A Tail To Remember
by Gie: (phowahcs.com)

A Tail To Remember
Chapter Fifteen: Fight! Part One

(backing up slightly...it sounded weird where I left off...)

Which left Trunks alone with Bulma and Vejiita. The three
sat in an uncomfortable silence for many moments, until Bulma broke
the silence by clearing her throat. "Trunks-kun, why don't you sit
over here, and we'll talk, ne?"

He nodded and moved closer. Vejiita just stared at his
future son, taking in his stature and features. When Trunks sat in
the chair next to Bulma, he snorted and stood directly behind Bulma,
and faced the window.

Bulma just rolled her eyes. She gave Trunks an encouraging
smile. "So tell us about yourself, Trunks-kun."

The uncomfortable purple-haired Saiya-jiin shifted around in
his chair. "What do you want to know?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever you want. What
kind of things do you like? Hobbies?" She winked. "Girlfriends?"
Vejiita just snorted his displeasure at the topics.

Trunks blushed slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "Well,
Tobu-kun and I train together quite a bit. Serori-ojisan pushed us
hard, to protect the unassimiliated Humans and to defeat the Hachi
once and for all."

"Well, what did you do when you weren't training?"

"I'd help 'Kaasan out in her lab. She'd always be inventing
things to help us live better or defeat the Hachi."

Bulma smiled slightly. "You inherited my brains, didn't you?"
She glanced over her shoulder at Vejiita. "You certainly didn't get
them from your 'Tousan." The male being insulted just huffed and
ignored the other two.

Trunks shrugged his shoulders modestly and smiled at her
barb. "Well, 'Kaasan said I did, but I never thought of myself in her
league."

Bulma leaned back against the strong figure of the Saiya-jiin
behind her, and received a tail coiled around her neck lightly in
response. She petted it absently as she stared into the air. "You
grew up without Vejiita there, didn't you?"

Trunks glanced up at the silent male in question and nodded.
"Hai. He died when I was young. Not in the battle of
Seiika-obaasan capture, but a few years later."

Vejiita spoke finally, not turning away from the window. "Was
it death, or capture and assimilation?"

"Death. A Hachi leader, not Seiika-obaasan," he clarified
quickly, "killed him in battle. But it was a double death--he killed the
Hachi leader as well."

Bulma looked intrigued, albeit a tad confused. "How is that
possible?"

Trunks glanced up at Vejiita again. "Otousan self-destructed,
taking the Hachi leader with him."

Vejiita finally turned around and stared at his future son, a
fierce mask covering his features. "At least it was in battle--the
way it should have been, and the way a Saiya-jiin senshi deserves.
With honor, fighting for something he protects and believes in." He
unraveled his tail from Bulma's neck and sat down next to her,
wrapping it around her arm. She brought her furred arm into her
lap and stroked the tail that was wrapped tightly around it. The
smooth motions elicted a warm purr from her mate and a swirl of
blazing passion through their Link.

Bulma closed her eyes, controlling her own response to
Vejiita's torrent of emotions. She asked Trunks another question.
"So who raised you?"

Trunks felt slightly warm from the heat given off by the
mated pair that he would one day call his parents. "Well, 'Kaasan was
there, and so was Serori-ojisan. I don't remember Otousan all that
well. I was still fairly young when he died. Serori-ojisan's family
would stop by, but then, they too, were captured by the Hachi, or
killed."

"Was it lonely growing up there? Did you have any
playmates?" She asked concernedly.

He nodded. "I had Tobuma with me at all times. We're more
like brothers, than cousins. There were some Human children
around here and there, but I really didn't associate with them much.
They were afraid of mine and Tobuma's power." He hesitated and
spoke softly, head lowered. "There was also Maiize."

Bulma raised an eyebrow at Vejiita, who looked slightly
interested. "Maiize? That's a Saiya-jiin name, isn't it?"

