Disclaimer: *looks at sleep patterns of the past few weeks* Nope, too tired. No intelligent disclaimers today. *posts a CLOSED sign on the door* Goodbye! Come back next chapter! You all know I own nothing anyway. =P

A/N: PHEW!!!! This chapter seemed to take even LONGER than usual.... how horrid. (This means we're even again for owing reviews, Tenshi!!! *is attacked with yogurt*) Anyway, if I ever needed feedback, it's now more than ever. Action scenes, I have found, are surprisingly difficult....thus I need all the help I can get. =P  Anyway, my apologies to all those who have been waiting for this chapter (which unfortunately for me isn't very many, but o well!! It makes me feel important to say it, lol), I'll TRY not to take so long with the next one.... keyword being 'try'..... *sweatdrop*

*snickers* I discovered the most interesting thing scribbled in the margins of my notebook as I was typing this chapter up... I must have written part of this chappie on a Wednesday night, because the margin was positively FILLED with death threats towards my music theory teacher, whose lessons are on Wednesdays. *stifles cruel laughter* It was really quite a good threat, too...I was quite proud of it when I found it....I must have been REALLY mad when I wrote it down, that's for sure!! Lol...

Ooh, I was SO annoyed at my computer's formatting on the last chapter!! The nonsensical combination of numbers, letters, and symbols was ORIGINALLY the Japanese characters for Torankusu....but do you think the proper formatting would show up? Nooooooo!!!!! Thanks to Tenshi, though, for pointing the stupid error out to me....... =P

Lastly, but certainly not least, this chapter is dedicated to one of my newest friends, Jordan. His review for the last chapter came on a day when I was feeling even lower than usual, and his review brought me up out of my depression. So, thank you Jordan! Thus, this chapter is dedicated to you.

Meaningless - chapter 6

Desperation

The bright autumn day had been transformed into something out of a twisted nightmare. The once intensely blue skies were shrouded with menacing columns of thickly rising black smoke, which billowed upwards without so much as a hint of ceasing. The very air seemed to shrink away from the burning city in fear, and dread hung as heavily in the air as the ominous clouds of sulfurous smoke.

Vegeta flew with blinding speed towards the city under attack. With each passing second he felt more lives vanish, but they did not concern him. All that mattered was that the jinzouningen were still there when he arrived, so he could vent the full power of his wrath upon them. The lives still remaining in the city were dwindling, and Vegeta increased his pace still further in his anxiousness to catch his prey.

Just as his patience was at the point of breaking, Vegeta caught sight of the distant metropolitan area, slightly hazy on the horizon. As the distance to his destination  decreased, he was able to pick out the similarities to the South City disaster, even if this area was not yet at that extreme state.

Buildings were cracked and broken, several had collapsed or caved in, causing even more damage to the surrounding streets. Dust rose in thick clouds from the many disturbances, and bright globes of energy erupted throughout the crumbling city. As he drew nearer, the determined Saiyan could hear the terrified screams of the jinzouningen's victims

A thirsty sneer twisted the Prince's aristocratic features. Soon those loathsome Androids who had staked their claim on HIS planet would be writhing in agony at his hands...should he choose to allow them to live that long. A vivid image of Bulma's tear-streaked face and swollen eyes flashed through his mind and Vegeta's expression darkened. He would definitely make them suffer before they were granted the blessing of death.

There were no more screams now.

The explosions had reduced to about half of their previous frequency, and seemed to be coming from the same approximate location. Vegeta flew towards that spot, landing soundlessly on a small surface of cracked, but otherwise still intact, pavement.

When the dust cleared, Vegeta's brows shot up in surprise and mild confusion. Before him were two young people - practically children. A blonde girl sat casually on the broken curb, the epitome of boredom etched upon her delicate features. Nearby, a thin boy was blasting debris and wreckage by the use of energy attacks with one hand.

The warrior's frown deepened. These were the jinzouningen?!? The ones responsible for the massacre of South City, the incredible forces with enough power to annihilate all of Chikyuu's strongest defenders effortlessly? It couldn't possibly be them...not these underage, skinny youths with no air of battle experience whatsoever. Yet the strange absence of ki in their bodies and the energy shooting from the black-haired one's hand clearly suggested otherwise.

