Chapter 119

A strange chill fills the air. Ayeka pauses as a shiver runs down her spine as if in impending dread. The trees do not act like this unless in a strong storm and it feels as if there is pressure being exerted from behind her as buffeted leaves whisk around. She turns to look and find the source of this disturbance and Sasami ignorant to this skips across behind Piccolo and blocks the view of the child from the mother.

Too lightly Piccolo blocks the blow as a strange force thunders through him and then later a malicious roar rips at the scene. He gets pushed back and almost into the Juraians under his protection though that definition has become more complicated seeing his attacker. Her hair flails wildly and loose out of its usual ponytail and small rips and tears are on her regal outfit from the speed and power she outputs. The Counteractor strikes upon him but now his guard is up and his ki is rising in response until he falters in charging up for his opponent he cannot read. There is no sense of ki, like the androids he cannot tell her strength, and so he cannot risk overpowering her to too large a degree and endangering her life. Further back blown against a wall Azusa props himself up with his prosthetic leg having been detached and he yells his wife's name which falls on deaf ears.

She is fast but he is faster and from how singularly fixed her eyes are upon those behind him he knows her targets and blocks her all access. This strength from her is higher than she could ever hope to naturally gain with years of training and the concussive force of her attacks on him hurt and deafen the princesses. Seeing their pain and him blocking her getting to them she vehemently targets Piccolo with her incredible power. With a pure single mindedness her rabid mind seeks only to destroy him. His depths of power run deeper as his mastery over ki wards her off and gains him time as a Hellzone Grenade confines her. Piccolo utilises his Namekian biology to elongate an arm and push back both Ayeka and Sasami to a safe distance and this only further evokes the fury of the Counteractor.

For all her power gain that easily would have turned the tide of war against Frieza's army the forest continues its groans of protest as the lawn wilts around her and Piccolo sees that her fighting style though more rabid and violent has altered little. Blocking and guarding can only last so long as he soaks up hit after hit to test her might and mitigate damage to the environment around him. This is in great excess to the last display of her hidden powers by a grand magnitude. Alarms start sounding and the ground is not holding up well against this onslaught. Piccolo calculates her power level equivalent and seeking the right moment hits back in retaliation as her savage hail of punches leaves a reckless opening.

A sickening crack rings out and Piccolo's fist fails to meet resistance. With a horrific crunch his fist resides within pitch talons and the forearm of Misaki dangles in a mutilated mess limp from her elbow. A new black arm radiating darkest crimson energy has taken the place of the destroyed limb with blood seeping between the cracks of where it now exists and where her arm once was. Energy crackles about the arm of the Counteractor and in the distance Ayeka covers her sister's eyes and shields her from the horror of this scene.

Piccolo pulls his attacks and resorts to having to struggle landing a blow that Misaki can naturally handle when the Counteractor empowers her aggression and speed against him. Bruises swell where he hits and he feels fragmentation in some of her ribs. This power is proving even more costly to her body than Kaioken for none of it is protecting her. To put her down quickly he grabs her with his greater strength and holds her in a choke-hold. Eventually her struggles stop and he puts down her limp body with blood staining his clothes from the mangled arm. The unnatural arm persists.

Hastily snapping his wooden leg back into place Azusa rushes over in horror. Blood pools about her elbow and arm as its crimson glow mutes. He shouts for immediate medical assistance and the stunned and shocked security guards spring into action. Terrified at this and of what she saw become of her own mother, Ayeka stays crouched where she is shielding Sasami and holding her head so she cannot bear witness to this. No-one endangers or attacks the royal family within their own palace, this is their safe haven that not even Frieza could touch. That rage and madness and destructive power, if not for Piccolo she does not trust what her own mother could have done had she reached them. She rocks her younger sister back and forth to try and calm her own fears.

A lavender skinned and tall man with pointed ears and long white hair wearing an ornate red robe appears in the midst of the scene. He exudes an eminence of authority. There is a severity to his face. His focus rests upon the downed woman and the manifestation that is her black arm. He looks across to Piccolo, the Namekian shocked at this sudden appearance.

