Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z, but I DO own… a pickle! Hang on, I don't like pickles. Who wants a pickle?
AN: Well, between work (I am now a fully qualified, unqualified nurse, if that makes sense to anybody else out there) physiotherapy and socialising, I haven't had much time to do anything, let alone WRITE anything. Enjoy the story…
Chapter 25: The Wishes Are Made
Atenks found it hard to keep dodging like this. It was hard enough keeping his concentration, never mind having to think about how long the fusion has left.
A fist streaked past his face, and Atenks swung around to the right, grinning cockily as he moved.
"Hah, missed m- " the sentence was cut short by Brolli elbow, rocketing around and striking Atenks in the jaw with such force that it sent the young Fusion hurtling across the sky and ploughing into the ground, sending up a spray of rock and dirt.
Brolli sneered as he moved in closer, folding his great arms over his colossal chest, looking down at his fallen prey with a dissatisfied expression plastered across his face.
"Somehow, I expected more from you," the Brute said, unfolding his arms and pointing his hand, palm out, at the tip of the large groove in the floor. "How mistaken I was." A green sphere of energy formed against the palm, and shot towards the hole Atenks had just dig with his fall with a streak of eerie green light, tearing the ground apart with the explosion as a great energy sphere ripped a hole into the ground, burning the rock away into nothing as it expanded around the point where the attack struck.
"Maybe I just haven't been unleashing my full potential!" the myriad of voices piped. Brolli spun around and glared at Atenks as he rose up, his clothing scorched and torn, blood caking his golden hair and lightly tanned features.
"Show me," Brolli said with a grin. "Show me this power, and make this our final battle!"
Atenks grinned and braced himself, his muscles swelling slightly as blue lightning arced across his body, buzzing and crackling loudly as his golden aura erupted violently around his body with a mighty roar of energy. "Anything you say."
** * ** * **
Goku waited eagerly, subconsciously holding his breath, as the Namekian elder chanted in his native Namekian tongue. Goku was about to ask how long it would take when a golden flash illuminated the area, startling the Saiyan into taking a couple of steps backwards.
"That power… I'd forgotten what it felt like…" Goku gasped as Porunga materialised in the air over them, his large powerful body looming over the small village in the forest clearing, the cloud sin the sky darkening and lightning flashing across the area.
The dragon boomed something in Namekian, and Goku tried to swallow in a dry throat.
"Porunga asks why he has been summoned," the Namekian asked, turning to the awe-struck Saiyan.
"Huh?" Goku asked, his attention on the great Dragon hovering over them amongst the wreathing mass of storm clouds. "Oh, right. Yeah."
Goku stepped forward and looked at the Elder's placid face, old and marked by time's passage. "Ask the dragon if he wouldn't mind grant the three wishes, it's an emergency."
The Elder nodded to Goku's request, and translated Goku's words, the Dragon growling slightly before giving a lengthy answer in that deep rumbling basso voice.
"The Eternal Dragon will grant your wishes, and he will make the uttermost haste, as he is aware of the trouble on your planet," the Elder translated.
"Alright!" Goku said, punching the air and giving a whoop of joy. "Okay, first wish! Say this exactly as I say it: 'I wish that all those on earth who died because of the actions of the Saiyans be brought back to life.'"
The elder nodded, and began the translation as Goku waited patiently, his heart thumping heavily inside his broad chest. Up above, almost in the clouds, those great red eyes of Porunga's flashed red and his voice roared in Namekian.
The elder smiled and turned towards Goku. "Your wish has been granted."
** * ** * **
In an empty desert far from where Atenks and Brolli's storm raged violently, a hand thrust through the surface soil of the ground and flailed about, a dark gauntlet-like glove covering the skin. A powerful arm followed the hand, and then took purchase on the topsoil, heaving with enough force to bulge the muscles, and a large body rose from the ground; dirt, soil and rocks cascading from the body as something large pulled itself from the ground.
Long dark hair flowed down a broad back, and a brown-furred tail waved about in the air behind the body, which soon flickered and coiled around the waist, clad in Saiyan-armour.
"What in the name of Vegeta…" Raditz said, looking about. It had been around twenty years since he had last been here, though it felt like more; disembodiment in hell made a second seem like an eternity. From what he remembered, he was standing in almost the exact spot he had fallen after brother Kakkarot had seized him so that the blasted Namek's energy blast ploughed through him.
