The Bond

Vegeta took her to the tree house. It was the place they had first made love… where they had lived for three years training for the androids before that. He gently laid her on the bed and sat there, with her head cradled in his lap. She was already growing stiff and no warmth came from her. But he knew…

He knew what the others would do.

It was the only reason he was not currently searching for a reason to destroy himself. He knew that they would wish her back. But another thought plagued him…

Kakarot…

"He has beaten me in every way…" Vegeta whispered to himself, "First through his own actions… then his sons…" in his mind's eye, he saw Kakarot just before he vanished, taking Cell with him, "How could you die like that?" he hissed through bared teeth, "Now I will never be able to prove myself against you!"

He closed his eyes, "What's my purpose now…?"

Slowly… he knew. Like a river slowly flowing into long dry lake, he felt Katima's presence seep back into his mind. He felt her, soft at first, how she always felt while she was asleep. Then, he took in a sharp gasp as it came in even thicker. He looked down, eyes wide as her body healed, stitching itself into perfection. He leaned down, burying his face in the warmth of her raven black hair, and felt warmth spread across her skin as her blood began to flow again.

The beauty of her life force coming back to his mind was almost impossible to describe. It mystified him, how complex and unique she felt right now, how soft and loving her touch to his mind was. He hugged him to his chest, and slowly, her arms came up, hugging him back. Vegeta felt his eyes grow hot, and was angered at the tears, but it didn't matter.

Katima was back, alive, in his arms, safe…

"Vegeta…" she whispered in his ear, and he felt a thrill shoot through him at the hot touch of her breath.

"I thought it was over," He confessed to her, refusing to loosen his grip yet.

"I will always be with you," she breathed, "I am yours, Vegeta… now and forever… Never forget how much I love you…"

Vegeta felt his heart ache. He closed his eyes, tears leaking out, "I'll never understand why you do…" he said softly, "I don't deserve your passion, Katima. I let Cell scar your face… then I let him kill you."

"None of that was you."

She pushed against him and he gave in, loosening his grip and letting her lean back so that she could look into his eyes. Those pools of blue… the affection that kissed them, the soft love that he felt prod him in the bond. Why did she care for him so much? He had murdered thousands, had nearly killed her entire planet and her friends, who had wanted to kill her brother to the very end. Why? Why did she love him?

"Cell did all those things to me because he wanted to manipulate you. He wanted to see you suffer. You can't blame yourself for that… He was a monster who saw love as foolish… when really… it's what made us strong… what allowed Gohan to defeat him."

"You know? But…"

"I didn't have to see anything to wake and feel Cell's power gone and Gohan's stronger than ever," she said softly, pressing her forehead to his, "I want you to know that love is our greatest power. This… Us… the Bond… no one can match our perfect unison, Vegeta. Not even Goku could."

"Kakarot…" Vegeta closed his eyes, breathing in her scent, "I wanted him dead for so long… and now… he's gone. I'll never-"

"Sh…" Katima breathed, pressing tender lips to his throat, "It was never about who was stronger Vegeta. You are a strong and brilliant warrior… You don't need to defeat Goku to know that…"

Vegeta felt his spine tingle at her lips' touch. For a moment, he believed her. But his mind… so proud… went back to it's old thoughts swiftly.

"I'm no warrior," he said softly, "But… I will always be there for you, my dear Katima."

Katima looked up at him and smiled, "That's better than nothing," she said.

"I promise to protect you with my life," he told her, "I will never let anything else ever hurt you. From now on, I will be your Guardian, and if anything threatens you, I will stamp it out of existence."

"I can take care of myself, you know," Katima teased.

Vegeta couldn't help but smile at her light tone.

"There now…" Katima leaned up, and kissed him.

The kiss was long and tender, full of the affection that the two felt for one another. It was marvelous, and Vegeta could for a moment, forget everything that had happened.

As they broke, Katima's mood suddenly saddened through the bond.

"What is it?" Vegeta asked.