Abruptly, Vegeta began to laugh. It began low and deep in his throat, then burst from him to resound through the stifling air with surprising volume. Both jinzouningen jumped, though their initial surprise was soon replaced by cool, bemused observation.

Vegeta stepped towards them, sneering.

"You are the Androids?!?" he scoffed, the mocking in his words so thick one could almost walk on it. The blonde raised an eyebrow, but Vegeta ignored the warning and continued. "The supposedly unbeatable foes? Forgive me if somehow I'm not quaking in my boots!"

Eighteen surveyed Vegeta's feet critically.

"You should be." she commented dryly. "They certainly aren't very stylish."

Vegeta was about to retort when Seventeen flew lightly down from his perch atop a pile of crashed vehicles and eyed the skeptical Prince up and down. His own expression was identical to that of the Saiyan's and his eyes glittered wickedly.

"So." he stated simply. "We finally meet the elusive Vegeta. Ready to join your friends, are you?"

Vegeta snorted.

"Hardly."

Seventeen returned the gaze with equal confidence.

"Well," he stated flatly, though his mouth twitched upwards in a cruel smile. "Perhaps we can change your mind."

The Saiyan's smirk faded, and he glared dangerously at the other male, growling.

"If I were in your situation, Android, I would not be so confident as to be making jokes. This time it is your turn to experience the meaning of pain."

Seventeen blinked disbelievingly a few times, then abruptly burst into uproarious laughter. Turning his back to the fuming prince, he walked, shaking, back to his sister, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

"My, my!!" he exclaimed, still laughing. "The files said he was arrogant, but even I didn't expect THIS!" He gestured widely in Vegeta's direction. "I think our friend here could make a fortune as a comedian! You'd better take him, Eighteen! I'm going to be laughing a while yet!"

Vegeta watched in outrage as the male jinzouningen nearly rolled with hilarity, and felt his blood begin to boil.

How DARE he!! Vegeta expostulated inwardly. Does he not realize what he is up against? And how do they know my identity?

Vegeta shook his head, pushing the distracting thoughts to the back of his mind as battle sense took over. If he was going to punish the jinzouningen thoroughly, he would need his concentration to be complete.

Vegeta spat at Eighteen's feet and smirked.

"I hope you know what you're getting into, for your sake." he jeered. "You may have defeated the others, and for that I give you some credit, but you cannot hope to survive against one of the strongest fighting races in the universe!" His eyes flashed in challenge. "Come, Android! Try your might against the Prince of the Saiyans!"

Eighteen merely raised an infuriatingly unimpressed eyebrow.

"Very nice speech, Vegeta, but do you suppose we could get on with it? I don't have all day, you know."

The black haired warrior snarled. There was not even the slightest hint of fear in her voice! Did she truly believe she was that powerful, or was she just plain stupid? Once again, Vegeta forcefully pulled himself out of his thoughts and fixed Eighteen with a dark glare.

"Tin can! I can annihilate entire planets with only a fraction of my power! You are ignorant beyond belief not to fear me!"

Eighteen waved her hand impatiently in front of his face.

"Yes, Vegeta, we all know the story. Honestly, at this rate you'll have worn yourself out with talking before we even begin!"

Vegeta scowled, somewhat in perplexity.

"Tell me, Android!" he snapped, "How is it that you know so much about me?" His eyes were narrowed in suspicious inquiry.

The blonde girl rolled her eyes, obviously bored and patience fast deteriorating. She raised one finger to her head, tapping her temple in explanation.

"They're called data-banks, little man. I know everything about you - power, battle history, attacks, strategies - and believe me, after analyzing all of this, I'm not in the least bit worried."

She suddenly smiled, somehow turning something that would normally be of beauty into a look so malicious it would send chills down one's spine if they so much as glanced at her. Her eyes were cold as ice, and glittered hungrily.

"You've already made a fatal mistake, Vegeta." she said softly, voice dangerously lilting. "You've made me bored of you before I even let you have the first hit." She grinned wider and flicked a strand of hair out of her eye. "Let's put that mouth of yours where it belongs."

With that, the cyborg launched her slender body forward, catching the Saiyan by surprise, her fist connecting solidly with his mouth. Vegeta was flung backwards, body impacting roughly with the concrete wall of a building. It was as he staggered  to his feet amongst shards of concrete and glass, thick red liquid oozing in warm, sticky trickles from his cracked lips and Eighteen's laughter drifting down to him that the prince's arrogant self-confidence began to disintegrate.

