Katera twisted herself around as she entered the atmosphere. She could
feel the pinpricks of heat from the atmospheric friction begin to touch
her skin. But she ignored it, there was nothing she could do to stop it,
so she crossed her arms protectively before her and shouted,
" Ice Sheild! "
The ki aura around Katera shifted and solidified into pure ice, and
the heat went away. Having gone through this before, Katera curled her
body up as small as she could and prepared herself for impact.
Piccolo suddenly jerked attention upwards and eyed the faint glimmer in the sky. Gohan looked up as well and voiced his mentor's name questioningly. Piccolo answered not, and kept his eyes tersely skyward. Eventually Gohan was able to see what Piccolo had sensed: a burning ball of ki energy screaming straight for them.
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Sarro accepted the cup of tea set before her by Chichi with a soft thank-you. Now that her 'panic' had subsided, she could marginally be herself again. But she still had a role to play, and there was no way of getting out of the plan now.
" I am running from, " inadvertently she paused, hating the lie that
she had to perpetuate to people she hoped were and could be
friends, " a warrior named Katera-Ope. She wants to fight me. "
Gokuu gave her a blank look. " So why don't you? You have an incredible ki, I'm sure you could win. "
Sarro couldn't help but scowl at him. " I've retired from the fighting business. "
" Why? "
Sarro's scowl deepened. " That's not the point, Son Gokuu, " This is going to be a long stay. What a moron.
" Gokuu, " reprimanded Chichi, " Let poor Sarro speak. Not everyone who's powerful has to fight. I think it's very noble of Sarro to back out of such a terrible business. "
" Thank-you, " Sarro sighed, " anyway. I'd heard about you, and how you defeated King Cold's son Freezer on Namekusei. "
Gokuu's face darkened, and Sarro's 'moron' assessment became a bit askew. " Yeah, " he said, his tone a little ominous, " I just got back from that. "
Sarro smiled privately. She knew that all too well.
" So, " Sarro said, leaning forward, " I figured, if you could defeat someone as powerful as Freezer, who's to say you couldn't solve my little problem for me? "
" Sure, " agreed Gokuu with no small amount of animation.
Sarro's face spread into a smile. " Great, for doing this for me, Son Gokuu, I will personally cook you a feast! "
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Gohan watched as the ball of ki energy hit the waterfall at the lip, collapsing the cliff in on itself, and turned the water to steam as it finally hit the bottom. For a moment all there was for noise was the sound of the water and the steam in the air. Along with this, Gohan could hear his heart pounding in his chest.
What could possibly have done that to the waterfall?
Suddenly a head broke the surface of the turbulent waters at the base of the waterfall and gasped for air. The owner of the head rose into the air, revealing a small, waterlogged frame, and a ki of incredible power.
" Damn You! " shouted Katera, her voice breaking. Water fell in great droplets from her bangs, and she bared her teeth in rage. Sarro was going to pay, if Katera had to rip the planet apart in order to do so, she was going to pay.
As the last echoes of her outcry died away, Katera's ears caught the sound of someone gasping, and she turned on the owner of the gasp. There, standing side by side on the embankment of the water, stood a tall Namekuseijin wearing an indigo battle gi and a white cape and turban, and a small boy wearing a similar gi. They faced her with battle-ready expressions on their face.
Katera lowered herself to the point where her feet rested just above the still turbulent waters. Blatantly she began taking their readings through her scouter.
" Well, " she said, moving on after them to the rest of the planet, " aren't you interesting? "
" Alright, " Piccolo took a step forward and demanded threateningly, " who are you and what are you doing here? "
" So straightforward, " commented Katera. She tilted her head to the side and answered, " I am Katera-Ope, a Saiyan warrior. I'd give you the whole run down, but you already know all about that, don't you? "
" What? " Piccolo questioned.
" Another Saiyajin? " Gohan voiced.
" Oh come on, " Katera said snidely, " asking me to believe that you don't know about Kakarrot is like asking me to believe those rediculously low powerlevels you're feeding me. Do you honestly expect me to believe a Namekuseijin with a face like that is so weak? As for the kid, that's still high compared to the other readings... I'm... get...ting... hm... " Katera's full attention turned to her scouter readings. " Well now, " she said with a slow, cruel smile, " isn't that interesting? "
Without further acknowldegment of Piccolo or Gohan's presence, Katera took off into the air in a burst of ki energy.
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Gokuu suddenly looked up and his eyes took on the unfocusing cast they acquired when he was concentrating on his other senses.
Sarro's face suddenly darkened, even as he said, " She's on the move. " There was a pause. " Man, that power... it's almost exactly like Vejiita's. "
Sarro stood. " That's where she'll be heading; for the Saiyajin no Oji. "
" Why? " inquired Chichi.
Quite plainly, Sarro answered, " because Katera wants to kill him. "
" Why? " asked Gokuu moments later, when he and Sarro were heading at top speed towards Capsule Corporation.
" I'm not sure, " Sarro called back, telling the truth, for Dende hadn't yet figured it out, " all we, I mean, I can gather is that he was the one who exiled her from Vejiitasei. "
" ... oh, " Gokuu said, and fell silent.
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Vejiita was just on his way out of the Capsule Corporation main building
when suddenly the sense of an approaching ki hit him.
Stopping short, he glared into the sky and waited.
~That's not Kakarrot...~
As the approaching figure came into full view, Vejiita fought to keep the surprise off his face. As she landed, he took a slow breath, placed his feet firmly on the ground and crossed his arms regally.
" Katera, " he greeted.
" Vejiitaojisama, " the other Saiyajin returned with no small amount of sarcasm in his title.
Vejiita's face darkened slightly. " What are you doing here? "
" I came looking for a fight, " answered Katera simply. She widened her stance and sank into fighting position, " and I found you. "
" Isn't that interesting? " commented Vejiita, taking his own fighting stance: little realizing he was echoing Katera's own words from earlier.
There was a long pause of preparation, waiting for the battle. Without
a sound but for the cracking of the pavement beneath his
feet, Vejiita attacked.
Katera disappeared before he reached her, and he searched with narrowed eyes for where she'd ended up. Suddenly he turned, blocking her blow at his back and throwing a punch in retaliation. Katera moved to the side and swept his feet out from under him. Vejiita back flipped away, coming at her again as soon as his feet again hit the ground. He attacked with a backhand strike that Katera dodged too late. His forearm caught her in the side, just as both her fists got him in the back. Vejiita hit the ground and Katera toppled a lamp post on the curb.
Mutually they got up and went at it again, striking and blocking with a ferocity unparalleled. So far they had remained on the ground, and there were a number of people, passerbyers, Capsule Corp. workers, city officials, etc, stopped to observe.
Not that either of those fighting cared.
Katera lashed out at Vejiita's head, but he ducked and buried his fist in her middle. She doubled over it, and struck with a rib-cracking blow to his side. Enraged, Vejiita aimed a blow at her head, but Katera reached back and caught his hand at the base of her skull. Her other hand went around the wrist of the hand still in her gut, and Katera made a small, humored sound.
Twisting her body in a way, Katera moved apart from Vejiita and snapped his body, throwing him litterally into the pavement. Placing one booted foot between his shoulder blades, she smirked, " That was so easy I'm disappointed. "
Vejiita yelled angrilly and blasted his ki outwards. The force of this threw Katera off him, and she landed neatly on her feet some distance away.
Vejiita got to his feet, seething with rage. " You, " he spat, " have not even begun to see the extent of my power! "
Katera smirked derisively, " Then show me, oh great Ojisama. "
Vejiita sneered and pulled his hands into tight fists. Crouching down low, he escalated his ki and let it rise to his highest of levels. When he was through, he was magnificent. The steel blue of his aura highlighted his wild, upswept hair and accented his face. He glared at Katera with now glistening black eyes from beneath angular black eyebrows and gave a short chuckle.
" Now let's see you beat me. "
" Hn, " Katera crouched into her fighting stance and fisted her hands, " You're not the only one to pick up that ability, Ojisama."
[I'm sorry. Trans. => Prince]
Vejiita had an even harder time keeping the surprise off his face as Katera began to raise her powerlevel as he had. Her aura appeared as a writhing ice blue flame, only a sublte difference in hue separated hers from his. When she was through, Vejiita knew the truth before she pointed at the scouter in her left eye and proclaimed, " We're even, our Sentu Ryoku are exactly the same. "
Vejiita recovered his composure and grinned sardonically. " A scouter? You had it implanted? They have a tendency to explode, you know. "
" Don't worry about me, Ojisama, " Katera assured him in a low tone, " I can handle myself just fine. "
" Good, " said Vejiita as he attacked again.
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" Hey, Yamcha! " Kuririn called.
The taller fighter looked back over his shoulder and offered a grin of greeting. Kuririn caught up with his friend and gave a small wave.
" Hey, Kuririn, you felt it too, huh? " Yamcha asked amicably.
Kuririn nodded. " Uh-huh. Two big powers. One out by Gokuu, and the other near Piccolo that travelled over to where Vejiita is. Vejiita and him are fighting right now near as I can tell. "
" Yeah, " Yamcha turned grim, " you get the feeling that there's no rest for the weary? "
" Got that right. " Kuririn turned grim as he and Yamcha fell silent. Man, and after Gokuu just got back too. We could all use a rest after the horrors of the last few years. Unconcsiously Kuririn cringed, First the Saiyajin, then that horrible trip to Namekusei... and who could forget Freezer? Being exploded is no fun, not to mention impaled on a horn, nearly drowned, scared almost to death, and yelled at continually by Bulma.
...I heard it was awesome, how Gokuu just got... mad allofasudden, and became the stuff legends are made of...
A Super Saiyajin. Kuririn took a slow breath as the metropolis came into view. I just hope that power's enough to solve this one quickly and with no casualties.
However, when Kuririn and Yamcha landed below the fight Vejiita was
entangled in, he felt almost like throwing the 'no casualties' hope out
the window.
Vejiita and Katera were exchanging blows with a ferocity unparalleled.
The speed and intensity of their fight was one which can
only be acheived by the Saiyajin: only by beings with battle in their
blood. Neither would ever back down; backing down was unheard of.
These were the most perfect of opponents in any battle anyway. The former prince of the Saiyajin and the warrior who seemed to have sought him out. They had a past, a bitter one from appearances. Both Saiyajin were the same height, the same build but for a few subtle differences, they possessed the same colour in their ki aura's and the exact same Sentu Ryoku, to the decimal...
... and both were madder than hell at each other.
Vejiita suddenly hit with a blow that sent Katera's head spinning. Her jaw took the full brunt of it, and her whole body snapped to the side in compensation.
There was a lull as Vejiita observed his handiwork. He then pulled all his fingers into a fist and gathered is power into one punch. This would be the kill shot. Matching powerlevels his--
Katera caught the punch almost before he'd even sent it. Slowly, eerily, she turned her head back to face him and their eyes met. A thin line of blood trickled down from her mouth, which was in a straight line, making it not quite a frown, not quite not.
Suddenly her hand tightened, and Vejiita's ears were filled with the painful sounds of the bones in his hand crunching. Snapping his head back with the force, Katera pulled him towards her, and met the bottom of his jaw with the heel of her hand. Vejiita felt the closeness of her and grabbed her shoulders.
He noted with some satisfaction that she did not wear the armor the Saiyajin had, and was pleased further to hear her choke when her unprotected midriff met his knee.
Katera twisted her body at the waist and blasted him in the side. The two opponents flew apart and hung opposite the aerial battlefield they had claimed for their battle and glared.
They needed to catch their breaths, which is why it was good that they
were beyond words. Anything Katera and Vejiita had to say to each other
had been said. There was no more need to bluster, to antagonize, to jeer.
All that was left was the fight and that's all there would ever be until
one or both died.
For Kuririn, on the ground, this concept was frightening. " Wh-what should we do? " he asked quiveringly.
Yamcha cocked his head to the side and watched as the two began fighting anew. " I... think... we should leave them be until Gokuu gets here. "
" Good idea, " Kuririn sighed.
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" Otousan! " a high voice called, cutting through the silence between Sarro and Gokuu.
Both the Saiyajin looked to the source of the voice, and found themselves confronted with Gohan and Piccolo meeting up with them.
Sarro blinked when she saw Piccolo. " Eh? Dende? "
The gained Sarro a trio of blank stares. She looked around at them all and cleared her throat. " Sorry, " she said, a slight flush rising to her cheeks, " I mistook you for someone else. "
Piccolo gave her an odd look. " How could you mistake me for Dende? He's just a child. "
Gracious, how far back in the past am I? Sarro wondered. Instead she covered her tracks and inquired, " Are we refuring to the same Dende? "
Piccolo 'hmmph'ed and asceeded, " Guess not. "
" That's Piccolo, " Gokuu told her, " I guess you know that he's a Namekuseijin: and that's my son, Gohan. "
" Charmed, " said Sarro with a smile at the little boy. Gokuu then switched
the introductions, " This is Sarro. She came to
me for help with that other new power. "
" Met her, " growled Piccolo. " She took off without any explanation before Gohan and I could fight her. "
" I think she has a scouter in her eye, " Gohan said, " I thought she'd gone after you, Otousan. "
" Nope, Vejiita. " Gokuu said, sounding vaguely disappointed. Sarro couldn't for the life of her figure out why, then remembered Gokuu was Saiyajin. That explained it all. It was strange, that such a moronic, clueless, innocent, gentle man could be born of the race that had produced her.
She hadn't always been retired, oh, no. She'd been quite the ruthless fighter in her day...
Sarro snapped her mind out of reminiscence just as the quartet reached
Capsule Corporation. What they found, was a disaster area.
Debris and broken ground lay strewn about. The air was aglow with the two ki signatures which shone like two suns in the air over what had once been the nicely cultivated lawn.
While there was no need to, Vejiita soon fell into his habit of goading his opponents. Surprisingly, Katera wasn't taking the bait, causing him to give in to the need all the more.
There was a reason for Katera's silence, however. Normally she would have been right there with him, shooting back insults for all she was worth. It was a nice way of distracting the enemy.
But she was tired. Chasing that skinny little rabbit in pink to this dustball and crashing into it had taken a lot out of her. Katera's body was screaming 'sleep' while her brain, her blood, and her soul screamed 'fight'. It was an internal war in juxtaposition with her external one. She had to kill the prince and she had to do it Now!
Katera moved back, away from Vejiita and performing a fluid backflip through the air. She paused, level with him, and held her hands, wrists together, close to her. For a moment all that could be heard was the sounding of her breath.
Vejiita tilted his head back and inquired sardonically, " Is that all your good for, Katera? Showy aerobatics? "
Harshly Katera whispered in response, " See for yourself. " and pushed her hands out towards Vejiita. A thin line of ki energy hit him in the chest, pushing him back only slightly.
Vejiita grinned. " Is that it? "
Katera closed her eyes in concentration, then opened her eyes wide,
and the line of ki followed, becoming a column of impressive magnitude.
Gokuu gave a start. " Vejiita! " he shouted in distress.
Flaring up his own ki, Gokuu took off directly towards Katera.
Sarro blinked in his wake. What the--
Katera never noticed Gokuu, she was concentrating on enveloping Vejiita in her ki, preparing for the final blow that would rid her of his shadow forever. Then perhaps she could forget, and go on with her life without constantly being haunted by the events leading to her exile...
Suddenly Gokuu hit her with a blow that sent her directly through the outer wall of the Capsule Corporation building, and the Saiyan warrior was hidden under a pile of rubble.
Vejiita blinked as Katera's attack left him. " Kakarrot?! " he cried in disbelief and outrage. How dare he save him!
This seemed to be the one thing Vejiita and Katera agreed on. The rubble the covered her exploded outwards, leaving the warrior standing in it's wake. She'd lost her right shoulder guard, and her gi was badly ripped. She glared at Gokuu with murderous eyes and her hand went to the hilt of the sword at her hip.
She drew the blade slowly, letting the sound of it scraping the sheath
echo through the silence. Crouching down on one knee, she kept her eyes
on Gokuu over the deadly blade and said quietly, " This battle is not over
yet... "
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[What has Sarro gotten us into? That would be the question, now wouldn't it be? Katera's not through with Vejiita, nor is Vejiita through with Katera. But what is the shady past between the two, and will it ever be reconciled in a way other than death? Find out at least some answers next in Chapter Four; Fight Katera! Battle Outside Capsule Corporation!]
[Written by Inseiko, 1999]
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