It was a rare moment of calm at Modulus, Dazu thought as he walked through one of the outer hall of the house. His gaze drifted over the slits of invading sunlight that painted the marble floors and white washed wall a soft rose colour, the beautiful sight disturbed only by his darkened elongated silhouette. Stopping in front of one of the narrow look out windows, he allowed himself to relax for the briefest of moments and admired the tableau before him. The normally light blue sky had taken on a lavender tint, set off by the orange, pink and purple wisps of clouds that lined the horizon. The lands surrounding the house were a contrast of light and shadow, the thick grassed meadowland shone with the golds and greens of late summer, yet the light was broken with cracks of shadow from the towering trees from the forests beyond. And there, in the centre of the living tapestry was the Sun, a large red glowing orb like a fire in the heavens. It will be a beautiful day tomorrow, he thought, if we can make it through the night.

Sighing at his momentary loss of peace, Dazu pushed the offending thoughts to the back of his mind and enjoyed the last rays of sun on his face. That feeling of calm was a fleeting one, especially since the Mistress had broken the news of the alliance between Okazaki and Enleo. In one day, the normally peaceful serenity of their lives was but a distant memory. The running around, extra guards and training, the techs working day and night, Yamcha going nuts; the whole house was in chaos, talking about the worst crisis they had ever faced. Of course, a month ago when the Saiyajin arrived the same chaos reigned, guards training for the new threat, techs working day and night; and then a year before when a certain clear eyed blonde found her way through the outer security system. I guess calm is always a fleeting thing at Modulus. Sighing in grudging acceptance of perpetual chaos, his thoughts went back to their tailed visitor. For the panic that he inspired when he first arrived, the Saiyajin Prince had been rather easily subdued; the Mistress’ gadgets were nothing short of remarkable some times. Yet, her conquest of this creature was not one of her greatest successes. To date, he had wounded her during coupling, beaten her at Kaissa and given the guards and Yamcha’s ego quite a beating as well, a chuckle forming at the last thought. Our little Prince is turning into quite a challenge, must be driving Yamcha insane. Oh well, an ego like that deserves to be clipped once and a while. His possessiveness, borderline obsession, towards the Mistress and his arrogance at the thought that he might still one day become Master of Modulus, made him at the best a trial and at worst a danger to anyone who stood in the way of his grand scheme. He certainly played the part of Master of all he surveyed, the only will stronger than his own that he ever even bothered to listened to was the Mistress herself but by the sounds of it, the Saiyajin was a far stronger presence than the oh so vaulted head guard. What Dazu wouldn’t have given to see the sight of Yamcha thoroughly thrashed by the collared creature. Well, thank goodness for small miracles, the ‘Master’ had taken to licking his wounds in private, it had been over a day since he’d seen him last; maybe the peace wouldn’t be so fleeting after all. No such luck, he thought as the heavy thumping of boot heels broke the tranquil silence. Rushing down the hall, a young soldier slowed when he caught sight of the meditative head servant, an awkwardness appearing in the young man’s brown eyes as he caught the older man’s gaze. A series of mumbled and half formed words tumbled from his mouth and he unconsciously ran a hand through his short dirty blonde hair, his eyes darting everywhere but to the other man before him.

"At ease, soldier. I’m not your captain, and do not wish to see him take his angers out on anyone; though, I would like to know why you are rushing down the hall like the hounds of hell are after you."

The soldier immediately straightened, head snapping upright and arms at his side. Discipline was not lacking in the young man’s posture, and, as Dazu noticed the man’s constantly darting eyes, neither was embarrassment.

"Sir, I was just finishing rounds before night fall. The Master said that security checks had to be done at least twice before sun fall as no one in going to be on outer guard duty tonight. I was detained and was trying to make it back in time before the entire system is operational. The orders tonight are that no one is to roam the halls. The new laser alarm system and heat sensing defence systems are being introduced and if anyone is out without the proper security clearance I don’t want to think of what will happen to them."

"Double checking, did you find anything interest in the bathing slaves quarters?" Dazu asked, his gaze pointing to the make-up smears and hickeys gracing the man’s neck and under his chin. Raising a hand over the evidence of his indiscretion, a blush the colour of the sunlit walls crossed the man’s cheeks and his eyes met the head servant, the look of a child with its hand caught in the pantry plain upon his face.

"As I said, soldier, I’m not your captain, though I suggest you make your way a bit more decorum, or the Bruha herself wouldn’t be able to heal you of your punishment." The young man placed a clenched fist over his chest and nodded his head.

"Thank you for not mentioning this episode to the Master. I do suggest you finish your walking early tonight. The guards were informed that the lock-down would commence shortly after sundown. Good night, sir." The soldier made his way down the hall, this time at a more dignified pace, though still trying to wipe the make-up off his neck. Left alone to his thoughts for a second time, Dazu stared out at the tableau once again. The once burning fire was now only a glimmer in the sky, slipping past the horizon as the darkness slowly began to eat away at the lavender sky. Dazu turned away from the window and returned back to the task at hand. Continuing on his way down the hall, he barely took notice of the low electric lights that flicked on as the sun’s light dissipated from view.

His nightly walks had become rather a ritual now, a simple comfort, a time for reflection, to lay to rest the skeletons of his past. He still remembered his first night in this house, a young man of only twenty-four years. Well, physically he was in his prime, but mentally emotionally, he was a weak bitter child. Twenty years of abuse and neglect, his entire life used for nothing more than for the whims of others had destroyed the boy he once was and the man he could have been. When he was sold to the Mistress of Modulus it was just another count on his sentence, the dark cycle of his life just continuing again. He walked into her room for his testing and staring into those prefect blue eyes, he knew he was more lost to her than he had been to any of the others that used him before. Standing naked before her, his shame in himself evident on his face, he waited for her wrath. Nothing could have been further from her mind as she kissed him, and shyly asked him to pleasure her. Amazed at the contradictions this woman presented, he never the less did as she asked, revelling in her equally strong passions towards him. At that moment, all the years before, all the indignities and pains were slowly washed away by her, her strength, courage, passion, her kindness. She opened her arms to him, took him, and made him something more then he ever could imagine in the process earning his undying loyalty and devotion. In the end, it nearly broke him again when she gave him his new position and ended their physical relationship. What ironies she deals in, giving me back my life only to have me give it to her more completely than any before. But, he knew he could never be what she truly wanted or needed, the challenge she craved, the spirit and fire to match her own.

Glancing over at the ceiling, his keen eyes spotted the motion sensors blinking into awareness at his presence but the temperature spectrum device identified him and overrode the alarm. There were times, even after all the years he had lived in this mauve and white palace, that the gadgets in this house still amazed him; most of them built by men who had been little better than beasts when they first graced these halls. The majority of slaves that entered here could hardly read or write and yet they had the potential to create such feats of engineering, to shape this house into the finest technical house in the land. The inventions and security measures had saved them from many threats, our two latest intruders the most recent examples, but the Mistress’ luck could only last for so long. The enemies before had been but one against an army of machines and guards, now she would be against armies of men and technologies like her own. Not that she had anything else to protect her; Yamcha, for all of his strutting and superiority complexes, had trained some excellent soldiers. Beyond that, everyone who resides in this house would give their lives for the blue haired goddess, from the lowest errand boy to the highest ranks free man. What else but love would persuade him out at this hour to perform the most menial of task of checking the security system; yes, only love. Taking one last lingering look out through the white marble slits, Dazu found only unending black staring back at him; love indeed.

"Dazu, sir. Sir!" Hope might not be fleeting but peace was definitely a scarce commodity for him tonight; must be the Moons.

"Sir, please wait; we need your advice."

"On what matter?"

"The Saiyajin, if you please, sir."

"And what detail about him is bother you on such an evening as this?"

"Where he will be spending it, sir." The girl replied, rather indignant at the mocking tone in her superior’s voice. An uncharacteristic bout of shyness struck the eternally calm head servant at the girl’s question and manner of tone. Not one to normally raise his voice, he would have chewed out the young girl for her behaviour if her question hadn’t shocked him first. It was common knowledge of the Saiyajin’s position in the house but to declare that their tailed Prince should be sent to the Mistress’ bed would still be awkward beyond belief. He had long since left the life of a bordello slave when he entered this house but working for a woman such as the Lady of Modulus still had its difficulties.

"Why do you not ask the Mistress such a question, and why ask it at all?" Dazu asked quickly, attempting anything that would mask his discomfort.

"The Mistress was in a closed session with the Bruha, sir. The guards felt it would be unwise to disturb them with something I could ask the head servant." The young serving girl had to bite back the smile that was threatening to spread across her face. Dazu was nothing like the tyrannical head guard but still, to see that ever stoic mask of the great perfectionist crack was worth any talking down she received from the guards when she tried to ask the Mistress.

"So, the Bruha has final awakened, but you still haven’t answered my second question."

"But sir, you did not answer my question at all."