"I'm alive… I wonder what's happened since I've been gone?" Reaching into his pocket, Raditz slipped a scouter against his ear and adjusted the eyepiece, then pressed the button until he found a group of high power levels, and then the counter sky-rocketed as he fixed his attention on something else.
The Saiyan winced as the scouted exploded with a loud crack, acrid smoke pouring from the shattered device's pieces scattered across the dessert floor.
"What the hell was that? What ever it was, it's worth checking out!" Raditz said, then powered up and flew off to investigate.
** * ** * **
Raditz wasn't the only one to have been resurrected; Frieza and King Cold stood on the cliff top, looking at their hands with a mix of confusion, astonishment and bewilderment.
"Son, were we dead?"
"Yes father,"
"Are we alive now?"
"I assume so, father. Either that, or Otherworld has had one hell of a make over."
"Was that a joke, son?"
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Come on, let's go find that Monkey and his little friends!"
"But son, one of his 'little friends' turned out to be not-so-little, and killed us the last time."
"I know, but I learned some new tricks in our little time in Otherworld!" Frieza said, confident in his new-learned abilities.
"Ah, I see," King Cold said, then sighed. He hadn't really wanted to come to Earth in the first place, but Frieza had insisted, and look at what had happened. The king of the Ice-jin, and former ruler of the Cold Empire, King Cold watched as his son stared out across one of the many plains of planet Earth.
Then, moving rapidly, he quickly brought both hands around and down, slamming them into the back of the white egomaniac's head, knocking him out cold.
"Lets just go home, shall we son?" King Cold said, grabbing Frieza and the arms and picking him up, slinging him over his broad shoulders ad talking off into the air, heading away in search of some sort of spacecraft.
** * ** * **
A large bald-headed man with a small, thread-like moustache that curled over his upper lip and down the sides of his mouth flew through the air, a small cut on his left cheek where a splinter of chrome from his Scouter had grazed his cheek.
There had been an unusually large power level across the desert, and another that reminded him of an old colleague and Saiyan-in-arms was heading towards it.
Nappa was confused, but for that large Saiyan, that wasn't unusual. He had been confused at first about the reason to come to Earth, and then he had been confused about how a small, bald weakling could defeat his Saibamen. Then there was Kakkarot – the weakling was killed by Raditz, then returned from the dead and had bested.
Though what confused him the most was Vegeta's reaction to his defeat.
"That just wasn't called for!" the Saiyan Captain muttered as he flew onwards.
** * ** * **
Vegeta sat bolt upright, and cursed as his head banged off something hard and metallic, a loud dull clank echoing about. It was dark, but he could see in low light well enough to see, and feel, that he was in some sort of metal box. He took a deep breath, and almost choked as frosty air filled his lungs.
"It's fucking freezing in here!" he growled, his voice echoing inside the container. "Where am I, the morgue?" A scraping metallic sound rang out and light suddenly poured onto his face, causing him to squint in the sudden harsh glare.
"That's right, buster!" a familiar voice answered.
"Bulma?" Vegeta asked, as his eyes finally adjusted to the light, revealing the face of his loving wife.
"Who else did you expect?" she asked, smiling broadly.
"Knowing my luck? That idiot Kakkarot."
"Oh Vegeta!" Bulma shrieked and bent down, grabbing Vegeta in a tight hug.
** * ** * **
"Gohan?"
"What the…" the eldest Son, on planet Earth, turned around and saw a confused-looking girl gazing at him with a puzzled expression on her handsome face, her shirt and vest torn to tatters, her arms crossed over her chest to conceal herself. "Videl!"
"What… what happened Gohan?" Videl asked stepping closer.
Gohan limped towards her and took her into his arms, holding his fiancé close against his chest. "You died, but you're alright now. Dad's making the wishes, it's all going to be over!"
" It's about time," 18 grunted, and then paused. "Can you guys feel that?"
"Feel what?" Krillin asked, looking up at his wife.
"Several large power levels… oh no, it can't be!" 18 groaned.
"I can feel it to, but barely. All this background energy from Brolli and Atenks is clouding things," Piccolo added, looking across the plains.
"Guess the wishes didn't go exactly according to plan then?" Krillin asked.
"Obviously not."
