Author's Note/Foreword: Just to make sure everyone is clear, Eva's hair and aurora after her transformation are two different shades of red. Her aurora is "the color of blood" (hence last chapter's title), while her hair is a really bright red. Some examples of the hair color I'm thinking of are:

Female Ranma
(shudder) SS4 Gogeta
Commando Z from "Hand Maid May"
Hikaru Shidou from "Rayearth"

I want to especially stress Hikaru as an example for two reasons. One, red doesn't get much brighter than that. It's almost pink in some scenes. Second, I'm pretty sure she inspired the idea. In the second encounter with Alcyone, she really ticks Hikaru off (by attacking one of her friends no less). Miss Hikaru then receives a big power boost, complete with flaring aurora. Not hard to see the parallels. Almost every time I see this scene, I keep thinking "She's gonna go Super Saiyan on your ass!"

Yes, I am well aware that I have no life. Your power to state the obvious is uncanny.

In any case, I highly recommend all the Animes listed in this note (except Ranma and DB GT, but only because I haven't seen them as of this writing). And of course, the reasons for the color difference will be explained, but not here. No sport in that. (eg)

Now, hopefully I haven't bored you all to tears and there's still some of you who want to read this chapter. And here it is:

Daddy's Little Girl

"She WHAT?!"

Goku winced as his Saiyan hearing made Vegeta sound much louder than he actually was. Not that he was quiet by any stretch of the imagination, mind you.

"I said," Goku replied, rubbing his sore ear, "that I think she went Super Saiyan."

The two Saiyans and their mates were gathered in the Capsule Corp.'s main laboratory.

"How is that possible?!" Vegeta demanded. "She hardly has any training in controlling her Ki!"

"So?" Goku responded. "None of us trained to reach the first level. And besides, I don't know if that's what happened, but it's the only thing I can think of."

"But why red?" Chi-Chi asked. "Why not blonde like the rest of you?"

"Well, we've never seen a female Super Saiyan before," Goku offered. "Maybe that's it."

Vegeta gave a 'Hmpf' and crossed his arms.

"That's possible, Goku," Bulma said, calling up something on one of the computer screens. "But it's not the only explanation. Look here."

Everyone else gathered around the screen.

"This is a model of Eva's DNA from a recent blood sample. The gold represents her Saiyan genes, and the blue is her Madar, both of which she got from her father. This white would be her human genes, which she got from Yui."

"Then what's the red?" Goku asked.

"That's just it," Bulma sighed. "I have no idea, and I can only assume she got it from her mother's side of the family. And there's something else..."

"What's that, Bulma?" Chi-Chi asked.

"In Eva's blood, there's traces of a metal. You know, like how you'd find iron in any human's blood. The thing is, I'd never seen anything like it before. It was a new type of element altogether."

"But...," the other three said in perfect unison.

Bulma gave a small chuckle. "But, after analyzing Eva's lancer, I decided to play on a hunch. It's the exact same metal in both her blood and the weapon."

"What does that mean, woman?" Vegeta asked.

She shrugged and sighed again. "Don't know that either. I don't think either are Madar in origin because there was no trace of the metal in Brick's blood."

"What about that armor Yui left for her?" Chi-Chi asked. "Anything interesting about that?"

"Well, first off, it's not exactly armor. The stuff is really tough. I had Vegeta blast it with everything he had and it wasn't even singed."

The Prince shot Bulma a deadly glare, but she ignored him.

"But it doesn't offer much in terms of bodily protection. The test dummy that was wearing the suit when Vegeta tested it was reduced almost to ash from the heat of the attacks."

"Then what good is it?" Goku asked, scratching his head.

"It's got a few gadgets and stuff built into it," Bulma replied. "I've only figured out one though. In the left wrist band, there's some kind retrieval device for the lancer. Press the button, and the lancer flies back into your hand. Damn thing nearly took my head off..."

"What else?" Goku asked.

"Well, it's got some sort of energy storage unit on the back. I guess it's in case Eva wears herself out or something--"

"Speaking of that little wench," Vegeta interrupted, earning glares from both women present, "what happened after her transformation, Kakarott?"

Goku nodded. "Well, about a minute after it happened, she asked me what happened. I explained it the best I could, and that Brick somehow knew that thing was the first of the Angels. The whole time, she was just glaring off into space, looking like she'd kill anything that moved. After I was done explaining, she was quiet for a while. Then she whispered, 'kill them all,' and passed out. Her hair was black again by the time she hit the ground."

