Vegeta strained from the load in his arms, carrying the stack of cotton above his head. Thanks to Lema, he now knew how to tie off a 500lb bale and carry more than one load without dropping it. He was thankful, but ever mindful of the constant glares he received from the watchers and the field master. 'They want us to fail, but why?' Lema grew quieter and quieter as the days passed, either from the training or the constant harassement she received, Vegeta wasn't sure.

He wanted to ask her about it, but rarely did either of them receive a spare moment to themselves. Often after a day of work, he would collapse on his shabby bed and sleep until it was time to take Lema and train. There were days when he slept through, but Lema would often practice what she had been taught. Lema, taking her role seriously, never left his side and often covered the mistakes that would have cost a severe beating from the field master.

Dillon, he noticed, would occassionaly talk to Lema. Her expression was often sad after each encounter, but Vegeta knew little of what they discussed. Finally, one evening during a training session, he trapped Lema to the ground, pinning her arms on either side of her head. "What's wrong?"

Lema turned her head away, but a red tail gently forced her to meet his gaze. "This place... it's pure evil. My life was hard, but never to this extent. Yes, we were beaten for mistakes; at least before the old field master was replaced. Torn, I recall, was strict. However, he received a lot of respect and support from the commoners, more so than any field master that I've ever known or heard about."

"We're fed rations that leave us starving and malnourished; we sleep in a shack that makes a cave look inviting and the women are treated like whores. I..."

"What?"

"I hate not being able to kill the bastards that attempt bending me to their will!"

"Have they touched you?" Vegeta growled. Lema wondered at the red of his eyes; 'Were his teeth longer?' she thought it was the trick of the moonlight.

"No, but not because of the lack of effort. Have you not noticed a few missing lately?"

Vegeta did notice that there were five less watchers, but thought nothing about it. None of them would admit defeat by an onna. "What about Dillon? Why does he try to talk to you ever chance he gets?"

There was a tone to Vegeta's voice that confused Lema. 'Is he angry with me? Why?' Lema didn't think she would ever understand the mind of Vegeta. She sighed. "Dillon is hated by everyone, including the commoners. He hasn't told me why, only that the field master would love to kill him if given the chance. I've been discouraging attacks from the watchers."

"Lema..." Vegeta warned, not wanting to see anything happen to her. "Mutiny isn't looked upon very well here."

"I'm aware of the danger, Vegeta."

"Why the silence?"

"Vegeta..." Lema whispered, making it difficult to hear her. "I'm not here because I want, but because I need to be."

Vegeta had a feeling that Lema was hiding something from him; 'Why did the watchers glare at him with such hatred and why had none of them tried to attack him for his mistakes. "Lema..."

"Don't!" she snapped, throwing him off. "My job is to keep you from harms way! It doesn't matter what your orders were, I won't follow them!"

"I don't need protection!" he roared back.

"Then what the hell am I doing here? Vegeta," Lema challenged, a red aura starting to glow around her small body, "short of death, I will never stop protecting you!"

"Lema, let me fight..."

"This isn't your battle! It never has been! You've never felt the blood that flowed down our backs as we were beaten, nor know what it was like to go days without food because we dropped a part of the harvest! These commoners break thier backs and souls; and for what?"

"Why won't you trust me?"

"I won't, I can't!" she screamed, throwing Vegeta back with a wave of power. "You don't know! How could you?"

"Why?"

"Because..." Lema fought the feelings slamming into her, "because I would have to admit that I feel things for you that I don't when I'm around Raditz, Cowli or Dillon. They're all friends and I would gladly die for them, but... it's not the same! Why can't I hate you; I've tried? Tell me!" Lema, forgetting about the rest of her training, turned and fled. She didn't want to answer any more questions, nor tell him the horrifying truth of what she had been protecting him from.

Two days later, Vegeta sank onto his bed and looked towards the door. Lema had still not come in from the fields, not that he expected her. She had been avoiding him and training. Dillon, pale and shaking collapsed on his bed, his clothes in tatters. The closer Vegeta look, the more he noticed the red splotches beneath his shirt.

"She hasn't told you, has she?" Dillon gasped between uneven breaths.

Vegeta suddenly wanted to search for Lema, the full reality becoming clear. "Where is she?"

