I told ya it wouldn't be too long! Here is the second to last chapter and
the big fight! Woohoo! Hope you like!
Kaoru.the Saiyan?? Chapter 18: Defeat and Victory
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Kaoru put on her training outfit slowly, still not knowing how to handle the knowledge that she was expected to kill. She finished tying her hair back and stepped out into the yard where the rest of the Z Gang was already assembled.
"Hey, guys."
Goku watched worriedly as Kaoru blew a breath through her mouth and ran her hand over the top of her head. "Kaoru, are you up to this? We can try again on our own."
Kaoru shook her head. "No. I told him I would fight him and I'm a woman of my word. And I DON'T want you guys jumping in to fight unless I'm completely incapacitated, understand? You said there was a lot of honor involved in these fights of yours and I'm not about to change that."
The gang nodded and they all headed off to do some stretches.
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Kenshin sat in his room up against the wall, his sword propped up on his shoulder, eyes closed and breathing deeply. I can do this. I must do this. For Kaoru, I can do anything. He stood up and moved to the trunk that held his belongings.
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Aoshi watched as Misao sat meditating. Her ki rose and fell evenly, never jumping from one point to the next, just an even flow. She moved over to sit in front of him and held out her hands. "Give me your hands, Aoshi."
He looked at her questioningly, but did as he was told. Misao grasped his hands and moved them so they were palm to palm. "Now, Aoshi, close your eyes and just feel."
She pumped her ki slightly and focused on their joined hands. Aoshi's eyes snapped open as he felt a soothing warmth surround him. "Misao?"
She let it fall and looked at him. "Feel better? You were so tense a second ago."
Aoshi rotated his shoulders experimentally. "Yes, I do feel better. Thank you, Misao."
Misao smiled tenderly at him. "You're welcome. Now, let's go start breakfast. I don't hear anyone else in there so I guess it's up to us."
Aoshi nodded and followed Misao out of the room.
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Kaoru and the gang entered the kitchen as the smell of breakfast wafted out to them. Goku took a seat at the table and watched, his smile growing, as Misao and Aoshi brought platter after platter of food out. Kaoru eyed him strangely. "We have a huge battle coming up. All of us are depending on a woman who has never really battled before, which is me, and you're still excited about food?"
Goku scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "What happens will happen. I can't do anything on an empty stomach."
Kaoru looked around the table. Saitou, check. Sanosuke, check. Yahiko, check. Aoshi, check. Misao, check. Goku, Vegeta, Trunks, Gohan and Piccolo, check, check, check, check and check. Kenshin.where the heck.
"Hey, Misao?"
"Yeah, Kaoru?"
"Where's Kenshin?"
Misao looked at her food. "I know he's in his room. I knocked to tell him breakfast was almost ready and he said he needed to stay in his room until it was time to go. I think he's meditating or something."
Kaoru nodded, but grew a bit worried. "It isn't like him to hole himself up when there's trouble. But he's usually the one to fight. I haven't really considered how he feels having to sit back and knowing he can't do anything about this."
Vegeta felt around for Kenshin's ki and his eyes grew slightly. "Don't worry about him, Princess. He'll be fine."
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Kaoru grew more nervous as the day went on. She meditated, she had Misao try to calm her, she had Piccolo try to calm her, she even thought sparring with Yahiko like she used to would help. She finally accepted the fact that her nervousness would stay with her and waited patiently for the time to leave.
Piccolo came up to her as the sun shifted from its position in the middle of the sky. "Let's start some more stretching exercises. It's almost time to go."
Kaoru stretched with the other Saiyans and Piccolo, hoping the loosening of her muscles would help a little with her stress. After it was done, Goku laid a hand on her shoulder. "Get everyone together. We need to leave."
Kaoru sent Aoshi and Misao out to the yard and tried desperately to persuade Sano, Yahiko and Saitou to stay at the dojo. "Please, guys. I need you all to stay here and make sure the dojo is kept safe. What if Nakago sends his goons here while we're all away?"
