I've gotten to the point where I'll be pumping the breaks on subsequent chapters; I'm considering shuffling things around, cutting things out, and adding stuff to.

AnonymousDBZFan - I love that you loved that sentence. :D I just couldn't help but put that in because...well, right?! The irony, lol. XD

But oh my gosh are you kidding? Obnoxious?! OMG never! Your reviews are the absolute best - any fic author adores comments like yours. You get invested in the story - you're thoughtful, you actively try to figure out where it's going, and you relate what you liked best. To hear that I've been able to engage you is just the best feedback ever. 3

Oh the folklore gave me all sorts of inspiration. :D I'm glad to hear I've been able to weave it in well! I'm tickled that I've been able to keep you guessing about the daughters and Marenna, and I'm so heartened that you're hoping Touketsu Vegeta finds some redemption. Much I want to say, but I won't, lol. All will be revealed. ;D Thank you for reading and for investing your time to leave reviews! I love them!

Kalyna Bridge

Vegeta opened his eyes. The sun had risen, and he rolled over in the king sized bed he shared with his wife. Bulma had long since left for work. He squinted at the clock; he had slept in. It irked him on a personal level. When the hell did he start slacking off like this?

"The Prince of All Saiyans doesn't sleep his day away," he grumbled to himself as he threw off the blankets and swung his feet over the bed. He stood, cracking his back. "Huh, yet here I am." He quickly got dressed in his blue training gear for his morning workout routine in the gravity simulator.

He descended downstairs and bumped into Bulma on his way through the kitchen. Her back was to him, and she had let her hair grow out. His brows drew together in bafflement. How had she grown it out so fast? It seemed like only yesterday she was sporting the stylish, no-fuss bob she'd had for the last few years. "Why aren't you at work, woman? I thought you left hours ago."

Bulma turned around, and he took a wandering step back. Did she make a wish with the Dragon Balls or something? He had never seen her look so young. She looked like a teenager…almost a different person altogether. "Bulma?"

She blinked her blue eyes in bewilderment, and her brows knit together in concern. "What? Daddy, are you ok? It's me!"

Touketsu sat bolt upright, his chest heaving. He frantically took in his surroundings. Where the hell was he?! It quickly came back to him. He was in Queen Marenna's palace. He let himself fall back into the bed and he covered his face as he tried to get his breathing back under control.

"Those fucking wenches," he grumbled into his hands before angrily bringing his fists down into the mattress. He stared up at the silken canopy over him, taking in a deep breath before releasing a shuddering sigh. That shitty, teenage whore had the audacity to take Bulma's form, teasing him, and now he was having twisted dreams.

The loss that he had been diverting his attention from came crashing down on him. He began to think of everything he had relinquished and everything he was missing: His mate by his side, his Super Saiyan son growing into a man…more children? He had never desired such things by the time he died, yet here he was now pining for them…symptoms of that forgotten life.

He lay there motionless, but his breathing was steadily speeding up again. After a minute he threw the blankets off with a snarl and he crossed the room. He drove the thoughts down as he opened the door, glancing about the dark, empty hallways before stalking down the corridor. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew he had to move. Like a shark, he had to move and keep moving, or drown.

"Is there a suitable place to train around here?" he murmured to himself. Perhaps he could just train in the arena. There were several entryways to the palace, one of which lead there. Deciding to seek it out, He walked down the corridor and turned a corner to find a broad set of stairs. They descended down, leading from one landing to another. Deciding to abort his search for the arena in favor of exploration, He levitated down to the very bottom.

A series of arches opened outside to a sprawling, square courtyard surrounded by the exterior palace walls. He stepped out. A light snow was falling, the clouds barely glowing with reflected light and obscuring the night sky. Growing along the periphery was a garden of cherry blossom trees hung with paper lanterns of rose and lavender, the aqua flames glowing within giving them the colors of the sea at twilight. Beyond the garden, a channel of water surrounded the entire mosaic tiled courtyard at the center.

Touketsu began crossing one of the several wood bridges that arced over the channel, stopping to look at the varieties of black and white koi swimming beneath him. Occasionally they breached the water with a flip of their tails, their shimmery scales flashing under the lantern light. Looking up, he reached out and plucked off a small sprig of cherry blossoms from one of the overhanging tree branches, snow falling from it as he did.

Holding the cluster of small, pink flowers between a clawed forefinger and thumb, he brought them up to his eyes to scrutinize them. So strange how very much like the physical world this place was. Indeed, simply another dimension. Crushing the delicate petals in his hand, he tossed them aside as he strode out to the center of the courtyard to begin his kata.