** * ** * **
"Okay, next wish, right?" Goku asked, the Elder answering with a nod. "This one's a cinch. 'I wish that the Saiyan by the name of Brolli have his hatred for me and insanity taken from him,'" Goku said, the Elder translating immediately.
** * ** * **
Brolli dodged back as Atenks zipped through the air, attacking the Legendary Saiyan with incredible strength and speed.
"I thought said you wouldn't hold back?" Brolli said, almost with a yawn.
"You won't say that when your face is beaten black and blue!" Atenks snapped, and drove his foot into Brolli gut before swinging his arms up, catching Brolli under the jaw, sending the huge Saiyan several yards higher.
"We'll s…" he paused, and Atenks stopped, watching with a frown. Suddenly, without any sort of warning or movement, Brolli's hair flickered and drooped, flashing turquoise for a moment before fading to jet black, his eyes darkening and the look on his face becoming placid.
"What the…" Brolli said as he looked around, his dark eyes gleaming pleasantly in the light of the sun; and then looked down at Atenks, who was almost shocked at the sudden drop of energy that had just happened. As the Fusion watched, Brolli's eyes flickered and face contorted as the events of his life suddenly flooded into his mind and flashed before his eyes.
"Am I really such a monster?" he asked.
"Once, you preferred to be called a Devil," Piccolo said smoothly, stopping in the air at a safe distance away from the juggernaut. Brolli turned his attention towards the Namek, and his eyebrows furrowed as he thought.
"I remember you… we did battle on a planet…" Brolli hazarded.
"Yeah, that's right," Piccolo replied, edging away slightly, concern moving over his face.
"I… I won that battle, you were… you were an unchallenging opponent…" Brolli said again, his eyebrows knotted in concentration as a breeze built up, his dark hair dancing on the wind.
"I guess that's fair to say," Piccolo said, mentally wincing to the punishment he had been dealt, then turned back to the others and waved them over.
Glancing to Gohan, Tomatta shrugged and launched towards the Namek and the Fusion, followed shortly over by Gohan, 18, Videl and the others who had been watching the battle.
"Is he… better now?" Videl queried, looking at the large Saiyan with distrust.
"I think so. He powered down from Super Saiyan, and now he's asking me about his past, and so far he hasn't tried to hit me once," Piccolo replied, also watching Brolli for any sign that he would suddenly attack. "His power level is so low," the Namek thought to himself, "it's amazing how powerful he is when he transforms!"
** * ** * **
Raditz shot through the air, his face twisted into an expression of intense concentration as fought to keep his speed up. Though something soon caught his eyes.
Slowing down to investigate, Raditz looked down at the large smouldering crater that stretched out on the ground below him, stretching out for several miles in every direction, jagged stress fractures running through the ground from the crater's central point. There were also roads leading away from the crater, with vehicles burning near to the crater's rim. And there was movement in there; millions of people scurrying about, trying to vacate the hole in the earth's surface as quickly as possible.
"What on Vegeta is going on here?" Raditz asked, even more puzzled now than he had been a moment ago. Obviously he had found a city that had been destroyed recently, though, from the looks of it, the people had remained unharmed.
Something weird was going on, and somehow, Raditz had a feeling Vegeta was behind all of this somewhere. Cities, planets, moons or Solar Systems never vanished unless he wanted them to. But why Prince Vegeta had wanted the earthlings to survive was beyond him.
"It is not my place to question or understand my Prince's actions and commands," Raditz thought to himself as he picked up his pace and shot across the sky. "It is my place to do what I'm told!"
** * ** * **
"But honey…" Bulma pestered as Vegeta glanced around one last time. He didn't have very long; no doubt Kakkarot was progressing onto the third wish by now.
"Not now, woman!" Vegeta hissed, patting his pockets. "Right… Senzus…check! Good, what else?" he thought.
"But you've just returned!" Bulma whined, stepping the father of her children's line of sight.
"Yes, and regardless of what you or I want, I'm leaving again soon," Vegeta said, glancing about. He had a nagging feeling in the back of mind that he had forgotten something, but he didn't know what.
"Oh well…" he reasoned. "I'll know when the time comes that we need it."
** * ** * **
Goku grinned with glee as the Dragon's eyes flashed for a second time.
"Goku, this will be your third and final wish. Make it count," the Elder warned, but Goku already knew what his final wish was.
