Disclaimer: If we owned it, we wouldn't be writing about it, now would we? We've also discovered this is not required on every chapter, so... We do not own or claim to own DragonBall Z, though we do own this story here and the plot involved. Now shutup and pay attention.

The Required A/N: And now.. bringing you a collaboration between ErieDragon and Vegeta's Gyal.

TRIUMPH OF DEVOTION

prologue

To the end, they would ponder how quickly such a change had occurred. It seemed like just the other day that they were almost above the men when it came to ranking, shouting orders, their very whims obeyed for fear of their extravagant lungs. Now the males treated them as if they were lower than dirt.

For a while, the women had been able to live like that. They were still alive, weren't they? To be able to say that was a privilege in times like these.

One of the women, also a valued nuclear scientist, had developed weapons of mass destruction. To the people of Athens, this was an assurance of safety, but to their leader, their Taishoo, it was a tool. He wished to use them immediately, and authorized testing of the massive missiles as soon as the weapons themselves were completed.

Kame Island was struck by two nuclear warheads Midsummer's Day. Hundreds of rare Sea Turtles were destroyed, and a small, pink house was reduced to rubble.

Not many of the men agreed with what they were doing to both Kame Island and the women, but they feared their general greatly, and obeyed his every command. They loved their wives, daughters, and friends, but the Taishoo had power beyond any of their imaginings, both politically and physically.

The women were in an uproar. They could live with being oppressed, for they hoped that when the Depression had passed, everything would return to normal. Unlike the men, they were unafraid of the Taishoo, and rebelled. The rebellion was crushed due to the men's superior weaponry, so they resorted to another method.

The small band of women stole silently from Athens under the cover of darkness, unsure where they were headed, unsure how they planned on surviving, but only concerning themselves with escaping. The city no longer held any comfort, only anger, sorrow, and grief.

Each one held a musket in their hands for protection, one of the few things they had brought along with them. They had stolen the weapons from the men earlier that night with the help of their only male companion.

As they darted into the woods not far from the village, one of the silent figures stopped in her tracks, her head hanging at her chest. Small droplets dappled the ground, the tears making a patter against the dead leaves. She looked at the high city walls wistfully, but turned and continued, no doubt in her heart that she was going the way she had to. The woman mumbled a name, looking up as someone shouted to her from the front of the line.

"C'mon! We have to get moving!"

She nodded and hurried into the forest after the rest of the women. The caller also looked back, but only for a second before she, too, disappeared into the thicket.

They reached the shoreline sometime before sunrise. One woman turned, peering through the thick black forest in case anyone had followed them. The city of Athens could still be seen, but the band of escapees was well hidden by the tree cover.

The women stopped upon approaching a churning canal, so deep in places it was almost black. The occasional dead fish could be seen floating atop the scummy, murky water. They were sure a crossing boat had been waiting there only a matter of days ago.

"There it is!" A woman pointed into the brush near the edge of the water, where it was hidden beneath a small hedge. They ran to it, dragging the transport as one from the thick brambles and falling with it into the water.

The boat had a dragon head on the front, decorated ornately with stolen gems from sea raids. There was a lookout seat behind the dragon's mane, the only sheltered place aboard the massive sea vessel. The sails were normally high and glorious, but today they would be riding low. The women piled themselves into the ship, taking up their oars at the many rowing stations.

The long, wooden boat slowly began to turn in the water, the lookout taking her seat at the front.

The women all turned to take one last look at the deep, dense thistle, the entrance to the forest. Over the tops of the trees, they could see the city of Athens, the place that had once been their home, and the place that was now home to their worst enemies; the men. A loud sigh escaped each woman's lips as they focused on the boat. Before the dragon's sharp nose sat their destination; the city of Troy.

***

They stumbled through the soggy mire, each one soaked to the bone.

"Get your lazy asses out of the mud! We're almost there!" The sound of boots extracting themselves painfully from the trench could be heard, all attempting to follow their hardy general.

"But we're tired and hungry, sir!" A tall soldier near the back whined.

"Tough shit!" Snapped the short, stocky man who led the weary band of fighters. "If you don't think you can handle it, then I can personally escort you elsewhere!" His voice was full of venom, causing each and every man to shrink back and keep their opinions to themselves.

After what seemed like hours of dragging themselves through the swamp, the troops caught sight of a high, grassy ridge. They scrambled frantically past drowning river trees and patches of black moss, gripping the wet, green grass and climbing over each other to reach the top. They finally collapsed, trying desperately to catch their breath, eternally grateful for the rest they had been granted.

The general snorted at his army's childlike antics.

Beyond the ridge, a vast channel of black, brackish water separated two worlds in a fine line, weaving away into distant lands. Upon the canal lay the city of Troy, so close to the opposing regiment, yet so far. The walls, tall and sturdy with age and practice, were armed with numerous lines of artillery. They were supported on all sides by enormous flying buttresses, protecting various ranks of dugouts and bunkers.

The soldiers got to their feet, letting out exasperated sighs at the sight before them. There was no way Troy could be invaded. The general growled, pointing along the vast ridge.

"Let's get going! Gunjins forward!" The stocky commander began moving, the soldiers following him with heads bowed.

The tallest soldier in the group stopped, casting a longing glance to the impossibly powerful walls of the city. A private next to him growled, taking his friend's arm and dragging him to catch up with the group.

"This will all be over eventually," he assured, but his voice portrayed exactly an opposite sentiment. The taller, black haired soldier nodded sadly, and they caught up with the rest of the troops.

"If we can't storm it on foot, we'll have to barricade them!" The captain told his much shorter superior. The general nodded.

"I'll send you and some of the troops back. Bring all the artillery you can find! We'll have a perfect bunker spot at the top of the tor."

He counted off the strongest of his men, ushering them down the hillside. The company set off at an impossible speed, passing the sludge of the swamp towards Athens.

The general furrowed his brow, urging the rest of the tired troops to the top of the mountain ahead.

***

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