I'm back. Did you miss me? Wow, it's been forever since I updated. Now I feel bad. This is an extra long chapter though, so you people that sent me the heart-warming reviews of encouragement should be very happy. Very, very special thanks to you all. You made my day when I read those. And I promise, I definitely won't take this long to update anymore.

Special Thanks to Reviews from:
DeamonHuntress
Angel
Furea- Very special thanks to you. Your review was the most heart-warming
trunkslover1
Chibi Bulma

Disclaimer: I'm too poor to own Dragonball Z. Come look in my closet and you'll see what I mean...


Chapter 8

"Well," Kumberelle said irritably, finally perfecting her fighting stance so that she didn't wobble. "Are you going to fight me, or aren't you?"

Vegeta chuckled a little bit. "So eager to die, eh? Well, I won't disappoi-"

"Cut the bullshit!" Kumberelle screamed, interrupting him. "I'm tired of it!" Her ki began to crackle around her like red thunder. "I'm sick and tired of you stupid royal Saiyans!"

Vegeta looked outraged, his expression almost as if she had actually slapped him instead of insulted him. He couldn't believe that this woman that was so bent on him being her "king" only a few days before and now was suddenly referring to Saiyan royalty as... inferior.... and less than intelligent. With a growl and a scowl (A/N: Heh, that rhymed.) he replied, "Stupid? How dare you refer to the royal family as dim-witted?"

Kumberelle lowered her head and shook it, her ki crackling even more. "Why should I be respectful to the 'royal family'? What the fuck has the 'royal family' ever done for me?" She lifted her head, her eyes flickering from black to a glowing red, dangerously. "Besides killing my father? Huh? Why the hell should I bow down to you and praise you? Your father, our so-called respectable King, killed my father because he was too scared of my powers! And I'm supposed to be grateful to the 'royal family', as you call it? What royal family? You? Your half-breed son? Please!" Her ki crackled even more and her power rose significantly. Her eyes were a blinding red as was the aura around her. She was starting to snap.

But of course that didn't unnerve our favorite Saiyan Prince... or at least that's how it appeared to be. "I don't care what my father did to yours, but you will respect me! I have done nothing to you! If anything, I am the victim! Who's the one that attempted to kill my mate?!" But while he was saying this, he was thinking of something entirely different. The little speech that she just said to him was playing over and over again in his head. The way she spoke of his father and all of the other royal Saiyans, with such venom and vehemence, it made him wonder. It was in sharp contrast to the way she seemed to worship him when she had just come, the way she made it seem like he was the most powerful and important person in the universe. And now she was so angry at him... it made him wonder if that was all an act to try to lure him to someone else, but her plan failed. It did make sense. She would try to coax him into leaving with her with that story of ruling another planet, but in all reality she was leading him to another, much more powerful force that had a personal vendetta against him. And then when she saw that he had a mate and child, she knew she'd have to use more than mere persuasion to get him to come with her, so she tried to kill the woman. But when that plan backfired as well, she was forced to undergo this battle. It made perfect sense... but was it true?

"Yes, I did try to kill that blasted human woman," Kumberelle answered his question. "But only to get you where I wanted you to be."

Vegeta rose an eyebrow. His theory made even more sense now. "And where would that be?"

"With me on my damn ship!" Kumberelle screamed, her ki crackling once again and her power rising, her voice sounding a little hoarse.

Vegeta just stared at her for awhile, his idea still on his mind. Then he remembered her ability to read minds and hoped that that was the one piece of information that he'd be able to keep for his own. "Well are we going to fight or what?"

Kumberelle didn't hear his thoughts. She was too absorbed in being angry to try and read his mind, or to concentrate on anything else but fighting for that matter. "Correction," Her voice was now fully changed and totally demonic as her ki continued to rise and crackle around her while Vegeta stared at her. "The Exorcist" would always have a new meaning to him from now on. "I'm going to fight." Before Vegeta could ask what the hell she meant by that, Kumberelle used her mind to push him down to the ground and hold him there with ki brackets. (A/N: Think about what Majin Vegeta did to Goku when they fought, how he kept him on that mountain. Yes, I know, I'm not really original, but oh well. Sue me!)