"It's okay. Now say this: " the Saiyan instructed before telling the Namek his third and final wish. "Got that?" Goku asked. The elder thought for a moment, then nodded. He turned to the Dragon and began relaying the wish, and Goku grin widened. "Nice knowing you!"
The Elder finished making the wish and turned to face Goku, and his eyes widened as a green bolt of energy flashed around Goku and then shot into the air with a blur, but without making the slightest of breezes in the still air.
Looking up, the Nameks who had gathered to see the great Dragon all saw a green light quickly streak across the dark sky, quickly followed by a golden flash of light as Porunga returned to the Dragonballs and scattered across the Planet Namek.
** * ** * **
"So Brolli, how do you feel?" Krillin asked peering at the creature looming over him.
Brolli opened his mouth to speak, and was caught in a green flash of light that streaked upwards and across the sky, vanishing quickly.
"What the hell was that?!" Videl cried, turning to Gohan. But Gohan wasn't there: he had vanished too.
"What the hell is going on here?!" 18 asked as a bright flash lit up the area. Everybody turned around to see what had happened, and saw two very confused children looking at each other.
"Where's Trunks?" Tomatta asked to the world at large. Applor turned to the question and looked at him, then vanished in another surge of green light.
"What th…" Tomatta began, then vanished himself.
"I'm scared!" Goten wailed, and before anybody could say anything, he vanished too.
"Well that's just great!" Piccolo growled. "Now what are we going to do?!"
"Take care of things ourselves, I guess," Krillin answered.
** * ** * **
"I'm fine, I…" Brolli started, and then trailed off as the green light faded from his vision. He was no longer on Earth, and a mix of races was no longer peering him at. He was in a large crowd, of mixed ages, but all of the same race. Spikes of dark, rough hair bobbed up and down nervously all around him, and he loomed over all of them enough so that the upper portions of his chest were visible, the gem embedded in the chest plate glowing slightly as he grew tense.
Minor scuffles broke out amongst some of the Saiyans, and then an angry voice barked out of the crowd:
"Who dares touch the Prince of all Saiyans!"
Brolli blinked, and then a memory flashed before his eyes.
"But… didn't I kill him…?" the huge Saiyan said softly under his breath. His attention was brought back to the situation at hand when there was the sound of a loud thump, and a large brutish Saiyan flew into the air and landed in another part of the sea of dark hair. Vegeta rose into the sky, scowling with a hard expression on his regal features, arms crossed over his chest, and glared around at the people around him, then his expression changed drastically.
"I… I never knew there were so many…" he said out loud, looking around at the faces that had turned up to look at him. One by one, the crowd dropped to their knees, leaving only a small minority remaining standing, and it took a while for the entire crowd to take to their knees.
Goku felt a hand tug at his trouser leg, and when he looked down he saw a man turn a dark eye towards him and hissed: "Don't you realise who that is? That is prince Vegeta! Kneel down before he takes your tail!"
Goku looked down at the Saiyan and gave one of his classic grins and what he said amazed the man, then he rose onto the air and made his way over to where the Prince of Saiyans stood in the air, still gob smacked at how many had survived.
"What… what did he mean 'I don't have a tail'?!" the Saiyan asked as he watched Goku fly away.
** * ** * **
In a separate part of the crowd, Raditz looked up, and blinked as he saw somebody rise from the crowd and fly towards where Prince Vegeta stood. Then another, and then several more started to make their way towards the Prince. Then, off to one side, a large monstrously large Saiyan stood, looking around with what appeared to be a confused expression on his features.
The kneeling Saiyan looked across at one of the men who were flying towards his Prince, and almost swallowed his tongue.
"Kakkarot?!" he spluttered, coughing slightly and then leaping into the air. Quickly, he surged towards his brother, feeling hands pawing at his arms and legs and he flashed past, but quickly breaking away. He was quickly gaining on his brother, and quickly he called out to him, but he never stopped. Eventually, Raditz caught up with his brother and he reached out, grabbing a shoulder.
"Brother, you… you're alive? And where did you get that Saiyan Armour?!" Raditz asked, looking at the sleek black armour that the Saiyan was wearing. The Saiyan turned his face, and glared at Raditz.
"Do I know you?" he asked in a rasping, but powerful, voice.
"It's me, Kakkarot… Raditz… your brother!"
