Out in the distance he senses the one who did this to him, he cannot see it or hear it for both of those senses are now wrenched from him along with most of their sensory organs. Slowly lumbering towards its downed prey, Grah approaches, prowling with the patience of a guaranteed kill. Predatorily stalking until Vegeta will give up the ghost and then be consumed into the belly of the beast. No longer bleeding out with all his scars and wounds now horrible burns, Vegeta waits in resignation for his fate … or so Grah thinks.
In a flare of crimson flames, Vegeta proves to Grah he is not dead yet and will not go quietly into the night. A garbled mess of words that might have been Kaioken are shouted by Vegeta as he spirals into his final assault. Grah was not expecting this, no-one would have expected an attack from someone in that mutilated state and so Grah had powered down on his way to the spoils of victory. The extremity that was a foot crashes into the right side of Grah's chest, staggering it backwards being hit where Gohan attacked previously as Vegeta deals with the consequences of his kick that he is counting on. Such force of the impact into a broken limb sends lightning bolts of pain shooting through him as it pushes a shard of his tibia through his shattered knee, an improvised blade for an improvised attack.
Bending his knees then jerking it to the side he slices open the throat of Grah, bright viscous amber spilling out. His one arm smacks the beast's head to the side and somersaulting in mid-air he brings down his fragmented weapon down sharply between the four eyes of his foe. Phasing through the huge beast he Instant Transmits he backs off to safety from the flailing arm of Grah before charging back for one final kick aimed at Grah's head.
The leg slams ineffectually into Grah, having recovered from the initial attack it is ready now to end Vegeta, darting back at speeds that the prince can no longer replicate. Teeth rip into his midriff, crunching through the spine of the Saiyan. Flinging away the defeated and paralysed Saiyan into the closest rock-face, smashing entombed in the solid wall of the mountain Vegeta is too weak and weary to pry himself out to freedom. Struggling to stay conscious, the pain from before being diminished but only as all nerve signals from his lower half have ceased due to paralysation. Vegeta's body starts to shut down one cell at a time, no longer able to support its existence. His ki cannot prevent this for much longer. Facing his foe, he welcomes another end to his wretched life.
Groaning as the last dregs of being dead to the world empty out of her waking head, Ryoko rouses herself, her neck protesting against looking about the room. It appears she was placed down on the sofa next to Ayeka who was also forcibly evicted from Vegeta's side and awakening. Everyone appears to be in the room transfixed by a screen to the side of Ryoko, even Chichi seems to be paying more attention to it as she cuddles and comforts the still unconscious Goku. The first Saiyan on Earth is not the only one getting attention from his loved one with Videl fussing over Gohan, a terrible scar racing down his abdomen as if he were gutted like a fish. Although Videl seems more upset about the disfiguring flaw on Gohan's face than the one that nearly ended him.
Following their eyes, the two women turn gently to face the television screen to see what all the fuss is about. One camera is left transmitting but is no longer attached to any armour, having been separated from it for quite a while, it lays in just the right position to see the final outcome. At first it is hard to make out, they can see Grah stood and slowly walking somewhere with one of its gorilla like arms gone and copious amounts of blood staining many wounds but there is some other person there as well. They struggle for a few seconds trying to identify this close to death man, his body mangled and maimed in every sense of the word yet one feature still remains. A cold sense of dread chills them to the bones upon seeing the raven black spiked hair still standing proud and tall over the ebonised and ravaged face of Vegeta.
" Are you two feeling OK, I don't think he hit you too hard but … well there's nothing we can do now. Only Goku here could take us back to the planet, but that goof is still out cold. I'm sorry." Yamcha approaches the two women seeing the open distress and dismay blatantly displayed on their faces. He wishes he could forget the things he saw on that screen, no-one, not even someone who has a heart and soul as black as the proud prince, deserves the punishment he has endured. Trying to comfort the trembling Ayeka, he puts his hand gently on her shoulder.
" No! He's wrong, he needs me! I have to help him." Ryoko teleports out of the house, out of the solar system whilst inadvertently bringing the two people that had a physical link to her – Ayeka and Yamcha – along for the ride with her.
