she turned to follow the progress of a shadow that sped from tree to tree behind her.
She considered continuing in her ritual bathing habits, and wait for the intruder to approach and then attack him, but paused with her hand wrapped around the strap of her tank-top. Did she really want to flash this person, who might or might not be a Saiyan male?
Hell, no.
She whipped around and assumed a fighting stance, then swore under her breath when Reeko emerged from the foliage with a devilish grin on his face.
"Na!" Aleta snapped. "I thought I said not to bug me!"
"Hai." Reeko smirked and offered her a tiny scrap of paper. On it was a message in his juvenile chicken scratch. "But Gokuu-sensei called. Say's he wants you to go to Vejiita-sei in the spare capsule ship."
"Nani?" she said softy, green eyes skimming the message.
It read:
Gokuu-sensei says: "Come to Vejiita-sei, Aleta-chan! It's fun! There's a new SuperSaiyan, and Epinard is dead now too! You'll like it here, it's very nice!"
Aleta rolled her eyes to the heavens. She loved Gokuu-san like a father, but he was sometimes very dim. But, he would not have sent for her if it wasn't safe for her to be there, so she gave up on the bath thing and headed back towards the compound.
She could barely disguise her elation at hearing that Epinard had been destroyed, a fact which only betrayed itself in her bouncing lope to the part of the compound in which the ships were hidden.
If Gokuu said he wanted her on Vejiita-sei, then to Vejiita-sei she would go.
***
Many, many hours later -unaware of Aleta and her immanent arrival- I awoke in Ru's bed, alone, my face faintly throbbing and Regen-gel still in my hair. I touched my nose gingerly, fearing it might be broken still, but it was not.
Ah, Kami bless Regeneration Tanks.
I sat up slowly, but large hands pushed me back down.
I screamed and fought against them, thinking they were Epinard's, but Vejii's was the voice that barked out, "Shut up, Maria!"
I did, and stared up at his shadow- laced face. Night had fallen and he had not turned on the lights.
His dark eyes were filled with a pain that came only from sympathy and guilt. I could tell that he felt that it was his fault that this had happened - he should have known Epinard was that sort of man, and he should have put an end his 'mating habits' years ago.
Tears began to well in my eyes when I saw this and I reached up to him. Vejii readily lowered himself onto his knees beside me and accepted my embrace. I clutched Vejii close.
He bent over me so I could cling to him and rubbed my back as I had often done for him as a child as I wept bitterly.
***
After many long hours of this, I was finally out of tears and was calm enough for me to separate myself from Vejii.
"Maria, what happened?" Vejii stared at me intently, his tone intended to soothe. I could see in his expression that he already knew, but that he wanted confirmation.
"E-E-Epinard." I managed to get out around my dry sobs.
Vejii frowned, his forehead wrinkling severely. "I thought as much. The DNA in the blood on your floors matched with him... and a Piux-jinn."
"Aurek." I murmured, tears burning the backs of my eyes and lumping in my throat. "God, my son's best friend. He... didn't see it. He d-didn't d-duck..."
"Ah," Vejii nodded to himself. "And Kado-san?"
I looked up, my eyes wide with terror. "What about Kado?"
"Where is he, Maria?"
"He's ... missing!?" I tried to jumped to my feet, but Vejii held me down.
"No, you're still hurt. It was a nasty smack you got. You've been concussed."
"But, Kado!" I wailed, "I have to find Kado!"
"Shhh." Vejii whispered. "I'm sure he'll turn up. Rurutip has been contacted and he is on his way back, and your chambers are being repaired as we speak. He's a Saiya-jinn. We'll find Kado." He paused momentarily, and then, under his breath, he added, " I promise."
I looked up into his dark eyes. "I know."
Vejii smiled warmly, then remembered himself and stalked out of the bedroom, cape billowing behind him, leaving me cold and alone.
I knew where Kado was... and who he was with.
"Kakarotto..." I whispered through dry lips "Please, take care of him..."
.... and no one answered.
