***Chapter 22**

When he woke up, she was gone. Something didn't feel right this time though. Unlike other times, he had a gut feeling something was extremely wrong. He focused on Ki levels, trying to find the ones of his Father, Goku, Gohan, heck even Broly. He couldn't sense her but if something had happened he could tell by theirs. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. His phone rang.

''Trunks! You and Akira need to get here as soon as possible!'' His mother yelled through the phone.

''Mother, calm down, tell me what's happening.''

''Dolion…'' He didn't hear the rest. He was here. She wasn't.

''Bulma.'' He never really referred to her by her first name. It made her stop mid-sentence. ''Akira isn't here. She left before I woke up.'' His heart was sinking a little more at every word.

He heard her shriek at the other end and drop the phone. ''Boy, what is going on?'' He could hear his Mother's sobs.

''Akira. She went..''

''FUCK! Stupid hard headed child!'' The King yelled. Trunks could hear Goku and his sons in the background. He knew Goku would be there in a minute. He jumped out of bed and got dressed. As if on cue, Goku appeared in his bedroom and without wasting time, brought them back to where they were all gathered.

''Trunks..'' Gohan came to meet him.

''Not now Gohan, we have to go. We have to find him. We have to find HER.'' The younger demi-saiyan nodded.

Bulma, after her husband had shook some sense into her, snapping her back to reality, hurriedly gathered the armors, Dr Hedo and her had luckily finished.

As they all got dressed and ready, Piccolo, who had been standing silently until then, asked the question no one had thought about. ''Should we let Broly know? He could help us.'' Vegeta, both Trunks' and Goten were in Saiyan armor. Goku sported his normal orange Gi, that matched Krillin's and Gohan had opted for a Gi but closer to Piccolo's.

''We don't have time!'' Grunted Vegeta. ''Woman, call Whis and tell him what's happening. Have him get Broly and find us.'' They had no idea where the girl was. They had sensed the enormous power a few hours ago but something was odd about it. They had to get to the source as soon as possible. Trunks had vanished after putting his armor on. As he walked back to join them again, he strapped his sword to his back.

''Guys, maybe she just went to hide somewhere? Or is trying to lure him away? We don't know she actually went to FIGHT him.'' Krillin tried.

Trunks was silent. He hadn't said a single word. He wanted to get to her as fast as possible. Why did she act so recklessly? Did she not trust them? Not trust him to protect her? He was angry. At the situation and at her. Suddenly the last few days' events and conversations hit him like a Ki blast to the stomach. She had planned it all along. She knew her uncle was coming today. She had purposely misguided them. There was no doubt she was going to try to end this herself, no matter the price.

Before he could open his mouth, Trunks heard Vegeta's ''TSH!'' He was shaking his head. ''Her and her hot temper. She couldn't wait for us.''

''I think she was trying to protect us Vegeta.'' Goku offered eyeing Trunks as if talking to him rather than his father.

Vegeta took a last look at his wife and daughter. This was it. They were all there, all their hope, he thought. Kakarot, Krillin, Gohan, Piccolo, both Trunks, Goten and himself. 18 had wanted to come along but it was too risky to put all their eggs in the same basket. Her, 17 and Broly would be the backup they hopefully wouldn't need..

Focusing on the weird Ki signatures emanating from the same place, Goku instant transmission them to the closest location. They were far enough to go undetected to most, lowering their Ki as much as possible.

The spaceship had landed a few hours prior to their arrival. The bulk of the soldiers had already piled outside, leaving the higher Ki signatures inside. One was particularly strange.

''Any idea Piccolo? Goku? Vegeta? What could it be?''

''It's him.'' Said Trunks flatly earning himself a raised eyebrow from his Father. ''I can feel it. There's something of Akira in the Ki, it has to be him. Fucking bastard.'' He wasn't able to sense her Ki per say, but ever since she had let him in, that evening, into her aura, to show him how she felt, he was able to feel something distinctive about her.

''It is him.'' The voice startled them. Akira stood a few feet away. She had her new armor and gear on. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail coming down as one single long braid. She did not look too pleased to see them. To see Trunks. ''You shouldn't have come. You have to leave. NOW.'' They had never heard her so stern and cold.