"What the.." Vegeta muttered, but was cut off when she kicked him in the side. He let out an agonizing groan, and wondered how in hell she got so strong all of sudden, when she was barely hanging on about 10 minutes before.

"You will pay, dear prince," She said his title mockingly as she kicked him again.

"Pay for what?" Vegeta asked, slightly worried now that he looked at the position he was in. But only slightly...

"For your father's mistakes," Kumberelle said matter-of-factly, as if he should've expected it a mile away. "He killed my father, and since he's already dead, you can go with him."

"So, that's what this is all about?" Vegeta asked. He hadn't even thought of that.

"I'll admit, at first that wasn't my intention," Kumberelle replied, then smirked. "But now that I have an incentive," She bent down and put her face right in front of his. "I'm not going to let you leave alive." She laughed maniacally, deep voice and all, as she floated up into the air, her arms raised as she charged two red ki blasts in each palm.

~*~

"Oh. Shit." Krillin mumbled as he stared at the Saiyan female, glowing in red.

"Oh shit is right," Yamcha agreed as he cowered down to the ground. "She's snapped! She's going to kill us!" (A/N: Damn Yamcha and his scariness...)

"She hasn't gone that crazy yet," Piccolo assured them. "I can tell. Don't worry about it yet."

"Don't worry about it yet?" Trunks asked with scared, blue eyes. "My dad's stuck to the ground and she's about to start throwing a bunch of ki blasts at him and you're telling me not to worry yet?!"

Goku put his hand on Trunks' shoulder to comfort him and smiled. "Don't worry, Trunks. You're dad is a very strong man, I'm sure he'll make it through this. Just because she has the upper hand now doesn't mean she'll be the victor. Just relax. Vegeta will be fine."

Trunks half smiled at his father's rival before turning back to the battle below them. "I sure hope you're right, Goku."

~*~

Kumberelle lowered her arms and threw the two charged blasts at Vegeta, along with several others, her power increasing even as she was using it. She laughed louder and louder as she felt power radiating off of him and more power rising within her, as if he was transferring it to her. But it wasn't going as fast as she would've liked, he wasn't losing enough energy. She started to pick up the pace and each blast that hit the Saiyan Prince was stronger than the previous one. She just continued her insane laughter, loving every minute of having the upper hand in the battle for once. She couldn't remember feeling so angry, but while a part of her thrived on that anger and used it as an advantage, another part of her still was very sensible and calm and trying not to get carried away. It was hard work to fight with both "split-personalities" fully active, but somehow she managed. Finally, she stopped her assault to examine the victim. She lowered herself to the ground, panting from her last attack, while the smoke around Vegeta cleared. But once it did, the smirk that was on her face was replaced by a shocked half-frown. Because from that cloud of smoke, was another smirking Saiyan, still confined to the ground.

"What's the matter?" Even in his current state, he had the nerve to tease her. Just like Vegeta, huh? "Didn't have the effect that you wanted?" Not only was he still a Super Saiyan, but he had little damage done to him, only a few burns, but nothing major.

"How the... What the..." Kumberelle was dumbfounded.

"I used my ki to protect myself with a shield," Vegeta answered. "Although it wasn't as strong as I would have liked it be. As you can see I was still burned a little bit."

Kumberelle growled and kicked him in the side in frustration. "Damn it! This is going to take too long."

Vegeta smirked at her aggravation, loving every minute of it. Sure, she looked like the devil himself (or in this case, herself) by her appearance, her power was considerably larger, and he was "chained" to the ground at the moment, but he still had the confidence and arrogance he felt was needed to win the battle. - And if she wouldn't use these weak techniques to hold me down here it would be much easier! Damn woman!-

"Weak techniques?" Kumberelle asked, her voice dripping with vehemence, having just read his thoughts. "Just what do you mean by that?"

