39
The Battle
Vegeta felt as if his skin was going to fall off. Those weasel type things had sliced him up pretty good. He could no longer hold onto the supersaiyian strength. He could barely breath. The last blow that the creatures had landed had cracked a few ribs.
It was Crystal that was protecting him now and he didn't like that idea too much. She wasn't ready for such a fight but she had thrown herself in the middle of it all. He had followed the escapee Ligh with the intent on killing him, not realizing that he was being led into a trap. He felt like a fool for falling for it.
Crystal had followed him.
She had taken out two of the weasel type things and there were only two more left and a laughing Ligh.
"You aren't ready for this," he gasped as he looked at her. She was at level 3 and looking as strong as ever. He was proud of her accomplishments in such a short time of training but she was not ready for a battle. Her hair twirled around her and touched the ground and she looked a lot older than she should. He tried to stand but his knee gave out. He looked down at it and was shocked to see the bone sticking sharply out. When did that happen? The weasel things weren't that strong. They were just fast.
"Don't argue, grandpa," she said in a calm voice and didn't take her eyes off the circling enemy. "Just rest for now. I will take care of the rest." She said.
Ligh laughed above them with his annoying maniacal laughter. "I will have my revenge on Vegeta and I will not be phased by you little girl." He laughed. Vegeta wanted to strangle him. He looked like a mad man. Not the clean-cut boy that they had put in jail. He was a man now, with long white hair that flew wildly around his head and a sparkle in his eyes that shouldn't be there. Imprisonment had not done him any good.
"You underestimate me," Crystal said in that still calm voice. She ran a hand through her hair and smiled. It was not a pleasant smile. It seemed to unnerve Ligh a little, he seemed a little taken aback by her confidence.
He quickly covered it up with a chuckle. "You are just a little girl. Why should I be scared of you?"
"Because I am the one that makes the decision of whether you live or die." She said and killed one of those weasel things to emphasize her point. He didn't even see her move her hand to blast the thing, but she had done it.
She was holding back!
Ligh just laughed. "With my uncle here and his army, you won't get rid of me that easily."
She sighed and started to change. Her yellow hair started to shorten and turn back to purple. Her eyes started to darken and looked deeper than he remembered her eyes ever being. Her body changed into that of a full-grown woman's. She was at level 4! She flipped her hair and looked at the last remaining weasel thing who was now looking a little scared.
They had not been scared of him when he ascended to level 4 but they were scared of her.
The weasel was looking for an escape and Crystal was not going to allow it.
Ligh was left to defend himself.
"What? How? How can you be so strong?" Ligh said and did look scared. "You aren't supposed to be that strong! You are just a girl. You are just a kid."
"Yeah. I know. A girl. But I am a girl who has the blood of two saiyians mixed with that of humans. It is rather potent." She said as she rose. She only glanced down at him briefly and was now concentrating on Ligh. "I don't want to kill you but I will if I have too."
"I will not be imprisoned again! I will not be as weak as a human again! I cannot live like that!" his blue eyes flared with anger as she attacked Crystal.
He tried to get up. He had to protect his granddaughter but the broken leg reminded him of how injured he was but by then, he saw that Crystal did not need his assistance. She could take care of herself just fine.
He watched as she blocked all of Ligh's blows and let him think that there was a chance. It lasted only a minute before she just shook her head and grabbed one of his hands. "It doesn't have to be this way."
"I can't see any other way!" Ligh growled at her and tried to kick her. It hit her in the side but she did not even flinch at that. Her shirt lifted slightly and showed the soft purple fur that grew on her sides. He didn't think that the female saiyian grew fur there. Of course, he didn't ask Soyna when they fought if she had fur there and as far as he knew, she was the only other female saiyian that could go to level 4.
She shook her head and looked rather sad.
She threw Ligh down to the earth and he crashed down beside him. Before he could react, she was ontop of him: A foot on his throat and the other on his stomach. Ligh let out an awful scream. He was bested and he knew it.
He was able to sit up now and breath a little better but he didn't dare involve himself. Well, he didn't need to anyway. Crystal looked like she had it well in hand.
"I don't want to kill you!" She yelled at him as is she had a new anger rise in her. She was crying now. "Why do you have to force me to do this?" he couldn't understand why she was crying.