Going through the motions of his old routine, he began to calm. This was familiar to him. Countless times he engaged in his old practice while in Zhernbog's realm. He would have to do it countless times more when he departed at dawn. He felt his heart sink at the thought of his return to isolation. He had been procrastinating, trying to figure Marenna out. What did it matter what her motives were? Nothing mattered, not when he was ultimately leaving again. He scowled. Focus. This. This kept him grounded: Routine, discipline. Yet, in his vast cage, all of that would disappear when he would give into…what exactly?

Not despair, he thought, the rigid movements in his kata not faltering in the slightest. The only time he remembered daring to despair in his entire life was when he faced Frieza and realized he was no Super Saiyan. He allowed himself to be defeated in mind before he was destroyed in body. It was far-fetched, but maybe, maybe, his physical death could have been avoided if his spirit hadn't died first. Not since he was a boy had he ever shed tears like that. It wasn't because he was afraid of death or even Hell. He wept because it was Frieza that was sending him there. He wept because of his failure. He'd never allow it to happen again.

But didn't I already? he thought, his face grim. He recalled that flashback on the hoverjet, the soul shattering despair he'd felt before Zhernobog drove Tosho through his heart. Was that the turning point? Was that when the dark god succeeded in shaping him? Then I did it again. When I realized I was that creature for ages I gave up…and Zhernobog nearly won.

"Excellent form."

His movements hitched ever so slightly in surprise but did not slow. "Marenna," he rumbled dryly in greeting. He shook his head once. That woman was like a ghost; no scent, not even a ki that he could pick up on. Just like her daughters.

"Queen Marenna, dear Touketsu.

"Whatever, woman," he grumbled, his back to her.

"You're up early. Are the accommodations not comfortable?"

"They're adequate," he replied gruffly. "I simply wish to train."

"Would you like a sparring partner?"

"No." He dropped his hands to his sides, turning to face the queen who was now wearing a simple white kimono, staff in hand and her headdress absent. "However, since you insist on interrupting my training, I want you to tell me what you know of me before I take my leave. You're not presently occupied with your royal duties, and you've dodged my questions long enough."

"After you, dear prince," she said with an affable bow of her head, the midnight blue highlights of her black hair shining in the lamplight. "I believe I offered you my hospitality in exchange for your candor."

He snorted. "I didn't agree to that."

"But you accepted what I offered, did you not? I gave you food, drink, and a place to sleep for the night. You were even given access to the bathhouse to clean and heal your wounds. You are going to take without giving something back in exchange?"

He smirked. "Yes."

"I had hoped you'd begin to remember what it is to be honorable. You are capable."

"Sorry to disappoint," he replied, his smirk broadening before it was wiped away with a scowl. "Now. Tell me what you know."

There was a pregnant pause. "I know who you are."

He would not betray any information by prompting her. Swallowing, he steadied his voice. "Who am I, then?"

"You told me and the entire kingdom that you are Touketsu."

"DAMN IT, what do you know of me!?" he finally blew up. "I am sick and tired of your games!"

"Fight me."

"What? Huh, I don't think you know what you're asking for."

"Fight me."

Touketsu squared his shoulders. "Have it your way, woman," he growled. "You think you can defeat me in hand to hand combat, or do you need to rely on weapons?" he sneered, glancing at her staff. She may have had no ki to speak of, but she had that magic staff of hers. It was the one thing he was concerned about, but if he could shame her into ditching it he could save face.

"I won't transform you." Touketsu maintained his poker face, but the muscles in his jaw flexed in consternation that she had seen through his ploy. "I wish to fight you as you are, so you need not worry about that."

"Huh. Worried? As if."

"Unlike some, Touketsu, I keep my word. I will not transform you. However if it makes you feel more comfortable I will fight you without it. I don't need it to best you in this spar."

"Oh really? Keep your toothpick, then. You'll need it."

"Whoever hits the ground first, loses."

"Fine by me. Where shall we go for our little match?"

"Come." She levitated upward and he followed until they hovered high above the palace courtyard. She brought her staff down and a broad sheet of ice formed into an arena floor beneath their feet.

Touketsu got down into his battle stance. "Hn. Ready when you are, woman." Marenna stood tall, standing sideways as she faced him, her left foot planted behind her and the staff held in her right hand in front of her. Touketsu sized up his opponent. He didn't need to go all out for the likes of her, lending Zhernobog strength for this farce of a spar. Still, she seemed awfully confident, and that made him suspicious. He'd test the waters first.

He launched at her and phased in from behind to deliver a punch. Marenna swiftly swung around to face him, knocking his incoming fist away with a swing of her staff. He caught it with his other hand and yanked her forward to deliver a knee to her stomach when she swung him over her head, releasing a blast of energy through the staff.