Vegeta tried not to smirk, for he knew that she would do that. His plan was working. "These ki confinements you used to hold me down here. They are weak. If you were really that strong, you wouldn't need to hold me down like this."

Kumberelle glared her red eyes at him as she thought over what he just said. It was true, she didn't need to chain him down like a dog if she wanted to beat him, but it sure did make it more interesting and a hell of a lot funnier. "Alright," She sighed. "You win."

Barely a second later, the ki brackets disappeared and Vegeta stood up quickly, rubbing his wrists and stretching his legs before going into another fighting stance, his all too familiar smirk plastered on his face. He slowly extended his hand, and curved his fingers toward him in a beckoning motion, waiting for her to make the first move.

She just glared at him as she got into a fighting stance of her own, her determination and her anger shown in her bright red eyes. She smirked also when a plan formed in her head, a plan oblivious to anyone but her. Oh yes, this was going to be fun.

~*~

"Wait a minute," Trunks turned to the adult spectators that were around him. "Didn't she just transform and go all psycho?" Everyone narrowed their eyes at him and nodded slowly. "Ok, so if she's so crazy and everything, how could my dad talk her into... uh.... 'letting him loose'? If she was so crazy, she wouldn't have paid attention to a word he said, right?"

"Good... question, Trunks," Krillin mumbled, while scratching his formally bald head.

"Maybe she just hasn't gotten crazy enough, Trunks," Goten chirped.

Trunks rubbed his chin as he thought about it, then glanced over his shoulder at the woman and shook his head. "I don't know, Goten. She looks pretty crazy to me. And her power rose a lot... and it keeps rising."

Now it was time for the tall, green, turban-clad warrior to speak. "Maybe Vegeta is her weakness. From what I've seen at the Lookout, she seemed very fond of him..... or had some other special connection to him.... maybe he's the only thing that can penetrate her defenses."

Trunks' eyes widened slightly as Piccolo finished his theory, and nodded his approval. "That makes sense." And if it was true, Trunks was sure how to win, if his father ever needed his help.

~*~

With a battle cry, Kumberelle lunged herself at her opponent and started one of those annoying punch and kick sessions, with Vegeta dodging and blocking them. He was surprised to find that her speed had increased and seemed to keep increasing, but he still held his own. He grabbed her foot as it went flying towards his face and sent an uppercut to her jaw, making her fall to the ground. Growling, she flipped herself back up and punched him again, but he caught her fist and sent his foot to the side of her head. She growled again, louder this time, and used her free hand to shoot an urgent ki blast at him, which he dodged easily. Finally prying her other fist from his grip, she disappeared and reappeared into the air. Vegeta stared at her a little bit before joining her, starting an airborne struggle with Vegeta once again on defense, blocking and dodging every punch and kick. She faked him out, making him think she was going to punch, and when he went to block it, she kneed him the stomach. She planted an uppercut of her own once he was doubled over, which sent him flying downward, but he caught himself and flew back up to the sky, charging up a ki blast and sending it toward her. She dodged it, but she figured out that it was a distraction too late when she felt her neck being squeezed by the Saiyan Prince, evil smirk and all. She gasped for air as he kneed her in the process, and her eyes widened, finding that there seemed to be no air anywhere around.

"Can't breathe?" Vegeta said mockingly as he tightened his grip. "Too bad. Guess you'll be seeing your parents in the afterlife sooner than you expected."

That did it. Kumberelle's power skyrocketed and flared around her as she punched and thrashed wildly, miraculously finding a little bit of air. One of those punches somehow connected with Vegeta's face, causing him to reel back and let go of her neck. She didn't waste any time, she sent more kicks and punches at him, many of which he failed to block. Her speed and strength had increased since he made his little comment about her parents, and he made a mental note not to do that again. She screamed and kicked him so hard in the stomach that he was the one having trouble breathing now. She threw her elbow into his back, sending him down to the ground to create yet another crater. She lowered herself to the ground, waiting for him to get up so that she could pound on him some more, but she didn't expect him to lunge at her as quickly as he did. She was so startled that the only thing she could do was use her telekinesis. Once Vegeta was mere inches away from her, she stopped him mid-stride, his fist about to launch itself at her. She smirked when she saw his determination to move, but her mind was keeping him confined to that one spot and position.