"Well maybe if you tell me why you are wondering about such seemingly obvious questions in the first place maybe I can answer it for you." Dazu retorted, his patience running thin with the girl’s attitude and the time this meaningless argument was wasting. He still had the main security centre to check before making his report to Bulma.

"We were told by the ‘Master’ that ‘any activities regarding possible hostiles must be checked to ensure that they will not be a security risk’. I know the Mistress does not publicly proclaim what she and the Saiyajin do in her bedchamber every night but something tells me that they are not playing Kaissa or discussing etiquette."

If he’d been allowed to see himself, Dazu would have probably chuckled as he blushed the same rose colour as the young soldier at the underlying frankness of the girl’s comments. As it was, he didn’t know whether to feel embarrassed at having to deal with this situation or angry with Yamcha for putting him in it in the first place. Hostile, the only ‘hostile’ that they could even possibly have in the house is the Saiyajin. What was he trying to pull; either getting the Saiyajin put back into the Kennel or trying to convince Bulma that the Saiyajin is a risk to her.

"I have not been given any different orders about the Saiyajin so as far as I, and I would assume the Mistress, is concerned, he is spending the night where he has been of late."

"And where would that be, sir?" The young girl asked again, trying to taunt the head servant a bit more.

"Don’t press your luck, Dessai. You have made it perfectly clear that you know where. As far as I’m concerned, this is just like any other night except there is a little less light and you don’t go wandering the halls."

"Like you are doing now?"

"You’re trying my patience, girl."

"Just seeing if there was an end of it, sir. Nice to know that a slap doesn’t come with it." Bowing before him, she left with that rather cryptic remark hanging in the air. Discipline was less than stellar amongst the female slaves in the house, probably due to the unheard of amounts of freedom they were given. For all the back talking that they gave him, they were all excellent workers, doing anything in their power to please their female owner. It is hard to remember that many of the girls who called these walls home had come from bordellos like himself, were hit, abused and raped. By the Fates, what would happen to us if we are attacked, invaded. Dazu knew in his heart that the men wouldn’t survive, they would probably be the lucky ones. Enleo was known for his horrendous treatment of women; he made Yamcha and his torture chamber look like nothing at all. Maybe it was a better idea to err on the side of caution, especially tonight. To contain all hostiles might actually not be a bad idea but something in Dazu made him think other wise when it came to the Saiyajin. The head servant still remembered the look of defiance in those hard black eyes, the promise of revenge as clear as a crystal. Yet, there was another look he had found there, confusion mixed with desire; the burning of rage overcome by the burning of memory when he had mentioned the Mistress. This alien, this Vegita, may have had the power to blow up the planet without a second thought, had succumb like all of those before him. Lucky bastard, Dazu thought, he’s been able to enjoy that body, that passion, that spirit, where the rest had been cast aside. Surrounded by those delicate limbs, drowning in those endless blue pools; he had not known of any former pleasure slave who had taken a life partner after being dismissed. This one was different some how, and not just due to the hair and the tail. He was a stand out from the others and even Dazu admitted to himself; he was a challenge to her, a match not only in body and will but in wit. There was more than the least bit of envy in Dazu’s hazel eyes when he saw the Mistress called for her new pet, a blue fire sparkling in those eyes. It was more than what she had felt for him; not even Yamcha had stirred in her such a response. He might be the one she had always desired for, the one she had searched for all of those years but had come up empty, a weathered heart and a string of obsessed lovers. A morose laugh bubbled through his contemplations. The woman he would give his life for might have finally found the one who she had always wanted her whole life but their stubbornness and pride would never allow them to think of each others as equals. What ironies she deals in.

Noting the every growing hum of machinery, the man picked up his pace towards his ultimate destination. Why he had been chosen for this task, and why he had accepted was still a mystery to him. The only figures and numbers he could keep straight in his head where those of accounts and funds owed and paid, the high end mechanics that Sar’in and the techs worked in were nothing more than gibberish to him. Approaching the source of the distracting buzz, his eyes still marvelled at the colours that blipped and shone out of the darkened room. Reds, yellows, greens, and oranges glowed brightly across the opened doorframe, like the fireworks he remembered in happier times with his family during the festivals of Luce del Giorne. Blinking himself away from the happy thought, a disturbing realisation struck him, the door wasn’t suppose to be open; it was closed with higher security than the Mistress’ chamber and the lab. May hasp since there was going to be no night guard that it was decided that a sentry would always be on alert in the central control room itself but still, unanswered questions plagued his mind. If they are guarding the room, why is there no guard on the outside, only the door opened for anyone to waltz in and sent the years of work and knowledge that was hundreds of wires, transmitters, and binary code into nothingness. What was happening, not even Yamcha would order this type of a scheme, and from the sounds of it, he didn’t even want his soldiers out tonight. Inching ever closer to the doorframe, he tried to stay his breath from alerting whoever was there to his presence. Body presence against the wall as far as he could, pausing before the door jam and waiting for a sign that there truly was someone else there. Hearing the subtle clicking of fingers across a computer keyboard, Dazu inched ever so carefully to peer into the darkened room. It’s probably just a tech, checking on some last minute details before the security system goes up, he tried to assure himself, but deep in his gut, too many unanswered questions and suspicions crossed through his mind to make him even consider that possibility. If it was a tech, why were they alone? There would be a guard at the door, or at least another tech with them to ensure that everything would be going smoothly. And why was the door opened at all? In all of his travels up and down this hall, never had he seen that thick metal door open. What was going on? Who was in there? Grabbing hold of the door jam for comfort, he finally stood in the middle of the doorway, thanking the powers that be that the seated figure had yet to notice his presence. Dazu stared into the shadow filled, the blinking lights he had admired but a few moments earlier did nothing to illuminate the room, only add to the dark glow of the chamber. There, seated at the main console unit was a medium built figure, cloaked in black material. A large hood hid the back of their head from view, the shape of the hood clearly outlined by the harsh white light of the computer screen in front of them. Dazu’s stomach fell to the floor as his body began to tremble from the influx of adrenaline through his veins. Hoping to catch the intruder, or at least to steal a glance at that face; Dazu crept up to the unsuspecting being. Every step he turn his mind and body raged against one another, his body telling him to run for help while his mind thought only of his duty. He could do it, he thought; while he was not the strongest inhabitant of the house, he was certainly be one of the most imposing looking. Keeping down his almost frantic breathing, he curled his hand around a stray piece of metal and began to raise it above his head, readying himself to strike down at the seated individual. Within two steps of the intruder, he pulled his make shift weapon behind his head and felt the vibrations shock through his arms as he struck one of the metal side consoles behind him. The clanking sound of metal against metal shattered the silence of the room, to Dazu it was as if his eardrums were bursting at the noise. Cursing himself at his own ineptness all thoughts raced from his head as the occupant of the chair spun around to investigate the noise. The metal bar fell to the floor, almost an echo of the clank earlier, as Dazu stared into the eyes of his would be victim. Highlighted by the light of the single computer screen was a friendly face, one he had known and trusted and a look of abject fear crossed over his features. Suddenly a stray red light hit the revealed figure’s face, giving their eyes a blood red appearance. It took only a second for Dazu to finally comprehend the meaning of that look; he knew he was dead.

Responding to his natural instincts, the shocked man ran; if I can get to the door I can get help, if I can get to the door I can get help, the thought, like a mantra through his mind. Blinded by the sudden dash into the light, he opened his mouth to scream for help from a guard, a servant, anyone who might be passing near. The air rushed from his lungs and came out as a quiet garble of moans as a thick hot liquid poured down his throat. Struggling to get air back into his empty lungs, a knee rammed into his stomach and he doubled over with pain. Lifting his hands to his throat, again he felt that hot thick liquid and the unimaginable pain that came with it. Gasping for life and grabbing at his enemy’s cover, he heard a low grunt followed by a sharp edge of a knife plunged into the back of his head. Collapsing on the floor with the cloak in his hands, his red blood pooling on the mauve floor beneath him, he looked up to see his assailant running down the hall towards the centre of the house, the main hall. Still trying to call out for help, he felt a welcoming blackness over take his consciousness. Lights flashed before his eyes; red, greens, oranges, and yellows, and it was as if he was a boy again, watching in wonder at the exploding fires in the sky. His gasps no more than strained whimpers, still yelling out to get help. Must warn the Mistress, she’s in danger, must warn her. Fighting against both his inability to breathe and the blackness that was quickly washing over him, an imagine flashed before him of another time, in the embrace of his beloved Bulma. Leaning down to kiss her forehead, he breathed in the soft, flowery scent of her hair and caressed her smooth skin.

"Sleep, Dazu, you’ve earned your peace; just sleep."