This ki she knows, the first ki she learnt and it is ever so faint but still there, as is the easier to lock on signature of Grah. Immediately arriving back on the crumbling remains of Grah's homeworld in plain sight of the reckoner of the planet, its four eyes fix onto them, ready for more sport to entertain it as it crouches and laps up a pool of red. Ayeka was not expecting teleportation nor prepared herself for the nauseating experience, the all too familiar sensation of her stomach upheaving in protest roots her to the spot. Ryoko's only sole focus is the blind Saiyan slowly turning his head to face the three he has sensed returning to the planet, a harsh rasp escaping from his throat could be anything, an undistinguishable noise– a warning, a plea or a shout of fury.
Taking the one shot he has, the only warrior left rushes into the blindside of Grah. Yamcha's signature wolf fang fist savagely beats at the softened up beast, his fingers and knuckles protesting with each strike that slams into his foe. The wounded demon has no time for such petty things. With one swipe of its remaining arm Yamcha's left leg is swiftly demolished into a pulpy mess, the same leg that all those years ago was snapped in two by Tien. Sprawling in the dust, downed and writhing holding onto the annihilated limb, Yamcha is forced to watch as Grah bears down on his other defenceless prey. Grah will leave the wolf warrior there for dessert after he has finished the main course.
In the short span of time that Yamcha managed to buy for them, both Ryoko and Ayeka have hurriedly rushed to Vegeta's side to prise him out of the boulders imprisoning him. Coughing up bright crimson from his lungs drowning in his own blood, Vegeta struggles to speak. Every breath he takes is harder than the last, his voice box charred to a crisp. Giving up on the common form of communication, Vegeta switches to telepathy to speak directly into the minds of the women fruitlessly trying to save his life.
" Go. … Leave me here and…and save yourselves. You're too weak to help, you'll only die." This brief message is about all he can manage to get out as he tries to shrug them off, the humiliation of such weaklings being required to help him grating nearly as much as the all encompassing pain lighting up his body like flares from their slightest touch. His Saiyan sense is tingling, Grah is on the move again and at speed. Fed up of being messed about by these invaders of its planet and hungry for the taste of their sweet meat the monster charges on all threes, looking fairly comical as it tries to learn how to sprint with a missing limb. The galloping sound of its claws tearing up the ground alert the two space faring women to the beast bearing down on them.
A princess' bladder almost fails her as dread consumes her. It looms. Death is coming their way. She is ever so scared. Her hands raise. This man has saved her life, both physically and from the horrible fate she fled from, she owes him this. Ryoko has no clue what she is doing, her body moving as her mind lags behind screaming at her to save herself. Saving her own skin has always ranked higher than all, not now. She wants Vegeta to show her how he managed to lead the life he does and show her how to reach the happiness he obtained and he cannot do that if he is dead. They will not shy away or cower in terror like last time, this time they will stand and give their lives if necessary if it has the slightest glimmer of hope at saving the life of the man they love.
Bright cerulean shimmers into existence, a barrier of the highest magnitude to try and deter or slow down Grah. Glowing like the sun, a red hot sword sparks into life ready to slay the beast. Both women stand ready and prepared for their final stand as Grah crouches into a leap, flying high into the air towards its quarry. Standing fast they ready themselves as their fates are sealed, a large black shadow looming over them and engulfing them into darkness. The air begins to fizz in front of them as a figure appears before them, hovering off of the ground with his useless leg limply flopping beneath him. Swinging back his one surviving hand into the best fist he can make out of it he roars at the top of the lungs as he brings it crashing down into the beast not ready for him.
"You stay the hell away from them!" Vegeta shouts, although to others it does not sound like that as he can not form the words.
Both Grah and Vegeta are too slow to react to the speed of the other and wallop into each other, smashing the floor beneath them. Grah's form is pounced on top of this most worthy adversary, yet one thing is not right. Vegeta's last ditch effort has paid off. Tired jaws clamp down onto the fist shoved down the gullet of Grah, grasping onto the tongue tasting his cooked flesh. Pinned to the floor, Vegeta's lips would break into a smirk if they could. Swirling mists of yellow, gold and bronze encapsulate the downed Saiyan as he once again takes up the mantle of Super Saiyan, reducing the amount of energy he has to stay alive with drastically.
" Kraagraahtru." Grah utters its first and last word.
"..ina- hine a-ack!"
Complementing the beast's colour of choice perfectly, a green shot explodes through Grah. Its jaws and skull detonating with an almighty bang, rending it apart until just the Saiyan's hand is left next to a charred orange stump of a thick neck. A fresh coat of amber sap drips onto Vegeta as his arm flops down to his side, all his energy expended. Resting his head on the hard cold stones he tries to catch his breath as anaerobic respiration will only let you survive for so long. The broken man waits, trying to recuperate as his hair and eyes transition back to their natural colouration.