* * *

The jet-copter was agonizingly slow. Bulma barely stopped herself from pounding her fists on the keys in frustration, though even if she were on the fastest transport in the world (which, truth be told, wasn't much faster than her own model anyway) she doubted even it would satisfy her desperation to reach Vegeta's side.

The atmosphere in the 'copter was stifling. Although the interior censors closely monitored the vehicle's constant temperature to maintain its pleasantness and the ventilation systems were of the very highest quality, Bulma was sure she would suffocate before she was even able to pinpoint Vegeta's location. Her stomach churned with worry, and she continually dabbed at her forehead with her sleeve to keep the beads of cold sweat from her eyes.

"Come on, Vegeta!" she half-growled, face set in concentration. "Give me a sign, here!" His barrier over their mind-link was still firmly in place, so she could not follow the pull of their bond to where he was. It was absolutely infuriating - if he was keeping the shield up to prevent her from coming near the Androids and endangering herself, she would personally strangle him if he lived through the battle.

Bulma's heated expression fell as the grim reality of the situation took hold once again. She found herself reverting to glaring at the control panel of the 'copter; every second in this race against death was vital, and the blasted machine felt like it was hardly moving! Grinding her teeth with impatience, the young woman clenched both hands on the steering controls, forcing herself not to smash some crucial compartment in anger.

A red light began to flash on the dashboard in front of her, and Bulma's heart dropped into her stomach like a stone. The automatic, computerized voice which filled the cockpit a moment later confirmed the fears she had hoped to credit to bad eyesight.

"Warning: Vehicle is low on fuel. Approximately ten minutes of flight time left."

Bulma swore fluently and swerved sharply downward, angling the now useless jet-copter towards a clear patch of ground.

"Blast it!" she burst out, pounding her fist into the little red light. "I don't have time for this!!"

* * *

Vegeta wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of one gloved hand, glaring at the pleasantly smiling woman before him.

"You know," she stated in a tone that could have been called conversational had it not ben for the underlying ripple of cruelty, "That's the third time you've wiped your mouth in the last twelve minutes. You're going to have some nasty stains on your gloves at this rate. You really shouldn't wear white into a battle."

Vegeta snarled and charged, though not to his surprise the cyborg easily sidestepped his attack. His brow furrowed darkly in frustration and an enraged growl escaped his lips as yet another well-aimed punch passed harmlessly through the air, far from its intended target.

How can this be possible? Vegeta demanded of himself, still raining attacks upon his untouchable opponent. Sweat dripped into his eyes, stinging, and he could taste bitter blood in his mouth. How can they possibly have such power? Why, they must be even more powerful than Frieza! But... that's impossible! Kakkarot defeated that imbecile, and he is but a third-class! So why can't I land a single punch?

The furious warrior bunched his muscles, than twisted his body in a precise roundhouse motion, one leg extended. In the second before his shin connected with Eighteen's neck, however, the Android caught his ankle in one hand with uncanny ease. The next instant, Vegeta found himself hurtling downward headfirst, and though he tried to focus his energy to stop himself, he could do nothing even to slow his speed.

Harsh, biting jolts of pain shot in jagged paths through his protesting body as a broken facade of a building finally interrupted his downward flight. Sheets of concrete cracked and crumbled around him, and the Saiyan was sharply aware of the unnatural angle at which his right arm hung. He swore violently under his breath, clutching the broken appendage as he staggered to his feet among the rocks, biting back the urge to give in to the pain.

Eighteen's laughter floated down, though it was now joined by that of her brother's as well. Seventeen regarded the wounded warrior disdainfully.

"I'd say he's had enough playing around by now," Seventeen chuckled to his twin. "What do you say we get serious now?"

Eighteen smiled and shrugged, and in an instant too fast even to register, the two jinzouningen faded out of view, their twin smirks the last thing Vegeta saw before they reappeared, Seventeen's fist lodged in his lurching abdomen.

The Saiyan's eyes widened with the shock of the blow, and a fountain of hot, crimson blood spurted from his open mouth, splattering on the Android's amused face. Even as he tried to move, Vegeta felt Eighteen's doubled hands smashing into the small of his back, sending him once more into the ground.