Never to be a disobedient man, he followed her wishes and sunk into the comforting darkness. Maybe peace would not be so fleeting anymore.

~~~~~

"I guess I should start with how are you feeling; the villagers who found you said you were moaning about the pain. You took a pretty bad fall this morning." Bulma asked, concerned blue eyes staring into a weary set of green, the aura of death heavy in the room. The night of New Moons had claimed its first victim, even before the sun had set. The once restraint Bruha was now a frantic mess, dark circles rimmed her eyes, her face framed by sweat matted hair. Bulma gave a slight smile at the proud set of Kayra’s shoulders; there was something she could appreciate in that simple stubborn gesture.

"Please sit, a terrible hostess I would be if I allowed a guest in my home to stand in such a state. Come, sit. Is there anything I can get for you?" The questions finally brought the young girl to a sense of reality and she stared at the woman in front of her, as if seeing her for the first time. Shaking her head, to clear her mind of the thoughts that were not her own, she sat down in front of the short wooden table that had been the stage for her talents so many days ago. She watched as the woman she had learned to know as her Mistress sit across from her, the rustling of the peach silks of her gown the only noise in the hall.

"I do not wish for anything, My Lady. Please forgive me my appearance; one of the hazards of being the eyes of the Fates, I can’t choose when a vision hits or what it will be of."

"What did you see? Please, does it have anything to do with the reading, with the future?"

"I, I’m sorry, everything still hurts. It was, was like pure death, absolute chaos, thousands and thousands of life forces blinking out of existence. It must have been the present; the noises, the imagines, the insanity; I’ve never had a vision so clear in my life."

"Can you tell me what it was; you said there was death, did you see what was happening, any details? If there is a danger you can see, please, you must tell me." Kayra looked into those concerned eyes, fear barely hidden beneath the surface.

"I saw, I saw the Lord and his subjects of fire attack a devil. But, but the devil and his minions, they were more than they could bear. It was the devil in the end, he destroyed the planet, he destroyed every life force that inhabited that world. A white devil with red eyes; they pierce the soul." A gasp followed the cryptic statement and with that the last light of the Sun upon the world faded into nothingness and the darkness covered the world. As if struck by a non-existent chill in the air, Bulma shivered at the loss of the natural light and glances up to its electric counterpart.

"My father once thought of the world as being a place where people never had to fear the dark. He was one of the first scribe houses to use electricity to light his home, to fight against the growing darkness, both with the daily death of the Sun and the fear that death would bring. Humans evolution was linked to the power of light and our ability to fight the evils that exist in the darkness. He even once told me of a dream he had, of his electric lights in every home, a steady glowing beacon, land fixed stars in the night. If you saw it from the air, you wouldn’t know which part was land and which the sky. He never did it, though; the darkness took him, defeated him as they do to all in the end. Please, you said I was keeping the evil, the darkness at bay; is it coming now, does the evil you spoke of before approach? I have seen the doll, the white doll you speak of, with eyes like blood, ripping away my hope. It, it asks for the ring, it said I stole from it. This is the night where the darkness is at its strongest; please, is there anything you can tell me, any way to keep the darkness at bay. Could you do another reading with your cards?"

Watching and hearing the Mistress’ pleas was like re-living the visions all over again. The fear in her tone, in her eyes was like nothing she had even seen from the proud Mistress before. The death of her father must still touch her deeply, even after all these years. Yet, there was something more, beyond the pain and sadness of her family’s death, a fear of the darkness and the creatures that dwell in it. In truth, her life must have been shaped by these fears from the tender age of youth, it is a miracle that she became as strong as she did, such forces would have swallowed up a weaker soul.

"I don’t now if I can do something so exact but I will try. Please, come sit." Kayra asked, the concern paramount in her mind was in some way to take away the panic that this woman, her benefactor, her friend, was now living in. Taking out the silk tied bundle, she unwrapped the cards and laid the deck between herself and the blue eyed woman before her. Remembering the protocol from before, Bulma tentatively picked up the deck, forgoing her still present curiosity over the exotic imagines painted on the parchment lengths, and began to shuffle, the concerns and fears ever present in her mind. Caught up in the events of her only world, she blanked out everything else but the cards, the table, and the thoughts swirling through her head. The real world around her was just a faint echo in her mind, the subtle sounds of the main hall and the low echo of her cards smacking together. Her reverie quickly broke as the background noise began to grow, words and footsteps loud enough to be heard even through the thick wooden door. Suddenly the door flew opened, the loud bang of the wood against the marble walls reverberating through the cavernous room. Rushing into the room ran a frantic Mata, her head uncovered and her eyes dead set, her expression stony from years of inconsequentially taking people’s lives. The same could not be said for Kayra, whose expression had turned from one of gravest sobriety to wondrous shock. Placing the cards down on the table, Bulma began to stand and ask the girl what the meaning of this visit was; no clue could even be gathered from Mata’s eyes and all information must be inquired out of her.

"Mistress," the almost gold tinted girl said solemnly, "You’re in grave dang…"

"My Lady, no!" a masculine voice cried out and a swift moving streak bounded through the partially closed door, turning the attention of every one in the room with their outburst. Everything moved in slow motion as the armoured figure of Yamcha rushed through towards the now turned assassin. "Murderess bitch!" the voice cried out once again as Yamcha came up to the now fearful Mata, raised a knife in his hands and slamming the blade into her stomach, the hilt protruding from her lower abdomen. Grasping the knife out of the wound, he readied himself to strike her again when Bulma broke from her daze to scream out at the man who had attacked a trusted servant and friend. A loud bang was again heard through the room as Kayra left from her place at the table, knocking it over and sending the cards sprawling across the floor as she ran to the sight of the carnage. A low cry of anguish was ripped from her throat as she knelt at the side of the downed assassin, professions of shock and denial soon followed as tears flowed from her eyes.

"Yamcha, no, stop. What are you doing?" She shouted out, tears pouring down her face as she looked at the two people before her, both splattered with crimson spots of blood. The sound of her voice broke through Yamcha concentration and he left the downed assassins side to rush towards his former lover. Grabbing her before she fell to the ground, holding her close and trying to soothe her fears with his blood splattered hands. Pulling away from his embrace, she paled at the sight of the blood on her clothing, the red stain on her skin; remembering the violent murder that had just occurred in front of her eyes. It was like the night of the attack all over again, the shouts of anger and pain, the blood, dear Fates, the blood that stained her skin, the marks that would never leave her.

"Yamcha, let me go, let me go! Why, what have you done?"

"My Lady," Yamcha said pleadingly. "Please, you don’t understand. That, that thing, my Lady, I saw her k… , kill Dazu in the hall by the main security control centre. I found out from one of my informants in Ar that she was a spy for Gero, sent to destroy our security system and kill you while you sleep. He sent her the first time a year ago to, to kill you but she didn’t make it through the first time. Now, with the alliance between Okazaki and Enleo, it was only a matter of time before she struck again, she must have been trying to shut off the systems before they became operational but Dazu walked in on her before she could finish. I, I found this cloak in his hand and one of the knives from the armoury a short distance away. Both were covered in blood, I’m sorry, Bulma, I got there too late." Looking over at Kayra and the downed Mata in disgust, he threw the cloak at Kayra’s side and walked towards Bulma again, arms opened and out stretched.

The tears that were threatening to spill finally complied as two hot, salty streaks traced down her cheeks. Glancing out the opened down to the hallway she saw the remains of her guards slumped down against the walls, a little trickle of blood inching its way down the side of their heads. How complacent she had become over the years, thinking that she had escaped from Gero’s grasp. But she hadn’t, she had only moved a distance away and now it had struck home, and one of her own. Walking towards the opened doors, she heard the subtle groaning of her men as they began to awake, her own pace slow and steady as if trying to maintain her poise and dignity after showing such open emotion.

"Yamcha, I’m trusting you to finish the security checks that Dazu was working on. Please, get some of the male servants to move Dazu’s body to a safe place until we can prepare a proper burial. And get some one to take care of Mata’s body for proper burial as well; even a assassin deserves her final respects." Bulma said, glancing over at Kayra as the young girl wrapped the blonde stranger in the dark cloak, the yards of material swallowing up her small frame. Her eyes grew large with alarm as she discerned the ever-growing pool of blood that stretched out across the floor, swallowing up Kayra’s strewn cards. A shiver passed through Bulma’s body as she looked down at her feet at the upturned Death card, the skeletal rider drowning in the sea of blood.

~~~~~

Pacing back and forth across the thick carpet, Vegita allowed a brief concern toward the woman’s tardiness before dismissing the offending thoughts from his mind. It had become a ritual, ever since he had began his official duties as a harem boy, he snarled. He would be escorted through the maze of corridors by the one of the higher ranked female slave; one of the stronger male slaves there in case he thought to escape. At first he was dragged by the chain, he now walked by the man’s side, cursing the man and his own weakness for allowing himself to be brought to such a state. After the woman had entered and straightened the room, he was left alone to wait for the object of his hatred and desire. At first he had planned his revenge against her as he had with all the others who had mocked and scorned his weakness; his contemplations of her soon evolved from object of his anger to object of his pride. Stopping in his pacing to glance out the darkened window, he smirked at his plans for his little blue-haired ‘Mistress’. Such a proud creature she was, a noble, untamed animal, so like himself; what better way to exact his revenge than to return her the gracious hospitality that he had been shown. It was still a question whether he would merely keep her for himself or share her around amongst the Elites of the palace. She would learn then not to underestimate the Saiyajin no Ouji; he would break her with her own methods, ironic that many religions in the Empire had justification for such action. An eye for an eye, pride for pride, ‘Mistress’ and you and your followers will feel the power of my wrath. Such thoughts would grow and fester in his mind, mixed with memories of his past life and the unconscious fear of his future. He felt, in that growing, uncertain darkness that surrounded him that he would lose himself, his very sense of who he was, or at worst, his very sense. When it seemed as if the virus of doubt would consume him he would be confronted with the sound of the heavy door swinging open at the gentlest touch and the beautiful teasing eyes of his nemesis. While in the light of day they were as polite strangers, alone there was a fire between them, a need to outdo the other and they partook of any and all competition with equal fervour. The barbs and insults that flew back and forth between them would fill the room, reflecting the underlying sexual tension. The stresses of their day flowed out of them as their yells increased in pitch, all building and building until it finally came to a head and their joined each other, one devouring the other; the passion between them more than Vegita could imagine.