''No.'' Trunks' response came out just as sharp. ''I'm not going anywhere Ki.'' Her breath caught at his answer.

''We're not going anywhere Aki. We're a family. We're in this together.'' Gently said Goku. ''Let us help you.''

''Do you not understand? You'll end up dead!'' Her emotion was starting to show.

''Do you have so little faith in us Brat?''

She snorted. ''You still don't fucking get it! You WILL die if you stay.''

''Aki, what are you not telling us? Let us help you.'' Gohan took a step forward. She took one back.

She looked at the black-haired demi-Saiyan. His wife was pregnant and he had a child to take care of already. Pan would not grow up without a father. She would not allow it.

''You just need to trust me on this and leave… please.''

''I'm not going anywhere Ki.'' Trunks snapped.

He could tell her patience was running thin but so was his. Did she expect him to just leave her here alone?

She wasn't going to win this argument. She could tell by their Ki and their body language. She looked at Trunks. He was hurting. She had left without telling him anything. He felt betrayed. She felt her heart pinch with the guilt of lying to him.

''Ok.'' She finally said, her eyes softening but still looking straight at her lover. She saw the surprise on his face.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at Goku. This was unusual of her character and just moments ago she was adamant on sending them away. She was hiding something he was sure of it. The thought angered him. He couldn't protect her if she didn't tell him what was going on!

''Uh… ok what's the game plan then?'' Finally asked Krillin.

Without breaking eye contact with Trunks, she said ''Dolion is inside. He is the highest Ki force you are feeling. It feels different because it's mixed with so much of mine.'' Trunks swore under his breath. ''He had five elites in command. The Ki's inside are Jazno, Clas and Rocko. Duria and Locat were the other two.'' Her lips snarled at the memory of their demise. ''Right outside, there'' she pointed at the spaceship's doors ''are his squad captains. Notice how all the soldiers seem divided in sectors fanning from their captain, out.''

''Hmm ok so there are 6 squads and 9 of us. The odds are in our favor, no?''

''No Goten.'' Akira was annoyed they had dragged the two younger men along.

''They wanted to come, Ki. We didn't force them.'' Trunks was getting good at reading her expressions. Her cheeks flushed a little. She didn't want to insult Squirt and Goten, she was just worried.

''You can't look at it like that. There are 9 soldiers per section plus their captain. Each section has its fighting formation. They each work differently. Attacking them all at the same time would be suicide.''

''What do you suggest Aki? You know how they fight. How can we go about this to our advantage?''

''I can handle the soldiers.'' She flatly said.

''ALL of them? Squirt almost choked on his words. ''There's 60 of them Aki!''

''NONSENSE! You will not fight against 60 soldiers on your own while we stand here and watch!'' Shot Vegeta.

''You didn't listen to me.'' She scolded. ''I said I would handle the soldiers.'' She paused. ''I need you to handle the captains.'' They were there and were clearly not going to leave her, so might as well keep them busy. The Squad Captains were strong but their strength mainly laid within the Squad itself. Alone, they were regular fighters. Good fighters but the men around her shouldn't struggle too much to defeat them. It would buy her some time before Dolion and his minions came out.

They nodded. ''And then what?'' Asked Piccolo. She did not reply.

''Trunks.'' She said walking up to her lavender-haired fiancé. She stood close but didn't touch him. ''I'm going to have to do things I'm not proud of. Things I don't want to do but have to.''

''It won't change anything Ki. I love you. All of you. Including the darkest deepest part of you.''

You say that now, but wait. If you don't already hate me for deceiving you, you will hate me after this. She felt bile rise in her throat at the thought of what she was about to do.

Without looking back, she took to the air keeping low. Once she was closer to the soldiers, she started to rise. It looked almost angelic. Her arms were spread on each side. The back part of her armor slightly moved with the wind, at the same rhythm as her braid. She had a soft pink Ki ball in each hand. They heard a soldier yell out and then all hell broke loose. The Z fighters looked slightly in shock at the scene unfolding before them. She threw the round blasts but instead of shooting like a normal Ki blast, they extended becoming more like ropes. She lassoed 40 soldiers at once. Her grip tightening around them as she joined the two ends into one of her hands. They saw waves of white slowly emanating from the group of soldiers under her hold.