***
END PART TWO
***
Gokuu looked hard and long at the city that sprawled out before him.
Mere minutes ago he had landed his space pod on Vejiita-sei, in the great, dense forests to the South of the great capitol city. Thanking Kami that Bulma had had time to make of his escape pod a capsule before she had been murdered by Epinard seven years ago, he had depressed it and stuck the resulting capsule in his boot.
Aleta had wanted to come to Vejiita-sei with him, but Gokuu had said rather plainly, "No."
In the old days he would have loved the company on adventures. He remembered fondly the first time he met Bulma, and how he had broken Yaumcha's tooth in their first fight, and how he used to have to 'touch' to know if a person was a boy or a girl. How Piccolo had offered to help fight Radditzu and his squad when they had first arrived on Earth to find it 'un-purged', how he had thought that, perhaps together, they could stand a chance.
Gokuu had seen Piccolo's blood before, but pooling on the ground like that, the Demon King's eyes and jaw slack, his antennae quivering in his death throes... it just hadn't seemed REAL.
*Yaumcha, duck! Krillin, no, to your left! Oh, no, please! Radditzu, brother, please, I'm begging you! She is my mate! I am on my knees, please! Don't kill my wife...! CHICHI!!*
Yaumcha... Krillin... Chichi... Gohan... Bulma...
*"I promise Bulma, I promise."
"You be careful, Son-kun. *Coff*"
"Sleep well, Bulma. I won't let them do to Aleta what they did you, and Gohan. I'll take care of your baby. Of all the babies."
"Aleta. That's a pretty name, Gokuu."
"Yes. It is a pretty name. That's what Chichi and I were going to call Gohan, if he was a girl. 'Little Winged one'. She will fly Bulma, I promise. She will fly free."
"Arigato, Son-kun."
"Good-bye, Bulma. Good-bye."*
He meek smile faded.
No, he was not about to let Aleta go traipsing about the universe, 25 years old or not - she was saying on their hidden planet. She was all he had left of Bulma.
He wasn't going to loose her to Epinard too.
Epinard had raped Bulma, making her pregnant with Aleta. However, though Aleta may have been that bastard's offspring... she was Gokuu's DAUGHTER, dammit.
And he wasn't about to watch anymore of his children die.
He was going to kill Epinard, once and for all. He should have done it the first time they fought, after Bulma's death, he'd had the strength. But Gokuu hadn't had the heart to commit murder.
But Epinard had escaped his eternal punishment one too many times. His fascination with the pain of a human woman while carrying a Saiyan child was getting out of hand, and it was no longer safe that Epinard remain alive. Gokuu had finally realized that Epinard really did not regret his actions - he wasn't going to change.
So Gokuu was really going to kill this time. And if he had to, he was going to kill every other Saiya-jinn who got in his way too. Even if it meant going up against the King himself.
With that vow in both his mind and heart, Gokuu began to walk towards the city, where he could sense Epinard's ki.
It was time to end it.
***
"I don't want to stay behind." I said softly, and apparently Rurutip decided to ignore me and continue to pack away his armour. "I don't want to be alone for a whole month."
"You won't be alone." he answered, tone gentle and eyes on his work. "Kado's here."
"That's not what I meant."
"Hn," he snorted, and turned to bite my lower lip, his version of a casual kiss. "I have been ordered on this mission, and there is no room for either you or my brat. You both stay here, and that is final."
I lowered my head and said nothing as he strolled out of the bedroom. He didn't even pause to look back.
***
A week after his first arrival on Vejiita-sei, Gokuu was still having some trouble locating Epinard. Sure, he knew his rival was in the wings of the palace that held the Elite Royal guards and the Squad leaders who had no where else to live until their next mission; that much he had learned.
But there were so many of them in there with blood-stained ki that it was practically impossible to pinpoint the exact room.
And Gokuu HAD to find the right room, for all he wanted to do was slip in, slit Epinard's throat, and slip back out.
There was no honour in it, to be certain, but Gokuu was not here for honour. He was here to eliminate a threat.
