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 72: The Ground Rules

Turles:

It'd been two days since it'd happened. Two cities were savaged, Raditz was dead as far as he could tell and Kakarot hadn't come by to say hello by any means. The obvious strength and power of Vegeta taking on the mantle of Super Saiyan changed the power dynamics across the planet. He was a hair's length away from his own power now, and Kakarots. The rate which they were all training as well meant that his own training would need to accelerate, which was becoming increasingly difficult while concealing his power. That didn't matter quite as much as it used to either, given that his full power had been on display in his battle against Kakarot. Without the Namekian he was almost sure he'd have won.

"Kakarot finds a way to win."

An irritated growl escaped the Saiyan as he managed to pull himself up from his bed. Without a senzu bean, it'd take another week for him to heal enough to start getting back to his training. There was still a dark bruise under his jaw from where the wretched Namekian had attacked him after he'd already been beaten. The offense was not going to be forgotten.

"You are actually lucky he let you live. Most of the time that one kills anyone he deems a threat, at least from what I remember of my visions of his future."

The calming words of his tagalong were not helping. In fact, he was regretting coming back for the old man. Maybe he should have left him to burn down in Hell alone for a while longer to let him relearn his manners. Especially since the last thing he wanted right now was comments from the peanut gallery.

"Don't be in such a great mood for being alive or anything."

Quiet!

Even now while he staggered into his kitchen, he winced when he reached his bruised and still mildly cooked arm out to open the door on the stainless-steel fridge appliance. When he finished healing, he'd need to pay the others back. That included Raditz as well. That was the last time he did the right thing, paying back debts he felt were erroneous in the first place. Testing his own strength against Kakarot had given him some small benefits, but at the cost of multiple other things. Namely, trust, the most important thing he'd managed to scratch back. Well, he'd earned favour with a deadman in return.

"You know, I don't see Raditz anywhere down here."

Well, how big is Hell?

"Hmmm… it stretches for an eternity of fire and empty sand, outside of the boulders and that blood fountain. People always try to drink from the fountain when they get down here and get stuck for days, months, or years-"

Gritting his teeth as he almost tore his fridge door off, Turles felt his nerves itching at the stupidity of his current conversation and company. Grabbing the bottle of water that lay within, he pulled it out of the fridge before starting to drink it immediately. In the back of his head, he could feel a small scratch of annoyance as a faint power manifested nearby him. It was so insignificant he could barely keep track of it. There was a thud on his balcony followed by a soft noise of attempted entry at his glass doors. The noise was enough to let his eyes slide to the left, turning his attention to the door.

Immediately he choked on his water in surprise, coughing several times as he noticed a familiar and unexpected, figure. Unexpected given that he was alive, and he'd assumed he'd died. Living with the shame was probably worse than dying, come to think of it.

The bloodied figure looked as if he'd been on death's door for days. That was another obvious statement, he probably had been. Still, leaving his elder brother to die on his balcony was an incredibly tempting choice given all the bullshit he'd just been put through. But who was really to blame? Was Raditz? Or was it himself? But better yet, who was he to not take advantage of a situation? Right now, he was the one without allies. Kakarot had his friends, and Vegeta had the witch of a woman he was sure was going to leave him to bleed to death in her home. Even if Raditz wasn't as relevant as he'd like, he most definitely could be useful.

Opening the door, Raditz almost fell onto the hard wood floor that waited inside his humble apartment. Dirt and dried blood brushed against the varnished wood and Turles almost stomped his brother's head into the floor for it. A feeble hand reached out, trying to grab at him as he heard the terrible noise from Raditz's lung.

"I'm guessing I'm not your first choice," Turles remarked coolly, though an amused smirk stretched over one side of his face. "I'm willing to bet you didn't even get your revenge, otherwise I'm certain that I'd be at the very least more than just exiled. Again."

"B-brother," Raditz rasped. "I… I…"

"You what? Raditz? You apologize? You know, you nearly got me killed. And you turned Vegeta into a Super Saiyan. Worse, you spent all your credits, you cashed in all your chips, and I'm willing to bet you didn't even succeed, which is why you are still alive. Well congratulations, brother. Now the only question is do I take you in? Or do I leave you out there to the wolves? Or do I kill you myself for botching things worse than I could have imagined?"