It is dead. Grah is dead. They can not believe it, he has done it. Ecstatic with joy, Ayeka and Ryoko rush to the brimstone smelling body of Vegeta to congratulate him and stop him from dying. Gleefully running towards him, uncaring about the fact that they are on a failing planet quickly losing its atmosphere or how far beyond any help Vegeta is, they sprint as fast as their legs can carry them to be with him. Yamcha has managed to get up, flying slowly and steadily to keep the weight off of his mangled leg with every slight movement reminding him why he should leave the fighting to Saiyans.
Screams start anew. Digging into the gaping open wound of his chest are the talons of Grah, decapitation not hindering its pursuit of vengeance on Vegeta. Lungs and heart punctured, ribs snapped like twigs to penetrate and impale yet more of his organs. Still more crimson life juice squirts out of Vegeta, not much remaining in him and were it not for the third degree burns sealing up most of his wounds then he would be a desiccated husk. Coughing up blood and gore to try and purge his flooded lungs, the prince sees that he will not get out that easily. Fatally wounded, he accepts what he has to do. Yamcha and the women freeze, immobilised in horror and shock as the Saiyan continues his battle for survival.
" Yamcha! … Get those two far away from here now. I'm going to make sure this ends here. Go! Fly to safety and make sure they go." Echoing in the bandit's mind is Vegeta's voice calling from his telepathic powers again. Vegeta's mouth quivering in desperation, he is only able to express his hurt in garbled gurgling and his blinded eye staring blankly at the stars. Grabbing the women forcefully before they blindly carry on towards Vegeta, Yamcha jets off to the only horizon left to him that is not the edge of the world. Getting further and further away, distancing himself from what is to come as the two interlocked foes become a tiny speck.
" Go …" Rebounding in their minds, Vegeta continues to contact the trio now far away from his soon to be defunct form.
" No! I won't leave you. I- I'll take you back to the green dude and he can heal you, you'll see it'll all be OK." Ryoko is desperate, she is opening her heart to someone for the first time in her long life and to have it cruelly snatched away from her before it could blossom into something magical and wondrous is destroying her. This man will not be stolen away from her by death. She will not be plunged into that darkness.
" My body is beyond repair … the strings tying me to life are frayed and only a single strand remains. I am dying, there is nothing for Dende to heal only a few parts of my brain are still clinging to life. I accept this warriors death. … This time I have succeeded in vanquishing my foe before my death and for that I couldn't ask for more. Stay strong." His quiet communiqué is steadily getting more and more hushed and muted.
" A-Ayeka would you do me the honour of forsaking your wish with the dragonballs to bring me back. … I need to come back, for my son and – and for you lot." To her alone does he send this message, her heart openly weeping. Too young to have experienced any heartache or grief before, this first time is torturing her tender soul.
" Ryoko, I owe this victory to you. What you did was reckless and headstrong … I would have done the same exact thing. I thank you." As a pirate she should be accustomed to death but this cuts too close, ripping open her heart with fresh claws of sorrow.
" Yamcha we never saw eye to eye but as you are Trunks' godfather and so I have to task you with watching over my son whilst I am … gone. Tell him … tell him I was always proud to call him my son … and don't let these two or Washu burn down my house." The imminent death of a fellow Z-warrior does not move Yamcha that much, he knows that death is always something they have to deal with and they have been through this before.
" Vegeta! Vegeta! Let me go, he needs me. Vegeta!" Ryoko kicks viciously at the damaged leg of Yamcha. Somehow through the spasms of agony shooting through his body he continues to hold on as stars dot his vision, that is until Ryoko simply phases straight through his arm and flies at top speed back to her prince. Ayeka is still in his clutches, unable to escape as she observes what happens next.
Teeth gritted in a smile stretching from ear to ear thanks to his lack of cheeks or flesh, his burnt face cracks as it contorts its stiffened leather into a grimace. He has one finger left on his one working appendage, the middle finger. Flipping the birdie to the writhing, headless thing stabbing at his chest cavity he belches out as much blood as he can for his final words. A small pinpoint of bright white appearing on his fingertip.
" I'm coming Bulma."
