Disclaimer: Je ne possède pas Dragonball Z/GT. Ne me poursuivez pas!

(Hehe, it's in French!)

Author's Note: I had an incredibly hard time writing this chapter. I actually started to cry at the end. It's not easy writing about the death of your best friend.



Chapter 20 First Encounter and First Losses

I stood on the left flank of the Ralenian army. Cat was next to me. Trunks and Goten had been assigned to the right flank, and Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta were in the center. This was everyone's first time at the form of battle and no one knew how we would fare. We expected to still have the advantage, but we couldn't be too sure. Except Vegeta, the jerk. I think the only reason he came is because Bulma threatened him with the couch. He still didn't like me at all. Oh well, this was no time to worry about it.

I looked at Cat. I knew she was just as scared as I was. We both knew that this could be our one and only battle, but we had to fight. It was for the entire universe. "Cat, are having any trouble accepting this?" I asked her, surprised at my question. She looked at me. "What?" she asked back. I circled my arms in an all-encompassing motion. "All this. I mean, here we are, two human women, about to fight the most evil being in the universe on a foreign planet with the guys from DBZ all for the fate of the universe." I replied. Cat looked thoughtful for a minute. "I hadn't really thought of it. But yeah, it is a little hard to swallow. Remember back when all we wanted was to have our own dance studio before we even began to like DBZ? It was only seven years ago. Wow, Liz. We've changed, a lot." Cat said.

"You also realize we might not make it through this." I told her. She nodded. "But they can just bring us back. I mean, it's really hard to stay dead here." I had to laugh at that. "That's right." I said.

Then the sky suddenly became alight with hundreds of shooting stars. Karista's forces. The battle was about to commence. Compulsively, I gave Cat a hug, which she returned. "Cat, you've been my best friend since forever and a day. If anything happens to one of us, promise that the other one will continue to fight." I asked her. "Of course." She replied. Then there was no time for talking, because the enemy arrived.

There were thousands of them! Horrible creatures radiating evil energy. The general in charge of our flank yelled "Charge!" and all the troops rushed forwards. Cat and I were immediately separated. Soon I found myself face to face with a dozen Tenques, each armed with an energy staff as powerful as a ki blast. I screamed and went loose of them. Four fell with my first attack, five more with the second. Giving myself time to rest, I attacked the remaining three by hand. They put up a good fight, and I had to transform just to get a shot in. From across the battle I heard "Kamehameha!" several times as well as "Final Flash" , "Destructo Disk" , and "Big Bang Attack." I smiled as I heard the familiar attacks being yelled and I knew that many a Tenques and Amozians fell. I would also see bright flashes from the attacks.

I battled my way farther and farther through the lines, killing dozens of enemies and helping the Ralenians whenever I could. I saw the command ship far in the distance, and I knew that had to be my destination. I would have used instant transmission, but there were too many life forces and I couldn't decipher one from the ship. So I had to do it the old fashioned way, by fighting.

The battle seemed to go on for hours. I killed more enemies than I thought I could, and I also saw dozens of people die. I was wounded, not seriously, but I was bleeding in several places. And I was tired. So tired! I just wanted to stop. Surrounded by so much noises and smell and horrific visions. I had no opportunity to think of Cat or Goten or anyone else while I was desperately trying to survive. Suddenly, a loud screech filled the air and everyone, I mean everyone, stopped. A giant image of Karista filled the sky, and she didn't look happy. "All troops, retreat! We must regroup. Liz, you and your friends will pay for this!" And she was gone. So were her troops. We were stuck staring in confusion at the sight where, ten minutes before, the fate of the universe had been fighting. Now, it was just a wasteland of dead and dying bodies. For a second, everyone stood staring at each other, panting, not believing that it was over for now. Karista's ships had gone, my children with them.

Once I caught my breath, I went to find the others. There were still too many people alive for me to be able to narrow down my loved ones, but surely I would find them or they would find me. I walked and walked around, looking at all the bodies and the medics helping them. Suddenly, I saw one body that was painfully too familiar. I ran over and fell to the ground.

"Cat? CAT! ANSWER ME!" I screamed at my fallen friend. She slowly opened her eyes. I looked down at her and gasped. She had a giant hole in her stomach, which would have been bleeding profusely had her skin not been completely charred. Her legs where obviously broken, and bleeding. I knew she was in immense pain and would die. All I could do was hold her hand.

"Liz…I hurt…it was a Tenque…"Cat gasped.

"Shhh…don't talk until we can get you help…" I whispered, tears pouring down my cheeks.

"I don't need help anymore…save the children…the children I never had…I love you Liz. Tell Trunks…"she shook violently "Tell Trunks…I love him too."

Then my best friend Catherine died in my arms.

I buried my bloody and beaten face into her shoulder and sobbed. I couldn't stop. She wasn't supposed to die! Yes, we both knew we might have, but we weren't really supposed to die! It didn't matter at that point in time if she could be wished back to life. She was gone and there was nothing I could do about it. I sobbed and sobbed. I don't know how long I was there, but finally I stopped crying. I had to find the others, especially Trunks. He had to know. And I had to find my precious Goten. I need the reassurance of him right then. I didn't think it could get much worse until it did.

I stood up and was about to pick up Cat's body when I saw a shape shuffling towards me carrying a person. As they got closer, I recognized Trunks and Goten. More precisely, Trunks carrying Goten. My body stiffened. There would be no reason for Trunks to be carrying Goten unless…I screamed when I saw that Goten really was dead. Trunks didn't scream when he saw Cat lying on the ground, but I could see it in his eyes he knew. I hit the ground again and wrapped my arms around Goten. I pulled his head to my chest and rocked him back and forth. Trunks knelt beside Cat and dropped his head.

It was too much. First my children, then Cat, and now Goten. Who else was Karista going to take from me. As I lay in the bloodstained dirt between the bodies of my best friend and husband, my tears dried up. I felt my heart harden. I would not cry anymore. She didn't deserve my tears, my anguish. She didn't deserve for me too feel so much emotion towards her. She had hurt me, and now she would pay.

I went and sat next to Trunks. "I talked to her right before…she died," I swallowed back the tears I still felt despite my resolution, "and she asked me to tell you she loved you…" Trunks looked at me.

"Goten said the same thing." We looked into each other's eyes. Trunks, my best friend beside Cat and Goten. We had both lost our lovers today. I reached out and put my arms around him. He held me close. We stayed like that, in mourning for our losses, until the rest found us.