"Woman!" The Saiyan Prince shouted. "What the hell did you do?"

Her smirk widened. "Just one of the many perks of having telekinesis, that's all."

Vegeta grunted and groaned as he tried to move, but he couldn't. All he could do was talk and shout and complain, everything Vegeta was known and loved for. "Woman, stop with these foolish tricks! Let me move, now!"

Kumberelle sighed and shook her head. "I don't believe there is a planet for you to rule on anymore, therefore, I don't have to take orders from you now, do I?"

"I think you're a weakling if you need to result to this," Vegeta said, ignoring her question. "If you're that scared, let me just kill you and get this over with."

Kumberelle growled at being called a weakling, her tail flicking dangerously behind her. Her pride wasn't going to let her be insulted that way, especially coming from the son of the man that was afraid of the power of a 5 year old. "Alright, fine. Have your wish." She stepped back a few steps, but didn't let him go right away, much to Vegeta's confusion.

"Well do it alread- Ahhh!" He was interrupted when she finally decided to let him go, having caught him off guard, making him fall to the ground. She started to laugh as he got up and dusted himself off. "Alright enough of the nonsense! Fight me now! I demand that you-"

"Oh shut up," Kumberelle said, annoyed. "I'm tired of the 'high and mighty' attitude. Just get into a fighting stance and charge at me."

Vegeta glared at her, but complied nonetheless, wondering what his son was a few moments before, why her anger wasn't impairing her good judgment. Kumberelle was wondering it herself, although part of her knew, but was too stubborn to admit it. Instead she got into a fighting and grinned to herself, thinking about the plan that she was sure was going to do Vegeta in.

Gohan and Videl's Search...
Videl stared in awe at the seven balls that were flickering with light, each one with it's own number of stars painted in red on its orange surface. The only real indication that their search was the real thing was the grinning Saiyan in front of her, for only Gohan could produce something this unfathomable to her life. But it was real, it was as real as her love for the often naive hero.

"I feel like I'm in a dream..." Videl said, still in awe. "I can't believe these seven, tiny balls can grant wishes. It's so... unreal..." Gohan smiled at her as she continued, "But I guess I should expect these kinds of things from someone who's been saving the world since he was 5."

Gohan chuckled a little. "Yeah, it is pretty unbelievable at first, but trust me, they work. How do you think all the people that were killed by Cell came back to life?"

Videl turned her head to Gohan. "I never thought of that..." She turned to the Dragonballs again and sighed dreamily. "I can't believe it... after all these years I'm going to see my mom again." She walked over to an unsuspecting Gohan and threw her arms around his neck. "This was a great idea, Gohan. I don't know how to thank you."

Gohan blushed at the sudden embrace, and at the comeback that suddenly crept into his mind from out of "the gutter". "Oh, you don't have to thank me, Videl. I love... to help you out... in any... way I can." He almost slipped and said he loved her, and she looked puzzled at his stuttered speech, but just shrugged it off and turned her attention back to the still glowing Dragonballs.

"Ok," Videl said, then added with a happy jump. "Let's summon the dragon now!"

Gohan grinned and was about to do just that, but something else occurred to him. "Hey, Videl, I just remembered something. We have two wishes now. Is there anything else you want to wish for?"

Videl put a finger to her lips as she thought about it. Sure, she could think of a couple of things that she'd want more than anything. For example, for someone to finally beat her dad and put his humongous ego to rest, or a little less attention from every single person in school (besides Gohan of course), and maybe for Sharpner to suddenly die of a horribly disfiguring disease, but she would never wish for anything like that. And then there was always Gohan... but she didn't want him if it was dishonest. She wanted him to choose her on his own freewill, not because he was forced.