A white pillar of light shines forth from his finger, a technique Nappa used to destroy a city – the volcano explosion. Engulfed in a brilliant white light, both he and the creature are set ablaze by the life force energy of Vegeta he has sacrificed to detonate himself for a second time. Ashen faced, Ryoko and Ayeka stare at where Vegeta was but now is just a column of brilliance shooting upwards, an attack Vegeta would have scoffed at the day before as nothing but to the two entwined in its midst it is potent enough to do the job. Despair settles its heavy burden on the two as the attack ends and the last smoking crater to disfigure the planet billows cremated flesh into the sky. It hits them as soon as the concussive wave rolls over them. A faint whisper in the ether, a small echo of an echo … the quiet whisper of the damned. 'Wait and I shall return, you are both women … I see potential fo- ' Vegeta's spirit disembarks, cast off into the afterlife and delivered unto its fate. Death cutting him off mid sentence.
At ground zero Ryoko lands and Ayeka is dropped off by the air bound Yamcha to see the results of the day of fighting. Flaming chunks of scale and solidified amber rain down out of the sky, yet go unnoticed. Having already been burnt all over before setting off his final attack Vegeta's body is closer to fossilisation at this point, all flesh gone and what remains is little more than incinerated bones and a skull. Ayeka hunches over and falls to her knees. The adrenaline of battle wears of and she crashes hard. Her breathing becomes heavy and laboured as she braces her arms against her legs. She vomits, twice, heavily. Tears drip down the romantic rivals' faces, such anguish gripping their hearts as they look on at the remains of who they met just a few days ago but has had such a big impact on them.
Grief is now the only sound being heard, open heartbroken mourning silencing the rumbles and groans as the planet enters its final throes. Yamcha gives Ryoko and Ayeka a minute out of respect, yet he cannot afford to wait any longer; without Ryoko he has no chance of getting home and he does not like the prospect of asphyxiating when all the oxygen drifts away from the dying planet. He once again puts his hand on Ayeka's trembling shoulder. This time though she lashes out at the touch slapping it away from her, trying to turn her hurt into an easier to deal with emotion and failing as she sinks back into despair. Retracting his arm, he hovers backwards looking at the magma pouring out of the planet's core into the blackness.
" It's time for us to go." Yamcha's quiet words go ignored, they do not care for what he says despite it pertaining to their certain death if they don't act quickly.
" Ryoko, it's time for us to return. You are the only one who can teleport and do this." More force in his tone, Yamcha tries to emphasise the importance of haste. All Ryoko does in response is to face away, her silvery cyan fringe shadowing her stricken face, salty rivers flowing from her eyes. It has been decades since she last shed true tears. Ayeka continues to struggle with the emotions welling up and bursting from her. Grief is novel to them, and they do not want this first experience.
" T-this is all your fault! I-if it w-weren't f-for you then h-he would still be … still be a-alive!" Ayeka's tears stream down her face openly as she converts her excess sadness into wrath and rage, wanting to have a scapegoat to blame. Ryoko's sobs become louder wails still, cut deep by the accusations of the princess.
" Hey now, that's out of order. You're crossing the line Ayeka. Her actions are probably the only thing that gave Vegeta the opportunity to kill that thing and die at peace with himself." The spiteful glare of the emotionally distressed and broken down princess tries to whittle him down, she can not deal with people arguing with her, not now in such a delicate state.
" H-how dare you speak like that to the high princess of Jurai!" Ayeka is snapping, her mind not being able to handle the dreadful situation she is forced to deal with. The desert bandit looks unimpressed at such a childish outburst and bends down to inspect his leg, it looks nasty and the blood is darkening and congealing so he decides to reset it. Painfully cracking and sliding the splinters and slithers of bone into what might roughly resemble the position they should be in, he looks back up to Ayeka.
" Vegeta was just like that when he first came to Earth, he grew out of it." Ayeka falters, looking as though he had just slapped her across the face. Her hysterics stop and she sinks back into the overwhelming melancholy holding tight on her heart.
" This planet hasn't got much long left, I would say 5 minutes max and then you don't have to worry any-more for we'll be joining Vegeta. Ryoko we have to go now!" Yamcha hobbles in a twisted limp, turning around Ryoko and pulling Ayeka with him as he tries to snap some sense into them. The she-pirate raises her head with her lips quivering as she closes her eyes, trying to forget the sight of Vegeta in his final seconds. A memory she will never be allowed to forget. Yamcha's words are making her think, her mind warped by grief contemplating staying on the planet. If she stays then she might be able to see him in the afterlife...
