Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z

Chapter 28

The End Of The War

Kuda roared and the other Saiyans returned the gesture. The projected moon kept them in their Great Ape form and allowed them to continue destroying the city. He sniggered as he heard humans screaming, trying to flee the destruction with little success. Then something in the back of his brain tingled. He turned around, he could see seven shooting stars in the sky…why did that seem familiar? The shooting stars got closer and closer, their colour changing from the pale gold they had seemed to be in the distance to bright yellow as they changed course, heading for the city, for the ground. He roared again. Those weren't shooting stars!

The ground cracked and splintered as each of the Saiyans touched down. Bardock landed first, followed by Goku, Gohan and Goten on one side and Vegeta, Appura and Trunks on the other.
"You all know the plan," he said, "Stick to it." Each of the other six nodded and began to spread out, heading towards the centre and Kuda.

Gohan's eyes scanned the road ahead as he walked. Despite the rampaging Saiyans, this particular street seemed deserted. No sign of anyone. There was a squeal of tires and a bus came skidding around the corner of a side street. The driver had clearly lost control. Before Gohan could even react, it had slipped onto it's side and slid to halt. Within seconds, he could see human soldiers rushing forward to help the people inside. Only the exit at the rear of the bus was reachable but the handle was damaged. Gohan could already tell the humans weren't going to be able to open it. Smoke was starting to appear from the engine. He rushed forwards.
"Move!" he bellowed. The human soldiers jumped at the sound of his voice. One reached for his weapon.
"I can get them out," Gohan said quickly, "Shoot me, and they will all die. That engine is going to blow any minute." The soldiers hesitated. Gohan sighed and shoved them to one side, quickly finding a way to grip the door. He pulled and wrenched the door free, throwing it to one side.
"Everyone ok?" he asked, looking at the startled families inside.
"It's a Saiyan!" someone cried.
"It's an alien! He's going to kill us," shouted someone else. No one made a move to get off the bus. Gohan rolled his eyes and heaved himself inside. He saw a little boy on the back row with his mother. He wasn't much older than Kabu.
"You all need to get off this bus," said Gohan, "The engine is going to explode." Still, no one moved. Gohan sighed again.
"Fine," he said, "If you're not going to save yourselves, I'll do it for you." He quickly picked up the little boy off his mother's lap and passed him to the soldier waiting by the door.
"My baby!" screamed the woman as Gohan climbed past her, looking for anyone too small to get out on their own. It worked, parents soon realised that if they didn't get their children out, Gohan would take them himself. A chain was formed, child being passed from adult to adult back along the bus and out the door. Then he helped the adults clamber over the seats and out the door. Only a few soldiers were waiting when Gohan climbed out, most of the civilians running for the city limit.
"Thank you," said one of the soldiers, "Videl was right about you." Then the soldiers too turned and ran.

Appura could hear shouts and screaming coming from the next road. Gohan was making an impression clearly. The road before her was littered with army vehicles, tanks and all-terrain vehicles. No sign of any soldiers that she could see, but she knew they were hiding somewhere. With a casual flick of her wrist, she sent a ball of ki at an empty car. It exploded. 'That will set the rats running,' she thought. She was right. Within seconds, she could hear the clicks of guns being prepped to shoot and several little red dots converged at her feet, slowly trailing upwards.
"Alright, listen up," she said, "You think Kuda's powerful? Well, we're stronger. We're also here to clean up this mess. So run, as fast as you can, and get out of here. Because once I'm done with Kuda, I may wish to find those who took my baby from me." One by one, the red dots vanished and moments later, she could hear the mad scramble of feet as the hiding soldiers scurried to find new hiding places, away from the Great Apes and the very angry Princess.

