Chapter Seven: The Losses Begin


Pan felt the very hairs of her neck stand on end. Not only were they severly outnumbered, but the very devil himself had shown up on the scene. Could things get any worse? She shook a blonde spike out of her face, regarding the forest in front of her wearily. Her condition was taking its toll on her, zapping her energy much faster than it originally had.

A glance to her left affirmed her suscpicions. More and more foot soldiers filled in the area. It wouldn't be long before the six of them were brought down. She let a sigh escape her as she mulled over their options. Flight seemed futile, as any stray ki blasts could easily wipe out the little village that sat, unsuspecting. Fighting…that was what they do best, wasn't it? But how could they? Eventually they would be overtaken. No, she had to think positively, or they would never make it!

The men stood protectively in front of the two female Saiya-jins. Gohan watched as Frieza whispered something to that same stupid general again. "Looks like we don't really have a choice in this matter."

Goten snorted, messaging out a knot in his shoulder. "Obviously. I still wanna know what happened to dad and Vegeta." Gohan shot him a glare before staring back at the purple invader.

"We can't dwell on that right now. The only option we have is to go on as if they were never here to help us to being with." Trunks reeled back a few steps before grabbing the back of Gohan's shirt.

"You're talking about our fathers!"

"Trunks," Gohan grated out, spinning to stare the younger demi down. "I know, but at the moment we're the only ones here to save the earth. Frieza is gonna try to take it down, with or without or dads here to stop him." Nothing more could be said as war cries echoed throughout the forest.

"Here we go," Bura muttered, squatting down into a defensive stance.


His mind fired to life as his senses screamed back. Each part of his body was sore, and his head ached twice as much. Forcing his eyes open, he only met the same dark shadows he had felt in his unconciousness. Slowly, though, he began to make out the destruction that had been caused in the room. Blood highlighted the wall, but either way, he was still alive. At least, he thought so, though he did not feel it.

Standing proved to be an effort in itself, but he managed, taking in the room while his body reached equilibrium. Immediately his mind replayed the last few seconds before he had hit the floor, cold. "Kakarot!" He shouted, eyes darting wildly around the room. His comrade had not been as fortunate as he, and had surprisingly gone down shortly before he had.

"Answer me, Clown!"

Silence only met him as he shoved the destroyed leather chair out of his way. "This is no time for jokes, Kakarot! We've let that bastard get away…" He stretched out his senses, not even feeling the Earth-raised man's energy signal. His stomach lurched as he realized that his long-time rival could very well be dead. Chances were not in their favor, as Frieza seemed to have somehow gotten a billion times more powerful than he had been before.

It was his childhood all over again.

Other energies struck his senses…those of his children and the enemy they were most likely facing. Vegeta offered another glance around the room, checking again for any signs of life, but found none. He couldn't waste anymore time here, especially when he could not even feel Kakarot's life signal. A small sigh shot out of his body. It was the only amount of mourning he could offer for now. There was no time for this sort of thing.

Not yet.


Trunks wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. He wasn't used to losing…he wasn't used to getting hit by a weakling for that matter. His efforts to blast the creature into dust had been futile, and hitting him, huh, even worse. For having a power level so well below the demi's, the orange alien was faster than the speed of light. It was enough to send the young Prince into a most infuriating temper tantrum.

"STAND THE FUCK STILL!" he commanded, shooting blast after blast. Trunks was no fool. He would not shoot off any actual ki-consuming attacks, but the amount of volleys he tossed nearly amounted to a full blown attack anyway. He grit his teeth and fired a general Big Bang Attack in the creature's general area, taking out about two dozen others, though still missing his prey. "DAMN!" he shrieked, letting loose a torrent of blasts.

The youngest of the three siblings took a moment to observe his brother's fury. Never before had he seen such power come from the eldest of them, but it was no surprise. Though Trunks didn't look like a carbon copy of his father, he definitely had his temper to make up for. Geta glanced at his hands for a moment, realizing that he had the looks, though not the spirit of their male parent.

"Tch, whatever," he muttered, easily dodging a kick aimed for his ribs, and returning the attack with a kick of his own. He sent the humanoid alien flying into four others, before exploding on impact. A smirk eased on to his face for a moment before he turned around to check on his sisters.

Geta paused half way when a ki close to him plunged to nearly nothing. His eyes widened as he watched Gohan go down, Frieza hovering over the unknowing Saiya-jin. Blood boiling, he nearly blasted off to meet the tyrant in the skies, but was immediately overtaken by a group of pathetic soldiers. Sending a growl their way, he tried fighting them off, finding that he had the same problem as his brother. "Aw shit," he shot, trying to dodge their attacks, but failing miserably.

