"My, Genki-dama, my last hope...it's gone..." he sighed. Ever pragmatic, he realized he didn't have many more options, especially if Raimi was as hurt as she seemed. He winced, feeling her pain along with his own.BR
"Well, well, you're spunky boy, but you're out of everything else, aren't you? Any tricks in your empty head?" Vegeta asked casually, as if he were inquiring about what Goku wanted for supper. Raimi raised her head, and blinked her blurry eyes, focusing on Goku with effort.BR
P
"I...I used all my IKi/I...all of it...the make the sphere...I've got nothing...nothing left at all..." Goku laughed. Vegeta strode forward, his massive bulk shaking the ground. Goku gathered himself, waiting for an assault.BR
P
"Used up, eh? It's about Damn time, Kakarrot! I'm pissed off and bored to boot." He said, lifting his foot and readying himself to stomp Goku into a spot in the valley floor. Goku leapt up and attempted to get away, but Vegeta batted him into a granite pile. Goku hit hard and fell to the ground stunned. Vegeta jumped up and came down, landing on one foot. Unfortunately, the one foot was planted on Goku's legs, below both knees. Raimi felt his horrified pain, and nearly fainted at the sound of his bones splintering under Vegeta's massive weight. This was ridiculous! She had to do something, anything...BR
P
"Ohhhhhhh SHIT!! My legs!" Goku howled, his whole body trembling with pain. Raimi gathered all her energy, though she wasn't sure what she was going to do with it, and sent Goku a suggestion.BR
P
"Goku! Listen, Kurilin and Gohan are almost here! You gotta buy us just a few more seconds..." She said into his tortured mind, and played the next few moments to come, as she knew them, in her mind. She saw him nod ever so slightly, understanding what she was telling him to do.BR
P
"Tsk tsk tsk! Silly me! I've left you alive! Heh heh heh...Let's see if I have better aim this time, eh Kakarrot?" Vegeta taunted the fallen Goku. He extended the first finger of his free hand, and took aim. "Well, you better hope that you die this time...or would you rather watch the Earth be destroyed?" He asked with sarcastic concern.BR
"Shut up Vegeta...You beat me...you were stronger than I or anyone...anyone else thought...But if you think it's something to be proud of...you're gonna learn...you're gonna pay, someday..." Goku gasped.BR
P
Vegeta's massive gloved finger descended; ready to crush Goku's chest, but Goku had one more trick up his sleeve. He waited until the last second, and then shot a beam on IKi/I straight into Vegeta's right eye. Immediately, the Ozura arched backwards, howling in outraged pain. Raimi found herself pressed to Vegeta's furry cheek, as he held his hands over his eyes.BR
P
"Just... call it... s-something to remember me... by... " Goku said quietly, though his voice was easy to hear. He collapsed, limp on the valley floor. "Ha ha... can't even... move my hands now... do what you... want... " He smiled serenely as Vegeta panted, controlling the pain, and pulling Raimi away from his face. He still covered his right eye, and growled angrily.BR
P
"...Impudent...little bastard!" He pulled his hand down, revealing an empty eye socket, blood flowing freely down his face. It wasn't as awful to see as Goku might have thought. "You've scared my face!" Vegeta howled as he grabbed Goku with his free hand. "I'll crush you!!!" Goku grunted as Vegeta tightened his grip. Raimi felt his hand tighten on her as well, and pushed back with her IKi/I, trying to distract him from Goku.BR
P
Vegeta just squeezed both of them harder. Goku's scream pierced her eardrums as his body was slowly crushed. Raimi jammed her arms back into the massive hand holding her and started to force the fingers open.BR
P
"Oh no you don't, I've had enough of your peskiness!" Vegeta said and slapped his hands together. She found herself pressed against Goku, and wrapped her arms and legs around him, trying to brace Vegeta's hands apart. She partly succeeded, and now she was the one slowly folding under his immense grip. Her legs were going to break under this pressure; Goku's arms were already broken, he couldn't even hold onto her to help himself. As they were squeezed again, she felt his ribs break against her armor, making her wince in guilt.BR
P
"Let go! Vegeta stop it, you'll kill us, and how..."BR
"Wait!" Vegeta snapped. "Someone's here." His head swung back and forth as he sniffed and listened.