" The Kais' fears are being realised. We thank you for your might in intervening against this power Piccolo. Now that the dangers of the Counteractor have been brought out into the universe it is my time to step in." Kibito Kai states.

Shining blue blazes into life and levels itself with the chest of the fused Kai. Azusa stands firm with his two handed sword raised at this trespasser. Too many threats and dangers have been passed around, this stranger will have no reprieve for those words. He bellows that none shall pose harm to his wife. A glint of the Kai's eyes and Azusa is immobilised and unable to move.

"You know that I would not interfere with the mortal plane unless the threat were severe. I will not allow another Buu level threat to emerge under my stewardship. The Counteractor is a direct threat to the Gods, and by proxy our creations. This woman is already living on borrowed time. It shall not be long until that dark power consumes her and breaks the vessel it is contained within and frees itself to unleash carnage. Stand aside and I can end this before her soul becomes too intertwined with that of the Counteractor and its actions and her fate in Otherworld sealed." Kibito Kai is not here for pleasantries. The failure of allowing Buu to be reborn drives him to push to nip this catastrophe in the bud before it is too late. This power shall grow and now that it is in the open there is no clemency to be had, the tipping point has been reached.

Authority is challenged. Piccolo steps in to the side of Azusa and holds his arms out barring the way to Misaki as the confused Juraian medics try and continue on unsure as to what is going on and any security detail trying to approach the Kai gets frozen in place. To condemn someone to death so easily for an evil persona is not going to be allowed. The fusion of both Demon King Piccolo and Kami knows well that good can triumph over the evil half and control its power, no more blood needs to be shed. Kibito Kai frowns at this rebellion.

"Buu stands as our ally on Earth now, I am here to protect the Juraian royal family, you will not harm Misaki any more than I have done so already."

"A portion of Buu is your ally, one that only exists due to the sacrifice of the Grand Kai and the deaths of my predecessors, whilst the true evil of Buu Goku did destroy. The Kais shall not throw more lives at this problem in blind hope some portion of the woman's soul remains uncorrupted." He refutes.

Sasami is escorted from the scene and its growing tension under protest by the royal bodyguards whose leader lays unconscious. Ayeka stays and watches. She knows of this Kai from Vegeta and she knows of his opinion of those in the afterlife – as biased as it is from someone damned to Hell. Her mother is injured and this deity speaks of euthanising her as if she were some dangerous beast. She holds tight to the seashell necklace about her neck and interjects into this conversation as her father struggles with all his might to free himself from his paralysis.

"We on Jurai do not follow the laws of any false gods who deliver death." With a quaking voice she stands against the Kai and rushes to her parents' side.

" … I do not come here to converse over religion. This is unfortunate for yourselves yet for the sake of a scale far grander than your family your mother's life must sadly come to an end. She is a kind woman, she would not wish for herself to be transformed into a mindless murderer, and so she shall be stopped before that future comes to pass." The Kai understands their reasons for defending her but the importance of this task must not be understated. He is here and on a task, this is not the idling of a bored deity, this is a Kai interfering in a way that only Buu could bring about before.

"A god that is barren of all faith and hope and acts only upon fears is not one to be trusted nor a power we shall submit to. My mother's future has not happened, you kill her now as an innocent under assumptions. She can stop this, give her a chance." Ayeka implores and argues.

Kibito Kai huffs and sighs at the resistance he is facing. The Juraians mean little but the resolute Namekian who can challenge his power is the issue that he requires to stand aside. He explains that this is no simple evil to be swept aside like the mind altering Oozaru form he can tell Ayeka is likening it to, this is a harbinger of apocalypse and a great cataclysm to both this realm and the Otherworld itself.

