Lema stretched, looking at the sand. Thirty miles they had to run; through the desert and mountains. They would begin early in the morning and end as the sun would be at its highest point. Their would be no water, not unless they managed to find any along the trail. They were not to leave the designated path nor were they allowed to aide each other should the other fall. The rest of the afternoon, the officers from the academy would have them perform various tasks, each more impossible than the next.

They were allowed to see no one and were given a final opportunity to withdraw from the test. Lema had refused and Turles had chosen to follow his daughter. "Any doubts, little one?"

Lema's smile was his only response. Two judges approached, their expression bored. They wanted to go home and enjoy a few extra hours in bed, but duty and obligation demanded that they appear until the last two contestants gave up, died, or made it to the end. "Get ready!" Lema and Turles crouched, their tails wrapped securely around their waist, "Get set!" they tensed; "Go!" Lema and Turles sprang forward, throwing dirt and rock into the judges's faces.

The crowd lept to their feet in a unison roar, all but one who smiled in satisfaction. He felt his demonic half, demanding he hunt and claim the female, but he chose to wait. At the end of the six months, should she choose to go that far, he would make his move.

Turles was amazed at his daughter's stamina. Ten miles into the run, she was barely breaking a sweat. She even seemed to be enjoying herself. Lema seemed to be better trained than half the soldiers in the academy or in the castle. "Where'd you learn to fight and run, Lema?"

She frowned, but the memory easily came to her instead of the sudden pain. "The field masters made a sport out of trying to catch me. If they won, I was beaten with their energy whips. I learned to become faster and smarter. They finally trapped me near the river; I barely survived, but none of them will hit me again!"

"Did they..." Turles couldn't finish the question.

"No," Lema smiled. "They tried, but having certain parts bitten off seemed to discourage my attackers. Turles laughed and the two seemed to share a bond that both had lost in the last few years.

Crossing the desert was simple, but the mountains prooved the exact opposite. Rocks showered above them, and there were several gullies and wide chasms that widened to several feet and fell to certain death. At times, they were forced to climb, neither able to help the other if they should slip. Sweat soaked their uniforms and their muscles strained from the last two days of constant battle and running. Making it to the top of the last mountain, they looked towards the last obstacle.

"They said nothing about a volcano or lava!" Lema gasped, trying to catch her breath. Looking towards her left, she noticed several strange plants. It seemed odd that they should grow without water. Taking a rock, she threw it, surprised to see water in the middle of them.

Turles grabbed her arm, stopping her from taking a drink. "It could kill you."

"We could die without it."

Turles knew she was right, but... Taking a deep breath, he took the first drink, waiting several minutes before he motioned her forward. The liquid was cold and fresh down her parched throat. Taking several gulps, both were prepared to finish the last eight miles of the run. One wrong move, they would die.

"Let's go," Lema growled, refusing to be intimidated by the hot lava. Every move was a guessing game and quick. One step would be solid, vanishing on the next. The volcano shuddered, spitting out more lava that quickly raced towards them. "We'll be cut off!" Lema shouted, watching their only escape disappear.

"Run!" Turles roared, surging past his daughter. Not willing to be left behind, she joined him, racing side-by-side. They had barely five seconds, four, three, two, one... They leaped forward, jumping clear of the wall of fire. Gasping for breath, lying on the other side, both started to laugh hysterically. The average Saiya-jin would have given up at that point, but Lema and Turles were given a new surge of energy.

Tired, covered in ash, they raced home. The crowd, not expecting them back, were still sleeping in the stands when Lema and Turles crossed the finish line. Neither felt like announcing their presence and chose to raid the cafeteria. The next event wasn't scheduled until that afternoon.

"This is heavy!" Turles and Lema were holding up a wooden platform, four soldiers, in full armor, sitting on top.

"Is it hurting?" Turles asked, worried about Lema. They had pushed her harder than most males, yet she rarely complained.

Lema growled, saying nothing. Their legs began to buckle, but Lema wouldn't wouldn't give up. "I'll never accept defeat!" she spat in defiance. Two hours remained of daylight. Soon they would be allowed to rest before they began the final portion of their test.

Several of the academy officers had tested Lema, forbidding Turles to help her. The generals hated Lema because no one seemed to be able to match her speed, strength or pride as she continued to excel in all the events. All the officers knew she had never been tested, making it impossible to prepare for a harder task.

None of their computers could gage how strong Turles or the girl really was, nor why it spiked dangerously out of control when she was angry. Who was the girl with no past?

Lema tripped and nearly lost her balance. "Lema?" Turles called out, unable to help her. Lema struggled to keep her grip and started to sag to her knees.

A few of the officers had wandered over, waiting for her to drop the platform. They would fail if she didn't recover. Another image came to mind, one that left Lema shaking and angry. "Bastards!" she spat, trembling in agony.

"Lema!" Turles growled, trying to get his daughter to calm. He glanced in her direction and gaped in astonishment. Lema's eyes were sparking in rage, surges of electricity shooting in different directions. Several people were thrown back by the force of her power, unable to draw any closer.