The fleeing humans ran past Bardock without so much as a second glance. The first few to appear in the road before him had been surprised by him but word seemed to have filtered back and now the refugees were continuing on. So this was the planet his youngest son had grown up on? He supposed it must be a nice place when there weren't Great Apes ripping it up from it's foundations. He thought about all the years he had wasted, hiding in a cave. The scars on his back itched. He had sluiced off several layers of skin and tissue when Freiza's blast had skimmed him off the atmosphere of planet Vegeta and on to the next planet in the system. It had left him with a curious-looking dip in his lower back where it was just a thin layer of scar tissue over the muscles. The lack of fat there had left his muscles vulnerable and Bardock knew his fighting days were numbered. His muscles there were weakening, made worse by the damp of the cave he had lived in. He was starting to get back ache and occasionally had days where he found it difficult to stand up without intense pain and muscle spasms. 'This is it,' he thought, 'My last battle. After this, I'll be too old, too wounded to carry on. How fitting that if I should win, I will finally destroy the man who gave me my first scar.' He felt his cheek twinge as he remembered Kuda's ki blast skimming his cheek decades before, leaving the scar. He had been prepared to die that day, and he still was.

Vegeta had a clear view of Kuda. His stomach twisted and he growled deep in his throat at the sight. This was his uncle, his own flesh and blood, and all Kuda had tried to do was destroy them. Tarble had been delighted to learn he was an uncle twice over and a great-uncle when he had first arrived on earth. He had immediately dropped to one knee before his older brother, swearing to protect Vegeta's children and their children after. That was what the younger brother of a King did. He protected the line, never dreaming of assuming his brother's title unless something unfortunate befell the King before he sired children. Tarble's promise had been purely ceremonial, Vegeta knew that. Trunks and Appura were perfectly capable of defending themselves without their uncle's help. In fact, they were more likely to be the ones doing the defending. Tarble was safely stashed away at the Lookout where Dende was tending to him. It infuriated Vegeta that he had been unable to help his brother when Tarble had been struggling. In the early days of their imprisonment, he had tried to help Tarble disguise how much the Hakai had affected him, helping him to sit up before the humans had come in to examine or question them. He had defended his little brother's pride. But he had failed. The humans had worked it out and had increased their visits randomly. Even with Kakarot's help, Vegeta hadn't been able to protect Tarble's dignity like his own. It wasn't Tarble's fault. He had just been born that way, more like their mother than their father. Without Saiyan society to push him, Tarble had never been forced to improve his strength. He had coasted, with only the talent that came naturally to all Saiyans. In fact, the only Saiyan Tarble would ever have a hope of defeating was Kabu! Vegeta looked up at the night's sky. He knew the names the Ancient Saiyan's had given those stars and one day, hopefully soon, he would lie on the cool grass in Capsule Corp's back yard and teach Trunks and Kabu all the names.

Goku easily skirted around the frightened humans as they ran past. He wanted to stop and help them but he knew that Vegeta and Appura wouldn't stop and neither would his father. He needed to keep pace with them if the plan was to work. A woman with several children ran past him. One of the girls with her tripped and fell. Goku bent down and pulled her up before quickly moving on. Then he helped an old man by pulling the door off his car so he could save his pet dog. Next he caught a flying piece of rubble flung by one of the Apes before it crushed a dozen teenagers. He couldn't gather them up and fly them out the city but it was little things that made all the difference. He was almost at the city centre now. It was almost time. Time to end Kuda's reign and bring peace to Earth once more.

Yamcha skirted around the edge of the building. He had to find the machine projecting the full moon, not easy when he had his late wife's grandson on his back. But Kabu was fast asleep. There was hardly anybody around, the Great Ape's more focussed on destroying buildings than killing the humans. He looked up, he was definitely getting closer; he could see the stream of light from the projector. Kabu stirred in his sleep against Yamcha's back. Yamcha glimpsed over his shoulder to check on the baby. He was fine.
"It's ok, little guy, Grandpa Yamcha's got you," he whispered before slipping back into the shadows as a few soldiers ran out from the other side of the building. Slowly Yamcha crept across the front of the building and peered around. He couldn't have planned it better. The projector was there, completely unguarded. It's guards were now picking their way across the rubble to escape the city, abandoning it to the Great Apes. Yamcha heard an explosion on the other side of the main square and felt the energies. They were here, his friends were here! But he needed to get rid of that moon, to even the playing field more.