Vegeta grunted. "Brat wore herself out. Her body wasn't ready to hold that much power that fast."

"I'll say!" Goku shouted. "She went from Krillin's level to Gohan's in no time! I'm surprised she didn't blow herself up!"

"Where is she now?" Chi-Chi asked, a worried expression on her face.

"Well, she was in the gravity chamber from sunrise until lunch time," Bulma responded. "Haven't seen her since then. Or her armor. Or her lancer..."

"She's on Roshi's island," Goku responded, staring off into space. "She's having one hell of a spar with someone by the way her power if moving around. Since I can't sense who the other person is, I guess it has to be 18."

Android 18 ducked under another swipe from Eva's silver lancer. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a few of her hairs had been sliced from her head. Frowning, she kicked Eva in the stomach. The girl flew back, but quickly recovered and hurled her weapon at the Android.

The attack was clumsy and 18 easily dodged it. Unfazed, Eva screamed and was suddenly surrounded by a blood-red Ki aura. She then fired a massive blast of matching colored energy, which 18 also dodged. However, the blast was a diversion so that Eva could activate the device in the left wrist band of her battle suit. Android 18 didn't realize what it was until she was almost decapitated.

After Eva caught the weapon, both fighters stopped to catch their breath.

"Not bad kid," 18 said between breaths. "You're learning fast."

Eva shook her head. "Not fast enough. I can't stop, not until I'm strong enough to destroy them all. I'll reach Level 3 if I have to..."

With that, Eva tossed her lancer aside and cupped her hands. "Ka...Me...He...Me...HAK!"

Partly due to her mispronunciation, but mostly due to her exhaustion, Eva's attack was very weak, and despite her own tired state, 18 batted it aside very easily.

"Damn you!!" Eva cried. Her aurora flared up again, and she made to renew her attack on 18, but only collapsed onto her hands and knees.

Krillin and Master Roshi, who had been watching the spar from the porch of the house, quickly ran to Eva's sides and tried to help her up.

"Easy kiddo," Krillin said as they took hold of her arms. "Even Saiyans have their limits."

"I'm not just Saiyan," Eva gasped, letting her arms be draped across each of their shoulders. "I am Madar, and--"

"And human," Krillin stressed as he and Roshi raised her to her feet. "Sit down and rest a bit."

Eva was about to reply when her glance suddenly shifted to Master Roshi. "Why is your hand on my breasts old man?"

Roshi gave a start and began to sweat nervously. "I-uh...that is...just trying to get a hold of ya and they're sorta hard to miss, that's all! Just brushed 'em by accident!"

"Fair enough," she said coldly, her glance turning into a glare. "But then why are you squeezing?"

Before anyone knew what was happening, Eva's energy suddenly flared and she was holding Roshi against the wall of his house.

"How dare you!!" she yelled at the terrified Martial Arts Master. "How dare you soil me with your dirty old hands! Do you know who I am?! I'm Eva Stone!" Her eyes started to glow yellow. "Daughter of the mighty Brick! I'm-I'm my Daddy's little girl! I....Daddy..."

Eva's eyes returned to normal and rolled into the back of her head as she fell backwards onto the ground, out cold. Krillin again ran over to her and looked her over, while Roshi regained his footing and tried to lower his heart rate.

"She's okay," Krillin said finally, shooting a quick glare in his old Master's direction. "She just exhausted herself. She'll be out till night fall at least. Her body's catching up quick, but it still can't handle all this energy."

18 frowned. "Frankly, I'm a little scared about how quick she's learning. I know Saiyans learn fast, but come on!"

"Well," Krillin sighed, "from everything Vegeta's told us, Madar were a warrior race in their own right. Maybe that's why."

"Whatever," 18 said as she picked Eva up and rested the girl over her shoulder. "Can't say I blame her though."

"Why's that?" Krillin asked.

"She lost the most important person in her life," she replied. "I'd hate to see what happened to you if you ever lost me."

With that, Android 18 took to the sky with Eva in tow, heading in the direction of the Son house, leaving her husband to ponder her last statement.

Goku zoomed through the air, looking over the ocean and the many islands scattered throughout. It was indeed a beautiful site to behold, but scenery was the farthest thing from his mind.

"So how 'bout it?" the Saiyan asked the passenger clinging tightly to his back.

"Huh?" asked the young Uub. "How about what?"

