Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or really any other property. Thank you.

The Cataylst

Act V

Chapter 70: An Eye for An Eye

Raditz:

The name of the human city wasn't particularly relevant, though Raditz did spy a sign saying "Purple City" as he swept in, landing atop one of the larger high rises with a dome at the top of it. Crossing his arms, his eyes scanned for Turles with a degree of irritation that was very much there. In the last week, his brother had been 'joining' their training sessions, and had repeatedly gone out of his way to humiliate him, claiming only that he'd been 'trying to help' prepare him for Vegeta. Firstly, that was being done under the guise that he actually needed to beat Vegeta. Secondly, it was very obvious that he was mostly just fighting him in that sense to be an asshole. Low blows, eye gouges, and an assortment of other tactics were implemented on him.

The real reason was that Turles was deliberately trying to avoid fighting seriously, to give Kakarot the smallest sample size over his fighting technique. That was what Raditz suspected, but the fact he enjoyed making him look like a fool was infuriating.

Today was the day. This was where it would start. It was November 3rd, and this was where they'd agreed to meet. It'd been hard to tell if Turles would actually help him at times. There had been a change in him, since he'd become a Super Saiyan. Everyone could see it, but no one dared bring it up. Honestly, he'd thought Turles would become an unstoppable killing machine if it ever happened, but instead he'd become more reclusive, more reserved almost. That was what he'd learned since beginning to interact with him again after the battle against Lord Slug. He understood quite well that Turles was all about calculating his best options. A plea to emotion hadn't been Raditz's first wish to obtain his assistance.

Perhaps it was all a ruse, and his brother wasn't going to arrive, leaving him on the cusp of failure. There was a real anxiety behind that. Everything could come undone before it even started. Crossing his arms, he waited as his eyes scanned around the bustling city below. The casualties here would be necessary, unfortunately. Kakarot hated it when innocent people got hurt. Truthfully, it was a more difficult prospect than he'd originally felt when he'd first arrived on this planet, obviously.

His first carnage filled tour of the planet, ironically with Violet at his side, had been a fond memory until it came to a close at the hands of Piccolo, and then later Vegeta. At least this time these people would die with a purpose.

When two feet came in next to him, almost twenty minutes later, Raditz felt relief, turning around to see Turles brushing his shoulder a moment later, investigating his armour before he looked back at him.

"Well, it's time," Raditz said, his voice almost nervous.

There was no response for several seconds until Turles just started to walk around the top of the spherical structure, looking at the streets down below. It was him scoping out the battlefield before looking back over to Raditz himself.

"Hm," he sounded before crossing his arms himself. "It's a bit crowded, wouldn't you say?"

That was a surprise for Raditz to hear as he looked back at Turles in near disbelief. Turles cared about it being populated? What was happening here? Was this world transforming Turles? It didn't seem possible.

"You've got to be kidding me," Raditz almost snarled under his breath before almost stomping towards Turles with an angry look in his eyes.

"This is the kind of battle that will draw Kakarot and everyone else to this city. Why are you so worried about it? We've killed whole planets. And now this city is crowded? What kind of Saiyan are you?" Raditz almost spat.

The irony was completely lost on him, as to the reversal of their roles.

The other Saiyan gave him a cynical half smirk however, at least putting some of his disbelief to rest. There was a reason he wasn't looking to kill these people, wasn't there? At least there was perhaps some of the old Turles showing up for his decision-making progress.

"Why would I start a massacre here? Even fighting Kakarot here is pointless. When this is all over, I'm going to be alive. Even if I beat Kakarot, the last thing I'll want is to burn my bridges with our nephew. Killing a pile of these insects isn't going to endear me to him, now is it?" Turles pointed out in his own logic. "I don't see why killing these creatures is so important to your plan anyway."

He knows full well why we need to start this with a massacre!

Raditz felt hot, angry blood boiling in his veins at the snide remark from his brother. His hands balled into fists as Turles proceeded to not take any of this seriously. Kakarot would not take a challenge seriously without stakes, or without something righteous to fight over, like the needless deaths of these humans! People caught up in violence for no reason, even if Kakarot was no hero, was a thing his brother wouldn't let it stand. It'd focus his attention on the battle, rather than what might be happening elsewhere.

"Because I don't need you doing a sparring session with Kakarot. I need you fighting Kakarot," Raditz almost spat. "We already talked about this."

"And I told you that I don't care about your terms," Turles responded coolly. "Consider it an honour that I even bothered to show up for this. I'm already overcommitted to your little plot. Vegeta didn't kill my human woman."