"You are pawns! Do your eyes from ivory towers only see what they desire to find? You spout grandiose judgement but are little more than a lowly hit man following orders from a mortal. This is a set up. Kagato baited this ploy with the ship he sent earlier. He has caused this. He tries to bring about the Counteractor to get you as our enemies! Is he not also one you should seek for summoning this tragedy on our family?" Azusa roars loud through gritted teeth and furrowed brow. This is no accident. He sees the machinations behind his enemy's movements.

"If this mortal were within a realm under my supervision then that might be the case that I might have wish to speak with him. Your squabble with a Tuffle known as Kagato might be the instigating factor here however what you would seek from me is eternal divine protection. I as a Kai cannot continually interfere in all cases where some person would accidentally or purposefully antagonise Misaki, I shall not protect Jurai from all enemies to ensure that the Counteractor is never awakened by design. The actions I take in the mortal plane must be as limited as possible, the Counteractor is the threat and my job to take care of." If he were to stop Kagato by force then as a Kai he sets a precedent he cannot allow that he will stop all others that ever target Misaki. Jurai itself and the family she is a part of is too large scale a player that such favouritism by a Kai would never be tolerated.

Piccolo raises his power to its peak. He stands firm. Kibito Kai does not act intimidated by this display. Piccolo steps forward and grabs the collar of the Kai and directly tells him to leave as he shall be protecting Misaki.

"To threaten violence against a Kai is a serious-"

"Don't make me laugh. Goku killed a Kai with Cell, he still keeps his body after death, your lives are worth no more than any other at the end of the day. Leave." Piccolo threatens.

Kibito pushes Piccolo's hand from him, straightens his collar and sees there is little point in continuing. He advises that they think upon their actions and he prays that the next time the Counteractor emerges that similarly no lives are lost. With that he teleports back to Otherworld and leaves the scene. Azusa lunges forward now that the control over him has been relinquished, and he quickly deactivates his sword and looks back on the medical professionals by his wife. Daughter looks down at mother and sees the mess that is the arm that cradled her as a baby and the foreign blackness that has usurped its place. The princess watches as Piccolo steps away and sits down and begins focusing. All too quickly the Namekian stands frustrated and explains that Earth is too far for him to telepathically contact. At this Ayeka begins to sway hearing the true severity of all this, Piccolo is worried and wants reinforcements, and her own daring actions of standing up to a Kai of all things. Her father catches her.

A stretcher carries away Misaki under heavy escort and with Piccolo closely tailing as his main target to protect has become Misaki from the Kais as no other on this planet can stop them save perhaps the Counteractor herself. His absence is felt heavily by the Juraians and how lucky they are that he was here. Sitting down on the grass for the bench Misaki was previously on is no more, the father explains to his daughter of Kagato's horrific actions and the cause for Misaki's outburst. She is scared at this and how previously assumed allies are being turned against them due to this unknown darkness residing within her mother. Ayeka can see only one option for them and says that they will have to have Misaki train like never before for the level of emotional control and discipline she has seen from the fighters on Earth, she needs some countermeasure to stop herself and protect them. There is merit to this but Azusa also sees the risk involved. It shall be beneficial for Misaki to have this training, however he posits that it would be wise for the training not to be on the heavily populated planet of Jurai and to have several around her to control the Counteractor and stop the Kais.

Within half an hour Misaki has been healed and treated by the top medical staff at the private medical ward reserved for the Juraian Royal Family. On her left arm are heavy bandages and a cast. They serve no purpose for healing yet under frantic instruction the nurses were tasked with putting them on. Misaki will not look at it and is trying her hardest to not acknowledge its existence. She keeps the bandaged arm under the bedsheets of the hospital bed. No amount of healing gel that can bring people back from the brink of death with ease did anything for her destroyed arm. The mangled mess of its bone and flesh knitted together however it had no place to reattach. Her elbow has a new forearm there already. The doctors were forced to amputate her original Juraian arm for the only other alternative was to try and sever this strange new limb and even though Misaki desperately wants to be rid of it they cannot cut into it with their instruments. Scalpels bent, surgical lasers rebounded and two surgeons were zapped by crimson energy for attempting and there is no guarantee that it could simply manifest again like it had originally.