And as much as he hated to be so methodical and cruel, so cold in his fighting, there was no other choice.
An all out brawl would bring other Saiyans, and then Gokuu would be finished.
There was no way they'd let a traitor live, SuperSaiya-jinn or no.
The thought of his label - 'traitor' - made Gokuu smile. He'd never wish to be anything else when it came to the Saiya-jinn.
***
I watched with a heavy heart as Ru's ship blasted off without me.
It wasn't often that I was alone for more than a day or two, and the empty swell of loneliness had begun to accumulate in my gut.
What was I supposed to do for a whole MONTH without Rurutip?
Lounge around doing nothing? Well, no, I suppose I was exaggerating things. I still had Kado to look after - make sure his sparring outfits were cleaned and repaired properly and all that; I swear that boy would go around naked if weren't there to remind him to wear clothes. And I still had Vejii to entertain.
So, no, I wasn't going to be bored stupid just.... well, cold and lonely at night.
I wasn't used to being alone in bed.
Vejiita, who had been on the platform as well to see of Ru and the group of 'ambassadors', must have seen my distress, for he slipped over to stand beside me and said very very quietly, "He'll be back before you know it, Ningen."
I nodded morosely.
Then a bade my King an elaborate good-bye and went back to my rooms. I met Kado going out as I went in, and stopped him.
"Oh no you don't." I said sternly, staring at my son's gi. "That thing's filthy. Turn around and get a new one."
"But ... Okassan!" he whined, his amber eyes wide. "I was supposed to meet Aurek under the big tree!"
I pointed back to the room and he went back inside, his tail dragging on the ground. He stripped as he walked, leaving discarded cloth all over the floor like his father does, and stomped into his own room. Within seconds he was changed and back out.
I sighed and shook my head. What a character, my Kado.
I then made a point of collecting the pieces of his gi and very happily tossed them in the trash. The once white of the material was now a sweat-stained, blood-tainted, torn parody of what it used to be, and I'd been trying to get Kado to toss it for weeks. But he was stubborn about clothing he'd worked in.
I then looked around the sitting room, my hands on my hips, and sighed again.
A whole month... with no sex.
I groaned at the thought and resolved not to think on it anymore. I had to do something to clear my mind... and what better than a few laps in that big old bathing pool?
It would be nice to be able to swim around a little without Ru there to tackle me.
Having picked up Ru's habit too, I slid out of my dress as I strolled into the bathroom and flicked the switch that would make the pool heat up a little. I dumped my own soiled clothing in a tiny pile to the side and pulled the bottles of stuff and towels off the shelf and placed them on the ledge.
That shampoo-stuff still smelled horrible. With all the technology they had in this vast universe, you'd think they'd figure out a way to make their shampoo smell nice. That had been one of the pleasant things about visiting Chikyuu all those years ago - scented hygiene products. Damn, did I ever miss those.
I slipped into the rosy water, pulling the band out of my hair that held it up out of my face and relaxed against the side, breathing in the steam that rose from the surface gratefully.
Letting my mind wander to earlier times, I could clearly recall the first time Rurutip tried to teach Kado how to swim. He had been about two at the time, and he was caterwauling something awful.
Rurutip held him above the water, standing in the pool himself. Kado's tail was wrapped so tightly around his wrist that Ru's hand was going white.
"Kado!" he kept snarling, "Let go!" but the kid wasn't stupid. Kado knew that there was water down there, and if he let go, he'd end up in it, which was a bad thing.
So finally Rurutip just dropped Kado, and I - who had been staying out of it, sitting on the side, dangling my legs in the water - I screamed.
"Ru, he'll drown!"
However, Kado still had hold of Ru's wrist, and had by then learned that he could float very easily, and there was no danger of falling all the way if he just kept a grip on Ru. It was a little while after that - maybe an hour or so - that Kado felt confident enough to let go, and he began to splash around, spraying water everywhere and throughly exhausting himself.
I had to carry him to his bed, and when I came back into the bathroom, Ru was all set for some splashing of his own.