The last line was mocking enough that Raditz's energy almost spiked. The vile visage of his sibling was enough to make his teeth clench together as Raditz slowly gathered his plan together. This could still be salvaged, and he had a good measure of doing it.

"Fine," Raditz almost spat. "Power up and bring him here."

The half smirk on Turles's features reappeared before he floated above the city's skyline, a golden aura bursting out of his body as the transformation took hold. Raditz, standing atop the building, knew that the size of Turles's ki and expansion of it so rapidly would draw Kakarot in. It would also down out his own power field. Gathering energy into his hand, Raditz tossed a single, large orb of energy into the streets below before he threw himself off the other side of the building.

The structure rumbled before red light burst through it. Voices screamed out helplessly as the entire street was bathed in explosive energy and light. The entire building they'd been standing on, as well as three others, lost their structural integrity. The collapse of the towers sunk into the street below. Raditz knew he could almost sense Turles turn on him, until Raditz saw Kakarot appear in the air in front of his brother with instant transmission.

Good luck, Turles.

This wasn't a time for cold feet. Raditz knew all too well as his power pulsed, pushing him forward as his body blasted over the open air. Already, he could sense the others being drawn to the conflict. Piccolo and Vegeta were the most prominent, going to where they sensed the powers clashing, as even Raditz felt the first blow shake through the air from the city he was rapidly retreating from.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Turles:

You fucking little shit, Raditz!

Furious eyes followed his brother as a huge chunk of the city exploded and somewhat evaporated under a massive explosion. The sound of his Super Saiyan aura thrummed through his ears as he sensed Kakarot's power emerge half way across the planet before he appeared in front of him, the look of a righteous avenger already written across his face.

He'd decided to downgrade the level of distraction he'd offered Raditz, but clearly those plans had just been changed for him. If he decided to do this at all, that meant he'd have to own the destruction as well.

"Now I know you're angry Kakarot, but let me explain. It was all Raditz."

Bardock's mocking words weren't welcome as Turles just stared back at his brother. This was called being committed, now wasn't it? If Raditz somehow survived this, he'd be sure to pay him back for the extra layer of escalation. Because Turles suspected that he'd just turned this battle into a fight to the death, hadn't he? Well, that was one way to burn bridges.

"Why?" Goku demanded, pointing to the flaming ruins below. "Why would you do this Turles!? What did these people do to deserve that!"

"You know, I'm really not sure," Turles answered honestly, giving a cruel smile back to Kakarot just to be safe. "But I'm sure you're going to want to do something about it, aren't you?"

"You did this just to fight me!? Are you crazy!?"

Assuming a defensive stance, his aura rippling around his form, Turles stared at the other Super Saiyan with a pair of keen eyes as he braced himself. Raditz was going to pay for this, he was definitely not going to forget this stupidity he'd gotten him pulled into. This was the last time he cared about someone else's problems. Even now, he could admit there was a degree of his decision making which had been based off wanting to help Raditz obtain the honourable death he was looking for. A modern Abil's tale, as it were.

The anger written across Kakarot's face turned to cold determination, and there was a moment of exhilaration that ran through Turles's body. This was the fight he'd wanted since he'd met Kakarot on Namek. Even if that fight had a high price affiliated with it… it could be his moment. This would be his chance to prove himself his brother's superior. Having watched him against Slug, and in his little training sessions, Turles was not worried about his chances of a victory. But he would need to play things smart. Kakarot didn't fall for tricks twice, and he was extremely adaptable as a fighter.

"Sure, I'm crazy," Turles finally answered.

In a blur of motion, Kakarot attacked, his fist shooting out towards him. Throwing his own punch in counter, the two fists met in the air as a wave of force rolled out across the city below as windows shattered for kilometres. The fight had begun. Only one of the two would be left standing.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Vegeta:

The two Super Saiyans were locked in battle. That was what Vegeta had determined as he rushed towards the spot on the map where the carnage had clearly begun. The tension between the two must have finally boiled over, and Vegeta was going to be there to see it unfold. This was not only going to be a battle that might see one of his most hated enemies, kill the other, but it would be a valuable tool to learn and understand how they controlled their energy, and how they fought. This wouldn't be some training session, both sides were going to pull out all the stops to win. It was glorious, it was very Saiyan.

The only regret he had was that he wasn't one of the true combatants. Even now he could feel the energies in the air as the two began their clash. Mountains rumbled as the two fighters rapidly moved away from their previous location. It was exciting, if nothing else.

A Saiyan duel to the death, just as it's meant to be. A duel to the death between two legendary Super Saiyans. Remarkable.