Misaki sits terrified and fearful with a many layered cast hiding this new arm. It is longer than her original arm, stronger, the hand larger and its fingers ending in heavy claws. What terrifies her the most is how easy it is to move, how there is no abnormality in how it feels, if she were not looking she could not tell her arm is the abomination it is. Seto and Utsutsumi stand by her bedside and the distraught Empress of Jurai holds onto her father. This is not her. This arm is not her. She denies this Counteractor and wishes and prays to Tsunami to not be cursed like this. She lost control. She attacked with malicious and lethal intent. Bearing no ill will to Piccolo she tried for his death. Misaki does not know who or what she is becoming. She cannot trust herself and worst of all she has no faith in what would have happened had she have been able to reach her own beloved children.

Near hysterical over fear her one armed hug of her father squeezes the very breath from him with her iron grip. He takes it for her suffering is clear. Her mother watches on. No plan of hers accounts for attacks from deities. The reaction of the trees of Jurai to her daughter are damning and she knows this. Her daughter is an active target again. She managed to keep her safe for all of the war and now in the space of so few days she has been grievously wounded twice. Lady Seto kneels down on the left side of her daughter and reaches under the blanket to hold the arm of the Counteractor. With resolute determination she tells her daughter she shall do all in her power to aid her and that her wish to Porunga for information on this curse shall be utilised to its fullest. Seto knows why the Kais fear her. The dragon though spoke of nothing on the matter of freeing Misaki from this.

Until it can be assured that no being from the Otherworld will target her Misaki is now under constant and vigilant protection from those holding power greater than that of a Kai. Piccolo shall not be far from her, she has already spoken to the warrior about this and accepts what risk it puts on the other Juraians he can no longer actively protect. The peace of mind and emotional tranquillity of Misaki is now paramount. There can be no action that risks angering her, several of Seto's plans she herself has to discard for the sake of not irritating her daughter. Misaki pleads that she will do anything and pass any trial of Tsunami or undertake any possible solution to help. She even suggests that she is willing to be put under in cryo-sleep to eliminate her threat until a solution is had. The mother and father reassure their several hundred year old daughter and think on the best way forward from here.

One certainty is decided by the parents of the Empress. So long as they have faith in Piccolo then this course is sensible. Utsutsumi opens the door to the private hospital ward and feet hurriedly sprint across the floor. Piccolo watches from a corner of the room for he cannot rely on ki sensing with this foe. Tension and worry freeze Misaki's body as Seto watches her in dismay at this reaction. Sasami rushes to her mother's side and hugs tightly to the non bandaged side of Misaki. She can now see that her mother is safe and OK and hug her to make her feel better.

Stood in the doorway still is Ayeka. Tears form in her eyes at this sight. The fear within Misaki at seeing and being near her child should never exist, nor be that overwhelming her mother can do nothing in the face of it. The elder princess has her choice made for her. This is no loss. This is no disgrace to her pride. This is necessary for the lives of her family. Behind her back she presses a button to send a hastily written plea to Earth. She needs help. She calls for Vegeta.

Namekian ears prick up at the sound of a device and he spies what Ayeka is doing. He nods in her direction for his attempts at sending a message telepathically failed, this is the right call to keep them informed and on guard. A few seconds pass and as Misaki hears worried complaints from her youngest about what is wrong and why she is acting strange a faint vibration sounds from an inner pocket of Lady Seto's robes. The grandmother stands and forcefully moves Misaki's Juraian arm over Sasami and affectionately pats the head of her worried child. Her green eyes shoot across to Ayeka. Misaki gives in to the hug she needs, to reaffirm her stance as a mother and show that her child loves her and she is not a threat to her now.

