Takira hung back, waiting for Denatu's next attack. She kept waiting for him to make a mistake, leave an opening, but so far none had presented itself. She had managed to avoid, counter, or deflect most of his attacks, but she had the uneasy feeling he was holding back; for instance, he had yet to change from his original form.

'Maybe this is his strongest form,' she thought uneasily. 'After all, he wasn't as obsessed with collecting other species as his brother was--' Abandoning her train of thought, she hastily charged a Big Bang Attack against his sudden advance. The clash of energy shoved her back before she caught herself, launching a weak ki blast to distract Denatu while she flew in, leveling a kick at his stomach. Denatu dodged just a little too slowly; the blow caught him in the side, knocking him sideways. He spun and managed to wind his tail around Takira's leg before she escaped. Jerking it back, he pulled her towards him, and raised a clenched fist to strike. It was the opportunity she'd been waiting for. Takira feinted, ducked the blow and lunged in to grab Denatu by the head. His look of confusion suddenly turned to one of agony as wave after wave of energy fled his body.

Takira gritted her teeth, struggling to maintain control. She could feel the power rushing through her, faster and faster, looking for an outlet. Her body couldn't take much more. 'Just a few moments longer. If I can just drain a little more--'

She was about to release him when she felt it; like a lethal blow to the skull. The light was blinding, the force overwhelming as she catapulted backwards. In a dim haze she thought she saw the sky above her, almost felt the pain as her body struck and skidded over the ground. She tumbled to a halt, face-down in the dirt. She couldn't have moved if she'd wanted to, and she felt no desire to do so. It was suddenly so peaceful; everything so dark, even the sound of her own labored breathing gone utterly still. She felt, rather than saw, the streaks of light coursing over her body, gradually calming and fading back into her.

"Shit!" Trunks yelled, taking off after her. Goten caught him by the arm.

"I'll go; you and Gohan finish Denatu!" He dashed over to Takira and Trunks followed Gohan to where Denatu lay, apparently unconscious.

"She's breathing!" Goten called out hopefully. Gohan turned in time to see Goten reach down to turn Takira onto her back.

"Goten!" he shouted. "Don't--" As Goten placed a hand on Takira's shoulder, the energy she'd taken shot into him, blasting him away from her. The instant Goten's body hit the ground, his brother was crouched beside him, looking him over though careful not to touch him.

Free of the power that had paralyzed her, Takira drew herself up on one elbow, bracing with the other arm. Immediately her gaze fell on Gohan and Goten. Gohan turned to her, eyes brimming with barely-restrained tears.

"He's--he's dead."

"Impossible," Takira whispered. "Where did the ki go? A dead body can't hold that much--" She turned to see Trunks staring at them and her eyes went wide.

"Trunks, behind you!" she screamed; but before the words had left her mouth, he'd been hit in the back, jolting forward with a cry of surprise. Denatu passed over him, grabbing Trunks' sword as he went, and with alarming speed, rocketed toward Gohan.

Denatu swung laterally, and Gohan's instinctive block drove the blade into his arm. With a roar of pain, he leaped to his feet and attacked; in the furious exchange that followed, Denatu made a few more cuts, then dropped the sword and threw himself into the fight harder, taking advantage of Gohan's wounded arm. Soon both combatants were spattered with Gohan's blood.

Trunks had meanwhile retrieved his sword, and helped Takira move Goten away from the battlefield. They set him down gently behind a rock; Trunks turned to watch Gohan while Takira collapsed, muscles shaking and breath coming in painful rasps.

"Are you okay?" Trunks asked softly.

"I'm fine. I'm--sorry, Trunks. I killed him."

"You did no such thing," he snapped, "but there's no time to argue about it now."

"We'll have plenty of time for pain and regret later," she grunted, shoving back to her feet.

"Oh, always time for that," he murmured. Stepping up beside him, Takira watched a single tear trail down his wretched face. She forced herself to step away; he wouldn't want the company of his best friend's murderer.

By now Gohan had lost quite a bit of blood; the sword had clipped several arteries. His reflexes began to slow; he couldn't think fast enough. He felt cold, so cold--only to be jolted back by a searing bolt of pain. Denatu was gaining the upper hand and Gohan lacked the strength of body to transform. A series of brutal punches drove him back, and with a mighty kick, Denatu sent him crashing to the ground. Disoriented, he tried to stand, wobbling. Denatu was about to move in for the kill when a strangled battle cry signaled the arrival of his next opponent.

