A/N: Hi minna-san! Sorry this chapter took so long to get out, but I think it was the toughest one to write. Before I started writing this story, I had planned out the basic structure I wanted it to take, but there are still so many details that I have no idea what to do with. Add that to the fact that I'm supposed to be grounded L . Thank you so much for the reviews, they're the only thing that keep me going! Luv ya, and on to the story!

Disclaimer: I'm positive that in some alternate universe, I own DBZ. I'm also positive that in some alternate universe, Captain Ginyu is the supreme ruler of the universe.

Scroll Three::Record One

You want to be the talk of the world/ You want to have a shining future/ This and that are your true dreams/ Don't let anything get in your way

The news of Vegita's death didn't come as a surprise to Chi-Chi.

Somehow, that didn't make it any easier to deal with.

In a strange way, Chi-Chi knew that Vegita had done the right thing. The bond between Vegita and Bulma had been so strong that when Bulma died, Vegita would have wasted away to nothing. He would have been a shadow of a man for months before he too would have died. Chi-Chi knew that Vegita had too much pride to allow his people to see him as a broken man.

In the back of her head, when Chi-Chi saw Bulma lying in the streets in a pool of blood, she knew that she was in fact witnessing the deaths of her two best friends, and not just one. However, the pain had just been too much. Chi-Chi had passed out.

Her next conscious thought was lying in a soft, warm bed, and two hazy figures hovering worriedly over her. As she blinked the sleep out of her eyes, she recognized the figures. Yamucha and Goku were sitting by the bedside, each with an expression of sad and scared desperation on their face. As they realized that Chi-Chi was stirring, they both started. Yamucha took her hand in his, a huge smile on his face.

Goku started to reach out to stroke her cheek, but hesitated and dropped his hand, looking awkwardly at his brother. Yamucha helped her sit up, still holding her hand. Chi-Chi looked down at their intertwined hands, but didn't say anything. Instead, she calmly stared at the two of them.

"What happened when I was asleep," she asked, voice strangely low and flat.

The two brothers glanced at each other warily. They had both expected Chi-Chi to start crying, screaming, anything but look as detached as she was right now. In reality, what Chi-Chi wanted more than anything was for the pair to just leave her alone so that she could scream and rage and sob. However, if Chi-Chi's friendship with Vegita had taught her anything, it was that in times of pain and terror, it was best to forget your emotions and feelings, to become cold and calculating. Later, when a situation was more stable, and when you were all alone, then you could pour your tears onto your pillow.

Goku spoke up first. "Vegita took Bulma's body and prepared a small ceremony, burning her for the gods. Later the same day, he killed himself. When his body was found during the night, there was a huge panic. Nobody knew what to do since there wasn't a Chief anymore." He lowered his head, not wanting to speak anymore. He could see the pain carefully masked in Chi-Chi's eyes. He could hear her silent screams, and it was too much for him to take. Yamucha picked up the narrative.

"Everybody wanted you to take the place of Chief, but that idea was quickly thrown down, since without you, there wouldn't be a Priestess. That's when everything went horribly wrong." He paused for a few seconds, collecting his thoughts, and then continued. "You know the legend, a Priest or Priestess must belong to one of three lineage's. The most dominant one is the Maou lineage, and the other two ancestries have been dormant for centuries. The other lineage's are Daimaou and Gero, but nobody has heard of a descendant from those ancestries since the beginning of time, and were thought to have died out.

"You have to understand, Chi-Chi, you were unconscious for over a week, and nothing that Goku or I did could wake you." Chi-Chi gasped at the amount of time that she had been out, but Yamucha didn't hesitate in the account.

"The day after Vegita's body had been found, the city was in chaos. So many innocents had been killed, and there was nothing to be done. Almost everyone had taken refuge in their houses, but everything was in disarray. And then, the city door's opened."

Chi-Chi couldn't take it anymore. She shot out of bed and tried to run toward the exit, only to slam into Goku. He grabbed her shoulders and held her in place.