The Devil Princess motions with her head at her husband and walks across to trade places with him so Misaki still has someone supervising her as she approaches and stands next to Ayeka. She whispers to Ayeka for them to have a word and holds her hand to give her no option to leave or pause. They step outside the room a few feet and Seto points for Piccolo to take up position in the doorway to talk with them yet still maintain eye contact on Misaki. Lady Seto takes out her own communicator and sees that there are already 2 responses from Washu in regard to Ayeka's message. She taps a quick message informing the scientist of the people present in the conversation on Jurai and for a full briefing on Washu's personal findings on the Kais from her visit to that realm. The grandmother looks at her worried grandchild and shakes her head to herself at this chaotic situation.

"Please refrain from taking it upon yourself to make such rash decisions. Both myself and Azusa have similar messages ready to go, if less desperate and addressed to Earth's fighters in general and not just Prince Vegeta. Trust in us. I fear for what you might have set in motion. Unlike your questions towards the Saiyan Prince I know of the more pertinent information. Today and at this moment he is at his late wife's house. Your message is going to cause a stir, and I cannot predict what actions might be taken from his side." Lady Seto warns Ayeka of the consequences to the message sent.

Gohan follows Washu's directive and is jetting across the land towards West City with a communicator in his hand. Rushing through the entranceway of Capsule Corporation he says a hasty hello to the Briefs and garners the excited attention of Queen Vegeta. She tries to follow him for something is happening that is not talking with old humans but her grandson stops her. Gohan comes to a stop outside of Bulma's room and knocks on the door. A face peers out of the wood at him. Ryoko scowls with her head half phased out of the room. Gohan says that it is urgent and excuses that he would not disturb otherwise and hands over the communicator to Ryoko. She looks down at it and its message is not readable to her. Looking back up Gohan has already left and is dashing to his next target.

She slinks back into the room and holding the device looks to Vegeta sat on his marital bed. She does not want to give this to him now, he deserves his time here, she does not care what else is going on this is more important. However Ryoko can see that he knows something is up. He is not blind and deaf. Nor will he allow her to pity him by sparing him this. She hovers across and passes him the communicator and stands beside him.

His black eyes scan the message full of fear and the matter-of-factly follow-ons of who is available in the dialogue and a more detailed explanation of events. Vegeta kicks his boot off and the gem spills out on the floor. He stands with a harsh look to his face. His aching and drained muscles are stretched and a growl comes from his throat. Vegeta curses loud and punches a hole through the nearest wall causing Ryoko to flinch.

"Whilst I have been moping in my weakness my dropped guard has been exploited and the enemy has made their move. None shall make a fool of this Saiyan Prince, nor take advantage of Bulma's passing as a distraction to me!" He snarls in growing rage.

Vegeta disappears through Instant Transmission alone. Mount Paozu loses several trees as he impatiently fires a blast off into the scenery to announce his arrival as it is the most his depleted ki can muster. He storms up to the occupied training room and roars that Jurai has been attacked by Kagato and now by Kais. By his side Ryoko appears but does not approach him. Something is happening and it was important enough he left her alone, and also unsupervised, within Bulma's room. A couple of seconds later Gohan touches down at his parents' house. He looks pleasantly surprised as he came here to deliver the same news and did not anticipate Vegeta of all people seeking out Goku of his own volition.

The Super Saiyan 3 Goku warms down as he walks out from his interrupted training. This cannot be good. He sees hurt and anguish on Vegeta's face and his eyes linger on this sight and are about to ask why when a weakened and powered down Saiyan Prince strikes him in the solar plexus pre-emptively. Goku relinquishes his transformation and asks for what exactly has happened. Vegeta tosses across the communicator as he summarises the events. At the single word of who sent the message Ryoko's eyes narrow in hatred at Ayeka daring to interrupt Vegeta's grief and envy begins to build at how fast and urgent her lover answered her summons even when she is not here.

"Kakarot, you have years of knowing the Kais. Follow my orders and we can-"

"I think I can guess your plan, off I go." Goku interrupts and rapidly teleports away.

