Chapter 5
Recoome cast about for the small warrior, but he could not seem to see him. But how, he thought to himself, could the runt be so fast?
"Where are you, Saiyan?" Suddenly, Vegeta-Sei reappeared right in front of Recoome, hanging in the air.
"Right here." He spun, and planted his boot firmly in the side of Recoome's head. The huge man went flying into a stand of rocks, rebounded, and charged at Vegeta-Sei.
They began to fight in earnest, a flurry of punches and kicks, blocks and dodges. They shot over the landscape, sometimes fighting on the hills, sometimes over the water, and now in the sky.
Vegeta-Sei buried his fist in Recoome's stomache, but Recoome, with clenched fists, bashed him down towards the ground. At the last second, Vegeta-Sei flipped upright, catching Recoome, who had been coming to finish the job, with both legs, kicking him into the dirt.
Still, Recoome got up. "You'll pay for that!" He flew to Vegeta-Sei, and his clenched fists slammed into the side of Vegeta-Sei's face. As he flew back from the blow, Recoome appeared behind him and bashed him down. Vegeta-Sei began to struggle to his feet.
"Stop!" yelled Titania. "Can't you see that he's defeated? Isn't that enough?" Recoome seemed to stop and consider this.
"Umm... No. And stop meddling where you're not wanted." He gestured, and a ki-blast flew from his hand, bathing Titania in its glow. She fell, and stopped moving.
"NOOOOOOO!!!! LEAVE... HER.... ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Vegeta-Sei had regained his feet. They were spread slightly, and his fists were firmly clenched, every muscle in his body tensed. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" His body flashed from the power charging through it. Tendrils of energy snaked out, ripping huge furrows in the rocks. His hair began to glow, and took on a look like liquid fire. Then, it began to grow. The ribbon tying it in place was ripped to shreds as Vegeta-Sei's hair shot down past his waist, down almost to his knees. His muscles bulged, and a brilliant flash lit the area. When the transformation was finished, sparks of raw power still randomly flashed across his body.
"I said that I wouldn't let you win! And I won't let you hurt my friends! I won't let you hurt... her.. anyMORE!!!" With that, Vegeta-Sei attacked. Recoome got his arms up a fraction of a second before Vegeta-Sei's fists collided with them. Vegeta-Sei pushed the advantage, loosing a furious flurry of blows, and Recoome was forced back by the ferocity of his vicious assault.
Arekusanda woke up, and propping himself against a rock, watched the fight progress. "They're dead even!"
As Vegeta-Sei's attack continued, Recoome concentrated his energy. When Vegeta-Sei paused for a moment to catch his breath, Recoome flung his arms forward and released his beam. It was Vegeta-Sei's turn to raise his arms and be blown back.
The beam dissipated, and Vegeta-Sei returned to the offensive. This time, though, Recoome was ready, and he began to return the blows. Now, they truly fought each other, punching, kicking, each trying to find an opening, a weak spot in the other's defenses through which they could land the final blow. They seemed to be everywhere at once on the cracked and blasted ground of the island, such was their speed, and their rage. The air crackled with raw, destructive energy, and dust was thick in the small planet's atmosphere. As the battle raged on, it became obvious that neither fighter would conceive an inch. This was a fight to the death.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Up in their ship hovering far above the surface of the planet, the Kanai waited expectantly. Matsutsu and Rutsuko were unusually quiet, intent on a deeply concentrating Taisa. Finally, unable to stand the waiting any longer, Matsutsu broke the silence.
"Taisa! What's happening down there?" Taisa turned slowly.
"I wish I knew. It's a very odd planet - something is blocking me from sensing much - in fact, if I didn't already know that they were down there, I don't think I would have been able to find them. It's just our luck that we saw them land a few days ago. All I can really do is measure their power relative to each other, and the two largest are pretty much equal, although one is falling faster than the other."
"What will we do, then?" Taisa's look was grim.