"I... don't know." Dillon looked at him with feverish eyes, every word or movement an effort. "They were beating me and Lema interfered. The field master caught her. She never cried out, nor did she try to defend herself. I can still hear the sound of that whip tearing into her back. It's not the first time, nor will it be the last."

"What are you talking about?"

"Lema's taken a lot of hits for you..."

"I told her not to!"

"You still don't understand, do you? Can you not see; Lema loves you." Dillon closed his eyes, but before falling asleep, "she was headed towards the river..."

"How many times did he hit her?" Vegeta snarled.

"Fifty... Sixty... I lost count."

"With what?"

"The nine tailed energy whip."

Vegeta ran out of the shack, knocking any and all watchers out of his path. If any thought about trying to stop him, they quickly changed their minds when they saw the color burning in his eyes.

Lema wanted to tell Vegeta, lying half-in and half-out of the water. She had lashed out at him in anger the last time they had spoken and she couldn't bare to see the hurt that she saw afterwards. He had never forced her to fight in the trials, nor did he force her to come to the fields; Vegeta had always given her the chance to choose. If anyone deserved to be hated, it was herself. She had been unwilling to let go of the images that forever plagued her nightmares.

'Vegeta...' Lema hadn't realized her eyes were closed and looked around with dull eyes. Blood stained the green grass, and her long black hair stuck together in clumps. 'I tried...'

It was a long time before she woke again, feeling the gentle pressure of a tail on her arm and a hand cleaning the several cuts on her back. Lema tried to stand, but she was gently forced to lie back down. Turning her head, she saw Vegeta. 'No, I didn't want him to see me like this!' she mentally cried in anguish.

"Lema, you crazy, crazy..."

"...onna," she finished for him.

"I was going to say brat!"

"Did I ever tell you... After Raditz left for the trials, I was nearly raped." Vegeta froze, his hands holding a healing plant. "No one knew; Raditz, Bardock, Ringo, Dad... What could I say? That a commoner didn't have the strength to fight back? I managed to get away."

"Two days I lied in an abandoned field and all I could think about or wanted was to die. What was the point of living, to return to elite soldiers and field masters that beat you on a whim?"

Lema didn't shout, didn't cry; Vegeta almost wished that she would. He couldn't bare the sound of defeat or depression in her voice. For as long as he's known the small fighter, she had never given up and had displayed a tremendous amount of heart and courage. "Is there a reason?" Not letting him answer, she continued, "After, I began to train. Raditz had shown me a few techniques before Bardock seperated us. Day and night, abandoning my duties in the field, I slowly became a different person."

"I lost the ability to smile or laugh, and I learned that I could never rely on anyone but myself. A few months after Raditz had left, I met Ringo. That was the day the old field master was replaced, curtsy of a broken spine. Ringo's father took over the position as field master. He never hit us, but the damage had already been done. The hatred had been set and I couldn't find the ability to forgive."

"I wonder what would have happened if I had had my full memories when I awoke in your room? Would I still feel what I do now?"

"Lema, there's always a reason to live, even if it's to defy your enemies." Did she hear regret and sorrow in his voice? She tried to move, to get a better look at the man she had sworn to protect. Growling, she gave up and rested her face against the wet dirt. "You weren't the only one taught to hate, Lema?"

He sounded a thousand miles away. "When I was five, I met a boy? He was about my age, but his clothes were much like your own. I didn't know that we weren't suppose to speak or be friends. We met everyday, played together and I even taught him a few fighting moves that I had been learning."

"My father found out and I never saw the boy again. I never forgot the beating I received, nor would he let me forget that royalty was never to mix with the commoners. They served us, and friends were an inconvience. By the time I was ten, everyone had learned to fear my power, strength and the extreme anger I held for my father."

"Lema, you asked me why I chose to come here? This became my battle the day that my father had that little boy executed."

Lema gasped, "...Why?"

"I wasn't suppose to find out about it. They said he was an assassin, paid to kill the heir to the throne. That was the last and only friend I had; until you came. When I saw you there, half frozen, torn and dirty; I knew then that I couldn't kill you."

"At first I thought you were a commoner, or at least a low ranking servant. After I saw you toss one of my elite soldiers, I knew different. Raditz confirmed that suspicion when he connected you as his cousin. I knew it was unheard of, but I saw a potential fighter in you and chose to have you enter the trials with your cousin. As I watched you pass each event, I found myself wanting you more and more."