''FUCK! That's how she got our Ki's to come out a little to show you what she saw!'' Goten remembered.

Vegeta understood right away what was happening and what would follow.

Akira raised her other hand as if gripping and pulling something, her fingers commanding the energy to rise, away from its source. She was sucking the energy out of them. Slowly. Painfully. Once the amount of energy in her hand was bigger than the one left within her captives, the rest snapped back to her like an elastic band. The energy seemed to course through her body and reappeared as two new Ki balls in her hands. This time they were white but the electricity buzzing around them was her signature pink. Without hesitation she shot all that force back at the remaining soldiers, killing them instantly.

Trunks blinked. It had happened so fast. The whole thing had taken less than 2 minutes and the 54 soldiers were all dead. She had dropped to the ground on her knees. It was clear the attack had drained some of her own energy, probably because she was still wearing her bracelet. The final blast was their signal. They launched themselves at the remaining captains. Trunks instinctively rushed towards her. Blood was running from her nose. ''NO Trunks! I'm fine! I'm fine! Go! They need you!''

He hesitated only a second before rushing to help Krillin. Gohan and Piccolo were dealing with two captains at the same time. Goten and Trunks had used their fusion and Gotenks was handling another. Vegeta and Goku seemed to have the upper hand on their opponents. This would give her enough time to recover. She did not think it would take so much out of her. The bracelet burned through her skin. She had pushed her blaze to the surface despite the restraints. She had woken the beast inside of her as she had done last time against Frieza and Kelian. Except this time, she knew it would consume her. This time there was no going back. Her powers had grown stronger with the training Beerus and Shin had given her. Her body was also stronger from her training on Earth. Her strength and her anger fed her power like oil thrown at an open fire.

She got up slowly. She noticed her friends had disposed of their enemies with a few scratches and Krillin needing a Senzu Bean. No major damage was done to them. She exhaled a little. They flew back to their initial point of observation. All but Trunks who went to see if Akira was ok.

''I'm fine Trunks. I'm ok.'' She reassured him, unable to meet his eyes.

''Ki… look at me.'' He said, placing his fingers under the chin, tilting her head up. Her cheeks were the same color as her Ki. ''It changes nothing. I promise.''

From afar, Piccolo heard the latch of her bracelet as it broke open, the piece of jewelry dropping to the ground quietly. His eyes widened. He knew what was about to happen. She had told him to make sure Gohan would keep his promise. ''Gohan. Remember your promise to her.''

Akira looked deep in Trunks' eyes. She was crying. ''I love you, Trunks. Please forgive me.'' Her hands were flat on his chest. He ran his own hands along her arms. He didn't have time to compute what she had meant. When his left hand landed on her right wrist, his eyes widened. She had taken off her bracelet. Before he could close his hands around her wrists, she shot a blast into him. Strong enough to send him flying back but not to harm him beyond anything a Senzu Bean would be able to fix.

Gohan heard what Piccolo said but before he could question it, he realized what was happening. He rushed in Trunks' trajectory and let him collide with his body, grabbing him and lowering him to the ground. Catch him when he falls, Gohan. She had meant it literally just as much as figuratively.

Before Goku and Vegeta could react, Akira pushed a wave of Ki towards them, creating a wall. It resembled 17's force field trick but instead of protecting her, it was stopping them from getting through.

''Kira. Sweet sweet Kira.'' The voice made her blood run cold. She turned slowly to face the man who had taken everything from her. Jazno, Clas and Rocko flanked his sides.

''Long time Kira. Did you think we wouldn't find you?'' Rocko snarled, showing his huge canines.

''What's this Kira? You made new friends?'' Jazno pointed behind her. Anger flashed across her face.

''My, My little one. Have you grown fond of these people?'' Dolion chuckled. ''I can smell one of them on you. Have you gone and fell in love?'' His chuckle turned into laughter.

Clas took a step forward. ''You will pay for what you did to Duria and Locat, you bitch.''