Saitou snorted at her. "He won't. If anything, he'll have them at the battleground, waiting for a chance to attack you so he can gain the upper hand. I've fought too many people like him during the Bakumatsu. He's a coward, challenging someone who's never battled before to a fight. He won't send his cronies anywhere but where he is."
Kaoru was ready to battle some more, but the set of the three men's jaws made her reconsider. Kaoru sighed, the battle lost. "Alright. Go outside and wait with the others."
She made her way to Kenshin's room. "Kenshin? Are you ready to go?"
Kenshin's shoji slid open and Kaoru stepped back uncertainly as she eyed him from top to bottom. "Kenshin?"
His hair was in a high ponytail, the magenta gi had been replaced by a midnight blue one, the white hakama traded for a pair of grey and two swords hung at his side. She eyed his hands and noticed his arm guards and then looked up into his eyes. The once gentle violet gone and hard amber in its stead. She reached down with a trembling hand and drew one of the swords, whispering a hoarse 'no' as she looked at the regular katana. She asked the question even though she already knew the answer. "Battousai?"
Kenshin breathed deeply. "Your rurouni cannot handle this, Kaoru. Fight your battle. The rurouni will return when it's over."
Kaoru nodded, fully trusting in what he said.
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They arrived in a huge valley, a few hills and cliffs keeping them secluded from others. Kaoru looked around for any people. Gohan noticed and spoke to her. "We already checked for residents. The closest people are fifteen miles from here. No one will see or hear anything."
Kaoru nodded and began to panic. "What if Nakago doesn't know where we are? What if he starts terrorizing innocent people?"
Vegeta looked up and his eyes hardened. "No need to worry about that."
Nakago spoke silkily to them. "Why, hello again. I see the little princess still wants to play. I do hope I don't disappoint." He bowed mockingly and Kaoru glared at him. Her nervousness was replaced by anger and she growled low in her throat.
Ready to get it over with, she motioned for the Z Warriors to get everyone else a safe distance away. She charged Nakago and they each attacked with an elbow to the back. Nakago chuckled at her. "Seems you've learned a few tricks."
Kaoru growled again. "That's not all I've learned." She swung around, driving her knee into his back and brought her joined hands down on his neck, sending him slamming into the earth.
Nakago flew out from the ground as soon as he hit and they went at each other, meeting blow for blow, kick for kick. He managed to get behind her and launched a ki attack, sending her careening into a cliff side.
Battousai stepped forward as the cliff seemed to explode. Trunks put up a hand to still him. "Just wait."
After what seemed an eternity, the rubble began to shake and lift. Kaoru looked up and smirked at Nakago. "Finally fighting now?"
She put up her hands and gave a shout, the debris flying at Nakago. He stopped it before it hit him and let it fall. "Such amateur tactics won't work on me, child."
Kaoru gave a shout and her hair turned gold and her eyes flashed green. She flung a ki blast at Nakago as she flew towards him. He slapped it away, only to see another one right behind the first. It hit him and he sailed backwards. Kaoru disappeared and then reappeared right behind him, swinging around so her knee connected with his midsection and then grabbing the back of his head, spiraling both of them toward the ground. She let go at the last second and pulled back, watching as Nakago stood slowly after his impact. He dusted himself off and came back at her, shooting ki blasts at her feet.
Kaoru jumped around, hoping he would exhaust his supply of energy. She was so wrapped up in avoiding the blasts that she didn't pay attention to where she was going. She jumped in front of her friends and jumped out of the way. She realized what she had done and turned, eyes wide, seeing it all in slow motion as the ki blast meant for her shot straight through Kenshin's chest. She didn't see Misao running over to help him or hear the shouts of the Z Warriors telling her he'd be fine. All she saw was the beam enter him over and over in her mind. She turned to face Nakago, angry at him and at her carelessness.