"Kakkarot?! How dare you use that name! I am Turlus!" the Saiyan cried, wheeling about and striking Raditz in the face, sending the son of Bardock down and into the ground. Raditz bounced to his feet and leapt up, growling as he rushed back towards Turlus, who had continued on his way towards the group.
"You'll pay for that!" Raditz shouted, and was quickly swatted away again before he even knew what was happening. Turlus looked down at Raditz's body with distaste, and pointed hand at the floored Saiyan, a large red glow building up against his outstretched palm. The glow flashed and a ball of red energy leaped towards Raditz, who reared back, bracing himself for the kai-blasts imminent impact. He expected death once again, what he didn't expect was for Goku to suddenly appear and catch the bolt in his hand.
"Nobody hits my brother except for me," he said calmly, hurling the red bolt of energy away and into the sky. Turlus looked at Goku for the merest of moments, and then scoffed.
"Last time we fought, the only reason you defeated me was because you used the tree against me with some sort of magic. This time… there is no tree!"
"I'm not fighting you again, Turlus. I'm a lot more powerful than you think," Goku replied.
"A whelp like you, more powerful than me? I doubt that!" Turlus said again.
Around the three, people were beginning to take interest in the fight, and it looked promising. The two arguing looked powerful, and the muscles on both their bodies were large and bulging. What made it even more interesting was that they looked almost identical, even close up and at a distance the only thing telling them apart was their clothing. One wore an orange baggy fighting suit, the top torn revealing the blue shirt worn underneath, and the other wore a dark sleek kit of Saiyan Armour.
"If you want a taste of my power, you can have some," Goku said, grinning slightly.
"What are you going to do, glow red at me again?" Turlus quipped back.
"Oh no, I plan on glowing golden," responded the Earthling.
"Golden?" asked the Saiyan.
"Watch," Goku said, then powered up, ascending into a Super Saiyan, the blast from the transformation picking Raditz up from the floor and tossing him back into the crowd. Turlus looked down with a look of wonder in his eyes. Turlus watched the counter on his scouter soaring upwards, and then flinched as it exploded off the side of his face.
"What the hell was that?!" he asked, almost is a whisper.
"This is only the beginning," Goku said with a grin. "I can go a lot higher than this." Turlus opened his mouth, but was interrupted.
"What in the blazes is going on here?!" Vegeta shouted, pushing through the crowd and then saw the two staring at each other.
"Kakkarot?" he said, and then looked at the other person in the group. "Kakkarot?! Since when have you had a twin?"
"He's not my twin," Turlus rasped. "He just looks like me."
"It surprised me as well, my prince," Raditz said, moving forwards towards the three.
"Raditz?!" Vegeta said, now more in shock.
"Yes, my prince." Raditz said, bowing low.
"Now I've seen everything… Two Kakkarot's, his idiotic weakling brother, his cousin, Brolli looking like a lost kitten… what's next? Cell?"
"Hello Nappa!"
"Shut up Kakkarot!" Vegeta snapped. "I know you're just trying to confuse me now!"
"You?!" a deep voice boomed. Vegeta blinked then turned around, and got face full of chest hair. Then he looked up, and saw the light of the sun gleaming off Nappa's bald pate.
"Nappa?!" Vegeta cried.
"What?" Nappa asked, looking down. He still hadn't forgiven his prince for killing him.
"What… what are…" Vegeta started.
"Well, he was killed on Earth by a Saiyan…" Goku said. "And the wish you told me to make was bring back every body on Earth who was killed by a Saiyan."
Vegeta turned very pale.
"Oh no…"
"What is it?" Goku asked.
"I forgot to pick up Bra…"
** * ** * **
Bulma looked up. First, her husband, well, she liked to think of Vegeta as her husband, rather than her live-in lover and father of her children, vanished in a flash of green light, and now somebody was pounding hard on the door. She quickly dropped what she was doing, and ran to the front door, opening it, and then screamed very loudly.
"Uh… excuse me, I'm so sorry to be a bother, after all that's happened and all,… I was wondering if I could possibly borrow a spaceship?" a smooth and sophisticated-sounding voice said. Bulma blinked, rubbed her eyes and looked back at the figure standing on the doorstep – and then screamed her lungs out before slamming the door on the smiling, and embarrassed-looking, person.