It was like being electrocuted with ice. His heart seized, and for an instant the neurons in his brain misfired. Reacting blindly, he twisted his body around to land on his feet, breathing rapidly.

"Are you ready to take this seriously?"

With a roar and a fleeting pulse of darkness, his dripping ki burst forth. "If that's what you want, woman!" he yelled, his ego instantly sweeping his reservations aside as he rushed to re-engage. They both took to the sky, trading blows and matching each other with every punch and kick.

"Not going to use your energy attacks?" She asked calmly in between strikes.

"I don't need to waste energy on the likes of you."

"And which energy would that be?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I can feel this dark energy of yours. It is very unique. Is it this power you channel into your attacks, or the Life Force?"

"I use mine. My ki alone is all I need and all I'll ever need.

"Do you know where your power originates? This dark energy is isolated and oppressively heavy. Surely you don't believe you're flying right now using such energy, do you?"

What? According to this witch, different energy was required for different ends…and it made perfect sense. It would explain why he could channel his dark ki in Zhernobog's realm but was unable to manipulate it for flight.

"Hm. Perhaps I need the Life Force for levitation, yes." He caught her staff as she swung it around and he threw out his palm, the dark ki gathering. "Attacks, no." He fired.

She dissipated into a flurry of snow, virtually disappearing as the attack traveled along its trajectory before imploding far into the distance. His back was suddenly against her, her staff held horizontally against his throat as she cut off his airway. He was surprised by her strength, and he realized he was losing energy. It was a familiar feeling; his body felt cold and numb, barely responding as he struggled in her hold. Not even the icy void of space had any affect on him since taking this form, but this was a cold he hadn't experienced since Zhernobog.

She spoke next to his ear. "Do you really think you're skilled enough to exercise conscious control between these opposing energies?"

Of course he could! He switched between the two energies when he was fighting Frieza…didn't he? He coughed out an unintelligible answer, unable to speak as she continued applying pressure to his throat.

"Or are those two energies contesting each other without your awareness? Muddying each other? Canceling each other out?"

His body darkened to gray and his ki burst forth, the shadow racing up his arm to form Svaroken. He swung the ki blade back through her as she again dissipated into a flurry of snow, releasing her hold of him. Coughing and wheezing he readied his sword as he glared at the whirling snow that quickly grew into a raging blizzard.

"Dark and light compliment each other. Separate and individual, they are nonetheless two sides of the same coin," Marenna's disembodied voice spoke over the storm. "They are as black and white, contrasting against each other and providing balance. When the two are blurred together so much that they lose their identity, you get gray: a gray as ashen as a corpse, and just as immobile."

"Is this a spar or an art class?!" He barked, his hair whipping around him as the winds picked up. He crossed his forearms in front of him, the sword retracting back up his arm to cast his body in a charcoal gray shadow. "You like contrast, do you? Here you go." The light strumming within became a cold blue, and his body darkened to jet black. Zeygorn had helped knock the dust off; he once again had a firm hold on this technique. He was going to use her energy for his own, and if she was stupid enough to take on this insubstantial form and get consumed in the process then so be it.

He went further, the shade of his body deepening to a flat black as the snows whirled about him before being drawn in. The light strumming through his body became a pale violet blue as he absorbed her power, the light increasing, when the energy suddenly exploded from him of its own volition. He cried out in surprise and pain when the energy blasted from him in a concussive wave of white energy as his body instantly became white again. He dropped to his feet onto the arena of ice, stumbling back to clutch his chest before quickly recovering.

"I suggest you not try that again," spoke the snow storm. "My energy is not confined to a form."

With an indignant snarl, Touketsu shot up into the air and again crossed his arms over his face, apparently attempting the same move. This time however, his body darkened only to gray, his dark ki unchanging. The snows whirling about him were again drawn towards him. Rather than drawing the energy into himself, he trapped it within his own ki that whirled about him like the accretion disk of a black hole.

We'll see how she fares against the move that I used against those Kagemazoku bastards, he smirked before flinging his arms outward. "Kurokibatsu!"

The darkness and the fires of his ki blasted outward in a spiral, melting the snow-like energy that was his opponent. All was quiet, and he dropped down to the ice arena below. He crossed his arms, a smug smile on his face. "Guess I put too much into that one." He shrugged. "Oh well. So much for god-"

The ice he was standing on quickly crept over his feet, cementing him in place before it raced all the way up his chin to trap him in a crystalline prison. He gasped, barely able to breathe much less move. The ice flared once with white light, trapping his energy deep within. High above him the snow clouds rotated, their soft, pale shade darkening into an angry black. Lightning pulsed and burst within the fast spinning clouds until the storm became a veritable hurricane within seconds. Still trying in vain to free himself, Touketsu squinted against the high winds stinging his eyes.