"It's Sykaima…" Katima whispered, "She didn't come back with me."

It took a moment for Vegeta to understand. Then, he looked down at her belly and felt a knot appear in his own, "What do you mean?" he asked sharply, "The Dragon-?"

"I can't feel her anymore," said Katima, "Before, it was like I could sense her power in me. But now… I know she's gone."

Vegeta felt sorrow hit him. How could he have let this happen? He had lost his daughter… their daughter.

"I know… it's strange…" said Katima, "But I think I'm not as sad as I should be. I think it's because we already met Sykaima. And didn't she say she was going to stay here? In our time?"

Vegeta wondered for a moment. Yes. Sykaima had said that. But still… to lose the chance to raise her… it hurt him inside. He closed his eyes, feeling the anger begin to swell, but Katima's lips were suddenly on his for a brief moment, making him forget everything for a split second.

"Do not feel like that," she said, "You, blaming yourself… stop it, none of this was your fault. We can move past this… we can continue on."

"I know…" Vegeta sighed, and slowly stood, pulling her up with him.

"We should get to the lookout," said Katima, "I want to see Gohan and the others. Please?"

He knew she was saying please because she wanted him to go with her. He sighed and nodded. She smiled lightly and took his hand, "We did it," she said, as they began to fly, "We really saved the world…"

PART THREE: EAGLA SAGA

Two weeks passed, and the world began to settle down again. The Dragon had brought back all those Cell killed, save for the unborn Sykaima. It turned out it was beyond his power to restore a being that was still developing into life. The sorrow wasn't too terrible, however, because they still had the teenage Sykaima, who was now holding hands with Trunks nearly all of the time. Most of the world believed Hercule Satan to have been the one to kill Cell, and they decided it be the best for it to remain that way. How they survived the fight Gohan and Cell had, Katima had no clue, but it was easier for the humans to believe one of their own saved the day.

It also turned out that Goku decided not to be wished back, not even by the Namekian Dragon. Lercron also decided to stay in Other World with Goku, something that Rilan was upset about at first, but finally accepted his friend's decision. 18 had had the bomb removed from her chest by the Dragon, a wish used by Krillin in order to help the android. Apparently things were still sketchy with the two of them, but 18 wasn't going around killing people, so the others were letting her be.

With Goku not coming back, Katima noticed a high drop in enthusiasm from Vegeta, something that she hoped would pass in time. But what really sent his mood plummeting was when Sykaima announced she was returning with Trunks to his time.

"Are… are you sure?" Katima couldn't help asking.

Sykaima nodded, "You know I love you mom, but I'll visit! Once we take care of the androids, future Bulma will have plenty of resources to keep the fuel up for the time machine!"

With that promise, Katima had reluctantly let her daughter go. She knew how love could sweep one away, and respected Sykaima enough to let her chase her heart. Trunks and Katima left in the space pod. It was a tight fit, but It didn't seem Trunks minded Having Sykaima on his lap. Katima wondered what future Bulma was going to say when Trunks returned with the daughter of Katima and Vegeta.

Slowly, life began to settle down, and Vegeta grew calm. A month passed, and Katima was scouting the woods on her own. They lived at Capsule Corp now full time, mainly due to the gravity room that Vegeta loved training in. Katima had enjoyed watching baby Trunks grow, even with the pang in her gut at the loss of her own baby.

The forest was silent that day, and finally found what she was looking for.

Her Grandmother's grave.

It was a little heap not too far from the treehouse with a moss covered stone as the marker. It had the word LILY carved into it. Katima knelt, resting the wild flowers she had found on it.

"Hey, Lily," she said, sitting down, "I know it's been a good few years since I last visited… but I wanted to tell you that the Bond worked. I had to plant it on an alien that came here to destroy the Earth… It turned out that he was the same species as me. And… I fell in love with him…"

Katima paused, letting the words drift through the air for a moment. "I still am not too sure how it happened. But I know I'm happy it did… He's such an amazing man, Lily.. I think you would like him if you got to know him… He's loyal, dedicated… strong, intelligent… He's a little hard headed, but I think it makes him attractive."