"Uh, I'll take that as a 'No' then, shall I?" King Cold asked, before turning aside and walking away.
** * ** * **
Laughter rang out amongst the Saiyans as the rumour of Vegeta, Crowned Prince of all Saiyans, and heir to the kingdom, wore a brazier. When Vegeta corrected them that 'Bra' was the name of his daughter, and youngest sibling, the laughter grew louder. Then Vegeta thumped somebody hard enough to send him flying backwards and through the crowd, knocking back anybody who got in his way. The crowd stopped laughing, and suddenly looked very, very nervous.
"Anybody else wanna laugh at the name of the princess?!" Vegeta roared, pulling up the arms of his top, revealing the bulging muscles underneath. The circle surrounding the Prince, Goku, Nappa, Raditz, Turlus, and now Tomatta, Gohan, Goten, Applor and Trunks, widened, with voices muttering "Laugh? Me? Never!" and "I think I'd better go see if I can find an old friend…"
"What was that all about ?" Cukumbri asked, moving between the gaps in the crowd and emerging in the circle, Raditz giving her a glance and a grin.
"Nothing I can't handle, thank-you," Vegeta said testily.
"The crowd reacted badly to my Sis' name, that's all," Trunks said with a grin.
"Just how do you think they'll react to your name, brat?" Vegeta asked, looking at his eldest from the corner of his eye.
"Quite well, when you tell them that my name is Vegeta." Trunks replied with an arrogant grin.
"But, you're name isn't Vegeta," Goku said, scratching the back of his head.
"We know that, but they don't," the young half-Saiyan said, thumbing behind him towards a group of Saiyans who were watching them.
"I guess…" Goku admitted. Vegeta just grunted.
"That's all very nice, but what do we do with all these Saiyans? I doubt very much that the Earth would be able to handle them," Gohan asked, turning and looking around.
"I agree with your eldest brat, Kakkarot. There's only so much a weak world like…"
"Wait, that's Kakkarot's son?" asked Raditz, looking at the young adult.
"Yeah, what of it?" Gohan asked, turning around and eyeing his uncle up and down.
"You've certainly filled out…" Raditz said, looking at the muscles pushing tightly against his nephew's gi.
"Do I know you?" Gohan asked sceptically.
"You're probably to old to remember, son," Goku said, giving his brother a quick glance.
"Okay…" said Gohan, looking slightly confused.
"He's my brother," Goku said, "and when you were very little, he came to Earth."
"Wait… that's Raditz? I remember him being bigger…" Gohan said, peering at his uncle.
"Well, we've both become bigger since then. Especially you!" Goku laughed, prodding Gohan's muscular arm.
"I guess…"
"If you're through reminiscing," Vegeta snapped, breaking up the family reunion, "We have a certain problem at hand."
"What's that?" Goku asked, turning around.
"Well, it could be that my daughter is somewhere on this planet!" Vegeta cried as he grabbed Goku's vest top and pulled him down to face-level, yelling in his face.
"You're kidding!" Goku said, looking mortified.
"Would I joke about something like that, Kakkarot!" Vegeta snapped.
"Gee, no. I guess not…"
"Right, now get going! You search over there, I'll search over here. Gohan, you go over there and the rest of you spread out." Vegeta ordered, heading away.
"What does she look like?" Nappa rumbled.
"Like Trunks, except she's a she, and a baby," Vegeta said without stopping. Turlus, Nappa and Raditz all exchanged looks and tried to hold back the sniggers as they meandered their way through the crowd.
Vegeta tracked his daughter, though it was a hard task to find her weak kai amongst the kai of all the Saiyans that were milling about on the Planet's surface. The prince took to the air after he decided that it would be easier to move that way, and he quickly moved around the area, sensing on his daughter's energy, weak as it was. Out the corner of his eye, a golden flash streaked across the sea of black as Goku continued his own search, and below him, upturned faces were catching a quick glance at the Saiyan Prince and heir as he shot overhead.
Vegeta grumbled to himself as he flew past, and noticed Goku change direction and start heading in the same general direction as Vegeta himself was going. Soon, the commoner had reached the Prince, and was almost flying side by side, although the two neither said anything, nor looked at each other; their concentration was on finding the young half-Saiyan princess.