She moved off of him and knelt beside him. It was the most confusing thing he had ever seen. She took his hand and held it in her own. Ligh looked as confused as he felt. "Things could be different, if you want them to be."
He pulled his hand away from her and scrambled away from her. "I will be no one's slave!" He said. He sounded winded and he looked like he was trying to gather enough energy for an attack. He was bested. Anything he could muster, he knew that his granddaughter could take care of.
"We could have been happy together," Crystal whispered.
The energy that Ligh was gathering disappeared. "What?"
Exactly what he was going to say! She stayed knelling that way with tears rolling down her cheeks. She remained knelling and looked as if she was trying to reach for him but she did not move. "If you only had realized what a jerk your father really was to you. If you only realize that your uncle is using you to gain the power of the whole empire." The tears rolled down her cheeks and her eyes lightened a bit. "You could have stayed here in peace. With us."
He blinked and shook his head. "I won't be tricked by you fools!" He got to his feet and looked like he was going to try to attack Crystal again. "You cannot understand… you cannot be… you…" Ligh gave out a frustrated scream. He then attacked her again. He tried to shout her a warning but it was already to late. He punched her but she didn't move. The tears continued to flow down her cheeks.
"Crystal!" he called but she was not listening to him and Ligh was no longer paying any sort of attention to him.
She grabbed one of his hands and looked up at him. He was straining to hit her but she was not even fazed by the strength of the attack. "I didn't want to kill you Ligh. I really didn't but if you insist on trying to hurt me and my family, I have to kill you!"
He gasped.
She raised her hand.
Ligh was gone in a large blast that obliterated him into nothing.
The area was so quiet now. All he could hear was his heart thudding in his chest. "Crystal?" he whispered. She hadn't moved.
She let out an awful scream and an immensely powerful wave of power left her body.
He had to protect his eyes and brace himself.
It was a quick burst and it stopped almost as quickly as it started and there sat his little granddaughter. No longer looking like a woman but the child that she was. She wiped her cheeks and looked over to him.
"Are you alright?" he asked. He didn't understand what she was trying to say to Ligh or why she was so upset over killing him.
She smiled. "Fine. You on the other hand, look like crap, grandpa," she said and walked over to him. "I should get you to see Raymond."
"There is still Drak to deal with." He said as she helped him up on his one good leg now. The bone moved and he really thought for a second, he was going to loose his lunch.
"Dad will be done with him soon," she said with confidence. He could still feel a battle going on and he did have the urge to try to fight, even though his condition was pretty bad and his head was feeling pretty light. That is what it was to be a saiyian.
"I…" he started to say.
"Don't argue with me grandpa. They can deal with him just fine. It is just about over." She said and began to levitate. He didn't have the strength to help her. He felt pathetic having her help him.
"But…"
"Grandpa. It's really okay. I promise," she said with a frown and looked at his leg. "Eww. That is so gross."
He looked down at his leg again and agreed with her. He never remembered having protruding bones before; dislocated bones, but not protruding bones. He thought it would hurt more. But then, he was pretty sure that he was in shock right now. He should be in a lot more pain.
He felt a power surge. His son. What were they doing?
………………..
Goten panted as he looked at Drak. He was stronger than he looked but then, it was cyberware that was doing that. There were sparks coming from one of his shoulders and he did not look at all phased by it or were his little weasely minions that were being chased around. He got one of the creatures and crushed it and he could see his wife chasing after then and looking slashed up as well. She was the quickest of them all. She had always been that way and she had gotten three of them by his count. Gohan, Goku and Trunks had gotten two of them. He had lost the use of one of his arms somewhere in this little game. Pan had not got one yet but she was just trying to defend herself now.
He didn't know if it was Drak, or one of the other creatures that messed his arm up. He stood beside her and she almost leaned against him. She was panting for breath. She couldn't seem to get her power enough to attack.
"You okay Panny?" he asked and was surprised to hear how winded he sounded.
"Uh," he said and leaned against him fully.
This was not good.
Drak was laughing. Soyna was growling something at him and she was not amused. Drak stopped laughing and glared at her. She had that look on her face. She was playing with him. Well, it was better than her being total serious. Last time she did that, she ended up dead.
Goku took out another one of those weasel things.
There were five left.
"I can't keep up this," Pan said through her teeth. "I can't…" he felt her strength wane and he grabbed her before she crumpled to the ground. He was going to call to Trunks but he spotted it already.