I smiled to myself in the memory of that pleasant afternoon. Rurutip had done some really fun things that time, and we had giggled more than we had kissed.
I pondered that afternoon and decided that I wanted to have some tricks ready for Ru when he got back., so snuggled into my little place on the bottom step ( I was far too short for the benches that were along the side of the bathing pool) and began to day dream.
A flush played along my nose and cheeks as I thought of some particularly fun ways to welcome my Rurutip home, and I leaned back, settling my neck and head between Ru's muscular, naked, thighs.
I made a little happy sound. It was so nice of Ru to sit up on the second step like that so I could sprawl myself in his lap, he'd never done that for me before. His warm hands came down on my neck, but did not move in the familiar circular patterns that I had taught him a massage consisted of.
And then, of course, I realized...
This was not Rurutip.
There was no way in HELL that whoever this was behind me was Ru. Ru was off-world.
I squeaked in horror and tried to turn around, but the hands on my neck tightened and I could not move.
"Who are you?" I panted, trying to ease out of the person's grip, but he -for the hands were far too large for it to be a woman - would not let me go.
My chest began to rise and fall with panicked breaths, but I forced myself to be still. My old survival instincts kicked in; I had learned in the early years with Rurutip that fighting had only made everything worse for me, so I stayed very still.
"You haven't answered me," I said softly, and my words earned me a light smack in the back of my head. However, neither of the hands moved, so I had to assume that I had been hit with a tail - therefore, my attacker was a Saiyan.
"You talk too much, bitch." An oily, sleazy voice hissed in my hear, the breath it travelled on sour. "Rurutip hasn't beat you enough."
I swallowed heavily, eyes stabbing from left to right, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man behind me.
"I'll solve that soon enough," the sleazy voice chuckled. "I'll rip your voice box out - then you can't influence the King anymore, either."
I whimpered, cringing away. Whoever this man was, he knew too much. No one was supposed to know that I was anything more than the evening's entertainment in court to Vejii.
Unless... unless Vejii had told someone, or Rurutip...
*Epinard turned to face me over the dinner table. "And that?" He looked back to Rurutip. "What's so special about that?"
Ru spared me a guarded side-long glance. "I dunno." he shrugged. "I guess I just haven't gotten around to getting rid of her. She's a good slave. She does what she's told."
I lowered my eyes demurely, playing my part of the social charade.
"Ah." Epinard stroked his pencil mustache thoughtfully, and the light from the garish flourescent bars in his ceiling made his hair look like oil as he lowered his head. "And the King? You'll forgive me, Commander, I've been off Vejiita-sei so long, I've missed the politics of these years. Vejiita-sama seems to favour this slave."
"She sings." Ru shrugged non-comittedly. "He likes to listen to what she says... in her songs."*
I gulped. Yes, that was the only time that Rurutip had slipped. And that meant that the man behind me was...
"Epinard."
I was smacked again. "Epinard-SAMA to you, bitch."
"Epinard-sama," I corrected myself, the tears pooling in the corners of my eyes, my mind falling into a panic. There was no WAY I'd be able to fight off an Elite like Epinard! And he'd strangle me before I could so much as scream for help.
I had to do whatever he wanted. That's how I'd get out of this alive. Mangled... but alive.
"Tell me, bitch," Epinard said lazily into my ear and I shivered as I felt him begin to nibble on the flesh just under my lobe. However, unlike when Ru did it, he was beginning to draw blood. "Were you in much pain when you were carrying your bastard child?"
My only answer was a whimper as his hands slid around and down, trapping me firmly against his chest.
"Human women are so lovely when they're hurting." he purred deep in his chest and lifted me up out of the water. I wiggled wildly, trying to get away, but only served to have the breath squeezed out of me.
"Sadist!" I snapped on impulse when I realized that I could not fight my way out of his viscous grip, then hastily wished my rash insult back.
"I'm going to fuck you." he snarled and pushed me onto my stomach on the bathroom floor, holding the back of my neck so I could not see him. I could tell by the feel of him against my back that he was already nude. "I'm going to make you pregnant. Then Rurutip will kill you for daring to fuck someone else. And I'll be able to do whatever I want with your son."