The search, however, was quicker than they thought. After a couple of minutes scrutinous searching, the Prince and the Pauper finally found the young Saiyaling in the most unlikely of places. Vegeta gave Goku a worried look, who turned and gave Vegeta the same worried expression, then both Saiyan's turned their heads upwards and looked up at Brolli. Atop the monster's head sat, quite happily, Bra, gurgling contently amongst the black locks of hair, her legs dangling to either side of Brolli's temples as her hands gripped several strands of the thick, dark hair for support.
"Uh… you get her, Kakkarot," Vegeta said, looking up at Brolli, who looked down at them with a placid expression on his face.
"Me?! She's your daughter!" Goku said in alarm, backing off slightly.
"Uh, yes. That's right, but I'm your prince, and as one of my loyal subjects, I order you to get my daughter." Vegeta replied to the retreating Goku.
"Ah, well, yes. You see, the thing is, I've never ever seen my self as a Saiyan. I'm an earthling, so that makes me sorta not your subject, y'see?"
"Blast you, Kakkarot!" Vegeta roared as Goku turned and ran.
"Excuse me, my prince…"
"What!… Argh!! Yes?" Vegeta said, turning up towards Brolli.
"You can have her back now… I don't mind…" the colossal Saiyan said, reaching up and removing the baby from his crown.
"R-right… thank you, Brolli…" Vegeta said, not sure on what else to say. Brolli was a mean son of a bitch, he wasn't supposed to be nice!
"It's okay, sire." Vegeta blinked again. Did he just all me 'Sire'? he thought.
"No problem… I'll, uh, just go see where Kakkarot is, shall I?"
"As you wish, Sire," Brolli said, giving a curt bow, which spooked Vegeta slightly, as he scurried off after Goku, holding onto his precious daughter.
"Is he alright?" Vegeta asked his rival, and both risked a quick glance behind them, where Brolli stood, looking around calmly at the dark heads clustered about him.
"Yeah, I think so. Not hating me, and not being insane has really changed him, don't you think?" Goku said, turning back to vegeta.
"Hmm?" Vegeta asked, still watching Brolli.
"I said, he's really changed., since I wished away his hatred for me, s well as his insanity." Goku said again.
"Yeah… But…"
"But what?"
"What are we going to do with them all?"
"All the Saiyans?" Goku asked, puzzled slightly.
"Yes… I mean, we just can't bring them to Earth. It would take too long, even with your flashy little manoeuvre." Vegeta said, referring to the Instant Transmission technique.
"You're right… maybe we should leave them here? They're Saiyans, they're bound to be able to manage." Goku suggested.
"Let's just go home, and we can think it over there." Vegeta said with a sigh.
"Easy for you to say… somebody destroyed mine, remember?"
"Uh… heh, sorry about that, Kakkarot," Vegeta said, apologising to him for perhaps the third time in Goku's living memory.
"I would say 'No problem' but I don't think Chi-Chi would say the same if she was here." Goku said.
"Where is that psychotic mate of yours?" Vegeta asked, turning and heading back to where they stood before.
"Staying with her father." Goku said as they walked.
"The one who's castle you destroyed?"
"That's the one. Ox-king."
"Heh – must run in her family then."
"I hope that doesn't mean our son's home doesn't get blown up," Goku said, looking a little worried.
"Where Saiyans go, destruction, chaos and trouble always fallows," Vegeta answered, sounding very wise and sagely for a moment.
Goku reflected back over the last couple of days, and all the destruction inflicted upon the Earth and grimaced. "And large bills for repair."
** * ** * **
Gohan and Goten waited patiently, with the other Saiyans that had teamed up with them in the fight against Brolli.
"There he is, over there!" A voice barked from the crowd of Saiyans around them, and two men accompanied by a lady broke through the crowd and stood there, scowling at the group, and in particular, towards Gohan.
"Is he the one, Milady?" the tall, muscular Saiyan asked, pointing towards Turlus.
"No, it's the taller one to the right – yes, that one with the short hair in the torn clothing," Turrun said, gesturing.
"Right, I'll get him!" the man said and charged towards Gohan.
"What the…" Goku's son said as a fist leapt through the air and slammed into his cheek. Gohan blinked and his head shook for a moment as the man hung in the air, his fist planted firmly against Gohan's right cheek.
"Yes?" Gohan asked politely, if not slightly annoyed.
