AS22: yeah! Vegeta insight! I'm sorry if Vegeta is out of character, but you know, why can't Vegeta be deep?

Vegeta: hey, I am deep!

Goku: oh yeah? What are you thinking about right now?

Vegeta: Kakorot, what are you doing here? You're not even in this story!

AS22: actually, he kinda is.

Vegeta: darklings don't count!

AS22: just answer his question.

Vegeta:…

AS22: Vegeta?

Katie: oh, come on!

Vegeta: defeating Kakorot.

Group-minus-Vegeta: knew it…

Chapter 30: The Prince Remembers

3rd P.O.V.

Our Dimension

Vegeta stared up at the night sky, his eyes being drawn once more to where his home use to sit in the sky.

Vegeta realized his life had too many good times to have regretted leaving home that fateful day. Katie told him exactly how Frieza laughed, how he had killed his own people, just for the sake of killing the Sayjins that were starting to become a threat.

Kakorot may not remember our world… but in a way, Katrin does. She knew things about our people she shouldn't have because of that show, her future references. And that illusion… she found out everything. How Frieza killed my mother… my father… she knew of blood claim.

And then she knew who I was when I first came to this planet. She knew my future… part of my past… she knew only Kakorot could defeat me, but she still wanted to fight me… she's quite fond of me … and I am of her…

Vegeta remembered how she bowed and asked his permission to fight with him. How she knew his reason for killing Nappa.

If I hadn't killed Nappa then, Frieza would have kept him alive, broken him even more. I claimed that Nappa wasn't a friend or ally, but he was. I lied, trying to make sure no one knew my heart wasn't as black as I claimed. Kakorot and Katrin showed me mercy. No one had ever done that for me before. Katrin even saved me from becoming Majin, even though it cost her her soul.

And she's given me a family… grandkids… I must admit, that still sounds odd to me. I've damned and cursed Cell's name so many times, yet he is now my grandson. Katrin saw something in Cell that she saw in me… what that is, I'll never know.

"Vegeta?" he turned to the voice to see Bulma, only a small yellow robe covering her body and her blue hair a mess, "What are you doing out here so late?"

"Thinking."

"About Katie?"

"And Codie." Vegeta added.

"I know it's hard, but you know as well as I do what she can do." Bulma said, coming up next to him.

"She's fighting the powers of a god. Only another god could stop that."

"She's beaten worse, Vegeta. Come to bed. Even the Sayjin prince needs his rest."

"I'll be right in."

Bulma smiled and nodded, walking back inside. Vegeta looked to the stars again.

Katrin, you're very powerful, I'll admit that, but I pray to the dead Vegetian gods you can win.

Vegeta thought back to his childhood before Frieza took him form his home. He had an Ayokii, and he was a great rider. Vegeta had been quite a hell raiser as a boy before Frieza. Once as a small boy he set a barn on fire and let out all the Ayokii. But after Frieza, he didn't dare to sneeze around the tyrant after the first beatings.

Katrin knows the terror of Frieza as well as I do… now she's facing a new terror and I'm not there… I bet she's really terrified… but she won't show it… she's too proud… too much like me…

Vegeta smirked on that note as he went back inside.

1st P.O.V.

Darkling Dimension

It was easier to breathe. My leg didn't hurt so much. When I opened my eyes, I saw a woman with dark hair and a red ribbon in her hair walk by. She was seen through green liquid. It made sense to me that I was in a Sayjin Rehab Tank.

The sterile air coming through my mask smelt funny, but then again I had never actually been in a Sayjin rehab tank in reality. The woman with the red ribbon walked by again, but stopped and jerked forward. Her hair turned from dark to blonde and she looked around.

Is that really Lunch? I never met her back home, but I remember her from the show. Well, shit, the blue-haired one is nicer than the blonde. That's not good, because right now I need a nice person to speak to after all I've gone through.

She looked over to me and smiled. I waved and returned the smile. She started draining the tank, and once it was empty I removed the mask.