Trunks, golden-haired and full of rage, barreled toward the shape-shifter, sword raised and ready. Denatu braced himself, ready to dodge, but suddenly Trunks disappeared. Denatu glanced around him, waiting tensely.

"Come on, kid; where the hell are you?" he growled under his breath. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and dodged instinctively as Trunks' sword sliced through the air. He threw a punch and Trunks brought the sword up sharply, nearly severing Denatu's arm. Denatu jerked away, biting back a scream. Rage and pain twisted his face as he faced off with Trunks. Without taking his eyes from the young warrior, Denatu gripped his wounded arm with his other hand, and in one clean motion, ripped it off completely and threw it down. By the time it hit the ground he'd regenerated another. He glared at Trunks.

"Now what good did that do? Didn't you know I could regenerate?"

"I know. I also know it saps some of your energy to do it, though. I'll weaken you piece by piece, if I have to." Denatu snorted.

"That'll take a while, boy. So far I've used a little less than half my power. If you really want a better sense of what you're up against, though, I'll show you." He clenched his fists at his sides as his body began to glow and change.

Takira crouched over Goten's body, blinking back tears. With shaking hands, he removed his belt and tore a strip from his orange gi.

"Sorry, nephew," she whispered, "but Gohan needs these more than you do." She hurried to where Gohan sat, his hand pressed on the spurting wound. Shoving him down, Takira pulled his hand away. She tied Goten's belt into a quick tourniquet on Gohan's upper arm; checking that the bleeding had been slowed sufficiently, she wrapped the orange cloth tightly over the wound, trying to ignore Gohan's agonized groans. Ordering him to remain lying down, Takira turned back to the fight and gasped.

Denatu had completed his transformation. The figure that hovered before Trunks looked nearly human, except the skin and hair were starkly white, the eyes a solid blood-red. Denatu smiled blandly.

"Doesn't look like much, does it? Go ahead and try me; I think you'll be surprised." Trunks resheathed his sword; better to fight with ki if he didn't know what he was up against.

*****

Dolmit stepped carefully from the pod. He'd had strict orders to remain at his console on Geo, but if what he feared was true, there was no longer anyone here on Abeter to transmit. He had to know what had happened. He spotted the palace immediately; the pod had landed close to its objective for a change.

He approached cautiously, searching for any sign of life; the palace almost appeared abandoned. Denatu kept a minimal guard, believing his powers sufficient to take care of any unwelcome intruders; but he was not there, and the palace was vulnerable. The guards were sure to be on high alert. Dolmit crept through a back entrance, amazed that he hadn't been captured already. What had happened--

He heard a noise and whirled to face it, preparing to defend himself. Suddenly recognizing the figure, he heaved a sigh of relief and broke into a wide smile.

"Azher, it's you. You nearly gave me a heart attack. Why aren't you at the console? What happened?"

"I was attacked. The bastard smashed the console. Communications are down indefinitely. I've had enough of this; I'm going back to Geo, as soon as I find a pod."

"Wait. What about the one who attacked you? Where is he?"

"Oh, I took care of him," he said with a shrug. "Hey, you must have taken a pod to get here! Where is it?"

"Outside," Dolmit answered warily, "but there's only room enough for one." Azher stared at him for a moment, then sighed.

"No, I suppose that wouldn't work, would it?" After an awkward silence, Dolmit spoke up.

"Well, I suppose there's the pod Takira arrived in. It's just an escape pod, but for such a short trip I don't think it'll matter."

"Fantastic! I'd forgotten about that one; I'll bet I know where it is." Azher bolted away with Dolmit in hot pursuit, trying to calm him fluttering stomach. He couldn't be sure, but he had a feeling Takira's ship would be close to the battle. As a warrior, he was not afraid to fight, but as a logical thinking being, he wished to stay as far away as possible. Flying after Azher, he fled the palace.

From behind the locked door of the communications room came a hollow thumping, punctuated every so often by a frustrated snarl or muttered curse. Blood trickled from under the door as the thumping continued, now accompanied by hoarse shouts; no one heard but the dead guards.