Broken out of his reverie he stared at the slowly opening door, his eyes burning with curiosity and the promise of the upcoming verbal spar. Staring back into those blue eyes, he nearly gasped in shock at the look of fear and pain that flowed from her red rimmed eyes. Turning her face away from his hard gaze, she wrapped her arms around the white flowing bathing robe around her torso, rubbing the sides of her arms as if ridding herself of invisible dirt on her skin. Walking towards her shaking form, his earlier concern evident in his pure black eyes as he opened his arms to her. Glancing back at him, tears streaming from her eyes, she ran into his arms, burying her face in his naked chest, the hot trail of her tears down his chest causing him to flinch. Thinking only of crushing who or whatever caused her such pain, he opened his mouth to break the uncomfortable silence between them.

"Wh…" he whispered at the top of her head, only to have her soft lips cover his own, silencing him, pressing her voluptuous curves to his own hard body. Teasing her lips opened with his tongue, he stroked and tasted the alcoves of her mouth while one of his arms surrounded her small form. The other slipped between the two of their bodies, caressing the swell of her breast and the sensitive skin of her side to meet the loose knot of her robe. Pulling the thin strip of silk, the front of the robe opened before him and with a tug, pooled at her feet. Breaking the kiss for need of air, Bulma turned her head away from that intense obsidian gaze, shame at the weakness she exhibited in front of him combined with the fear and remembrances of long ago becoming almost too much to bear. About to tear herself out of his embrace, she was halted by the light pressure of his finger against her chin, forcing her to face him again, to face those bottomless eyes once more. Closing her eyes to avoid his stare, if only for a little while, she was shocked at the warm breath and smooth feeling of his lips on her forehead, her temple, her eyelids, cheeks; his teeth nipping at her nose. Opening her eyes, uncertain at what she would find staring at her, she was met with those hard angular eyes. After all this time the dark scared her, the fear of death always over her shoulder. Even now, being held in those warm, wonderfully strong arms, the blissful feeling of safety was overcome by the blackness of his eyes, fear of the unknown in him and what he could do to her but drawn by the fire she saw in them. Wanting only the power and comfort of his arms around her, she gave into him and herself, to the touch and the taste and the wonder that was the magnificent creature before her. Feeling as if she could drown in those bottomless black pools she began to kiss his chest and up to his neck, stopping at his chin, her free hand skimming down his body to loosen the ties of his loincloth. Unable to take the teasing between them, he pulled her to him, lifting her off her feet and placing her down on the bed. Staring into those blue eyes, he thought of nothing more than taking away the pain he saw in their depths. Lower himself to her side, her pulled her to his side as she welcomed the strong comfort of his arms, being as slow and gentle as he possibly could, a smile tugging on his lips as she returned his affections with her own. Thoughts of revenge a million parsecs away he focussed on the woman in his arms; stubborn wench, never backing down from a challenge. Well, he thought as she began to pinch and stroke his tail, he would gladly give her one.

~~~~~

The soft glow of the few remaining candles flickered out at the light breeze that wafted through the room. At the slight drop in temperature the smaller occupant of the bed shivered and shifted closer towards the other life force before relaxing again in his embrace. Again returning to their slumber, neither figure moved as the large window behind the bed swung opened, nor by the shifting of the curtains. In light too low for human eyes to discern, a small, strong hand pushed through the silk covering and moved it aside.

*After you, My Lady* the creature holding back the curtain stated, gallantly bowing to the other figure hovering outside the windows.

Smirking at her brother’s show of chivalry, Juuhachi, the eighteenth member of the vampyre assassin clan, the Black Daggers, slipped through the open window and onto the rich carpet below.

*Hurry up, Na-kun. Stop showing off.* Glancing around the room, she quickly covered her mouth and nose with her hand, gagging on the air in the room.

*And you accuse of being overly dramatic; what is the matter with you, Juu-chan.* her brother inquired, slipped through the curtain to join his sister. As the two stood side by side, it was almost impossible to say which was which; the height, build, even their clothing and hair lengths were the same. It wasn’t until one saw them in the sickening light of day was it obvious the differences between them, one visage black, the other glowing white. It wasn’t until you looked into those soulless blue eyes that you realise they were twins then it was too late.

*Damn, can’t you smell it; the stench of the living and sex. I guess the little runaway bitch found herself a plaything. Odd though, he doesn’t smell human. *

*Never understand you. Juu, I like that smell, nothing better than a good kill and a good fuck. You and your superiority complex, ever the touchable. *

*Cut the monologue, if you’re so wishing to become an actor, we’ll book you at the Corroon in Ar. Let’s just take the slutty bitch, give her to that old freak and finish this job. *

*Anything in particular bothering you? You’ve been on pins and needles since we took this job. You can’t really be scared of that stupid old human? * Juunana frankly stated, ignoring his sister’s wishes. Walking around the room, his inhuman eyes glancing around the room, admiring the simple elegance of the place. Moving over the book shelves, his hand moved across the taught leather bindings.

*Hmmm, the three treatises of electrical propulsion mechanics by Glick. That must be a stirring read. *

*Would you stop fooling around; we can come back tomorrow when this place is in chaos and take whatever you wish. I don’t trust that that little shit didn’t turn off all the security systems. Besides, if that thing is as dangerous as everyone seems to think it is, I want it sedated and away from me as soon as possible. *

*So impatient, I don’t even know where you get it. If I could remember out parents I would probably blame it on them. But still, you’ve never been this jumpy on a job. *

*It’s that man, or reasonable facsimile of one; Gero. I don’t know about him, there’s this look in his eyes, Na-kun; he’s insane and just creepy. Everything about this job has jest been wrong since the beginning.*

Watching her brother continue to ignore her and explore the little nick-nacks strewn about the room, bending down to pick up a slip of white silk off the floor. Sniffing the delicate silk, her brother smiled again.

*Na-kun, Juunana are you listening to me? Let’s just grab her and get out of her, there might not be lasers and whatever weird technical garbage they have here, but they still have guards and the hells know what else. *

*I swear you worry too much, over a bunch of silly humans no less. Remember what Gero said, we can have anything in the house that we wish as long as we hand over the girl and that alien thing. Besides, you must admit that the man sends tasty deliveries, that boy two weeks ago was the tenderest meat I’ve ever had. Whatever that girl and her pathetic plaything did tonight will probably keep them quiet through this whole thing. Besides, wouldn’t you like to see what sort of clothes a rich slaver has? *

At the mention of clothing, Juuhachi’s tense body brightened with giddy delight. Looking through the shadowed room, she found the ornate doors of the walk in closet and swung the doors opened. A whispered sigh and laugh fell from her mouth as her eyes beheld the hundreds of coloured silks, satins, velvet and cotton gowns that hung in the darkened room.

*Na-kun? * She asked, holding up a low cut purple gown against her petite frame. *How do you think this would look on me? *

*Rather disproportionate. * Her brother replied, already moving to the huge bed in the centre of the room and lifted the sheet off their quarry; his gaze reverting from mild interest to barely contained excitement. His mouth parted to allow his tongue to wet his suddenly dry lips, and Juuhachi almost shivered at the intense look her brother now had in his clear blue eyes. His brother had always enjoyed women over males during hunts, particularly pretty ones, taking great care and time to get as much agony out of them as he could. By the Hells, what was it about this stupid blue haired bitch that had such an effect on men. Walking over to her brother’s side, the dress long discarded; she looked down at the two now revealed figures on the bed. On one side lay the woman, long blue hair plastered to her sweating back; although they were the same height, the human woman was by far more voluptuous, Juuhachi thought as she watched her brother’s sweeping gaze over the woman’s exposed body. Blocking out the loud, unconscious thoughts her brother was now broadcasting; her attention turned to the other occupant of the bed, a larger, darker, definitely more masculine presence. A shock of dark hair, almost flame like in shape, caught the assassin’s attention. With a discerning eye, she wandered down the other human’s body, noting a large scar over his well-defined chest. Even inch of his body seemed covered with muscle, so the woman liked her men strong and stupid. Laughing at her own joke, and the subtle reference to her now dazed brother, her eyes continued down his body and stopped at his heavy corded neck, and the white blinking collar that graced it. What, this must be some kind of joke; this woman must be desperate if she puts that contraption on all the men she fucks, not just the ones she captures. Though I doubt most men have tails, the vampyre thought as her eyes caught sight of a brown furry length wrapped around the lower calf of the sleeping woman.

*Na-kun, if you want the girlie that badly I think we better move quickly. It seems she likes her plaything to be not of the human variety. *

At that comment, Juunana’s stare left Bulma’s breasts and caught sight of the tail and wound their way back to its orgin.

*Damn, I understand kinky, but fucking an alien. This must be some twisted bitch, just think what I could get out of her. *

*Would you stop thinking with your penis and let’s get this over with. I’ll hold her down while you give her the serum Gero gave us. Then we’ll just shoot up that monkey thing and get these two back to Gero. *

*Actually, I’ve been thinking, sis. We’ve already been paid, several times over in some cases. Why don’t we just give the old man the monkey and the collar and keep the girlie. All that stupid human wants is the collar, why should we give him anymore, since you have such a bad vibe off of him. If he argues, we’ll just kill him. *

Taking the syringe out of the satchel over her shoulder, Juuhachi glanced up at her brother as she prepared the needle.

*Oh yes, it would all be for me. Well, you can at least carry her back to the house. But don’t forget, * The blond female stated, staring down at the other occupant of the huge bed. *You will owe me big. * Handing over the syringe, she leaned over and held Bulma’s arm and neck.

*Trust me, I’m very appreciative already. Sleep well, little pretty, you’ll be living in a nightmare soon enough. * The male vampyre said as he positioned the needle and pressed it into the woman’s upper arm. The sleeping female emitted a slight whimper of pain before the paralysis serum took affect and she lost all consciousness.

*Well, that was easy enough. *

*Never say that, dear sister; you never know what the next obstacle might lie. * Juunana said as he handed the needle back to his waiting sister to ready the serum for the next victim. Ignoring the progress of his sister to the other side of the bed, his eyes returned to the body of the now paralysed girl as his hand joined them. Brushing her cheek, he put his hand in front of her mouth to feel the even pattern of her breath on his hand. Smirking at her complete ignorance of the situation, he took another step and slid his hand down to her breast, cupping the warm flesh and squeezing it. As if fighting both the serum and his touch, she began to whimper and lightly shift, trying to shake the offending hand off of her.

*This one has spunk, even if she is a weakling. I do wonder about one thing though, what is so special about some ugly monkey tailed freak and a collar? * Juunana asked as he grabbed the offending appendage off of his prize and squeezed it sharply. In that one moment, the undisturbed silence of the room was shattered as a scream loud enough to break glass nearly caused the books to tumble from the shelves. Shocked at the sudden loud sound, the blonde woman shouted out as well, her tightly wound nerves finally snapping as she dropped both the syringe and sample bottle on the carpet.

"What, what are you doing here, you coward? Attacking me while I sleep, fight me like a man, or whatever you are." The now awakened creature screamed, lashing out at the dazed female assassin. Searching the floor frantically for the serum and syringe, Juuhachi was unprepared when the fully awakened and enraged Vegita came at her, fists at the ready to avenge, it seemed, his sudden loss of sleep. Roiling quickly to the side, she took a hurried stance; hoping her opponent was still semi-conscious or too slow witted to do her any real damage or cry out again to alert the guards to their presence.

*Na-kun, the bottle and the needle, I dropped them on the other side of the bed. We have to knock this thing out before he wrecks everything! * The woman mentally screamed as the Saiyajin came at her again, his speed matching her own. Hoping to buy her brother time, she delivered a quick kick to the creature’s stomach and did a back flip towards the wall, hiding herself against the dark surface to once again gain the element of surprise. His senses were obviously as sharp as hers as well, as he quickly recovered and threw himself at the wall, his fisted aimed at her head. Ducking under the initial punch, she was not so fortunate with the upper cut aimed at her chin; snapping her head back and leaving her unguarded for his next attack. Taking the advantage, Vegita backed the girl into the corner, pummeling her face and body with no remorse. So engrossed in his victim, he did not notice the movement behind him until he felt the sharp bite of pain along the side of his neck and a quick shock of energy from the imprisoning collar. Choking on the intense pain, he collapsed unto the now recovering Juuhachi, sparks of energy rippling through his body as the collar continued to release wild fluctuations of his ki.

"You fucking BASTARD!" The lovely vampyre screamed at the unconscious Saiyajin, the scene now reversed as the enraged woman took out her humiliation and pain out on the cause of both.

*Juu-chan, be quiet. I can’t believe that the guards didn’t here that one. WE have to hurry, there can’t be more than a few more hours of night left. *

The female seemed unaware of her brother’s unheard of urgency as she kicked her attacker in the ribs and placed her foot on his neck, grinding the heel of her boot into the edge of the collar, enlarging the crack that Juunana had put in it with his first attack. The room was soon aglow with the bright white light pulsation around the moaning creature; a cry of pain mixing with the sound as the two assassins’ shielded their sensitive eyes.

*Na-kun, did you find the syringe? I don’t trust that freak not to wake up again and try something else. * She mentally shouted out to her brother, the light radiating off the monster burning through her eyes and causing a pounding in her brain. Smacking the collar again, a shock of energy rippled up her arm and she lost control of her hand as the pain shot through her. She finally sighed in relief as the offending light finally dimmed and blinked out, the silhouette of her brother with the needle in hand and a grim expression on his face came in through her blurred vision.

*Well, now that you’re done with your plaything, I suggest we get out of here. *

Growling her conceit, she grabbed the Saiyajin by the arm and hauled him up over her shoulder. Juunana was a little less rushed as he walked back to the bed, his hand squeezing Bulma’s breasts as he lifted her into his hands and slung her over his shoulders. His hand securing his grip around her inner thigh, he smiled back at his sneering sister.

*Don’t worry, sis, this night will only get better. Already I have a new plaything and when we kill that pathetic human you can have a new punching bag. Maybe we’ll feast on them together. * Walking towards the window from which they entered this white and mauve chamber, Juunana opened the curtain again for his sister and motions for her to proceed. Saying or thinking not a word this time, the slight blond female with a load on her back larger than herself climbed up to the ledge and jumped out into the pitch black night.