"You killed my sister, now I'm gonna rip you apart!" the Saiyan snarled, and through a kick. Gohan's arm moved in the blink of an eye, and caught the leg by the knee cap, squeezing with just enough pressure to force his fingers slightly under the muscle and sinew, so that his fingertips curled under the kneecap itself.
"Your sister attacked us first. She pist me off, and when I get pissed off, accidents happen," Gohan said, his voice slowly becoming a growl, and very slightly, his hair began to rise and flutter as if it were caught in a breeze. The man snarled and narrowed his eyes, but backed down, knowing a more powerful opponent when he met one.
"One of these days, you're gonna get yours, kid!" The man said, as Gohan released his grip on his kneecap, allowing the aggressor to back away.
"Don't just stand there, kill him!" Turrun shrieked, her hair starting to rise and waver also.
"He's more powerful, can't you see that?" the second man hissed.
"Shut up, Maylon, you coward!" Turrun cried again, turning and striking Maylon across the face. He growled and wheeled around, facing her growling.
"Because we've been through a lot together, I'll forget that you did that. But if you ever touch me again, I'll kill you," Maylon snarled, then pushed her aside and walked off into the crowd. Turrun snarled, then turned around and shouted obscenities after him before being dragged away by her brother.
"What was that all about, kid?" Tomatta asked, watching as the crowd swallowed the two siblings.
"Oh nothing, just a bit of trouble that happened at Capsule Corp when you guys were asleep."
"Did you really kill them?" Gohan's older cousin asked.
"Uh-huh," Gohan replied with a nod. Raditz gave his nephew an admiring look, and then laughed. "So, you really are a Saiyan after all!"
Gohan was about to speak when Goku and Vegeta returned, the Prince holding his daughter to his chest, her small hands clutching firmly at the blue material.
"So, who's going back to Earth then?" Vegeta asked gruffly as he came to a halt not far from the others. Gohan, Goten, Trunks, Tomatta, Cukumbri, Fru and Applor immediately said yes, whilst Raditz, Turlus and Nappa gave each other calculating looks.
"And how exactly do we do that?" Turlus asked, turning to Vegeta.
"Kakkarot," Vegeta answered simply.
"He can get us to earth from wherever we are?" Raditz asked, looking at his brothr with even more amazement.
"Yes, he can. Now, are you coming or not?" Vegeta asked, starting to become angry.
"Sure," Raditz said.
"May as well," Turlus shrugged.
"Nappa?" Vegeta said, looking at his former companion.
"I dunno, Vegeta," the large brutish Saiyan said.
"C'mon, Nappa!" Raditz said, punching Nappa's arm playfully. "It'll be like the old days, it's gonna be a blast!"
"I guess…" Nappa said, then shrugged. "Oh what the hell, let's go!"
"Right, Kakkarot, can you handle all of us?" vegeta said, turning towards the larger Saiyan.
"I think so, Vegeta. Shouldn't be that much of a prob…
"Kakkarot!" a voice boomed out.
"Yes?" Goku said, turning around slowly and looking up at Brolli.
"Take me with you," the Legendary Saiyan said simply.
"Uh…" Vegeta began.
"I said take me with you." Brolli said again.
"And what then, you'll try and destroy us again?" Tomatta snarled.
"Don't be so absurd," Brolli snapped. "I just want somewhere to live for a change. I'm getting too old for this shit." This knocked everybody back, and they all looked at Goku.
"Well… as long as you don't try anything stupid," the Earthling Saiyan said.
"Like try and take over the Earth," Trunks muttered to himself.
"Don't worry, little Kakkarot. I won't do anything foolish. Now, are we going or not?"
"Right, okay. Everybody who's going grab a hold." Goku said, and eleven hands all reached out, grasping at his arms and shoulders, chest and back.
Lifting an arm and placing his fingers against his forelock, Goku allowed himself a brief grin before saying, "Ready, here we go!"
** * ** * **
After a cataclysmic confrontation that would decide the fate of the Planet Earth, every Saiyan left alive in the universe was transported to a planet near to Earth to get the Z Fighters and Brolli off the planet. Now on their way back to earth with a group of not-so-new faces, what will the Z Fighters find on their return home, and will Brolli keep to his word, saying that he won't do anything foolish or stupid? Find out, on the next chapter of TOTAL WAR!!!!!