When I finished the previous chapter, I was considering leaving the story like that. Then I thought it would be unfair not to end the war in one way or the other; hence here is what I came up with.

Chapter 15

Epilogue

Vegeta was on his knees, trying to get up, waiting for the pain to subdue a bit. He coughed and felt the familiar salty taste of blood in his mouth. He was on a deserted planet right next to Vegetasei, facing Freeza. He was on his way to destroy Vegetasei, but they stopped him and now, they were trying to take him down. Most of the saiyans had no chance against him; even the elite fighters appeared to be powerless as he reached his final form. By now only two saiyans were standing; Kakarott and he. As he looked at them fighting, he could see that just like he himself, Kakarott was also losing. Freeza was just too strong. For a while, they thought they can take him down, even on their own, but now… now they were not so sure. Kakarott learned the instant transmission recently and he managed to get back the wounded on Vegetasei, but moving between the two planets has taken out some from his energy. As for himself, he had to distract Freeza while the rescue was ongoing and as Bardock was the only other fighter who could use the technique, it took them forever to evacuate the place. How did it come to this? He never expected him to be so mighty; his soldiers were nothing but a joke, apart from maybe Zarbon. But since they took him down almost 2 years ago, their strength increased a lot. By now, Kakarott was 18 and he ended up being a tall warrior with incredible skills. Much to Vegeta's own dismay, he was more than a head taller. Just like he, Kakarott took a woman from Earth as a mate and now she was just about to give birth to their first child. Vegeta's son was by now more than one year old and so far it looked like he will be a formidable fighter, despite being only a demi-saiyan. He was hoping to get back to them soon, but as things looked now, it was doubtful he will ever return. Just then, to emphasise the situation, Kakarott ended up, crashing to the ground next to him. He tried to recall, how long ago the fight started, but he completely lost his sense of time. Even so, he was sure, he never even trained for so long without a break, let alone fight against such a mighty enemy. His muscles were aching and he was also slightly out of breath. It seemed like it was only his willpower, what kept him on his legs. He was stubborn and giving up was never an option for him, but now he wasn't so sure he will come out of this alive.

Kakarott never felt so much pain, as he did now. There was not a single point in his body, which wasn't hurting like hell. Yet, he had to go on; there was no other choice. He thought they were prepared, that whoever this Freeza was, they can take him. If nothing else, he should have been able to kill him, working together with Vegeta. By now, they were almost equals; the two most powerful saiyans ever alive, yet they appeared weak and pathetic next to the tyrant. Suddenly he remembered on last night, when he said goodbye with Chichi and he felt a pang of guilt. When he realised a few years ago, what he promised her when they first met, he wasn't so sure, that it was the best idea. However, saiyans were not liars, especially not him, hence he mated her. It turned out unexpectedly well and he was happy with her. He couldn't wait until his son will be born; Vegeta's and Bulma's son was exceptionally strong and he hoped his son will have similar abilities. Not because he wanted him to become the ruler of the universe, but because he hoped, that one day he will help him protecting those, who needed help. By now, even though Vegeta never said it, he was sure, he would never order the saiyans again to clean out planets and sell them. The Prince changed a lot and it was a common knowledge that once the war was over, King Vegeta will resign and Prince Vegeta will take over the throne. Right now though, they have to win in order to make all this happen. He felt Vegeta's Ki and knew he was nearly depleted, just like he. They both used up most of their energies and Kakarott was aware, that soon, he won't even be able to stand up, when he will crash into the ground.

"Stupid monkeys, I will kill you both, but before that, I will blow up your damn planet in front of your eyes!" Freeza shouted and while he laughed, he began to create an energy bomb.

Kakarott and Vegeta exchanged a look; they were aware that they were at the end of their powers, yet they struggled to get up. Seeing their effort, Freeza laughed once again, while the energy ball began to grow.