"I tried to understand why you had saved my life, no one had ever gone out of their way for me. Not since that boy, has anyone ever called me a friend. Lema, I know you have the ability to protect myself. However, I want you to stop. That is not why I asked you to be my personal guard."

"You want me to leave?" Lema choked, feeling a tightness in her chest.

"I want you to be my mate, the heir to my child. The people love and would gladly follow you, Lema."

"You love me?" she asked, amazement in her voice.

"Hai."

"I appreciate the affection," Lema teased, sitting up slowly. "However, I won't stop protecting you."

"I'm going to kill him!"

He felt Lema grab his arm, a pleading look in her eyes. "Wait..." she asked. Before he could protest, she touched his mouth with her fingers, "I have my reasons."

"It has to do with Dillon, doesn't it?"

"Hai."

"Has he told you anything?"

"No."

"Lema..."

"I just need a little rest, Geta. Besides, I still have a year of training left."

Lema sagged to the ground, exhausted from another day's hard labor. 'I hate this place,' she mentally complained. She had noticed a gradual change in Vegeta, gone in the fields with Dillon. He talked more and more to the commoners as the days turned into weeks, weeks into months. His clothes were in horrible shape, but Vegeta never complained or asked to return home.

She didn't notice the field master come up to her, not until he tapped her face with the edge of his whip. Lema had to force herself not to react and quickly stood to address the Saiya-jin. Head lowered in respect, she waited for him to speak. "Women don't belong in the fields," he growled. Again she felt the brush of his whip, this time on her back.

"I know nothing else, my lord."

"That can be fixed," he chuckled. His voice held a promise, one that made Lema shudder in disgust. The field master expected her to respond, move... anything but stand staring at the ground.

A few of the watchers chuckled, hoping to see the field master break her spirit. It would be so easy, she was only a mere onna. "My lord, I will stay in the fields."

His hand was swift, jolting her head to the side as he punched her. "Girl, do as your told!"

Lema lifted her head, blood dripping down her chin. "You don't own me!" she snarled.

The whip came up and lashed savagely across her face. Her eyes flashed dangerously; 'I'll kill him!'

Suddenly Vegeta was in front of her, shielding her from the next blow. The field master glared at the insolent commoner; "Move!"

"No..." Vegeta growled, wrapping his tail protectively around Lema's waist.

"Her insolence will not be tolerated!"

Several of the watchers surrounded them, grabbing their arms. Lema started to struggle, but relaxed when Vegeta wrapped his tail tighter around her waist. "I'll take her punishement."

Lema paled, but Vegeta shook his head for her not to interfere. 'No!' her eyes flashed defiantly. "Geta..."

The field master smirked; Lema wanted nothing more than to rip his heart out. He motioned for the watchers to take Vegeta, restraining his hands with ki restraints. "Don't interfere Lema!" Vegeta hissed as he passed by her ear.

"No!" Lema shouted in defiance.

"Lema," he whispered softly, "I have to do this..."

The watchers jerked him back, dragging him roughly away. She started to go after Vegeta, but a hand on her arm held her back. "For our sake, don't challenge them."

"Why?" Lema screamed, turning on Dillon. "He's your friend!"

"You still don't understand, do you?"

"Understand what?"

"Your defiance will cost us all..." Lema's eyes widened in realization; "why?" she asked.

"It isn't the first time a Saiya-jin has challenged him. Not only were his legs and arms broken, we were held down and beaten for over an hour. We're not strong enough to fight the watchers or the field master."

"Why do you stay?"

"Where else can we go? This is the role we're born with; we must accept our fates."

The mark on Lema's neck flared to life, but she never heard a voice cry out in pain. 'Vegeta... I can't take much more of this!'

Vegeta tiredly entered the worn shack, noticing Dillon and the other commoners, but no sign of Lema. Dillon looked up, wincing at the sight of blood stained on Vegeta's clothes. "Where is she?"

"Lema tried to go after you," he whispered; "but I wouldn't let her."

He sat on the edge of his bed, but didn't try to lie down. Vegeta didn't have to look at his back to know it was badly cut open, but now he knew what she had been through. He needed to find Lema, but Vegeta found it difficult to keep his eyes open as he leaned his head against the wall.

