Arwen furiously paced the halls. Her father was currently missing in action and she needed to find him. A crumpled ball of paper with elegant elfin scrawl was clutched in her right fist. Her skirts billowed out behind her as she stalked through the halls. She was one hair short of bellowing through the hallways.

Glorfindel back peddled harshly after turning a corner to stop himself from running into the Lady. He watched her pass with determined strides and that too-familiar stubborn look on her face that was entirely her father's. He prayed that she found who she was searching for, and that they wouldn't wind up in the medical ward before the night was over.

Stepping back out of Lord Elrond's study for the third time that morning, Arwen spun on her heel and headed for the garden's. The closer she drew to the doors, the more elves she met entering. Her anger partly giving way to curiosity, Arwen stepped outside and gazed around. Her sight fell on the source of the odd migration of elves and her reason for searching.

Lord Elrond stood talking quietly to an overly excited Bulma. He smiled at his daughter as she drew near, but the look slowly drained from his face at the hard eyes and tight lips of his daughter.

"Ada." Arwen stopped in front of her father and Bulma, the woman looking quite subdued from her former rapture only moments before.

Elrond opened his mouth to greet his daughter only to have a fistful of paper nearly shoved in it. "What is this? When were you going to tell me about it or were you going to keep it a secret so you might send me off to Valinor?"

Elrond took the paper from her hand and smoothed it. Bulma peeked around his shoulder but couldn't read the script. The elfin Lord's face smoothed and he looked up at his daughter with sadness in his eyes. "I only wanted to protect you."

"Varya? Varya! Lav-Estel qualme! Lav-indo qualme." Arwen stopped, tears streaming her pale cheeks as she drew shaky breath. "For me to die."

Taken aback by the force of her words, Elrond stepped forward with arms open to comfort his daughter as a father would, but Arwen stepped away. "Reforge the sword, Ada. Give my heart, my Estel, a chance."

Hands back to his sides, Elrond looked down at the paper still in his hands and nodded his head. Bulma looked confused beside him, not understand what Arwen had told her father, not even what it was they were so upset about, but the importance of it did not need translation.

She clasped hold of Elrond's hand and pressed the capsule into his palm. "I'm not sure what it is you're doing, but I have a feeling you'll be seeing Goku sooner than I will."

Elrond smiled lightly at her and nodded his head, unsurprised at how the blue haired vixen was able to pick up on the importance of what was happening. Bulma smiled weakly back at him. "Give this to Goku. I hope he doesn't need it, but just in case."

The small white vial in his hand looked relatively unimportant to his eyes, but if Bulma said that the large saiyajin needed it, he would deliver it--along with the sword reforged--to the cluster of warriors.

He cupped his daughters cheek, relieved when she did not pull away, and kissed her forehead. "Find Glorfindel, we need to work quickly."

---

Many of the Rohan men rode along happily. The war was yet to be won, but with the recent victory still fresh around them they couldn't help but feel revitalized.

Gimli rode behind Legolas again, watching with a curious eye the interaction between the regal elf and the alien Namek. Tension didn't ride high between them like it had the day before, and unless he was mistaken and far more weary than he thought, both creatures would smile quietly now and then at each other.

"You seem in high spirits today, Piccolo." Gimli smiled around his pipe.

Piccolo grunted, "I had a restful night."

Gimli nodded, looking up at Legolas when the elf laughed. "What a coincidence, Master Namek." Piccolo quirked an eye ridge at Legolas' light-hearted tone and innocent smile. "I too had a satisfactory rest."

"Satisfactory?" Piccolo looked up at him suddenly, nearly stumbling over his own feet.

"You might say it was the best nights sleep I've had in centuries." Legolas beamed and leaned forward on his horse and ran his fingers across Piccolo's neck. Gimli began to lose his balance and flailed, catching hold of the saddle beneath him but his movement had been enough to break the moment between them.

Legolas straightened, clearing his throat. "You had an insect."

Piccolo nodded, absently running his palm over the spot the elf had touched. "Thank you."

Gimli narrowed his eyes, curious because he knew he had seen something but hell if he could quite put a finger on it. Instead he decided to relax and watch, it would come to him eventually.

Both the pureblood saiyajins were still missing, though both Piccolo and Trunks--with a deep blush and stutter--reassured the others that they weren't far from them. Now and then a small drip of sweat or blood would fall to the earth from the sky but no one seemed to notice.