I gasped in protest as he pressed his weight on top of me.
Epinard chuckled and lifted my rump up into the air by wrapping his tail around my waist. I began to sob bitterly, fearing that he was right. Would Rurutip kill me for betraying his trust?
"Kado, wasn't that the worthless little freak was called? I'll fuck him too. I'll rip his intestines out with each thrust. What do you think of that?"
"Don't you touch my son!" I shrieked my fear burning away in a sudden backlash of unadulterated anger. "Do whatever you want to me, but if you hurt Kado I will find a way to kill you – from beyond the grave, if I must!"
He laughed outright at that, and I dug my nails into the soft spaces between the tiles on the floor.
"You're going threaten ME?"
I snarled, and he laughed even more.
"Oh, it's going to be fun, screwing YOU."
I chewed on the bottom of my lip, eyes squeezed shut, tears leaking down my face as the cold air around me and the hot flesh of Epinard's stomach and thighs pressed against my ass raised goose bumps.
"Enjoy it." I spat, deciding that if I was going to have to suffer through this humiliation, that I might as well make him nervous. "When Vejiita finds out, he'll rip you to shreds."
"Our King!?" Epinard laughed and thrust forward, tearing into me. He seemed satisfied with my pained scream. "You've ensured that he won't." He thrust again, his fingernails digging into my hips, slamming against me so hard I swore I was about to break. Once more I screamed. "You and your silly morals have made him far to WEAK." Another thrust, another scream, and he began to grunt.
I buried my head in my folded arms and wept.
I realized that no one could hear me screaming. The doors were all shut. So were the windows.
Epinard was really going to get away with raping me, and it would be seen as my fault. I would be punished for it. I tried to shut my brain down, ignoring the pain, the humiliation, the absolute, abject, earth-shattering TERROR.
But another sound reached my ears besides my screams -was I really still screaming? It didn't feel like me anymore- and Epinard's strained grunts.
This sound was a rather unexpected one, but welcome nonetheless.
It was the sound of my son's voice.
"Okassan?" I heard him shout, and I was torn between delight and horror.
There was no WAY my little Kado had the kind of power necessary to fight Epinard... and win.
"Okassan!" he called again and Epinard pulled away from me with a snarl. I tried to scramble away, but he grabbed my ankle and pulled me back into his arms, trapping me between his knees.
"Answer him, bitch, and I'll rip your head off."
I nodded slowly, the tears falling in rivers now. Kado was going to die!
"Okassan!" came a third shout, this time angry. "Where the Hell are you?!"
I heard a murmur of consultation between him and a voice I recognized as Aurek's, then the hiss of the bedroom doors sliding back. When he didn't find me in there, I knew he was going to try the bathroom next.
As I predicted, the doors slid back and I tried to cover myself. Not that I was modest - Rurutip had explained such things as men and women and their bodies to Kado at a very young age- but I was terrified of his reaction.
"Okassan, I want food--" Kado froze in the doorway as his amber eyes lighted on me tangled up in Epinard's lap.
Epinard smirked. "Kobanwa, little bastard."
"Ki-kisama!" Kado swore, his aura beginning to flare to life around him. Aurek peeked over his shoulder to see what was wrong and quickly covered his mouth in horror.
"Let her go!" Kado snarled, his face darkening, "She belongs to Otousan! You can't touch her like that!"
In defiance of Kado's words, Epinard ran his tongue along my neck and I gagged.
"Stop it!" Kado said, glaring at Epinard, his eyes beginning to light up with that familiar battle lust. "I said STOP IT!"
"Or what, bastard halfling?" Epinard laughed, fingers tangling in my hair. "You'll fight me? You'll lose."
"You CANNOT touch my father's slave like that!" Kado stubbornly answered, fists glowing at his sides.
Epinard tapped the top of my head thoughtfully. "It that all you can say?" He lifted that same hand and began to charge a ki ball. "Won't even admit that the bitch is your mother, will you?"