She shook her head in answer to Gohan's question. "Nothing else I can think of. Do you want to wish for anything?"

The same thought crossed Gohan's mind as well. Life would be just perfect if Videl was his girlfriend, but wishing for such an event to occur was completely out of the question. Of course it would be cool for Goku to stay on Earth, but he figured his father would come to the same conclusion as before: that the Earth was too dangerous with him living here. Surprisingly, Gohan allowed himself to believe that with enough persuasion, his father just might stay on Earth forever.

He voiced the more sensible of the choices he thought of to Videl. "We'll just save the next one for after Vegeta's battle, that way if she somehow kills him, or some other horrible event like that, we can wish him back."

Videl nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. Now... summon the goddamn dragon!"

Gohan laughed at her and shook his head at her impatience. After taking a deep breath, he called out, "Eternal Dragon! By your name I summon you forth! Shenron!"

Videl gasped at what came next. The sky turned into a mass of unforeseeable darkness as a blinding light cascaded from the seven balls. Out from this light spawned the most incredible sight she'd ever seen, a huge dragon whose body twisted and coiled in never-ending spirals, two long, slender arms and legs sticking out with sharp claws only a dragon could possess. His head contained a huge mouth, with a long, red tongue that stood out as much as the flared nostrils and whisker-like tentacles on it's nose. His eyes were by far what held your attention, the glowing red orbs that suggested a majestic quality that almost gave you the instinct to bow, to give the utmost respect to this being that stood at an implausible stature. It was certainly a sight to see, a once in a lifetime vision that would forever be stored in the back of her mind.

"Holy... shit..." She muttered, her eyes as wide as Sharpner's forehead.

"You have awaken me from my slumber," The dragon dubbed, Shenron, bellowed with it's powerful voice, stunning Videl even more. "I will grant you two wishes."

"Alright, Videl," Gohan smiled at her reaction. "Here it goes."

Videl nodded dumbly as Gohan called to the dragon. "Shenron, please bring..." He paused and turned back to Videl. "Uh... what's your mother's name?"

It took a while for Videl to break free of her amazement. "What? Oh... uh... her name was Angel Satan."

It took everything for Gohan not to laugh at the absurdity of her mother's name. "Shenron, please bring Angel Satan back to this dimension!"

There was a pause, then a soft grunt from the mystical dragon. Gohan looked confused, but was set back on track when the dragon said, "Your wish can not be granted."

Panicked, Gohan turned to Videl. Her mouth was hanging open slightly, and she didn't appear to be blinking much. It was obvious she was stunned, but Gohan didn't know the half of it.

Just like that, her dreams were crushed. Just as she was beginning to look at life with a new meaning, to actual enjoy leading her chaotic life, most of the time anyway, something had to come crashing down on here, killing all particles of optimism.

It wasn't fair. No matter how many robberies she stopped, no matter how many tournaments or matches she won, no matter how many "friends" she acquired, she still ended up getting screwed. Her mother was taken away from her, her father was constantly telling her she could do better in everything, from her academic life to her social life, and now she couldn't even bring her mother back, the only person in the entire world who could make her happy and feel loved.

She turned to Gohan then and realized that wasn't true. As long as she had Gohan, nothing could possibly go wrong.

"Are you ok, Videl?" Gohan asked in a gentle tone that made Videl smile.

"I guess...," She answered. "I just don't understand why."

Gohan turned around and asked the dragon why Videl's mother refused to come back, as reverantly as possible. In answer, the dragon said, "Angel Satan does not feel that she is needed on Earth anymore. She is confident that her daughter has done a good enough job growing up, and she doesn't need any further assisting."

Videl smiled. "That sounds just like her..." A single tear rolled down her cheek as she thought of the opportunity that was just lost.

Gohan smiled sympathetically and hesitantly put an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about it, Videl. Everything will be just fine, I promise."