"Please!" Chi-Chi shrieked, all semblance of calm and control forgotten. "I have to get out! If the doors opened days ago, the city's probably destroyed! How many were killed?!" Goku tipped her chin up to look at him, and the look on his face froze Chi-Chi in her tracks. He was angry, angrier than she'd ever seen him in the short time since they'd first met. Of course, anger was the primary emotion in Chi-Chi's life. She could deal with that. What Chi-Chi couldn't stand was the deep sadness, the confusion, the longing for everything to be okay. He gently pushed her back onto the bed and sat down, waiting for Yamucha to continue.

Only pausing momentarily, Yamucha resumed the narrative.

"When the city doors opened, everybody went outside to check what had happened. The sight of the doors opening by themselves looked like magic; they all thought it was some kind of sign from the gods." Yamucha spat angrily. "Fools."

"An old man, dressed like a Priest, walked in, surrounded by what looked like his sons and daughters. They were different from us; they're eyes were the color of the sky, not black or brown like they should have been. And their hair…" Yamucha paused, contemplating his next words. "One's was red, like a flame. Another's was yellow. But that was okay; Bulma had strange colored hair. But the old man claimed to be called Gero. He claimed to be a Priest, Chi-Chi. He said that he was one of the First People, that he was a descendant from the lineage called Gero. He said that he had come to deliver us, that he had heard of the death of the Chief, and that he would become Priest in your place.

"Of course, almost everybody refused to accept it. At first, a few were in favor of the idea, because with Gero as Priest, you could become the Chieftain. However, Gero threw down the idea, and said that one of his sons would take the position of Chief. At that, the entire village went mad. They only wanted you as Priestess. So Gero tried convincing us. That's when the sacrifices began."

Yamucha stopped, pounding his fist onto the mattress. Goku continued the story. "Gero said that if we didn't accept him as leader, that he wouldn't hesitate to slaughter the entire city. Nobody believed him, and a few of the warriors went to kill him. It didn't really work out like that. One of Gero's sons –I think they called him Juunana- went out to meet the warriors. He was small and slim, with long black hair. Everyone underestimated him, but in one move, the three warriors fell down dead."

Goku bent his head as if asking for forgiveness. "I tried to stop them, Priestess, I really did." He smiled to himself. "I did good, too. I managed to knock him down a few times, but the coward ran behind me and pinched a nerve in my neck, and I fell down unconscious. I woke up here." Goku growled angrily. "I don't know why he didn't just kill me. He killed so many others."

Yamucha continued for his brother. "Gero and his children murdered everybody that opposed him. About one-third of the city is dead. Gero and his children are in control. Chi-Chi, I don't know what's gonna happen to you. Gero is Priest now, and nobody's sure if he'll kill you. The reason that Goku and I refused to let you leave this house was because there are guards stationed right outside. They'd probably kill you if you set a foot outdoors."

Chi-Chi absorbed the news excruciatingly slowly. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. There was no possible way that in the space of one week, Gero could have systematically conquered the city. And who opened the doors in the first place? This old man couldn't be Gero, that family had died out centuries ago! There wasn't any possible way, this had to be some cruel, sick joke.

Chi-Chi hesitantly got to her feet, swayed slightly, and then walked to the windows and peered outside. Oh gods, there were guards stationed outside of this house! Inside of her city! Her city!

She started to march outside to order the guards to leave or face certain death, when Goku caught her around the waist and laid her back on the bed. He clasped her hands in his and looked at her, gaze pleading.

"Chi-Chi, please," he whispered, voice barely audible. "You have to understand. Gero is, at this moment, deciding what to do with you. If you take a step outside, they'll kill you. And Chi-Chi, with the people that they've killed so far, they haven't burned them to the gods. Gero's just hacked them up in little pieces and dumped the in the city square as a reminder to the rest of us. Chi-Chi, those people that were killed have no way of reaching heaven if they're bodies aren't burned. I tried to fight, but I wasn't able to beat all of them. Please, Chi-Chi. Understand. They'll kill you if you set a foot outside."

* * * * *

The hours were passing by slower than she had ever experienced them.

Strange, how time went so unbearably slowly when a person had no idea what their fate would be.

As her mother once had said, "There's something worse than being in danger, and that's being in possible danger. Not being sure, risking the wrong word to the wrong person. Feeling suspicion, doubt, fear, and risking those emotions being sensed. But above all, not keeping your guard up."(1)

Chi-Chi had never understood those words as clearly as she did now. Now, that her fate was in the hands of a man that she had never met. But if there was one thing in which she was determined, it was that she would not go into battle without some type of information!