"THERE ARE MANY GODS, TOUKETSU. MANY STRONGER THAN YOU."

White lightning flashed within the eye of the hurricane until its very center grew with a blinding light. It looked like a plasma cannon gathering energy before firing. Touketsu's eyes widened. A massive column of energy zigzagged out towards him before taking the form of an Eastern lung, the dragon's form barely visible within the blinding white light that comprised its very body. He saw a flash of its electric blue eyes before massive jaws snapped around him in an electrifying explosion of power and light.

The ice beneath his feet shattered into sparkling fragments, and he fell straight down. His eyes bulged when his back hit the courtyard hard, and he took in a great lungful of air. His heart had actually stopped before he hit the ground. His eyes screwed shut and he groaned, his chest heaving as he coughed and panted. He was barely lifting his head off the ground when he felt a sharp, spear-like tip at his throat. He scowled and dropped his head with a grunt, glaring up at the victor.

"I win," Marenna quipped with a cheeky smile. "I did advise you not to try that again. You must learn to listen more." She withdrew the pointed tip of her staff and offered him her hand.

Touketsu pushed himself up into a sitting position and angrily slapped her hand away. He stood and glared at her. "You should learn that I don't give, I take," he seethed, still panting. "And the last thing I give is my word. I will tell you nothing." He turned and began stalking off.

"I didn't say that the loser would speak first," she said calmly behind him. "I only requested that you fight me."

He stopped, hesitating, before looking over his shoulder at her.

"I sense Zhernobog's energy within yours."

His heart may as well have stopped again. He turned to face her. "You can," he confirmed, taking a step towards her. "You know of him?"

Her staff contracted with a crystalline sound to disappear into her hand, and she nodded. "Yes. I know him well. You now harbor his being within you like a host to a parasite, in spite of the fact that he was sealed away long ago for violating our divine laws."

Touketsu's heart was slamming in his chest. Answers. Somehow, Zhernobog and the Kagemazoku had captured him when he was Vegeta, before breaking out of their prison through the power of the Demon Oozaru. Why him? How did they manage it? Were these almighty gods' binds really that weak?

"Who exiled him?" He demanded, his voice hard. "Do you know what gods were involved?"

"Yes," she nodded. "It was my power that sealed him away."

His mouth dropped open, his brows drawing together. "Yours?" the barely spoken word gusting from his lips. His gaping expression twisted into a snarl as he took another step towards her. "…Yours? Care to tell me how he could have escaped, then!?"

"I thought perhaps you could shed some light on that," She answered enigmatically. His brows drew together. "Come with me. I wish to show you something."

—-

They walked together into the throne room where Touketsu first encountered her. She stopped before one of the crystal walls lined with the sconces of blue-green fire and put her palm to the wall. The fires began to burn brighter as Touketsu huffed impatiently. "What the hell is it you wanted to show me…then…"

He trailed off when the crystal wall grew dark, and warped images began emerging like stirred up remains rising from the bottom of a murky lake. Marenna stepped back as he stepped up to the wall. It was as though he was looking down from a vantage point in the air. Far below was the distorted, rippling image of a pale figure walking across a dark expanse. The image shifted so that he was now standing on the ground some distance across from the traveling figure. The blurry image warped and changed as though the being was walking past a series of fun-house mirrors, but he could make out its shape and the mane of black hair that draped across its shoulders and down its back.

A shiver rippled up his spine. He was unprepared when the image changed a third time. He was now looking over his own shoulder…Vegeta's shoulder. A dark figure loomed in front, and Touketsu's heart seized when the loathsome voice reverberated through the crystalline walls:

"He's here, dwelling deep inside with the beast you were born with."

Zhernobog. He remembered that moment well. When he had been Vegeta, he had been chained to that wall for a long time. There was a flicker of dark light behind the god before Touketsu saw himself spring out of the shadows, straight at his old master. The image faded.

There was an unsettling image of Vegeta, turned around to face them as he pulled at his bonds in a panic as a battle raged behind him.

Another image materialized. As though standing right behind Vegeta, He watched himself as Touketsu tease him, twisting the knife before he would destroy all that he had once been. One after the other the images jumped as he berated the Saiyan Prince.

"I wish to kill you. I loathe you and your weakness."

"Hm. You care for them. Don't you, Prince Vegeta? Come on, Vegeta, you can be honest with yourself, can't you?"

