Won the Battle, Losing the War

Disclaimers: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the characters. If I did Great Sayaman wouldn't exist. Yes. ~bows to her applauses~

Author's Note: Just wishing ya'll a Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays!

                Gohan closed his eyes and tried to breath but his breath seemed to slip right through him. Something was terribly wrong and he couldn't sense it. Unconsciously, a small amount of tears mixed with the sweat on his face.

                "Do you feel that?" Mirai Trunks said suddenly forgetting Gohan for a second to raise his head up a bit, "That bitter feeling."

                "No." Videl admitted softly although she knew he was talking to Chibi Trunks.

                "Yes." Chibi Trunks muttered darkly, "Haji must close by our parents."

                "No." Gohan sputtered catching all of their attentions, "He has them."

                "What?" Chibi Trunks asked in bewilderment, "What do you mean?"

                "There is time to catch up with them." Gohan murmured, "There is a path ahead that leads to the temple…We can cut them off."

                "Temple?" Chibi Trunks questioned, "There is a temple here? What is Haji trying to be religious for?"

                "Come on." Mirai Trunks spat ignoring his younger form, "Help me lift him, Videl."

Videl obeyed humbly taking one arm of Gohan over her shoulder while Mirai Trunks took his other. Gohan didn't make any movement to protest. His mind was to numb to really understand anything that was going on anyway. Slowly, his mental self was pushing out of the ice but at the moment he was pounding bare hands against steel till they bled…

                "So who first? Oh, I know. Let's do enny meanie miny moe!" Haji laughed enthusiastically.

Those lips he spoke form. He stole them. He stole those eyes. He stole everything. He's nothing but a thief. A thief that stole her husband's form. Her eldest son's life. Her youngest son's innocence. In fact, he seized Gohan's innocence too.

Chichi closed her dark eyes that were brimming with tears of woe. Her shoulder's shook with grief not with fear. The worst thing was she pitied the horror before her. Nothing was he. He was everyone but himself…

"Take me." Chichi whispered, "You said you wanted me, didn't you?"

"I'll think about it." Haji smirked starting his song.

"Chichi?! Are you nuts?" Goku gasped in dismay.

"You suicidal Onna! Why must you keep doing this?!" Vegeta spat in revulsion.

"I'm not suicidal." Chichi hissed softly in a undertone to them, "On the alter, the stained glass window has a crack. It's weak enough for you guys to break through. It's the only window admitting light."

Both men looked over to where she had indicated careful not to seem they were looking there. The beautiful colored glass spilled out a great amount of orange light of dusk into the room with a crack in it's merge of shades.

"She's right?" Vegeta muttered in astonishment.

"I'll buy you time." Chichi hissed as Haji chanted his little song, "Just get out of here."

"Chichi. I don't think you understand. He'll kill you!" Goku cried.

"I know." Chichi nodded, "Just go."

Haji finally had his last phrase in the song. His fingers grazed over the direction of Vegeta and landed right on Chichi. He bent his finger in a beckoning motion,

                "Come on, sweetheart. You got your wish. You belong to me."

                "DON'T YOU LAY A FINGER ON HER!" Goku screamed angrily having a reluctant Vegeta holding him back.

                "Go now." Chichi spat, walking forward voluntarily.

                "But Chichi-"

                "Listen to him, Onna!"

                "I SAID GO!" Chichi screamed.

She spun around with speed that she couldn't originally possess and smacked Goku clear across the face. Vegeta backed away in mild confusion while Goku stood clutching his throbbing cheek.

                "Now go." Chichi hissed, "I never want to see you again. You hear me? You take care of Gohan and Goten and live forever. Let me die alone! It's my turn to leave you!"

It slipped out before Chichi could stop it. All the hurt she had bottled up in the cell games and the 7 years afterwards finally formed words and tumbled out of her mouth like bile. She couldn't take it back knowing the damage it had caused. But he deserved it. Deep inside the troubled woman, she was sinisterly satisfied. Her restless soul had taken it's bitter revenge on the one she loved most dear. It was for Gohan's endless nightmares at night. It was for the screams that often broke over the household like wails of dying angels. For Goten growing up without knowing him. For leaving her with child. For everything. For lying when he made that oath of love to her. That pledge was broken everyday of their being together. To have and to hold until death do we part. He was supposed to stay dead. They parted a long time ago… She wanted him to feel what she felt. She wanted him to try to commit the crime she nearly committed everyday he was gone. She wanted him to suffer for not loving her…

Goku's broken gaze tore away from her stern one. He fumbled backwards for something to brace his balance. He found Vegeta's shoulder and hung there like a drown cat.

Vegeta made no notation of removing the dispirited man, nor did he have any sly comment to retort back at the fiendish remarks of Kakarot's mate. He just stood in incomprehension of everything that was said. He never knew of the dark strings tangled about the two seemingly perfect couple's necks. Now Chichi has pulled away, destroying perhaps the greatest warrior in the universe like no other could.

"Hope your proud." Vegeta said suddenly regaining his voice.

Chichi ignored Vegeta's haunting words knowing all too well the great wound he had bled into her shielded heart. But she couldn't let her heart melt for Goku anymore. She froze her tears of age about it to protect it from the man who stole it when she was twelve. Nothing he could do would bring her back from the brinks of which she was going. She wanted to burn alone and if he joined her later then they would continue this dispute there…

"What are you waiting for?" Chichi spat to Haji but rather partially directed to the men behind her, "I'm not getting any older."