True to the fellow Z warrior's words, Vegeta and Goku were far above the slow moving line of men, not moving too quickly to see but too far above for men's eyes to notice them. Vegeta snarled as sharp eye teeth bit deeply into his shoulder, warm blood dripping down his arm and trickling from his fingertips. A tongue, not entirely apologetic, lapped away at the tang of the prince's life essense.

Goku smirked, blood on his lips and staining his teeth. Vegeta grasped a handful of the younger's hair and traced the man's lips with the tip of his tongue before roughly grasping hold of the front of his tunic and ripping it into shreds. Flutters of cloth fell to the earth in ribbons as Goku growled. "That was my last tunic, Vegeta." He hissed into a royal ear.

"What do I care, baka." Vegeta grinned before sucking deep purple bruises onto Goku's flesh.

An uncharacteristic evil laugh tumbled from Goku's lips and Vegeta quirked an eyebrow. Within seconds, Goku had jumped into an ascended saiyajin and had the Ouji's arms pinned painfully behind his back, his naked chest pressed across Vegeta's still clad back. Vegeta struggled, frustrated and angry. "Let go of me, Kakkarot!"

More of the low laughter sent shivers down Vegeta's spine. "I don't think I will, Vegeta. I rather like the way you squirm."

Immediately Vegeta stilled and scowled, swinging his head backward trying to connect with Goku's face, but without luck. He could feel the smirk on Goku's face and tried to break the hold the younger had on him but again without success.

"Gee, Vegeta...looks like I win." Goku purred into his ear. Sharp teeth scraped across his neck and Vegeta growled. Goku's obvious arousal to the situation was pressed tightly against Vegeta's backside and for one reason or another, Vegeta found the situation less and less unfavorable and unwittingly began to purr and grind himself into the taller saiyajin.

Goku hissed in appreciation and bit deeper into the hard flesh of Vegeta's shoulder. He gripped hold of the top of Vegeta's breeches and set his face over Vegeta's shoulder, his cheek against Vegeta's. "Vegeeeetaaaa..."

Far below them, still moving across the plains, hordes of men jumped in shock and fear as a bellow of epic proportions echoed across the field. Aragorn scanned the sky, trying to see what beast could emit such a deep and angry sound but found none. The ranger turned his horse, riding to Legolas' side. "Legolas, what do your elf eyes see?"

Blonde hair fanned in the breeze as the elf turned his head, scanning the skies at his friend's request. He stiffened suddenly and turned his head away, face pale and eyes wide. Aragorn leaned toward his friend, worried at his sudden appearance. "Are you well? What do you see?"

Behind them, the twin sons of Elrond grew worried as well and looked up and around to find what had made their friend so stricken. Their eyes grew round and odd grins stretched on their faces. They turned to speak to Aragorn but found they couldn't as Trunks clapped his hands over their mouths and tucked them under his arm so they couldn't escape.

"What is going on?" Gandalf called over, his weathered face curious.

Trunks cleared his throat and tried to speak but whenever he started his face flushed and he couldn't talk. Piccolo sighed and ran a hand down his face. "It's...Goku and Vegeta."

Gandalf nodded, stroking his beard. An odd twinkle in his eye and he laughed. He looked directly into Piccolo's eyes and asked with a straight face, "Sparring a little too roughly?"

Piccolo snorted. "Yea..."

Aragorn accepted the answer with a slow nod but was reluctant to leave Legolas. Piccolo stepped toward the grey mare and cleared his throat. Legolas looked down at him from his ride, eyes still wide. Piccolo grinned up at him. "See something interesting?"

The elf broke from his trance and smiled, frowned and then smiled again. "Perhaps it is something I will discuss with you this evening."

Piccolo caught the suggestive tone and quirked a brow as he choked. Legolas laughed, the sound light and refreshing like bubbling spring water. Aragorn felt better after hearing it and turned to return to the front, no longer as worried as before.

Behind them, Trunks let go of Elladan and Elrohir. Both elves swung an arm across Mirai's shoulders and grinned widely at him. Trunks reluctantly smiled back at them and shook his head. "Just...don't talk about it."

The twins laughed and Mirai curled his arms around their waists--much to their suprise--and he tugged them in closer. He glanced at both of them and a slightly crazed smile quirked his lip. "But now that you've seen it, do you think you can handle it?"

Two sets of elfin eyes widened in realization--Trunks was his father's son after all--and they tried to pull away a little but Trunks' arms tightened and he hugged them closer. A lilac head dipped and Mirai laughed, long and hard while those around him smiled quietly at him, not knowing of his mirth.

---

Varya? Varya! Lav-Estel qualme. Lav-indo qualme. - Protect? Protect! Allow Estel death! Allow my heart to die.