A blast charges at the place that Goku once stood as an incredulous Vegeta's rage builds. That was not his plan. In no way did he give an order for Goku to swan off. He snarls as he releases the blast over the horizon uncaring for what it might hit and shakes the ground with a stomp. He seethes under his breath that his plan was for Goku to contact King Kai and use his telepathic range as a relay to reach Piccolo and maybe have him charge his power to see if they can reach Jurai or not. Ryoko puts a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him and he ignores it. Gohan advises Vegeta that Saiyans suddenly turning up in force within Jurai's palace might not be the smartest plan, at the moment it is under control with Piccolo and he has faith for the time being that it can stay like that until Washu's wedding when Jurai will come to Earth again.

"That damned woman has no self control. Her power growth we cannot fathom nor measure. Your favoured Namek's strength has stagnated ever since he ran out of others to fuse with. He bowed to the Kais before, cowed by their presence, that feeble Kami might turn his head to obeying those idiots in Otherworld." Vegeta does not care for Gohan's trust in Piccolo. He is the one Ayeka called for with desperation. He has the power to stop this and needs only the ability to apply it.

Gohan tells him to calm it and that him losing himself in emotion will not help either. Vegeta shoots daggers to the scholar. He knows where Vegeta just was. To have the nerve to tell him to not be enraged following how his grief was interrupted is unforgivable. He starts to threaten Videl so that Gohan might choose his words with more care when Ryoko holds onto him tight and puts her hands over Vegeta's mouth to silence him. An aura of ki flows around him as his power and anger grow. She holds him to try and comfort him like she was doing. Yet that is not what he desires now. He surrendered being a Saiyan in the room his wife died and this happened, that weakness shall not apply when they are being actively targetted.

Stewing in his rage he waits and eventually a sheepish looking Goku returns. Being friends with the Kais is not changing their opinion on the Counteractor. Him freely exploiting their lands, killing King Kai and being resurrected by the life of Elder Kai work against him trying to leverage them. Stopping Buu makes them only more earnest for him siding with them to aid in defeating the next foe they deem to be as destructive as Bibidi's creation. He has had no luck with diplomacy. In one of his hands is some scrunched up black fabric. Vegeta's hand seizes his throat.

"That wouldn't by any chance be one of the undergarments I bought so my mother the Queen had clothing?" His strength is returning as he clamps down on his rival's neck.

"Every little helps, y'know what Elder Kai is like …" An excuse comes from Goku as he has to raise his power to protect himself from Vegeta's choking.

"I told you once before. Make a whore of your own damn woman. Or I will send her to meet that perverted Kai myself." The fresh stab of pain at the memory of Bulma over this scene fuels him into aggression.

"If she was having her way then I would be, better you being mad than Chichi. It didn't work anyway so no foul done." Goku blazes into Super Saiyan and slaps away Vegeta's hand. Now is not the time for infighting. He tried all methods he could think of to persuade the Kais and now they need another idea.

"I am the one here damned anyway. If we need Kais beaten bloodied or executed then just take me there and get out of my way." He threatens the heavens above. Bloodshed is what he needs. Foes that stand against him fall. Vegeta does not care for their rule, he does not want a power above him, it is about time he taught them their rightful place in the world below that of the Saiyans who had to save them from Buu.

His back and head slam down into the ground. Ryoko places a heavy knee on his chest and punches him square in the jaw. Her own aura of red flares about her. Those words he spoke she shall not allow. She grabs at his face.

"Your eternity belongs to me, Vegey. No way am I letting you doom yourself for her sake. Shut it now, relax a little, or I'm gonna get real mad too." The man under her grasp is not alone in being able to hold great anger. Ryoko will bare her fangs to get him to stop being so bull-headed.

She moves herself so she is sat on his torso and crosses her arms as she looks down at him. For his sake she shall do whatever she can to stop him going off on a killing spree against Kais. He needs to take off the narrowing blinkers of rage and stop being a fool. His ki has eclipsed hers to a point he can throw her off with no trouble, yet she remains where she is. He is not thinking straight and so she shall think for him. Ryoko looks up at Goku and points at the communicator and says they should probably start using that and seeing what Jurai want them to do. Goku nods in agreement and slowly starts typing out a question to Piccolo about his confidence in protecting either Misaki or Jurai from the Counteractor. Ryoko looks down at Vegeta and scolds him for being an idiot in needing Kais for telepathy and tells him to stay where he is like a good boy.