Even with his resentment and anger at his position as it were, Vegeta could at least give his respects to Kakarot and Turles for what they were embarking on, regardless of the reason. It was fitting. One day he would challenge the victor in a similar battle he was sure, and then he would climb the mountain and become the true inheritor of their race's pinnacle form and legend.

There was only one peculiar thing he noticed as he blasted off towards the battle. For a brief moment, he could have sworn he sensed Raditz. Now, that wasn't surprising, the least amongst their species would have been another one drawn into the conflict, if only to observe it. Perhaps he wanted to save his brothers, or stop the fight. The only problem was, he was moving away, and heading west. The power flickered on and off on an unfamiliar path.

Why would Raditz be leaving the fight? He was just there?

It seemed off. It even would seem out of character, as far as Vegeta could see. Not that it mattered, Raditz was a background player in the struggle between real powers. Vegeta paid more attention to Piccolo's power as it moved towards the conflict as well. The only issue was it was jarring for him to notice. What was his third-class servant doing? He clearly wasn't banished from the fight.

Whatever, that pitiful no count is doing what? Going to West City? Who c…

There was a brief moment of insight as Vegeta flew, his excitement for the fight he was charging towards dulled for a second. Why would Raditz go to West City? In fact, that was almost exactly where he sensed him. He went from the battleground, to West City? And now his power entirely vanished, being deliberately suppressed. Increasingly, Vegeta's eyes were turned Westward as he flew towards the mountains which were being rocked by the two Super Saiyans.

Well Raditz, what are you doing? Avoiding the big fight by going to West City? What's there for you? You don't know anyone there. There certainly isn't a fight there. Are you injured? Wouldn't you go to Kakarot's home? Its obviously closer, or even the base of this planet's pitiful lookout.

Something was off. What was the other Saiyan's game here? Not that he ever attributed Raditz to having an over abundance of brains… Or maybe it was that he didn't want to see that Raditz had much of an intellect. His limited power had afforded the other Saiyan few opportunities. He'd been clever against Frieza's second form… and he'd managed to kill one of the Super Namekians which was stronger than he was. Perhaps he was cleverer than he imagined. But what was he being clever about? In the midst of this chaos, he was running away to a location he had no reason to go, and then dropping his power level off the face of the-

Finally, it sunk in after several minutes, Vegeta's body stopped in the air before more paranoid voices in his head told him something, he suspected was true. A smile broke out on the Prince's face before he gave a cruel laugh.

Oh, Raditz, you are pathetic! Are you really doing what I think you're doing? Well! Good for you! Hah!

Like he was going to waste his time.

Blasting off towards the fight, Vegeta's smile couldn't clear his face. Did Raditz really expect him to care?

The only thing he noticed, was as he flew, he couldn't maintain his smile for very long as he realized something very grim about what was occurring. Raditz was going to try and destroy his property, solely because it was his…

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Bulma:

Five weeks to go. The last few months had been the preparation to be alone, and taking care of a kid from a man who'd really bailed out on her. Poor decisions were everywhere, and Bulma wasn't so self centric to recognize that. The worst part of all of it this was the vulnerability she felt all the time. It felt like her shield was just gone. The lonely nights she spent sleeping alone, especially during all of this, felt chillingly… solitary.

A kick felt like it was trying to punch a hole out of her a moment later as she winced. Reaching down, she placed her hand over her distended stomach and just looked around with a degree of nervousness. Gohan didn't kill Chi-Chi, so the odds of her son killing her was really low. Overall, she was worried all the time. She was worried for the health of her son, she was worried about being alone, and she was worried about her security. Everything came together in a storm of stress that it felt like her whole world was collapsing.

I… I messed up.

It was hard to deny. Her parents were going to help her be a single mom. Already she'd finished winding down a dozen projects due to just feeling overwhelmed. Nothing new had really started up. Even with her time supposedly freed up from not needing to finish Vegeta's training equipment, that was what she had been working on most of the time, honestly. It was a strange hobby to have, building equipment that was never going to be used, for someone who'd abandoned her. Her parents had recommended that she see a therapist, given all she'd been through. They'd seen clearly that she'd gone through a lot since the Saiyans arrived on the Earth.

A lot.

Quietly, she cursed the hormones running through her as she felt herself almost tear up just at the thought. Everything just… didn't work out. It felt like this wasn't how things were supposed to go. She had dreams of her life just turning out better than this, and it hurt. When she'd found herself just laying on her couch on her side, Bulma just wanted to go to sleep and wish that the world was better. No more threats hanging over her head. Hell, even the kid was rapidly becoming a liability, more than she'd really realized. Still, maybe being a mom would be all that she thought it'd be chalked up to be.