The fire had run freely through her veins by then. ''And who's going to make me pay, Clas? You? If I remember correctly your fighting skills are mediocre at best.'' She spat out. Dolion's laughter echoed louder.

''Kira, my Child. I am so happy to see you in good health and clearly in great spirit!''

''I am NOT your child. You are nothing to me Dolion.'' She hissed.

''Harsh words for the man who raised you.'' He scolded wagging his finger at her as if she was a naughty child. ''Have you forgotten your manners? Or did fucking a Saiyan made his savagery rub off on you?'' She flinched, making him smirk. ''Kira, you were not raised this way. You are a Lady and should know better than to mingle with brutes like that.'' He lifted his hand carelessly in the general direction of where her family was still standing, still in shock. She could sense Vegeta trying to find a weak point in her shield, but he wouldn't find one. ''I must say, I'm a little repulsed by the choices you made, my Child.''

''Says the coward who sold me off like a piece of meat.''

''Oh! I knew Kelian couldn't keep his mouth shut. He was a great warrior but Kami was he dumb. I heard you killed the father the same way you had the son!'' He said excitedly as if the idea pleased him. ''Come on now, it's time to go home. Be a good girl.'' The last sentence made her snarl in disgust. He always used to tell her to be a good girl as she was growing up, right before shoving her in the tank.

''I will not go back Dolion.''

He erupted in laughter again. ''Do you really think you can stay here? That this weak pathetic planet full of weaklings can be your home? That a beast like you can be tame enough to stay amongst them? Have you forgotten all the lives you've taken Kira?''

''That you MADE me take.''

''Potato, Potahto, my Dear. The bottom line is, it is YOU who took their lives. I raised you, I took care of you, and I simply took a little of your Ki. It was only a fair trade. You can't possibly hold it against me. It's a very bad trait to be selfish Kira.''

''A little?'' She laughed to herself. Before her escape she had been spending more time in the tank than out.

Trunks had regained consciousness and was desperately trying to breach the force shield. She couldn't hear him but she knew he was panicking. They all were, even Piccolo. Whis and Beerus appeared next to Goku.

''Finally! Where's Broly?'' Vegeta shot out.

''We didn't get him. We figured it wasn't necessary.'' Beerus couldn't tell them it would be pointless to bring the big Saiyan.

''BEERUS! Can't you help her?'' Shouted Trunks. Surely a God could get through a little barrier.

''I cannot.''

''WHAT?! What do you mean? Cannot or will not?'' The demi-saiyan's patience was running thin in his panicked mindset.

''My Lord, and myself cannot interfere in this matter.'' Whis spoke, his voice stern.

''WHAT THE FUCK! She might die!''

''Trunks.. calm down buddy. This won't do any good. We will figure something out.'' Gohan's reassuring words not rooting in Trunks' brain.

''Kira, don't make this more difficult for yourself. Be a good girl and get on the ship.''

Letting her anger flash through her eyes, she raised her arm, shooting a Ki blast directly at the ship. It exploded on impact.

''I'm losing patience Kira.'' He was buying himself time as he tried to push his Ki unto hers.

''You learned new tricks, Dolion. Maybe now you can stop cowardly hiding behind me.''

''You bitch! I'm done talking.'' He extended his hands on the side as Akira had done with the soldiers. Clas, Jazno and Rocko suddenly dropped dead. ''I need their Ki more than they did. Don't look so mortified, they served their purpose.''

''Everyone is just a disposable good to you, Dolion. You make me sick!'' She launched herself at him. It was now a one on one fight. A battle of power.

Akira landed halfway between where she had been standing and where Dolion was still stationed. Pulling her sword out, she heard Dolion laugh. ''You cannot be seriously considering fighting me with your blades Child.''

The hybrid did not falter at the taunt. She raised the sword and forcefully pushed it in the ground. The piercing of the earth under the power she had released in her blade, had the effect of a shockwave of energy all around. When it reached its final circumference, the Ki started rising. Finally, they noticed a dome starting to form as their shield wall vanished. She was trapping herself with the enemy.

''Stupid Child, now you can't run!'' Dolion hissed.