Images of the past slammed into her, one after the other. Blow after blow hit her back, blood dripping at her feet. Lema tried to shut out the onslaught of images, but they kept coming. She screamed, fighting to keep control of her mind and the weight that she carried. Turles could only watch as Lema battled, not with their current assignment, but the demons that only she could see. The wood above her cracked, blood flowed down her arms and dripped to the brown dirt in a puddle.

Another whip hit her back, Lema was unable to bite back the scream. It came to strike her again, and the surges of energy would leave her too weak to fight back. She was always alone, her back stripped of all clothing. They enjoyed her pain and loved to hear her screaming for hours. When they were done, she would hang until Ringo cut her down. She never told anyone of the beatings, despite her friend's protests.

"Never again," Lema said with hatred, the pain subsiding. The platform was on the verge of teetering and Turles tripped over her feet. Lema had never known anything could be so heavy, sinking to her knees. She saw the officers move in, ready to strike when she lost the battle. Turles started to get back up, but was grabbed and yanked back.

"What are you doing?" Turles protested. An officer smirked, his tail twitching in anticipation. "She can't carry that thing by herself!"

"Then you shouldn't have dropped it! To save them, depends on her determination to remain standing. Failure means death!"

Lema's muscles screamed from the strain; she never saw the figure standing in the shadows, watching her physical battle. Arico, Ringo, Raditz and Cowli, watching from the stands, prayed that Lema could hold them up. They knew this exercise was unfair and glared at the officers. "Lema, don't give up!"

Slowly, inch-by-inch, Lema stood back to her feet and moved her hands until she had them in the center of the platform. The officers were staring at her in stunned disbelief. "Captain!" she shouted. The officer that had Turles by the arm, acknowledged Lema, but didn't speak. "As soon as I'm done here, I challenge every damn one of you to a fight! All of you, at the same time!"

"Lema!" Turles shouted in horror. "You can't take them all on alone!"

"Wanna bet!"

The captain smirked and released Turles. "How much strength will you have left?"

"What are you afraid of, to loose?"

"This test is over!" the captain roared. Moans of relief could be heard throughout the crowd. As the soldiers started to jump down, Lema tossed the platform in the air and delivered a powerful side kick to the center.

Hands covered eyes and faces, trying to avoid the splinters that shot in every direction. Arico clutched at Raditz and Cowli, watching as the officers surrounded their friend. "I can't watch..." she gasped. "They're going to kill her..."

"No," Raditz growled, "They won't. You're about to watch the best fight in the history of the Saiya-jin trials. Lema!"

She glanced in his direction and smiled. Raditz tossed her his bandana, one that he always wore to keep the hair from his eyes. This would be the second time in two days she had used this technique. 'Your eyes can be your greatest weakness. Use your nose and ears, they will never lie.'

"Who told me that?" Still the lesson had not been forgotten. Nodding, she wrapped the cloth around her eyes, making the officers uncomfortable. Why would she purposely handicap herself?

"Raditz," Cowli hissed. "are you crazy?"

"How strong is she, boy?" King Vegeta had appeared by Raditz's side.

Raditz chuckled, "My father can't beat her." King Vegeta seemed a bit surprised by this and stared at the small girl.

"What about her father?"

"Dead even, at least they were the last time I saw them together. He was gone when I left for the academy; I never really knew how much being alone had affected her."

The officers were unaware that King Vegeta was nearby, or that a deathly silence had fallen over the cadets. Lema couldn't explain what she was seeing behind the blindfold. Colors, all different intensities, floated around her.

She heard him before he struck, jumping over the whip as it flew towards her back. "That's fighting dirty!" she growled, grabbing the weapon and wrapping it around her wrist. Her fist connected with something solid, breaking it in a single blow.

Raditz could feel the excitement grow among the crowd, his own barely contained. How much longer before they began to cheer his cousin? King Vegeta hadn't moved, watching as Lema danced in and out of the officers' grasp. She was turning the trials into a circus, making the officials and officers appear like cadets.

A roundhouse connected with Lema's chest, but she brushed it off and crouched on all fours. They could hear her breath coming in gasps, her muscles still strained from carrying over a thousand pounds for four hours. She growled, waved her tail and charged, giving the officers no chance to recover or counter her attacks.

"They're pathetic!" Vegeta snarled. He quickly moved towards the officers, throwing them out of his way. The captain went down in a serious of kicks, leaving Lema standing alone. Her throat was dry, burning from the lack of water. She started to walk away, but an aura that out shone all the rest was suddenly in front of her.

"Don't challenge me," she warned, stepping back into her fighting stance.

Her shoulders were tensed, her moves hesitant and slow. King Vegeta suppressed a smile, fainted a kick, felt her counter with a block and a punch to his face. She hissed as he caught her fist, twisting it behind her back in a painful grip. "How much further will you go, little one?" he whispered against her ear.