I vaguely recall fighting him and screaming for Kado to run, that there was no way he could win, but it all got lost in the horrified haze of what happened next.
Epinard pulled his charged hand back and let fly with the energy blast. Kado had the sense to duck... but behind him, Aurek didn't.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to watch ....a large flash of light beat against my eyelids and a high pitched scream met my ears. The smell of fire and burned flesh filled my nose and I resisted the urge to vomit; the smell was horrid... but what it implied was worse.
When I heard Kado's furious snarl, I forced myself to pry my eyes open.
I couldn't find what was left of Aurek... only a smear of his purply blood on the walls and carpet.
But that seemed surreal, almost insignificant in light of what else had happened.
I'd only seen it happen once before. Years and years ago... when I was still just a teenager... before Kado was born... in Vejii's father's court... when I sang a song about the legend of the SuperSaiya-jinn for Freeza...
SUPERSAIYA-JINN
...The word bounced around between my ears, and my breath caught in my throat...
SUPERSAIYA-JINN SUPERSAIYA-JINN SUPERSAIYA-JINN SUPERSAIYA-JINN
"SuperSaiyan...." I whispered, my voice harsh and low. At least, I think it had been me. It could have been Epinard.
Before I could figure out who's voice it had been, I was slammed face first into the floor. I felt my nose break, the blood erupt from tiny gashes made in my skin by the texture of the tiles.
"AUREK!" I heard a scream - the voice vaugely resembled Kado's, but I thought perhaps it could also have been an angered Rurutip. "CHIYUSHO! SHINE! SHINE! SHINE!"
I screamed and covered my head as one energy blast after another ripped through the air, lighting the room aflame. Screams bounced all over, mine mingling with Epinard's and Kado's.
Blood hit my back, hot and sticky and I sobbed.
Was it Epinard's... or Kado's... or MINE?
There was the loud tinkling sound of glass shattering and falling to the tiles around us and I dazedly thought that perhaps Kado's power had burst the window, but I felt someone wrap my discarded towel around me and lift me into the air.
I whimpered and clutched the person's chest, blood on my mangled face.
Oh, it HURT!
Only after I had sobbed myself into exhaustion did I realize that the sounds of battle had ended and the horrifying golden blaze of Kado's aura had vanished.
I opened my eyes and stared into his. They were empty.
"Kado...?" I asked softly, but he did not answer me, he only stared slightly to my left where the purple blood stained the charred carpet.
Then I lifted my eyes painfully to the man who cradled me against his chest.
He smiled back down at me, one eye obscured by an eyepatch. But even with his face scarred and half-covered, I recognized him.
"Kakarotto..."
"My name is Gokuu now." he said softly. "Don't speak. You're hurt."
I shook my head stubbornly. "Epinard?"
Gokuu frowned. "Dead. The boy you just called Kado killed him."
I forced a smile. "Bastard deserved it."
There was a moment of deathly silence.
"Yes." Gokuu agreed. "Yes, he did."
I rolled my head back to Kado. He had begun to scratch at his arms so fiercely, he was drawing blood.
"Stop!" Gokuu shouted, and put me down swiftly before going to grab Kado's wrists. "I know it tingles. It always tingles. But don't rip your skin off."
"SuperSaiyan..." I whispered once more and I had just enough time to see both of them turn their heads to stare at me before the lack of blood in my body made welcome darkness envelop me.
***
Aleta stopped doing her kata long enough to shake out her hair, the teal locks flashing briefly into her eyes. Sweat dripped off of her face and down into her gi top, dampening the beige fabric. The wet cloth clung to her body, the moisture making it incredibly itchy.
She scratched briefly.
Assessing the room, she listened for the sounds that had disturbed her concentration. She turned toward the door when the distant sound of laughter hit her ears.
Lifting her nose into the air a little she sniffed, trying to determine from who the laughter came. She was, after all, half Saiya-jinn, though her teal hair and fur tried to advertise otherwise, and she had a rather keen sense of smell.
Her nose told her that it was just the other children, sparring with each other.