"Wait. It's all we can do." He turned back to the planet and began his concentration again, hoping to learn something more.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Vegeta-Sei and Recoome whirled, as if in a dance, each fighting and parrying so fluidly, the onlookers wondered if the contest between the two fighters would ever come to a close.
"Recoome... BOOM!" Recoome took a huge, double-fisted swing at Vegeta-Sei, but connected with little beside air. He turned to find his swift opponent, and caught a Saiyan combat boot full in the face. He went sprawling, and Vegeta-Sei landed, locked in fighting stance and breathing heavily, but smiling. Finally, he relaxed, and turned to check on Arekusanda.
"Watch out!" Vegeta-Sei dropped a split-second before Recoome's huge leg swept through his former location, the swung wildly in Recoome's direction, to force him back. To his surprise, he once again caught Recoome square in the jaw, sending the big brute head-over-heels into the rocks.
Vegeta-Sei assumed his previous stance, but now his breathing was even more laboured, and he no longer smiled. How had he survived that kick? Not that it mattered. He was defeated now - No! It couldn't be! "No!"
Recoome stood up and grinned. "So sorry to disappoint you, little Saiyan, but you can't defeat me! Your new form is certainly powerful, but you're not used to it! Just maintaining that strength saps you faster than any blow I land, and it's even worse when you're fighting!"
"He's right!" called out Titania, who had survived Recoome's blast, but up until that point had played dead to bring out Vegeta-Sei's power. "You'll have to change back!" Vegeta-Sei gave her a worried look.
"But I'm not strong enough unless I'm in this form!" Titania looked at him helplessly, but began thinking furiously for something, anything, to save them.
"Wait - maybe there is a way after all!" Recoome looked disgusted.
"Planning - you're always planning! Well that's it! I've had enough! No more plans! Choose your next words carefully, Saiyans - They'll be your last!" He began walking towards them.
"Vegeta-Sei!" Titania shouted to get his attention. "Isn't the ability to fuse a royal secret?" Recoome drew neared.
"What's your point, woman? Even if I were willing, the ritual takes time, time that we don't have!" He turned, one more, to face Recoome, as the huge man's fist came barreling in again. Suddenly, twin blurs, red and green, flew into the huge man, smashing him back down into the rocks again.
"Do whatever you need to do! Oboe and I will hold him as long as we can!" There was a loud roar. Arekusanda glanced over his shoulder. "Whoops - gotta go! And please, be quick - we can only last a few minutes against him, even at our best!" With that, Oboe and Arekusanda disappeared. Behind Vegeta-Sei, the sounds of battle erupted.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Quickly! While he's occupied - teach me how to fuse, so we can beat him!" Vegeta-Sei turned away.
"Hah!" Titania looked at him, shocked.
"What are you waiting for?!"
"You think I would fuse with you?" Titania opened her mouth, then closed it again. Finally, she spoke. It was nearly a whisper.
"Why?" Vegeta-Sei, about to make a crass remark, was stopped by the emotion in the word.
"Well - isn't it obvious? I'm a man, and you... you're... you're a woman." He spoke as if realizing the truth of his words for the first time.
"Are you saying that it's not possible?" Vegeta-Sei shifted, staring at his feet. He looked uncomfortable.
"Well... no... actually, I'm not really sure. It's never been tried. I mean, what would we become? What other complications could arise?" Titania looked pleadingly at him.
"Nothing is what we'll become for sure, if we don't try!"
Arekusanda landed abruptly at Vegeta-Sei's feet. He looked like Recoome had been using him as a punching bag.
"A little rapidity would be appreciated." He slowly got back up and rejoined the fight. Vegeta-Sei's face hardened.
"All right. Let's do it. But don't blame me if it doesn't work." Titania smiled grimly at him.
"That's a risk we'll have to take."
"Very well. This is going to sound strange, but... it's a dance." He set about teaching her the Saiyan fusion technique. She picked it up fairly quickly, but every second was precious, and he urged her to learn faster with every scream from the brave Oboe and Arekusanda. At last, they were ready to attempt the fusion. Titania cracked a lopsided grin.
"Here goes..."