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Misao reached Kenshin and put one hand on his forehead, the other on his chest. She closed her eyes and light surrounded them both as she channeled some of her life energy into her friend.
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Kaoru dropped to her hands and knees, digging her hands into the dirt. "How could you? He was just a bystander."
Nakago snickered. "It's all your fault. I was aiming for you, remember? But then again, what's the big deal? He's just a weakling." Nakago mocked her further, gasping as though he just realized something. "Oh that's right. You were in love with him. Pity you won't be able to have a relationship since he's dead."
Kaoru's rage increased. Saitou was yelling at her that Kenshin was almost healed, that he would be alright, but she didn't hear it. She continued to let her anger fester. She began to glow and electricity seemed to surround her body. Kenshin, healed by this time, tried calling out to her, but she was too far gone.
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"Kaoru! Listen to me! Kaoru!" Kenshin tried desperately to reach her.
"She can't hear you. She has let her anger take over. She's no longer fighting with her head. All she wants now is to see Nakago suffer and then die. None of us will be able to reach her." Vegeta spoke without looking at Kenshin. He was too busy watching Kaoru reach for a power that she had never experienced before.
You can do it, Princess. You can reach the fourth stage. Just a little more.
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Her eyes turned white and her hair grew long and turned black again. Her tail swished behind her furiously and her eyes returned but were a deep red, the edges of her eyes rimmed with black. She snarled and stood to look at Nakago.
Nakago faltered back a few steps. He had intended to break her spirit, possibly infuriate her so he could have a fun battle, but he never thought she would become this powerful. He began to seriously question his ability to beat her, especially in this state.
"Nakago, that was a huge mistake." She stepped slowly toward him, looking much like a large cat stalking its prey. "Now that you've killed the man I love, I will kill you. I have no reservations about doing so now. You just sealed your death."
She stopped walking and disappeared, materializing in front of him and punching him in the face. He flew backwards, the force of her hit more than he had anticipated. He managed to stop himself, but Kaoru was right there. She punched him again, but this time she hit from all angles, flying around him too fast for him to know where she was.
As she continued, Nakago wore down so much that he could barely stand. She stopped circling and hit him one last time, creating a groove in the hard ground as he slid to a stop. She powered up, a loud yell coming from her mouth as she lifted into the sky. She looked down at Nakago and smirked.
"I hope you enjoy Hell, you fucking coward." She began to send small energy blasts into him, wearing him down further using one of her brother's favorite attacks. She soon realized the same attack was coming from behind and above her and she looked over her shoulder to see Vegeta attacking with her. She looked over her other shoulder and noticed the four other warriors powering up.
She moved out of the way as Vegeta joined them and watched as they put all their power together, creating a huge blast that blinded everyone momentarily.
She looked over as the dust settled and didn't see Nakago anywhere. Piccolo smirked at her. "You defeated him without having to kill. We took care of that for you."
Kaoru kept looking around, half-expecting him to appear at any moment. "Is he dead?"
Goku nodded. "He is. You won't have to worry about him anymore and neither will we."
Kaoru gasped and spun around to where her friends stood. She saw the gentle violet eyes of the rurouni smiling at her and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Kenshin!"
She flew into him and hugged him fiercely. "You're okay. You're okay. You're okay."
Kenshin hugged her back. "I'm alright, Kaoru. Don't worry about me."
She stepped back and smiled at him. "I guess that means I can power. down.now." She pitched forward as she passed out from exhaustion and Kenshin caught her.
"Rest, Koishii. You deserve it." Kenshin whispered as he lifted her up and touched Goku, ready to go home.
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A/N: Whew. Harder than I expected. I see such cool images in my head, but when you put the words on paper, it loses something. Oh well. I tried. I apologize to anyone who was offended by the f-bomb. I just felt it fit in that spot. Hope you enjoyed my first TRUE attempt at action and let me know what you thought! Hugs & Kisses!