"You wished to be ME! You believed your family weakened you. You were a goddamn Super Saiyan and you believed yourself stronger before you met the woman and stayed on Earth. You actually believed you were stronger slaving away under that BASTARD'S REIGN! HERE'S the result of your beliefs! SATISFIED?!"

"The Kagemazoku, Zhernobog - you invited them in with your weak mind!"

"YOU DID THIS TO US!"

The image changed again. He saw his demonic self create the portal to Bulma's bedroom before stepping aside and pointing to it. "Do as our father did and return to your family. They miss you." He watched Vegeta walk through the portal, and it closed behind him. Touketsu saw himself standing alone, his back to them, before sitting cross legged on the cave floor.

"Through the ice of that realm, I watched you for quite some time," Marenna spoke quietly, her eyes beginning to glisten. A tear spilled over to roll down a pale cheek before quickly freezing. He barely registered Marenna speaking behind him, the images in the wall commanding his full attention. Spellbound, Touketsu stared as dripping icicles quickly formed around the apparently sleeping creature as in a time lapse. "It was all I could do. Watch and regret what Zhernobog had done to you." The tiny icicle fell from her cheek to hit the hematite floor, its light, tinkling sound like shattering crystal echoing through the throne room.

Touketsu blinked as though coming out of a trance, and the images disappeared from the glassy wall. He stared blankly at his own vague reflection in the mirrored surface before finding his voice. "You've seen all this?"

"Yes," she answered softly. "I witnessed the entire conversation you had with yourself, Touketsu. Or would you prefer 'Prince Vegeta'?"

He didn't answer right away. "My preferences mean little. I stepped back from that life." His brows drew downward as he recalled their conversation at the arena. He turned back to her. "You called me a fugitive."

"The gods now consider you to be as dangerous as Zhernobog himself. An emergency meeting was called after your disappearance following your assault on the Supreme Kai, and they've been on the lookout for you ever since." Touketsu's countenance darkened.

"You gods can go fuck yourselves," he snarled, his upper lip curling up over a sharp canine. "Zhernobog was your problem to contain, and you made him mine. It was one of you, one of your own that-" he stopped, aware his voice was rising. He took a breath and started over. "He robbed me of my life, Marenna," he said, his voice trembling with barely suppressed rage. "I had a…new life. Apparently it was a good life. I'LL never know though, because he FUCKING SCRUBBED THOSE PARTS FROM MY MEMORY!" He screamed, quickly losing himself again as the shadow crept over him. "He took me from my home and my family, and he made me his SLAVE!" Just like Frieza did, he thought bitterly. He instantly regretted letting his emotions slip when he saw the queen's brows begin to furrow. With a livid hiss he turned his back on her, grappling with his rage as his body subtly shifted between shades of light and dark.

"I am sorry, Touketsu-"

"I don't want your pity," he spat. "Own your fucking mistakes." He turned, jabbing an accusing finger in her direction. "Weren't you the one that sealed him away? He got out, you fucked up, yet you have the audacity to call me a fugitive?!"

"You are," she frowned, her tone hardening. "Aside from violating the ancient law against engaging in time travel - a crime Zhernobog himself is guilty of - you attempted to take the life of the Supreme Kai before setting out on a mission to destroy Creation itself - just as your master did. You are not absolved of all responsibility, Touketsu. I should turn you over right now."

"By all means, try!" he shouted, throwing his arm back to summon Svaroken in a pulse of shadow and dark energy. She won their little spar, but he'd be damned if he let her win this fight.

"I said I should turn you over. However, I won't." He faltered. "Ever since you returned to Zhernobog's limbo I've known of your whereabouts, but I chose not to divulge this to my peers."

He straightened, his brows drawing together. "Why?"

"I understand the profound responsibility you carry. You isolated yourself in an effort to make things right and keep him imprisoned. It pained me to see a mortal struggle with this burden alone."

Touketsu abruptly dropped his sword in a curl of smoky energy and flame and looked away, his face growing warm. If she had been watching him all this time, then she had witnessed him at his most vulnerable. She saw him have his meltdowns, talking to himself…talking to his own damn reflection as though Bulma were on the other side.

"You are his keeper now," she continued. "According to the Supreme Kai, he only became aware of your name and your connection with Zhernobog after he was notified by King Yemma. No one here knows the name "Touketsu". Only high-ranking gods now know of you, and not until absolutely necessary do we share knowledge of potential threats with mortals or mortal souls, for doing so can create widespread panic."