Neither Goku nor Gohan seem to care or react to Ryoko's display, both living with their own aggressive woman they are normalised to this kind of 'persuasion'. Vegeta's anger shall not abate due to simple words or manhandling. He abruptly sits up and Ryoko slides down to be sat on his lap. She earnestly looks at him and quietly whispers to him that none of this is his fault. His eyes look away and she sees how he almost instinctively declines and avoids those words. Ryoko says them again and gives him a little stroke on his cheek.

"Kakarot, they've probably already thought of this themselves but Misaki will have to withdraw from our tournament. It is too high a risk, especially if she were to face opponents that are not ourselves." He grumbles out trying to coax his rage down from a fire into embers. Goku nods at him and begins laboriously adding this on as another message until Gohan offers to type for him.

A full reply comes back from Jurai with Piccolo's tactical overview of the issue of Misaki. The power of the Counteractor was not a current threat to him, he had plenty of strength to give in that fight before being in any serious danger and so even if her power grows she should still be manageable. His issue however comes from the power he uses against her having to be less than Misaki's natural strength so he does not endanger her life. This disparity in strengths made fighting her awkward and in realisation cost her a limb. There are ways he can overwhelm her Counteractor strength and not destroy her body yet it is limiting his options in how he can engage her in a fight. Not having truly fought against a Kai it is hard for him to tell what his odds are in protecting Misaki from them, or how many Kais there are or indeed the greatest threat is how many sets of Potara earrings they might have and use to turn the tables against him.

The possibility of Potara does not fill them with hope as they know how high fusion can push power levels and the only way that fusion has been ended was through absorption within Buu – and doing that to a Kai is akin to declaring all out war on Otherworld. Luckily two of the powerful Kais – Elder and Supreme – are already utilising Potara and their strength is not a match. Goku has a think. The issue runs far deeper than the dangers posed by the Kais.

"Baba brought me back for a day and Yemma got that arranged for you too Vegeta with fighting Buu. If they've done it once it could happen again. Training there for all those years I know they have good fighters at the ready. 'Course I was the strongest but … yeah, it was where I learnt the fusion dance too. Could be anyone, enlist 'em to fight, bring them here and fuse them anytime with earring or dance. Geez this is a problem, we can't outrun 'em either 'cos Kais can teleport. I don't wanna fight those guys so they lose their bodies and stop existing." Goku muses on the dangers posed by going against all of Otherworld.

"So Piccolo is too much of a weakling then to protect Misaki. As fun as it would be to take on the legions of Hell and empty it of all decent warriors I guess the Kais would rather wait for us to let our guard down and strike swiftly rather than challenge us directly. There's no way around it. I'm not wasting the rest of my life on guard duty for some emotional mother, she is going to have to master whatever the hell that damned power is."

"Training's fine, I mean it is the best shot we got, but it ain't perfect. Much as we want even we can lose our cool and not be in complete control of our power. Might make her stronger too which the Kais aren't gonna like." Goku agrees that at the moment training Misaki to not let the Counteractor take over is their best long term option yet it holds its flaws. "Guess until we are around then it's Piccolo's job to train her. He's good at being all calm and composed, get her disciplined with meditation and ki control. But I think we need some safety net just in case. Kagato could do anything to spur her on again."

Gohan offers that until Misaki comes back to Earth they could utilise a sealed training room made by Washu. With the addition of some time distortion they gain more opportunity for her to be ready before Kagato can act and the time dilation will lock her within a dimension where she can pose no threat to those outside. Vegeta nods. This can be handled by Washu to manufacture a training room. His only worry is the security of the matter. Both Buu and Gotenks can break free of dimensions. At the moment the Counteractor has not shown this power but it does not mean she cannot gain it and break out of the training room. Little can be done to stop that however.