The sincerity of his words touched her deeply, and she told him as much, succeeding in causing a bright red blush upon his innocent features. However, this endearing act of affection was trying the Eternal Dragon's patience. Gohan blushed once more and apologized, letting the dragon know that they would summon him again in four months, when the balls recharged again. And with that, the majestic dragon disappeared, along with the seven balls that scattered across the Earth once again, the darkness returning to light.

"I'm really sorry, Videl," Gohan told her.

"It's ok," Videl replied. "It's not your fault... Who knows... maybe I am better off with just you here with me."

Gohan smiled. "I'll always be here... remember that."

"I will." She looked back at the sky and said, "What do you say we join the others and watch Vegeta's fight?"

"Sounds good to me."

The two teens took off into the air at unimaginable speeds, and unbeknownst to them, a woman with a heavenly name and raven hair smiled, totally convinced that one day, her daughter would marry the fine boy she was with, and be more happy than she could ever make her.

The Battlefield...
Powers raged. Anger increased. And seven warriors, accompanied with two children, watched on in shock as two enormous powers clashed, both glowing brilliant colors, both with eyes full of determination, and both with pasts so traumatizing and alike that it was a wonder why they were fighting at all. But they both knew why. It was all about power, pride, and proving that they were the best, once and for all. Now, all fright was forgotten, all worry was diminished. All that remained were the attributes that were commonly linked with their forgotten race. Anger. Hatred. Arrogance. Pride. That was all they had left at that moment. It didn't matter that the male of the two had a family to consider, it didn't matter that he once pitied his opponent for her odd attachment to him. And it didn't matter that the female of the two had her own responsibilities to consider, or that she might not even survive the battle. All they both knew was that they were going to win, or die trying.

And as the prince of this forgotten race kicked his opponent in the chin, he smirked at her, a smirk that spoke a thousand words. It not only showed his cocky attitude, but it also showed just what his opponent hated about him, and what she loved. It showed his confidence, something she thought she liked about him, but now it began to annoy her. The mixed emotions a simple gesture brought within her only made her angrier at the complexity of her confusion, and she almost wanted to kill herself just to escape the overwhelming agony deep within her. But she knew she couldn't. She owed it to her father... her mother... to win this battle and prove her superiority.

She flung her fist toward his face, and annoyingly, although not surprisingly, he caught it, and she thought she might die as a fresh wave of frustration crept into her soul. Why was it so hard to prove her dominance? Why was it so hard to beat a man who's father was afraid of the power of a 5 year old girl? Even with all these powers, all these special capabilities she possessed, she still couldn't beat the simplest of Saiyans, the only remaining one of full blood that still remembered where he came from, the one that could easily be broken down with the right amount of hard work.

Apparently, it wasn't as simple as all that, and he forced a powerful kick to her middle, bringing her to the ground again. It seemed like she hit the ground a thousand times that day, and even though her power had rose significantly, as did her speed and anger, she still wanted to cower in a corner and die somewhere. It was all too confusing, too overwhelming, too... impossible to defeat such a powerful force. And the fact that he kept smirking and taunting her did nothing for her either.

She pushed herself up anyway however, hoping and praying deep within her that the plan she had formulated in her head earlier would work. She hadn't tried it in years, for it was too dangerous to use very often. But, desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Still too stubborn to let me put you out of your misery?" Vegeta asked, sadistic smirk and all as he shook his head in mock disapproval. He was feeling so good that he decided to hit the sensitive subject he knew would cause her power to surge. "Just like your father... you just insist on learning the hard way."

Kumberelle stared at him for awhile, not knowing what to do about it. Despite the fact that she had "snapped", despite the fact that anger boiled within her and was just waiting to be released, she still felt a tremor of... pain. Of course the Prince of Saiyans had said much worse to her, but only now had the harshness of his words sunk in, and it almost hurt physically, so much so that she felt like she was going to fall at the hands of a tremendous weight of some sort. For the first time in a long time, she felt like crying and screaming at the same time, she felt like blowing up everyone in sight, and at the same time wanting to ask them for help. She felt like a tormented child... a human child.

