"Okay Kakarot, that's the whole story. Now, this is going to be hard enough to do without you making a fuss, so keep it quiet. I- I need your help." Goku looked at him. It was rather strange that Vegeta was openly asking for assistance... but then again, he had seen stranger things.

"Vegeta," he said. "You and your family saved my granddaughter's life- what kind of person would I be if I didn't help you find your sister?"

"I'm coming too!"

Three voices made that comment. Vegeta looked into his living room- Pan was wide-eyed and awake, her little fists clenched at her sides. She was the first eager voice.

"Gokea saved me!" she cried. "I've gotta come so I can help her!" Vegeta shook his head, then looked towards the second voice- Trunks. The nineteen-year-old looked at his father, shrugged and gave a cocky half smile.

"Hey," he said. "She's my aunt and by far the absolute coolest person I've ever met- why wouldn't I want to save her?" The third voice belonged to Goten. He was staring out the window- not really looking at anything. Just staring.

"Gokea's a great kid," he said finally. "Even if she isn't really younger than me. Either way, she's my friend and I'm not going to let her get hurt."

"Oh give it up, Uncle Goten!" cried Pan, a mischievous grin on her face. Trunks smiled as well.

"Yeah, Goten," he said. "You're in love with her and you know it!" Goten suddenly began to blush and was about to defend himself, when Pan spoke up again.

"You know, Gokea did the same thing when I talked about you- she looked like a tomato with hair."

Gokea felt sick. Karanin had her locked in a room with a strange machine, one that had two metal clamps keep a firm grip on her tail. With her power drained as much as it was, she couldn't escape if she tried. She knew that she was helpless- for the first time in her life, she was completely helpless.

"Does this feel familiar, Little Tiger?" Gokea looked up to see Karanin's blurry figure staring down at her- what she'd give to have her glasses again. "It probably doesn't hurt as much now as it did when you were a child, but it keeps you still regardless."

"I won't be here long," she said. Her voice was weak, despite the circumstances, but it was still determined as ever. "Vegeta will come for me and he'll kill you for this." Karanin threw his head back and began to laugh.

"I expect him to come after you, Little Tiger..."

"Only my brother can call me that. Use it again, and when I get out of here, I'll rip your tongue out of that ugly head of yours." Karanin smiled and gave a mock bow.

"Forgive me, Gokea," he replied. Suddenly, he drove his foot in her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. "But, as I was saying, I expect Prince Vegeta to come after you. And when he gets here..." He chuckled. "He'll get to watch you die." Gokea gasped for air. As she did so, a run of words echoed through her mind. Saiyan words.

"Arkita dyamo mansita!" Karanin looked at her, anger flaring in his eyes.

"What did you say to me?!" Gokea smiled.

"My Saiyan may be a little rusty," she replied. "But I'm pretty sure that I just called you a Son of a Bitch." Karanin wasted no time in grabbing her by the throat and lifting her into the air. The clamps kept a firm hold on her tail, causing Gokea to cry out in pain.

"I'd hate to deprive your brother of seeing you again," he said, menacingly. "But speak to me like that again, and I'll break your neck." Gokea gasped for breath... which she used to laugh in his face.

"He's better than you've ever been, better than you'll ever be. And he's going to kil..." That was the last thing she said. She closed her eyes and continued to laugh at him, not seeing his fist head for her face. She felt the blood running down her face and opened her eyes.

"Pity, Little Tiger. Vegeta shall have to miss the best part of the show- the part where I beat you to a pulp." An hour later, Karanin let Gokea's lifeless body drop to the ground. "You're not dead yet, Little Tiger. But you'll soon wish you were."

Meanwhile, Vegeta was getting ready to find Karanin and make him pay for what he'd done. He took five seconds to look out at the evening sky. He instantly froze.

"Dad?" asked Trunks. "Dad, what's wrong?" Vegeta took a deep breath and shook his head.

"The night sky is red- blood has been shed this day." Trunks was about to comment, when a voice from out of nowhere called his father's name.

"I know you can hear me, Prince Vegeta- answer me now." Vegeta clenched his fists together and let out a low growl.

"Karanin, you swine!" he yelled. "Where is Gokea?!" Karanin began to laugh.

"Your Little Tiger is holding on to what little life she has left," came the reply. "You should be glad to know that I'm giving her more of a chance than you gave Ayli."

"Damn it, that was an accident! I'd never purposely hurt Ayli, I loved her!"

"Just as your father loved Gokea? Did he ever tell you that he was the reason I came after her?"

"What are you talking about?" Vegeta snarled.

"Your father knew your sister was making you weak- that your compassion for her was your downfall. And he knew that I hated you for what you'd done to Ayli. It was the perfect ruse- what looked like a plot for revenge was really about you. In a way, Vegeta- I made you stronger." Vegeta was infuriated and was about to lash out at Karanin... when he realized that he was right. His father always hated Gokea, even if she was his child, and getting rid of her would serve his purposes.

"Where is she, Karanin?"

"I've taken her home, Vegeta- back to where you almost took her life... and in turn, she almost took yours." That was the end. Vegeta turned to Goku and shook his head.

"He's taken her back to Penguin Village."