Chi-Chi pulled Goku aside and sat him down on a chair. Sitting down across from him, she took a deep breath and began.

"Goku, tell me all that you know about the man that you faced. Tell me all about Juunana."

Goku looked surprised for a moment before his face screwed up in concentration. It was a while before he started talking, and then he spoke slowly. "He was short, maybe an inch taller than you. He had shoulder-length black hair, and light blue eyes. It was the eyes that were really strange; they looked like a cat's eyes. He was really slim, but you could tell that he had a bit of muscle definition. I can't remember a lot else, but his fighting style was like nothing I've ever seen before. He could block almost every punch and spear thrust I made as if it were in slow-motion, and I could barely see his counter-attack. I was only able to knock him down once. He had let down his guard because he thought that I was too hurt to move, but I jumped up from the floor and punched him in the stomach. When he reeled back, I was able to get a few hits in, but he side-stepped me and knocked me on the neck."

Chi-Chi grit her teeth and poured over the information. This strange man was stronger than Goku, but she had no idea how powerful Goku really was. It was probably time to test that out. If she could surpass Goku in strength, then she would have a fair chance in defeating the intruders.

"Goku," she said softly. "I'm going to punch you in the face as fast as I can, and you're gonna try and block it."

Goku looked confused. "But Chi-Chi, why would you want to hit me?"

Chi-Chi growled in frustration. "Just think of it as a test. If you can block at least half of the punches that I aim for you, and manage to hit me at least once in return, you'll regain full status as a warrior."

A smile lit up Goku's face. "Fine, but…"

Chi-Chi hadn't hesitated. Her fists blurred toward Goku's face, and his hands shot out to harmlessly knock away her punches. Chi-Chi's eyes widened, but she continued her onslaught with even more ferocity. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blur of movement, but couldn't move fast enough to stop it. Goku's fist connected with her cheekbone, and she stumbled back, holding her face in bewilderment.

Chi-Chi removed her hand from her face, and her eyes widened at the sight of the blood staining her fingertips. She stared at it as if in a trance, before looking up at Goku, eyes narrowed.

Goku started forward, looking worried. "I'm sorry, I hadn't met to hit you, it was a reaction…"

Chi-Chi's hand flew upward to silence him. She gazed back down at her hand and lifted it tentatively to her lips, tongue darting out to taste the blood. She frowned in consideration. 'Two,' she thought. 'I aimed at least twenty hits at him, and only two connected. And his fist moved so fast, I couldn't even raise my hands to defend myself.' Her eyebrows furrowed in thoughtfulness and apprehension. 'If I could barely hit him, then how much stronger must be Juunana? Wait! I could barely hit him! How could someone this strong exist? Vegita was always stronger than me, but even he wasn't nearly as powerful as this man. How could someone as strong as this escape my knowledge? Why didn't Yamucha tell me his brother's full capabilities?!'

"You're stronger than my brother," Goku said hesitantly. "He never could lay a single hand on me, even though he's older."

Chi-Chi nodded absentmindedly. "Of course. I'm Priestess." She suddenly turned to look back up at him. "You've proven yourself," she said quietly. "I'll never allow anybody to show prejudice toward you because of some of your…hesitancies…for a few of our rituals. You're my charge now, and I've decided that you'll be made a warrior."

Goku let out a cry of joy and hugged her to him. Taken by surprise, Chi-Chi allowed the embrace for a few moments, but then pushed away embarassedly. Trying to regain some of her dignity, she straightened her hair. "In fact," she added. "I've also decided that you'll be my guardian. You'll protect me from everybody. You're the strongest man that I've ever met. Besides Vegita, I've never met anybody that can come close to rivaling my strength."

Goku stared at her, completely shocked. Had Chi-Chi really just assigned him guardianship of her? What did that mean? He had heard of some Priests having guards before, but only in times of war. Did Chi-Chi really think that Gero was that much of a threat? If so, their entire world was about to be jumbled and reorganized.

"What does that mean? What am I supposed to do?"