"PAN!" he screamed. She didn't look like she was that hurt. She was scratched up a little bit but he couldn't see what else was wrong with her. Gohan and Goku looked down at him as well. They all sparkled with new anger as they saw her lying limp in his arms.
Soyna was still concentrating on Drak.
He shook her gently and she moaned. "Panny?" he whispered. "Are you okay?"
No real response.
It scared him.
"PAN!" Trunks screamed again and came down towards them. Or at least tried too. One of those weasel things grabbed hold of his arm and twisted him around, leaving a nasty looking gash there. Trunks threw the anger at the furry little demon and another one bit the dust. "Pan!" Trunks called again.
She whispered his name but then, she was out cold.
Trunks saw the slump in Pan and his eyes flashed. He had never seen his eyes do that before. Never in all his life had he ever seen such pure fury in his friend. Gohan and Goku were working together to keep the weasel things away from them and Soyna and Drak who were starting their own little war it seemed.
He felt the earth shake. He felt the power from Trunks in a mad rush.
It was the first time that he had ever seen Trunks go to level 3 on his own. And the power in that form was amazing! The only way that he could compare it was to the same as Soyna's when she was at level 4. He probably could have kicked her butt, if he could have caught her.
She always seemed to have that speed advantage and she was using it now.
Drak was showing obvious sign's of frustration as the fact that he could not catch her. Soyna was at level 4 but she was reaching her limit on it and the strain was showing but if she keep her concentration, she could still do some damage. He saw her look down at him once or twice but was trying to remain focused on the battle that she started. But he was focusing on Trunks. Even Gohan was a little taken aback by the change in his son-in-law and Goku just smiled.
"YOU HURT HER!" Trunks bellowed.
Soyna's attention was moved to Trunks and it was a good thing that she did. She moved aside, just in time to allow Trunks to, literally, tear a strip out of Drak. It was pure fury that was running Trunks now and he was tearing Drak apart! He watched in amazement at this. He had seen enemies and had fought many battles, but never, had he actually torn an enemy apart before. At the other time, he just tended to blast them away. It kept them from coming back from their graves.
Trunks was slicing and dicing with his hands. Riping and tearing without any mercy as a shocked Drak was reduced to bits and pieces that Soyna gladly obliterated for him. She was no longer at the higher level but at level 2.
The remaining two weasel things left the scene rather quickly.
Pan opened her eyes and groaned. "What happened?"
Gohan and Goku were at his side quickly and taking a hand of Pan in each of theirs "Are you okay?" they both asked.
She just blinked as she looked to see Trunks, panting and covered with blood and oil as he still floated in the air. He had not calmed down enough yet.
"She's okay!" Goten called up. "Trunks. She's okay."
Soyna floated beside him and looked down but did not say anything.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Trunks said as he now floated down. His anger seemed to be turning to Pan now.
"Tell you what?" Pan said and grunted as Gohan gave her a large hug and was even weeping happily that she was all right.
Goku looked like he wanted to grab Pan from Gohan and hug her as tightly. They were not paying attention to the still angry looking Trunks.
Trunk's was going to say something but was cut off by a relatively small blast that had occurred in the direction that Vegeta had run off to. Vegeta, but before they could get to worried, Crystal showed up with a banged up Vegeta and a gruesomely broken leg. She had on a large smile. "Hi everyone," she said with a smile. She didn't look worse for wear. "Ligh's dealt with."
Soyna went to her side and took Vegeta from her. Vegeta looked a little bit green as he looked at his leg.
Trunks looked over to her and his aura faded a bit as he saw her. "Are you alright?"
She nodded. "Just fine," she said and walked over to her father and gave him a hug. He seemed to calm down a lot and even powered all the way down. "Dad? Are you okay? Did Ligh give you a lot of problems?"
Vegeta gave a little grunt, "Crystal took care of it." He was leaning rather heavily on Soyna. He really needed to go see Raymond. He was hurt the worst out of all of them.
"Crystal?" Pan said as she pulled away from her father and managed to avoid Goku. "You fought him?"
She looked a little sad for a moment and sighed. "Yeah. I had to kill him. He won't be bothering us anymore." She sounded disappointed.
Goten was about to suggest that they all go see the doctor and get their wounds cleaned. His arm was starting to hurt now that the adrenalin was leaving his system. It felt like something as broken in his shoulder. He couldn't get up from the place where he had been holding Pan. It was really starting to hurt.
