00/06/21-29

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Credits to Kukyu, SexyBulma and P-chan for helping me decide on whose fate is fatal. Thanks guys!

And for those of you who need a good fanfic fix, read Aquilla's trapped! Mmm soo good!

One other point: IF YOU WISH TO POST MY FANFIC ON YOUR PAGE EMAIL ME ABOUT IT FIRST michika@telusplanet.net

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Corais followed the map in the eye-piece of her scouter down to the Cleansing hall. Her mind was not on the task at hand. She just kept thinking about her lover. The sight of her so vulnerable in the tank was frightening to her, almost like it was dictating that they could die and anytime. Corais swallowed her feelings and brushed her long hair over her shoulder; this was going to be a long day.

The wooden doors came into view; both tall and foreboding with the ancient language carved into its thick faces. Radditzu and a few other high ranking guards stood waiting for her; she nodded in Radditzu's direction. They were all dressed in formal battle attire, armor cleaned to a shine. They all stood facing the doors as Radditzu took a step forward and knocked once. There wasn't a noise in the corridor save for the breathing of the guards. Silently, Corais looked around and realised that she didn't quite fit into this group of people. There were five others besides herself. She recognised Radditzu and a couple others as the Prince's royal guards. The other two were Super Elites, how was she in this? She was a second class off-planet warrior, nothing more. Why was she here?

The Prince continued to float on the top of the water, using a small fraction of his power. He watched his queen to be in his arms. 'Weak.' he thought. 'What am I going to do? She will be my downfall if anything.' There was the sound of clothing swishing in the air and he looked up surprised. The robed figures had returned, yet what was more disturbing was that he hadn't sensed their approach.

The four robbed figured separated into even groups, one pair stepped up to the edge of the pool and reached their arms forward; they wanted the Chikyuu woman. He lifted her up easily but she tightened her grip around his neck. It didn't take much to break the grasp and hand the problematic woman over to the figures. They took her and left while he turned his attention to the other two. One held out a towel for him, knowing that he would refuse their help; it was his nature to do so.

Vegeta snatched the towel and snarled at the figures. This was improper by his standards, it would be the first thing to go when he was king. He floated out of the water and put the towel on before landing on the cool tiling. The same robed figure that held out the towel bowed then turned and he and his companion left the room through a guarded entrance with the Prince in tow.

Back on earth, the Z senshi had regrouped on Kami's lookout. The Sayians had left the planet suddenly with no reason. The people that had been loaded onto their ships were set begrudgingly freed and then the Sayians just vanished. Kami looked over the edge of his palace, down onto the scared Earth's surface. He could feel the bewilderment and sense of loss from his planet. His counterpart stood unaffected, blocking out all the emotions that surged up from the scattered people. The old god finally turned to face his planet's protectors, their faces were downcast and guilty. The Z senshi had failed in their task and it weighted heavily on their hearts.

Down on the planet, Dr. Briefs and his wife emerged from their hiding place during the deep fall of night. After three weeks in hiding, Mrs. Briefs could only think about her only child. The elderly couple had last talked to their daughter the day she had received the transmission from the ships in orbit. They formulated a plan, having a vague idea why the Saiyans had come to Chikyuu. Bulma would gather all she could from Capsule Corps; then it fell upon her shoulders to destroy any physical indication that the large company had ever existed. The Briefs had waited for two long weeks in their hastily made underground shelter and now they were finally free to venture out into the sun's warming gaze and inhale the sweet scents of life. Mrs. Briefs waited patiently in the Capsule car while her husband gathered the last of their possessions from the hid-a-way.

For some inexplicable reason, there was a lady who looked quiet out of place approaching the car. Her hair was clean and shiny, though that was all Mrs. Briefs could make out in the night. Her clothes were dark, probably black, consisting of a long form fitting jacket and a pair of tall leather boots that clicked loudly on the cracked pavement. Her face was well hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses. "Mrs Briefs?" She asked, her voice was smooth and light, it showed to traces of having been scared by the recent events. Dr. Briefs approached the car noticing the strange lady. "Can I help you miss?" he asked; his voice gravely from years of smoking. "Actually, I think it is I who can help you." She smiled behind her glasses and placed a gloved hand on the car. By this time Dr. Briefs had gotten into the car and was ready to gun the engine, the stranger was giving him a strange sort of vibe.

The elderly couple remembered nothing in the space of time that it took for them and their car to move from the planet to Kami's lookout. Both Chikyuu natives blinked, not quiet sure what had just transpired. They appeared to be on a platform surrounded by dark blue clouds to match the night-time sky. They both stepped out of the car, backing away from the strange woman that still stood with her hand on the engine of the car. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to save you, so you can see your daughter one more time." She could barely whisper the words as flashes of her own past played over in her mind. "Wha...what did you say?" Mrs. Briefs uttered. More lost time for the couple; the woman was gone.

Kami turned away from the warriors before him and began taking steps towards the other side of his palace. He came upon Mrs. and Dr. Briefs, both in a faint state of shock, "Hello..." Kami's voice was soft and calming to the shocked elders. Dr. Briefs turned and gasped. Gokou had followed Kami, wanting to see what made him walk off from a conversation. Gokou wasn't sure what to make of it; he could feel it in the air, vibrant and sharp to the senses, like electricity but more powerful yet still more playful. "...Fate..." he heard Kami hiss under his breath.