She smirked. ''You neither.'' She replied.

Trunks watched in horror the events unfolding in front of him. He shot himself forward trying to get to the dome as fast as possible. He hit a type of force field that pushed him back. ''KI! LET ME IN!''

Hearing the muffled words through the walls of the dome, Akira's face fell. She quickly shoved the guilt down. She was doing this for them. For him. To protect him.

''Oh dear. Your pet is worried about you!'' She snarled at the insult. ''You cannot win this fight Kira. Our power levels are almost equivalent, but I have trained much more than you and have much more battle experience than you. Drop it and stop wasting time!'' He was getting angry. She could tell by the dark haze starting to surround him. He noticed the surprise on her face. ''Oh! My bad! I forgot to tell you; I have mastered a new trick! This one might surprise you!''

''A new trick? Should I throw you a bone like the fucking dog you are?'' She huffed, trying to hide the panic rising within her. She had expected his higher power level, his abilities. No, HER abilities he had stolen from her through the tank. But this was something new she hadn't foreseen.

''Tsk tsk tsk. Such a potty mouth for a young Lady. Bad girls don't go to the good place Kira. They go where the demons lay.'' He eyed her with a smile on his face. The haze around him expanded. ''You do not deserve the light and I ran out of patience for mercy. I will show you the way to eternal darkness and then my demon will kill your friends one by one leaving your Saiyan lover for the end. But I will kill him with your own blade Kira.''

She growled at the threat. It made her remember her nightmare. Her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. His Ki had risen high, darkening to an almost opaque black. It was shaping itself.

''WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?'' Yelled Goten. The fusion had ran its time period. Squirt was too stunned to say anything. His heart ached seeing his future counterpart in such pain, not being able to get to Akira.

Suddenly the shape snapped forward towards Akira, oddly resembling a snake. She felt a sharp pain in her right thigh. It had aimed at her upper body but she had moved at the last second. Blood started spilling from the wound.

''Beerus! What is happening? What IS that?'' Goku was not able to wrap his head around what was happening.

''Oh Dear. My Lord, we did not foresee this possibility.''

''WHAT POSSIBILITY WHIS!'' Yelled Vegeta.

Beerus was silent. His eyes were fixated on Akira.

''As you might know, my Lady has the.. capacity of.. causing explosions when she is pushed to the limit of her strength, either physical or mental.''

''GET TO THE POINT WHIS!'' Piccolo was running impatient.

''Well.. as you referred to it, her fire. Her spark. It is actually more than that. It is part of her, yes. But it's also its own entity of sorts. When the tree burnt, Grand Minister undid the damages done to the branch the Kaiju fruit that would become My Lady was on. He also made it so the fruit would be protected from further harm. My Father had known both her mother and father and was quite partial to them. This coat of protection was somehow rooted into the fruit. Into her.''

''So she has something.. an entity inside of her that will protect her?'' Gohan wanted to believe the words he was saying but he knew the chances were slim. Looking at Beerus, he could tell whatever Whis was about to tell them would not be good news.

''In short, yes. But I'm afraid it is more complicated than that, Gohan.'' The hybrid's face fell. He was trying to hold Trunks from going back towards the dome. His friend was completely hysterical, and his beast side was taking control over him by the minute. ''Akira's fire will protect her. But against a threat of this proportion, she might not be able to pull it back in and confine it the way she has done until now. In past events, she had not fully gave into the blazing power, so taming it back into herself had been possible with minor collateral damage.''

''The explosions she would cause….'' Beerus finally spoke. ''This time she might need to fully let go of the restraints making it impossible for her to contain it and it will burn everything, including herself.''

''BUT YOU CAN STOP IT! BEERUS YOU CAN STOP THE ENTITY!'' Trunks was completely losing his mind.

''I… cannot. It…is her destiny.''

''SHE CONSIDERED YOU HER FATHER. SHE TRUSTED YOU! HOW CAN YOU JUST STAND THERE AND BETRAY HER?''