At least her son was going to have good genes for looks, mostly from her contributions she'd like to point out. Despite the stress and uncertainty, she could at least look to a few weeks from now and know she was going to get to meet one of the most important people in her life. And she could look forward to not being pregnant. The whole thing had been miserable, but that had a lot to do with having no one here with her.

The next time I see Vegeta, I think I'll kill him.

The idle threat had nothing behind it. She wasn't a warrior, and if anything, she was in this circumstance because of that. Vegeta was supposed to protect her, she got too attached, and now this was where she was. She knew she'd driven him off by literally preventing him from killing himself in a desperate bid for power. Which meant she might be better off all things considering, because he was a god damn idiot. What was the point in dying for nothing?

Something bumped over in the room next over and Bulma's head perked up for a moment, blinking as her heart started racing. It was instinctive ever since Turles broke into the lab that every sound she heard could be someone violating her home. She waited a few seconds, listening for any other noise as her chest thumped.

It's fine Bulma. It's not Turles, or anyone else. It's fine.

The word part was always how it didn't just go away because she rationalized it. Laying down was no longer in the cards apparently. There was no way she felt comfortable enough anymore. Internally, she swore to herself as she managed to pull herself off the couch, groaning before she walked into the next room over, her eyes scanning it for any signs of anyone. Nothing looked out of place in her dining room and kitchen. It was perturbing to look at in a lot of ways.

Maybe I can calm my nerves down a bit now? It was nothing. No one's here except mom and dad, and they're downstairs. Get yourself together.

Walking into her kitchen, she opened the fridge as her desire for orange juice became overwhelming. The only thing she wanted more than orange juice was a cigarette, and she was definitely not indulging in that until after her kid was around. It was strange, she still got cravings, even as she'd quit over six months ago.

Taking a gulp of the acidic liquid, she placed her glass down before closing the fridge door. Walking back into the other room, she sat down and just sighed. She really needed to just hunker down and finish up some chores before she had another nap. She felt exhausted in all honesty. Her son gave her another kick as soon as she sat down. Wincing, she rubbed her stomach again.

"Stop that," she warned. "If you keep me up again…"

In the corner of her eye, near the balcony, she could see a figure leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Immediately her heart started racing as she noticed black hair. Her lungs couldn't find air as she almost jumped off the couch in fear, trying to rush back before she noticed it was Raditz. Relief washed over her as she stopped herself, feeling like she could almost pass out.

Now the only question was, why the Hell was Raditz here?

"Hey Raditz, you scared me, what's going on?" she asked. "Is everything okay? Look, if you need training armour, I've actually got a lot of spares laying around. I know your brother kept trying to get some for a while."

"No," Raditz answered, his voice sounding almost detached, which did make Bulma feel a bit more… concerned, about the nature of his arrival. "I have something important to discuss with you."

Pushing himself off the wall, the huge Saiyan walked a few feet towards her, his stance stiff, almost uncomfortable. It was making her significantly less comfortable.

"I've heard that you're expecting. It's a Saiyan, isn't it?" Raditz asked.

It's really not any of your business.

Of course, she'd been talking to Chi-Chi for weeks now. Was this going to be a problem going forward? Dealing with weird behaving Saiyans because her son was going to descend from their 'blood', or something weird? She didn't understand Saiyan culture all that well, all she knew was that Vegeta was emotionally very closed off, but somehow expected her to honour traditions she didn't know about half the time.

Giving in, she sighed.

"Yea, I'm going to be welcoming my little boy into the world soon. I've been trying to think of names. I think Trunks is the one I want to give him," she answered. "So, another alien. I guess."

There was something uncomfortable there as Raditz just stood there for a few moments, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. It was weird to watch.

"Why… did you come here? What's so important?" she finally asked, feeling almost hesitant to know the answer.

"I think I need to explain myself," Raditz admitted to her. "It's just no easy for me to do. So, you'll need to forgive me Bulma."

"Sure, no that's fine," she responded, he looked almost uncomfortable, as if he was in pain somehow.

"I came here because of Vegeta," Raditz admitted.

Vegeta? Ugh, what did you do now Vegeta?

"What'd Vegeta do now?" she asked, sounding exhausted in her tone. "Look, he's not here right now-"

"I know," Raditz responded firmly, taking a few steps to stand in front of her. "Today is November the 3rd, it's the same day that Vegeta arrived on this planet three years ago," Raditz explained. "Today's the day…"

Holy crap, it was the third, wasn't it? That was crazy to think about. Just three years ago Vegeta had tried to kill everyone, only for Goku, Raditz, Krillin, and Gohan to stop him. That wasn't even counting everyone who died fighting that monster Nappa. It'd been horrific. That'd been the day that Raditz himself turned on his fellow Saiyans even.