Kaoru.the Saiyan?? Chapter 18: Defeat and Victory
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Kaoru put on her training outfit slowly, still not knowing how to handle the knowledge that she was expected to kill. She finished tying her hair back and stepped out into the yard where the rest of the Z Gang was already assembled.
"Hey, guys."
Goku watched worriedly as Kaoru blew a breath through her mouth and ran her hand over the top of her head. "Kaoru, are you up to this? We can try again on our own."
Kaoru shook her head. "No. I told him I would fight him and I'm a woman of my word. And I DON'T want you guys jumping in to fight unless I'm completely incapacitated, understand? You said there was a lot of honor involved in these fights of yours and I'm not about to change that."
The gang nodded and they all headed off to do some stretches.
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Kenshin sat in his room up against the wall, his sword propped up on his shoulder, eyes closed and breathing deeply. I can do this. I must do this. For Kaoru, I can do anything. He stood up and moved to the trunk that held his belongings.
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Aoshi watched as Misao sat meditating. Her ki rose and fell evenly, never jumping from one point to the next, just an even flow. She moved over to sit in front of him and held out her hands. "Give me your hands, Aoshi."
He looked at her questioningly, but did as he was told. Misao grasped his hands and moved them so they were palm to palm. "Now, Aoshi, close your eyes and just feel."
She pumped her ki slightly and focused on their joined hands. Aoshi's eyes snapped open as he felt a soothing warmth surround him. "Misao?"
She let it fall and looked at him. "Feel better? You were so tense a second ago."
Aoshi rotated his shoulders experimentally. "Yes, I do feel better. Thank you, Misao."
Misao smiled tenderly at him. "You're welcome. Now, let's go start breakfast. I don't hear anyone else in there so I guess it's up to us."
Aoshi nodded and followed Misao out of the room.
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Kaoru and the gang entered the kitchen as the smell of breakfast wafted out to them. Goku took a seat at the table and watched, his smile growing, as Misao and Aoshi brought platter after platter of food out. Kaoru eyed him strangely. "We have a huge battle coming up. All of us are depending on a woman who has never really battled before, which is me, and you're still excited about food?"
Goku scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "What happens will happen. I can't do anything on an empty stomach."
Kaoru looked around the table. Saitou, check. Sanosuke, check. Yahiko, check. Aoshi, check. Misao, check. Goku, Vegeta, Trunks, Gohan and Piccolo, check, check, check, check and check. Kenshin.where the heck.
"Hey, Misao?"
"Yeah, Kaoru?"
"Where's Kenshin?"
Misao looked at her food. "I know he's in his room. I knocked to tell him breakfast was almost ready and he said he needed to stay in his room until it was time to go. I think he's meditating or something."
Kaoru nodded, but grew a bit worried. "It isn't like him to hole himself up when there's trouble. But he's usually the one to fight. I haven't really considered how he feels having to sit back and knowing he can't do anything about this."
Vegeta felt around for Kenshin's ki and his eyes grew slightly. "Don't worry about him, Princess. He'll be fine."
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Kaoru grew more nervous as the day went on. She meditated, she had Misao try to calm her, she had Piccolo try to calm her, she even thought sparring with Yahiko like she used to would help. She finally accepted the fact that her nervousness would stay with her and waited patiently for the time to leave.
Piccolo came up to her as the sun shifted from its position in the middle of the sky. "Let's start some more stretching exercises. It's almost time to go."
Kaoru stretched with the other Saiyans and Piccolo, hoping the loosening of her muscles would help a little with her stress. After it was done, Goku laid a hand on her shoulder. "Get everyone together. We need to leave."
Kaoru sent Aoshi and Misao out to the yard and tried desperately to persuade Sano, Yahiko and Saitou to stay at the dojo. "Please, guys. I need you all to stay here and make sure the dojo is kept safe. What if Nakago sends his goons here while we're all away?"