He nodded, glancing up at his parents. "Maiize was a
Saiya-jiin. She died in a Hachi attack when she was very young. She
was not assimilated like others. The Hachi soon found out that
trying to make a Saiya-jiin into a Drone was almost next to
impossible." He smirked at a memory. "Serori-ojisan was almost
assimilated once, but his curse was activated, and the nanoprobes
got confused and deactivated. The Hachi just gave up tryng to
asssimiate the senshi with tails. So they killed us, instead."

Bulma looked surprised. "Honto? I wonder why they didn't
try. You'd think Saiya-jiin would make strong Drones."

Trunks nodded. "We would, but it was impossible to change
us. 'Kaasan did some research, and found out that Saiya-jiin DNA
refused to be assimilated, and would try to attack the nanoprobes
within the bloodstream."

Bulma laughed out loud. "Figures!" She poked Vejiita in the
tail on her lap. "Even your DNA is stubborn, Otoko!" He just
grunted and smirked.

Bulma then blinked a few times, a look of question flashing
across her smooth features. "Serori-kun still has his curse? Why
didn't he use the Dragonballs to wish it away?"

"The Dragonballs were inactive right up until they faded out
of existance when Piccolo-san died in the battle of Seiika-obaasan's
capture." Trunks explained patiently. He smiled once more. "I think
he also kept it, or stopped looking for a different cure, when
Tobuma was born. I think Serori-ojisan wanted him to have a female
figurehead in his life, besides 'Kaasan. His female side did all the
comforting when Tobuma was young."

Bulma wiped a few stray tears away at his explanation.
"That's so considerate of Serori-kun! So selfless of him. I know he
really doesn't like turning female." She sobered up swiftly, though.
"You never answered the first question, though. Who's Maiize?"
Vejiita leaned forward slightly, wanting to hear the answer.

Trunks shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Maiize died very
young. I don't remember much about her, only a few snatches here
and there. The only concrete thing I remember is that she had blue
eyes and black hair." He reached behind himself and from his
sub-space pocket, brought out a framed picture. He stared at it for
a few moments, and continued with his explanation. "She died a
month after this was taken." He silently handed it to Bulma.

Bulma took the picture within her hands and gasped at the
photo. It showed a scene of four people in a park setting. Bulma
was sitting on a park bench, and had a three year-old Trunks in her
lap, both were smiling and waving at the camera. Vejiita stood in
front of the bench, his nose in the air, and arms crossed. He was
looking down at the ground with a slight smile curving at his lips.

For on the ground was a one year-old girl, Maiize, sitting on
his boot-covered foot, her arms and legs wrapped tightly around his
well-muscled leg. In one small hand, a small clump of wildflowers
were clutched tightly. She had on a black skirt and a pink blouse,
with the words 'I'm Papa's girl!' printed in black on the back. She
was looking up into the face of her Papa, sheer adoration spread
across her delicate features.

She was an almost exact duplicate of Vejiita, only female.
Her stiff, black hair stuck out in wildly jutting flames, only to have a
pink ribbon tied at the end. A jutting widow's peak came to a point
in the middle of her forehead, where two bushy eyebrows
highlighted deep blue eyes. She was glad something of hers was
present in the adorable child. Bulma traced her fingers over the
figures, and she smiled when she saw Maiize and Vejiita's tails
tangled around each other in a deliberate embrace. It was a picture
of a happy family. She silently handed it to Vejiita and watched
with a deep satisfaction as his eyes grew round as he learned the
identity of the mysterious Saiya-jiin female.

His daughter.

Vejiita's battle-roughened fingers gently touched the smooth
glass that separated him from the paper-thin future of his race.

A daughter. When his thoughts always drifted to his future
heir, the spawn of his loins, he always imagined a male. Strong in
stature and spirit. A senshi worthy of the title of Vejiita-ouji,
Crown Prince of Vejiita-sei, Heir to the Saiya-jiin Empire.