The likelihood was of course, that Raditz would survive if he was left homeless at this point. Still, a nomad wandering the surface of the Earth didn't serve his interests. Allies served his interests, at this point. Kakarot had his ally, Piccolo, and Vegeta had the potential to be an ally of his if it weren't for his woman. Right now, he was an island, alone in a sea of threats and the disinterested. There was also the fact that his brother Raditz was a Saiyan, and he did care about the outcomes for his people. More than that, Raditz wasn't a Super Saiyan now… but if Kakarot and himself, two third class warriors could achieve the goal, who was to say Raditz couldn't himself?

"Or you know, you could be acting like his brother and helping him out. You did help put him into this."

He helped himself.

The last series of words almost made him want to snap at Bardock through their connection, but he held his tongue and thoughts.

The look on his brother's face as he debated what to do with him was just that of an exhausted man. The shame and guilt were sensations that he'd not really experienced, at least not as Raditz was. The only shame he had was the fact that he himself was now in Kakarot's debt. This planet was full of problems and inadvertent politics. This whole venture now was about who would come out on top for their species. Vegeta probably understood it, Raditz understood it, and so did he. Kakarot, somehow the most ignorant player in this game, played the game the best so far not understanding the rules or who the other players were.

And that was infuriating to say the least.

Not even bothering to look at Raditz, Turles turned back into his kitchen, before grabbing an apple from his fridge. Taking a bite from the fruit in front of his brother, he turned his cool gaze upon him.

"Wash up. I can't have you stinking this place up," he ordered. "After that, we'll go over the ground rules."

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Vegeta:

So, this was what it was to be the ultimate warrior. In the days since the ascension, Vegeta had reveled in his new found strength. It was everything he imagined it could be. The very planet itself trembled at his every step. Every living being on this world was beneath him. Kakarot and Turles were now his subordinates in his eyes, as they were always meant to be. The journey to his birthright had been a road of humiliation. Relying first on the woman Bulma and her technology. Then being constantly under the thumb of Kakarot and Turles. Being unable to assert himself had been… worse than when he'd lived under that pathetic creature, Frieza. Why? Because unlike when the killer of his species and home world had been his master, Vegeta hadn't seen the legendary Super Saiyan for himself. Kakarot and Turles had stolen the mantle of Super Saiyan from him, and Kakarot had defeated Frieza. The grievances he held for both brothers was intense.

Turles assaulting him on Earth, multiple times. Kakarot constantly involving himself in his business, trying to dictate to him what he was to do, treating him as if he was his inferior. The blow to his pride had been too much to deal with. When Raditz had managed to defeat him, it was too much. It was inflating his own ego to say that as of right now, he thought he had the edge on either Kakarot, or Turles.

Which meant it would be everything he had to keep ahead of them. Already he knew he'd be stronger than any android which could appear on this planet. He was once again the strongest Saiyan alive, and now was the strongest being alive. But Vegeta understood his position was precarious.

The Namekian was unreasonably powerful, and Kakarot had too many friends. Then there was the fact that he more than suspected that Raditz would be licking his wounds along with his vile brother Turles. In other words, the other two major powers on this planet had friends. Letting Raditz live, in hindsight, just to gratify his own sense of revenge, was probably a mistake. Worse, if he decided to confront either one of them now, his power wasn't so great that he could overwhelm them before potentially the other might get involved. He'd reasserted himself as the Crown-Prince of his people…

Only he had no people.

Certainly, he didn't need anyone else, but this planet going forward was going to be the base of his operations, perhaps one day it'd even be the centre of an empire he could forge… if he chose that path for himself. That further compounded his issues, however. Namely the issues he had with Kakarot and Turles, and perhaps the two Saiyan time travellers, including Kakarot's son. That was another issue all together.

So, in short, he was lacking in the allies and subjects categories. Despite as far as he was concerned, regaining his pride, Vegeta was quick to realize his limitations. On Earth before, Raditz, Gohan, and more than a few humans caused him an immense amount of trouble.

There was only one last thing he needed to decide.