"Vegeta..." He tore the bandana from her eyes, forcing her to look at her challenger. Lema's eyes widened, but she was trapped.

"In six months, you will be faced with a choice. Are you up to the challenge; I wonder?"

She tried to jerk out of his grasp, but only succeeded in adding more pressure to her pinned arm. How could one man so easily manipulate and control her? 'Lema, one of these days you're going to find someone you can't push around.'

'Ringo...'

Suddenly she was free, King Vegeta already half way across the arena. "Turles, will you continue from here, or withdraw?" Turles growled, moving closer to Lema as his answer. Vegeta glanced in her direction, their gazes connected before he vanished. Despite her returning memories, the Saiya-jin remained a mystery to her.

Raditz was wrapping Lema's fists, watching her face. She had been strangely silent since Vegeta had challenged her in the arena, but he doubted that the King was the source of her frustration. He was grateful that she had made it past day two, but now she faced the hardest challenge. Someone knocked on the door; "Come in," Raditz answered.

"How is she?" Arico asked, sitting beside her friend. Cowli and Ringo quickly joined her, all joined together by the small fighter. Arico and Cowli had only known Lema a couple of days, but they had already formed a bond of friendship. "She's normally so energetic."

"I know..." Raditz whispered, finishing the last of the bandages. A few spots of red seeped through the material, but Lema showed no indications that the cuts bothered her.

Cowli looked outside of the room and shut the door, locking it as he came closer to Raditz. "What the hell is going on Raditz? I think we have a right to know."

Raditz lowered his gaze, wondering if he should tell them or not. "I don't know everything myself. As you know, Lema is my cousin. Her father, sitting in the corner, is Turles. From a few conversations in the last two days, he's a former royal guard of King Vegeta's father. He left the castle nearly twenty years ago, to never return until now. Apparently, no one knew of Lema, Cyan or myself; why I haven't been able to figure that out yet. Father told me to shut up and not to ask questions that could get me killed."

"A year ago, my father decided to allow me to participate in the upcoming trials and started to train me. A month ago, I moved to the castle. Lema didn't tell any of us what she was facing in the fields; she chose to allow us to have our dreams. Turles loved to roam space, I wanted to become a fighter and Bardock was a medical and science technician. Cyan was in space with his father. None of us ever asked Lema what she truly wanted."

"From what Ringo told me, Lema vanished two weeks ago, to be later found here in the castle by King Vegeta. Instead of having her arrested, he chose to allow her to enter the trials. Vegeta has yet to reveal his motives. He wants something that only Lema and Turles can provide, but they have to finish the final trial and possibly a challenge if King Vegeta should issue one."

"Can they make it?"

"I..." Raditz looked out the window. "I don't know. Lema has the heart of ten warriors and she'll never give up. She'd rather die first than be told that she failed at something. It's the way she is."

"She's had temporary memory loss and has been quickly remembering things through the last two days."

"Why did King Vegeta challenge her a few minutes ago?"

"He's angry..." Lema had come out of her shell, giving them a strained smile.

"Why?" Cyan asked her, sitting closer to his twin. The connection they had once shared was distant, and he wondered if it were the same with his father. She didn't want them to know the level of her pain and suffering and chose to show them a shell of what she had been. He wanted the old Lema back, the little girl that always cheered him on.

"Why?"

"I don't know." Lema stood, stretched her aching muscles and walked over to the only window in the room. She could see the desert, it's red sand stretching for miles. What was on the other side? She had hoped that other memories would come, but it was pointless to force them. "What happens in six months, Raditz?"

"You and Turles complete the trials," he teased.

"What else? Vegeta said something about a choice, a challenge in six months; what did he mean by that?"

"There still may be a challenge from King Vegeta. He might challenge only one of you, perhaps both."

Her friends gasped, the color draining from their faces. "Lema, don't accept it!" Cyan begged, grabbing her wrists. He pulled her in a tight embrace, afraid to let her go. "He could kill you."

The last thing any of them expected was for Lema to start laughing, resting her head on her twin's shoulder. Subconsciously, as if they were little kids again, their tails intertwined. Raditz, joined them, having bonding with Lema when they were five. After Cyan had joined his father in space, Raditz had become the protector and Lema followed him with complete trust and admiration. She smiled at the thought, seeing a small little girl following after her bigger and older cousin. Raditz would often carry her on his broad back and never let anything bad happen. It stayed like that until she was fifteen, when everything changed.

Raditz started training for the trials, leaving Lema to herself more and more. He never saw the many fights that left her bruised and nearly broken. How many times had the field servants tried to rape her; she had lost count? They never won, fueling her desire to become stronger than all her friends and enemies. "Is it that bad?"

"Every year, every Saiya-jin is given the chance to try out for the royal guard. The current Vegeta dismissed or killed the old ones and has yet to replace them. All that have tried were executed by his hand."

"Why?" Lema asked, feeling herself relax. She loved it when Raditz told her stories; it made her feel less alone and as if she belonged.

