Swirling tinges of blood floated on the surface of the darkening cerulean ocean, mixing with the seafoam and coloring it pale vermillion, then sinking down as the current carried it away. Raditz had walked the long trek through the desert until he reached water, unable at his state to fly for very long. He attempted to fly back to his ship but was too wounded from the battle and fell to the ground. For a while, he was able to walk across the desert before collapsing on the shore. He was on the very cusp of death, his weakened body carried off with the current and taken inland by the tide much like a carcass or floating driftwood.

Launch turned off the T.V. and straightened up the living room, placing the pillows back on the couch then wandered out to the kitchen, looking around for anyone in the oddly silent island home. "Tien?" She called, noticing a half-eaten bowl of popcorn on the counter but him nowhere to be found. She looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. Another day, gone... Launch hated how anytime that she transformed she had only a vague idea of the events that went on while her other side took over. She picked up on strange things like having changed clothes, or being in a different spot than before, but things were mostly a blur.

The minute hand ticked as Launch began to grow restless. She felt a sort of strange magnetism to go outside, that drew her by her very blood with each wave of the ocean. Launch's eyes grew listless as she walked outside, her bare feet padding through the soft sand as she was pulled with each wave of the tide, beneath the dark sky of many stars, the milky way galaxy more luminous than ever before now that the moon had ceased to exist. It did not return even after the last wish on the Dragon Balls to restore the world; after all the moon was separate from the earth and in itself, its own entity. After King Piccolo had wreaked havoc, many friends perished during the battle to contain the demon king, and the dragon balls' two sequential uses had been spent on reviving the dead.

She stood, staring out as if in a trance at the glistening water dappled by starlight, her eyes swirling dark plum whirlpools, her small red lips moving and whispering soundlessly. Launch continued to drag her feet through the surf, wading until she was up to her knees in water that was ribboned with blood, not noticing the gently caressing tendrils of hair around her ankle.

It pulled at his subconscious, tickled the outer realms of his dreams as Raditz stirred from his unconscious state, his mind heavy; a dense fog of pain clouded his awareness. A susurration like no other, an intonation that sang, then grew in pitch until he was awoken, clenching his teeth as the sound pierced his sensitive hearing.

Raditz blinked wearily and felt around on the seafloor, and feeling something tangible he clutched it and squeezed as he got himself up to his knees. Launch gasped, torn from her trance once she felt the firm squeeze around her calf and came face to face with a darkened shadowy figure that met her eyes a moment then grew in height, darkening the light around her. Only the whites of his eyes were dimly visible as he breathed with a reedy hiss, reaching and clasping her by the shoulder.

"Why do you sing such a sorrowful tune, Girl?" His graveling voice curled with question sent shivers down her spine, and as her breath was caught in her throat she was stunned by fear, unable to speak.

"Ahnh..!" He seethed in pain, clutching his chest and holding himself up by one knee as he fell toward her. He cradled his head against her, and Launch shivered at the feel of his warm breath on her chest.

"You must help me, I have to get back... I need to... Agh!" He shuddered, drifting in and out with the near-fatal wound that bypassed his heart and blasted a large hole through his breastplate, the flesh inside the shattered black plate dark and glistening with blood.

Launch looked on in concern and pulled the man up the best she could. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and allowed her to walk him indoors and guide him to sit down on her bed. Launch was sitting at the edge watching worrisomely as he removed his armour and felt the wound's wetness on his palm, falling back to the pillow as he groaned in agony. He panted, partially opening one eye and growling as he clutched her arm and shook her.

"Girl! T-take care of my wounds before I bleed to death, now! Or I'll b-blast your head clean off your pretty shoulders!" He snarled, and Launch shook from the threat, blinking and assessing the condition of the man in trepidation. Her eyes raked over his broad chest littered with bruises and cuts that were trickling blood, the dark opening in his center that pulsed out blood faster than even his evolved form could bear. She swallowed, nodding.

I can do this. I'm not afraid. He needs my help or he will die... First, Launch cleaned his wounds free of debris with peroxide, the bubbles washing away granules of sand in pink foam, then she tore sections off of the bedsheet, taking one large wad and packing his deep wound where he was hit by the beam cannon and wrapping it around his chest tightly. She then steeled herself and began stitching his arm back together where a section of muscle tore nearly from the bone. He hissed in pain, his pupils dilating to pinpricks and glazing over as she assessed the rest of him, unstrapping his arm bracers and his leg armour. She tore her eyes away from the sight of his tight black shorts that were melded to the shape of his groin; multiple lacerations littered his thick legs, and if she didn't attend to the mangled skin on his thigh soon his artery could very well bleed out.