She studied his profile, and her voice softened. "I know this is something you never asked for, so I wish to at least share in your responsibility and give you a comfortable life here in Nav. I won't let my peers know you are here, but you must exercise caution. The Shin have been on high alert for your reappearance, and they have trained themselves to recognize the energy reading given off by your dimensional traversing. If word of your location travels to Grand Zeno, he may choose to obliterate your soul entirely." His head snapped over to her. "So long as you refrain from crossing dimensions however, you will remain undetected." He said nothing, frowning as he absorbed this new information. "Touketsu," she began softly. "He needed you to enable his escape. Do you know how he could have gotten to you? The North Kai had a hypothesis, but Zhernobog was bound - it should not have been possible." He dropped his eyes.

"You invited them in with your weak mind!"

There were feelings he associated with that shadow he encountered before his abduction: He felt cornered, enraged, and out of control. He felt bitter and weak. There was something about… wishing he didn't have a family. In a passionate rage, Touketsu had accused the prince of unwittingly aiding the Kagemazoku. On a subconscious level, he had strongly felt his own mind had been instrumental to his capture. Exactly how though, he couldn't say.

"I don't know," he finally mumbled, "not for certain. But…I suspect that my mental state…perhaps played a part in that," he admitted reluctantly.

"So it would seem, judging by the things you said to yourself."

Not for the first time he wished he had kept Vegeta around longer for interrogation. Maybe he knew. "You watched me," he said, finally looking back up to her. "How much have you seen? Did you see when I was first brought there?"

"I'm sorry, no." His shoulders slumped a little in disappointment. "Through the walls, I was able to see into Zhernobog's prison only when you arrived. You, as you are now. I'm not sure how it was possible, but I believe it has something to do with the energy you exude. Your energy is capable of disrupting time and space."

"It is, but only with focused intent can I do that."

"To open doorways, yes, but perhaps that's not the case where windows are concerned."

"What are you talking about?" he asked with a raise of an eyebrow. Why did gods always have to speak in riddles?

"It seems that simply by being there, you drew a curtain away from a window, allowing me to see into a world that should have been cut off from all else."

"Even The Life Force," he confirmed.

"That's right. The source of all energy and light that permeates throughout the dimensions."

Light. Touketsu blinked. The dark ice of Zhernobog's limbo pulsed with it. Dimly, but it did. Cut off from the Life Force, light shouldn't have existed at all in Zhernobog's world of darkness. He looked up at the sconces that lined the throne room walls, their flames a blue-green like the dim light of the Kagemazoku's world. Those flames had slowly emerged from the tunnel that ultimately lead him here. It occupied every lantern and hearth in the palace.

Like moonlight, the light that existed in Zhernobog's realm was merely a reflection of its true source: Marenna's palace.

He was suddenly seeing glaring similarities: The cold, vampiric nature of Marenna and her daughters. Her ability to freeze and suppress his energy. Why was it specifically here, in the walls of this palace, that his energy opened a window for Marenna to see through?

He eyed her suspiciously. "Why do you wish to shelter me?"

"As I said, I feel responsible for your situation. My magic should have been enough to keep Zhernobog bound."

"Nothing else?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. "How is it you can sense Zhernobog's energy? He'd been waging war on Creation for ages and none of you gods could track him. They couldn't detect his ki signature. Why you?"

She hesitated. "I can only sense his energy when he is in close proximity."

He stared at her for long moments. "That so?" He stepped right up to her until their chests were practically bumping. "You recognize this energy, do you? You're familiar with it," he growled as he looked down at her. His voice dropped. "You have a deeper history with him. Don't you?"

She held his gaze, her regard composed with effort, but he caught the sudden vulnerability in her deep blue eyes. "…He was my consort, yes."

His penetrating eyes flared, the muscles in his jaw flexing as his breathing quickened. He abruptly turned and strode off towards the doors, his gait quickening to just short of a dead run. Marenna stood where she was and watched him leave.

His mind was reeling when he pushed the throne room doors open. "I've got to get out of here," he muttered under his breath as he made his way to the vestibule. He knew he was in denial the entire time, bullshitting himself that he would willingly march back to prison. He'd go mad before long if he returned to Zhernobog's realm, but he couldn't stay here either. He'd best avoid using Kuromon, now that he found out the gods were on a manhunt for him. Marenna could have been exaggerating their power, but on the other hand she herself did best him. His head snapped to his right when he arrived in the vestibule, and he caught sight of the elaborate black and white doors engraved with dragons.

The palace entrance.

He ran to it. "I'm moving beyond this. I'm leaving this family of deceitful vampires behind!" He reached the doors and pushed them open. He immediately brought up an arm to shield his eyes against the blazing light and heat that met him.