Chi-Chi stared shrewdly at him, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I don't know whether or not Gero is going to order me killed. I don't know if he'll give me joint leadership, I just don't know. I'm not sure, I had no visions about this. You will not be my protector in the strictest sense of the word. If Gero order's me executed, you are not to fight unless you believe that you can win." She took a deep breath. What was she doing? "I don't want you to die. I just want you to stay by my side and watch out for me. My main goal is to kill Gero and his children. That is my purpose, and you're not to interfere. However, if small objects try to interfere, I want you to stop them. And you will not to tell Yamucha about this." Chi-Chi sat down, suddenly weary. She laid her head in her hands for a few seconds, then tensed. Looking around the room, eyes narrowed, her eyes finally landed on Goku. "Where is Yamucha?"

Goku shrugged. "He snuck out an hour ago, and told me not to tell you unless you asked. I don't know why."

Chi-Chi rounded on him, suddenly furious. "He left, and you didn't tell me?! How couldn't you tell me? What did he think he was doing, he could be caught and killed! What if something happens to him, the stupid idiot!" Chi-Chi took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Goku, please. From now on, if you have any type of information, please tell me. Even if you don't think it's important."

Goku nodded and sat on the floor. He closed his eyes. This was all too much. All of the events of the previous days, it was just too much to deal with. The death of his two best friends. Bulma, lying in the street, surrounded by bright red blood. Vegita's tortured face as he picked her up in his arms. The arrival of Gero. How could this happen? How could so many things go wrong in such a short amount of time? He'd never had a great life, being constantly ridiculed and hated. It was hard sometimes, listening to the jeers of other people. Not paying attention to the names and threats, but his friends had always helped him deal with it all. And now they were gone. How could someone so evil have arrived in his beautiful city? It just wasn't fair.

What did Gero want? He was fairly certain that it wasn't just power. Gero wanted something, and he had gone to any lengths to get it. He had killed all those people. All those villagers, lying in their own pools of blood, faces ashen and streaked with red.

And now, being made a warrior and Chi-Chi's protector in the space of a few minutes. Chi-Chi. Goku smiled softly. It hurt just to look at her. He couldn't stand seeing her pain. Gods, she was beautiful. Even now, when she was deathly pale, and her black hair stood out shockingly against her face, she was the most gorgeous creature he had ever seen. Was there any possible way to describe his emotions at this very moment? The warmth billowing through his body, the flush decorating his cheeks. His heart felt like it was going to explode with happiness and fear, and for some strange inexplicable reason, he had the sudden urge to hop around the room.

But at the same time, he was sadder than he had ever been. He had no idea what was going to happen next, and he could only hope that it would all turn out okay. While Chi-Chi had been unconscious, he had heard her screams and sobs. He didn't know what nightmares she had been having, but they must have been awful if they could make her sob like that. Almost unconsciously, he reached out and took Chi-Chi's hand in his.

Chi-Chi gasped softly when she felt Goku's hand slip into hers. It was so warm. Chi-Chi shuddered. She had always been cold. Growing up, she had always slept in layers of clothing, and always with at least three blankets. No matter how hard she tried, she could never shake the cold that would seep into her very soul. The sudden feel of a warm touch completely disoriented her. Almost whimpering, she sat down next to Goku, struggling desperately to retain some of the warmth.

Goku stared down at her in shock. Chi-Chi had lain her head on his shoulder and was almost frantically clutching onto his arm, pressing up against him. He opened his mouth to speak. "Chi-Chi, I…"

Chi-Chi shook her head and interrupted him. "No, please. I'm so cold." She buried her face farther into his chest, clutching onto him. "Why. Why is it that no matter what I do, I'm always so cold?"

Goku put aside all objections and let her hold him. He tentatively wrapped his arms around her, and she rubbed her face against him. Smiling softly, he laid his head on top of hers and closed his eyes. They were both asleep immediately.

* * * * * *

If you think about it enough, pieces of a puzzle will always fall into place. Goku and Chi-Chi, however, simply don't have enough information yet. Strange, how two people and their actions can effect the entire world. Even stranger, though, is that the power to withstand rests in wait for the ones who will effect everybody, and that it always appears at the most inopportune time. You may not understand this; just know that sooner or later, you will.

* * * * * *

Rough hands shook Chi-Chi awake. Strange, but her rest had been oddly peaceful. The nightmares that had haunted her dreams every night since Gyuu's death had mysteriously stopped.