Vegeta again thought about Bulma and Trunks; failing here would not just result to his own death, but it would mean their ends as well. By now he wasn't surprised how outraged he became, as he thought about losing them. Kakarott had similar thought about Chichi and his unborn child, but he also knew that once the saiyans fail, once he fails, there will be nobody left, who could stop Freeza and he will kill more races as the saiyans ever had. Faces from the colonies appeared in front of his eyes; people who accepted him, despite his saiyan origins and who by now also accepted his whole race. If not for the saiyans, they would be all dead. Fate had a sick sense of humour as it seemed; it made the saiyans from killers to protectors; the hope of the universe. As he exchanged a look with Vegeta again, he saw the same: "They cannot die, there was just too much on stake!" Both of their uniforms were torn, even the armour was in pieces, which was the most durable material in the universe for combat gears. Vegeta again thought about dying; it was the first time in his life that he seriously considered, that a fight might cost his life. He felt trapped, powerless, yet desperate enough to keep going. He bit his teeth together and balled his firsts, ready to launch a new attack.

Suddenly as images of burning planet surfaced in their minds, their rage became overwhelming and they turned to super saiyan at the same time, causing Freeza to crash into a rock behind him, just due the wind caused by their flaring Ki. At the same time, Freeza dropped the not yet ready energy ball and it hit him full in the chest.

"What the hell is this?" He asked as he climbed out from the rocks.

"Meet the living legend of the saiyans; the super saiyans!" Vegeta cried out with a smirk.

He has heard so many stories about the warrior, who will be born with a power so imaginable that everybody will fall to their knees in front of him. While he would have preferred becoming the legend alone, he wasn't so shocked that Kakarott reached the same level along with him. Somehow it appeared to him, as he (despite being a low class warrior at the beginning) was destined to become the strongest from their race. Years ago he would have wanted to kill him for that, for ascending to the same level as he, the Prince did, but somehow during the years Kakarott really proved himself.

Kakarott never felt so powerful in his life, it was like his Ki increased with 50 fold and it was surging through his body. He felt like, there was nothing what he couldn't do and nobody could possibly be powerful enough to take him.

This power was something, what none of them ever experienced before, it was a power level, which seemed impossible to reach. Suddenly the pain also went away and while their injuries remained, they felt like they were charged up again and nobody could stop them. It was almost a god-like power, making them unstoppable. As Vegeta looked around, he saw that his Ki was overflowing from his body, creating a golden light around him. The air become hot, it burned his skin, yet it felt nice. His muscles expanded and even his senses seemed sharper. He could smell Freeza's fear in the air and he saw small perspirations appear on his forehead. He heard how his breathing was also ragged, even though they were at least 20 meters away from him. It was like the world suddenly changed and he entered a new dimension. As he looked at Kakarott, he was shocked how much his appearance changed and he wondered for a brief second, whether he also changed so drastically. The strangest thing was, that the cause and the source of this power seemed to come from his outrage what he felt thinking about losing his family and his home. While he changed a lot, since he met Bulma and it just got more intense since Trunks was born, he only know began to gasp the full meaning of having them. It wasn't the tradition; but what was? So many things changed over the last years that he lost track of the saiyan way. Peculiarly he wasn't even sorry for it. The way his race lived was clearly wrong; they almost died out by trying to rule the universe. What for? What purpose would it serve to rule, when it would cost his folk? Freeza almost killed them, but without some serious change in thinking, they would have died out anyway within a few decades. Yet, it wasn't too late for a change! While their numbers decreased alarmingly, even with the war raging, they had only minor casualties. They can come out of their mistakes alive and stronger then ever.

Vegeta attacked Freeza the same time as Kakarott and soon the mighty tyrant was on his knees, begging for his life. Neither of the saiyans, even considered letting him off the hook; he had to pay for his actions and he had to die in order for the others to survive. The two super saiyans stopped in front of him, raised their hands in union and delivered the final blow at the same time, defeating Freeza once and for all.

Bulma was in the laboratory, sitting on the couch with Chichi, Chessa and Karris. They all knew what was at stake and they could only hope that Kakarott and Vegeta will claim victory at the end. Trunks was sitting in front of them with Malva, and they were playing on a huge rug with toys, invented by Bulma. Malva was Karris' daughter, who just celebrated her first birthday. It appeared that Karris managed to mate Chessa after all and Bulma was really proud that she could help them in order to find each other. Even though Karris was just a 3rd class, Malva proved to be much powerful, her powers reaching those of the 2nd class. With just two demi-saiyans it was hard to tell whether the higher power level was due to the fact that they were part human part saiyan, but one thing was sure; their human half never caused any decrease in their powers. As Chichi watched the two children playing, she unconsciously placed her hand on her belly. Much to her surprise when they agreed on a name with Kakarott, he actually came up with a human name; Gohan. He was the man, who found Kakarott in the forest all those years ago and who decided to take him in. He was the first human, Kakarott ended up killing, when he first changed to his Oozaru form.