"After your training's complete, and you become flawless, how 'bout we try out our powers on each other?"

"Yeah sure. Why not?"

"All right!" Goku cheered. "To be honest, I can't wait for that to happen!" His eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and teared up. "It sounds thrilling, doesn't it? The two of us, going head-to-head in an all out battle?"

Uub didn't answer. In fact, Goku suddenly felt a lot lighter. As if Uub had suddenly fallen off...

"Uub!" Goku cried, coming to a complete stop. He looked around, searching desperately for the young village boy.

"He's fine," Brick said, appearing in front of Goku and removing a pair of fingers from his forehead. "He's safely on land. We need to talk Goku."

"Ok," Goku replied. "But can we make it quick? I'm kinda in a hurry to start training Uub."

Brick sighed. "That's what we need to talk about. Don't you see anything wrong with what you're doing?"

Goku blinked. "What do you mean?"

"When you found out about me and what I was doing for Darcon, you demanded I help end the threat for the sake of your family. And now you're just going to abandon them?!"

"It's not like that! I'm gonna come visit!"

"They need more than just a visit every now and then! Goten just became a teenager! Gohan needs guidance in raising Pan! They need their father!" Brick then whispered "Besides, the way your mind is, you'll forget to visit..."

"You and Vegeta can take care of that stuff. Uub needs someone to train him!"

Brick sighed again and buried his face in his hands. "Fine," he said, looking up to glare at Goku. "I'll have to put this into the only language you seem to understand!"

With a shout, Brick's hair suddenly spiked up, the rubber-band holding it in a ponytail vaporizing as his golden Ki aurora flared up. His muscle mass increased and his eyes went from blue to green.

"You and me," the Ascended Brick growled. "One-on-one. If you win, you can leave your family behind to go train Uub. If I win, he finds a new master and you go back to be the best damn father and husband you can. You up to it?"

Goku laughed. "Come on Brick! I mean, you've gotten a lot stronger over the years, but..."

Brick smirked. "Didn't you teach me to never underestimate your opponents? As long as you don't go past Level 2 it'll be a fair fight, trust me." He pointed to the ocean below. "First one to be completely submerged under the water is the loser. Agreed?"

Goku smiled and nodded.

"Then let's rumble!!"

Brick attacked, but Goku simply went Super Saiyan himself and dodged. However, the battle was now on, and a fierce battle it was. Their blows could be heard for miles as claps of thunder. Water was turned instantly to vapor by their energy attacks. Both found themselves partially underwater more than they would have liked. And to Goku's surprise, he did eventually have to Ascend to Level 2.

"Told ya," Brick said with a smirk when he saw this.

"All right, all right," Goku said, returning the smirk. "From now on I'll practice what I preach. But now this fight's gone to a whole new level."

"You got that right," Brick said, extending his left arm out to the side. "Now remember, you can't underestimate me."

A white energy ball formed in his left hand.

"After all, you may have taught me everything you know –"

Brick hurled the energy ball into the ocean, directly below Goku.

"–But not everything I know!"

Goku was confused, when from the water below him suddenly exploded a huge cross made out of white energy. He wasn't hit by the attack, but the suddenness of it caught him off guard and sent him spiraling a few feet out of control.

"Like it?" Brick asked as Goku regained control. "I call it the 'cross flare.' A gift from the dearly departed Shara Stone."

"I couldn't sense that," Goku muttered. "COOL!"

The battle began anew, more intense than before. Goku was now stronger than his friend, but to his surprise, not as much as he used to be. Brick's tricks also kept him on his toes. At one point, Brick had Goku completely surrounded by "cross flares," allowing him to attack from above with a golden energy blast. Goku was sent waist-deep into the ocean, but bolted out before Brick could sick him in any further.

Brick dodged the attack, and the one that followed. But Goku was coming at him so fast, he couldn't get back on the offensive, and he noticed his friend was slowly leading him to the water below.

Goku pulled back his hand, and then delivered the punch that should have sent Brick several feet below the water's surface. However, all that happened was that his fist was burned and he had to pull it back.

"OW! What the–?!"

Goku looked at Brick, and saw what was left of his shirt and been destroyed and that two familiar golden wings were wrapped around him. More specifically, wrapped around where Goku's fist would have made contact.

"No fair!!" Goku shouted.