"No one's ever asked. Lema, please don't do it."

Lema captured her cousin's hands and held their palms together. "We've been friends for a long time, haven't we?"

"Since before you could walk," he admitted. "Father said I was too attached."

"I wish..."

"What Lema?"

"I wish to be the strongest Saiya-jin on the planet. No one's ever going to hurt my friends or I again."

Raditz knew that she had kept a lot of secrets from him during his training periods with his father; the cuts, broken bones and the dried tears he had seen on her face. Lema started to drift off to sleep, a smile of determination on her face. He looked up at his friends, but like himself, they didn't know what to say or do to comfort Lema. Without a doubt, they would follow her into the pits of hell if she asked.

"She's going to try, isn't she?" Cowli finally asked, Lema fast asleep.

"Hai."

"Can we stop her?" Arico whispered, not wanting to see her friend die.

"No and I wouldn't try." He laughed, a thought occurring to him. "Besides, I don't think Vegeta wants her dead."

"Why?"

"She's not afraid of him."

Turles had listened to the entire conversation, his heart heavy with grief and guilt. He had wanted to shelter Lema from the pain he had suffered, especially after Leana... His daughter was so much like his mate; size, courage and heart. Leana never had the strength that Lema did, his daughter had inherited this quality from himself. Turles knew he could have been so much more and had down played most of his power. Not even King Vegeta knew what he was dealing with if Turles became angry enough. Frieza knew, all the more he needed to keep Lema and Cyan a secret from the Ice-jin. Currently, he only knew of Turles, but if he should discover a planet of Saiya-jins, the planet would be destroyed.

As much as he hated the idea, Lema needed to learn how to fight. The Saiya-jin race could no longer afford to be sheltered or pampered. Cyan, if trained, could be a powerful fighter as well; however, not even Cyan knew what it was to survive from day-to-day, never knowing if the next would be his last. Lema had lived that life. Turles had no right to deny her the desire to continue with the trials. He could have done the same years ago, but Bardock had been injured near the volcano and he had refused the victory and the final test. They were offered positions as the royal guard.

"Have you chosen a mate?" Vegeta scowled at his mother, crossing his arms as she entered his royal chambers. "You must have an heir to the throne, son! What if something should happen to you?"

"Nothing will happen that I don't want," he growled in annoyance. "Who did you have in mind for the crown? I hate the elite soldiers' daughters. They're weak physically and mentally, unable to even carry my child."

"That's what the labs were invented for."

Vegeta smashed his fist through the wall, silencing his mother. "No son, or daughter, of mine shall ever be born in a lab!"

"You idiot!" his mother shouted. "I was the last person to survive carrying a Saiya-jin child to term. Too many after have... I remember the last person to try; not only did we loose an elite soldier, but the strongest fighter on the royal courts of Vegeta-sai. Some say he's a space pirate, working for his brother now."

Vegeta tensed, giving her his complete undivided attention. "How long ago?"

"Eighteen years ago."

"Who was she?"

"Leana. Why the sudden interest in her?"

"What happened to the child?"

"No one knows. She vanished like her father, to never be seen or tested."

"The father, he wouldn't happen to be Turles?"

"How...?"

Vegeta chuckled, a secret hidden in his dark eyes. "Quit forcing a mate on me. I made my choice two weeks ago; she just doesn't know it yet."

"Who?" his mother demanded.

"Six months..." he promised, leaving her alone in his chambers. Vegeta laughed at the sudden turn of events. A Saiya-jin female, lost to the elite class, was within his grasp. 'Turles, you and Lema are mine now!' He would rebuild the strenth of the Saiya-jin empire through them.

"Raditz, how far are we allowed to hide?"

"There's no rule that specifies."

"How long do they give us before they hunt us down?"

Cowli and Arico regarded their friend; she was practically dancing in excitement. "What did you have in mind?" Raditz asked her. Lema motioned for them to lower their heads, making several of the officers frown at them. They knew that the little Saiya-jin had something planned and groaned. How many times had she made them look like idiots?

"When do they leave?" a voice growled, startling the soldiers. Lema and her friends hadn't noticed his presence, nor did he give them a chance too. He was standing in the shadows.

"In a few hours," the captain answered, wondering why Vegeta appeared during Lema's testing exercises.

"I'll track Turles and Lema."

"Your majesty?" the officers gasped. He glared, bringing no further out bursts. "We can handle..."

"Like you did yesterday," Vegeta spat. "I've never seen such arrogance in my life! You let a space fighter and one girl defeat ten elite soldiers! Who's training whom?"

"None of us can lay a hand on Lema or Turles. We don't understand."

"You're idiots! That girl's been training from life experiences, not some exercise that she can heal from in a few minutes!"

Several of the officers blushed, saying nothing in their defense. Lema had made a joke of the trials and what they had been designed to do. The girl seemed invincible and it showed in the last three days. Her friends, despite their withdrawal from the first day's events, carried themselves with pride and a confidence that none of the other contestants had a right to. They had spared their opponent's lives. Raditz and Cyan had been asked to join the elite soldiers, but King Vegeta had said no. He had another use for them, something he would not reveal until Lema and Turles had returned.