If he had thought Eighteen a formidable opponent on her own, it was nothing to that of the combined movements of both jinzouningen.

Kick in the stomach, flying backwards out of control...

The pair moved as one, their motions perfectly in tune to one another, as if sharing the same mind in two bodies.

Hand grabbing his hair, stopping his flight...

They moved with agility so fluid it seemed they were made of something less than flesh, liquid....

Knee slamming into his face while he hung immobile...

They almost seemed to be part of the air itself, phasing in and out of view so rapidly they became no more than a blur of vicious and frighteningly accurate attacks, with the occasional glimpse of a cold smile or laugh before fading once again from view. All trace of their previous scornful, almost joking manner had vanished, replaced by cold, deadly efficiency.

Feeling the bones in his nose shatter, sharp pain shooting through his head like a dagger had been thrust into the flesh as hot liquid poured down his face...

But then even as his body was pummeled, tossed between his attackers like a rag doll, bones cracking, a new sensation began to creep in under his skin, small at first but gaining momentum with stupendous speed. A twisted grin lit Vegeta's chiseled features. The jinzouningen thought they were breaking him, and physically this was certainly true...but beyond the Androids' awareness, a new thrill was in fact beginning to flood his being, revitalizing, uplifting him.

He had found his drive.

It surprised him that he had not realized it earlier, it seemed so obvious now. They had killed the warriors of this planet, and now showed strength far beyond his own. Avenging the Z senshi did not particularly interest Vegeta, but no one, no one made a fool out of a Saiyan Prince and lived to tell the tale, and for that they would be punished. The Androids were for the moment far stronger, but this would only give him a goal, something to work for, strive for, as he once had for Kakkarot. H would survive, and he would train - oh, he would train - and by his hands the Androids would die.

With a surge of elation, Vegeta took this oath, allowing it to fill his body and lift him upwards. An al most insane smile touched his lips as he threw his head back, the earth beneath his feet beginning to quake as newfound power began to pulse  through his limbs like fire.

The jinzouningen stepped back, watching in scarcely veiled curiosity as Vegeta's power shot upwards.

Tiny flickers became a raging aura, garnet red and blazing upwards from his skin like hungry flames on dry wood. Already broken chunks of concrete were driven into the air by he waves of rising energy, heat radiating from the flames to waver in the thick air. Coal black hair took on a reddish hue, making it appear streaked with blood and bathing the Saiyan Prince in an unearthly, sooty red glow. Vegeta embraced the change, letting the fire course through his veins and beneath his skin, ready for him to use; power so great that even he had difficulty harnessing it.

Slowly, veins protruding in his neck, Vegeta lowered his head until he was once again looking the Androids eye to eye. His expression was set with determination, and he raised one hand level with his face, powering up a small energy blast, then catching it in his fist. His lips twisted into an almost devilish smile.

"You just used up your last lifeline, filth." he sneered. "If I do not defeat you today, I will the next time we meet, and if not then, the next time. Your fates have been decided in this moment, Androids...you will die, and you will do so at the hands of a Super Saiyan!"

With that, he uncurled his fingers, his other arm still hanging uselessly at his side, releasing the energy still contained in his palm in a spectacular, blazing sphere of deep scarlet light, and hurled the deadly weapon at the somewhat taken-aback cyborgs.

Even as the shining globe descended upon them, however, tainting their cruel faces in an eerie shade of pale red, not the slightest hint of fear touched the jinzouningens' flawless features. His hair blown back from his face by the force of the approaching blast, Seventeen turned to his sister, a bemused, yet terrifying smile tugging at his thin mouth.

"Super Saiyan, eh?" he snorted disgustedly. "We'll just have to teach him a lesson about that."

And then the blast was upon them, breaking into millions of droplets of light as it shattered against their unmoving frames.  As one, the jinzouningen turned to the disbelieving Saiyan before them, identical sneers twisting their lips.

* * *

Capsules littered the ground as Bulma searched frantically through the stranded jet-copter's many storage compartments. The burden of time was pressing in on her from all sides, and she could feel the precious minutes slipping past her without having to look at her watch as her searches continued to end in nothing.

"Come on, you stupid thing!" she said through gritted teeth, her slightly wild appearance voicing her exasperation on its own. "Where are you?"