"How do ya figure?" Brick asked as he unfurled the wings, revealing his white hair, black eyes and Vegeta smirk. "After all, we agreed that you couldn't you transform any further, but we didn't say anything about little 'ol me..."

Goku growled and attacked again, but Brick was now faster. Much faster. So fast that when Goku made to strike him down, he was already behind the Saiyan and ready for the next move. Goku quickly became frustrated and whether he knew it or not, began to summon energy for the next level of his transformation.

Sensing this, Brick realized he had to stop him and end the fight quickly. Otherwise, he'd be in the hospital for weeks. He wrapped his wings around himself again, and with a shout, flung them back out, launching a hail what appeared to be energy feathers.

Goku cried out as the hail cut into him and shredded the remains of his Gi. When the attack subsided, Goku turned to Brick, and was surprised to find the Madar/Saiyan back in his "normal" form, tying his hair back with a new rubber-band.

"You're giving up?!"

"Hardly," Brick said, getting into a defensive stance. "Just with all I've learned about Ki and Super Saiyans, I forgot some of what I learned about real fighting. Come and get me."

Though confused, Goku didn't show it. He charged up his aura and bolted at Brick.

Brick held his "ground," and started to explain something as Goku came at him, though he knew there was a good chance the Saiyan couldn't hear him.

"Ya see, one of the things my Senseis taught me was that you can't be all tensed up when you fight. You gotta be loose and fluid..."

When Goku reached him, Brick floated to the side and grabbed his wrist. Using Goku's momentum, Brick flipped him and sent him spiraling out of control. Try as he might, Goku couldn't right himself and soon:

SPLASH!

"Like water," Brick finished with a smile.

After a few seconds, Goku's gasping head broke the surface of the water. "Didn't see that coming," he muttered.

Brick chuckled as he floated down to offer Goku his hand. "Neither did I," he said. "The Sensei who taught me about that one was quite a character."

Goku took the offered hand and let Brick pull him out of the ocean. "Well, I guess we'd better head home. But what about Uub?"

"I'm sure we can find someone else to train him. Besides, if he really is who you think he is, I'm not sure it's such a good idea that he train on Earth, you know? He could lose his temper and blow up his whole island."

"I guess..."

Brick sighed. "All right, how's this? We find Uub a new Sensei, and to make your 'punishment' more bearable, I'll spar with you once a week. I go with Eva to visit you guys all the time anyway."

Goku's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really?! Will it be like this time?!"

Brick sighed yet again and nodded. "Yes. As long as you give being a father and husband your best, I'll give you my best when we spar. Now come on, ya big lug. The first thing you must learn for your new life is the fine art of begging the wife for forgiveness. Luckily for you, I happen to be an expert at that..."

Goku chuckled at the fond memory as he adjusted the tie around his neck. "Good times," he whispered with a smile.

Brick had become a good friend over the years, and it was still hard for Goku to believe he was dead. Even harder to believe that he was now getting ready for his funeral.

The plan had been simple: after the threat of all the Angels had been eliminated, they would use the Dragonballs to restore all who lost their lives in the attack, Brick included. They needed to wait however, as more lives would probably be lost as the battles continued. It didn't help matters that no one knew exactly what the Angels were, or how many there would be. Vegeta was trying desperately to remember anything about them from Appla's reports on the Radam, but kept drawing a blank.

Then there was the funeral, which Goku had his reservations about. Normally, he wouldn't bother with one, as Brick would be back before the year was up. However, the Angel's attack was in the heart of Satan City, and many of the people who survived saw Brick die to destroy the monster. They were confused about the whole situation. Not only because Brick had demonstrated superhuman powers like Saiyaman and Saiyagirl, but because a simple construction worker had died to save them, while Mr. Satan had been no where to be found. So, in order to protect his reputation and status as the savior of the world, Hercule had paid for and arranged a hero's funeral for Brick. A funeral where he would give the eulogy, and which would be televised.

"Well," Goku sighed, "if nothing else, it might be good for Eva."

The girl was seriously beginning to worry him. She had been doing nothing but train, resting only when she exhausted herself to the point of passing out. When she finally came to from the Roshi incident this morning, it had taken a lot of convincing to get her to go to the funeral, rather than the gravity chamber. While he knew the girl looked up to him as a sort of second father, he wasn't her real father, and Goku was finally starting to understand why Brick demanded he come home all those years ago.

Goku sighed sadly as he put on his suit coat. "We miss ya, Brick," he said. "So whatever you do, don't get on King Yemma's bad side."