~*~

All nine occupiers of the mountain that looked down on this intense battle looked up into the sky as two new figures rushed toward then at inhuman speeds. Goku squinted into the sky until he matched the kis up with their faces and smiled.

"It's Gohan and Videl!" His youngest son called out for him, jumping up and down with excitement.

The two teenagers landed shortly afterward and exchanged greetings with everyone. Goten was particularly interested in telling Videl all about the battle, in seven year old English that made Videl grin, as Goku talked quietly with his son.

"So how's the battle going?" Gohan asked. "I felt some really big powers while we were gone."

"Vegeta seems to be doing pretty good," Goku answered. "But it's hard to tell." Gohan nodded and turned toward the battlefield. It wasn't as much as interest in the battle that kept his eyes locked at the scene, he just wanted to avoid the question lurking in his father's onyx eyes.

"So..." Goku recognized his son's avoidance, but decided to press it anyway. He asked in a whispered tone, "Did you tell her yet?"

Gohan sighed miserably. "I just couldn't, Dad. It's never been the right time. She was so excited all day about seeing her mother again... I didn't want to chance ruining her good spirits with something like that... and then we summoned the dragon and she found out her mother can't be wished back..."

"She can't?" Goku looked both sympathetic and surprised. "Why not?"

"She doesn't feel the need to. She thinks Videl has grown up just fine without her."

Goku grinned. "Apparently you think so too." He laughed at his son's blush and gave him an encouraging, fatherly smile. "You have to tell her soon, Gohan. You know that, right?"

Gohan sighed again. "Yeah... I know... and I will. I just need a little more time."

Goku glanced at the raven-haired woman in question, sitting on a rock with Goten in her lap, talking a mile a minute about everything he'd done and seen all day in extreme detail, and smiled warmly. He turned to his oldest son again and looked almost sad for a minute. He'd missed his son grow up, he didn't even know he had another one, and now his oldest was falling in love and his youngest was an always curious 7 year old. He dreaded leaving at the end of the month now more than ever, and as he touched Gohan's shoulder, Gohan could see the pain radiating from his dark eyes.

"Just do it quickly, son," Goku told him gently. "I don't want to miss another precious moment of your life... I want to be there for as many as I can."

Gohan nodded, the only thing he seemed to be capable of as Goku turned around to look at the progressing fight. Never had he been so surprised by something his father said. The sincerity and nostalgia held in his voice touched him deeply, and he knew exactly what he was going to wish for when the Dragonballs were recharged. There was not a doubt in his mind.

In four months, he was going to have his father back.

~*~

With a small groan, Kumberelle once again found herself tasting dirt. It seemed to get harder and harder, because although her power was growing steadily with each blow that came in contact with Vegeta and each insult he through at her, her confidence and composure came rushing out of her at an uneven ratio. She could no longer think straight at this point, but she wasn't blind with anger, she was blind with sadness and frustration. More than ever she wanted to cry out and beg for him to just put her out of her misery, but the part of her that thrived on supremacy, no matter how small at this point, wouldn't let her give up hope.

But hope seemed so far away now, for that tiny part of her soul had not yet kicked in. She was trembling on the ground now, both in anger, but mostly from fighting back tears. She looked like a pulsating mass of red light, and each twitch caused a small sound of agony to escape to her mouth. Her voice wasn't as deep and demonic, but softer and smoother, like her original voice, and Vegeta watched in slight horror as her twitching began to get violent and uncontrollable. She looked like she was cold, but yet she couldn't be, because the power that was emanating off of her could surely warm an entire city. She slowly sat up, still trembling, and brought her face in her hands. Vegeta's eyes widened when he heard her crying, but while a certain part of him wanted to laugh at her for it, there was another part of him that realized that they weren't tears of pain, they were tears of frustration.