~~~~~

Stretching his sore muscles, Sar’in walked around the small workroom that he and Thak had now been relegated to in the wake of the Saiyajin take-over of Bushi. He was alone now; he and his fellow tech now taking turns, one slept while the other explored the mysteries of the pod and he was in for another ten hours working on it. Walking past the small window high upon the wall, he looked out at the pitch-black sky and shivered at the unwelcome thoughts swimming through his sleep-deprived head. It was bad enough that he was stuck in this shadow filled prison, hiding from the wrath of a power hungry alien while the rustles and cracks and noises around him filled his head with visions of demons, both real and imaginary. I hope Thak is having a better night than I am, at least he gave me something to play with, Sar’in thought as he sat back down at his seat and tapped in the final code and smirked at the list of files that now grace his computer screen. He was a step closer to this goal, this round enigma was slowly giving up its mysteries; he could only hope it would help in this fight. It was pathetically easy really, the security codes used in the learning module were nothing more than a three symbol code. The Saiyajin either have to change their files often and don’t wish for a more complex security system or their supreme arrogance extended to more than just combat; and from the one Saiyajin he had actually encountered the latter of the two was looking much more attractive. When run through the central processor of the main computer, recently upgraded with the files from the pod’s central database, it had taken no more than ten minutes to crack the code and open up whatever knowledge the space pirates held. Though, it had taken almost two hours to convert these said same files until a readable language instead of the thick scripted Saiyajin language. Hearing the familiar groaning of his chair as he settled down in front of the screen, his eyes scanned over the tens of hundreds of files. Spelled out in Standard symbols that his human mind could comprehend he began to pick out file names of interest to the ‘Mistress’, well both of them I guess.