And, to his extreme surprise, he had found one in the
purple-haired male across from him. To Vejiita's begrudgement, the
light hair and eyes did nothing to alter the fact. Hopefully, with
vigorous training, the unborn spawn that Bulma carried now will
surpass the skill level of the future spawn that sat in front of him.

But a female?

He smirked silently to himself. Seiika is a perfect example of
the female Saiya-jiin. Bold, strong, fiery--a temper that wouldn't
quit, and a spirit that wouldn't die. He noted the small Maiize's
worshipping expression, and his future self's small smile of pride.
That little mound of hair and fur was his future self's pride and joy
given life.

His soul.

With one last glance, memorizing and engraving the small
Saiya-jiin's features in his mind, he relinquished the picture back to
its original owner.

Trunks took the sacred picture back from Vejiita and placed
it back into his pocket, but not after giving it one final glance. "We
were at the park, having a picinic, and the Hachi attacked. Otousan
and the Hachi leader, Rose, I believe his name was, clashed. The
Hachi shot a blast at Maiize, who was standing off to one side, and
killed her." He paused a moment, as both Bulma and Vejiita made a
noise of surprise and shock. He gave his past father a glance and
continued. "Otousan went into a blind rage and latched onto the
Hachi; self-destructing and taking the Hachi with him." He sighed
deeply and hung his head, continuing softly. "I personally don't
remember that day--that's how 'Kaasan retold it to me."

Trunks raised his head when he felt a hand on his knee.
Bulma had tears in her eyes and a gentle smile on her lips. "It must
have been awful to grow up in a war-torn world; always worrying
when the next attack would surface."

Trunks shrugged his shoulders, giving Bulma a reassurring
look. "It wasn't the easiest life, but it's all I know. There were good
times; we did have fun, and many of those times were when I was
surrounded by family members and friends. I don't regret my life
so far. Tobuma and I just hope we're able to make it better for
everyone here." He stood up and bowed slightly. "I really should go
find Tobu-kun. I may have had my spar of the morning," he gave
Vejita a glance and smirked, "but he has not."

Bulma stood and brought her future child into her arms and
gave him a warm hug. "I understand, Trunks-chan. I want you to
feel free to consider me your Okaasan, from now on." She released
him and pecked him on his cheek. "I won't answer to anything but
'Kaasan." She smiled when he nodded, getting a genuine smile in
return.

"Hai, Okaasan."

Bulma elbowed Vejiita in the ribs. He glared at her and
turned away.

The blue-haired genius smiled. "Vejiita-chan says you can call
him 'Tousan, too." Trunks nodded and with a slight bow, left the two
alone to search for his cousin.

Bulma sighed softly, staring in the direction Trunks departed.
"He's so grown-up. Do you realize that he's only ten or twelve years
younger than we are, now? I was a mother before I hit puberty."

She jumped slightly when she felt a set of strong arms
encircle her stomach, and a furred tail slide around her thigh.
Leaning back into her mate's embrace, she sighed once again,
bringing an arm up to caress his face. "Vejiita-chan, ano..."

He nuzzled her ear with his nose. "Nani, Onna?"

"What do you think of Trunks?"

His teeth nipped gently at the nape of her neck. "Which one?
The adult," he rubbed her still flat stomach with a gentle caress.
"Or this one?"

She smiled slightly and rested her hand upon his, which still
rested on her stomach. "Either one, I guess."

He grunted, burying his face in her strawberry-scented hair.
"Mirai-Trunks is a senshi--he has seen the spoils of war. He grew up
as a senshi--Serori did an adequate job training him. As for this
one," he flared his ki slightly in his hand, letting Bulma feel the
infant growing within her. Bulma gasped aloud at the foreign flicker
jumping around in her stomach. "As for this one, he will be a great
senshi, as well. Although, I will be the one to train him, not Serori."

Bulma turned around in his embrace and bit him on the nose.
"Hai, you will, Otoko. You still have a promise to keep to me." He
nodded and she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him
tight.