Bulma grasped the headrest of one of the leather seats, forcing herself to calm down. She wasn't getting anywhere - literally - by panicking. Using all the self-control she could gather, she wracked her brain for an answer.

Alright, Bulma, use that genius mind of yours. Ok.....I always carry an air car with me in case of emergencies. It's not with the rest of the capsules, or in any of the storage compartments. Where else could it be? Darn it! I've searched this thing from carpet to ceiling tiles! WHERE IS IT??

Infuriated and desperate, Bulma's fist closed over the nearest object - an empty soda bottle in this case - and she hurled it at the far wall of the vehicle. Somehow, hearing the glass shatter brought a twinge of satisfaction, and her mind cleared of its frantic circulations for a moment. Bulma thrust her hands into her jacket front pocket while she thought - and her fingers touched a smooth, cool, cylindrical object.

With a cry of triumph, she withdrew the capsule and leapt from the open door of the 'copter. A moment later, the much needed air car was hovering in front of her, and gratefully Bulma jumped into the driver's seat, starting the ignition before she was even fully in the car. Within a few seconds she was speeding away from the abandoned jet-copter, foot pressed to the floor, biting her bottom lip in apprehension.

Hang in there, Vegeta. I'm coming.

* * *

Despair. The utterness of it swept over him like a wave as he watched his powerful blast splinter into nothingness, without so much as a raised hand from either of his opponents. All though of counter-attack deserted him, and Vegeta began moving on defensive auto-pilot as the Androids began their final round of vicious, synchronized attacks.

How can they have such strength? Their bodies are not even build to withstand such capabilities! How can they defeat me? I am a Super Saiyan! Aren't I?

Vegeta half growled, half yelled as Eighteen effortlessly broke through his hasty defenses, smashing her leg into his chest. For the umpteenth time that afternoon, Vegeta felt himself plummeting, but no knees met his back in mid flight, no hands grabbed his hair to stop the fall. He collided instead with solid ground, the impact jarring every bone in his body. He tried to rise, but his muscles, it seemed, were yet another enemy to him now. With a wet, hacking cough, blood spouted from his mouth and onto his cracked armour.

The faint whoosh of air marked the jinzouningens' landing. His vision was hazy and blurred, but he could still make out the form of the male Android as it walked casually up to him, placing one foot almost nonchalantly on his chest.

Vegeta snarled, but could do no more than spit his own blood at his attacker. It was infuriating, lying there, unable to defend himself - but his body was spent. He could not move.

"How...?" His voice was hoarse and gritty, and more foul-tasting liquid rose up in his throat, causing him to cough and gasp for air as he spoke.

Seventeen merely laughed.

"It seems to me, you have a remarkable knack for losing. According to this," he tapped his forehead with his index finger, "you couldn't beat Frieza, lost to a fellow monkey two warrior classes below you, and now you're going to die without ever becoming your precious 'super saiyan'. Just full of failure, aren't we?"

Vegeta's eyes mirrored the disbelief and denial that Seventeen had been aiming for.

"I AM... a Super...Saiyan..." he croaked, clenching his teeth at how weak he sounded. Seventeen's harsh laughter cut into his pounding head like a knife.

"You honestly think that? A comedian to the end!! About the only thing you're good at is dying - you're giving a much better show than any of the others...though some had some pretty impressive screams. As for this ridiculous Super Saiyan business, hate to break it to ya, but you're not. You never will be."  Slowly, deliberately, he began grinding his heel into Vegeta's already shattered breastbone.

"You're a failure, Vegeta. You always have been, and you're going to die as one. Normally I'd let you live with that knowledge, but the truth is," he ground his heel in deeper, grinning as Vegeta cried out hoarsely, more blood spattering the corners of his mouth. "You annoy me." He dug in his heel a final time, delighting in the sickening crack! of bone and the prince's resulting scream, then stepped back.

Eighteen joined her brother before the fallen warrior, and together they prepared one last energy ball in their entwined hands, white-hot and aimed with lethal accuracy. Vegeta heard the male's final, scornful words to him as the globe closed in, felling his vision and burning his skin with its intense heat.

"Goodbye, Prince. See you in Hell."