Launch worked carefully to sew the tear in the pulsing red ligament, her hands and face splattered with blood, then bound it tight with the white sheets. She then moved onto the non-fatal flesh wounds that needed to be bandaged, until all that was left were the cuts that now had begun to scab over, his blood clotting after being cleaned of the remaining sand. Launch wiped her hands clean with a wet cloth, looking at how his brow was creased with stress, exaggerated by dirt as he slept fitfully.

Launch squeezed out the cloth and stroked it across his brow, cleaning the dirt away. She removed the strange glass device attached to his ear easily and set it on the bedside table. Afterwards, she tentatively wiped his skin that was smooth and hairless on his cheeks, unlike the rest of his body. Her hand trembled as she started to draw away then paused when she heard an odd sound like a rumbling purr. The man suddenly spoke through heavily slurring lips, startling her.

"Where'd ya go...?" He mumbled something incoherent, his thick band of short, dark lashes twitching as he dreamed.

Launch sat by his warm side and finished cleaning the dirt from his face with a tiny smile, and as the content purr started up again she giggled softly, thinking of him like some kind of oversized house cat when really he was more like a sabertooth tiger. How cute...! She stroked the deep widow's peak on his forehead with her fingertips, feeling the rough textured hair, and he moved just a small amount into her hand, the act earning an even longer rumble that lulled him into a deep sleep, no longer groaning with each breath of air.

She removed his boots and pulled the blanket up over him, watching as he turned to the side and sighed heavily. Launch moved away slowly so as not to wake him and retreated to the bathroom to shower. She stripped away her green tank top and shorts, peeling away her red panties and stepped inside, holding her quivering arms and allowing the hot water to cleanse her of the man's blood, which ran in streams down the drain.

The sharp coppery scent hit her nostrils and she let out a small cry. Launch squeezed her eyes shut, and pouring shampoo in her hand she lathered her hair, turning away from the drain and breathing in only the flowery shampoo's aroma.

I'm just… so scared...that it won't be enough... If he dies, it'll be on me.. his blood, on my hands... She shivered, her shadow in the shower curtain dark as she craned her head backwards and sobbed.

Raditz took a deep rattling inhale and opened his eyes to near slits. Light spilled from the crack of the door, and there was the sound of water dappling the shower curtain. He moved his arm and felt his bandages, his hand quivering. That girl really did it. I shall survive this... Thanks to her. He closed his eyes and drifted off.

A while later Launch pulled her pink nightgown over her head and went to sit at her desk, opening a small diary. She wrote a short entry of the day's events and closed it, hiding it back away in its drawer. It gave her some sense of control - at least over this side, even though the entries didn't always make sense. She wished that one day, they would make more sense.

Launch paused at the side of the bed, lacing her fingers nervously behind her back as she observed the mysterious guest snoring in her bed. She yawned, stretching and climbed into bed, curling up in the narrow section not occupied and drifting off to sleep.

Tien paced back and forth in the darkness, feeling conflicted with the thoughts of what happened in Kame House. He had tried to sleep, but his mind kept wandering to thoughts about Launch and replaying them in his mind until he was sweating and straining to resist the temptation, gripping the sheets to avoid giving in to the aching in his loins. He felt as if he were being sinful just imagining her in such a way, his body betraying him. I want so badly just to give in; now that I've allowed the darkness in it will try to consume me. Tien shook his head, agonizing over the forces battling within him.

He blinked, glancing up at the sky and felt his third eye guiding the others to a far off flickering star in the dense ribbons of the galaxy. He felt warm tingles shooting down his abdomen, shivers tickling icily up his back as he pressed his lips together and emitted a low hum, his center eye slowly closing.

Yes. I know. I feel the draw. I have to leave this place. He snapped himself out of his concentrated spell, and shuddering and tearing his eyes away from the sky, he took flight towards the mountains.

I must be cleansed. Before it's too late.

The buzz of fluorescent lights and the slow drip of water was the only audible sound in the silence as Bulma stirred back to life, rubbing her eyes and looking around herself in confusion. She was sitting on the filthy floor of a bathroom stall, she realized, and stood up, brushing off her crinkled dress.

"Ew, what the heck did I fall asleep?" Her voice echoed against the yellowed tiles, and she left the stall and walked to the sink to clean the remnants of smeared mascara from her cheeks.

Oh yeah... that's right... I was mad at Yamcha... She frowned, and reaching in her purse to freshen her makeup with a powder puff, she saw the blue illumination of her cell phone lighting up the pocket. Bulma took out her phone and scrolled through the multiple messages and missed calls from Yamcha and her Mom. She sighed, reading Yamcha's last message.