Blinking sleep from her eyes, she focused on a pair of coal-black eyes. Yamucha stared down at her, eyes carefully blank. He pulled her up to her feet and held up a finger to keep her quiet. Chi-Chi looked at him in confusion. Yamucha's gaze softened and he half-way grinned at her.

"I found a way out," he said. "If you want to, we can leave the city."

Chi-Chi's eyes hardened and she furrowed her brow indignantly. "If you really think that I'm going to abandon the city, you obviously…"

Yamucha held up another finger to his lips and interrupted her. "I knew that you were going to say that, so I found an alternative. I'm sure that we can sneak into the Chief's temple and kill Gero." He frowned. "I really wouldn't recommend that, though. Gero might me an anemic old man, but his son certainly isn't." He giggled nervously. "I really don't want to face that one. Honestly, I think that guile and trickery will be much more useful right now."

Chi-Chi peered up at him. "Why don't we just capture the old man and hold him prisoner until he agrees to leave?"

Yamucha laughed again, then stifled it when Chi-Chi shot him a death-glare. "I really think that we'd be doing Juunana a favor. He seems awful anxious to get rid of his dad. Hah, he'd probably offer us a position in his little government if we did the job for him."

Chi-Chi frowned at him angrily. "Where's Goku?" she asked. Yamucha jerked his head to another room. "He's trying to get a good view outside, to see if Gero is coming."

Chi-Chi raised an eyebrow and turned to stare at the room where Goku had disappeared into. She closed her eyes. She could still feel the sensation of his arms around her, the way her body molded perfectly to his. She sighed softly. How was it that her entire body had reacted to the simple feeling of her hand in his? There couldn't be any possible way that she could want anybody that much.

Chi-Chi shook her head to rid her memory of those thoughts. She narrowed her eyes in rage. She could concentrate on any task that she'd ever been given, but one man holds her hand, and her self-control goes out the window, lands in the street and gets run over. Repeatedly.

She took a deep breath and thought. On the one hand, if she were to escape into the jungle with Yamucha and Goku, they would probably be safe. However, not only would she be abandoning her people to their-probably cruel- fate, but she would be running from a challenge. Add that to the fact that life with two men would be undoubtedly difficult. On the other hand, if they snuck into the Chief's temple, they could die, be captured and tortured. Or they could succeed in capturing Gero, and the newcomers could leave the city. Or else Yamucha was right, and Juunana would laugh in their faces, send Gero to his fate, and continue controlling the city. All in all, there weren't many options that would end happily.

Suddenly, Goku burst through the door, and skid to a halt in front of them. He motioned out the door. "Gero, Juunana, and the two with red and yellow are coming."

Yamucha cursed angrily. He turned to Chi-Chi. "What are you going to do? We can still make it."

Chi-Chi bit her lip, and turned to stare at Goku. He was staring straight into her eyes, waiting for instructions. Chi-Chi subdued the myriad of emotions that had rose up at the sight of him and furrowed her brow. There had to be some way to deal with this. Goku drew the dagger from his belt, every muscle in his body tense. Chi-Chi clenched her fists tightly, nails digging into her flesh until blood seeped through her fingers. "Goku," she began. "Is there any way that I can beat him?" Goku bit his lip. He could have sworn that there was a bit of desperation in her voice, but it was so faint that he couldn't be sure. He shook his head. There was simply no way that Chi-Chi stood a chance.

Chi-Chi's shoulder's sagged, then straightened. "I'll offer myself up," she whispered. "I'm not going to risk anybody else being killed." Yamucha and Goku both stood up to argue, but she shot them both a glare and continued. "I'll allow myself to be taken prisoner, but only so that I can learn more about these people. Know your enemy, after all. I'm smart, I can figure out there weaknesses. As long as they don't try to kill me, I'll be fine. I doubt that they'll do that though, most everybody in the city would certainly rise up if they actually tried to hurt me."

Yamucha glared at the floor. Goku, however, is the one that voiced all of their concerns. "And what happens if they do try to kill you? You can't fight them."

Chi-Chi shrugged carelessly, trying desperately to keep a calm façade. If she panicked…Maybe, if no one talked about the possibility of her death, it wouldn't happen. Maybe they wouldn't try to kill her. She struggled to hold back her tears. No! She was determined to die strong and brave, without crying. She would hold back the tears.