Fire. A raging fire of blues and greens was completely consuming an immensely long, wooden bridge. Shaped like the vaulted, cathedral-like halls of the palace, its support posts stretched on indefinitely like the ribcage of some massive beast. Flames licked over the scroll work carved into the towering front posts and blazed across the top of the undulating, carved wood dragon that graced its apex.

He lowered his arm, his brows drawing together. "What the hell is this?" Cautiously, he approached.

Pieces of flaming debris fell into a chasm below where roiling lava of blues and greens churned. He looked to the right, then the left. The burning, glowing river underlit the stone escarpments that stretched out to disappear into a dark void. He looked back to the structure in front of him. Somehow the bridge wasn't being consumed in the flames; it just seemed to perpetually burn. He couldn't see past the blaze. What was on the other side? The shadow cast over his body in response to the searing heat of the flames. Now shielded, he took a step onto the burning bridge.

The fires flared into angry reds and oranges around him to burn through his shield. With a yelp of surprise he leapt back, his body flashing back to white. The fires returned back to their blue-green. He eyed the burning bridge warily before scowling in determination. If he couldn't cross the stupid thing, he'd simply fly over it. He blasted into the limitless sky and over the bridge when he was quickly met with a crushing weight. Immense gravity was pushing him down, the likes of which he'd never experienced, and like a living being the flames of the bridge roared up to meet him.

He had weathered his share of ki explosions in his lifetime, but this fire burned like no other. With a cry of pain and alarm he flew away to circle the bridge where the gravity increased. His eyes widened when he realized he was being pushed down into the river of roiling blue lava below. He flew back to the wall of vertical rock behind him, his trajectory steadily declining. With a gasp he dug his claws into the rock and clambered back up, hoisting himself up onto the solid ground in front of the palace entrance. Shaken and panting from the close call, he looked over at the burning bridge. A snarl curled his lip and the shadow cast over his body.

He got to his feet and marched back to it with purpose. Planting his feet on either side as though he was facing an enemy, the light strummed throughout his markings and the stone in the center of his chest burned with energy. His body burst into its corona of dripping blue and purple flame. He closed his eyes, his expression relaxing as his body became jet black, his aura a cold blue. He opened indifferent eyes and took a step forward.

Again the fires flared around him and he was driven back, his transformation wavering. He glared, a snarl curling his lips. I'll snuff it out. He threw out his hand. "Kurokei!" The jet black shadow left his body when the blast was released. The ball of black energy traveled down the center of the bridge, dragging the unrelenting fire along with it where it disappeared amongst the flames. He heard it implode…and still the bridge burned.

He stared in absolute shock. Did nothing work against this? He refused to believe he couldn't cross it. He had to. He had to. "I will forge a path for myself. Me alone!"

He'd fight fire with fire. He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. His skin quickly darkened to onyx before plunging into a flat black, and his ice-cold aura burst forth. His blue energy whirled about him, drawing the aqua fires of the bridge in and ensnaring them. The energies clashed and protested in flashes of oranges and reds, the fire engulfing the bridge never diminishing. His aura contracted into a thin corona to pull the relentless flames into the gravity of his soul. Just as he had with Goku's Super Saiyan 3 power, he continued to draw the limitless energy into himself. And as before, it began to burn him from the inside out.

He maintained his stoic facade, the energy continuing to be drawn in and balled up within him. I know how to do this now. I'm now powerful enough to withstand this. I'll take it in. I'll take it all in and release it. I'll snuff it out. I'm getting across.

The light pulsed through the markings in his face and arms until stabilizing in an unwavering stream of red-orange light. The stone began to burn with the power, the color of the dying sun at day's end. His expressionless face began to crack. His winced in pain, the energy from the strange fire seeming to char him from the inside. Still he took it in, and still his abstract opponent holding the bridge captive did not weaken at all. He had to release the energy now and hope it worked. When he released this much power against Zhernobog and his army in the wastelands, he had done so in a controlled manner. Releasing all that energy too fast could again put him at risk for annihilation.

He would risk it now. His body couldn't take anymore. He couldn't take any of it anymore. Fingers curled into angry claws, he brought his arms back and he channeled all his focus at the enemy before him.

"CHISSOKU!"

He brought his hands together as though to crush a fly, and a wave of furious, dark power ripped through his arms to throw his now pale body back. The burning bridge of blues and greens was slammed with a shroud of darkness, its flames momentarily flaring into the reds and oranges of the energy that wreathed the dark attack before being snuffed out.

The attack's dissipating effect lasted for a fraction of a nanosecond. The bridge erupted into the cool colors of the spectral fire as though nothing had occurred at all.