He stared wide-eyed as the red from around her body seemed to flow from her slowly, and her power seemed to rise and fall at the same time. What the hell was going on? He didn't know, but he suddenly had the desire to pull a Frieza: To run and hide like a little bitch.

~*~

"Gohan... what the hell?" Videl asked, even though she knew he wouldn't have an answer.

"What the hell is right," Gohan replied, his mouth slightly opened as he looked at the shivering Saiyan on the ground. "Why is she crying and convulsing like that?"

"From the looks of it," The forever wise green man named Piccolo offered his theory in his always deep, powerful voice. "It's out of frustration. She's angry and frustrated at the same time, not just because she can't win, but there seems to be another reason too. She's giving off weird ki surges too... she could be performing some sort of technique. This woman has way too many capabilities."

"You got that right," Goku agreed, a look of concentration on his face. "I sure hope Vegeta kills this woman today, because her powers are way too unexplainable and unpredictable... and weird."

Piccolo nodded, and the prince's lavender-haired son looked extremely worried, but also determined.

"If you need me, Dad," He whispered to himself. "I'm ready."

~*~

Vegeta backed away slowly as Kumberelle fought to get to her feet and regain her composure. There was something about her tears and her weird ki that unnerved him a little bit, that gave him a slight streak of compassion that he was sure was due to the damn woman and her influence. It dissolved when she arose, however, and he smirked at her again as she got into an obligated fighting stance.

Without warning, Vegeta let out a battle cry and lunged toward her. She wanted to scream out at the sudden outburst, but she felt her throat being crushed under the prince's strong grip. He lifted the choking Saiyan female from the ground, her tail swinging wildly, as if calling for frantic help. Her black eyes widened as she felt her life decreasing, and Vegeta laughed maniacally, a surge of pleasure running through him that he hadn't felt since he was under Frieza's control and eradicating planets.

A tear ran down her face, thinking her days were through, but then she suddenly changed her mind, that single strand of courage still alive somewhere in her soul. Concentrating as hard as she could, she decided that now was as good a time as any.

Within seconds, a blinding light seemed to burst from out of nowhere, so bright that Vegeta dropped Kumberelle and covered his eyes. The light was so blinding that it actually hurt. It also seemed to disable his senses temporarily, for he couldn't feel anyone's ki anymore, all he could see was bright light and a stinging pain in his eyes. He silently hoped that it just disabled his 6th sense, but his question was answered when the light began to slowly fade away, as was the pain his eyes were under.

~*~

"What the hell was that all about?" Videl asked when she was able to see again.

"My guess is Kumberelle," Gohan answered, rubbing his sore eyes like a child.

"You're right, Gohan," Piccolo told him in his monotone voice. "It was."

"Look!" Goten called, pointed one small finger toward the battle.

Everyone gasped at what they saw. There was Kumberelle, hovering over Vegeta with that familiar red light surrounding her, giving emphasis to the deep voice that accompanied it as she laughed maniacally. But what was a real surprise was the state Vegeta was in. He was trapped in cage made entirely out of fire, and it appeared to be shrinking every second, so that Vegeta had to crouch down to escape getting burned.

The look on his face was incentive enough for Trunks, and he immediately changed into a Super Saiyan as he flew desperately toward Kumberelle, determined to make her free his father. In his mind, it wasn't as life risking as it appeared, for he felt his father's life was much more important.

*~*~*~*~*
Don't you just love the cliffhangers? You probably don't care, as I can see from my lack of reviews. But it's ok, I picked a pretty typical storyline. Next time I'll have to be more original. For those of you still interested in my story, I post the estimated time I think it'll take for the next chapter to be out, on my profile. And I also posted some new ideas I have for fics, so if you guys would email me or tell me in a review which ones are stupid as hell and which ones are good ideas, I would greatly appreciate it. Ideas are also appreciated, and if you include your email address, I'd be happy to send you an email when the next chapter is out.

Next Chapter: Trunks works diligently to try and save his father from death, as the fire-cage gets increasingly small by the second. After force fails to work, Trunks tries a new tactic that has surprising results.