The next energy level to strike his senses was Goten, followed almost instantly by Trunks. They weren't dead, for he could still see them fighting in his peripheral vision. However, they were close to meeting King Yemma himself, as their energies continuously decreased. He felt his throat constrict, realizing that they were very close to losing the battle, and he was unable to help them. He could barely help himself! The teen let out a shout, angered at the sick turn of events this week had taken. His body immediately powered up to level two, one which he had not trained well under. But as his brain pushed him to continue, he ignored the strain on his young body. He had no choice…he had to try to keep fighting! He had to help them!


It was any father's worst nightmare. He stared at the nearly destroyed forest below him, arriving just in time to see his first-born son fall face forwards into the charred earth. His youngest boy was flinging ki blasts in front of him as he flew backwards, bringing up the rear guard for the women that were now charging through the dense woods. He felt his heart sink even further as he noticed that they had only caused a dent in the massive army that the freakish purple demon had created.

The Prince could take it no longer, speeding down like a bat out of hell. The still-moving trio halted in their path, watching as he placed himself between them and the alien army. "I know you're not just standing there! Get your fat asses home NOW!"

"No way Papa! We're not leaving you here with them!" Bura crossed her arms defiantly over her round stomach, glaring at the back of his spiky head.

"Perhaps your hearing was effected by the battle, as well as your judgement. Do not make me repeat myself, child. Go. Home. NOW."

She only shook her head, eliciting another sigh from the still forward-facing Prince. The day was continuing its path to hell. "We can't dad…you can't fight this battle alone!" Great, now even his son was rebelling.

"Namek! I know you're out there. Be useful for once and escort these fools home." A few rustles were carried in the wind as the tall, green Namek appeared. He did not look pleased, but his bloodstained gi spoke volumes.

Piccolo stood off to the side, chancing a glance towards the slowly advancing invaders. "I am no babysitter. Why should I?"

Vegeta crossed his arms, still staring into the distance. "If you don't want to die, then you will. Take them home." He turned towards the taller man. "Please," he whispered, his eyes narrowing slightly. The Namek was floored. Never, in the decades that he had known the stubborn Saiya-jin, had he ever requested something politely. He looked desperate, that was certain. It was understandable though. Here he was, able to finally face off against the foe who had taken everything he had ever known. And yet, if Frieza hadn't tortured the last Saiya-jin all those years, he wouldn't be standing on this planet today.

The green alien stirred out of his thoughts and offered a slight nod. He was always the one bailing the younger kids out of battles anyway. What a job indeed. Piccolo spun on his heel, swiftly grabbing the girls and avoiding the advancing ki blasts that were hitting the defenseless trees around them. "You too," he said to Geta, shooting off into the woods as blast after blast zoomed by his body. "Damn annoyances!"

"Put us down you flippin jolly green giant!" Bura kicked and punched to no avail. Pan said nothing, but offered a few scratches for good measure. "GETA!" Bura suddenly shrieked, watching as his image got smaller and smaller as the got farther away. Piccolo paused momentarily, turning just in time…


"Didn't I tell you to go home," Vegeta questioned, watching as his son powered up again.

"Yeah, and?" Geta huffed, dusting off his pants. His father rolled his eyes, muttering something about deaf, Earthling children. The teen smirked, feeling Piccolo and his charges slowly drift away from the oncoming battle. Good. Now they wouldn't have to worry about them nearly as much as they should.

A giant, red ball of total doom (to Geta anyway) began to shoot towards them, picking up speed as it flashed by trees. "Oh shit," father and son declared, one closer to the line of fire than the other. It would hit them within seconds!

Geta's mind whirled. He was no use on this battlefield…his ki was barely high enough to be noticed, and his body was already drained. His body reacted faster than his mind as he flung himself in front of his father, eyes taking in the shocked face of the man he had strived to prove himself to.

Vegeta's eyes widened as he caught his son before he fell to the muddy earth. The mini-clone blinked sleepily as he tried to say a few syllables.

"Dad…Tousan…I—"


….to see her younger brother fall. He mercifully kept them facing behind him, and watched as the teens lips moved lethargically. Vegeta obviously responded, because the demi's face lit up with a smile before his last breath of life left him. With downcast eyes, Piccolo floated above the treetops, towards the general direction of West City.

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A/N: (sniffles) sorry, I HAD to do it! You'll see why in the long run though. Insert whatever you would like with Veggie Junior's farewell to his father. I didn't want to ruin it now. Yes, you'll find out later…or maybe I just won't say it, just so you can have it any way you want it. Well, another chapter down. Hope y'all like it, despite the fact that you might hate me for putting so many characters out of commission. Review PLEASE!

Next Chapter: What exactly happened to Goku, Gohan, and the others? What's going to happen to Vegeta? Hell, what will the other's reactions be when they realize that a full blown war has broken out? Stay tuned!

Ja Ne,

Pearl