Chichi mothers and awkwardly attempts to comfort Trunks, a child distraught and devastated at the loss of his father, now orphaned by fate. He could hardly deal with the death of his mother and now with this thrust onto him so suddenly and unexpectedly he badly needs the loving care of an adult. The trio returns. Ayeka slumps down onto her knees and Ryoko quickly vanishes off out of the house to be alone. Trunks sees Yamcha stood their on his own, the perfect target to unleash such things a child should not have to contend with at his age.
" Why didn't you save him?! Why?! Why …" Trunks rushes Yamcha, pounding at his stomach through wet eyes wanting an answer to the roll of the dice he has received from life. Absently Yamcha scratches the locks of hair on the back of his head looking down at the bereaved one now in his care, feeling some slight guilt on his part that if he were stronger maybe it could have been prevented.
" … I tried. Couldn't save your father. I'm sorry, he was a good and brave warrior." Dende comes over to fulfil his duty by mending and healing the leg, showing some signs that the large amount of healing he has had to administer today is taking its toll on him.
" I'm sorry Trunks, even if I were there I could not have aided Vegeta. That single blow that it landed on Goku shattered his spinal column, collar and caused severe haemorrhaging … the injuries your father sustained and still managed to keep on fighting astound me." Dende then leaves Yamcha and Trunks to go back and stand by Mr. Popo, ready for this day to end.
Little Sasami runs up to her sister and hugs her tightly, both needing the warmth of each other to stave off the cold sorrow yearning to tear them to pieces. The adventure is now over and such an ugly aftermath left in its wake cause the warriors to decide it is time for them to leave this house who's owner has passed on.
Goku, Chichi, Gohan, Goten and Videl head out as one, disappearing as soon as they leave the doorway. A grim shadow hangs over Goku knowing he is once again the last survivor of his race and if he had not humiliated himself with such an embarrassing defeat his friend might still be here. Popo and Dende hop onto the magic carpet parked on the turf by the entranceway to the household also vanishing into thin air, returning back to the lookout to pick up the perpetual job of looking over the Earth. The young family of Krillin, 18 and Marron start to fly off to Kame island before stopping as Krillin remembers Roshi who is running after them and picks him up so as not to leave him behind unable to get home. Piccolo and 17 both go their separate nomadic ways off to nowhere in particular leaving just two people left to say goodbye to.
" I wish it were under better circumstances but goodbye buddy. See ya 'round some other time, OK? Oh, say hi to Launch for me. Bye mate." Yamcha waves off Tien after a firm handshake, with the tag-along Chiaotzu following in the triclops' wake.
Sighing, Yamcha steps into the accommodation he will now have to look after in the stead of the deceased. Looking around at the hurt that today's mission caused he rubs his temples. The universe was saved and it only cost one life, but that price is being heavily felt here. A huddled group of Washu with the other youngsters are sat on the sofa, the cushions of it swiftly becoming damp from the salty waters of sadness. The soft sounds of Washu staying strong for the children who need her mix with those of the mewling cry of the cabbit.
The two women who's feelings have been affected the hardest, bar Trunks, are outside. The elegant form of Ayeka stood staring into the depths of the lake, reflecting on her true feelings and the heartbreak which makes the waters look as shallow as a dried up puddle. She stoops to drink some of the waters and remove the foul taste of bile from her mouth. As she brings her head closer to the lake's surface she glimpses a sparkle shining off of a small piece of red glass: a broken fragment from the scouter Washu made. The princess thrashes at the water to remove the memories this sight is bringing with it, she sinks to the floor with her head in her hands. Ryoko is perched on top of the roof, holding her knees close to herself; hiding her head in her thighs to stop anyone seeing the woe contorting her face. He would not have wanted her to be seen like this. He would have despised any show of weakness such as this, which just makes it worse for her, knowing he would disapprove of her behaviour. In the end she was too scared to go through with it, the fear of death and what is beyond its shadowy veil drove her to return to his house and live on. She will live and wait whilst he journeys in the afterlife alone.
" Well, this is going to be a long month." With that Yamcha closes the door to leave the women to their own devices. He will fetch his things and Puar later, but for now he knows he can not leave the household in this state. A dark night to follow a dark day descends unnoticed. A similar darkness begins to nestle in the women's bleeding hearts.