This plan is sent to Jurai. Washu intercepts and reads and complies that she can send the schematics of a training room over to Jurai for it to be manufactured promptly. Piccolo is onboard though if he is locked in a training room with Misaki he cannot sense or leave to guard any other Juraians from Kagato so he will train at sporadic times with shorter lengths to make it unpredictable for Kagato to act upon. Lady Seto agree that this is for the best for her daughter and will be keen for more direct talks when they are on Earth for longer term safeguards. However, she also confirms that from what she knows of the Counteractor it is within her power to escape from a sealed dimension. An apology is sent from Ayeka concerning the sensitive time for Vegeta she sent this message. For privacy Gohan hands the communicator over to the prince and Ryoko in no uncertain terms tells him to read aloud both what he writes and what Ayeka replies with. He brusquely asks if she is comfortable where she is to see if she will dismount him. She nods, no intent to leave him.

Goku says that if this is all sorted for the time being he shall go back to training and he does just that and Gohan flies off. The Saiyan Prince begins typing with Ryoko watching and waiting for him to dictate it to her. She grows impatient and does not like the look on his face. Ryoko headbutts Vegeta and holds down the delete button to erase his message. She is pushing her luck against him and so he stands. This does not move her as she simply floats up and hovers in the same spot as she would be in front of him. Ryoko says she has a message for him to write down. He tells her she can do that after, this string of messages was directed to him in the first place.

"Tell Ayeka she shouldn't be apologising. It ain't something she should have to worry for. That's 'cos you need to be doing what you were in that room all the time 'n' everywhere. No repressing. No being stoic Saiyan. Do what you need to whenever the Saiyan Prince wants to. That or you're gonna have to move back in there to get the time in that place you need to sort your head out." She holds his hand whilst being earnest with him concerning his grief and not ignoring her jealousy. Ryoko has seen now the stark difference. It is not healthy. He should not require the presence of a room to be able to do what he must to move on past his wife. His grief is not being managed in the way he locks it away daily.

"My training is not efficient when in that mindset, I have a goal to reach-"

"You have a goal dedicated to her memory so don't let that memory destroy you. There's no point me trying to be nice to Trunks about this if his dad is being an idiot hiding from it." She locks eyes with him and calls him out on the excuse of his training. It might fly in the face of his Saiyan ways yet he gives in to these emotions already, all he needs to do now is to release himself to embrace them more than the twice he has so far.

"And what of you? What becomes of you if I spend all my time internally reflecting and processing this? How will you cope if I do spend copious amounts of time where I lived with Bulma?" Vegeta tries to deflect.

"I'll do better than you. You might think you're strong enough to keep going like this but you're just giving Kagato your weakness on a silver platter, he can send a dead Bulma to you just like he sent a Sasami to Missy. You're in a far worse place than me."

"That's debatable." The prince grumbles back.

"OK, let's debate it then. … Look ya need to get your head on straight. You're not doing anything for me if you are not dealing with this, ain't no chance in hell you're making a damn choice and loving me if you don't deal with this. Please."

Ryoko stops floating and puts her feet down on the ground. Her golden eyes watch him think and wait for an answer. Vegeta looks down at the communicator and presses a few buttons. He hands it across to Ryoko saying that he has changed its language to Juraian and for her to tell Ayeka herself. As she takes this from Vegeta she begins to smile that he is heeding her advice. His form then vanishes. The ki presence that was before her reappears near his son's and mother's and without her. That is a harsh way to answer. She mutely types out her message to Ayeka and looks around at the silent countryside. This she takes to mean that her time welcome within Bulma's room has run its course.

Things could be worse she tells herself as his leaving stings. She has attacked him and his mood is foul beyond approach. Ryoko watches as Ayeka responds positively to this news and Vegeta taking steps towards positive progress on his grief. She replies that she was in Bulma's room but he has gone off alone now, and that it was hard to stand in such a place. Ayeka excuses herself that now the talk with Saiyans is over she should be spending time with her mother and not outside her hospital room and that she can talk about this at a later time.