After a few moments of silence, Vejiita mumbled. "What the
hell kind of name is Trunks, anyway? That's not a proper Saiya-jiin
name."

Bulma leaned back, surprised at the topic. "Who cares? It is
a proper Briefs name. All my family are named after articles of
clothing." She smiled wickedly and brushed her teeth across his ear.
"Besides, you get to name the next one."

He grunted, and nipped her Mark. "He should be named
Vejiita--all the male heirs are named that."

Bulma frowned. "He is. Remember, Trunks-chan announced
his 'title' when we found out we're his parents?"

"He should be called Vejiita as well."

Bulma sighed. "Trunks is just easier to say. Or we...they
decided to call him that so there would be no confusion between the
two of you--them. Whatever. I don't know." She was getting
frustrated at his one-track stubborn streak. She rubbed the
bridge of her nose in frustration. "Besides, what is he inheriting? A
strip of rubble and an empty space?" Vejiita scowled and backed
away from Bulma, the intimate and private moment ruined.

An eyebrow twitched, a clear sign the Dark Prince was
getting mad. "Onna, there is nothing left of my planet, and of my
culture. There are only a few pure-blooded Saiya-jiins that exist,
that I know of, plus a handful of half-breeds. Must you take
everything away? I'm living on your planet. I'm following your baka
laws. I might as well call myself a Human--do you want to cut off my
tail, as well?" Vejiita's face was turning deep red--almost purple in
anger. His aura was flashing bright, reflecting his rage.

Bulma stepped closer to him, trying to calm his temper, but
the heat of his anger was terribly intense. She had to step away
from him to avoid becoming fried by his aura. "Vejiita, calm down!
You're getting out of control!" Her face crumpled slightly, as she
started to buckle under the emotions that flooded their Link. She
was unable to stop the runaway train that railroaded her senses.

Vejiita ignored her, or didn't hear her, he was so caught up in
his anger. He started to pace back in forth, his rage rearing out of
control. "Why do you want to take this away from me? It's part of
me, of who I am, of how I was raised. Are you denying me my own
heritage, my life, now?" His breath was becoming labored; he was
panting through his embittered words. Bulma sank to her knees,
clutching her chest, breath as shallow as her mate's. "Give me a
collar--might as well tether me up to a doghouse and call me Fluffy!"

Bulma was gasping for air--the emotions pounding her head
and her heart were overwhelming her own body functions. She tried
to call out to him to calm down, but she barely had enough air to
breathe, even less to talk. She fell further to the ground, sweat
plastering her hair to her forehead, and her clothes to her body.

Her slight wheeze finally caught his attention.
"Veh-jii-taa...pleassse..." He turned around, and saw the condition
she was in. Her face was pale, and she was lying on the ground
barely breathing.

"Bulma!" He knelt next to her and brought her into his
embrace, clutching her close to his chest. "Gomen nasai, Bulma. I
forgot about our Bond. My emotions were out of control.
Daijoubu?"

Her breaths became deeper, and less labored, as Vejiita's
anger left his mind, and consequentially, hers. "Daijoubu, Vejiita."
She took a couple large gulps and sighed loudly. "I didn't realize this
was such an issue for you, Vejiita. Do you really feel that way?"
She pushed back, and looked into his eyes, searching for answers.

Vejiita looked back into those clear, cool pools of blue and
nodded slightly. "Hai, Bulma, I do. I am the last connection to my
people and my culture. Kakarotto, Seiika and Serori may be
full-blooded Saiya-jiin, but they were not raised as Saiya-jiin."

"Don't Seiika and Serori remember their time on Vejiita-sei?"
Bulma questioned, getting more comfortable in his lap. She leaned
her head on his shoulder and traced intricate nonsense designs into
his massively-toned chest.

Vejiita responded by wrapping his arms around her and
leaning his head on hers. "Hai, they do, but when they were sent
off-planet, they were only four years old. When I went into
Friiezer's army, I had Nappa, and then Radiitzu with me to teach me
about my heritage. They had no one."