"Yeah, right here!! Let go of my dad and Raimi right now!" Gohan yelled, landing lightly on a small mesa before them. Vegeta's eye widened and he laughed.BR
P
"Why, what a surprise! Kakarrot, your son came to watch you die!" He laughed as he stepped closer. "I do love family. Watch closely, little fella. Here it comes." He rearranged his grip on the pair of Saiyans, possibly trying to move Raimi's limbs out of the way, and pressed them together once more.BR
P
"Goku? Goku, wake up!" Raimi hissed painfully. Goku's head was rolled back, and he was obviously unconscious. She wondered if they would both die, contrary to what she knew was supposed to happen. There was a rush of air as Vegeta leapt straight up, avoiding a Kienzan from Kurilin. It was intended to cut off his huge tail, but he'd heard it and knew to avoid it. She tried to get into a position to protect Goku better, and felt a huge pressure around them, so bad her arms and legs gave out, and she was squashed into Goku's body, hearing his unprotected body breaking again. She felt her head arch back as she tried to breath, when the pressure stopped. She could hear Vegeta taunting the helpless Gohan, and...BR
P
There was a wild spike in Vegeta's IKi/I, and a loud "PLOP", and Vegeta's fingers slackened. He stumbled back, hissing as he realized that his tail had been cut off after all. His scream of rage shook the heavens as he tried one last time to crush Raimi and Goku, then his fingers lost their strength. Raimi felt them fall out of his grip, and held onto Goku, trying to gather the strength to fly. She didn't quite make it, but did manage to land on her feet, before falling over, Goku landing on top of her. She lifted her head over Goku's shoulder, and watched as Vegeta shrank back to his normal height. The Prince panted, dizzy from the quick transformation. His eye roved over her and Goku, and up to Gohan, then over to Kurilin.BR
P
"Oops, this isn't good." She gasped, waiting until he was distracted to try and get Goku's weight off her.BR
"Suicidal fools...Do you have any idea of what it means to make me angry?" Vegeta hissed. His eye was red, and veins stood out on his forehead worse than Raimi had seen yet. She heard Gohan whispering.BR
"What's happening? Why did that monster turn into Vegeta?"BR
P
"Do you want to die so badly!? Well, you will die for this!!" Vegeta roared, fists clenched in fury. His head lifted, eye focusing on Gohan once more. He blurred out, and Raimi instantly rolled Goku over on his back, and tried to stand. She felt terrible, her ribs a band of white-hot pain. She nearly fainted as she rolled to her knees, and pushed herself up. She knelt by Goku's head, and slowly wiped some of the blood and sweat from his ravaged face.BR
P
"Wake up, Goku. Come on, we need you. Gohan... Vegeta has Gohan..." She said softly. He moaned and his eyes fluttered open.BR
"Raimi? Where...?" He whispered. She pointed to her forehead, meaning for him to use telepathy.BR
"Look up." She said softly. They looked overhead, and Kurilin shot by, only to be hurled back just as fast. Goku's eyes closed painfully.BR
"IWe can't beat him! There's no way/I!" He thought.BR
P
"Pull the remains of the Genki-dama together, now! You can still do this!" She snapped, willing him to not give up. Just then, Gohan landed beside them with a small thud, tossed over the edge by the vengeful Prince.BR
"Gohan?" Goku said. The boy groaned. He was hurting; Vegeta had given him a nice head-but by the looks of it.BR
P
"Gohan, listen...Dad's body is...messed up, I can't move any...any more...you... have to fight for me instead...h... he's a lot weaker now too..." Goku told his son.BR
"He's...strong...he's too strong for me! I can't...I can't do it Daddy!" Gohan whimpered.BR
P
Raimi tried to stand but could only get one knee off the ground, her foot planted solidly. The other leg wouldn't move, she was so tired... but Gohan was scared, and she had sworn to IKi/I-IKi/I...BR
"You don't... have to win... just hold him off, I know... you have the strength to do that!" Goku chuckled, sounding frighteningly like the Brat plotting something nasty. "Kurilin will finish him off..."BR
P
"I can't, it hurts too much..." Gohan said. Goku's Saiyan nature suddenly flared to life. Raimi stared as Goku chewed out his six year-old son.BR
"What are you, a coward?... gonna let all those people... die for nothing?! What did... Piccolo teach you... ?!" Before Gohan could defend himself, Vegeta appeared, landing on his knee, which was buried into Goku's abdomen. Goku's voice gurgled in his throat, as blood spilled from his lips.BR