She sighed, looking through the trees with a soft smile on her lips. Love was something that she had never expected to stumble upon, but here she was. It was like a sweet abyss that slowly opened from behind on's shoulder. Once she looked back and saw it, she was already floating in it's warm essence. How this happened… all the things that led to this point… in some ways, she felt like it had been predetermined. The fate itself had linked her and Vegeta together and led them along this path.

Now, their bond was something no one but them could truly comprehend. The love that she felt for him was as irrevocable as the passage of water in a river heading for the ocean. It left lava hot trails in her mind, left her numb at times. It was something that she could step into and merely float, but at the same time, it was something she would run with, something she could sprint through, the trails of ember hot passion trailing about her flailing ankles.

"I want you to know I'm happy," said Katima, "And I wanted to thank you for all you've done for me…"

As she stood, she felt her spine suddenly tense. She looked around, eyes narrowed. It almost felt like someone was watching her. She pushed the feelings aside. It was probably some wildlife. Turning back to the grave she nodded at it in farewell and flew up into the sky.

And still… the feeling of being watched lingered….

Katima flew back toward Capsule Corp, plans for the rest of the day settling in. When she spotted the large building in the distance, she smiled. It was going to take some work to get Vegeta to go along with this, but she looked forward to the challenge.

He wasn't in the gravity room for once. Katima's bond led her to the forest room that she usually lounged in. She saw him sitting up in a tree, in his civilian clothes, one leg hanging off the branch, arms folded across his chest, his eyes closed, face thoughtful. When she came close, his eyes opened and spotted her.

"Vegeta," Katima greeted, flying up to hover in front of him, "You know I love you right?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes, "What do you want?"

"To go shopping."

Vegeta blinked, taken completely off guard.

"You. Want to go shopping?" Vegeta furrowed his brows, "Does Bulma have something to do with this?"

"Well," Katima blushed a bit, "Yes, but listen! Here on Earth, couples take each other out and do stuff. They go to eat or go shopping together."

"Why?"

"It's how they show that they like each other."

"Sounds like a waste of time."

"Vegeta… please?" Katima stared at him with quivering eyes.

He looked at her for a moment then looked away sharply, "Hmph," he huffed, "Oh, very well. But honestly, I don't see any reason to do this…"

"Well, we don't really have much else to do, Vegeta," said Katima as he hopped out of the tree.

As she went down to land by him he sighed, "Yes, but this still seems like nonsense."

Katima laced her arm with his, "At least you won't have to change. You look nice today."

He did. He wore a simple white long-sleeve shirt that hugged his muscular torso nicely, and jeans with nice lounge shoes. He hadn't been wearing armor nearly as much anymore, but it was still odd to see him look so human.

Vegeta shrugged, "I see no use in wearing my Saiyan armor."

Katima squeezed his arm, "I think you should enjoy the peace," she said softly, "We finally get to relax."

Vegeta shrugged again.

Katima rolled her eyes and pulled him along, "Come on. We have to fly to the city since neither of us can drive, which means we have to be careful. Humans might freak out seeing us, after all, they're still trying to find the "golden" fighters from the Cell tapes."

"Let them," said Vegeta sharply as they headed down the halls, "Better than that fool Hercule getting the credit."

Katima shook her head, "Would you really enjoy tons of screaming fans every day?"

Vegeta considered. "No, they may get annoying."

Katima nodded, "Last thing we need is you punching someone's head off."

As they left the building, they came across Rilan, who was pushing the mower back toward the work shed. He smiled at them, pulling blue hair from his face, "Hey love birds, where you off to?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes but Katima elbowed him, "Vegeta is taking me shopping," she said with a smile.

"Is he now?" Rilan's smile turned to a smirk.

Vegeta turned red, "It was her idea…" he mumbled.