They sat in each other's embrace for some time, quiet. Just
enjoying the feeling of the other, and their presence. There was no
need for words, anymore. Both felt sleep pecking away at their
consciousness.

But their intimate moment was broken when Ranma entered
the room. He blushed at their position on the floor. "Gomen,
Vejiita-ouji, Bulma-san."

Bulma blinked away her sleepiness. "Oh, hey, Serori-kun.
What is it?" She disentangled the hand that happened to somehow
wind around Vejiita's tail and brushed her hair out of her eyes.
Vejiita just gave Ranma a sour look and turned his head away from
the young Saiya-jiin.

Ranma blushed a little deeper and cleared his throat. "We
need to go find and destroy the rest of those Drones, Vejiita-ouji,
before they cause too much damage. The first group has left,
already." Vejiita nodded. Ranma hesitated a moment, then left the
two alone once more.

Bulma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I forgot
about the rest of the Drones. You need to go."

Vejiita shrugged and held her tighter, burying his face in her
shoulder. "I can wait a minute."

Bulma smiled and wormed her way out of his embrace. "You
need to go now, Otoko. Chikyuu and her Humans can not wait that
minute. Besides, I'm worried about Yamucha."

Vejiita snorted at the mention of his mate's weakling excuse
of an ex-lover. "He calls himself a senshi--he should be able to take
care of himself." He stood up and walked over to the door. "Don't
worry about him." He reached the entryway but was stopped by
Bulma's call.

"Vejiita--matte."

He turned around and frowned. "Nani, Onna?"

She casually walked up to him and threw her arms around him
and brought his lips down into a passionate kiss. She released him,
but kept her arms around his neck. "Aishiteru, Otoko."

He smirked and bit her nose. He untangled himself from her
embrace and continued outside. Just before he moved out of sight,
he glanced over his shoulder at his slightly mussed mate.

"Aishiteru, Bulma." And disappeared.

Bulma sighed dreamily and laid a hand on her still-flat
stomach, remembering the flicker from before. "You will grow up,
Chibi, to know your 'Tousan. He promised." She sighed once more
and glanced around the room, grimacing at the disater that still
remained from breakfast. "My goodness, we sure know how to make
a mess. I guess with seven Saiya-jiin, it should be expected." She
snorted loudly, shaking her head. "The food bills around here are
going to be astronomical. I've got to remember to activate more
kitchen bots. We're definitely going to need them with two more
Saiya-jiin appetites in the house." She moved over to a panel on the
wall and signaled for some cleaning bots. She left the room, as well,
and headed for her, no, their suite. She was tired and badly in need
of a nap.

Yamucha blindly ran into town. He didn't care where he was
going, what he passed, or who he knocked down in his blatant
attempt to escape. The only thing he knew was that he had to get
away.

Get away from her.

She, who he loved.

She, who doesn't love him.

She, who loves someone else.

Sure, they had their bumps in the road--hell, there were
orange construction cones every step of the way, but they loved
each other. They've been together for so long, and through so much,
they had to.

Didn't they?

Bulma was the most lively creature that he had ever set eyes
upon. She was his first love, and him, hers. She was the one that
convinced him to switch over to the side of 'good,' rather than
continue with his bandit ways.

She didn't love him anymore.

Yamucha realized and admitted blatantly he would never be
ready to settle down in the near future. He enjoyed living the life
of a bachelor. Late nights, and even later mornings. Eating three
day-old pizza and not having to put the toliet seat down. Yeah, it
was great, living the bachelor life. No worries.

She Bonded with another.

And he also realized he didn't make the best boyfriend,
either. He had a rather lazy attitude toward women. His wandering
libido usually got him into trouble. Especially with Bulma. Hey, you
can look, but not touch, ne? But that's where he got into trouble.
He had looked, and touched, and bought several. And Bulma was the
one left to bear the bill.