Saitou snorted at her. "He won't. If anything, he'll have them at the battleground, waiting for a chance to attack you so he can gain the upper hand. I've fought too many people like him during the Bakumatsu. He's a coward, challenging someone who's never battled before to a fight. He won't send his cronies anywhere but where he is."
Kaoru was ready to battle some more, but the set of the three men's jaws made her reconsider. Kaoru sighed, the battle lost. "Alright. Go outside and wait with the others."
She made her way to Kenshin's room. "Kenshin? Are you ready to go?"
Kenshin's shoji slid open and Kaoru stepped back uncertainly as she eyed him from top to bottom. "Kenshin?"
His hair was in a high ponytail, the magenta gi had been replaced by a midnight blue one, the white hakama traded for a pair of grey and two swords hung at his side. She eyed his hands and noticed his arm guards and then looked up into his eyes. The once gentle violet gone and hard amber in its stead. She reached down with a trembling hand and drew one of the swords, whispering a hoarse 'no' as she looked at the regular katana. She asked the question even though she already knew the answer. "Battousai?"
Kenshin breathed deeply. "Your rurouni cannot handle this, Kaoru. Fight your battle. The rurouni will return when it's over."
Kaoru nodded, fully trusting in what he said.
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They arrived in a huge valley, a few hills and cliffs keeping them secluded from others. Kaoru looked around for any people. Gohan noticed and spoke to her. "We already checked for residents. The closest people are fifteen miles from here. No one will see or hear anything."
Kaoru nodded and began to panic. "What if Nakago doesn't know where we are? What if he starts terrorizing innocent people?"
Vegeta looked up and his eyes hardened. "No need to worry about that."
Nakago spoke silkily to them. "Why, hello again. I see the little princess still wants to play. I do hope I don't disappoint." He bowed mockingly and Kaoru glared at him. Her nervousness was replaced by anger and she growled low in her throat.
Ready to get it over with, she motioned for the Z Warriors to get everyone else a safe distance away. She charged Nakago and they each attacked with an elbow to the back. Nakago chuckled at her. "Seems you've learned a few tricks."
Kaoru growled again. "That's not all I've learned." She swung around, driving her knee into his back and brought her joined hands down on his neck, sending him slamming into the earth.
Nakago flew out from the ground as soon as he hit and they went at each other, meeting blow for blow, kick for kick. He managed to get behind her and launched a ki attack, sending her careening into a cliff side.
Battousai stepped forward as the cliff seemed to explode. Trunks put up a hand to still him. "Just wait."
After what seemed an eternity, the rubble began to shake and lift. Kaoru looked up and smirked at Nakago. "Finally fighting now?"
She put up her hands and gave a shout, the debris flying at Nakago. He stopped it before it hit him and let it fall. "Such amateur tactics won't work on me, child."
Kaoru gave a shout and her hair turned gold and her eyes flashed green. She flung a ki blast at Nakago as she flew towards him. He slapped it away, only to see another one right behind the first. It hit him and he sailed backwards. Kaoru disappeared and then reappeared right behind him, swinging around so her knee connected with his midsection and then grabbing the back of his head, spiraling both of them toward the ground. She let go at the last second and pulled back, watching as Nakago stood slowly after his impact. He dusted himself off and came back at her, shooting ki blasts at her feet.
Kaoru jumped around, hoping he would exhaust his supply of energy. She was so wrapped up in avoiding the blasts that she didn't pay attention to where she was going. She jumped in front of her friends and jumped out of the way. She realized what she had done and turned, eyes wide, seeing it all in slow motion as the ki blast meant for her shot straight through Kenshin's chest. She didn't see Misao running over to help him or hear the shouts of the Z Warriors telling her he'd be fine. All she saw was the beam enter him over and over in her mind. She turned to face Nakago, angry at him and at her carelessness.