* * *

Bulma slammed her foot on the brake pedal as a familiar window was wrenched open in her mind. What entered through it, however, nearly caused her to close it again in a panic. Indescribable pain ripped through her senses with savage brutality, tearing through her veins and under her skin like livid fire. She stared in horror at her unmarred skin, even as she felt it burn and peel away from the bone. She opened her mouth to scream in anguish, but all that emerged from her throat was a rasping gasp of agony.

She clutched at her head, grasping sweat-soaked strands of hair tightly in her fingers. She knew what the sudden assault meant - Vegeta had re-opened their mind-link, and the pain she felt was his. Gulping air into her burning lungs, she fought back the pain threatening to drive her into madness, instead focusing all her attention on the one really under attack.

"Blast it, Vegeta! Where are you?" she hissed through clenched teeth. Gathering her will, she was able to partially close the link between them just enough to block out the pain, but still keep their minds connected to each other. Her own head now free of that terrible burning, she bent her thoughts to finding her fallen lover...

Painstakingly, gently, she probed into Vegeta's mind, searching for any clue as to his whereabouts. Closing her eyes, she allowed him to provide her with his own vision.

Her gaze was blurry. the borders of her vision shrouded by hungry darkness patiently waiting for its chance to gain dominance. One eye was swollen so badly she could not even open it, and the other stung as hot, sticky blood dripped into it from a deep cut just above her brow. The stench of her own burned flesh assaulted her nostrils, and everything around her was broken or shattered completely. Someone lifted her chin roughly with the toe of their boot, and cruel laughter bombarded her hearing, thought the sound was distant, unclear. The laughter changed to words.

"He's dead. Let's get out of here, shall we? He smells."

The toe digging into her chin was removed, he head slamming painfully into the pavement. The voices took to the air, that bitter laughter the last thing remaining behind. Slowly, the darkness crept forward, closing over her senses like a deathly curtain.

At that moment, Vegeta's mind began to whirl, racing at dizzying speeds through countless thoughts and memories, dragging Bulma's mind along with it. Bulma watched helplessly as Vegeta's memories flashed before him, a sure sign that his last moments were fast draining away.

Her mind spun as the images flew by. King Vegeta, smiling proudly down at his son standing beside him. Frieza, laughing while he kicked the small, beaten prince on the tiled floor of a massive spaceship in a pool of dark blood. Two words, "stupid monkey..." jeered in her mind even as the image was whipped away to replaced by the next.

Goku - Kakkarot - smiling, then laughing, as he remained elusively one step beyond Vegeta's reach. Then his cheerful face becoming obscured, covered gently with soil as he lay stiff and cold in the hard, unforgiving earth. Dead.

Next came a wild flurry of thoughts and emotions so swift Bulma felt sick with nausea. In the midst of the turmoil, however, one image remained clear, one solitary beacon amidst a life of pain, torment, and confusion.

Bulma. She found herself staring into an image of herself, which quickly became a series of connected memories which Vegeta's mind lingered over, cherishing. The warm, sweet fragrance of her hair....the soft touch of her skin against his... the intense blue of her eyes...her fiery temper, and the way here eyes blazed when she was angry. The faintest sensation of comfort shone through Vegeta's dimming thoughts as her image stayed in his mind, reassuring. Then finally, that too vanished.

Bulma gasped and jerked herself back into her own being as she felt Vegeta's life fading rapidly. A stream of vulgarities  and curses flowed forcefully from her lips as she pounded the steering wheel of the air car.

"Darn it, can't you move any faster?"

The window was shrinking.

"Vegeta, don't give up on me now!" she pleaded aloud, desperately trying to follow that fading awareness to its location before it disappeared completely. "You can't leave me now, not you too!"

Panic closed its cold hand over hr as the window shrank to near non-existence. Vegeta's mind had become too faint to follow, and soon would be gone entirely, and still she had not found him. She needed something stronger to follow, and she needed it fast.

Bulma gritted her teeth, bracing herself for the only thing left which could possibly help her find the dying warrior.  With a hiss of pain, she released what constraints she still held over the mind link, allowing all the pain from Vegeta's physical injuries to wash over her in recurring waves of agony. Hot tears pricked at her eyes as her body screamed in protest, and her breathing became laboured as she gasped between spasms, willing herself not to cry out from the intense torture. Still, even as the fire tore through her body, she welcomed that pain. It was the only thing still strong enough to lead her to Vegeta's side.