"You'd might want me to take my time." Haji smiled, "This will be much worse then you think your going, dearie."

Before Chichi could respond to that callous assertion, she found darkness swirling about her. It curved up from the floor and engulfed her in it's unkind arms, raping her of her life. Chichi screamed in a voice she didn't think she possessed, in a pitch she didn't think she could reach. Her whole being became the wailing of her agony as the white hot flames blazed her flesh into ash. Her thoughts were ripped away slowly projecting only the memories that she rather not recall in a recurring film in fast forward.

"Chichi!" Goku cried trying to sidetrack back to her.

Even Vegeta stopped to look. Haji wasn't kidding when he said it would be painful. He watched the sight in it's gruesome display with his right hand subconsciously on the glass window. Suddenly he caught sight of a man running up to her dying form. Vegeta panicked. He didn't stop Goku in time… Now the hero was saving the one who tried to break him… Vegeta didn't think he would ever understand any of this nonsense. Wearily, he rushed after the foolish man.

Goku grasped out at his withering wife only having his hand burst into the dark flames as that surrounded her. He pulled back crying out in slight pain. The flames distinguished instantly leaving only a warning burn across his palm.

"Ah, ah, ah." Haji tuted, "No touching."

"What did you do to her?" Goku growled.

"Why do you care?" Haji laughed, "Then you don't have to worry about her anymore. Tell me, Goku, if you got another chance. If you knew what marriage was, would you marry her? Be honest now."

"Yes." Goku spat angrily.

"Oh really?" Haji smirked cocking a eyebrow, "Well, a little birdie is telling me you are lying."

"I'll murder your little birdie!" Goku snarled, "I do love her."

"Sure you do." Haji mocked nodding to Chichi's now quieting form, "But…she didn't think so. You didn't show it very well, did you?"

She was slowly submitting herself under the waves, her screams only gasps of empty lungs being proof.

"Let her go!" Goku screamed drawing in his energy and thrusting forth his most powerful attack.

"Galactic gun!" Vegeta shouted powerfully after Goku chanted his own.

Both beams shot forth to their target only to rebounded back on their masters. Both Vegeta and Goku made a hasty escape by Goku's instant transmission. The place where they once stood was unscathed by the blasts proving to remarkable marble floors.

"Don't waste my time." Haji sighed, "You'll all get your turn."

Goku looked helplessly over at his dying love that had unpledged herself from him. His heart had never known how much he truly cared until it came to be impossible to not know. Those times were few and brief. Chichi could not live off that sort of love. That was evident from earlier. He had not been the best father… the best husband… perhaps not even the best friend. So wrapped up in his promises he did not wish to break he forgot the most important to his family. When he left, apparently forever, it was to protect earth from future attackers but yet his family was forever hunted because of him. Even with him gone… It was obvious they would rather be killed then damaged the way he left them. Shouldn't he put the millions on earth before the lives of 3 people? Either way would seem cruel…

"I can't leave you. I won't leave you this time, Chichi." Goku suddenly declared rushing forward.

Haji, at first, thought the man was trying to attack again, but instead Goku pulled his dying wife into his arms. The flames enveloped about him as if they belonged to him too taking their toll on the sayian's mind. He could barely hear the words that were spoken about him, without doubt from the startled Vegeta.

Goku ignored them and hugged his wife close bringing her up from the drowning waves. Her eyes adjusted first on his pained face. She reached up and touched his face gently not having her full self functioning,

"Goku? You fool. Take wing." Chichi gasped, "You still can go. Let go of me."

"I can't." Goku smiled despite his pain, "I love you, Chichi. I promise this time, I'm telling you the truth."

Chichi's eyes watered slightly as she spoke again,

                "Fool, if you love me, save yourself."

                "I'm taking you with me." Goku smiled as his strength slowly withered.

                "Stop being the hero." Chichi said suddenly sternly.

                "You, shut up." Goku snapped bracing her head gently and kissing her softly on her lips.

A chill ran up Goku's spine as he found himself loosing all his strength. His mind grew back and the last thing he saw were his wife's loving eyes. She had forgiven him…and let him die first….

Vegeta rushed forward just as the couple disappeared finally in the flames. His hand with through air leaving him in complete shock…

                "They're gone. Just like the old freak said…"

He clenched his fists and swept his angered gaze on the spiteful murderer,

                "Not even Kakarot deserved that, you sick bas-"

                "Language, Vegeta." Haji taunted, "Mind your tongue."

                "What did you do to them? What was that?" Vegeta screamed in frustration.

                "I absorbed them, in a matter of speaking." Haji smiled licking his lips, "I could have done it a lot faster but…I didn't want them to endure it's total horrific process. Saving that for your son, huh?

                "You won't live to even see my son!" Vegeta shrieked lunging out at the monster.

Gohan cringed slightly detecting the absent of his parents' chi. He bit his tongue hard tasting the bitter fluid fill in with his saliva. They were gone…He tried to close his eyes and remake their chi in his mind to fool his heart but he knew. He knew Haji had killed them. The thirst for Haji's blood was becoming stronger and more righteous. He had to kill the creature now. It had slaughter his parents. It had slaughter his father…

To Be Continued…

Please R + R!

Hope you…errr… well, I don't know if I should hope you'd enjoy that. Well, I hope it made things more… umm…interesting for you? Oh, I don't know. Hoped you enjoyed it or whatever. Next time, Vegeta has a change of colors so to speak. You'll have to read to find out! ^^;;