"Saiyajin culture, Standard instructional, basic repair, pod retreat command, propaganda?" Sar’in read, not knowing what to think of the assortment of files he found; their content not the sort of ‘learning’ we would identify with when he thought of Saiyajins. In truth, those two words didn’t belong in the same sentence together and yet in these files he found the proof of education in culture, language, engineering, retreat; huh, retreat? How did that get there? Typing in the command, he was amazed when a speaker in the pod began to crackle and a low repetitive noise rang out through the too empty room. These files, they aren’t written or text files; all information is passed on by, by music? No, there was something more, the tech thought as he listened closely to the steady slow beat of the mysterious music and discerned a pattern and finally a voice; subliminal commands, crude but effective. Maybe I had given those beasts more credit than their do, they chose artificial means by which to educate themselves; though, if the chemicals that they had discovered in the pod where any indication, they don’t really spend long hours contemplating the universe in these things. Probably the only way they can educate themselves, rather hard task to perform with beings that cared only for their violence and blood. But still, why would an adult need such odd files, they should already know this kind of information, at least about their own planet. Why, you would only put a mindless animal or a mindless child through such schooling. Ending the moronic droning of the pod’s sound system, he began to type furiously on the keyboard; the few text files might have been converted to Standard but the instruction module must have more files than that. Groaning at the prospect of decoding and reprogramming the alien wav. files, Sar’in sighed into his hands as he listened to the gentle whirling of the computer perform his commands. Staring up at the long list of files once more, he was met with series upon series of symbols, tiny megaphones and small squares made to look like screens. Worth a shot, he thought, clicking on the sound and visual files marked ‘Mission’. The pod once again came to life and a burst of light flooded out of the open hatch. Again, the low guttural voice began to sound through the room, this time narrating the show of lights that made a slow path across the far wall. The bright lights of the room distorted the images; this was going no where. Stopping the progress of the file, he looked through it again, trying to figure a way out of the language barrier. His eyes scanned once more and a sparkle found life when he stopped the tiny megaphone beside the Standard instructional file. It might be a stretch but if he could possibly use one file as the basis for converting the other. Returning to his keyboard with renewed vigour, he began typing in the paths he wanted and hoping that the damn bucket of bolts he was working with would comply. Again the micro-transmitters whirled to life; another long wait, he realised and began to pace about the small room.

Ten hours I’ll be stuck in here, he sighed as his stomach began to grumble at the lack of food, his throat parched from lack of water. It would be at least another two hours before he was brought anything to eat; the guards of the house still brought them sustenance as ordered by the Mistress, the old ties of loyalty never truly breaking. It still amazed the tech that they hadn’t been caught or found out yet; heck, it was an amazing to think that he was working on technology from another planet, or that beings from other planets existed at all. The fondest memories of his earlier life was the time at night when he could escape the demands of his owners, and the brutality that always seemed to come with it. He would go out to the fields that surrounded the main house, away from the slave quarters and just lie in the middle of the wild tall grass and just stare out in the stars, finding the constellations that his father would point out to him. Before he was sold and separated from his family his father told him to always look to the stars, to always find the compass stars and let them guide him; it took him ten years to figure out what his father truly meant. Using the stars to guide him at night and hiding during the day he finally escaped to the west, to the city of Ar. The Fates work in mysterious way, he was recaptured and sold in the city markets, only to be bought the Mistress. All those things that his father talked about, the science and math he tried to teach his thick-headed son finally came back again, though if he didn’t know so much he probably wouldn’t be in this situation. Yet, as he looked out that tiny window, seeing all those tiny dots of light, he couldn’t help but thank every minute of this little adventure. Odd though, stars don’t normally move that fast, and when did there get to be so many of them, he could hardly make out a constellation. The lights shifted once more, and a faint glowing orb popped up before him. Darting his gaze around the room, he caught sight of a ceiling full of faint dots of light; he hadn’t turned off the visual potion of the file and the projection system was still operating. A hint of giddiness and childlike curiosity struck him at the prospect of what was in front of him. These Saiyajins, if they own this kind of technology, where have they gone, what have they seen, and it was all here at his fingertips. With the gears of his mind turning a mile a minute he rushed back to his workstation, begging the hard drive of the computer to work faster. After the endless five minutes the task had been completed. Restarting the file, he rushed to the light controls and darkened the room until it was as pitch black as the outside, the monitor and light show the only illumination in the small space. His fear, hunger and thirst where forgotten as the lights moved across the walls and a mechanical female voice that echoed out of the pod.

"This is pod number 2L0K2T, of the Royal Saiyajin Intergalactic Vessel, Giardino. Ship’s mission and itinerary, to establish a foot hold on the planets of the Croix and Stiletto galaxies expanding the empire’s known holdings into five galaxies." Sar’in sat transfixed by the lights surrounding him, as three-dimensional maps of the two galaxies flashed before his eyes. With the crude optical technology that existed on Gaia they couldn’t see much farther than really the naked eye but this, this was more than he could imagine.

"The first purge on route is the planet Prevedere, which would by Planet Trade ratings sell at an asking price of " the voice continued, highlighting a section of the map and zooming in to give a visual of the planet. The perfectly round lavender sphere came into view. Zooming out of view, the planet once again became a part of the projected heavens and the pod continued with its explanation. Grind lines began to appear on the miniature galaxies as a new planet was pinpointed on the map.

"The second planet, Tigana, by all accounts by the scouting reports a very difficult planet to overtake, primarily due to the inability of any intergalactic empire’s advanced communication to pierce the cover of gas cloud 19G31. The particle cloud had kept all but the smallest vessels from entered the majority of the galaxy until the construction and launch of Giardino. A small planet with a class M biosphere would fetch a price on the open market of…" Sar’in stared in shock as the sluggish synapses in his sleep deprived brain finally clicked in to what he was listening to. Purges, he was listening to the flight plan of a band of savages, murderers on a celestial scale. The words became nothing more than a groan as the voice before it had, he could stare only at the map as a new planet came into view, a small white one with a tiny debris field ring around its equator. These planets, they were whole planets with people and civilisations and life and discoveries and these, these barbarians think of them as no more than a rock and a pay-off of gold or zorks or whatever the currency of cut-throats could be. To think he could have believed that he could learn anything from these things; the Saiyajin were a plague, a curse upon the universe and it seemed the most powerful of the race had found home upon his own planet. Choking down the burning acids from his empty stomach, he pushed himself over to his workstation; the wonders of the stars now hollow against such a backdrop. Engaging in a mental tirade against his too human curiosity, he looked through the files to find something, anything to help him learn a secret of weakness of these creatures. Blindly searching for a name or word that stuck out in his mind, his eyes stopped on a word he had never seen before. The letters were in Standard but the computer must not have been able to find a match in its databanks. A two-thousand mb visual only file; oh well what could happen. Leaning over to take the cursor operator in his hand, he clicked on the file marked ‘Oozaru’ and gasped in shock as the room suddenly filled with the most intense white light he had ever seen.

~~~~~

It was a credit to his training and discipline that Kakarott suddenly awoke at the sudden sharp peak of a energy he had not been able to find since his arrival on this planet. Keeping his body perfectly still, the wide reaching expanse of his sense to find it again. The memory of the blip was starting to wane from his mind as the small warm body next to him shifted and curled into his chest, rubbing the soft top of her forehead against his clavicle. The large Saiyajin could almost chuckle at the paradox the woman beside him presented; the woman at the lead of a huge band of warriors, the best fighter, even against male combatants, for miles around. Yet, when she loses her crown to himself, she becomes his lover, and a rather willing one too; to think not two days ago she would have tried to break that bone and now she snuggles up against it. All thoughts of his Prince and mission forgotten, Kakarott merely gazed down at the woman by his side, the soft scent of her almost overwhelmed by his own strong one, though the two complimented each other. Leaning in to brush a stray lock of hair from her shoulder, her still sensitive body shivered and she moaned low in her throat. Hmm, another ticklish spot, he thought as he added it to the ever growing number he had discovered over the course of the night.

Not trusting her when he entered his room after her emotional outpouring and his talk down, he sent one of the guards in first to announce his arrival. Waiting outside the wooden door, hiding from view, he heard a loud thump and a cry of outrage as the unfortunate messenger lay unconscious on the floor and the perpetrator snarled at his attempt to make a fool of her. Unable to hold in his amusement, his laughter rang through the halls and corridors; her short fuse temper would have made her a favoured fool at court. Crying out again for his insult against her pride, she came at him, rage blinding her to the stupidity of attacking him head on. Catching her attack with laughable ease, he stared down at his unwilling prize with barely contained amusement.

"Let me go, you freakish alien bastard. If you think you are getting away with what did last night you have another thing coming." She had shouted, her own shame evident in her statement. She thought he used her, well I guess to lose your freedom to one that you hate is the worst kind of punishment. He understood pride; he was a Saiyajin, even if he was only viewed as nothing more than a third class. The anger and bitterness that had built over the years of taunts and ignorance that he faced washed over him and he grit his teeth to hold his building rage in check. The hellcat in his arms had been unaware of his sudden mood change and had decided to attack him in the classic male weakpoint. Poor little Amazon, rule number one in the cadet training, always wear groin guards, as the girl had undoubtedly discovered as he found her screaming her discomfort. The wiggling motions against his body were having their affect and he found himself growing hot at all the places of contact.

"You dirty monkey, how dare you do this to me? If raping and torturing women is the only way you get your jollies, maybe you should join Enleo."

"And what of your warrior’s honour?"

"My honour should have been given to someone strong and brave, someone like my father. You, you’re nothing but a space man bent on destroying the planet. I guess to you all woman are the same, that’s why you did those awful things to me, used me like a peasant."

"You mean like this?" Kakarott asked, mischief in his voice, and gleaming out of his coal black eyes, his head descending to silence her never ending mouth. Her efforts to free herself from his grasp returned with avengence, her small hands pushing on his chest to create some breathing space between them. Oh no you don’t, he thought, I won’t let you try and claim that last night was nothing, even if I have to prove it again and again and again. Tightening his grip on her light frame, his arms pressed that hidden feminine body to his, assuredly overwhelming her with his body heat. His tail even got into the act and unwound from his waist to flit up her pant leg, tickling the spot on her calf he had found but this morning. Sure that her body would be in dire need of air, he released his hold on her mouth, using her silence to skim down her throat and latch his lips around his mark, kissing and suckling the puncture wounds. He smiled against her neck as he felt her protests weaken, her breathing take on a more ragged edge. Unconsciously, her opened palmed hand began to caress his chest and she leaned into him. Thinking of working her up into another fit of rage, his mind formulated the perfect snapping retort to her earlier vow of refusal. A particularly sensual moan laid to waste that idea; to get her angry was to seduce her again and though the challenge might be fun, he wished only for that soft bed and her in it. It had been a long day, ruling a house is harder than it looks, he regarded as he walked into his new master bedchamber.

His hand traced the strong line of her back, he forced his ever present instincts to relax and enjoy this moment. Running his fingers through the long separated spikes on his head, thoughts of his itinerary for the day poking through his mind and just as quickly dismissed by the smirking Saiyajin. There would be enough time to worry about such trivialities later; now I know why Vegita ignores his duties so much, the life of administrator is not for a warrior, I would how the little one ever managed it? Brushing his hand against her curved side, he laughed at the tiny whimpered pleasure noises she made at his touch. Lowering his hand to taste her parted lips, he suddenly shot up in alarm; it was there again, he felt it, Vegita. The signal was louder than before; a brilliant burst of energy before it tittered out again. The ki was due east, about twenty kilometres away. Gently removing himself from the sleeping girl’s embrace, he pushed open the lone window and jumped out into the night, uncaring of his naked state. Flying at all speeds towards the origin of the ki spike; his eyes caught sight of a white burning light, blaring in the sky. Staring at the source, he felt hormones rush from the length of his tail, pounding through his blood stream and setting off a series of synapses at the base of his skull. Thoughts of finding the Prince were pushed aside as the pure basic animal instinct took over and the rage overcame him. Roaring at the perfect full moon, he welcomed the rush of power as his body grew and transformed.