* * *

After what seemed like endless eternities, the air car skidded to a stop on yet another shattered battlefield. Bulma threw open the door and leapt from the vehicle, flying over the wreckage, stumbling frantically over stones and debris. Finally, she caught sight of a familiar armour-clad form — he wasn't moving.

With a strangled sob, she flung herself over Vegeta's broken, twisted body. He clung to life by a frighteningly slim thread,  and that could be severed at any moment. Slowly, with obvious pain, Vegeta turned to look at her, his one still open eye roving her features as if it was the first time he had ever seen her. Bulma cupped his battered face tenderly in both hands, tears dripping from her eyes onto his cheeks.

"You stupid, stupid idiot!" she sobbed, caressing his cheekbones with her fingertips. "Why do you have to be so blasted stubborn?"

Another sob rose in her throat, but before it could escape, emotion surged and she covered Vegeta's mouth with her own, pouring all of her fears, wantings, and passion into one hopeless, desperate kiss. She felt Vegeta move slightly beneath her, trying to return it, but his strength was too far gone. They remained that way, time frozen in a fearful, yet delirious moment when all else seemed to disappear. It was only the two of the, not the jinzouningen, not the pain, not this crumbling world  — only them, locked in a desperate merging of emotion, the salty taste of blood and tears mingling on their cheeks.

Suddenly Vegeta spasmed, and fearfully, Bulma pulled hastily away.

"Just hang in there, Vegeta! I'll get you to the best hospital in the country! You're going to be ok, just don't let go yet! Stay with me!"

Vegeta opened his mouth, though no words emerged through his moving lips. His onyx eyes, no longer alert, burned with  frustration as his body refused to co-operate, and his words remained unspoken.

Bulma placed a finger over his dry lips, shaking her head tearfully as her throat tightened with dread.

"Don't try and talk!" she commanded him, though her voice wavered, and she clasped his gloved hand tightly. "You need all your strength right now. Stay with me, you understand? I'm going to call for help."

Bulma leant forward and kissed him again, but gently this time, fearful of hurting him. She lingered over him a moment longer, her lips brushing over his cracked jawbone, one tear slipping down her cheek to drop onto his blood-caked skin.

"Don't leave me now..." she whispered, pleadingly, against him.

When she pulled away, the faintest of smiles touched Vegeta's lips. His hand tightened ever so slightly over hers, and Bulma's heart hammered within her chest in fear as his eyes slowly closed.

Her breath stopped as Vegeta's head fell limply to one side. She clasped his unmoving hand in both of hers, holding it trembling to her. Her whole body began to shake, eyes wide with horror, mouth open.

"Vegeta..." she whispered, tears beginning to seep from the corners of her eyes once again. "Wake up! Please, wake up!" Her grip on his still fingers tightened and her voice became suddenly hysterical. "PLEASE!" She raised her anguished, tear streaked face to the unsympathetic sky.

"Vegeta!!"

Her scream lingered on the heavy air, filling it with its deep-rooted sorrow and overwhelming sensation of loss.

"It's not FAIR!!"

Her spirit broken, Bulma collapsed over his still form, wrapping her arms about his ashen neck as sobs wracked her body.

"You can't...not now..." The tears poured from her closed eyes in an unstoppable rush. "I told you not to leave me..."

A chill wind swept over the shattered landscape, lifting thin clouds of dust, ash, and heartache into the bitter air. The woeful  cry of a solitary mourning dove echoed through the battlefield as the small, vulnerable form of a woman clung brokenly to the still body of a once proud Saiyan Prince. Her hair tousled in the death-scented wind, her slender frame shaking uncontrollably as she was consumed by an endless storm of weeping.

~~*~~

ACK!! *ducks under heavy barrage of rotten fruit from angry reviewers* You didn't think I'd do that, did you? *more fruit, with some assorted vegetables this time* Don't leave yet, though! I promise, the story isn't NEAR done, and this may not be exactly what you think!! *grins at befuddled expressions of readers* Guess you'll have to wait for the next chappie to find out, ne? *is promptly attacked by more food, now including moldy Jello and pudding cups* You're free to flame me now!!! *runs out of the room covered in smelly food*