"If they try to kill me, then I can't really do anything about that, can I? I'm not strong enough to stop them." She met Goku's eyes. "You're not to try to stop them, do you hear me?! I'm letting myself be captured willingly, and I swear that if either of you try to stop me, I'll find a way to hurt you very, very badly."

At that moment, the doors burst open.

Four figures were silhouetted against the door frame. The one in front really did look like an anemic old man. He was fairly tall, with a tan, handsome face, and long white hair. He would look almost like a kindly grandpa, if it weren't for the ice cold blue eyes. The one directly beside him had to be Juunana. The only way Chi-Chi could describe him was absolutely gorgeous. His perfectly chiseled features, the beautiful persian blue eyes, the long black hair; everything about him was flawless.

Behind them were two people that Chi-Chi had never seen before, but suspected that they were the two that Yamucha had briefly mentioned previously. The girl was beautiful, with golden colored hair, the same cold blue eyes, and the same physical features as Juunana, and the tall man beside her was probably her brother, on account of the same eyes, but with flaming red hair, and an awesome physique.

Juunana grabbed Chi-Chi by the arm and dragged her outside of the building, then threw her on her knees in front of Gero. Yamucha and Goku both started to run outside, but the tall red-head blocked the entrance.

Chi-Chi ground her teeth together and stood up, determined to look her captor in the eye. Gero quirked an eyebrow at her, eyes traveling all over her face. He suddenly smiled coldly. "You're the Priestess?"

Chi-Chi nodded wordlessly. Gero burst out laughing. "I guess that you're wondering what I've decided to do with you," he said, more of a statement than a question. He continued without waiting for an answer. "To tell you the truth, I had wanted to see you awake before I made my decision. You're two guards," he said, jerking his head behind him to Goku and Yamucha, "have been fairly adamant on that point. They refused to let anybody into the house while you were asleep, even on penalty of death." He grinned again, letting his eyes travel all over her, much to Chi-Chi's indignation. "I was going to just give you a public death, but now that I've seen you…" Gero grabbed her chin, not noticing when she jerked at his touch. He tilted her head from side to side, admiring her features. "I think that keeping you will be much more beneficial to everybody. Who knows, I may even make a gift of you to my son." He smirked, and grabbed her chest with bruising force.

There was a sudden roar behind her. At that sexual gesture, both Goku and Yamucha had screamed in rage and attempted to break free of the huge red-head, but it was Yamucha with his smaller frame that managed to get loose. He squeezed under the larger man's arms and ran at Gero, spear at the ready. He was actually in mid-leap when a knife seemed to erupt from his chest. He let out a strangled cry and fell to the ground.

Chi-Chi screamed and tore herself away from Gero to kneel beside Yamucha. Behind her, Goku was roaring in rage, trying to get away from the red-head who had him in a strangle-hold. She tried to tug the knife out of his chest, but Yamucha grabbed at her hands and stopped her. There was already blood forming on the corner of his mouth, and a tear slid down his cheek.

Chi-Chi wasn't aware of anything; all she knew was that she was sobbing and that the man in front of her was bleeding to death. Yamucha opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He coughed, and blood splattered on Chi-Chi's face. She shook her head, trying to block out the sight in front of her.

Yamucha grabbed hold of Chi-Chi's hands and held them to his chest. He opened his mouth again, but he couldn't seem to speak. Yamucha grimaced in pain. Gods, it hurt so much. His lungs were probably filling with blood. He coughed again, and more blood sprayed onto the face of the woman in front of him. Why couldn't he seem to talk?

Chi-Chi shook her head, tears running down her cheeks to land on Yamucha's face. Oh gods, he was going to die, she was going to be left all alone again. No, that wasn't true, Goku would still be here, but… Why was it that whenever she started building her life back up, it would only be torn down again? Why was it that everybody that she cared for died? She sobbed brokenly, fisting her hands. Yamucha opened his mouth trying desperately to speak again. He was mouthing a single word over and over again. Chi-Chi bent down, trying to hear what he was saying. Strange, it sounded oddly like…love.

Wait. Love?