He quickly ran down the alley way towards the generator. There was a clicking noise. Yamcha froze.
"Why are they doing this?" a small voice asked, "They said they were here to help us, to save us." Yamcha looked to the side. A young man, dressed in a soldier's uniform, was pressed against the wall. He looked very young, younger than Gohan.
"The Saiyans who want to help you were already here," Yamcha said, "The ones you were keeping captive…they lived here, had families here, their children were born here. My wife was one of them, she died protecting her daughter from the Saiyans you helped. They've been defending this planet for…well, decades. They are my friends."
"What should I do?" the boy asked, tears rolling down his face, "I don't want to die."
"Find shelter," said Yamcha, "Get into a basement or the subway, stay away from here. Don't worry, help is coming."
"What about the baby?" the boy indicated Kabu.
"He'll be fine with me," said Yamcha, "Now go!" The boy dropped his gun and ran. Yamcha turned his attention to the projector. He knelt next to it.
"Alright, Kabu, let's see if I actually learnt anything from all those years dating your Grandma Bulma," Yamcha muttered, quickly removing a panel. The circuitry inside wasn't like anything he'd ever seen Bulma tinkering with. There was writing on the back of the panel. No wonder he didn't understand the circuitry, it was Saiyan. Yamcha felt himself begin to sweat and panic.
"Oh, to hell with it," he muttered. He stood up and stomped onto the projector. The metal crumpled slightly under his foot. He did it again; the metal began to split. The third and final stomp tore through the circuitry, causing the projection to flicker and die. The moon vanished. The roars of the Great Apes turned into moans of pain as they returned to their humanoid forms.
"Yes, we did it!" said Yamcha, "We did it, Kabu. Now, let's get out of here before someone comes looking."

Vegeta smirked as he watched three Great Apes shrink back into their normal forms. The semi-naked exhausted Saiyans glared at him, trying to regain their feet.
"You betrayed your King," Vegeta said, "Turned against him, served an imposter."
"Kuda is the true King," snarled one of the Saiyans.
"I beg to differ," came a low voice from the shadows behind them. A brief look of fear passed over the Saiyans faces before they vanished, pulled into the shadows by an unseen force. For a brief moment, Vegeta thought he heard laughter. A roar drew Vegeta's attention. Kuda was still in his Great Ape form.
"Vegeta!" called a voice. Kakarot.
"Vegeta, we need to force him out of that form," said Kakarot, "If we attack him all together, it should work."
"Right," said Vegeta, before looking to his left. Appura and Trunks had emerged.
"Appura, Trunks, follow me," he said. They nodded, having heard Kakarot's shouts. Vegeta took to the air, his son and daughter close behind.

Goku turned to Gohan and Goten.
"Stay close, we're going to do the Kamehameha together," he said, "Dad!" Bardock paused and looked over.
"Don't worry about me, son," he said, "I've got the perfect attack all lined up." Goku nodded before flying in the opposite side to Vegeta and the others. Kuda was stood in the main square of the city, still roaring, pounding his chest with his fists. The Saiyans encircled him, much like Trunks and Goten had the day before.
"Alright boys, you ready?" Goku asked.
"Yes, Dad," came the response.
"Ka-me…" Goku started.
"Ha-me…" Said Gohan.
"Ha!" shouted Goten, sending a blue column of ki from his hands.

"Big Bang Attack!"
"Burning Attack!"
"Final Spirit Cannon!"