It was an all too familiar feeling to peer over rubble, even if it was less common to see creatures trying their best to rebuild. Rarely were things allowed to get to that point. A planet was stripped in a week for sale. There were signs of emergency crews and heavy machinery, as well as signs expressing grief for the dead. Of the regular people there, there were few who didn't look utterly shocked at the sight of the city. The aftermath of the battles he'd waged before weren't something he was accustomed to.

Still, it didn't bother him in the slightest as his form glided through the air, before landing on the ever more ruined property of the Capsule Corporation.

There was no entrance any longer, nor was half of the building standing. The rubble looked as though it was being cleared out by teams, and construction crews were already standing by to try and recover or demolish whatever they needed. This was far from his idea of home, so seeing the building in shambles did little for him. He was here because of the practical reason. This planet provided him with limited options for training, which even when he'd pushed them to their most extreme, wouldn't match gravity of several hundred times the planet's surface. Now that he'd achieved this new state, in order to improve it, he would take what he wanted and be done with it.

The contract he had with the woman was complete, as far as he was concerned, with Raditz being humiliated. The lesser Saiyan not only was put in his place, he was made to understand that these people meant nothing to him. Still, he was going to need the ship from her, and this time he wasn't going to tolerate her restrictions on him. Destiny was calling him, and this was his time to answer. In a thousand years, the name Vegeta would echo through the stars. Frieza, Kakarot, and Turles would be forgotten to the dustbin of history. His light would burn the brightest, for all to see into a future he couldn't yet imagine.

A single, solitary figure emerged from the rubble as he approached it, almost lost in his plots and planning. Familiar blue hair hung down just past her shoulders. There was a moment where they both stopped walking, Vegeta instinctively stopped, not even thinking about it. He didn't know much about human biology, but he was assuming things were at their final stages of gestation of the half-breed he'd produced with the woman. That was something he'd never asked for, he also noted. A bastard, and one he'd already met. The boy was more human than Kakarot, or even that brat he called his son. Watching the thing bleeding to death as the others begged him for help had been bitter and sweet.

The bitterness came from the fact that that thing had been of his blood, and had failed. The sweetness of course, by contrast, came from the fact that Kakarot and his friends were begging for his help, and he simply turned them down. It allowed him to feel powerful for the first time since he'd been humiliated by Frieza, Kakarot, and then Turles, all within one day. He still fondly remembered when he walked away as the other traveller screamed after him.

The woman wasn't speaking when she finally approached him again, her pace becoming almost frantic despite the situation she was in. He raised his hand, stopping her in her tracks, a look of betrayal and shock covering her face as she stopped several steps in front of him. The look of pain in her eyes as she realized he was rejecting her again was clear. But there was something he noticed. The fire was gone, or perhaps only embers remained behind. It was certainly something he could guess as to why. This soft creature had been exposed to the harshness of the reality she lived in. No Kakarot came to her rescue, and his brothers had both tried to kill her.

The irony that Vegeta realized, was that on both Namek, and Earth, it'd been him who'd saved her from being the victims of Kakarot's weak brothers. The mantle of protector wasn't something he wanted, or took lightly. But he'd done as they'd agreed to.

"The ship," Vegeta remarked, not wanting to say anything more. "I'm here for it."

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Bulma:

He'd just left after everything happened. That was what hurt the most. She couldn't even bear to see Goku there, it was too painful, knowing what would have happened to her because of his brothers. One of which, wore his face. She couldn't… deal with any of them anymore. Nothing resembled the people she knew and loved who she'd journeyed around the world with. For years her life had been in constant danger all because she knew these people, and the only one who managed to protect her, ever, was the man in front of her. There was a time she just thought to have self-reliance, but that was gone now. There were no traps she could set, there was no weapons she could build, no fortress she could devise, that would ever really keep her safe from anyone who wanted to harm her. She didn't even have the illusion of security, not anymore.

And the only thing that had managed to protect her abandoned her, again, all because of what? The fact she'd wanted to protect him? All she'd wanted to do was help Vegeta. That was her crime when he'd been training, stopping him from killing himself. She didn't understand him, not really. There was so much coldness and anger in him, especially waiting under the surface. She liked to think there was apart of him that was softer than that, maybe something that genuinely cared about her. Maybe there was more to him than his word, and sex. When he put his arm up however, Bulma realized the truth.