Hey babe, I gotta get going, I'm not sure why you won't come out, I guess you must have gotten sick. I hope you won't be mad but Krillin wanted me to meet up with him at the club and I promised I would earlier before I picked you up. I hope you feel better soon. Love, Yamcha.

Bulma scoffed, snapping the phone closed and left the bathroom, earning a slack-jawed gape from the night shift janitor as she sauntered out the door with her head held high.

I don't need Yamcha, you know what he can forget about going out with me again, just goes to show I'm too good for that loser!

She chuckled softly, enjoying the crisp twilight air. She decided maybe she would walk home. After all, it was a beautiful night and the city was quiet as she removed her high heels and walked down the cool asphalt, humming a soft tune to herself.

He was weightless. Vegeta was in suspended animation, his eyes tightly closed, condensation steaming up the red porthole window with each long, peaceful hiss of breath.

The red sun in the scarlet sky hung lofty over the grand ivory towers, bathing all in its crimson aura. They were beneath the great shadow of a Xenoba tree, its bright, fragrant azure blossoms dancing down gracefully and settling on the ground.

"Vegeta?" Her voice called, and he only hit the bark harder with his fist, grinning as small tendrils of light burst forth and pulsed through the dark flesh, cracking it. He felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and turned sharply, frowning.

"I told you, we do not harm the Xenoba tree. It has done nothing to deserve this. It provides us with fruit, yet you only wish to scar its flesh, Vegeta... why?"

He looked up at her silhouette before the sky. The queen, Vasenya. "The tree has no feelings, Mother. It can't think for itself anyway. Why should I care?" The little boy with a furrowed brow spat. He felt her long tail coil around to gently stroke his chin, and his moved mindlessly to wrap around hers.

"You must learn when to have mercy, and when to use your power to demonstrate punishment, if such a thing threatens to defy our world's order.

As King, you cannot simply earn our people's favor with blood. It is in our nature to feel anger, we Saiyans are violently passionate. But we also love with the strongest loyalty." She spoke softly, almost in a whisper. His eyes met hers, his small mouth open with wonderment. She pulled him into her arms, against the silken royal garb she wore that was royal blue with red blood flowers.

"Mother...?" He said into her dark plaits of hair that wrapped around her collar like necklaces, beaded with fine gems and silver chains.

"Yes?" Vasenya pulled back, looking down with her soft eyes like bottomless pits of velvet.

"I love you." He said, and cried, knowing that one day she would be gone, knowing that although strong, Saiyans weren't blessed with Immortality.

He stirred, tossing his head. Vegeta tried to both push away and chase after the images; he didn't wish to linger there in the past any longer, knowing that it was only a dream. And yet, he never wanted to leave.

The roar of water was deafening; in fact, it was so loud that it made everything around him disappear. Tien sighed, his head lowered and eyes shut as the waterfall crashed all around him. He folded his hands in front of him and said a prayer for purification. His anxiety had finally calmed, as had his body. With the cold, he no longer felt anything.

He stood, arching his neck back and allowing the water to cascade down his body, which was slick and rippling with muscle, his abdomen tapering down to his purple fundoshi that was saturated and molded to his form. He came out from under the waterfall and breathed in deeply, his chest rising as he brought his arms up, making slow circles that varied, first rotating one arm clockwise, then the other counter-clockwise, twisting his abdomen as he brought them around to his side, then the other side and formed his hands as if to make a ball.

Concentrating his ki he performed the ritualistic act of Tai-Chi. Slowly, breathing in deeply and exhaling, he brought the ball back around his side, over his head and down, and it grew in intensity, the beads of water dripping from him and evaporating into the air as his body heat increased. He panted, drops of sweat running down his temples.

Tien turned on his ankles in the water, and flexing one leg forward and the other backward, he brought the ball to his hip and then forward, widening his eyes and roaring, "Reikitzen!" With the intense blast that erupted from him, the glow illuminated yellow as it exploded through the air, arcing down the sheer mountainside then creating an impact crater in the ground. He exhaled, relaxing and stepped onto the rocky shore to retrieve his pants.

I'll talk to Launch later and apologize for my actions. I hope she'll understand that we may have gotten off on the wrong foot and still wish to continue staying in my presence.

With dawn came the sunlight once again, as warmth flooded inside from the window of the small pink painted room. Raditz felt the warmth on his eyelids as well as intense pain all throughout his body. He attempted to sit up but found his aching muscles uncooperative. He swore, pounding his fist into the bed, feeling something bounce upward with the thunderous blow.