Appura watched as the others all launched their attacks. They had one chance. She held her arms out wide before slamming her hands together. "Sonic Wave!" she cried. The wave hit Kuda forcing him to stumble backwards, shrinking back to his humanoid form. The other Saiyans returned to the ground.
"You idiots," Kuda spluttered, stumbling a little, "I am the King of All Saiyans! I am your King, and I will dominate this planet. These humans, a despicable little race, unable to comprehend their own existence. Oh, son of Kakarott, I know so much about you." Gohan took half a step back as the Saiyan King addressed him.
"An IQ far beyond any of these weaklings," Kuda continued, "You can see the true path, the path of the Saiyan. You can bring freedom to this planet, to this primitive race. You could rule them if you so desired to…"
"Shut up!" Gohan snapped, "You think that every Saiyan is like you, don't you? That every Saiyan exists to indulge the urge to dominate and rule? You couldn't be more wrong. My name is Son Gohan, I am of Planet Vegeta and Planet Earth. My father was sent here to destroy all life here but instead, he chose to fight for it, he fell in love and started a family. My son was born here as was his mother. His grandfathers are two of the mightiest warriors who ever lived here, whom both laid down their lives in its defence, in spite of their birth place being so very far away. You've tried to turn the people of this planet against us; to force us into submission and defeat, to come crawling to you in despair. But on this day, I, Son Gohan, say no more! The people of this planet can persecute us all they wish, but we will never stop fighting to defend them. This is our home, and we will stand tall and proud as we send you back into the darkness you came from."
There was a moment as Kuda stared in disbelief, as though he hadn't even thought that Gohan would speak back, let alone deliver a warning.
"Idiot boy!" he spluttered, "I cannot be defeated by a mongrel. It will take seven Super Saiyans to defeat me! It was foreseen!"
"Well," said Gohan, running one hand casually through his hair, "It's a good thing we have seven then." He smirked as Kuda's face fell. He closed his eyes and focussed. His hair moved first, standing up on end, flickering golden. Kuda stumbled backwards as Gohan's pupil-less teal eyes looked back at him. Behind Gohan, Goku, Goten, Trunks, Bardock and Vegeta all transformed.
"That's still only six," Kuda muttered. Vegeta smirked and looked sideways at Appura. Her eyes were closed, her brow furrowed in frustration as she tried to transform.

For several moments nothing happened. This had plagued her for the best part of a year. She hadn't been able to transform again. Childbirth and lack of training had weakened her body. She felt something cool touch her shoulder.
"Don't give up," a soft voice, similar to her mother's whispered in her ear, "I'm right here." She felt a huge weight detach itself from her shoulders. The blocks fell apart and she felt her ki rush through her veins. Her hair whooshed up, flickering gold. She opened her eyes, her vision nothing but white for a moment before it cleared and everything became crisp and defined. She smiled, that trademark smile of Vegeta's line, exuding the proud arrogance they all carried.
"That's my girl," Vegeta said softly. Kuda stared blankly for a moment before scowling.
"You think she counts? Pah!" he spat, "I will not be defeated! Not by the likes of you." He seemed to regain his footing.
"Dad," Appura said, "Surround him. I'm going to kill him." She twisted her hand, manipulating her fingers. He recognised what she was trying to say. The Saiyans moved, faster than Kuda could see. Six of them cut off his escape as Appura stood before him. She lifted her arm, small ki balls forming at her fingers and thumb. Kuda stared at her, unable to move.
"Star Attack!" she yelled, the ki balls turning into beams, surging forwards to slice Kuda's body. But at the last second, Kuda moved, rolling away to the left. Bardock just avoided being sliced.
"No," Appura muttered, feeling her energy drain. It had been their first, last and only chance of killing Kuda. Within seconds, she was on her knees on the ground, her hair returning to its normal black.
"Appura!" Gohan cried, running forward, touching her shoulder with his hand.
"Go…kill him…" Appura managed, her vision blurring and her pride more than a little bruised. Gohan looked over at Kuda. The so-called King it seemed had landed badly, a large gash on his right leg was bleeding heavily. Gohan squeezed Appura's shoulder before launching himself at the other Saiyan. The others followed him, leaving Appura alone on the ground. She was panting, her arms only just holding her up.
"Hello Princess," said a voice. It wasn't her mother's voice this time.
"Puchin…" she said.