Karris felt Chessa's hand on his and he grabbed it thankfully. He was even more on edge as the others, as he felt useless. While he really loved his work as a scientist and he never enjoyed fighting, he couldn't help but think that maybe one additional warrior could make a difference. He should have been out there, fighting against Freeza and his troops, not just sitting here and waiting for his fate to be decided. It was amazing how Chessa felt that he was anxious, without him saying a word about it. He never thought that a relationship such as this could even exist. This understanding was unbelievable and strange among saiyans.

Suddenly Radditz appeared with the news, that the saiyans are evacuated from the planet, leaving Kakarott and Vegeta on their own, to take down Freeza. As the number of healing tanks were limited, the healers decided to priories the most injured ones, while tried to help the rest in the traditional way. Bulma decided to help out, if for nothing else, this could help her take of her mind from the possible future. She was worried for Vegeta and the thought of losing him was unbearable. She loved him so much and they overcame so many problems together, that it wouldn't be fair to end like this. She knew that he was strong and he wouldn't give up and Kakarott was with him! She was also worried about him; after all they were friends and she also cared about him.

"Princess, you really don't have to do this!" Bardock called as she bandaged his arm.

"Bardock, how many times do I have to tell you, not to call me that? There is no need to be so formal all the time."

"But…"

"No buts; just call me Bulma, all right?"

Truthfully when Vegeta appointed her as his mate aka the Princess, most of the saiyans had no objections against it. It wasn't because they respected her (though most of them did as she invented a lot of useful things over the year), but because saiyans never questioned the authority of the royal family. They were willingly going along with it and from one day to the other, Bulma became a Princess from being a slave. Still, she decided to continue working in the lab, as this was indeed her passion and she enjoyed it. In time, the slaves also adjusted to the new situation and there were discussions going on to let them leave if they want or in case they decide to leave, give them payment. This result cost Bulma countless argument with Vegeta, but at the end she proved her point. In case they win the war, Vegetasei will be the most secure planet in the universe in there was a high probability that some members from other planets might willingly come here and work for them, knowing that their lives will be secure. She came such a long way with Vegeta and she never even dreamed that she could be so happy with him. Sure, he was still a jerk sometimes and their fierce arguments never stopped, but he was trying hard. While first he found it strange that Bulma intended to care for Trunks after his birth, instead of giving him to the slaves (who took care of the babies and young children) he began to see what being a parent really meant. It wasn't just about blood; it was much more. As she remembered the first time she pushed Trunks into his arms and recalled his confused face, she had to laugh, causing that several saiyans looked at her questioningly.

Finally, when Kakarott managed to get him and Vegeta back on Vegetasei with instant transmission, everybody was overjoyed as they learned that Freeza was no more. Chichi jumped into Kakarott's arms almost making him fall, while Bulma wasn't exactly sure what to do as she walked to Vegeta. She would have followed Chichi's example, but she knew that regardless how much the Prince changed, he was not fond of the display of affection in public. Still, much to her shock, he was the one who pulled her close, holding her in a tight hug. Bulma never would have dreamed that her life will turn out like this and it will be a happy ending. Vegeta on the other hand, never assumed that his view regarding the world could change so much, that the girl in her ragged clothes, who helped him on Aoi-sei, will turn his world upside down. As he held Trunks a few minutes later and he was smiling at him, he smiled back for a split second, glad that he managed to get back to them and save them.

Thank you all for following this story and especially thank you for those, who also left reviews which helped me to improve my writing skills. For those, who never left any reviews; here is your last chance to do so :D

I really hope it was worth to take this journey with me and that you are not upset that it has to end here. I know that many of the readers already checked out my other stories as well; but those who haven't – here is the possibility.

I have no idea what will come next; heck I wasn't even planning to write a new BV story after my previous ones, until this idea hit me. I'm playing with some One-Shot ideas (nothing solid yet) and thinking about co-writing something with somebody (what I have never done before and sounds fun).

I hope to "see" you soon! :)