"I can't believe he walked back on his own," a voice whispered.

Dillon didn't respond, guilt trembling in his eyes. 'He defended us all and for what? Why did he come here?' Quickly he stood, needing answers to the doubt that raced through his mind.

"Where are you going?" a voice hissed.

"To find the girl."

"If you're caught..."

"I'll take that chance!" Dillon growled, fear in his voice. "They do nothing wrong, yet they take all the punishment for us. Why?"

Dillon left the shack, shrinking into the darkness. He saw the watchers, but managed to sneak past them. 'She could be anywhere.'

Lema sat by the river Vegeta and she sparred at every night. She closed her eyes, imagining all the times she fell and forced herself to stand back up. Vegeta was relentless, but he never critized her efforts. She could block a little easier, but Lema still had a while before she was able to fully master the ki attacks Vegeta had taught her. 'Ki attacks, the one thing shown only to royalty, his personal and royal guards.'

A small ball of fire grew in the plam of her hands and she let it float in front of her while she stared at its reflection in the water. In the past three years, she had grown close to Vegeta. Her feelings were different than what she felt towards Raditz, Ringo, Arico and Cowli. A small gasp brought Lema from her trance, Dillon standing on the outside of the clearing. He stared at the energy ball, his eyes wide with wonder. "What are you?" he asked.

"I'm not so sure anymore. Seven years ago, I couldn't have told you my name, where I came from or who my friends are. The very people I used to hate, I would gladly sacrifice my life for."

"And now?"

"Even with my memories returned, I'm still searching for who I am; perhaps I always will."

Dillon joined Lema by the water side, feeling slightly uncomfortable with her silence. It was difficult to read her expression, the feelings that motivated her existance. "Geta returned about an hour ago?"

He watched her carefully, her gaze never leaving the surface of the water. The ball of light seemed to flicker, but continued to shine. Then he saw it, slowly sliding down her face. "I don't understand. Why did Geta do it?"

"He was protecting you," Dillon tried to answer.

She shook her head violently. "I don't need protection, dammit! That's my job!" Lema pounded her fists into the grounds, unaware of the sharp rocks that bit into her skin. Dillon quickly grabbed her hands, holding them tight as she continued to shake. No more tears fell, but he could clearly see the anguish in her black eyes.

"Geta's not a commoner," Dillon finally stated.

"How..."

"He's too proud..." He slowly touched the fire ball, amazed at its warmth.

Lema smiled sadly and willed the energy to disappear. "We better go back," she stated.

As they started to stand, Dillon and Lema found themselves surrounded by the field master and several watchers. "You know the rules after hours," he laughed in amusement. Dillon paled, but had no where to run as he was crushed to the ground, a foot on his neck. "I'm disappointed Dillon. Is another demonstration in order? I thought you would have learned from the last time..."

"Dillon?" Lema asked.

"Remember that story I told you about?"

"That was you..."

"Hai... I'll never forget the sound of their screaming, or..."

The field master roared with laughter. "Don't stop now..."

"He took my sister and raped her," Dillon spat in contempt. "She became pregnant and... he... the baby never had a chance! He ripped the infant from her womb, killing them both! Her remains were a gift for my defiance."

The cane started for Dillon's head, but Lema grabbed an arm, her stance protectively over Dillon. She never saw the collar snap around her neck until it was too late, Lema no longer having the strength to resist. She was tied to a tree, her back exposed to the whips that swung in the air. The field master tilted her chin back, "You will scream before this is done."

"Don't!" Dillon shouted, trying to get back up.

Lema hated the laughter that rung in her ears, feeling hot breath on her neck. Defiantly she bit her lip, refusing to cry or beg for mercy. The field master scowled, grabbed the nine-tailed energy whip and slammed it into her back. Lema jolted painfully, but no sound escaped her lips.

"Why are you doing this?" Dillon demanded, trying in vain to break free. "She doesn't deserve this!"

"All onnas need to be shown their place! Her friend was a fool! He's too weak to defend her now."

"Bastard," she hissed, "you will die before the rising of the full moon!"

All action ceased, eyes turning towards the sky. It was clouded by thick and dark clouds, a few of the watchers fidgeted. "You're crazy."