With the sound identified, Aleta wrinkled her nose at her own scent.
Deciding that she'd had enough training for one day (she really wasn't all that much of a fighter, although she still loved to spar with Gokuu), she began to think it was time for a bath in the clear, cool lake just outside of their little compound.
With moves to fast for the human eye, she blurred out the door of her small sparring room and into the kid's arena.
She arrived just in time to intercept a sphere of energy that would have vaporized a lesser being. Aleta merely deflected it with one hand.
"Oi, be quiet." Aleta commanded, and the dozen or so demi-Saiyajinn immediately shut their yaps.
Aleta, being at 25 the oldest of Gokuu's adopted gang of abandoned halflings, always demanded respect, even when she was not being serious or strict.
Immediately all attention was focussed on her. "I'm going to the lake; you know when to get me." The children looked at her with solemn acknowledgment. They knew by her phrasing that if they met with something they couldn't handle, they should give the pre-determined signal, and she'd be there to help with whatever the trouble was within seconds.
"Hn," she smirked.
The children. Halfling brats, each alone was easily able to defend themselves against any thing on this isolated planet... however, there were a few things NOT from the planet that could give them trouble... like invading Saiyans.
To be sure, they had TRIED to locate the 'SuperSaiyan' known as Kakarotto, but Aleta and he had been outrunning them for years. Now that they had found a place to call home, Aleta and Gokuu-san made sure that each child here -each child saved- knew exactly what the danger was, and how to deal with it.
Aleta shook her head slightly, and gave the kids a dismissing glance. They all nodded and returned their sparring. Reeko, the oldest of them at 13, was lead the fighting. Kami, but he was an arrogant little bastard. He swore up and down he was the son of an Elite Saiyan.
Aleta often laughed at that; not one of the children knew who their parents had been. Most of them did not even know that they were her own brothers or sisters.
Epinard had impregnated and killed many human women in his deranged, sadistic adventures.
Her own mother, Gokuu's childhood friend Bulma, had been no exception.
Gokuu-san often commented on how much like her mother Aleta looked, and how they were smart the same way and had the same kind of temper. Aleta liked to believe it was all true, and often wished that the DragonBalls that Gokuu spoke of so freely still existed.
When Piccolo had died fighting Gokuu's brother Raddittzu, Kami had died with him, and the DragonBalls had vanished forever.
And Aleta wanted to meet her mother, just once. But Bulma had died giving her life. Well, Aleta had long ago decided that she'd just have to wait until she too died, and then she'd search for her mother in heaven.
Shaking herself out of her reverie, Aleta then made sure that Reeko had everything under control, and moved out of the room and into the hall. Gliding quickly down the hall, she evaded a number of booby traps designed to slow down or kill any intruders.
Gokuu-san might be almost invincible, but the children were not, and Aleta wasn't about to take any chances with their safety. They were, after all, her siblings, some by blood, and some only in her heart.
After a lot of simple explanations, (and a lot of pictures) she had brought Gokuu to understand the need for the traps, and the fact that he was to leave them alone.
At first he thought it was fun to trip them and then out-run the projectiles coming after him.
Aleta snorted slightly to herself as she walked. She had gotten so ticked off at him that she had upped the power of the weapons to be able to keep up with his SuperSaiya-jinn agility when re-setting her traps.
Aleta chuckled at the thought of Gokuu-san's face the last time she had made "adjustments". He had to power up to his SuperSaiyan form to get out of the crude building with his skin intact.
Aleta ran out of the shelter, and gave a feral smile; all tooth, gleaming and sharp. Gokuu-san never ever messed with her "toys" after that.
He now gave them a wide berth.
Following a rough path that led out of the shelter, Aleta followed it around twisting curves to a small crystalline lake. She reached the edge of the water and slowed to a stop.
The greenish purple water looked cool and inviting, and the gi started to really itch and chafe, irritating her soft skin.
Aleta had started to strip out of her clothes when she heard a slight rustle in the bushes. Dropping the gi-top in her hand to the lush grass below her feet, she turned to follow the progress of a shadow that sped from tree to tree behind her.