She's pregnant with another's child.

One of the biggest fights they ever had was that last one
that broke them up for good. They had argued about the future,
and what it had in store for the two of them, and their relationship.
Things definitely weren't a bed of rose petals when he had
mentioned that he wanted to play baseball again. This time, in
America, for the major leagues. A team had offered him a contract,
but he still needed to tell them he wanted to accept their offer.
Bulma had adamantly refused, saying she wanted to settle down at
Capsule Corp, and begin a family. She said that the party was over
at midnight, and her biological clock was striking ten. He scoffed at
her, and spat out that he didn't want or need the ties a family
brought. He wasn't ready for the responsibility. Bulma exploded,
and threw him out, telling him not to ever step foot on Capsule Corp
property again. That was over four months ago.

She chose Vejiita.

She chose Vejiita, the alien that killed him.

She's having Vejiita's child.

Yamucha finally stopped running and bonelessly collapsed onto
a nearby park bench. He was exhausted; more so from the emotional
beating she gave him in his head, rather than from the run.

He scanned his surroundings with tired, swollen eyes. There
were a few people in the park this early in the morning. Some
joggers and pet-walkers were taking advantage of the early morning
sunshine and stillness that accompanied the sunrise.

Yamucha sat and watched the people pass in front of him in
their own little worlds, unaware of the existance of the others on
the paths, even more unaware of the heartache that Yamucha
experienced. An alien. She fell for a 'royal' pain-in-the-ass alien.

What in the hell did that freaking alien have that he didn't?

Or was Vejiita in the right place in the right time?

Vejiita did live with her, which pissed Yamucha off to no
extent. Vejiita was also there to pick up the fragile shards of
Bulma's heart when they broke up. Each time. This time for good.

Bastard.

He did have to admit, though, if anyone could handle the
enigma of a female that was Bulma, it would have to be Vejiita. The
Saiya-jiin Prince had a will and temper to match the blue-haired
genius, and that was one thing that Yamucha definitely lacked. If
they were meant to be together, than so be it. It wasn't like he
could do anything to stop them.

Yamucha stood up with a sigh and a grunt and started the
long walk back to Capsule Corp. He needed to apologize to Bulma for
his rude behavior, and to give her his congratulations. After all, he
wasn't a heartless bastard, and they still cared for each other,
albeit it was in the 'friends' category.

At least he now had a buffer from Vejiita's anger. He
snorted to himself. Or was it the other way around, and the buffer
was from Bulma's anger?

Yamucha's leisurely stroll and inner discussion was
interrupted by a scream coming from a short distance away. He
turned and with a determined look etched across his scarred
features, ran to face what caused the piercing screams.

When he reached the clearing, Yamucha stopped abruptly,
shock causing his face to freeze. Six large black and white-striped
bee-creatures were attacking the joggers and Humans that he
observed earlier enjoying the peaceful morning.

Hachi.

Yamucha let a string of curses fly that would have made
Bulma proud. He now wished that he paid more attention to what
the two new Saiya-jiin were saying, rather than the intoxicating
beauty that the girl-guy-Saiya-jiin...Ranma radiated. He watched,
frozen in horror, as two of the Hachi washed a green glow over two
morning joggers, paralyzing them in mid-step. One of the pair of
Hachi removed two of the metal discs attached to its arms and
placed it on the chests of the frozen joggers.

The joggers' screams of pain and horror shocked Yamucha
out of his stupor of shock. He swallowed nervously and moved
forward. "Hey, you...things! Leave those people alone!" He let loose
a warning ki ball to accentuate his words.

The two Hachi Drones turned simultaneously toward
Yamucha, and twittered in between each other. They released the
joggers from the paralyzing green forcefield, and began to advance
on the lone Z Senshi.

Yamucha backed up with each step they moved forward, a
frightened look flashing across his features. He gathered his wits
together, and bent down into a defensive stance. "All right, come
and get it, you aliens."