The first, second and third class soldiers loved the small fighter. She encouraged them to never give up, winning them to her side. They all had something to aspire to; the officers and King Vegeta knew this. She taught them that power came in numbers, not just the individual. A soldier with enemies was always vulnerable, but a soldier with friends always had their back and sides covered.

"Lema, you're crazy!" Cowli hissed in admiration. "The desert extends for over a thousand miles. It'll take a month to cross."

"Isn't that our objective, to stay hidden for as long as possible. Look, we both know that we're suppose to stay in the wilderness for at least six months. As long as one Saiya-jin still lives, then we remain a threat. I can do this. I've been doing it for two years already."

"It's never been done before..." Raditz said.

"There's always room for a first time," Lema growled in determination. "I'm tired of being treated as inferior or country trash! They're about to discover who the best trackers and fighters really are! It isn't Saiya-jins born and raised in a castle, pampered and spoon fed their damn meals. We're Saiya-jins, born fighters and we'll never go down without taking as many of the enemy with us as possible. Will you guys wait for us; at the finish line?"

She put out her hand, Raditz the first to grasp it. Arico was next, Cowli last. Turles let his daughter have her moment. He would have six months with her, to learn about the daughter he had neglected. King Vegeta watched the four, intrigued by the powerful bond between them. Saiya-jins, by nature were solitary. Lema contradicted everything he had ever learned, keeping him interested. 'Little one, I won't let you win this one.' The nick name suited the girl.

"Are you two ready?" the captain asked Lema and Turles. Despite his dislike of the girl and Turles, he had no choice but to give them the respect that they deserved.

"Don't wait up for us?" Lema smirked, saluting the captain.

"You've met your match kid," he chuckled, no longer angry with the them. How could he be when she lived life the way it came? She was powerful, he couldn't deny it. Lema frowned. The captain laughed harder, making her edgy. "Good-luck, you're going to need it."

He turned and started to head into the barracks when Lema grabbed his arm. She knew it was out of line, but the captain had thrown her off guard. "You're not tracking us?"

"Are you insane? Kid, you have the best tracking you and I promise you, he's never lost. I probably should feel sorry for you, but this is also a high honor. To loose this trial, you should feel no shame, for no other has ever beaten him. He's the best at everything he does and accepts no weakness."

"Is it my father?" Raditz asked him, praying that it wasn't.

"General Bardock's doesn't hold a candle to this Saiya-jin. Everyone fears him and very few have the courage to challenge him."

Lema didn't know if she should be honored or worried. "Do we get an hour head start?"

"He's giving you a day head start."

"What?" her friends shouted. Turles tensed, a feeling of dread over cominog him. He had heard of only one other tracker that could defeat his brother; King Vegeta. Should he tell his daughter. No. She would do better if she was unaware of whom she faced.

Lema smirked, curious about the Saiya-jin. Was he that confident or too arrogant about his abilities? 'He doesn't know who he's dealing with,' she thought.

"Captain!" she saluted. He nodded in return, watching as the two ran out of the gates. A few officers shook their heads. Most of them wanted to see the girl succeed, especially against the opponent they were throwing at her. It was unfair, but necessary.

"She's crazy," her friends said.

"No," Vegeta answered. "She's confident."

Lema stopped to catch her breath, the sun beating on her head. Turles was slightly ahead of her, standing on a boulder to scout the area. She looked over her shoulder, wondering if she imagined a shadow chasing them down. The captain was serious when she said this Saiya-jin was one of the best. Everything they did, he seemed to be another step ahead. How can he read them so easily? Or was it her? They needed water.

"Let's go," she told her father.

"You realize that this is only the third day. He will catch us long before the end of six months."

"Not if we outsmart him."

"Lema, I smell water a little farther from here."

'Water...' Why did Lema suddenly feel she rather be captured than go near a source of water? It would throw off their tracker's trail, but... Where there was water, there was also icy tunnels. Lema shivered, despite the desert heat. 'I'm trembling... No, I can't be afraid.'

"Lema?" Turles helped to keep her standing, her skin burning with fever.

"Let's go," Lema gasped.

Turles knew Lema would have a difficult time over coming her fear of the tunnels, but to the point she could loose the trials. He had to help her face her terror, or it would kill her in the future. "Lema, you have to fight!"

A figure with a cloak approached, his mouth and face covered with a cloth. The only thing you could see were his black eyes and red tail. Turles snarled. "There's only one Saiya-jin with a red tail."

"Lema," he growled, tossing his daughter over his shoulder; "Snap out of it!"

It didn't take them long to reach the water way, Lema growing worse the closer they got. "No..." she shuddered. "Leave me..." Lema begged.

"It's only water, Lema! A river! It'll get us out of here!"