She considered continuing in her ritual bathing habits, and wait for the intruder to approach and then attack him, but paused with her hand wrapped around the strap of her tank-top. Did she really want to flash this person, who might or might not be a Saiyan male?
Hell, no.
She whipped around and assumed a fighting stance, then swore under her breath when Reeko emerged from the foliage with a devilish grin on his face.
"Na!" Aleta snapped. "I thought I said not to bug me!"
"Hai." Reeko smirked and offered her a tiny scrap of paper. On it was a message in his juvenile chicken scratch. "But Gokuu-sensei called. Say's he wants you to go to Vejiita-sei in the spare capsule ship."
"Nani?" she said softy, green eyes skimming the message.
It read:
Gokuu-sensei says: "Come to Vejiita-sei, Aleta-chan! It's fun! There's a new SuperSaiyan, and Epinard is dead now too! You'll like it here, it's very nice!"
Aleta rolled her eyes to the heavens. She loved Gokuu-san like a father, but he was sometimes very dim. But, he would not have sent for her if it wasn't safe for her to be there, so she gave up on the bath thing and headed back towards the compound.
She could barely disguise her elation at hearing that Epinard had been destroyed, a fact which only betrayed itself in her bouncing lope to the part of the compound in which the ships were hidden.
If Gokuu said he wanted her on Vejiita-sei, then to Vejiita-sei she would go.
***
Many, many hours later -unaware of Aleta and her immanent arrival- I awoke in Ru's bed, alone, my face faintly throbbing and Regen-gel still in my hair. I touched my nose gingerly, fearing it might be broken still, but it was not.
Ah, Kami bless Regeneration Tanks.
I sat up slowly, but large hands pushed me back down.
I screamed and fought against them, thinking they were Epinard's, but Vejii's was the voice that barked out, "Shut up, Maria!"
I did, and stared up at his shadow- laced face. Night had fallen and he had not turned on the lights.
His dark eyes were filled with a pain that came only from sympathy and guilt. I could tell that he felt that it was his fault that this had happened - he should have known Epinard was that sort of man, and he should have put an end his 'mating habits' years ago.
Tears began to well in my eyes when I saw this and I reached up to him. Vejii readily lowered himself onto his knees beside me and accepted my embrace. I clutched Vejii close.
He bent over me so I could cling to him and rubbed my back as I had often done for him as a child as I wept bitterly.
***
After many long hours of this, I was finally out of tears and was calm enough for me to separate myself from Vejii.
"Maria, what happened?" Vejii stared at me intently, his tone intended to soothe. I could see in his expression that he already knew, but that he wanted confirmation.
"E-E-Epinard." I managed to get out around my dry sobs.
Vejii frowned, his forehead wrinkling severely. "I thought as much. The DNA in the blood on your floors matched with him... and a Piux-jinn."
"Aurek." I murmured, tears burning the backs of my eyes and lumping in my throat. "God, my son's best friend. He... didn't see it. He d-didn't d-duck..."
"Ah," Vejii nodded to himself. "And Kado-san?"
I looked up, my eyes wide with terror. "What about Kado?"
"Where is he, Maria?"
"He's ... missing!?" I tried to jumped to my feet, but Vejii held me down.
"No, you're still hurt. It was a nasty smack you got. You've been concussed."
"But, Kado!" I wailed, "I have to find Kado!"
"Shhh." Vejii whispered. "I'm sure he'll turn up. Rurutip has been contacted and he is on his way back, and your chambers are being repaired as we speak. He's a Saiya-jinn. We'll find Kado." He paused momentarily, and then, under his breath, he added, " I promise."
I looked up into his dark eyes. "I know."
Vejii smiled warmly, then remembered himself and stalked out of the bedroom, cape billowing behind him, leaving me cold and alone.
I knew where Kado was... and who he was with.
"Kakarotto..." I whispered through dry lips "Please, take care of him..."
.... and no one answered.
***
END PART TWO