"Hm?" He looked over to see an indigo haired girl, landing back on the bed like a ragdoll, sprawled on her back with one leg hanging off, lightly snoring.

This is a nice catch, I'm surprised she's still breathing. Wait... What happened?

He nudged her shoulder, earning a small mumble.

"Get up, Girl. I'm hungry." He snarled and shook her until her head bobbed around and she opened her eyes dazedly, a bit dizzy. The girl blinked her eyes, registering the sight of the herculean creature before her with an expression like an angry baboon with sharp teeth poking into his bottom lip.

"Finally, I thought you were almost dead." He sighed with relief, thinking: I don't even remember bedding this girl, I would have liked to do it again.

"Huh?" She fell backwards on her rear as he sat up and darkened the light around her.

"Do I get food at least?" He grunted.

"Oh, that's right. You're that kitty man!" She giggled, mocking his purr and making paws with her little hands and licking them, pretending to clean her face.

"What?! 'Kitty!?' I'm no fucking cat!" He steamed, his upper lip twitching trying to keep from smiling at her cute rendition. The girl tilted her head.

"Well, why do you purr like a cat?" She asked innocently, with her large violet eyes tunneling into his. He darted his eyes away, growling.

"I don't. FUCKING. PURR. I GROWL!" He snapped, growling loudly for emphasis, the sound vibrating the bed.

"Hehe! Do it again, again!" She enthused, bouncing.

Raditz glared at her, feeling exasperated but also hiding that he was mildly amused. "It's not a parlor trick, Girl. I'll growl when I mean it, and I'm going to start growling pretty soon if I don't eat! I want food. Now, and lots of it!"

"Ok!" She said brightly, bounding out of the room. He sighed a large breath of relief, letting his eyes roll back as his head hit the pillow with exhaustion. I need to get some food in me, and quickly. I can't heal fast enough without proper nutrition.

He closed his eyes, allowing himself to feel all the pain now that the girl was gone; he had put on a strong face for her. There was no way he would show that he was in pain - he didn't need anyone's pity. Raditz wracked his brain trying to remember how he got injured so badly and why he was here. He only had the faint memory of water and that strange singing that he had heard. He allowed himself a few more moments of rest; he felt so tired he could barely keep his eyes open.

Launch hummed happily as she flipped the pancakes over, the stove loaded with pans of sizzling bacon, dripping eggs and pancake batter. Her eyes shut blissfully as she felt happy to have someone actually asking her to cook - he actually demanded it!

She loved to cook, and even though sometimes things went wrong or came out tasting slightly odd, it made her feel content. Master Roshi came into the kitchen and grinned at the sight of her in only her short nightgown, swaying her hips back and forth as she cooked. "Mm-mm! Breakfast sure does smell good, Launch!" He said, looking to the drawer where he kept 20 bottles of Pepto-Bismol for such an occasion. After all, a man had to eat.

"Oh, good morning, Master Roshi. It's not for you." She said, without any aggression, just simply stating it as a matter of fact. He jerked his head back and frowned.

"Oh, er, who is it for?"

Launch giggled as she plated a large stack of pancakes and poured maple syrup over them. "The man in my bed!" She said and sighed heavily, holding the spatula to her chest and batting her eyelashes. Master Roshi's eyes bugged out so far they nearly popped his sunglasses off like inflating airbags; his jaw dropped, staring as she continued cooking as if she hadn't said anything strange. Ohhh, I see, maybe Tien did strike gold! I oughta give that boy a medal!

At that moment Tien strolled into the kitchen, walking to the refrigerator and taking out a gallon of orange juice, unscrewing the cap and tilting back his head to drink it. Launch heard him and popped over from the stove and snatched it out of his hand before he could drink it. "That's not for you!" She scolded, swatting him lightly on the nose. "He won't get better if he doesn't get his Vitamin C!"

Tien froze, his mouth hanging open and stared at her in befuddlement. Master Roshi watched the exchange and scratched his bald head. Uhh, Guess he's not it..?

"But, Launch..." Tien finally managed to say, still flabbergasted.

"Hmph! You always complain about my cooking anyways!" She huffed, dishing out the rest of the food on another turkey platter and holding the orange juice on her hip as she balanced the plates.

"I have a very hungry man to feed, if you'll excuse me!" She said in a squeaky mouse-like voice, tossing her hair back and sauntering out with an air of attitude they had never seen from this side of Launch. Tien and Roshi looked at each other and frowned, their shoulders sagging. "Well, guess we're shit outta luck, huh?" Roshi said, and Tien crossed his arms, nodding.