Kuda ducked and managed to avoid another ki blast.
"How the hell is he able to avoid our attacks?" Gohan raged, his aura blaring a brighter shade of gold.
"He's attacked you right where it hurts the most," Bardock said, "Your home and families. You are too emotional and need to calm down."
"Calm down?!" Gohan snapped.
"See what I mean?" Bardock said. Gohan huffed and then took a deep breath.
"Good," said Bardock, "Kuda's arrogance has carried him this far. Never underestimate that. This battle has long been forseen. Prophecy, pride and no small amount of luck will keep him alive for now. But there's something else coming. On the way to the square…I heard King Vegeta's laughter."
"I heard it too," Vegeta said, "Right before two of Kuda's soldiers vanished before my eyes."
"I think we're having a little help to thin the numbers," Bardock said, smiling, "But we need to focus on Kuda. We have him on edge, a little scared. Unfortunately Appura's failure will have bolstered his confidence. Now, let's track him." The six Saiyans took to the air and resumed their search.

Kuda skimmed around the corner of a building. Never had he thought he would see seven Super Saiyans in his lifetime, let alone in one place. No, the prophecy said it would take seven different Super Saiyan attacks to defeat him. They were down to six now; the foolish girl had wasted herself on an all-or-nothing attack, leaving herself vulnerable. Puchin would be with her now. Soon, she would be dead, breaking the spirits of her fellow traitors. He smiled. Soon, everything would be back on track; his brother's traitorous followers brought to heel and he, Kuda, would be King of this planet as well.
"I wouldn't get too comfy here if I were you," said a voice. There was a click. Kuda's head turned just in time to see a human lowering a gun. He felt a blunt force hit him in the torso. Kuda felt his knees tremble. The human had short, spiky black hair and looked familiar.
"Y….Yamcha…" he spluttered, remembering the name, one of the humans arrested.
"That's for Ima," Yamcha said, before shouldering the gun and walking away. Kuda summoned a ki ball and failed. He looked down, purple liquid oozed from a fresh wound. The Hakai poison…he'd been shot. He felt his ki falling away from his grip. He stumbled out into the road to get a better look at the wound under the street lights as his vision blurred. He felt a slight breeze behind him. He turned. The six Super Saiyans were stood there.
"Now," said Bardock. All six of them summoned their ki, sending the blasts at Kuda. He dropped to the floor, attempting to crawl away. The six blasts all mixed together and merged, narrowly missing Kuda's head. The ki ball stopped a few feet in front of him, a huge ball of white light that crackled like electricity.
"What the…" Kuda heard a voice behind him. The light within the ball, the different strands of ki twisted and distorted. The white light changed to blue and black, expanding to form a dark portal. A laugh came through. Kuda squinted to get a better look and regretted it.

Gohan stared as Kuda tried to back away from the portal that had formed from the mixing of their ki. But the fallen tyrant failed, his limbs gave way, causing him to fall to the ground. The portal pulsated, small balls of the dark ki separated, flying all around the city.
"No…" Kuda groaned, "Brother please…don't…no." A white outline of a figure appeared in the portal and slowly, the head and shoulders of a larger version of Vegeta appeared. King Vegeta.
"Too late, little brother," he said, "We've been given special permission to collect you early by King Yemma."
"No…please…the prophecy…" Kuda begged.
"You should know better than to take prophecies for granted," said King Vegeta, reaching his arms out and seizing his brother's wrists. He glanced up at the six Super Saiyans, smiled and winked before heaving. Kuda disappeared into the portal with a blood-curdling scream. Across the city, more screams sounded. Gohan could feel their ki vanishing.
"We need to find Appura," Vegeta said, taking to the air.

