Chapter 3: The Beginning of the End

Chapter 3: The Beginning of the End

"I still can't believe you never had a massage," Fasha said as she worked on his back.

Bardock grunted, though it wasn't as discouraging as his usual ones. "First time for everything. A little higher."

Fasha moved her hands up to his shoulders. "I guess. So is this the first time you've ever let your guard down?"

Bardock opened one eye. "Who says it's down? I could still snap your neck in three places from here."

"But you won't, because then you wouldn't have anyone to give you massages."

He grunted again. "Good point. Remind me to do it afterwards."

She smirked and tugged on a lock of his hair in annoyance.

"What is that stuff, anyway?" he asked.

"Oils, lotion, and a lot of anesthesia," she replied.

"Huh? What's that for?"

"To be honest, big guy, you're not the only one that's too hard-headed to stay in the regen tanks long enough."

He chuckled. "You?"

"Yeah. Must've gotten it from you somewhere along the line. I don't recall having a love for pain before I met you." She paused. "So back to my question. Is this the first time you've ever let your guard down? You wouldn't just talk to anyone like this."

Bardock frowned, though she couldn't see it. "Have you ever had nightmares, Fasha?"

"Sometimes. Why?"

"Ever since Kanassa…I've been having these visions…except each one is like a nightmare. I'm actually afraid to go to sleep tonight."

Fasha smirked. "You're kidding me, right? You're not scared of anything, boss. At least, that's what Tora tells me."

So Bardock told her about each of his nightmares, in detail. He noticed that halfway through the first one, Fasha stopped rubbing his shoulders, but he went on with the story.

"Wow," she whispered when he was done. "Oh, wow."

"That's all you have to say?" Bardock asked, narrowing his eyes.

"No, of course not." She thought for a moment, then draped her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder. "You should have told me earlier, Bardock."

"Why, so you could be paranoid like me? Seeing your own death isn't exactly a good thing."

"Not that part, you big dummy!" Fasha lowered her voice, allowing a hint of huskiness to slip in. "The part about you…and me…" Her small fingers gently danced across his bare chest.

Bardock closed his eyes in anger. "Stop it, Fasha. Didn't you hear ANYTHING that I just told you?"

"Yes…but I'm more interested in the part which implied that you care about me more than you're willing to admit, Commander." Her lips brushed his cheek. "I've been wondering if you ever noticed me…I mean, *really* noticed me. I guess all my hard work has paid off."

Bardock compared their ki, cursing inwardly when he found that Fasha was still stronger than him. Even if he did resist, she could easily overpower him.

Fasha came around to slide into his lap. "Why are you resisting?" she whispered in his ear. "Don't you want this?"

"You know what Frieza will do if-"

"Forget Frieza for one night, Bardock. That's all I'm asking."

Bardock gently pushed her away. "You're also asking for your death."

"It was just a vision," she pointed out, sliding her arms around his neck. "And even if it's true, it's my risk, not yours."

"But the child will kill us both!" Bardock insisted.

"I doubt it. We wouldn't be able to hide a baby, especially if it's as strong as you say. Frieza would take it or kill it before it could get both of us."

"But YOU will be the first!" he said.

Fasha smiled sadly. "I'm a Saiyan, Bardock. I'm always ready to die in battle. I don't have any regrets…except that I never got to have you…" She drew his head down and kissed him softly.

Bardock knew there was no way he could stop her. He stiffened as her fingers touched his tail, gently circling the area where it joined his body. Bardock reluctantly unwrapped it from around his waist so it wouldn't be crushed by Fasha's embrace. A few seconds later, she did the same with her own tail.

"Hey, Bardock?" she asked quietly.

"What?"

She paused, looking thoughtful. "What if the vision's wrong? What if we both live? What would you do then?"

"I…I don't know," he said at last.

"Good," she replied, running her hands over his chest. Before he could ask what she meant, she silenced him with a passionate kiss.

* * * * *

Radditz's search had proven to be quite fruitful, even though it had taken hours. Not only did he have his father's name, but the names of the crew he commanded, and where each of them lived between missions.

I don't care if he is a low-level…I have to see him, just this once, hear his voice. I have to know him.

Unfortunately, Bardock wasn't in his quarters. Radditz tried three of the others, but none of them were home. He was just leaving Tora's quarters when he heard three voices laughing loudly. He looked up the hallway to see three men approaching.

The men were joking about something, and Radditz boldly stepped in front of them. They stopped and looked down at him.

"Is one of you called Tora?" he asked.

"I've heard of him," one replied. "Why?"

"I'm looking for his Commander, Bardock. Do you know where I could find him?"

The three men exchanged glances before the same one spoke. "Sorry, kid. We haven't seen him. Try the bar. He hangs out there sometimes."

Radditz nodded and hurried off.

One of the men looked at another. "Why'd you lie to the kid, Tora? He's just looking for Bardock."

Tora shook his head. "You blind, Shugesh? That's Bardock's kid."

"Really?" Shugesh looked at the boy one more time and shrugged. "I guess."

"Yeah. And I think we all know how Bardock feels about his kids." Tora sighed. "I just hope he doesn't find him. If he does, that's gonna be one disappointing reunion."

* * * * *

Bardock woke up with an unfamiliar feeling in the pit of his sTorach: fear. If anyone ever found out what he and Fasha had done, they'd both be executed, not to mention the child.

But maybe it's better that way, he thought to himself. At least the child won't be the one to kill us…but with what Frieza's likely to do to us, I almost prefer the little vampire.

Fasha stirred beside him and moved closer, draping her tail over his bare chest.