~~~~~

Just relax, Bulma repeated to herself as she felt the tugs of exhaustion pulling on her recovering body. The strong warm body next to her was like a drug, first an aphrodisiac and now a sedative, the even puffs of his breath, that enveloping warmth and arms that would protect her from all harms were lulling her into the realm of peace but still her mind resisted. Eyelids drooping under the impossible weight, she sighed and curled into her night time Prince, a slight shiver passing through her as she felt a light breeze against her still sweat beaded skin. Her body unable to fight off the coming blackness she surrender to the power that had claimed the male next to her and joined him in slumber. While her body was immobile, her mind was far from relaxed, still working feverishly, unable to rest especially with all that had happened this night. The knowledge of Mata’s betrayal was only overwhelmed by that of Dazu’s passing, and from defending her it seemed. The sight of blood was not something she shied away from, she had not gotten to where she was now by being gentle and sweet; cruelty should be used as a scalpel, surgically and swift. But death, was something different; it was so final, so brutal, no chance to change or make amends. Why, why had Mata betrayed her? She gave her word, as an assassin, as a warrior that she would be loyal, albeit that oath was given at knifepoint; the girl had always upheld it. Dear fates, how could she have been so blind, to allow someone of such reputation and questionable motive so close to her. Had the peace of the past year made her soft, blind? Yet, the image of Kayra kneeling over the bloodied body of the golden girl still burned in her mind, the tragedy of the scene made her doubt Yamcha’s words, that the assassin hadn’t betrayed her. Anyone who would have such a wise girl crying over their deaths cannot be pure evil. But Dazu, why did he have to die, why did such a gentle sweet soul have to be snuffed out by Gero’s madness? Such a hard soul, tormented when she first brought him to her bed, that mask of anger concealing the strong confident man he became. You won back your life and you gave it to me, even when you knew I couldn’t give you mine in return. At least I now know you are at peace, she thought as a sudden sting of pain twitched through her arm and the darkness creeping at the edge of her mind gained in strength. Fear and panic at the encroaching unconsciousness fuelled her will, made her fight the dying of the light. Fear of the dark was quickly forgotten as she felt a cold finger brush against her flushed cheek, and then began to squeeze at her breasts. Stop, stop it, she mentally screamed, her body and mind fighting the unnatural lethargy and neither succeeding. What, so tired, she gasped, something in her zapping her strength and overcoming her senses; she couldn’t move and soon she knew, she would not be able to able to think. Hearing a low scream echoing in the recesses of her mind, she gave up the fight and slipped into the black.

Bulma was drowning, her body and mind struggling against a black sea, a hopeless cause against a current that she couldn’t see. She tried to fight the paralysis, it only sucked her down farther; she attempted to scream out, her vocal chords did not obey. The flow of the water became the rush of wind and for a moment, she thought she must have been dreaming; that she had finally let her mind go and surrendered to the realm of dreams, that she was flying high above the forests, leaving her fears and problems behind like she always wished. The euphoria ended when that same cold lifeless grip she felt before returned again, this time grabbing at her inner thigh and began to poke and prod at her most intimate place. She flayed her legs to loosen the grasp but her efforts produced nothing more than a laugh from her attacker.

"So, the little bitch finally graces us with her presence." She heard him say, a sense of power in his tone as his other hand moved to grope and pinch her breasts. Wave after wave of nausea and fear washed over her, the sounds and touches were melting together, becoming a distorted mix of sensations that reeled through her dazed reasoning. The offending hand on her thigh now moved to her buttocks, nails digging into her flesh and forcing a mute choking sound from her lips.

"Don’t worry, slut. We’ll be at Gero’s soon and after we drop off your tailed fuck toy you’ll be all mine." Even through the distorted reality she was experiencing her mind deciphered only a few words, the syllables blasting through her mind, the fear causing her head to race as she fought against the paralysis in her body. Gero was after her again, not only that he had found her, caught her and she was helpless to stop it. Using what little strength remained at her disposal, she opened her eyes and was blinded by the bright light that lit up the black sky. A surprised gasp from the assassin confirmed that she was not seeing things, but the light of the mysterious moon also revealed that she had not been completely mistaken about her dream. She was flying, though slung over the shoulder of the male, soaring over the meadowlands and dense shadowed forests, towards Okazaki, and they weren’t alone. The assassin had mentioned something about a tailed freak, what, Vegita was here and obviously a prisoner as well. Trying to scream out, her vocal chords straining to make that hard choking noise again, her desperation mounting with every mile travelled.

"Vegita!" she yelled in her mind, the panic and increased heart rate pumping the drug through her system even faster and her mind was slowly being swallowed up again.

"Vegita, please … help me, … please help. VEGITA!" And the world went black once more.

~~~~~

He was on Prevedere once more, flying over the kilometres of thick evergreen forests, the smell of the pine needles and the rush of the wind against his body sweet reminders of that fateful day. Glancing around for Kakarott, his eyes instead spotted a fire in the woods, the tiny spark of yellow light a beacon against the unending black of the forest. Swooping down, he was met with the wrinkled face of the old wise woman once before, her eternally closed eyes staring at him, looking past his physical appearance, ripping through his pride and arrogance and staring at his soul. Vegita grew uncomfortable under that gaze, looking at him but not looking at him, seeing him better than he could see himself. Trying to intimidate the old crone, he searched his will for the switch to his power, blasting the witch for even daring to look upon him. A cry of outrage burst from his lungs when the welcoming aura of power did not come, his body frozen by a force greater than himself.

"I warned you, oh mighty Prince of Vegitasei, you cannot escape the fate that has been written in the stars for you. The evil you have woven with your Karma has been overcome by your Dharma and soon your destiny will begin. You run from your fate and end up crashing into it, it is too late. You have been imprisoned in invisible chains and are drowning in a sea of purest blue." The old woman said, her eyes now opening to reveal empty sockets as she laughed at the Prince. Growling at her disrespect, he lunged at her but found his arms and legs still unable to move, his body straining again an unseen force. The laughter echoed through his head, the sounds distorted until they became a shrill shrieking of contempt. Trying to cry out again, he found his mouth filled with warm water of the purest blue. He struggled against the invisible pull dragging him to the bottom, the noise and sounds and chaos pounded through his head. The sounds finally joined together, a single word screaming into the unending, maddening nothingness around him. Yet, at the very ragged edge of his senses, he heard another sound. At first, it barely registered against the all consuming scream but gradually it grew louder and louder until it echoed through the nothingness and his brain.

"BLUE!"

"vegita!"

"BLUE!"

"VEGITA!"

"BLUE!"

"VEGITA!"

In all the days and nights he had been in this house he had heard that voice say that word hundreds of times. He had heard his name shouting in anger, frustration, said in polite conversation, questioning tone, even moaned and screamed in pure ecstasy but never had he heard it so frightened, the terror and panic shooting through his veins.

"Bulma." He said, his voice haunting and distant as if the meaning of life had been finally revealed to him. Mustering all the strength his lethargic state and the collar would allow him, he fought against the current and opened his eyes. A flash of pure white light hit his pupils and the overpowering rage and bloodlust of his more bestial self came forth. He allowed his rather mind only the slight realisation that the mechanical collar shattered under the pressure of his now huge, fur covered body as he roared and thought only of the hunt.