Otherworld:

Brick sneezed and rubbed his nose.

"If there is a hell," he muttered, "I'm sure this is how it smells. Phew!"

Holding his nose, he looked around for what he felt must have been the thousandth time. The line he'd been standing in since he arrived to wherever he was finally winding down. Soon he'd finally see what the heck he was waiting for.

Shortly, he found himself in what seemed to be an oversized office, staring up a desk the size of a mansion, and behind the desk was a large red man perfectly to scale with everything else.

"Just when I think I've gotten used to everything this life could possibly throw at me," Brick muttered, "this happens."

The giant looked up from the book it was reading. "Ah yes," he bellowed. "You must be Brick Stone."

"And you must be the one guy I'll let get away with making fun of my name."

King Yemma raised an eyebrow, but turned back to his books. "Let's see...gave your life to save Satan City, eh? I guess I can see why Shin might be interested in you."

"Who?"

That's when a large purple man dressed in strange clothes stepped out from behind the desk into Brick's line of vision. Not large compared to King Yemma of course (I don't think anything could be large compared to that guy, Brick thought), but he did tower over the Saiyan. Brick guessed he was about nine or ten feet tall.

"I am Kibito," the purple man said, "companion and assistant to Shin, the Supreme Kai. He requests that you join him on his planet during your stay in Otherworld."

Brick blinked. "What?"

Kibito seemed to sigh slightly. "Just come with me please."

"Yeah, sure," Brick muttered. "Why the hell not..."

Earth:

Rain at a funeral, Eva thought. Never has a cliche been so fucking appropriate.

The girl pulled her father's leather jacket closer to her body. Not to keep dry or because she was cold, but to try and bring her father closer to her.

He's not even in the coffin! Goku told me he turned to dust and blew away with the wind!

She was only barely aware that Chi-Chi was next to her and holding tightly onto her hand, even less aware that Goten was on her other side doing the same. Occasionally, she felt Videl or Pan place a hand on her shoulder, but through it all, she simply stared at the empty casket, slipping in and out of Hercule Satan's eulogy.

Of course, the coffin wasn't really empty. Everyone present had placed something in it that reminded them of the late Brick Stone. Chi-Chi had placed a copy of his favorite chili recipe, while Goku had offered one of his departed friend's old fighting Gis. Pan gave up a stuffed teddy bear Brick had given her for her birthday. Trunks and Goten offered up some old comic books that Brick had enjoyed. Brick's former employees had put in some tools and a hard-hat.

By the time the service had ended, the rain stopped and the sun started to break through the clouds. One by one, everyone walked over to Eva, offering their condolences. Eva more or less ignored them. Some, like the workers, seemed offended by this, but they all seemed to understand and let her alone. However, when a certain someone came up to her, she finally spoke up.

"Mr. Satan," she said softly as she shook his hand, "I truly appreciate everything you've done for me and my family."

"Oh it's no problem little girl," the large man said. "Anything for a fellow hero--"

"However," she spat, interrupting him and letting go of his hand as if it were covered in slime. "I know you did it all to protect yourself and your lie. So, if I ever, EVER hear you claim to be in the same league as my father again-" she looked up and glared at him venomously, "-as God as my witness, I'll break you in half."

Satan was noticeably shaken by this, but before the exchange could be continued, Videl placed a hand on Eva's shoulder and gently led the younger girl away. Satan wasted no time getting into his limo and having the driver take him to his warm, dry and safe mansion home.

Later:

"Let me go Gohan! I've gotta train! I gotta get stronger!"

Gohan didn't release his grip on Eva's arm as he dragged her out into an open field.

"Dammit Son! I'll go through you if I have to!"

With a scowl, Gohan pushed Eva to the ground. "We're here to train," he said.

"All right!" Eva shouted. "Let's go!"

She powered up and dove at him, but Gohan simply caught her fist and pushed her back to the ground.

"Not that kind of training," he said. "Power down."

"WHAT?!"

"Power down to your lowest level."

"Fine," she spat.

"Lower."

"What?!"

"Get your power level as low as it was before your Dad died."

"I can't," she growled, her power level suddenly spiking rather high.

Gohan sighed. "I was afraid of that. Krillin tells me you nearly killed Master Roshi yesterday, and you threatened Videl's father at the funeral today."

"So what?"

He sighed again. "What was one of the very first things Brick taught you."