Bardock watched her sleep for a few moments, then shook his head. What am I thinking? I've got to get out of here! He slipped out of bed, dressed quickly, and made his way back to his room. Hate to leave Fasha alone like that, but she knew the risks. We can't afford to have any kind of relationship. Even Tora can't know about this…

Just as he reached his room, Tora came around the corner. "Hey, Bardock! Where have you been? We've got a mission on Tyais!"

"What? Now?"

"Yeah, now!" Tora gave him a strange look. "You *are* healed up now, aren't you?"

Bardock smirked. "Even if I wasn't, you think I wouldn't go?"

"Good point." Tora chuckled. "Well, have you seen Fasha anywhere? I sent Borgos to her room a minute ago, and he hasn't come back yet."

"Probably sleeping late," Bardock said. "You know how she needs her 'beauty rest' all the time."

"Yeah, that's it." Tora paused. "Hey, you didn't run into a kid, did you?"

Bardock stiffened noticeably. "A kid? No. Why?"

"Some boy was looking for you. I think he was yours, so I gave him a fake story and sent him to the bar."

"Thanks," Bardock muttered with a sigh. "The last thing I need is a kid following me around. See you on the landing strip."

Tora watched his commander go with a puzzled look on his face. He'd NEVER heard Bardock sigh before. What was that all about…?

* * * * *

Frieza was bored. That wasn't a good thing for anyone that happened to annoy him. He became vaguely aware of the door sliding open behind him.

"Lord Frieza?"

Frieza closed his eyes. "What is it, Zarbon?"

"I have something you might find…interesting." The green alien stepped forward and pressed a button on the console. "I was reviewing the security tapes when I found…this."

Frieza looked at the screen.

The image was unmistakable. A Saiyan was emerging from a room that wasn't his. Normally, that would have been unimportant. But Frieza always labeled the female rooms very clearly. There could be no mistake.

His blood boiled at the thought of someone disobeying his rules. "Name?"

"Bardock, Sire. He's a low-level, commander of a four-man team. The room belongs to the only female member of his crew, Fasha."

"I see." Frieza steepled his fingers and thought in silence.

"Would you like me to take care of this, Sire?"

"No, Zarbon." Frieza smiled. "I've been hearing good things about this Bardock, how he's dedicated to his work. He must have a significant power level by now."

"He's stronger than many of your elites, Sire."

"I see." Frieza chuckled. "I will be handling this one personally. Inform me as soon as Bardock returns from his mission."

"Yes, Sire."

"Oh, and good work, Zarbon. Truly good work, indeed…"

* * * * *

Bardock studied the instructions for the Tyais job once he reached his ship. It was a simple cleaning job, which meant to wipe out the population with as little damage to the surface as possible. Of course, Bardock doubted Frieza would care what condition the planet was in. If it wasn't fit for sale, he'd probably just turn it into a fueling station for the Planet Trade.

"It says the Tyaians are an armed civilization," Tora said, leaning down to peer into Bardock's transport. "You think they're heavy duty?"

Bardock shrugged. "Probably not. We were assigned this mission, and they never give us the good jobs. We have to take those."

"Crap," Shugesh muttered. "And here I was hoping for a good brawl before dinner." He glanced behind him. "Here come Fasha and Borgos."

Bardock didn't look up as the familiar shadows fell over him. He finished inputting the coordinates into the navigation system before turning to face them. "About time you two got here."

Fasha shrugged, smiling a bit. "Long night," she said simply.

Bardock winced inwardly, though it didn't register on his face. "Borgos, you and Shugesh will land on the south side of the planet and head towards the main city. Tora and Fasha will follow me from the north. We'll meet at the capital, then work our way through whatever's left of their army. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Tora said. "When's the full moon over there?"

Bardock glanced at his readings. "Seven hours. It'll take us five to get there."

"Guess we better leave now, then," Shugesh said. "Unless someone's too chicken to tough it out." He grinned at Borgos and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

Borgos frowned and punched him back, not bothering to reduce the force of the blow.

Shugesh winced and rubbed the growing red spot on his arm.

Fasha chuckled and looked at Bardock. "So you back at full strength yet, big guy?" Her eyes seemed to dance as she waited for an answer.

Bardock realized the rest of his crew was waiting, too. Despite all their joking, if he wasn't strong enough for a job, they'd force him to stay behind. There was no point in lying, either; they all knew him too well. Bardock looked her straight in the eye and replied, "I will be by the time we get there."

Shugesh glanced at Tora, shrugged, and climbed into his ship. "Good enough for me."

The others headed off to their ships, but Fasha stayed where she was. "Bardock, you-"

"I'll be fine, Fasha," he said firmly, turning back to his console.

"So you're not worried about the vision anymore?"

Bardock continued to stare at his console, even when he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"It's just a vision. It doesn't have to be true."

"It doesn't have to be false, either," he said, looking up at her.

Fasha grinned. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were worried about me, big guy. I can take care of myself just fine, y'know."

"Good," Bardock replied. "That's what I expect and demand from each of you."

Fasha could sense the shift in his voice. He was no longer Bardock the Cocky Warrior. Now he was Bardock the Commander, and he had no time for little things like chat. "We'll come back alive, boss," she said, squeezing his shoulder. "All of us. I swear it."

As she walked away, Bardock sealed himself in his ship, and tried to force the picture of Fasha's bloody corpse from his mind.

Continued in Chapter 4: The Worst Blow

Fasha is injured on Tyais, and Bardock must choose between her and the mission. But as he returns to Planet Vegeta, Frieza is waiting patiently, and even worse, anxiously…