Chapter 18- Elite isn't everything

"He's here" Whispers grew louder and louder as I struggled to place the voice. There was no need though. The fire was gone, just a smoldering ember left behind. I was all too aware of the apparition in front of me.

He donned the same orange jumpsuit I had met him in, although there did seem something different about it. He was different too. Not in appearance, but in the aura he excluded. He was stronger- and confident in his strength.

And he had claimed Vegeta.

"Krillin, Gohan; I want you to go back to master roshi's. You'll be safe there" Gohan squirmed as if he would rather ask for a hug but something fierce in Goku's eyes advised him otherwise. He nodded and took of slowly, rising fifty centimeters in the air and stopping as he saw Krillin hadn't moved. Krillin avoided my eyes, instead staring into Goku's.

"I'm glad your back Goku" He turned and faced Gohan.

"The tail isn't their weakness by the way"

"Alright, thank you Krillin" Goku dismissed them with a shake of his hand and turned to eye up Vegeta.

"You should go to Lessa" I ignored him, a throbbing ache developing between my eyes.

My job was done now right? I'd protected Gohan by killing Nappa just like Piccolo asked. And Goku had claimed Vegeta for his own. Gohan was his son, surely Goku would protect him now.

At any rate he was certainly a lot stronger.

It just didn't feel like my job was done.

'But it is. And it was never your job in the first place'

'No, but it was a promise to someone I care about'

'And you've done your bit now. It's time you went and did your real job' Sometimes I wished I could just give my job to someone else. It's not like there was any hint of Marissa here anyway. Maybe Set had just sent me on a wild goose chase. Knowing I would make a prat of myself and fall for someone who; One- had been way out my league and would only admit he cared when he was about to die and Two- was another innocent person who I had no right to drag into my mess of a life.

Sometimes i wondered why I didn't just fall apart.

"I guess your Vegeta then huh?" Vegeta smiled wanly.

"And you must be Kakarot, Raditz talked about you a lot" Goku didn't return the smile.

"I can't imagine it was anything good" Vegeta raised himself from the rock without taking his eyes of Goku.

"You could say that"

"Yeah well, I don't think this is the best place for this" Vegeta crossed his arms and stretched each one carefully.

"And why not?" Pain seemed to strike Goku as his pupils grew thinner.

"Because the bodies of my friends are here" It was then I took a look around at what was really left. To my left was Chiatzu's white bobble hat, clutched in a death grip by Tien. Piccolo was in front of me by a good few metres, lying in the trench left by Nappa's ki. He looked as though he was sleeping after a really hard workout. Unfortunately I knew different. Last but not least was Yamcha who still lay in his crater with a saibamen hand for company. I'd almost forgotten about Yamcha. Nappa's broken body was somewhere here too; but he wasn't a friend or even anyone to care about. Not even Vegeta was moved by his loss.

"I suppose it is a bit trashy. Where do you suggest then?"

"Follow me" Was his only instruction.

I waited a full minute after the two of them blasted of through the sky before following. In order to complete my promise I would oversee the battle of the saiyans. Because if Goku did not win then it would once again fall on me to protect Gohan.

"I won't let you down Piccolo" I told the sky, bending and gathering a small patch of sand in my reddened palm. It was still the light of day, so there were no stars to wish on. In old traditions I heard some projected their wish onto sand and scattered it with the wind. Taking their wish to the sky.

I wish that evil would be gone from this world..

The sand slid through my fingers as I thought my wish; the wind taking it to places I could not. My wish was in the hands of the goddesses and gods now.

Goku had known what he was doing when he suggested a different place. I followed for half an hour before the two of them landed in a barren wasteland. It was as far away from the civilization of this planet as you could get.

It was not a wasteland Piccolo had frequented, so there should have been no memories tied with this place. Yet the pain was still fresh, little splinters in my heart. Seeing the sort of place where Piccolo had isolated himself to his whole life- but where he had made his first friends and lover- it was breeding ground for sorrow.

Melanie and Serquet were silent. For once allowing me to wallow in my grief. It was the first time I had ever lost someone close to me. It was an entirely different type of heartbreak than the ones I had on earth.

I would give them thanks, but they already knew it. There was no privacy in being a host.

Gathering my senses after a few moments. I stayed high in the sky, flitting between mountain peak to plateau, finding a decent hiding spot where I could watch and not exert all my energy.

I chose a particularly average sized peak before settling myself around the crisp rock. It had plenty of tiny dents in where I could slot my fingers for extra grip.

Below me the two males straightened up tall on the ground, squaring their shoulders as they matched in stature.

"You know Kakarot, you and me. We could have it made. My brains and our brawn. We could rule the universes and you could everything you had ever dreamed of"

Goku snorted.

"I have everything I want on earth. People I love, a place to call home. What more could anyone want than that?" My respect for Goku went up tremendously. Someone of his power that didn't succumb to the want of power. Someone who wasn't even tempted for a second. It was rare- perhaps even impossible until now.

I suddenly thought. I had Cherry and friends at the airship. People I loved, and a place that with time could become my home. Was my desperate need for revenge wrong? Because for as long as I could tell myself it was because people needed me it wasn't.

"Very well. Don't say I didn't ask" Vegeta said snidely before flying at Goku with a barrage of fists and feet in the blink of an eye. In fact if I blinked I might have missed it. Goku returned everything he got without being fazed and the two were going at it in the air. The two were matched, relentless as they threw their weight into it. I knew I shouldn't be thinking it- it was dirty even; but if Vegeta had looked sexy before he was like a god now. Only the tiniest bit of sweat formed on his brow where his spiky black hairline receded. His muscles were so long and supple, and I could almost see those arms pinning me down and flexing as he-

'You can stop right there with the fantasies' A flush crept up my cheeks.

'Sorry, but I think you get my point'

It could have just been my favored view of Vegeta at that moment but it seemed as though he had the upper hand. He took everything Goku gave and seemed to return it stronger.

Vegeta pulled back, his clingy blue suit rippling as he rammed his fist forward. Goku dodged at the last second, leaving Vegeta with nothing but air.

The pause was only milliseconds and I took a short breath as they started again. I could almost run a commentary on the fight.

Vegeta gives Goku the classic fist in the gut but oh what's this? Goku has seemingly retired from the fight to gather some of that forsaken ki.

'Im gonna be honest here. I don't think commentating is your thing' Trust Serquet to have some sarky retort.

'Well why don't you try livening it up a little then? Oh wait- I forgot; you don't know the meaning on fun'

'Maybe I don't but it looks like Goku has just turned into a disco ball' Good point. I thought Goku's energy was blue but it just exploded into a ball of red.

"KAIOKEN!" Goku yelled before launching forwards at Vegeta.

'Why do people yell out their attacks round here' Maybe it makes them feel good- how should I know?

'How about orgasm beam?'

'How about shut the hell up' Vegeta disappeared only to turn up behind Goku. And then he slapped the red energy right out of him.

'Nice'

'Oh for gods sake, will you just shut up'

"You know Kakarot. I actually thought I was going to get a challenge out of you. This is the first time I've ever been wrong" Whoa, talk about ego.

Vegeta drifted of towards a rocky plateau, the sky darkening as he did so. Goku watched him with marked eyes. As soon as his feet touched rock he dug his boots into the plateau, him grinning wildly as his muscles strained. Veins popped up along the contours of his suit.

Two things hit me at once.

He was powering up.

He wasn't at full strength.

Blue lightning crackled in confirmation.

Could things really get any worse?