She shot him a glare as she answered. "Control."

"Do you think you're in control now?"

"Perfectly."

"Then lower your power to its minimum."

"...."

"Better yet, why don't you transform?"

"...You mean into a Super Saiyan?"

"If that's what it is when your hair turns red, then yes."

"Of course that's what it is! What else could it be?!" She paused. "Oh right. For all you guys know it could be some sort of Madar thing."

He blinked. "How do you know it isn't?"

Eva sighed. "When you guys go Super, I can feel this...change in your Ki. I don't know if anybody else can sense it, but it's there. Like that quality of the power goes up with the quantity. When I transformed, I felt that same change within myself, though I didn't really know what it was at the time."

Gohan nodded. "All right, transform into a Super Saiyan then."

"...I can't. I've tried, but I just can't get it back..."

"So I ask again, are you in control?"

"No," she whispered in defeat. "No I'm not."

Gohan sat down cross-legged in front of Eva and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"It's okay," he said reassuringly. "None of us had control at first. It takes practice to be able to transform at will. But before you can control your body, you have to control your emotions."

"How?" she asked softly, practically in tears.

And so, Gohan began instructing Eva on how to meditate and how to better focus her Ki. It seemed to be going well. Like everything else, Eva was picking it up exceptionally quick. However, as one might expect, something went wrong.

Suddenly, the sky grew very dark. Miles in the distance, Gohan and Eva could see flashing lights and hear claps of thunder. And barely five minutes after it all started, it ended, leaving no trace that it had happened at all.

"What was that?" Eva asked. "Not another storm. Too fast and there wasn't any rain..."

"No," Gohan said, standing up and looking toward the sky. "That's what usually happens when the Dragon is summoned."

"NO!" Eva shouted. "Daddy died two days ago! By the time we can make another wish he'll have been dead more than a year! We won't be able to bring him back!"

Then, from the opposite direction, deeper in the wilderness, they felt both Vegeta and Goku go Super Saiyan and then drop down to normal. A signal for the others to gather at their location.

With a scream, her aurora flared and Eva flew off at her top speed. However, she didn't head in the direction of the signal.

Gohan let out a heavy sigh. "When it rains, it pours."

He then took off to meet with his father and the Saiyan Prince.

Otherworld:

"Uh...I'm grateful for the new threads and all, but do you have anything more...normal? Y'know, maybe like a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Or even a fighting Gi. Not this weird....thing."

Kibito sighed, but chose to ignore his companion for the time being. "I have returned, Supreme Kai, and I have brought our guest."

"These earrings definitely have to go. And how long's the halo been there?"

Shin was chuckling as he stepped out from behind a tree. "Thank you, Kibito," he said, giving both his assistant and Brick a warm smile. "Welcome, Brick."

"Hiya," Brick said, waving. "I don't mean to be rude, sir, but I don't feel comfortable in this outfit. If it's not too much trouble..."

Shin nodded to Kibito, who placed a large purple hand on Brick's shoulder. Soon, the Saiyan/Madar hybrid was dressed in his normal attire: blue jeans that were ripped at the knees, work boots, and a white but stained T-shirt. His hair had been even tied back into a ponytail for him.

Brick was noticeably more at ease after the change was made. "Thank you, sir," he said with a bow. "But, now, I'd really like to know why I'm here."

"It's simple really," Shin said, still smiling warmly. "Ever since the incident with Majin Buu, we've kept an eye on Goku and the other Saiyans on Earth. I witnessed your fight with the so-called 'Angel,' and thought you had earned the right to observe the happenings on Earth."

Brick bowed again. "Thank you, sir. How can I repay you?"

"Just continue to do what you do best," the Supreme Kai replied as he held up the crystal ball.

"And what's that, sir?"

"Be a good father, by watching over your daughter."

Slowly, an image of Eva in her battle armor formed within the sphere.

Earth:

"About time you arrived, brat," Vegeta scoffed as Gohan landed next to him and Goku on a ledge overlooking a grassy hillside. "Where's the wench?"

Gohan shook his head. "She just bolted straight to her house. Don't know why. What do we got?"

"Some kinda weird bug thing," Goku replied, scanning the freakishly tall grass below. "It's not as big as the last one, but still pretty big."

"So it is an Angel then?"

"It had a core just like the last one."

"We tried to destroy it," Vegeta said, "but it deflected our attacks with some sort of tendril made out of energy. It has the ability to blend in with its surroundings and has no energy signature, so we cannot find it."

