"What's going on here?" Master Roshi shouted. "This is a party, not a brawl!"

"Not at all," said Gohan. "This is just a test." He retreated to the beach, giving Trunks and Takira more room; the others hastily followed his example.

"I just hope she doesn't kill him," muttered Pan.

"She won't," Goten assured her. "Even if she's able to, which I doubt."

"Why do you doubt it? She killed Mordrig, and he almost killed Trunks."

"She was running on anger and adrenaline, and neither is really present here. Besides, she likes him too much to kill him," Goten said matter-of-factly. Pan glowered.

Takira and Trunks hung motionless in the air. In the blink of an eye, they streaked forward, meeting halfway in a burst of ki and a fierce skirmish, moving fast enough that only those with Saiyan blood could follow the action.

"I thought she wasn't a Saiyan," said #18.

"She's not," Gohan answered. "Technically, she's a human."

"What?!" exclaimed Krillin. "No way! No human has that kind of power! I've never seen a transformation like that."

"Neither has anyone else," said Gohan, "that's why we're testing her like this; to see the true extent of her powers in this form. We know that, given the right conditions, she can wield and extraordinary amount of power, but the question is if she can summon it at will, and hold onto it long enough to use it wisely."

Trunks and Takira broke apart to catch their breath. Takira placed her hands one on top of the other, over her heart, watching Trunks carefully as she prepared her attack. By the time she threw her hands forward to launch, it, Trunks was ready, and flung out an attack which fell woefully short of its goal. Trunks was thrown backwards, and before he could get his bearings, Takira was behind him, aiming a kick for his spine. Twisting quickly, he grabbed her by the leg and kicked her hard in the face before disappearing. Wiping the blood from her chin, Takira closed her eyes, waiting for his ki to reappear.

He appeared behind her and she whirled, throwing an energy ball. He dodged and sent an attack smashing into her chest. She fell, but caught herself before she hit the water, and with a wicked grin, raised her hand and brought it down sharply, redirecting the attack Trunks thought he'd avoided. It struck him in the back, flinging him toward Takira, who caught him gently in her arms, then slammed a knotted fist into his stomach. He bent over double, then straightened, elbowing her in the face and dealing her a kick in the side that flung her away from him. He lunged, trying to shove her into the water, but she locked hands with him and blocked his knees with hers. They hovered mere feet above the surface, Takira glaring up at Trunks as he sought to force her down. The force of the struggle churned the water beneath them, though neither budged.

From the shore, all watched with anticipation.

"Do you think she can do it, Tenshinhan?" asked Chaozu. Tenshinhan shook his head.

"Beat a super Saiyan? In a way, I hope not. I don't think she'll do it, though. Trunks has her on the ropes, now."

Takira could feel it, the shift in power. Trunks was beginning to get the upper hand. Even transformed, she couldn't quite match him for raw power. 'Only one thing to do,' she thought. Releasing Trunks suddenly, she grabbed him in a bear hug and plunged him into the icy water with her. A draw was better than a loss. When they resurfaced(reverting to original forms)and made their way to shore, Goten ran forward to greet them.

"That was great, guys! Kind of short, but a good display. I hate to say it, Takira, but I still say Trunks won that bout, in spite of your last-ditch kamikaze dive." Takira smiled.

"Oh, I know. I just figured if I had to get wet, then so would he." She wrung out her hair as Gohan stepped forward.

"So what do you call that transformation?" She shrugged.

"Doesn't matter what I call it, really. I don't have very good control over it yet, anyhow, so at this point it's more of an experiment than a technique."

"Fair enough. You'll have to work harder at it in the future, refine it a little." Takira tossed her hair flippantly.

"Are you calling me unrefined?" she asked in mock indignation.

"After that sock in the stomach you gave me, I could have called you a lot worse," said Trunks with a grin. Takira laughed and ruffled his damp hair, much to his consternation.

"No, you wouldn't; you're too polite. It's hilarious, actually: a decent, well-mannered fighting machine." Trunks ducked away and tried to fix his hair. Pan sneaked up behind him and messed it up again. He threw up his hands in resignation.

"Fine! You win! I give up!" Takira feigned shock.

"You mean all I had to do to win was mess up your hair? To think I was going about it the hard way!"

"Poor Trunks," Goten said unsympathetically, "It must be hell having women all over you." Takira gave him a disapproving look as she replaced her boots and scabbard.

"Well, there's not much point in messing up your hair," she pointed out. "Nobody would be able to tell the difference!" Goten accepted the teasing good-naturedly as Gohan mussed his hair to prove the point.

"Go easy on him," said #18, "At least he has hair." She threw a glance at her husband, who quickly jumped to his own defense.

"I can't help it; as it gets warmer, my head gets all hot and itchy. You have to wash it and comb it, and it's just too much trouble." #18 sighed. She'd managed to convince Krillin to grow out his hair for a brief period, but he'd recently reverted to baldness despite her protests.

"Well, for some of us it's not a matter of convenience," muttered Master Roshi.

"Whatever you say, Jackie Chun," Yamcha retorted. Roshi was about to make a reply, but paused, then stared at the sky, squinting. The others turned to look.

"What the hell is that thing?" Tenshinhan whispered. They stepped back as the Roc landed, looking sour.

"Don't know why you have to put a house out in the middle of the friggin' ocean," he grumbled, eyeing each of the people standing before him. "Which of you killed Koretz?"

"None of us," Gohan said. "Mordrig killed him."

"Then where is Mordrig?"

"Dead." The Roc's eyes widened slightly.

"Well, who killed him?"

"I did," Takira said quietly, taking a step closer to the visitor. "What is your business here?"

"To insure that Mordrig had been destroyed. We'd expected that Koretz would have killed him, though. Our people are grateful to you," he said graciously, slapping a huge, clawed hand on her shoulder. She flinched.

"That's what the others said. Why have you come back?" she asked, tensing as his hand tightened on her shoulder.

"Others? Here?"

"Yes, right after the battle. They disposed of Koretz and left."

"Then that's why--shit!" he yelled, yanking her towards him and clamping his other hand on her throat, claws pinching the skin. "Stand back or she dies!" he bellowed at the rest. They froze.

"What are you doing?" demanded Gohan. He took a step forward and the Roc tightened his grip; blood began to trickle down Takira's neck.

"His Majesty needs this woman," he replied, using his tail to press a button on his cuff. "She comes with me. The rest of you may go."

"It doesn't work that way," Trunks murmured threateningly.

"It does now, boy. You make any moves at me, she dies; you mind your own damn business and don't give me any trouble, and she lives. Your decision." A small pod descended from the sky, landing in the water behind him. The Roc held Takira tightly as she struggled. Reaching into the ship with one hand(the other still clutched at her jugular)he withdrew a small rod with a handle. He pressed it to Takira's forehead and with a sudden snap, she went limp. Trunks lunged forward but Goten caught him, straining to hold him back. The Roc grinned and held out Takira by her neck.

"Go ahead and take her. You can pull her away from me, but I'll keep her windpipe!" he sneered. Dragging her with him, he stepped into the pod and shut the door, blasting away in a stinging spray of water. Trunks turned to Gohan and Goten.

"Capsule Corp. Now. We can track them if we get out soon enough."

"I'm coming, too," said Pan. Gohan shook his head.

"If one of those things was still around after all this time, there may be more. We need a fighting force here. Trunks, Goten and I will go." With that, all three took off, avoiding any possible argument. Master Roshi frowned as he watched them go.

"Anyone mind telling me what that was all about?"

Blank stares were his only reply.