Turles couldn't believe the change that over came his normally calm and confident daughter. She had nearly slipped into a catonic state, leaving Turles to fight the tracker if he should catch up to them. Turles doubted that he was strong enough to fight King Vegeta. They needed more time!

"Cold..." Lema cried weakly. 'What's wrong with me, why can't I stop shaking?'

Ignoring her terror and pain, Turles ran. Lema slipped in and out of consciousness for several hours, unaware of the cold waters that flowed around Turles's waist. "It's so dark... why is it never warm..."

"Lema, snap out of it! He's going to catch us!"

"It hurts... so, so cold..."

Turles came to a dead end, a wall of stone and the water nearly to her neck. "We're trapped!"

"A tunnel..." Lema gasped, terror in her voice. "...under the water."

Taking a deep breath, Turles swam to the bottom, barely seeing the opening that Lema was talking about. Coming to the surface on the other side, Turles grabbed the steel bars, waiting for any sound. "Lema..."

Lema shrieked in pain.

Turles hated the dark tunnel, afraid to let go of the railing. It was cold, biting into his fingers and toes as he waited. He looked behind his shoulder and shuddered. Darkness, thick and black waited for them, a trap of despair and loneliness that even Turles didn't wish to challenge. 'Lema...'

"You can't stay here..." Lema stuttered. Despite the pain and terror, she climbed off Turles back and clutched at the walls of the tunnels. Everything spun out of control, but she was fighting the domiance the river and tunnels had over her.

"Let's go..." Lema stammered. She swallowed the blinding terror and moved a little further back into the tunnel. 'If I stay next to the wall, maybe I won't get lost again.'

"Can you continue?" Turles asked her.

"I'll have to."

They heard a splash on the outside of the tunnel, making Lema and Turles freeze. Lema waited for him to turn and walk away, but he seemed to know about the tunnels. "We've got to go!" Lema pulled back into the tunnel, keeping her hands on the wall until they came to a turning point. She had a choice, keep going straight, or take the turn off. "I have an idea," she whispered.

Pulling Turles behind her, they waited. Lema prayed that her idea would work, or they would be making an early return to the castle. 'I didn't make it this far to fail now.'

Turles started to say something, but Lema quickly motioned for silence and pulled a little farther back. Who was tracking and hunting them down? It couldn't be one of the officers, none of them were strong enough to take Turles or herself. Strange, despite the darknes, she could make out the shapes of rainbow colors, one that was quickly coming in their direction. 'He's good. Not even Ringo knew to look under the water.'

She didn't dare make a sound, waiting for the Saiya-jin to pass before she made her move. It was dangerous to challenge the powerful fighter, but she had the element of surprise and wasn't afraid to use it. Turles stared at Lema in shock. What did she have in mind? 'Surely she wouldn't try to fight him? She doesn't know who he is!' Turles wanted to warn her, but dared not to for fear of discovery.

Lema, despite her fear and hatred of the tunnels, knew that she could make it back to the entrance. She waited, started to move and froze. He had stopped and was moving his head in the three directions the tunnel branched off in. Sinking lower, Lema hoped that her scent didn't give them away. He moved a little further, exposing his back to her. Creeping closer, like a predator after her meal, she moved until she was barely an inch from his back.

He must have heard her, but it was too late as he tried to turn around. Her fingers reached out, finding the sensitive appendage of her enemy. "Don't move," she growled.

"Let go," he snarled back. Lema laughed. What did she do; if she let go, he would easily over power her? However, she wasn't cruel enough to knock him out while they were in the tunnels. No one deserved this icy tomb, nor did she wish to see him die. No victory was worth the death and sacrifice of another.

"Dad, get out of here!"

"But..." he started to protest.

"Do it! You know the obejective!"

Turles did as she asked, slipped under the gate and ran. After her father had left, Lema pulled back towards the entrance, ignoring the angry snarls coming from her prisoner. His pride had taken a severe blow to his tail being captured. She knew exactly how much pressure to apply without paralyzing him, but it hurt regardless. "Little one, you're going to pay for this!"

Lema froze. Only one person other than her father would use that nickname, "Vegeta..."

"Let go of my tail!" he roared, trying to use intimidation on Lema.

She knew it was crazy, but Lema had control over the warrior and they both knew it. Pushing him against the tunnel's wall, face first, she pressed her mouth to his ear. "I'm not so submissive anymore..." she challenged. "Did you think you could catch me so easily?" she growled.

"You haven't won yet, little one."

"Stop calling me that!" she shouted. Lema hated that nickname; why? "Answer me something," she demanded, a question that had plagued her since she had first seen King Vegeta.

He heard the doubt and insecurity in her voice and wondered why the sudden change in her attitude. She still gripped his tail, but he had a feeling she didn't want to win so badly at the moment. Lema was an enigma to him, a Saiya-jin he was willing to learn more about. "What?"