"Force field?"

"Hmpf. If it has one, it hasn't needed it."

"And this really tall grass isn't helping matters either," Goku added. "Big as that thing is, it could still hide in there really well, even without the camouflage!"

"I wanted to simply vaporize the weeds," Vegeta growled, "but your father is concerned about any worthless animals that may be living in there."

Gohan simply nodded. He was about to say something, but instead shouted "INCOMING!!"

The two older Saiyans watched as the Angel appeared towering over them, seemingly from nowhere. They both shot to Super Saiyan 2 and prepared to attack.

"NO!" Gohan cried. "From behind us! DUCK!"

Gohan pushed them both to the ground, just as a screaming red streak would have decapitated them. Then Angel was knocked into the hillside and the Saiyans could clearly see Eva trying to beat the life out of it with punches and kicks.

"Oh," Goku said as he and Gohan stood back up. "She just went to get her armor."

"Whatever," Vegeta growled. The Prince stood up and pointed his palm at the monster. "All I know is that's she blocking my shot so she had better move!"

"NO!" Eva screamed, glaring at the other three. "THIS ONE'S MINE!"

Vegeta seemed surprised at first, but simply smirked, crossed his arms and returned to his normal form.

With a slight nod, Eva backed away from the Angel. Just enough space for her to relight her Ki and hit it with a barrage of red energy blasts. The beast deflected each blast with purple energy tendril, just like Vegeta had reported, but she refused to let up.

"EVA, NO!" Gohan called. "YOU'LL JUST WEAR YOURSELF OUT!"

If Eva heard the warning, she didn't have time to acknowledge or ignore it as one of the tendrils struck her down. She crashed through the tall grass into the ground below, sending a tremor throughout the landscape.

"EVA!!" Goku cried. He made to dive after her, but Vegeta stopped him.

"You heard the girl Kakarott," he said as she weakly floated back into the air. "She wants to take this one out on her own."

"But Vegeta, she's not ready!"

The Prince shrugged. "That's not our problem. If she's so eager to rejoin her father, let her."

"My father," Eva repeated in a whisper. She looked up just in time to see both tendrils coming at her. With a shout, she caught one in each hand, sparks shooting out between her fingers.

"YES!" Goku shouted, returning to his normal form in relief. He turned to Gohan and Vegeta with a grin, but it disappeared when he noticed the shocked, almost scared, expressions on their faces.

"Dad?" Gohan asked. "The other night...did it feel anything like this?"

Goku spun around, back to the battle, just in time to hear Eva scream her loudest yet. There was explosion as her black hair again erupted into a fiery red. The Angel was blasted from her grip and into the hillside, leaving an impression.

Without a sound, Eva reached behind her back and removed her lancer from its sabered. She unfolded it, and twisted its handle, disconnecting it into two separate blades. Then, screaming yet again, she attacked.

The Angel had recovered by this time and struck with its tendrils. However, with almost no effort, Eva dodged them and severed them from their roots. The creature let loose an earth shaking roar that briefly drowned out Eva's own cry. Its core was now defenseless.

Still screaming, Eva drove both of her blades deep into the core, charging them with her own Ki as she did. Sparks shot from the orb and the Angel struggled with all its strength, but she ignored both. This continued for close to five minutes until the creature became still and all the color drained from its form.

Similarly, right after that, Eva stopped screaming and pushing, and her hair became black once again. However, she remained floating in the air, clutching tightly to the hilts of her lancer and trembling.

"Is it dead?" Goku finally asked.

Gohan nodded. "Listen...."

They did, and hearing a sound, quietly flew toward its source. When they arrived next to Eva, it was confirmed that the girl was sobbing, tears falling from her face like rain.

As gently as they could, Goku and Gohan pried her hands from the hilts, and Goku carefully took her into his arms. Through it all, the girl didn't move except for the sobs racking her body. Goku quietly instructed Vegeta and Gohan to get some samples of the Angel to Bulma for analysis, and then to destroy the rest. He then flew Eva home.

"You did good, Eva," he whispered as he gently set her down on her own bed. He handed her Kongy, which she quickly snatched from his hand though her eyes were closed. Soon afterwards, the crying started to fade.

He chuckled slightly. "I know Brick would be very proud of you."

As he turned to leave, he swore he heard a voice whisper "Damn straight."

Later that evening:

"You WHAT?!"