Recoome cast about for the small warrior, but he could not seem to see him. But how, he thought to himself, could the runt be so fast?
"Where are you, Saiyan?" Suddenly, Vegeta-Sei reappeared right in front of Recoome, hanging in the air.
"Right here." He spun, and planted his boot firmly in the side of Recoome's head. The huge man went flying into a stand of rocks, rebounded, and charged at Vegeta-Sei.
They began to fight in earnest, a flurry of punches and kicks, blocks and dodges. They shot over the landscape, sometimes fighting on the hills, sometimes over the water, and now in the sky.
Vegeta-Sei buried his fist in Recoome's stomache, but Recoome, with clenched fists, bashed him down towards the ground. At the last second, Vegeta-Sei flipped upright, catching Recoome, who had been coming to finish the job, with both legs, kicking him into the dirt.
Still, Recoome got up. "You'll pay for that!" He flew to Vegeta-Sei, and his clenched fists slammed into the side of Vegeta-Sei's face. As he flew back from the blow, Recoome appeared behind him and bashed him down. Vegeta-Sei began to struggle to his feet.
"Stop!" yelled Titania. "Can't you see that he's defeated? Isn't that enough?" Recoome seemed to stop and consider this.
"Umm... No. And stop meddling where you're not wanted." He gestured, and a ki-blast flew from his hand, bathing Titania in its glow. She fell, and stopped moving.
"NOOOOOOO!!!! LEAVE... HER.... ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Vegeta-Sei had regained his feet. They were spread slightly, and his fists were firmly clenched, every muscle in his body tensed. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" His body flashed from the power charging through it. Tendrils of energy snaked out, ripping huge furrows in the rocks. His hair began to glow, and took on a look like liquid fire. Then, it began to grow. The ribbon tying it in place was ripped to shreds as Vegeta-Sei's hair shot down past his waist, down almost to his knees. His muscles bulged, and a brilliant flash lit the area. When the transformation was finished, sparks of raw power still randomly flashed across his body.
"I said that I wouldn't let you win! And I won't let you hurt my friends! I won't let you hurt... her.. anyMORE!!!" With that, Vegeta-Sei attacked. Recoome got his arms up a fraction of a second before Vegeta-Sei's fists collided with them. Vegeta-Sei pushed the advantage, loosing a furious flurry of blows, and Recoome was forced back by the ferocity of his vicious assault.
Arekusanda woke up, and propping himself against a rock, watched the fight progress. "They're dead even!"
As Vegeta-Sei's attack continued, Recoome concentrated his energy. When Vegeta-Sei paused for a moment to catch his breath, Recoome flung his arms forward and released his beam. It was Vegeta-Sei's turn to raise his arms and be blown back.
The beam dissipated, and Vegeta-Sei returned to the offensive. This time, though, Recoome was ready, and he began to return the blows. Now, they truly fought each other, punching, kicking, each trying to find an opening, a weak spot in the other's defenses through which they could land the final blow. They seemed to be everywhere at once on the cracked and blasted ground of the island, such was their speed, and their rage. The air crackled with raw, destructive energy, and dust was thick in the small planet's atmosphere. As the battle raged on, it became obvious that neither fighter would conceive an inch. This was a fight to the death.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Up in their ship hovering far above the surface of the planet, the Kanai waited expectantly. Matsutsu and Rutsuko were unusually quiet, intent on a deeply concentrating Taisa. Finally, unable to stand the waiting any longer, Matsutsu broke the silence.
"Taisa! What's happening down there?" Taisa turned slowly.
"I wish I knew. It's a very odd planet - something is blocking me from sensing much - in fact, if I didn't already know that they were down there, I don't think I would have been able to find them. It's just our luck that we saw them land a few days ago. All I can really do is measure their power relative to each other, and the two largest are pretty much equal, although one is falling faster than the other."
"What will we do, then?" Taisa's look was grim.
