Sacrifice

Kakarot could see the fragile stability left in Turles's mind and knew that if Haruka died it would snap completely. He looked at Vegeta to see if he was reading his intentions and knew that they didn't need words to communicate with one another any longer. They didn't want to kill Turles, but he had to be taken down, or everyone on the planet would die if he continued to let his power consume him and grow.

'No!' Sailor Moon shouted at Kakarot and Vegeta. 'Let me handle this. You're more of threat to him than anyone and right now he doesn't need more force, but compassion.' She left the both of them to stand staring at her with opened mouths and a hurt look of pride.

"She's your sister; can't you talk since into her about interfering with a Saiya-jin and his battles?"

"Me! What about you, you imbecile! She's your mate and you need to learn how to control her! Why do you think I gave you permission to have her? Do I need to take her back and find someone that can?"

"Over my dead body you'll take her from me!" Kakarot growled forgetting why they were there.

"That can be arranged!" Vegeta snarled back at Kakarot as they circled each other in a challenge.

Mars took one look at both her mate and Kakarot and rolled her eyes. Was everything about a competition with each other. Temper getting the best of her again, she walked up to both Saiya-jins and grabbed their tails and stepped on their backs. "You immature adolescents! If you can get past your little squabble here, you'll realize that the problem is not Usagi, but Turles blowing up the planet and us with him!"

Kakarot looked at Vegeta and grumbled. "Speaking on controlling mates, yours has a problem with staying out of our affairs too."

"That's still your fault, Kakarot. If you would get a handle on your mate, then mine would be under control as well, considering Usagi is her leader."

"Are you saying you're too weak to manipulate a simple female?"

"I'll show you, simple..."

Mars had, had it. She yanked back so hard on their tails, that all anyone could here was a bunch of hollering as they tried to break loose. "I AM NOT A SIMPLE MINDED FEMALE, NOR CAN YOU MANIPULATE ME! Kakarot, if Usagi was paying any attention to what you just said, you would be in so much trouble, that you would hide for the rest of your life!"

'No problem about me finding out,' Sailor Moon growled at Kakarot through her mind. 'Remind me; if we live through this, you're in trouble.'

All the fight went out of Kakarot as he realized that Usagi was mad at him and chose to try and make it up to her. 'Usagi, I'm sorry.'

'Would you quit acting like an idiot and start helping me out here? Get Makoto now!' Kakarot looked at Mars behind him, who looked like she was about to burn both their tails off. "Mars can we worry about playing later and get the baby before she gets hurt any further."

Mars was so flabber gasted by the change in his attitude that she let go of both their tails and set them both free. In an instant Vegeta was on his feet and running for the child while Kakarot yanked Rei back from the impending explosion should Hotaru and Usagi fail to calm down the enraged and pain filled Saiya-jin. Vegeta normally wouldn't like anyone laying a hand on his mate, but seeing as how he trusted Kakarot with his life and had a mate of his own, Vegeta let Kakarot carry his mate out of harm's way. They flew into the sky and watched the outcome.

Kakarot hated the idea of letting his mate face Turles while he was in the air holding someone else's mate. If Turles hurt her, so help him Kami, he didn't care if they were related.

Sailor Moon continued to walk towards Turles carefully making sure that he had constant eye contact with her. The closer she came, the angrier and more hostile he became as he wanted to keep Haruka close to him. His tail lashed out at Saturn and hit her in the face as he flew into the air and kicked Sailor Moon down to the ground. Blood was on Sailor Moon's lip, as Hotaru, had a swollen cheek. "What are we going to do Sailor Moon? He won't trust anyone!" Sailor Moon wiped the blood from her swollen lip and steadily made one last attempt to get near Turles. She noticed something change in his expression as some sanity came back into it. "Turles."

"Usagi?" His body was tense, but some of his power died down a little as her calming gaze allowed her to approach, but only her. She had brought back Eclipse and some hope came back into his eyes. Pain was still evident in his features, but he looked to her for the help he needed to save her life.

"We can still save her life." Turles dropped to the ground, and let Sailor Moon come closer. As she reached out her hand to take Haruka from him, he tensed, but didn't snap at her again. "Set her down Turles. I'm going to let Saturn come over here, because she's far stronger in the healing magic than I am." Turles remained motionless, determining whether or not to put Haruka down. He was afraid more of the shadows would converge on her and finish what remaining life she had left.

When he felt movement in his arms, he looked down startled to see Haruka looking into his eyes with pain, but something he had never seen there before. "Where am I...," she gasped in short breathes.

"In my arms. Quit talking and save your energy woman."

"Why, Turles... I didn't know you... cared..." Her eyes shut for a second and then opened again. "I'm sorry I couldn't be a better protector for you and Mako." She didn't finish as she slipped back into darkness.

Turles trembled, but instead of losing his cool, he looked straight at Usagi. "Can you really save her?"

"Yes. But we need to do it now!"

Turles nodded and placed Haruka down between them and Sailor Moon motioned for Saturn to come over. Saturn bent down on her knees along with her sister and both began to chant in their ancient tongues and a silver and purple light combined over their friend and fellow senshi to begin a slow process of healing. The three of them were so focused on Haruka that they never saw it coming behind them. Instead of like the other shadows, this one did not flinched at the sight of sunlight and dimed the light of the Saiya-jin's golden aura.

Mars had been released by Kakarot when he saw Turles calm down and watched tensely as they tried to heal Haruka. A flash hit her and she looked to see something creeping up behind Sailor Moon and Saturn ready to strike. 'Oh god.' Vegeta turned to see Mars take a dive below, and before he could figure out what she was doing, it was too late as Mars through her friends out of the way and was stabbed in the chest clean threw the back. Blood splattered from her mouth as she went limp and thrown to the side like a rag doll.

Haruka was better now and when she opened her eyes, everyone was staring stunned at what just happened. Mars was nearly sliced in two, but she was still awake as Sailor Moon ran over to her and lifted her head. "Ma...rs?" she sobbed. Mars coughed, and was going into a fit.

"I.. saved... you... this... time... princess... I... love..." she never finished her sentence as her life drained away, leaving everyone sitting there numb.

Kakarot stepped back in shock as a power beside him exploded in rage and devastation. Vegeta had let go of every ounce of power he had and threw him so far back that he had to use instant transmission to get back quickly. "You..." he choked. "You... AHHHH!" Vegeta began transforming erratically when he reached Super Saiyan 4, but something happened and he powered up further and went into his fifth stage and a blackish red flamed all around him, his hair growing back out to its full lank. His eyes glowed a feral blood red and for the first time, Kakarot was truly afraid of what true power really was in front of him. "Kakarot..." Kakarot was speechless, but listened to what Vegeta had to say. "Get everyone out of here now! You have ten seconds before I don't even give that option and everyone will die here."

"Vegeta..." Kakarot didn't say anything else and did as his friend asked and grabbed everyone before they could protest and instant transmission back to Vegeta-sai.

"What are you doing Kakarot?" Sailor Moon cried. He could only look at her, as tears spilled from his face for the first time in his life. "That's my brother out there! We have to go back and get him!" She hit his chest, but he grabbed them and held her tight and felt her whole body scream in agony as she felt her brother die on the planet they had left, taking out the entire system with him. Hotaru sank to the ground sobbing into Haruka's arms and Turles could only watch them and look to the stars at Vegeta's sacrifice for them.