She was alone. She was never going to be safe, and she had no one. Her very being here put her parents in danger. What kind of life was her son going to live? Something painful jabbed her in the heart when she realized that this was it. This was the last she was going to see of him, especially when the only thing he had to say was just… where was his ship? Before, she'd have scoffed at him, or yelled that he was an idiot, or even threatened to destroy the vessel in its capsule form, and any spares they had on site. It was almost an impulse to numbly reach into her pocket and pull out the small tin of capsules she had. Sliding the one out she knew contained the object of his desires, she just stared back at him almost blankly. She felt feeble holding onto it.

Walking towards her with purpose, Bulma watched as Vegeta's hand stretched out, plucking the capsule from her fingers. Grasping his hand as he did, Bulma's gaze didn't break from Vegeta, and she knew she must have looked pathetic. There was a pleading she felt, but she was too afraid to said anything. This wasn't why Vegeta was here, and she knew it. He was here for his ship. That was all. Everyone seemingly just needed her for what she could do for them. The only one who wasn't like that was Goku himself, and even then, he came on behalf of other people.

"Let go," Vegeta ordered, his voice edged with annoyance. "Our business is finished. I have no reason to be here."

I have no reason to be here.

The words replayed in her own mind as her grip tightened on his hand. For a brief second she almost expected him to strike her, or rip his hand away.

"Neither do I," she barely managed to say, instinctively wanting to step forward.

There was nothing left for her here, it'd been stolen from her. Certainly, all of the buildings and damage could all be fixed and she knew it would be. But everything she cared about was compromised. At any moment it could all fall apart. Worse, people's lives were utterly destroyed around her constantly just by the fact she'd made the decisions she had. But there was no stepping back, there was no hiding, there was only forward.

For a brief second, she could see that Vegeta understood that. Empathy wasn't exactly his strong suit however, as she felt him pull his hand away from hers. With the capsule in his hand, Vegeta gave her a cool look, before a half smirk emerged across his face, clicking the top of the capsule, he tossed it to the side, an explosion of smoke appeared briefly before the space ship appeared over the battle-scarred remains of West City. The door slid down immediately before Vegeta took a few steps onto it, preparing to leave. He stopped at the door for several seconds before turning his head towards her.

"Well?" he asked, looking at her.

Part of her instinct was to shirk away, despite saying she'd wanted to go with him. She was going to give birth soon, and didn't know where he was going. She wanted to leave and find safety, but where would that go? That ship could literally go anywhere.

"Where?" she asked finally, her voice sounding uncertain.

"Fine," Vegeta remarked, stepping into the ship, ignoring her.

Her heart immediately picked up in fear before she grabbed the railing of the stairs, pulling herself up and following him inside. The choice was made for her. It would be into the unknown. The moment she stepped inside however, there was no response from her saviour. He just moved to the navigator's chair and began plotting a course. She didn't even bother asking where they were going, it'd been made clear to her that didn't matter. It felt infuriating in that moment to be so weak, but it didn't stop it from being true.

"Get my training equipment ready," he remarked, not even looking at her.

"Which units?"

"All of them."

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Author's Notes:

Not really sure what to put here, outside of that you guys got an update. I wanted to follow up with relevant parties now that Raditz's defeat at the hands of Vegeta happened. It's left Bulma a damaged person. It's left Raditz dependent on Turles, and more or less at his brother's mercy. It's left Goku betrayed. And on our march to Chapter 80, we're gonna have a blast going over all of these interesting little things.

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Reviewers:

Thomas-The-TMC: Yea, had that chapter in my head for years. I'm really happy it turned out the way I wanted. I find it really interesting how so many people wanted Raditz to win, despite how horrific his plans were. Just all those years of Vegeta shoving him down… Interestingly, I actually drew parallels to a vision Raditz had in the 30's when Vegeta was killed, where he out-played Ve3geta in a game, so Vegeta beat him badly for 'daring' to outshine him. Sadly, things haven't changed now that they're adults, lol.