"Wait. It's all we can do." He turned back to the planet and began his concentration again, hoping to learn something more.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Vegeta-Sei and Recoome whirled, as if in a dance, each fighting and parrying so fluidly, the onlookers wondered if the contest between the two fighters would ever come to a close.
"Recoome... BOOM!" Recoome took a huge, double-fisted swing at Vegeta-Sei, but connected with little beside air. He turned to find his swift opponent, and caught a Saiyan combat boot full in the face. He went sprawling, and Vegeta-Sei landed, locked in fighting stance and breathing heavily, but smiling. Finally, he relaxed, and turned to check on Arekusanda.
"Watch out!" Vegeta-Sei dropped a split-second before Recoome's huge leg swept through his former location, the swung wildly in Recoome's direction, to force him back. To his surprise, he once again caught Recoome square in the jaw, sending the big brute head-over-heels into the rocks.
Vegeta-Sei assumed his previous stance, but now his breathing was even more laboured, and he no longer smiled. How had he survived that kick? Not that it mattered. He was defeated now - No! It couldn't be! "No!"
Recoome stood up and grinned. "So sorry to disappoint you, little Saiyan, but you can't defeat me! Your new form is certainly powerful, but you're not used to it! Just maintaining that strength saps you faster than any blow I land, and it's even worse when you're fighting!"
"He's right!" called out Titania, who had survived Recoome's blast, but up until that point had played dead to bring out Vegeta-Sei's power. "You'll have to change back!" Vegeta-Sei gave her a worried look.
"But I'm not strong enough unless I'm in this form!" Titania looked at him helplessly, but began thinking furiously for something, anything, to save them.
"Wait - maybe there is a way after all!" Recoome looked disgusted.
"Planning - you're always planning! Well that's it! I've had enough! No more plans! Choose your next words carefully, Saiyans - They'll be your last!" He began walking towards them.
"Vegeta-Sei!" Titania shouted to get his attention. "Isn't the ability to fuse a royal secret?" Recoome drew neared.
"What's your point, woman? Even if I were willing, the ritual takes time, time that we don't have!" He turned, one more, to face Recoome, as the huge man's fist came barreling in again. Suddenly, twin blurs, red and green, flew into the huge man, smashing him back down into the rocks again.
"Do whatever you need to do! Oboe and I will hold him as long as we can!" There was a loud roar. Arekusanda glanced over his shoulder. "Whoops - gotta go! And please, be quick - we can only last a few minutes against him, even at our best!" With that, Oboe and Arekusanda disappeared. Behind Vegeta-Sei, the sounds of battle erupted.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Quickly! While he's occupied - teach me how to fuse, so we can beat him!" Vegeta-Sei turned away.
"Hah!" Titania looked at him, shocked.
"What are you waiting for?!"
"You think I would fuse with you?" Titania opened her mouth, then closed it again. Finally, she spoke. It was nearly a whisper.
"Why?" Vegeta-Sei, about to make a crass remark, was stopped by the emotion in the word.
"Well - isn't it obvious? I'm a man, and you... you're... you're a woman." He spoke as if realizing the truth of his words for the first time.
"Are you saying that it's not possible?" Vegeta-Sei shifted, staring at his feet. He looked uncomfortable.
"Well... no... actually, I'm not really sure. It's never been tried. I mean, what would we become? What other complications could arise?" Titania looked pleadingly at him.
"Nothing is what we'll become for sure, if we don't try!"
Arekusanda landed abruptly at Vegeta-Sei's feet. He looked like Recoome had been using him as a punching bag.
"A little rapidity would be appreciated." He slowly got back up and rejoined the fight. Vegeta-Sei's face hardened.
"All right. Let's do it. But don't blame me if it doesn't work." Titania smiled grimly at him.
"That's a risk we'll have to take."
"Very well. This is going to sound strange, but... it's a dance." He set about teaching her the Saiyan fusion technique. She picked it up fairly quickly, but every second was precious, and he urged her to learn faster with every scream from the brave Oboe and Arekusanda. At last, they were ready to attempt the fusion. Titania cracked a lopsided grin.
"Here goes..."