Everyone flinched at Trunks' accusation towards the God of Destruction. Gohan was barely able to hold onto his friend's body. ''LET ME GO GOHAN!'' the younger hybrid's heart pinched at not being able to help his best friend. He couldn't let him go, for his own good but also because now he knew that's what Akira had meant when she made him promise. This and all the aftermath that would follow.

''Do you have a death wish, Boy?'' Beerus said without turning his head. His eyes were still on Akira.

The girl was trying to hold on to the dark shape with her Ki. The Ki balls she shot at it would simply hit their target and be swallowed. She was running out of options. She knew it would come to this. It was her destiny. Death was her destiny. This situation had only three possible outcomes. The first being Dolion winning this fight and killing everyone. The second would entail her winning the fight but not being able to hold her rage back from destroying everything, killing everyone. The last one required her to unleash her blazing rage, defeating Dolion and succeeding at pulling the power back into her. She was well aware it would smolder her entire being, but it was the only option she was willing to choose.

When the snake shape snapped again, grabbing at the arm she had been using to hold onto it with her Ki, she fell to the ground.

''Give up you pathetic worthless child. You are no match for me anymore! Look at me Kira! I have ascended to much higher power than you. Just look at my inner power. My inner beast! It will consume you.''

Getting up, she spat some blood. She had hit the ground hard. Her opportunity window was slowly closing. She was quickly running out of time and strength. She closed her eyes, though it left her vulnerable to Ki attacks. It did not matter anymore. She inhaled deep into her lungs and opened the gates of her soul. Her hair started changing color, to its fiery red, she let it wash over her. She did not try to stop it like all the times before. Her hair fell loose, too wild to be confined to its braid. It started to float around her as the onyx shade was swallowed completely by the red.

''No.'' Trunks' heart sank, the word coming out as a whisper. He stopped trying to pull away from Gohan as if his mind suddenly detached from his body. Gohan let go of him and he fell to his knees.

Akira started floating again, slowly rising back to her initial position. Her hair swirling around her like flames around their source. She opened her eyes, revealing their emerald green hue.

''My, my, little one, you never cease to surprise me!'' Dolion tried hiding his concern at her transformation. He received no answer. ''Don't fool yourself, you don't stand a chance. Look around you one last time, before everything falls to darkness.''

She let her anger take control of her body. Letting go. Instead of pushing the fire down, she let it burn through her, feeding on all the pain she had felt in her life. Willing it to rise, to upsurge. She let the threats against her friends, her family, her love, add fuel to her rage. The dark aura snapped at her again but this time it was parried by her own flames. She felt oddly calm. She gave into the fire instead of fighting it. She felt it under her skin, running through her veins. As her fiery aura grew, it twisted and turned around her.

Beerus' eyes grew wide. He knew this was the start of the end. She had let go, let the fire consume her, let it take over.

''Kakarot! Get Trunks away from here.'' Ordered Vegeta, wanting to spare his son from seeing his mate die.

''DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!'' Trunks was still kneeling, his breathing labored. His Ki started shining yellow around him with blue electric bolts. He, too, was giving into his rage. His blue eyes fading into shiny white outlines, his lavender hair turning into the yellow hue of his Super Saiyan level, spiking in all directions.

Akira felt Trunks Ki surge, but her conscience was already too deep within, under the coat of her inner beast.

''Hmm guys… what is happening?'' Krillin stuttered pointing at the dome.

Akira's aura burned brighter and shot out suddenly, settling in the form of a large bird behind her.

''Her fire. It's a phoenix.'' Beerus whispered, his heart breaking even more. ''It burns everything to the ground.''