Chi-Chi's eyes filled up again, and her throat closed off. No, Yamucha couldn't love her. She had always known that he had had some type of feelings toward her, but love? No, he couldn't love her, not now, not when he was going to die! Her chest seized, and she shook her head.

"You love me?"

Yamucha smiled sadly and took her hands to press against his cheek. He mouthed something else, and she once again pressed her ear against his mouth. What was he saying? She couldn't tell. She withdrew and shook her head, wiping her eyes. He coughed and spoke a little bit louder. "Go."

Chi-Chi shook her head harder. "What, Yamucha? What? Go to what? Gods, you can't leave, please, you can't leave."

Yamucha turned to his brother. Goku stopped struggling with his captor, and met his brother's gaze. Yamucha nodded slightly, and Goku returned the gesture, tears forming in his eyes.

At that moment, Yamucha's eyes closed, and his hand went limp.

Chi-Chi shook her head once more. "No," she whispered. She choked back a sob, and wiped her eyes. Struggling to her feet, she turned to look at the group in front of her. The blonde. It was the blonde that had thrown the knife at Yamucha. Chi-Chi started for her, but the Juunana grabbed her shoulder. The raven-haired youth smiled at her, somewhere between a smirk and a sad grin. He took her hand and started walking her back to the Chief's temple. Gero had already left, disgusted at the display of emotions. Chi-Chi followed numbly. All of the anger had drained out of her when Juunana had stopped her, and all that remained was a dully throbbing sadness.

Juunana turned to the red-head. "Bring her guard along."

He continued walking, guiding Chi-Chi toward the temple. "The old man's not going to hurt you, or your guard over there," he said conversationally. "Of course, he's not going to be around much longer."

Chi-Chi turned empty eyes to look at him. "What do you mean?"

Juunana smirked at her. "I mean that he's going to die sometime very soon. You have nothing to fear, though, ex-Priestess. I'm not going to hurt you, either."

They continued walking for a few minutes, but it all ground to a stop when they reached the city square.

Juunana took a step forward, but Chi-Chi was frozen in place, staring at the carnage in front of her. Gods, there were so many bodies. Hundreds of dead, rotting, putrid bodies were piled high in the midst of the square, the stench of their blood permeating the air. Juunana turned to see why she had stopped, then grinned slightly.

"Oh. My father's warning to those that would rise against him. Extremely crude, but when you're weak, you live for shows of power."

Chi-Chi shook her head in disbelief. It couldn't be true. There were hundreds of people slung over each other. The elders, the women, the children. Oh gods, she knew that little girl, strewn across the road with both of her arms gone! That was the sweet, curious little child who always came to hear her stories, and to see her exhibitions. The bile rose up in her mouth, and she collapsed. She was falling through an ugly gray sky, and the polluted wind was whipping through her hair. An instant before she lost consciousness, she felt a pair of ice-cold hands lock around her own.

A/N: Yaah, I'm finally done with this chapter. Personally, I didn't like this one very much. I just thought that it was boring. Not enough romance, not enough violence, and I'm not happy with the way that I described Yamucha's death. However, the reader's decide. BTW, I need feedback on two categories. First off, today's Saturday. If I can get 10 reviews by Tuesday, then the next chapter of LotS will be up by the Tuesday after. Second, I'm deciding whether or not to add some sexual content. I'll go with popular demand- review and tell me if you want a lemon, a lime, or no sex whatsoever. I'm more inclined to lime's, but it's your decision.

(1)- I got this quote from the book "Through a Brief Darkness," but I changed a whole lot of the words. Just making sure I don't get sued.

DaneGohan- Thanx, you're reviews mean so much to me! I'm trying to utilize SpellCheck to the max, but I know that nothing's perfect J

Chrystaline- Thank you for the advice! I'll try not to do the 'dead' thing again. Yeah, there are going to be four parts, with each a different time-line.

Seraphsaiyan- I know that I got a little angsty with the deaths, but hopefully it'll all turn out okay. Thanks!

Girl Pan- Thank you so much! When a person almost starts crying, it shows that I'm doing a good job portraying emotions. I almost got high off of your review, with all of the praise. I luv you!

Chuquita- I love InuYasha! Yeah, I love seeing Chi-Chi as the heroine, she get's so little appreciation.