Lema found it hard not to cry out as the whip bit into her flesh, sending electrical shocks through her body. Unable to power up, each lash grew more and more painful. 'Vegeta...' Her vision began to blur, but Lema stubbornly held on to consciousness.

Her ears picked up the sound of crackling. Weakly she turned her head and stifled a scream of terror. In the hands of the field master, he held a device that spit out large amounts of electricty. Grabbing her tail, he laughed as he applied the contraption to the fur. She screamed, but his grip was painfully tight. Another was applied to her waist; all Lema could see was a sea of pain, unable to pass out.

Vegeta woke with a start, but couldn't figure out why. The room was silent, everyone asleep before another day of work. His hand touched the pillow lying on his bed; that was when he realized that she was missing. "Dillon, has she..." he stopped, not seeing the commoner to his right.

Shaking another Saiya-jin awake, "Where's Dillon?"

"He left three hours ago."

"Lema?"

"She never came back either."

Vegeta let the Saiya-jin fall back asleep, his head turned toward the door. 'Lema...' Instinctively he knew that she was in danger. 'Where are the watchers?' The clearing around the shack was deserted, no sign that anyone had been present for a couple of hours. Quickly he disappeared into the fields, moving towards the river. That was usually where he had his sparring sessions with her. Lema had come a long way in the past three years, more than he had expected or thought her capable of.

As he neared the river, he heard an ear shattering scream, filled with pain and hate. His blood turned cold when he saw Lema dangling from several vines, her tail burnt and her clothes in tatters as she was whipped repeatedly. Red, that was all Vegeta saw, his teeth growing longer. 'The moon!' Vegeta turned his head to the sky, the clouds disappearing. None of the watchers had noticed, to busy laughing as they continued to torture Lema or kick Dillon in the ribs.

His heart beat quickened, Vegeta lost all train of thought. 'Kill... everything!' The clouds covered the moon again, but the effects had already taken place. He started to grow, black hair covering his body. Vegeta roared, the ground shuddering from his bellowing rage.

Lema, despite the condition of her mind and body, looked up and smiled. 'Vegeta...' The field master, forgetting about Dillon and Lema, fell backwards as the giant Oozuru stared down at him. He started to scream, but it was cut off as Vegeta stepped on him with his foot. The watchers fled in terror, a blast of pure energy hitting them in the backs.

Dillon crawled to Lema and cut her down, catching her as she sagged to the ground. Her eyes were closed and his hands felt slick. 'She's lost too much blood.'

Gently, he lifted her, moving in the opposite direction of the Oozuru. He had seen the transformation and shuddered at the destructive power Vegeta possessed. Lema groaned, "Vegeta..."

"Don't talk," Dillon whispered. "You need your rest."

"He'll kill... everyone..."

"But..."

"...doesn't know... difference between friend nor foe."

"I have to stop him!"

"Dillon!" Lema cried out weakly. Dillon had put her down and disappeared, moving towards the line of fire. Vegeta was heading straight for the shack; he had to save the commoners.

Dillon was trying to lead everyone to safety and had managed to get the last of the men away when a blast shattered the shack. He was thrown to the ground, his leg broken. Slowly he turned to his back and stared at rage filled eyes, a row of sharp teeth and thirty foot Oozuru. Accepting the inevitable, Dillon closed his eyes and waited for the blow to come.

He felt something toss him out of the way, and it wasn't until he opened his eyes that he realized he was still alive and slightly burnt from the attack. To his right, a large crater now existed with smoke rising from the center. 'What happened?' He turned to the left and choked back a cry of shock and sorrow. 'Why?'

The Oozuru roared, and started to fire again. Dillon shook Lema's shoulder, but she didn't budge or make a sound. "Lema! No!" He met Vegeta's gaze, tears streaking down his face. "You loved her!" he screamed.

The Oozuru hesitated, his eyes moving towards Lema's motionless body. He growled, but Vegeta made no further indications that he was going to continue killing everyone. His large hand reached down and picked Lema up, lifting her into the air for him to study closer. Her black hair blew in the wind, Lema's body broken and burned. His nose touched her face, becoming familiar with her scent that his humanoid form knew all too well.

Dillon cringed at the sound of Vegeta's roar, filled with sorrow. 'She saved my life... No, she can't be dead!'