Dolion was taken aback by the scene that unfolded in front of him. Before he could react, the fiery bird launched itself at his own aura. Snake vs phoenix. Darkness vs light. The two entities almost dancing in their battle. The snake tried to wrap itself around the bird, using the size of his long body and his fangs to attack. Akira's beast countered with beak and claws, its wings flapping strong towards its opponent; every front stroke sending bursts of Ki towards the dark reptile. Dolion and Akira were both slaves to their monsters, neither moving or blinking. They barely seemed to be breathing. The snake shape managed to roll itself around one of the bird's legs, sinking its fangs into its shoulder rendering one of its wings useless making them both drop slowly towards the ground. Akira seemed to flinch under the attack as if she had been bitten herself. Out of desperation she surrendered herself completely to the blazing force. Her body relaxed, her fists opening allowing the force she was still holding to unleash. Out of survival reflex, the fiery bird clawed at the serpent with its free leg, pinning it to the ground forcing it to release its hold on its trapped limb. The bird of fire's grasp on the obscure snake tightened as it brought down its newly freed claw close to the ophidian's head. It shot up in the air again, despite its damaged wing, holding the serpent in its claws. The majestic bird continued its ascension, holding the writhing snake, until it reached the source that had unleashed it. It suddenly lowered its head, digging its beak into the darker force, jabbing repeatedly at its neck, severing the head, swallowing it within its own fire. After consuming the rest of the snake shaped Ki, the phoenix blaze launched itself at Dolion engulfing him in flames until only ashes remained.

''She did it…'' Goku said weakly.

''Now the real confrontation begins.'' Replied Vegeta.

Trunks had not seen the fight, too consumed by his own battle. Not having another choice, they had let Whis face off the enraged demi-saiyan, keeping him busy and his focus away from the dome. They knew they wouldn't be able to hold him down, fighting him would be dangerous for both sides. Whis' power allowed him to instinctively evade the younger man's attacks. He stopped his offensive suddenly at the sound coming from the half sphere shield. Akira was still in the air, holding two balls of her own Ki. The pink hue of them proving it was her own. All of her fire had spilled out. She had set it free completely to be able to defeat Dolion. Her hair and eyes were back to their onyx shade. Her locks cascading behind her. The immortal bird now faced Akira, its wings beating just as strong making her hair swivel. Releasing the force meant relinquishing all her control over it. This was her destiny. The force's fire was too strong to stay unbound, uncontrolled. Its need for freedom was stronger than all. It would come for her in hopes of getting out. If she died, the forcefield of the dome would collapse with her. The deity hybrid's hands were low on each side of her body, her palms facing out, with the balls of Ki. Lifting them slowly she pushed even more energy into each pink sphere before throwing them at her opponent like a roped projectile. One line caught the bird's claw and the other circled its neck. By batting its wings harder, the wind was pushing against Akira trying to make her release her hold. The bird was pulling backwards as the wind from its front strokes crashed into the girl. She was slowly losing grip. She heard Trunks' scream from a distance and felt her family's angst, their fear. The despair in Trunks' energy and the pain in his voice rushed through Akira and gripped at her own heart. She couldn't let them die. She wouldn't. If she didn't succeed, Beerus would have to destroy the planet, her family and friends with it. Grand Zeno would never allow any other alternative. She thought of Pan, Videl and the little bean growing inside of her. She thought of Bulma, ChiChi, 18. The faces of Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Krillin and even Piccolo and Yamcha crossed her thoughts. She would not be the one to force Beerus into destroying another planet close to his heart. Trunks. Trunks' voice echoed through her.

''I don't care about any of that! I just want YOU! As long as we're together, nothing else matters. If there's no future here for us then I'll follow you anywhere. I'll do whatever it takes.''

''I love you Trunks.'' She said to herself, but the wind had transported the words back to where he was standing, hitting him like a punch in the gut.

Screaming, she tugged harder at the bonds in her hands, willing them towards her. The bird kept pushing back and had started jabbing with its beak at the energy ropes.

''You are a part of me but I won't let you control me! I LET YOU OUT! I WILL TAME YOU BACK IN EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!'' The bird shaped fire lifted its head and released a screeching cry. Akira pulled on the chains she was holding, still floating in the air. She felt stronger than ever because for the first time she loved and was loved, she had a home, she had a family and she would not allow anything to harm any of them. Her hate and pain had been the root for her fiery strength, but now her own power was flourishing from the love she gave and received in return. She snapped her arms back, shortening the line between her beast and her. ''I WILL NOT LET YOU HARM THEM! YOU PROTECT ME! THEY ARE A PART OF ME!'' She yanked one last time at her Ki bonds, closing the gap between them. Her back arched as the force of the collision rammed into her body. All the power was absorbed back within her, but it was just temporary. She knew, she felt it, the shockwave would hit like it always had. She hoped her energy dome would contain the explosion as she felt it boiling up to the surface. Closing her eyes, she smiled. She had done it. They were safe. He was safe. That's the only thing that mattered now. She felt calm, in peace right before the energy blast left her body, hitting the walls of the dome, the flames consuming everything around her, making the earth shake across the globe. She exhaled, opening her eyes she took a final peaceful breath in, letting the comfort of their safety wash over her. As she slowly released the air from her lungs, the boundaries of the shield around her started to quickly lift towards the peak above. When it completely vanished at the center point, the pink colored energy came down like snow covering the charred ground below.