Lema blinked, was he really being less aggressive suddenly. She shook her head; Lema couldn't afford to let her guard down. Still, she needed to know. "Why didn't you have me arrested that day? Why did you save my life? I was dying, yet you chose other wise. No matter how hard I try, may want to, I can't come up with a reason. Why dammit!"

"You were different," he simply said, as if his response answered everything. She didn't even realize he had turned, no longer concerned about the tail she possessed. Her grip had loosened, but she didn't seem to notice as he reversed their position, shoving her against the wall. His voice had deepened, almost becoming a purr.

She felt him touch her face, eyes, nose, lips... Lema gasped, that wasn't his hand pressed against her lips, it was... She whimpered, releasing the tail that was her only advantage. Vegeta moved towards the curve of her neck, nipping and biting aggressively.

Her finger nails dug into his shoulder blades, a flood of pleasure and pain washing over her. His scent was heavy in her nostrils. "Lema..." he growled. She was trapped against him and the wall. "Distractions can get you killed. Next time I won't let you go... As for my tail," he snarled dangerously, sending a shiver down her spine, "I'd advise not grabbing it again!"

Vegeta pulled away and paused at the entrance of the tunnel. "You have two hours... After that, I'm holding nothing back!"

Lema slammed her fist into the concrete wall, tears of anger and confusion sliding down her face. How did he over power her so easily? He had won... 'He's pampered royalty; isn't he? Why can't I fight him like the other elite soldiers?' Lema knew the answer. Vegeta didn't underestimate her strength, but respected it. Was she fighting a hopeless cause? Could she actually outsmart Vegeta long enough for them to pass their survival training? She hated the odds they were faced with, but under the circumstances she understood. The officers wouldn't have been able to track or capture them. Why was Vegeta so interested in Turles or herself? He was waiting for something, but what?

Turles snarled in fury, pounding his fists over and over again into the ground. He had no reason to continue, but Lema had asked that he do so. Turles knew he had the ability to complete the task, but he never had a desire to become a royal guard or more. It had been two days since Turles had left Lema at the river. He heard a sound. Furious, no longer wanting to run but to fight, he turned to face his opponent. The last person he expected was his daughter.

"Lema!" Turles didn't know how it was possible, but his daughter was there, standing a few feet away from him. Lema looked exhausted, dirty and... it was hard to explain. Lema looked as if she had taken a severe blow to her confidence. "How'd you get away from Vegeta?"

"He let me go," she whispered.

"Lema, your neck!" Turles snarled, forgetting his primary mission.

Lema touched the mark, wondering if it was permanent. She dropped her hand and gazed towards the horizon. The sun would rise in a few hours, but it wouldn't make a difference. He was coming for them, playing a game of cat and mouse. Vegeta knew he could catch her again, making it difficult to see the point of continuing. "We should go."

"Lema!" Turles shouted. "Please don't give up! I see it in your eyes and movements. Vegeta's strong, no one will deny that. I'm glad that he let you go, it'll be to our advantage that he did." Turles smiled, watching as Lema slowly lifted her head, the determination and pride burning in her eyes. "I don't even think the word defeat is in your vocabulary. Perhaps you underestimated Vegeta's abilities. Now you know better. We have to keep going."

"No one ever thought we would make it this far. Vegeta may have won the first round and I doubt he let me go to give me a second chance. I wounded his pride and for that reason I'm here now. His honor wouldn't have allowed himself to capture me unless the score was even between us first."

"What do we do now?"

"Run!" Lema said. "We run until our lungs are ready to burst and our thirst forces us to stop."

"Lema?"

"What?"

"I'm glad you're here."

Lema smiled, "I am too."

Turles was furious that Vegeta would mark Lema, but there was nothing he could do until after the trial. The only way to remove the mark was if she beat Vegeta in a challenge and refused his offer to become his mate. The thought was ludicrous. Lema was a powerful fighter, but not even with their strength combined did they stand a chance against the Saiya-jin king. Why was Vegeta so determined to catpure Lema himself? Turles didn't envy her. Vegeta was a demanding ruler, even ruthless. Still, it was obvious that he felt something for the small fighter. He was too aggressive not to care.

"Where are we?" Turles asked. The place looked familiar, but he had never explored the fields when he visited.

Lema ignored his question, touching the long stems of the rice field. To the left, grew the corn. In the north was the cotton and to the south were the different fruits and vegetables.

"Get up!" they heard an angry voice shout, followed by a cry of pain.

Turles tried to stop Lema, knowing how close Vegeta was behind their trail. They didn't have much time to hide, but something about the voices had angered Lema. He shuddered at the murderous fire in Lema's expression.

They came upon a young woman on the ground, a group of Saiya-jins surrounding her. One kicked her savagely in the ribs, another jerked her head back. "Where's your brother? He isn't here to protect you this time, is he?"

Lema flew through the jungle of crops. The Saiya-jin holding the girl fell back, breaking his arm in two different locations.

The woman saw two fighters come up, dressed in the uniform of the academy. "You shouldn't have done that," the woman coughed, surprised to see blood hit the ground.