"Hi! It looks like you're all better! Oh! You look like exactly the Empress, just as Tien said." She said as I stepped out. She quickly held out a towel for me. I hadn't noticed, but I was nude. I lost some of my humility in Purgatory Prison.

I was slightly confused. In our world Lunch was nicer when she had blue hair and the NY-accented blonde was always meaner.

The blonde personality is nice? Duh! Opposite!

I mentally slapped myself.

"I get that a lot. How long was I inside?"

"Oh, let's see… since yesterday."

"Another day, huh? Time flies in hell."

"Tien use to say that a lot. Well, you have to stay in here for just a little longer, over on that bed. Tien and your friends want to see you right away; I'll just go get them."

"Thanks, Lunch."

"Oh! You know my name? I didn't think to tell you."

"Long story." I sighed.

"I never asked your name, I'm sorry."

"That's okay, I'm Katie."

"A human name, huh?" she giggled, "There is a new set of armor over there. Well, it really isn't new armor, but you're welcome to it just the same." then she went outside.

Nice, but I think I'm glad I never met her at home. Maybe I'd get along better with the mean one… sickly sweet…

Chi-chi's right about me and the mean ones…

I laughed internally. Again I missed home, but I remembered how that didn't help me before.

I had been homesick so much I got physically sick once. Then Roxx… damn him, this is all his fault all over again. If I can't save Codie soon we may have a big problem… I didn't think… how do we get home?

I looked over the armor as I put it on. It was black armor with black gloves, boots, and red spandex. The spandex was short sleeved and short legs, stopping just above the knee, and good for the heat.

Tien came in, followed by Lunch, Mirai, and Gohan.

"Nice to see you up and about." Gohan said.

"Same to you guys. Every day while I was in that hell I thought of you guys, hoping you were okay. Vegetian gods, I missed you two." I got up and hugged them both, doing my best not to cry.

When we finally separated, Tien spoke up.

"We're almost set for raiding the castle, we only need a few days to prepare."

I sat down, trying to figure out the best way to tell them how I really felt.

"I can't ask you and your men to come with me."

"You don't have to, if there's a chance of ever beating the Empress, its you." Tien said.

"You all are fools, then. You don't get it." I growled.

"Katie?" Mirai asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"There is not a chance of beating her. She has the Angel powers. I had to protect our earth, so I went on and fought her then, but this is your own universe. I'm no protector here."

"Katie, you're not giving up, are you?" Gohan asked.

"You don't get it." I snapped, standing back up, "Imagine a frail, old man on his deathbed, then imagine a Super Sayjin 4. To the old man, Super Sayjin 4 is like a god. Now times that by 100, and that may make you understand just how powerful the Angel power is. No power can compare, not even Roxx. Roxx was a maggot."

"Then why, Katie, was it so hard for you to defeat Roxx and Drazark?" Mirai asked.

"Remember that Goku had trouble beating Frieza when he first transformed? How you had trouble defeating Cell?" I asked directly to Gohan so he'd understand. Someone had to know, "You were able to kill Frieza without breaking a sweat." I aimed that to Mirai, "The first transformation is new, hard to control. That's why Tiom had to die when he transformed, he couldn't control the power. Once you have control it's easy. And my pride was my downfall against Drazark. The only reason I beat him when he had my power was, as Katrin said, when you steal the power it weakens."

"So-" Tien started, but I knew what he'd say.

"No mortal can beat it. Only a god can defeat a god." I said.

"So what, we don't fight?" Mirai asked.

"No…" I was terrified, but I had to do this to save Codie, "I fight. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"You always say that, and we always go with you anyway." Mirai replied, "I'm not going to let you go by yourself."

"Neither am I." Gohan added.

"No!" I screamed.

"Can I say something?" Tien snapped, "If you really think it's futile, I won't go, but I may have an idea."

"Any help would be appreciated." I replied, sitting back down.

"Just the 3 of you go, grab your kid, and retreat to the portal. Once you go through, she can't follow, even if she is a god."

"Yeah, but…" I couldn't think of an excuse.

"The portal is too small to walk through, but someone could teleport through easily, I bet." Tien added.