Goku couldn't help chuckle at the scene before him. Eva, Trunks, and Goten had been sparring, as was obvious by the positions they were all in. Eva was holding Trunks by the shirt collar, high above her head, her other hand pulled back, ready to send him flying over horizon. Goten had managed to land a punch to her face, but all it had done was mash up her cheek. She didn't seem to feel it at all. Judging by her red hair and yellow eyes, Eva had gotten the hang for transforming to a Super Saiyan at will.

All three were frozen in place, staring at Goku and Chi-Chi as if in shock.

"We've adopted Eva," Chi-Chi repeated. "Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is. She's not old enough to live out on her own and she spends 90 of her time here anyway. I thought you'd be happy."

"I am, I am," Eva said as she gently lowered Trunks to the ground. She carefully pushed Goten aside so her mouth would move normally as her hair and eyes returned to normal. "It's just quite a shock."

"I know," Goku said. "But we need to keep a close as an eye on you as possible. There's still a lot we don't know about you and your powers."

"Can't argue with that," she sighed. "And...I don't really wanna live in Daddy's house all by myself anyway."

Goku smiled. It was easy to see that taking her rage out on that Angel had done wonders for her emotional state. She wasn't fully recovered, but that would take time. Months, maybe even years, depending on how things went.

Walking past her new foster parents, Eva went to the front door of the Son house. Taking a deep breath, she stepped over the threshold.

"I'm home," she said softly.

Chi-Chi smiled and gave the girl's shoulder and gentle, loving squeeze. "Welcome home, Eva."

That night, when everyone had gone to bed, Goten tossed and turned as he struggled to fall asleep. It had been a long day and he was dead tired, but sleep just wouldn't come.

After a few hours, it seemed like he was finally drifting off. In his half-conscious state, he was barely aware of the approaching Ki signature. That is, until it plopped into bed next to him. Slowly, he opened his eyes....

....and they nearly popped out of their sockets.

Eva was in bed with him, wearing only a loose-fitting shirt and a pair of old short-shorts as sleeping attire. A curious glance confirmed that he could easily see everything down the shirt. Two things in particular.

"Goten?" she called sleepily.

"Yes?" he replied, closing his eyes, trying to look natural.

"Could I....sleep with you? Please?"

What?! he thought in shock. Is she asking what I think she's asking?!

"It's just that I have trouble sleeping if I can't cuddle something....and Kongy's back at the house..."

He wanted to slap himself. Of course that's what she meant. Man, Brick's gonna kill me when he gets back...

Aloud, he said "Sure thing Eva."

Instantly, her arms wrapped around him. He hesitated at first, but soon did the same to her, making sure to stay clear of certain areas.

He could tell Eva was asleep almost right away. He mentally cursed, figuring it would take him forever to drift off again. However, the situation somehow felt right, and was falling asleep within minutes.

"Good night Eva," he whispered.

"Good night Daddy...."

"I know you had to go away
I died just a little, and I feel it now
You're the one I need
I believe that I would cry just a little
Just to have you back now
Here with me"
–Michelle Branch

End Credits:

First, Goku's comparison of Eva's power before and after her transformation should NOT be taken literally. I simply wanted to convey that she went from a relatively small level to an extremely powerful one, so I used the best examples I could think of.

Second, I know Kibito and Shin permanently fused at some point in the Buu Saga. However, I really liked the two characters as separate entities, so I decided to take advantage of this being an AU. In this universe, they still fused, but were at some point separated. I'll cover the "why" and the "how" in a future saga when/if I come up with a decent enough story.

Third, again for those who like a visual reference, this chapter's Angel was Evangelion's fourth, the one that attacked on Shinji's first day of school (talk about bad days, eh?). I know that one couldn't blend into the background, but I wanted to make it a little more interesting than just another giant monster.

Finally, but by the far the most important, this chapter is dedicated to Jean Brown, my beloved grandmother and one of the most important people in my life. She passed away the morning of May 24, 2003, the day after I finished the funeral scene. May she finally find the rest and peace she so rightfully deserves.

Preview Of Next Chapter:
A promise is something that must be given in order to be kept.
Someone's word should be unbreakable to all but the strongest forces of chaos.
And even then, some shred of it should still hold.
"Always," she whispered as I cried.
"Always and forever."
In a world gone mad, these whispers are all I have.
If a promise can be broken, the words are nothing.
A broken promise
means broken trust.

"Always"