Perfect Carnage: Turles will always try to save his own skin if he gets the chance. Though he's a vicious bastard and will get Frieza'd one of these days. Lol

Blades of Fury: Trust me, Vegeta gets more than one tour of pain for his troubles. Lol. I'm not sure this is rock bottom for Raditz. At least not yet. Lol

Guest1: Thanks!

PetrusMagnus: Raditz was very smart, he just had different priorities. This was him dying on the hill of principal, and revenge.

Kacarrot: I was definitely pleased to put Piccolo in play, and to have him bust Turles's jaw at the end, lol. I also really enjoyed having Vegeta let him live, just so Raditz could suffer more, lol.

ILiekFishes: It definitely was a long time coming. And the Android Saga is going to be where things start to diverge in events a lot more.

TheItchyCoon: Gohan is definitely impacted by all of this. He's got an interesting arc coming up.

Jetiq: Nope. Lol

OuterSpaceHooker: Stressed? Why? We all knew Goku would win! Oh, you meant about Raditz vs Vegeta. Lol. Yea, Goku really, really hates his family, it turns out. He's coming to learn that. Lol

Warga: That is definitely a giant peak, I agree.

SSJ1998: Gohan's reaction will appear in the next few chapters. I won't spoil. Lol.

Luke: he's lucky to be breathing. Lol

Sigmakleim: Oh? I won't spoil, but you might find a few chapters from now interesting.

Red Power: He was totally utterly defeated. Vegeta won't admit that though, the same way he wouldn't admit that Raditz outsmarted him as a child.

Karina: Well, all things end, but this one's got a lot of road to cover still, lol.

Narelclolie: Thanks!

Dragoon109: Harsh, lol.

Maximussj: I know right? I'd keep an eye out though, Turles is much more insidious than Raditz.

Guest2: Dragon Balls eh? Funny you mention that… Chapter 76 will be an interesting read for you. :P

Guest3: I think this is close to as dark as things get, outside of the Androids themselves and their backstories. The story is more lighthearted overall, I think, hence even why its rating is different. The main problem is this is just a really, really dark part of the story. Raditz just couldn't let it go, it was the thing he bought into and couldn't get beyond. The Android are definitely on their way. And there are a lot of Androids… I also loved Junia v Vegeta. Her Red Gravity Bomb is one of my favourite attacks that I've invented, and the fact that Vegeta beating her, inevitably saved the universe, and in many ways saved Junia herself, is an interesting story dynamic to have written.

I plot out the story, but there are some individual moments that organically get plotted out, and become "staples" to work towards. There is another big planned out moment coming in Chapter 80. It'll be great. I promise, lol.

Anonymous: Turles does have Goku's drive, make no mistake, it's just harnessed differently. Turles has been actively training himself as well. I think Goku's a better fighter, but Turles knows good moments to make his mark.

Super Mystic Gohan: It was the only ending you were gonna get, lol.

Pyromania101: Yea, that's a serious sting right there, lol.

RoxaShadow: Answered by PM.

Anon: I can't spoil much, but I can say yes, Turles is in a better spot, and Vegeta has a particularly interesting battle coming up in the 80's. I think you guys will love it.

Guest4: Goku hates Turles because of how manipulative he is. The other problem is, Goku never really saw the nasty shit Vegeta did for the most part, he's been exposed to Turles's attitude much more, and Raditz's betrayal of course.

AquarianKing: Raditz burned that bridge. Lol.

DarkFalconZ: It is. Lol

Guest5: Bulma just wanted to save herself and her unborn child. I can't fault her. Turles understands legacy, his Death on Namek taught him a thing or two, as well as his relationship with Bardock.

Guest6: Raditz wouldn't get revenge for stealing Bulma. Vegeta didn't seduce Violet and spirit her away. He killed her. A tail for a tail.

DragonBallC: Goku is really done with his brothers, but are they done with him?

Guest7: If Vegeta starts caring about Bulma right now, it'll be for all the wrong reasons :(

Nappa: This is pretty accurate. There is no getting off world for them right now. Think about why Gohan would be disappointed, and think about who he'll be disappointed in. He's not had a garden path to walk so far…