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Misao reached Kenshin and put one hand on his forehead, the other on his chest. She closed her eyes and light surrounded them both as she channeled some of her life energy into her friend.
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Kaoru dropped to her hands and knees, digging her hands into the dirt. "How could you? He was just a bystander."
Nakago snickered. "It's all your fault. I was aiming for you, remember? But then again, what's the big deal? He's just a weakling." Nakago mocked her further, gasping as though he just realized something. "Oh that's right. You were in love with him. Pity you won't be able to have a relationship since he's dead."
Kaoru's rage increased. Saitou was yelling at her that Kenshin was almost healed, that he would be alright, but she didn't hear it. She continued to let her anger fester. She began to glow and electricity seemed to surround her body. Kenshin, healed by this time, tried calling out to her, but she was too far gone.
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"Kaoru! Listen to me! Kaoru!" Kenshin tried desperately to reach her.
"She can't hear you. She has let her anger take over. She's no longer fighting with her head. All she wants now is to see Nakago suffer and then die. None of us will be able to reach her." Vegeta spoke without looking at Kenshin. He was too busy watching Kaoru reach for a power that she had never experienced before.
You can do it, Princess. You can reach the fourth stage. Just a little more.
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Her eyes turned white and her hair grew long and turned black again. Her tail swished behind her furiously and her eyes returned but were a deep red, the edges of her eyes rimmed with black. She snarled and stood to look at Nakago.
Nakago faltered back a few steps. He had intended to break her spirit, possibly infuriate her so he could have a fun battle, but he never thought she would become this powerful. He began to seriously question his ability to beat her, especially in this state.
"Nakago, that was a huge mistake." She stepped slowly toward him, looking much like a large cat stalking its prey. "Now that you've killed the man I love, I will kill you. I have no reservations about doing so now. You just sealed your death."
She stopped walking and disappeared, materializing in front of him and punching him in the face. He flew backwards, the force of her hit more than he had anticipated. He managed to stop himself, but Kaoru was right there. She punched him again, but this time she hit from all angles, flying around him too fast for him to know where she was.
As she continued, Nakago wore down so much that he could barely stand. She stopped circling and hit him one last time, creating a groove in the hard ground as he slid to a stop. She powered up, a loud yell coming from her mouth as she lifted into the sky. She looked down at Nakago and smirked.
"I hope you enjoy Hell, you fucking coward." She began to send small energy blasts into him, wearing him down further using one of her brother's favorite attacks. She soon realized the same attack was coming from behind and above her and she looked over her shoulder to see Vegeta attacking with her. She looked over her other shoulder and noticed the four other warriors powering up.
She moved out of the way as Vegeta joined them and watched as they put all their power together, creating a huge blast that blinded everyone momentarily.
She looked over as the dust settled and didn't see Nakago anywhere. Piccolo smirked at her. "You defeated him without having to kill. We took care of that for you."
Kaoru kept looking around, half-expecting him to appear at any moment. "Is he dead?"
Goku nodded. "He is. You won't have to worry about him anymore and neither will we."
Kaoru gasped and spun around to where her friends stood. She saw the gentle violet eyes of the rurouni smiling at her and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Kenshin!"
She flew into him and hugged him fiercely. "You're okay. You're okay. You're okay."
Kenshin hugged her back. "I'm alright, Kaoru. Don't worry about me."
She stepped back and smiled at him. "I guess that means I can power. down.now." She pitched forward as she passed out from exhaustion and Kenshin caught her.
"Rest, Koishii. You deserve it." Kenshin whispered as he lifted her up and touched Goku, ready to go home.
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A/N: Whew. Harder than I expected. I see such cool images in my head, but when you put the words on paper, it loses something. Oh well. I tried. I apologize to anyone who was offended by the f-bomb. I just felt it fit in that spot. Hope you enjoyed my first TRUE attempt at action and let me know what you thought! Hugs & Kisses!