Appura rolled to one side as another blast flew from Puchin's staff. She was struggling to dodge them, having given her all to the Star Attack. Puchin tapped the staff twice. The concrete began to split and slide, threatening to send Appura down under the ground. She grabbed hold of a metal pipe that had been lifted up during Kuda's rampage. But her fingers soon began to slip.
"It will bring me great joy to see your line ended," Puchin croaked as her grip slipped even more.
"Not today," said a voice. A flash passed in front of Puchin and Appura vanished.
"Turn around." Puchin turned. Vegeta stood in front of him, Appura in his arms. Puchin didn't move.
"Such a pleasure to have you here in the flesh," Vegeta said, "You turned my father's people against him and have twice tried to kill my daughter, you little toad." His white-booted foot flew out, catching Puchin and sending the small magician flying away over the destroyed buildings. Vegeta looked at his daughter.
"Are you okay?" he asked. Appura nodded. He sat her down on the ground as the others appeared around the corner.
"Is everything ok?" Bardock asked.
"I'm fine," Appura said, "Puchin's gonna have a sore ass though. Wait, what happened to Kuda?" Bardock explained about the portal and seeing King Vegeta.
"Weird," she said.
"Yes, weird," said a deep voice. They turned. King Vegeta stood behind the group, a small woman stood at his side, her hand in the crook of his elbow.
"Your majesties," Bardock said, bowing his head. The woman smiled.
"Father…" Vegeta said, shock in his voice, "Mother…"
"Vegeta, my son," the woman said, letting go of King Vegeta and sweeping forward. Vegeta moved forward but mere steps away from her, fell to his knees. The Queen wrapped her arms around her head. More Saiyans started to appear, all of them with an odd white glow around them.
"These are all Saiyans who remained loyal to King Vegeta, the ones who perished on Planet Vegeta," said Bardock, his head spinning around as if he were looking for someone. Trunks nervously stepped toward his grandparents as the other Saiyans moved around them, forming a ring. Appura was about to climb to her feet when she spotted someone.
"Mom!" she cried. Ima moved out of the crowd, running forward and embracing her daughter.

Goku stared around at all the Saiyans who were walking around them. He'd never thought he'd see so many. Someone stepped out the ring.
"Raditz," Goku muttered, automatically moving into a fighting stance at the sight of his brother. Raditz immediately held up his hands.
"I'm not able to hurt you, little brother," Raditz said, "She just wanted to see you one more time." A woman stepped out from behind him.
"Seripa!" Bardock cried, rushing past Goku and sweeping her up in his arms, spinning her around.
"Who's that?" Goten asked.
"I think…that's your grandmother," Goku said, edging forward slowly. Bardock set Seripa back on her feet. She glanced over his shoulder.
"Kakarott?" she asked. Goku nodded slowly.
"My boy," she said, walking forward and cupping Goku's face in her hands, "Look at you…the one who defeated Freiza." Goku nodded again and blinked before looking at his own sons.
"Mom…meet my sons, Gohan and Goten…"

Bulma tore around the corner just in time to see several ghostly figures vanish from around the Saiyans.
"Trunks! Vegeta!" she cried, running forward and throwing her arms around her son and husbands necks.
"Mom! I met Dad's parents!" Trunks cried, clutching to his mother, "And Ima came back too!" Chi-Chi and Yamcha arrived, Yamcha still holding Kabu. Chi-Chi ran straight into Goku's arms.
"I met my mother…" he was muttering over and over again, "I met my mother." Yamcha sighed. He'd missed an opportunity to see his wife again but he forced a smile as he handed the sleeping baby to Appura. He felt a cold chill on his shoulder. He turned and found Ima smiling back at him.
"Thank you Yamcha," she said, "For looking after my family, our family. I will see you again soon. But for now, I need you to do one last thing…find the Dragonballs…make the people of Earth forget what happened."
"I love you," Yamcha said.
"I love you too," Ima replied before she slowly vanished.