"Man, morning already..?!" Bulma sighed, sitting on a bench rubbing her aching feet.

"What a dumb idea that was, I didn't realize that pizza place was so far from home, and no taxis will come get me at this hour." She groaned and stood back up. After all, any exercise is good exercise, right?

"Right!" She said, brightly, trying to keep her spirits up. Bulma looked to the sunrise, admiring how pretty the sky was, all lit up with golden rays of sunlight beneath the fluffy white clouds. Then, she put her finger to her lip, puzzled by two streaks of light. Unlike a plane, they arched downwards at a velocity that seemed to be increasing dramatically, and as the sound became a thunderous peal, she jumped backwards in fear as she realized that they were blasting to the earth like meteors. The sound became even louder to the point she covered her ears at the high-pitched whistle. Bulma sank to her knees and could only stare as they made impact and flinched at the sonic wave that reverberated through the ground, holding her hands over her head and curling into a ball on the ground as dust flew from the crumbling asphalt.

Screams and blasts like laser beams rang out around her, the light from beyond the hill where she was on glowing and fading in flashes of light purple and blue. That's it, it's the end of the world and I'm royally screwed! She cringed.

Wait a minute... those things...could it be? The space ship I found was designed for fast travel, but it had no kind of landing device. A ship like that would have to crash to the ground! She grinned, her lips curled up at the corners deviantly.

"Well, what can ya say, curiosity may have killed the cat, but it won't kill Bulma Briefs!" She said, opening up her purse and taking out her case of capsules.

"Normally I would save this for something really desperate... but it seems I've found my aliens after all!" She tossed the capsule, and with a poof a motorbike appeared, fully equipped with an automatic turret and thrusters. She slung her leg over the seat, putting on her helmet, and revved the engine and rocketed through the air to the site of the collision.

Tien had just finished cooking breakfast for himself, Chiaotzu and Master Roshi as Krillin walked through the door.

"Hi guys!" He said happily and sat at the table.

"Ready to get training?" He said brightly.

"Yeah, say where's Yamcha?" Tien asked, taking a bite from the healthy veggie omelette he had made. Krillin looked down at the table, swallowing.

"Um, I'm not sure, he must have slept in or something...I haven't heard from him since we left Bulma's house." He said, lowly.

"Well, ya snooze, ya lose!" Roshi said, picking at his food. Launch's food might send him to the toilet, but at least it wasn't this healthy junk.

"Hey, has anyone seen Goku since that guy showed up last night?" Tien asked, suddenly worried.

"What guy?" Krillin asked.

"This horrible man named Raditz... He said he was Goku's brother, but he's nothing like him at all! I was going to follow him, but.." Tien lowered his eyes, and told him all the details of the story.

"Hm.. I think I'd better call Chi-Chi." Master Roshi said, no longer in a cheerful mood he walked out of the room, sighing.

"Can I watch T.V. Tien?" Chiaotzu called from the living room, not having heard the conversation.

"Did you finish your food?" He asked. At Chiaotzu's nod he replied "Alright. For a little bit. Then we have to get training." Tien stood and rinsed off his plate. We're going to need it by the looks of things.

Krillin sighed, twiddling his fingers together. "I have a really bad feeling about all this." He said, the nervous stress showing on his face.

Yamcha stirred, the bed shaking as if there was an earthquake. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. Ugh, my head... drank way too much last night...

"Yamcha! Yamcha!" Puar whined, flying over and sitting on his shoulder. "Something bad is happening! You have to get up!" He cried out, shivering.

"Shut that dumb cat up!" A husky voice groaned from the other side of the bed where a mass of bleach blonde hair was tangled.

"Oh, sorry honey. Puar, quiet down!" Yamcha scolded, and Puar looked uneasily at the scene, feeling uncomfortable in the room with Yamcha's side piece, Fancy. He didn't like it at all; this whole scandal had started almost a year ago now, when Yamcha met the girl at the club one night and took her home, then had kept it hidden from Bulma ever since.

Puar felt horrible knowing he couldn't tell her, but he was Yamcha's best friend and all he could do was try to help him keep his life on track.

"I'm going back to bed, Puar. Why don't you go out there and check it out and go tell the guys? I'll be around later." He said groggily, and rolled back over, wrapping his arm around Fancy. Puar nodded grimly and flew outside. Maybe he could find Oolong and ask to stay with him until Yamcha broke up with Fancy again, like they did every few weeks. He sighed, opening the door and flying off.

New edits by polkapan. She's doing an AMAZING job!