The two Drones glanced at each other and twittered once
more. One turned around and removed the discs from the chests of
the victims behind as the other started to advance on Yamucha.

Yamucha threw several ki balls at the Hachi; it jumped out of
the way, avoiding the shots with ease. "Kuso," Yamucha growled and
continued his assault. "These things are rather quick." The Drone
moved closer and when it was in range, threw the green paralyzing
light over Yamucha.

However, the scarred senshi wasn't about to let them take
him so easily. He phased away from the light and let off another
relay of ki. Several of these did hit the Drones--stunning them and
causing minor damage.

He smirked to himself. "These things aren't all that tough. I
don't know why those two Saiya-jiin had such a hard time with
them." Yamucha cockily closed the distance between the injured
Hachi and released another ki blast, disintegrating his opponents.

He wiped his hands clean and turned around, going to see how
the two joggers were doing. But to his surprise, and downfall, four
other Hachi Drones stood in front of him. He glanced around in vain,
to see if anyone would be there to help him. But he was alone--the
two joggers were even gone.

He looked into the Drones' insect-like faces. All he saw was
cold indifference--no emotion.

Yamucha, though, was not going to go down without a fight.
He flared his aura bright and gathered his ki into his hands. "All
right, you rejects from space, let me show you why you don't mess
with the natives of Chikyuu!" He released the accumlated ki from
his hands. "Wolf Strike!"

When the smoke cleared from his strong final attack, he
surveyed the damage caused, confident in the Hachi Drones' demise.

But he was surprised once again. For when the cloud
dispersed, all four Hachi stood there, unmarked, and unscathed,
from the attack. The two without discs stood slightly behind the
other two with discs. The discs were positioned away from their
bodies and were glowing brightly.

Yamucha stared open-mouthed. 'How did they do that? I hit
them directly! Where'd the Wolf Strike go?' He looked closer at
the Drones. The discs, which still glowed brightly, were starting to
pulse. A sinking feeling of dread developed in Yamucha's stomach as
he felt his own ki strike him in the chest, and knock him down,
unconscious.

The four Hachi Drones twittered back and forth to each
other. One stepped forward and washed the green paralysis beam
over the downed Yamucha, for safety's sake, effectively holding him
down.

Yamucha was jolted back to consciousness when one of the
Drones attached a disc to his chest. Hot, searing pain enflared his
chest and he screamed in agony as the metal arms pierced through
his skin to release the nanoprobes. His blood boiled under his skin,
and his heart felt like it would explode. The two discless Drones
watched emotionlesly over Yamucha as he bawled his pain to the
world.

They were taken out of his line of vision, though, when
something purple flashed by his eyes. One of the two new
Saiya-jiin, the tri-colored one, bent over his form and peered
cautiously at him.

Yamucha screamed once more when he felt something explode
from his sides as his mind grew fuzzy. He struggled to hold onto
the his sanity, as he felt that it was quickly slipping fom his grasp.
Soon, the corners of his vision went dark, and as his range of sight
faded from view, his last thought was of the blue-haired genius, and
how he didn't get to apologize to her. And Yamucha remembered no
more.

Tobuma knelt over the screaming Yamucha and desperately
tried to remove the disc from his chest. When he screamed once
more, and when new legs burst through his sides, he knew it was too
late for the young senshi. Goku stood next to the kneeling Saotome
and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's too late for him, isn't it?"

Tobuma nodded, somber. "Yamucha-san was one of the first
to be assimilated in our time line, as well."

Goku knelt down to the writhing half-Drone, half-friend.
"There's no way to reverse the process, correct?" Tobuma nodded
silently. Goku laid a large hand on Yamucha's heaving chest and
spoke quietly. "This is for your own good, old friend. Don't worry,
Kaio-sama will be waiting for you." A bright light flared from Goku's
hand, and with one final plaintive scream from Yamucha, the first
casualty of the Z Senshi was no more.