''Trunks! Wait!'' Gohan shouted knowing it would be useless. His friend had launched himself towards Akira the moment the shield had vanished.

He caught her body as it dropped to the ground. ''Ki. Please. Talk to me. Open your eyes baby please. I need you.''

The others joined him around her lifeless body. He held her against him, gently stroking the ebony hair away from her face. She looked so peaceful. He bent down and gently kissed her. His tears wet her cheeks. Passing his thumb across, as he had done before to wipe her own tears, he laid his forehead against hers. ''Ki. You said you didn't break easy. You promised. Wake up. You have to wake up. I can't live without you.'' He shook her gently, begging her to rise before hugging her cold body tight against his own. His face nuzzled in her neck, he cried.

His pleas tugged at everyone's heart. Their own sadness, overshadowed by the Demi-Saiyan's misery for losing his mate. His wife-to-be. His true love. His reason to live. His everything.

When the last sparkles of pink Ki hit the ground, the charred land started sprouting back to life. Her energy feeding it, bringing it back to life, even more beautiful than it had been before.

After a moment, he felt a hand on his shoulder. ''Trunks. She belongs to the Gods. Shin and I will make sure she is honored in the supreme way.'' Beerus' voice came out soft. His heart was shattered too. A part of him died with her. He let the boy hold on a little longer. Trunks picked her up and stood facing the God. Taking one last look at her, he gently shifted her body into Beerus' extended arms.

''My Lord, I can carry her if you'd prefer.''

''She is part of me as if I had fathered her myself. I will carry her body until she rests in peace. And then I will carry her memory with me forever.'' With that Beerus and his attendant vanished, taking her away.

''Vegeta! Are you ok? Is everything ok? Is it over?'' Bulma ran to her husband as soon as he landed back at CC. Even Goku had opted to fly instead of using his instant transmission. Seeing the look on her husband's face, Bulma started panicking. ''What happened? VEGETA! TALK TO ME!'' She scanned the faces as they landed one after the other. Both her sons were there relatively unharmed. Piccolo, Krillin, Goku and his sons seemed alright. Her eyes shifted, looking for Akira. ''Where is she? Where is Akira, Vegeta?'' Her brain knew the answer, but her heart refused to believe it. She looked at the older version of her son. His face was blank. He had cried. She couldn't read his expression though it seemed familiar. Suddenly, it hit her. This was the expression he held when he first came back to this timeline. When he had lost everything. Her eyes widened and tears started pouring down her cheeks. Vegeta held her tight in his arms as she cried in his shoulder.

Trunks felt like half his soul was gone. Half his heart. His grief had started flooding over him, putting him in a sort of trance. He could see the people around him but his vision was blurry, their voices coming out muffled. He needed to be alone. He couldn't stay here. He couldn't go home. To their home. She'd never be there again. Without uttering a single word, he flew to her room's balcony. It felt so familiar, as if she would come sweeping in the way she had done so many times before. He was barely blinking. She would never lay there again. He slowly walked out of the room and made his way to his own old room. His armor felt heavy and tight as if it was slowly suffocating him. He couldn't breathe properly. He stripped out of the battle gear and stepped in the shower, turning the cold water on. He needed to numb his body. To numb his heart and soul. The memories they had shared were slowly playing in his head. He could hear her voice, her giggle, her laughter in his ears. Leaning his forehead against the tiled wall, he let his tears come out. Crying wouldn't make him feel better. It wouldn't take away his pain. He just couldn't hold them back anymore. His strength had vanished with her.