~~~~~

If the black haired assassin hadn’t seen it, he would not have believed it. One second he was delighting in the mute protest and the intoxicating smell of fear off of his new pet and the next, his sister’s scream of surprise ripped through his ears.

"Na-kun, what the fuck is going on?"

*Juu-chan, what are you talking about? * But his ignorance lasted only a few seconds as the cause of his sister’s terror grew from the angry, now awakened Saiyajin to a one hundred foot tall red-eyed monkey. He watched in pale horror as the highly prized collar shattered, dozens of flaming pieces scattering throughout the forest. The monster roared and snarled before it centred itself in the air and turned its attention to his sister.

*JUU-CHAN, GET OUT OF THERE! * Juunana cried out over his mental link and dove at the flying beast, hoping to distract it long enough for his sister to get away. Security the bundle on his shoulder with one hand, he charged his free hand with a quick blast of energy and screamed at the monster. The huge beast didn’t even acknowledge the tiny annoyance and with a flick of his tail sent the assassin reeling back, the unconscious woman slipping off his back and fell into the thick canopy of trees below.

The transformed Saiyajin narrowed his blood red eyes and swatted again at the large flying insects buzzing around his ears. The one that had been closest to him was quick; it flitted quickly out of his grasp every time he tried to grab it, something in his mind telling him that the pale coloured bug had to be squished. The one that had come at him from behind was now finally returning, though a little different that what it had been before. Whipping his tail around in an attempt to hit the bug again, he felt a stab of pain at his shoulder, one of those things stung him, they dared hit him. Roaring at the top of his lungs, he spotted the offending pale insect and fired a beam of energy out of his mouth. The smell of burning filled his nostrils and he smirked at the thought of the destruction he had caused. Stamping forward, his keen ears picked up the buzzing once more of the annoying insects; they were close. Preparing another strike in his mouth, he spotted the pale one who had shot him before, flying in front of him. Aiming his snout, he promised himself that he would not miss this time. To his amazement, the thing turned back to meet him and a shocked look crossed its head, if that was what it was. His curiosity getting the better of him, he turned and a smile crossed his lip-less mouth.

~~~~~

A sudden quick pain shot through Bulma, waking her up from her unnatural sleep. Her muscles and limbs still refused to obey her commands and only her eyelids complied with her wishes, though what met her eyes made her wish she hadn’t. She was still in the very undignified position over the man’s shoulder though thankful his hands had shifted. The world around her was blurring and twisting, making her sluggish brain turn flip-flops. It was only when she finally stop moving that she realised two things; one, a brown furry tail was flying at the assassin, and two, she was flying towards the ground. Her mind screamed at her body to respond, to flail, to grab for something, to do anything, but the drug’s pull was still too strong. She passed through the soft leaves of fully bloomed maple tree, the branches scratching her body but breaking her fall. Finally landing on a soft bed of thick moss, the peaceful lapping of a nearby brook bringing her back to reality, she exhaled the breath she didn’t even realise she was holding; she was alive, she was alive, but not for long. Gazing up through the trees her eyes beheld a creature she had never encountered in real life or legend; the giant monkey’s large snout and blood red eyes were illuminated in the light of the mysterious moon, snarling and attacking the assassins. She held back her cry when a huge blast of energy spewed from its mouth and fried the entire western half of the woods without an afterthought. Her vision staring to clear and focus she noticed the figure of the man that had been grabbing at her, tiny compared to the huge beast he now hid behind. She saw the man charge a sphere of energy in his hands, aiming the attack at the neck of the giant monkey. She tried to choke out a warning to the creature, considering anything a friend if it attacked the assassins but still her body ignored the pleas of her will. Snapping her eyes shut, she felt the light tremor along the ground, the shaking getting stronger and stronger and an indistinct sound becoming a steady boom, boom, boom. She felt the unwanted tug of exhaustion pulling on her again and she fought against the all too powerful weight, needed to see the end. Her eyelids half-lidded over her eyes, she saw the face of her unlikely saviour, almost smiling up at the smirk on the monkey’s face that so resembled Vegita’s.

~~~~~

Juunana watched his sister fly off in front of the hell spawn monster, good Juu-chan, only a few seconds more and we’ll have enough monkey meat to feed the entire central continent for a year. Charging the powerful strike in his hands, he absently noticed a loud rumbling behind him, all of his attention on the flight of his sister. Stupid monkey, he thought as he aimed the blast at the creature’s neck, ready to sever the carotid artery when a yell broke through his mental link.

*Na-kun, behind you! * Turning around quickly, he was met with a huge pair of blood red eyes and canines as large as himself. He felt a strong gust of warm air against his back and his startled mind finally formulated his situation. One plus one equals I’m done for, got to fly, he thought to himself, blasting off into the sky. He didn’t make it that far as a massive fur covered hand smashed him down to earth. A knee was there to greet him before he met with the ground and he soon became a game to the two giant monkeys, smashing him back and forth with their hands and tails. The first monkey soon tired of the triviality of just beating the crap out of him and tossed him high into the air.

*Juu-chan, avenge me. * Juunana said as he felt the beam of energy burn his inhuman body and crush his non-beating heart.

~~~~~

Kakarott eyed the other Oozaru before him, beyond his blind rage and madness he felt something else tugging on his brain, or more like the remembrance of someone. Growling at the smaller copy of himself, he lunged at the thing, fists at the ready to pummel it and anything else that got in his way. The being before him responded in kind and roared his anger to the moon, catching the other creature’s fist in his own and pushing against the other titan, both fighting for supremacy. Stomping back and forth, the two pushed and kicked against the other; snarling and roaring their rage at the Moon until the light of the orb was soon overcome by the first breaking rays of the Sun. The two Saiyajins smirked as they felt their bodies shrink and return to their normal shape, their blood red eyes clearing into sharp angular white eyes with piercing black irises. Soon the two stood looking into a face they knew as well as their own, the fight forgotten as the taller male knelted before his royal counterpart.

"It’s about time you showed up, Kakarott. I knew Nappa would never have the brains or the balls to try to find me. Glad to know that there are at least some Saiyajins with guts; even if they are third classes." Vegita stated, sarcasm in his tone.

"I couldn’t let that brainless moron have the credit of finding the future King, he might actually except a higher title for such a deed."

"In my court, he will be lucky to retain the title of jester. But enough of such pleasantries, that thing we fought before, I’m almost sure there was two of them. Did you see where the other one went?"

"I tell you, my liege, I didn’t even know there was two, I saw only the black one that was about to attack you from behind."

"Kami fucking cowards, they …" Vegita began but stopped in mid-tirade when his still adrenaline filled brain remembered the dream he had before he had turned into an Oozaru. Gripping his neck, his hand met nothing but corded muscles, that contraption, it snapped under the strain. He was free, free of that woman, and his smirk grew larger on his face. Searching out with his ki sense, he spotted the faint glimmer of a resting energy, weak but unforgettable.

"Come, Kakarott. I wish for you to see something." Vegita said as he took to the air and jetted to the location of the ki, the Saiyajin Prince’s laughter barely contained.

~~~~~

In a grove of tall maple trees, beside a crystal clear brook, Vegita found his prize. Lying on a bed of moss, the shifting rays of the newly awakening sun glistened over her lovely form, making her pearl coloured skin glow. Her hair lay around her head like a halo of blue; her profile highlighted in the dim light and setting off her delicate nose and pouting mouth. His tail lashed behind him as he looked down her torso, her arm pressed against her breasts, barely concealing them from his view. Her slim legs were slightly bent and parted, the soft thatch of blue curls visible to his roaming eyes. His expression darkened lightly as his eyes grazed her buttocks and back, small red crescent indents marring her flawless skin.

"She’s beautiful." He heard Kakarott say behind him, the other man gasping at the sight of her. He continued to stare down at her sleeping form, almost disbelieving the events that had led him to this point.

"Who is she?" Kakarott asked, a hint of uncertainty in his tenor voice.

"Oh, just a little bed warmer I picked up during my stay; silly creature thought she could get away." He said, the feeling of triumph strong in his voice.

"I have things to attend to in the coming day, Kakarott. I assume you have something to amuse yourself with until I call you." Glancing back at the other warrior, he received a nodded reply.

"Good, now leave me. We will discuss how you got here later." Vegita stated and with a wave of his hand dismissed the taller Saiyajin. Waiting until the man was out of range, he walked towards his sleeping prey and knelt down at her side, grasping her chin in his hand.

"I warned you, ‘Mistress’, that your contraption wouldn’t hold me forever. I hope you enjoyed your time of power because I have you now, little one."

* * * * *