Tobuma stood and directed his gaze at Trunks, Kurillin, and
Gohan, who were finishing up the last of the Drones that occupied
the area. While the trio was occupied with their own opponents,
another two arrived and brought Goku and Tobuma into the fight
once more. Goku fired a relatively small ki ball at them, but it was
caught and returned immediately.

Both Goku and Tobuma dodged the returned ki and studied
the new arrivals. Tobuma smirked, and reaching behind him,
withdrew his sword from sub-space.

Goku blinked surprisedly at his partner. "I didn't know you
carried a blade, Tobuma. Where'd you pull it from?"

Tobuma unwrapped the katana, and held it firmly in his grasp.
"It's held in sub-space, Goku-san. I don't want to damage it in the
open." He let the early morning sun glint of the finely-sharpened
blade. "It's a family heirloom." He threw the older Saiya-jiin a
smirk. "Let's take care of these nuisances, shall we? Remember, no
ki shots until they're relieved of their absorption discs." Goku
nodded once, and with Tobuma leading, blade in hand, launched
themselves at the two new Hachi arrivals. They were easily put out
of commission, with Tobuma's sword, and a few well-placed ki shots.

The five males gathred around Yamucha's still body, and were
silent for the fallen senshi.

Kurillin knelt next to Yamucha and gingerly touched his new
appendages. "This is what happens when the assimilation begins?"
He glanced up at the future Saiya-jiin with a deep frown lining his
face.

Trunks nodded. "Hai. It's a fairly fast process, and once it
starts, there's no stopping it."

Gohan moved closer to his father. "Did we get them all,
'Tousan? Are there anymore left?"

Trunks answered for the older Saiya-jiin. "Hai, Gohan-san.
There were twenty total, so hopefully the other group will encounter
the rest."

Tobuma' s eyes went from one corpse to the next, his frown
growing deeper and deeper as he went from body to body. "There's
twelve more out there."

Kurillin looked up. "How do you know that, Tobuma-san?"

He pointed to one of the corpses. "This is one of the original
Drones." He then pointed to a different one. "This is a Human
Drone. Can you see the differences?"

Gohan nodded. "Hai. The Human Drones have wider stripes
than the Original ones."

Goku pointed to the heads. "And the Original Drones have
four antennae, while the Human ones have two."

Trunks nodded. "Hai. There were six Original, and two
Human. Three, counting Yamucha-san, here."

"And the two that attacked Vejiita and Seiika equals eight."
Kurillin aded.

"Hai." Tobuma agreed. "So that leaves twelve Original
Drones..."

"And who knows how many more Human Drones." Goku
growled quietly. "They have to be stopped before more Humans lose
their lives to these creatures."

Kurillin smacked a fist into his hand. "Hai, Goku. We should
split up again. We'd cover more ground that way."

Everyone nodded in agreement. "Kurillin, why don't you and
Gohan go with Trunks, and Tobuma and I will go together. That way
each group will have someone with a blade."

Trunks nodded. "Good call, Goku-san. Remember not to use ki
unless the absorption discs are destroyed, otherwise you'll be
dodging your own ki."

Tobuma added to his cousin's warnings. "Also remember, that
once a Human has been injected with the nanoprobes, they're lost to
us. Don't hesitate to destroy them, as well. One Drone with one disc
can create an army of disc-wielding Drones."

Gohan glanced down at Yamucha and pulled on his father's
pant leg. "What about Yamucha-san? Are we going to leave his body
here?"

Goku glanced down at his son and then at the deformed body
of his friend. "Iie, Gohan-chan. We don't want Yamucha's body
discovered in such a state." Goku raised a charged hand of ki. He
released it, and Yamucha's body no longer existed in this plane.
"Now, when he's wished back with the Dragonballs, he'll have his
original body back." Gohan nodded somberly.

Tobuma glanced at the others. "Ready?"

Everyone nodded solemnly and the two separate groups flew
off in opposite directions, in search of the rest of the Hachi.