"We'll try it, right? Katie?"

I couldn't stand this any longer. No one was listening. I got up and walked outside, passing by my mate and my dearest friend, trying to hide the angry tears.

"Katie!"

"Just leave me be alone for a while!" I screamed back.

I pushed past the tent flap and away from them. They were acting like fools. Then again, maybe I just needed to cool down.

I haven't been out of that tank for 5 minutes and everyone's already asking me to save the day… they all expect me to save them… to stop the bad guy… but I can't… I can't kill a god.

I used my sleeve to quickly wipe away any tears starting to form. I still had the Ki band on my arm, so the people I passed by knew I wasn't the Empress, but they didn't get in my way all the same.

I went out toward an old barn and stopped at the fence. There were Ayokii running in the corral. They looked so graceful and so beautiful, and they still had that hint of wild, untamed fury in them that horses on earth have lacked for decades now.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" I looked next to me, and there was Cell, leaning on the fence.

"Depends." I sneered.

"You're scared." He stated.

"No I'm not." I replied.

"Katie, don't give me that. I've been spending the past few days with you… and I know how my mate acts when she's scared."

"Okay… I am."

"Why?"

"Damn you… you could always get me to talk." I sneered.

"Don't you mean your Teela-hreth, not me?"

(Best friend)

"I mean both of you this time."

Cell blinked and raised his eyebrow. I had confused him again.

I stared out at the Ayokii. I noticed a large green one rear up and kick, frightening a smaller blue one. A black one ran up and chased off the green one. It was smaller, but the green one still ran off.

"That black Ayokii is like Katrin." Cell said.

"What?"

"She use to protect others, even when the enemy was far larger and more powerful. Something about her eyes made people know how powerful she really was or how powerful she could be."

"Vegeta once told me he nearly flinched when he looked into my eyes. That never happened to him, not even when Frieza stared him down."

"Katrin knew when she was outclassed, but that was rare. Only once, before she got her Angel Powers, did I see that, and that was because of me."

"I can't fight her. You of all people must know how powerful she is. I can't compare."

"You can."

"No!" I snarled, causing an Ayokii to run off.

"Then tell me why."

"… I had the Angel power once… I know its true power."

"Do you?" Cell asked. His tone made me question him.

"Okay, what don't I know?"

"It is said that the Vegetian gods gave their power to a mortal, it is called Amfel Tuk Oply. The gods, Syreena, Goldeer, Oozark, and Mirean created a world and mortals to watch over. But the mortals needed a mortal protector, someone who knew the pain and pleasure of mortality, so they chose one to become the Angel."

"I knew that much-"

"This one would be a god, a balance."

Balance…

Baba's prophecy popped into mind. I said it aloud.

"Balance is the key to victory. Only when light and dark are equal can balance be found. Only when light and darkness intertwine can they become equal. One world full of light, one world full of darkness, both exist but never meet. Only when parts of these worlds meet can chaos be avoided. Damn fate and prophecy." I sneered.

"What was that?"

"A prophecy I heard before I came here… is my life to be controlled for all eternity?"

"I cannot answer that." Cell said.

"Even before I was born I was meant to become the Angel… I lost my home… twice… I fought creatures that no kid should fight, or even see. Even now I have nightmares. Now though… how can I find balance?"

"That I cannot answer as well."

"I can't fight a god… unless I become a god." The revelation, so simple at first, yet unattainable.

"Then do it." Cell said.

"What?"

"Meet with our gods and become the Angel."

"Cell… these gods may not even be real … how could I meet them even if they do exist?"

"We have our ways."

"And what are those?" I asked, skeptical.

"Come with me, we need to let your family know what's going on." Cell turned looked back, "I know you can do this… its going to be dangerous."

"Nothing is ever easy…" I sighed, following Cell back to Tien's tent.

AS22: okay, another fav of mine.

Cell: she created gods for us… now I'm scared.

Katie: oh, it isn't that bad.

AS22: thank you, Katie. I know, I'm so obsessed with Sayjins I even created a religion and a language. And that isn't easy. R&R!