Touketsu rolled onto his side on the ground, bringing his hand up to his chest with a grimace. Propping himself up on an elbow, he turned to look up at the bridge that continued to burn. Panting, he grit his teeth in consternation as he slowly got to his feet, glaring at the burning bridge the whole time. He simply stood there and stared at the impasse, a sense of hopelessness beginning to pervade throughout his being. He heard footsteps approaching, but he didn't move. Queen Marenna walked up to stand beside him, and she followed his gaze out to the blazing structure. They stood shoulder to shoulder in silence.

"This is Kalyna Bridge, the entrance to the Kingdom of Nav," Marenna said softly. "It connects to Nav's sister planet, Toska. It is a barren world where souls materialize either directly after judgement upon death or after serving time in lower purgatories. All those who come to reside in Nav cross this bridge."

"…Except for me," he rumbled.

"Well, you are a rare exception. You are not dead."

Touketsu snorted mirthlessly, not smiling in the slightest. "Yes. I seem to be constantly reminded of that. Interesting then that I keep finding myself in the company of the dead."

Marenna looked to him. "I wish to explain a few things, Touketsu. Zhernobog was once a principled being, before he allowed his obsessions to twist his perception. My husband's realm of judgement was at one time connected to my palace, before he acted out in defiance of our laws. When he made his arrogant decision to upset the natural order, I and the other gods chose to exile him. As his queen, I alone had the power to imprison him, difficult though it was for me. No one is above divine law, not even my king. The fact that he involved an unwilling mortal in order to fulfill his unwavering goals makes his crimes all the more egregious."

"So I'm your charity case."

"I believe you deserve another chance. You and his army have been destroying worlds, upsetting the course of history, fracturing time into multiple realities, but you were not cognizant of it. Your attack on the Supreme Kai and the threat you posed to Creation is condemnable. It was wrong." He crossed his arms and frowned at her lecturing, not looking her way. "But…it was understandable, given your anger. When the Supreme Kai reported the incident, he mentioned that he had nearly reached you. I don't believe you are beyond reason. When you traveled back in time to yourself you technically violated more laws, but I alone witnessed what you did. You stopped Zhernobog before he could turn you into his instrument. You reunited yourself with your family. I think the nobility behind those acts holds merit." She paused before carefully adding, "But yes, I also feel responsible for your current situation. My consort did this to you, after all."

He finally glanced over at her, shaking his head slowly in disgust as he huffed through his nose. "I can't believe I'm standing here talking to that bastard's fucking girlfriend-"

"Wife, Mr. Touketsu. And please mind your language in my presence," Marenna interrupted, a sudden edge to her voice. She looked away. "Ex-wife," she amended softly.

Touketsu studied her profile before unfolding his arms and returning his attention to the bridge. He watched it burn for a few moments. "Why can't I cross this damn thing?" He asked quietly.

"Kalyna Bridge is an entrance…not an exit."

He felt his stomach drop in defeat, and he just continued to stare into the flames. Blue-green in color like Bulma's hair. Had he known. Had he known what he was walking away from…His eyes drifted closed, and his brows drew together ever so slightly. He swallowed, and he opened his mouth to speak before hesitating. "I can't go back," he said, his voice barely audible.

"I know," she said softly.

Bulma. Trunks. He lowered his head, his brow knitting further.

Marenna lay a gentle hand on his arm. "But Touketsu, you don't have to return to Zhernobog's realm. You may stay here." He didn't answer, didn't move. "Touketsu?" Marenna asked quietly, her hand trailing up to his shoulder. "Shall I show you back to your room?"

Touketsu took a stuttering breath as he looked back up. His expression dull, he blinked slowly as he watched the bridge burn for a full minute. He finally turned back to Marenna to regard her through bleary eyes.

"Alright," he whispered.

Kalyna Bridge is based on "Kalinov Bridge", a burning bridge in Slavic folklore and mythology that stretches over a river of fire and links between the lands of the living and the dead. In some stories, it leads to Morana's "palace of mirrors". I looked up the meaning of Kalinov to find inspiration for a new name. Even though what I found had nothing to do with the true meaning of the bridge's name, it does exist as a surname in a number of different regions and translates to "guelder rose" (also known as the highbush cranberry). Ultimately, I decided to go with "Kalyna", the Ukrainian word for this plant. As a symbol used in Ukrainian folk songs about romantic love and longing for the homeland, I thought it fitting.

In some of the Slavic mythological tales, Morana had an affair with Chernobog. I was considering giving Marenna and Zhernobog a close relationship, so when I found about this I totally went with it :)

Nav's sister planet, Toska, was named for what's considered to be untranslatable Russian word that roughy means "sadness" or "melancholia". I love how Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov described it:

"No single word in English renders all the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody of something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom."