Execution?!
Hah! If they thought she was going to just lie down and let them take away all she had worked for they had another thought coming. One that would be their last: a realization on the brink of the death she would offer.
How foolish her enemies were. Strength in numbers was fine agaisnt weak opponents for the weaker. But she was a Saiyan warrior, if anything it was the only thing she still held pride in.
She was Saiyajin. She answered to no one. No one could stop her, order her around, or defeat her. She was absolute strength, paired with a mind above average for her race.
Not even Jiiyar could orchestrate her demise without her say. Not even the Saiyajin no Oji could do anything. She was her own person, and swore allegience to no one.
Execution.
Katera stood perfectly still in the aftermath of Jiiyar's words. She
ignored the callous cheering from those Jiiyar had collected.
Narrowing her eyes she blocked out the fear in her companions that
was assaulting a sense she was only recently beginning to become aware
of.
Execution.
It seemed the only thing she couldn't block out was that word, and the fury it brought about within her. He dared?! After all this time he dared to adress her not only by her full name, but to make a threat so brazen, so abiguous, so... plausable in this situation?
No, it was not plausable, Katera corrected herself, it was completely implausable, or it would be if she didn't have these Earthian idiots along to weigh her down.
No one was going to die with her as an indirect cause: no one died for her...
Besides, she would stop this at the source, at Jiiyar.
A ripple of ki energy crossed the blade of her sword, and she felt the coolness of the blade penetrate the air around her. Slowly her mouth turned into a coolly reckless smile.
Jiiyar watched this and his face pinched in insult. He let a threat like that hang in the air and she smiled? She had the audacity to smile?!
At this Jiiyar threw the first attack, coming forward with a speed that was hard to follow. He collided with Katera, who made seemingly no motion to defend, then shot back to virtually reappear where he'd begun.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
" ... Zellosama is not there, " observed the dark figure.
" No matter, " said a quieter, though harsher voice, " keep an eye on those she has chosen for her pawns. You'll need to know when the game arrives... "
---------------------------------------------------------------------
With a clatter, Katera's armor slid off her bloodied shoulder to the ground. The only response the Saiyan warrior gave to the loss of her last peice of armor was a slight twitching of her face, and the fact that her smile had dropped, becoming a grim, straight line.
" You've grown slower, " Jiiyar observed with satisfaction.
" Or smarter, " answered Katera with no emotion.
Suddenly she moved, defining poetry in motion. Within seconds she had moved to in front of Jiiyar, sliced crosswise across his chest, then up, turning her blade to knock him with the flat upside the chin, while jumping over and continuing her cut down his back. She landed with no sound behind him on her feet. Seemingly, it was changing the position of her sword so that her blade was horizontal that gave Jiiyar's armor 'permission' to feel the effects of her cuts and slide off his shoulders.
It went without saying that those from Earth were in awe of the warrior's skill.
Without turning, Katera stated, " Now that we are even... "
Jiiyar quivered, be it from rage or fear or both, no one could tell, but he lost all composure and spat, " Bastard! " before attacking Katera.
A collective roar went up from those around the room, causing the Earth's warriors to get into fighting position. They were just in time, for as the roar went up, Jiiyar's army attacked.
Gokuu looked around with a calculated panic. " Split up! " he ordered finally, pushing off into the air. Everyone else followed, scattering throughout the room, and the fighting began.
Impervious to it all, or seemingly so, Katera and Jiiyar stood in the same positions; with their backs to each other, making no motion to indicate following their companions' lead.
" Your friends fight well, " commented Jiiyar.
" As do I, " said Katera, pivoting on one foot to spin and attack with her blade.
Jiiyar spun as well, catching Katera at the wrist, but in a way so that he had her hand as well. " So predictable. We've danced this dance before, Kateraope. "
" I don't need your friggin' analogies sounding in my ear to fight Jiiyar, " Katera hissed.
Jiiyar tsked and tightened his grip. Katera flinched not, but a slight flicker of pain crossed her eyes: fear and alarm. The readings her scouter was feeding her... it couldn't be! It just couldn't be!
With a miniscule sound of exertion, Jiiyar twisted his body and sent Katera slamming into the wall. She hit with a bang that sounded above the sounds of fighting.
" All I am saying, " stated Jiiyar, approaching the warrior with slow, sure steps, and holding one hand up by his ear, with the fingers cupped upwards, " is that our battles always go the same. I hit you, you hit me, you lose armor, I lose armor, we banter, we bluster, we get angry, as we are now, and we do stupid things that make the battle end prematurely. " It was at this moment that Katera noticed the sphere of glowing ki energy forming above Jiiyar's head. " By prematurely, I mean, of course, ending before you die. " The sphere of ki energy cast odd shadows over Jiiyar's face, " But not this time. "
---------------------------------------------------------------------
She found Garlic Junior walking through a thick forest not far from Karin Tower. He walked so proudly, with a puddle of pink-tinted fabric around his feet. Such a small, insignificant looking creature was the cause of her one last glitch?
Well, she thought with a smirk as both his 'friends' and the smug look on his face came into view. Though the glimpse of his face was brief, what he lacked in height he certainly made up for in bravado.
Kinda like Vejiita in a way.
The taller, more muscular minions might be a problem, but she doubted it.
With a silent blow, Garlic Junior dropped to the ground, blood staining his robes a different shade of red.
The minions paused and stared at her in shock. How predictable, yet understandable. She stood there, surrounded by a cacaphony of greens, dressed in a simple pink tunic, and loose pink pants tucked into tan boots that slouched around her ankles. Her long braid wavered slightly in the wind, but her eyes, and her gaze, never altered.
Slowly, she raised her hand, emitting a massive ki blast visible from outside the atmosphere. Overkill? Perhaps. But, oh, so satisfying to the darker recesses of her soul.
She looked down at Garlic Junior with a hard expression. No one was going to ruin her plans for Son Gokuu and his companions.
No one.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Yamcha stopped short just inside his door, not even noticing as it swung back to close and rammed into him. He turned his head to the side... and concentrated.
That felt like Sarro's ki...
" Yamcha? " Pouar asked fearfully, " What's wrong? "
Suddenly he felt nothing, nothing but the faint ki signatures of some stronger members of the human race and a far off one too powerful to be human... around the same area as the powerful feeling that had just hit his senses.
" Nothing, Pouar, " Yamcha answered monotonously, " Nothing's wrong. " I sure as hell didn't like that though...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Gokuu dodged to the side as one of the soldiers dove at him in a last ditch attempt at landing a blow. So far no one had landed even a swipe on him.
It was all very interesting... Chichi would be pleased that he'd not ripped any of his clothes yet. It was the first battle he'd participated in since Namekusei... aside from training to acquire instantanious movement, that is. But that hadn't been a real battle per say, no one had been trying to kill him. These guys were, they were trying to kill him, and his friends, and the small Saiyan warrior he'd taken a strange liking to. This Gokuu was not pleased about, and not in the least bit interested in, in the same sense of the word.
Son Gokuu was getting angry. He could handle the army, his friends were having more of a problem with it. While Vejiita, Gohan, and Piccolo did well, the Earthian fighters weren't do so well. Tenshinhan and Chaou-zu were fighting madly back to back... and Kuririn as usual seemed to be taking on all the taller fighters.
[Small man's syndrome, perhaps?]
Suddenly with one good hit, Kuririn was down on the ground, and Gokuu's
anger began to rise...
Katera stared.
Though it switched between her readings, the ki sphere, and Jiiyar, she still stared. For a number of moments it felt as though that was all she could do.
There was no way! No way Jiiyar's power could have risen in such exponential factors to this point in such a short time. There was also the all too apparant fact that no matter how his power had risen, it still wasn't anywhere near that extremely high one she'd seen.
A feeling of doom settled over Katera, and in some small sense snapped her back to her senses.
Suddenly wiping the surprise off her face, Katera curled her legs to under her and adjusted her grip on her sword.
Just as Jiiyar launched the ki sphere at Katera, she dove forward, colliding with his legs and toppling him. The ki sphere veered off course as Jiiyar lost his balance and shot into the crowd of soldiers and warriors.
The wayward attack hit the crowd before many realized, and even more were instantly vaporized... including Kuririn, Tenshinhan, Chaou-zu and Piccolo.
Gokuu started, and raised into the air, his ki beginning to escalate.
Gohan burst into tears and yelled, " Piccolosan! Kuririnsan! "
Vejiita broke off into a long string of curses before fending off the remaining soldiers.
Katera stood and observed the damage with widened eyes and an expression as close to devastation as she could muster before anger overtook all other emotion. With a blind outcry of rage she whirled around and struck out at Jiiyar.
The other warrior took no notice of the losses he had suffered and calmly stepped outside the radius of Katera's sword. As she was following the attack through, he moved forward and knocked her back into the wall. Pining her there with one hand he punched her repeatedly until the wall behind her head had dented. Holding her by the face he slammed her head back one good time before moving his battering to the rest of her.
Suddenly Katera go a hold of herself and with her free hand caught Jiiyar's arm in a tight grip. He jerked and glared at her suspiciously.
Katera screwed up her face and spat the blood in her mouth into Jiiyar's face. He blinked in surprise and took a step back. Wiping at his face his breathing quickened in disgust.
Slowly, deliberately, Katera moved away from the wall and adjusted her grip. She took quiet steps forward, her breath coming out as a hiss through clenched teeth.
" Jiiyar, now you die, " she seethed.
Kuririn... dead.
Tenshinhan... dead.
Chaou-zu... dead.
Piccolo... dead.
Four of his closest friends... dead in an instant. A mere instant. It was, in all honesty, too much for Son Gokuu to handle.
As it had on Namekusei, the same changes took place. He lost all contact
with reality, but for the deaths of his friends and the
insaciable feeling of loss. His breathing quickened, his heart beat
at an impossible rate, pumping adrenaline through his veins and setting
off a reaction that before his time had been only legendary... the power
of the Super Saiyajin.
Finally it hit the proper treshold and Gokuu screamed, throwing his
head back. His ki flared and changed colour to a blinding gold. His hair
followed the change, rising and breaking off into separate spikes of gold.
His black eyes faded to a cold, hard, turquoise, and he turned this chilly
glare on Jiiyar.
Katera watched the numbers rise on her scouter until it hit it's own treshold and shut itself down. Gasping she turned and breathed,
" Nani? "
[Nani => What]
Upon seeing the glowing gold creature that was now Son Gokuu, she lost all anger, opting for amazement. It couldn't be... it just couldn't be. But how else had the third class born defeated Freezer on Namekusei and survived the planet's destruction?
She had known about it, of course. Through pirating communication signals and keeping track of readings from the planet she had watched the battle until both these methods gave out on her. Communication had become null, and her scouter had shut down.
But this, she'd never dreamed this. The Super Saiyajin... was Kakarrot?
The traitor who considered himself more human than
Saiyajin? Who called himself Son Gokuu, and insisted she do the same?
In a matter of minutes, Katera had suffered two devastating blows that
had nothing to do with her physical wounds: four of the people who had
Insisted on aiding her had died at her fault, and the appearance of the
Densetsu no Super Saiyajin.
" Gohan, Vejiita, " Gokuu said quietly, " Take Katera and leave. "
" What?! " Vejiita demanded.
Gohan, having been in this situation before, nodded and flew towards
Katera.
Jiiyar took a step back, away from Gokuu. " What-- What in all hells is that? "
Katera turned her head to look at him, the light from Gokuu's still flared ki casting deep shadows over her face. She regarded him with a look Jiiyar knew all too well, a look that knew of bitter victory, and could tell it's coming.
" That is a Super Saiyajin, Jiiyar, you're doomed, " she said simply. Looking back she lowered her voice as she watched Gohan approach, " We're both doomed. "
Gohan met up with her and grabbed her arm. " Come on! Otousan says to take you and get out of here! "
Katera couldn't hide her surprise for all the worlds.
" Nan-- " Jiiyar broke off, and glared viciously, " Never! "
Gohan pulled. " Come On, Katera! "
Katera jerked her arm from his grip. " No! I can't! "
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The dark figure observed this with interest, " Stubborn creatures, aren't they? Jiiyar had better take his chance now, if the game is to begin. "
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Jiiyar did just that. While Gohan was about to argue back at Katera, he moved swiftly forward and grabbed Katera. Pulling his arm back, he leered and aimed a knife-strike at Katera's back.
As Jiiyar propelled the blow forward, Gokuu yelled, " Yamete! " too late, and Jiiyar's strike went right through Katera's back to the other side. Katera choked and her eyes widened, before dulling. Gohan caught her as she fell, providing Jiiyar with the opportunity to blast the little warrior in the face.
Katera fell the rest of the way to the ground, and Gohan went flying. Gokuu shot down to catch his son. He looked down at Gohan's bloody face and felt the last of the little boy's ki die away.
Now all that remained was Gokuu and Vejiita. Gokuu had lost his friends, a potential friend, and his only son in five minutes. Looking up, his mind snapped to one single, harsh reality-- it was all because of Jiiyar.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The quiet, harsh voice that sounded from the darkness surrounding the dark figure spoke up.
" Now, watch the Super Saiyajin Son Gokuu... watch and learn, for soon, very soon, you will have to fight him, and you will win. We will win, and Zellosama can do nothing about it. "
" Demo... she's lost all her players but for three, how can the game continue? "
[Demo => but]
Had the voice belonged to a face at the moment, it would have smiled, " That too, is a lesson you have yet to learn. Zellosama is far from defeated. "
The dark figure huffed in irritation. " If only Zello had come. I would like to see my true opponent. "
" All in due time... "
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Sarro returned home, just in time to find Bulma knocking at her door.
" Ohaiyo, Bulma, " she greeted with a bright smile that betrayed nothing
of her errands away from home, " to what do I owe this
visit? "
[Ohaiyo => good morning]
Bulma turned, and the expression on her face told Sarro that this visit was anything but pleasant.
" Ano, Sarro, " Bulma hedged, " A bunch of guys came after Katera, and Gokuu and the others but for Yamcha and you took off with her to help. They haven't returned yet, and Chichi's freaking out. She says something's happened to Gohan... "
Sarro stood shocked a moment, then reached her senses out towards where she could vaguely sense Gokuu... and Vejiita... and Katera... but no one else.
" Bulma, " she said firmly, " Chichi is more than right. Your father has a working spaceship, doesn't he? "
" Why, yes... " Bulma said slowly.
" Good, I need it, " and Sarro took off running.
¤¤
[Everyone's dead! I can tell you right now that didn't happen in the first draft! Ahh! Now I have no idea what I'm doing! What ever will we do without Kuririn, Tenshinhan, Chaou-zu, Piccolo, and Gohan?! The future is officially screwed! Okay, okay, calm down, stop panicing, and come back for Chapter Eight; Second Chances. Can Everybody Stay With Us Now? to see if Sarro can fix things. Until then, I'll be off writing it!]
[Written by Inseiko 1999]
¤