The two figures that had taken charge of the catatonic Bulma wrapped her in a large towel and sat her down on a seat. One rummaged in a shelf cut deep into the tilled walls and pulled out a pile of fabric and gestured for the blue-haired woman to take it. Quite unaware of what she was doing, she submissively took the clothing offered and waited for the two figures to leave. When they returned a few moments later Bulma had discarded the towel and was now dressed in the Sayian clothing. She was dressed in a short, form hugging halter0top with a short skirt complete with a slit up the left side showing off her bonding mark. The two figures brought out two boxes and set them before Bulma, the first one contained a pair of knee high boots in black, the second was filled to the brim with glittering jewellery.

She pulled the boots on and wiggled her toes in the end, wondering slightly how they knew her size. One of the figures reached out and pushed her gently back into the seat while the other approached her carrying the second box. Gentle hands began affixing jewellery to her body; they stopped when they reached her ears. "Wha..?" Bulma barely formed the words in her dismembered state. The figure held up her hand, signalling Bulma to stop talking. She fingered Bulma's pierced lobes once more before abandoning whatever she was thinking; the other figure began to search through the shelves of pots and intricately carved dishes. It took the one figure a long time to get an armlet on Bulma's arm. It appeared that her arms were thinner and more delicate then the average Saiyan and it was causing problems. She finally succeed and Bulma looked at the armlet. It started at her elbow and worked its way downward to stop a few inches shy of her wrist with another piece that slid over her pointer and pinky finger, securing the armlet in place.

The first woman, obviously the elder of the two, turned Bulma's face in her hand. From the left to the right then back again. The confused woman in the chair sat perfectly still, unsure of what to do. She sat quietly as the woman worked with her hair, making faint clucking sounds as she pulled her fingers through its lengths. The second in command seemed to study Bulma with a critical eye, even though her face was shrouded in the darkness of the burgundy cloak she wore. She pulled and straightened a few of the pieces of jewellery from around her neck, straightening them to perfection.

Butterflies began to dance in Bulma's stomach as she watched the pair advance on her with another box in both their hands. It seemed to be quite important though not heavy and it was rather disturbing to the woman to why they both needed to carry it. The robed figures placed one hand under the box each while they worked the other free of the folds in their clothing. They both pressed down on the box lid with translucent skinned hands. The lid clicked once then popped open a fraction of an inch at the seams. Both withdrew their hands back into the robes before opening the box. Together they pulled out a simple golden crown, it was a straight band of gold that mounted into a rounded of peak at the front. Even though it wasn't extravagant it was beautiful in the room's dim light.

Once they'd affixed the crown to her head, the one resumed turning Bulma's head from side to side. The other stood behind the first, sombrely with two pots in hand. The first pulled free the paintbrush that stood in the first dish. Her hand was quick as it drew a line over the top of the Chikyuu's eyes. The liquid was cold against her warm skin, making her flinch. They outlined her eyes with kohl and touched a faint rose color to her lips. The foreign substances tickled her skin, teasingly with the feeling of indulgence.

It'd taken ChiChi and the rest of the Z gang a few moments to calm down the Briefs' when Gokou had brought them over to the rest of the gang. Dr. Briefs kept removing his glasses, cleaning them then putting them back on for a few minutes before restarting the process. Kami and Mr. Popo had vanished into the palace to consult between themselves and the earlier guardians of earth.

Piccolo floated meditating; he had a faint inkling of what it was that his counterpart had sensed. He knew what those creatures were though he'd never encountered one, or met anyone who'd had. He floated in silent reflection within his mind. What was that creature doing here? What did it want with the Briefs? He gave up and sunk deeper into his meditation.

The two cloaked women pulled Bulma to her feet, the boots felt strange under her as she stood on the tiled floor. Both women took the Chikyuu woman by the upper arm and began to walk with her to a new door, one Bulma hadn't seen before. They stood at the door waiting as if they weren't allowed to enter it. The Earth woman looked down at her arms. Her left one had on the armlet with its smooth and unmarked face, while the other had a simple bracelet dangling off her frail wrist.

The door slowly began to creak open, antagonisingly slow in Bulma's eyes. She peered inside before the robed figures nudged her into the large room. Large braziers lighted the corners of the square room in a palette of oranges and yellows. The ceiling was so high up into the heavens that she couldn't see where the walls met the sky. The ground wasn't tiled like all the other rooms but was one continuos onyx marble slab. It reflected Bulma's reflection perfectly down to the last strand of hair. Her eyes followed on the marble floor to see another pair of sandal clad feet. She followed the feet to a pair of toned legs and upwards to a perfectly sculpted torso. Arrogant as ever, the Prince stood glaring in all his untouchable presence. He had the same armlet as she did on his forearm, but nothing else, no jewellery. He had a wrap on that made the Chikyuu woman want to laugh; the Prince was wearing a skirt. She suppressed a smile as on of the robed figures lead her into the center of the room where her Prince stood waiting unhappily.

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