"Today is the day that Vegeta betrayed me," Raditz's voice became cold. "I just want to let you know that this is nothing personal. If its of any comfort, I don't want to do this."

It was then that Bulma realized why Raditz was here. The panic was immediate. Running away would be useless, given that Raditz could use ki to kill her in a heartbeat but hadn't yet. Her mind frantically rushed through her options as she felt her breathing become erratic almost immediately.

He was going to kill her. It was hard not to become emotional as she felt cornered. Tears edged onto the sides of her eyes as she felt her nostrils desperately fill with air.

"R-Raditz, please don't do this. I… I don't know what happened between you and Vegeta. I-I didn't have anything to do with it, you know that!"

Kneeling in front of her, Raditz looked at her at eye level, and in all of her fear she could see the real sympathy in his eyes. Maybe… maybe there was a chance she could stop him. She felt her hands instinctively come to her midsection as she realized he wasn't just going to kill her. He was going to kill her son. A choked nose escaped her lips as she felt tears roll down her cheeks. Shaking her head pleadingly, she didn't know what else she could do.

"Please," she sobbed. "I just want to have my baby. We don't have anything to do with Vegeta-"

Raising his hand for her to be quiet, Raditz sighed.

"I begged Vegeta to spare the woman I'd been traveling with on the surface of the Earth. He laughed at me as he ordered Nappa to kill her," Raditz told her with a sincerity that Bulma didn't doubt. "I swore I'd get my revenge on him. And that is why this is uncomfortable. I had to get Turles to fight Kakarot to be here right now. I understand that you didn't kill my Violet, but you are to Vegeta as she was to me. And that is why you need to die, Bulma."

Standing in front of her, she felt another sob role through her body from the core as she just turned her face away from him, closing her eyes tightly. He… he'd gotten Goku and Turles to fight? What the Hell was he doing? Oh god… she… she was going to die.

"You don't need to do this! You're better than this Raditz! Is this what she'd want? Ask yourself that! Please!"

It took him only a few seconds to think before he opened his palm, red energy crackling into his hand. The sympathetic look never left his face when she turned to look back up at him, a red glow covering the room. The thrum of the energy resonated through her body and ears as she realized this was it. Her son was never going to be born. She was never going to be a mother, even a single one. She was barely over thirty and her life was over.

There was something also sadly true, however…

"This is what she'd want," Raditz told her, his voice almost soft. "I'm sorry."

Just as the light became almost overwhelming, it was suddenly gone. For a brief second, she thought her pleas for mercy had been answered by her best friend's brother. Another one of his siblings coming out to try to murder her, it seemed. But no, instead, he was gone. And as soon as he left, a boom cracked out through her room. Her couch lifted off the ground from the impact as her wall was torn away as Raditz's body ploughed through it. Air from the outside began to spill into Capsule Corporation as she felt herself hold on as the couch landed, hitting what was left of the wall hard. She could hear Raditz's surprised and pained cry as he was sent rocketing out of the building.

Painful noises left her as she was still left crying, trying to gather herself as she trembled, barely able to move. Looking up, she saw someone beginning to walk past her, not even sparring her a glance.

V…Vegeta?!

"Stay out of my way," he warned before jumping through the hole in the wall Raditz had made.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Author's Notes:

One more chapter for you guys for this month. Making a bit more progress than anticipated.

And so, we begin one of the bigger moments in the story. This will be updated in September. Why would Vegeta save Bulma? Just to fuck Raditz over, that's why. It's really sad. Lol

Also, next Chapter released this September is called: "A Tail for a Tail."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Reviews:

KagariAsuha: I concfur.

Thomas-The-TMC: Thanks!

Anonymous: His power is roughly equivalent, if not higher, prior to being a Super Saiyan? Expect Turles and Goku to be on par with one another from here on out, provided they are in the same form. Though yes, Goku's got more tricks than Turles. Goku's more of a skill-based fighter as well, where as Turles focuses a bit more on being a power fighter.

SpiderGod766: You must think my writing quality dropped a lot between chapters, lol.

Luke: That's the tragedy.

OuterSpaceHooker: I sincerely doubt they'd all chill and just hang out, lol.

Blades of Fury: It's happening!

Super Mystic Gohan: Awesome :D

Ki: Don't expect to see nerf waves, lol.

Perfect Carnage: She is perfect proof that Vegeta's a dirty liar, lol.

Guest1: The burn is happening!

FabDuwangIsFab: I don't think Bulma and Raditz are going to be a couple. Ever.

ILeikFishes: Nice.

DarkFalconZ: I hope this satiates your giddiness :P

Jetiq: Thanks!