Trunks turned back to Pan and looked a little upset again. He asked the question again, "Why didn't you tell me?"
She looked at him confused. "Tell you what?"
"Why couldn't you hold your strength?" he snapped at her. "I know that you are better than that!" he was almost growling. Gohan stood beside her and looked angrily at Trunks.
"What the hell are you talking about?" she said. "I don't know what was happening. I haven't had…" a look of shock came over her face and then tears formed in her eyes.
It was all very confusing. Why was she crying and Trunks angry?
It was Crystal that spoke. "Dad, mom didn't know." They both looked at her. "She didn't know yet."
Trunks just blinked. Pan was crying now. "Oh my god. I didn't even think about that… I mean…" she went into her father's arms. Dad was looking a little lost. I think I had that same look. "… I would have never gone into battle if I had known!" Trunks looked ashamed that he had been angry with her.
"What is happening?" Goku said and knelt down by Goten. He finally noticed that he couldn't get up and went to help his son.
Crystal smiled brightly. "I am going to have a little brother."
………………………….
Raymond was kept rather busy.
He took care of Vegeta's leg first. The moving it back into place caused everyone to wince. Vegeta looked green for quite awhile after it.
Flare got hurt by one of the weasel things and Flint carried her back and he was rather frantic that his sister was hurt. It took Goten holding him down to calm him and Raymond repeatedly saying that she was going to be all right to get him to calm down. Soyna helped in dressing her wounds. Bra tried to help but her large belly kept getting in the way. She was due any day… well, actually second.
Pan and Trunks got over the shock of the fact that she was with another child. And over the shock that Crystal knew about. Her only explanation was, "I dreamt that I had a little brother."
Of course, she wasn't explaining a lot. She would get this look on her face and almost look like she was going to start to cry. Gem even tried to ask her what was wrong, but she would just shake her head. It was Vegeta that asked for it to be dropped. He didn't understand too much of what she had said, but he was pretty sure that it had to do with her dreams.
She would explain when she was ready.
Pan was getting a little overwhelmed with her father, and her grandfather and her husband hovering over her.
"How did it happen?" Goku asked.
Both Pan and Trunk's face turned bright red and they looked at the floor. Gohan shook his head at his father and looked a little embarrassed himself. Goku then realized what he asked. "No, not that… I mean… I thought," he stammered over his words. "I thought that you had taken… you know… precautions." Goku's cheeks flared red.
Pan groaned. "We did grandpa. I guess they didn't work," she said. "But… I think it will be nice having a boy around the house."
"I agree with that," Vegeta mumbled.
When Legen and Benot finally returned, with Cyrus. Soyna, who had been looking rather tense and nervous, gave out a huge sigh of relief at the sight of her sons. She gave each of them a hug and then went to tend to their wounds. The only one that was injured as Legen who had a part of his shoulder ripped apart. Soyna went to tend the gash that was there.
"How did it happen?" Soyna asked.
Legen spoke through his teeth. "They were going to attack Cyrus." He made a whimpering noise as she applied a cloth to his cut. "I am the only one allowed to pick on him."
She pressed a little harder on his wound but still smiled at the comment.
Cyrus was not as amused.
It was Benot that announced that the army ship was still in the middle of the desert as if it were waiting the return of their leader.
"They'll leave soon. They are no longer a threat to us," Crystal said at hearing that. "They are nothing without their leader."
"And how would you know this? Dreams again?" Benot snapped at her.
"Yeah," she said in a calm voice.
Benot rotated his shoulders. "What if they come back with someone else? We have to go out there and destroy the ship and the army."
"They'll be back, but they will be asking for our help," she said. "SO LAY OFF!"
"Why should we trust your dreams?" Benot growled at her.
She raised her hands and rolled her eyes. "Do I have to explain it to you… AGAIN?"
It was Gohan who put a hand on his granddaughters shoulder and stopped the argument. "We will talk about all this later. Right now, we have to make sure that everyone is okay. Everyone can get some sleep and then tomorrow, we can go on with out lives."
"Snob," Benot sniffed.
She stuck her tongue out at him.
Cyrus gave out a sigh and had a strange look on his face. A look almost looked as if he were happy but also, tired. A strange look on a boy.
…………………