"Did they touch you?" the girl snarled.

"No; thanks to you."

"This isn't your affair bitch!"

Turles drove his fist into the Saiya-jin's jaw, smiling as she heard it break. "You're dead!"

Both of them glanced at the pale girl. Lema smiled and helped her up. "Can you make it home?" The woman nodded but paled when they heard a sound in the rice field.

They heard a movement behind them. Turles hissed, "We have to get out of here, Lema!"

"I didn't make it this far to loose to Vegeta!"

"Too late..." a voice growled, the plants moving aside. The woman gasped, cowering behind Lema and Turles.

Lema started forward, but Turles shoved her back. "Get out of here, Lema!"

"Dad..." Lema gasped. "But..."

"I can't hold him off forever. It's you that he wants. Make it to the end, Lema."

"No! You promised to finish this with me!"

"I will if you continue for me! Now go!"

"What if he..."

"Then that's my fate, Lema..." Turles smiled and kicked his daughter. She still hesitated.

"Get out of the way, Turles!" Vegeta growled. "You've more than proved yourself. Lema is the one I want!" Lema was tempted to fight him, her pride would allow nothing else.

"Please Lema!" Turles begged. "You have only two weeks left. I'm counting on you, Lema."

Lema ran, tears streaming down her face, refusing to listen or watch the battle. Would Vegeta kill him? She screamed, the pain intensifying. She hated to do it, but Lema jumped into a pile of fertilizer, used to grow the crops.

Thirty mintues later, Vegeta appeared, his arm hanging by his side. He glanced around, his tail snapping furiously behind him. "Dad, broke his arm?"

"No more running, Lema! Your father's alive! Will you not face me, little one?"

Lema fought not to accept his challenge. Her father wanted Lema to finish the trial, something he was never able to do. No, she would finish what her father wanted. He had sacrificed his goal so that she could succeed. Lema would not fail him.

"Lema, get out here!" She trembled. "Are you afraid to fight me, little one?" he taunted, his eyes scanning every objet.

Lema hated the idea of hiding, being called a coward. 'I'm going to kick his ass!'

Vegeta knew she was in the field and chose to sit on a fence post. 'Damn!' Lema thought. 'He's not going to leave me any choice, but to fight him.' An idea occurred to her, making her smile in amusement. 'It might work, but...' Lema knew he would never forgive her, but it didn't matter as long as she won her ultimate objective.

'If I can get to the mountains, Vegeta will have a harder time tracking me.' Vegeta's head was turned, giving her the opportunity she needed to jump from her hiding spot and fling the fertilizer in his face. Crying out, she head butted him to the ground, kicked him in the ribs and delivered a powerful blow to the back of his neck as he tried to get back up. He sagged to the ground unconscious, but Lema knew better than to sigh in relief.

Lema clung on to the side of the cliff. She could have flown over, but that would have given Vegeta an easy target to follow. She was half way up the 50,000 foot mountain, two days climb still ahead of them. If Lema thought the river tunnels were cold, they were nothing compared to the snow, ice and rain that slammed into her full force.

She sensed a storm coming, one that made her pause and look back in the direction she knew Vegeta was tracking her. Lema hesitated. She should continue, but something told her to go back. Her neck burned and suddenly the mission was no longer a priority.

'Vegeta wouldn't try to follow me in this, would he?' Why did the thought bother her so much? He may be the enemy at the moment, but she didn't want to see him die because of her desire to win.

Lema flew out of the cave, no longer concerned about hiding. The sharp rain cut into her skin, but she ignored the pain, slowly going back down the mountain. She almost missed him, covered by rocks and snow. "No!"

Dropping beside him, she started flinging the heavy boulders down the mountain, praying that he was still alive. The mark was like an angry fire and every inch of her body ached as if the mountain had fallen on her instead. More rocks fell and she had to shield Vegeta from further damage and pain. Inch-by-inch, she pulled him away from the avalanche and lifted him onto her back.

'This is defintely going down in the books. A contestant saving her tracker." She smiled at the ironic twist of fate. His hair blew in the cold winds and she couldn't help but feel something for the Saiya-jin. "Am I so important to you, Vegeta? I can't even see you as the King, but as a kindred spirit."

Lema was starting to doubt that she would find the cave again when it suddenly appeared. Lema weakly sank to the cavern floor and gently lowered Vegeta. She had to get him medical attention, but to fly with two hundred extra pounds. That was almost impossible for a fully grown warrior.

Vegeta lay on the ground, shivering as the wind continued to howl. Grabbing his cloak, Lema curled against his body and wrapped the material around their shoulders. His tail found its way around her waist and for some reason Lema didn't push it away.

The storm raged for two days, Vegeta showing no signs of waking. Carefully, she lifted King Vegeta and shifted all his weight to her back. Flying with an extra two hundred pounds of dead weight would be the hardest thing Lema had done in a long time, but for the sake of the planet, she couldn't allow Vegeta to die. "I better not regret this, Vegeta."