Rilan laughed, "Actually, it was Bulma's. Have fun. It's not as bad as you think, prince."

Vegeta let out a huff of irritation.

"Thanks Rilan," Katima laughed, pulling Vegeta along by his hand and jumped into the air, "We'll be back soon!"

*scene change*

He watched the pair fly away from the Capsule Corp building, his eyes narrowed to slits. Only a month had passed since Cell's demise, and their guard was completely down. But he wanted to wait a little longer. He had to study more. After all, the wrong move could lead to his demise. Both of them were still extremely powerful, but with the bond… they had the potential to be invincible. And they didn't even know it…

A gift passed down through HIS race, being abused by first humans and then Saiyans? How could this have happened? Hatred burned inside him as he pulled his hood around his face tighter. Let them enjoy their time…

It was limited.

*scene change*

Katima and Vegeta landed on the outskirts of the city and proceeded to walking in on foot. As they began to get into the streets bustling with people, Vegeta seemed to get a bit nervous. He never had liked crowds. Katima took him downtown where the booths were. As Katima looked at all the accessories and decorations, Vegeta sort of acted like her guard, keeping his arms folded and hovering close to her, glaring at everyone who walked by.

They slowly made their way to the center of the shopping center where a beautiful fountain was at. Katima went to it and fished out a coin to flip into the water.

As it splashed in Vegeta asked, "Why did you do that?"

"To make a wish," said Katima simply.

"What?"

"You give a fountain a coin and make a wish."

"Does it come true?"

"Well…"

"Then why do it? We have the Dragon-"

"Vegeta, sh!" Katima hissed, looking around, "Honestly…"

Vegeta rolled his eyes, "I still think it's foolish. A waste of currency."

"It's for fun."

Vegeta shook his head, "Human traditions will always confuse me."

"Hey there, sweet thing!"

Katima blinked and looked around to see a group of men looking at her. One of them wolf whistled. She felt anger hit her through the bond and Vegeta took a step toward them. She shot out a hand to stop him, "No," she said, "Let it go."

"Why don't you ditch shorty and come with us?" asked one of the me.

Vegeta put an arm around her shoulders and Katima narrowed her eyes at the men, "I'd rather not."

"Oh come on," laughed one of the men, the bigger of the four, stepping forward, "How about this, I beat your boy in a brawl and I get to take you to the bar."

"That's ridiculous-" Katima began but Vegeta said, "Deal."

"Vegeta!" Katima hissed, looking at him, "You'll destroy him!"

"I know," Vegeta smiled viciously.

"No," said Katima sharply, "You can't kill anyone, Vegeta. Or maim. Or seriously injure."

"Just let me teach him a lesson."

"Vegeta, your lessons tend-"

"If you're done whispering, we can get this fight going."

Vegeta turned and smiled, cracking his knuckles, "If you think you can stand up to a true warrior."

Katima nearly face palmed. Vegeta didn't understand that "warrior" wasn't a normal human thing… She saw the looks that the group of men gave each other and they all laughed. Vegeta kept his smirk on his face, however.

Katima sighed heavily, and took a step back. She just hoped Vegeta didn't break any bones.

The two squared off, and a few people around stopped to take notice. Vegeta beckoned his challenger with a flick of his hand, "I'll let you have first move," he said.

The man let out a laugh. Sure, to anyone from the outside looking in, it looked like this guy could flatten Vegeta. He was massive, tall and muscular, while Vegeta was short and stocky. However Katima knew the man stood no chance.

"Vegeta, go easy," she said softly.

Vegeta let out an amused "Hmph." at her words.

"Alright, 'warrior'," said the man, "Let's see how you handle this!"

He swung out a wide punch. Clumsy form, Katima thought. Vegeta didn't even try to dodge it. He remained completely rigid, and didn't even move with the blow. For a moment, they both stood there, the man with his fist to Vegeta's cheek. The man lowered his arm, eyes wide with shock and he took a step back.

"What's up, Chuck? Are you just messing with him? Punch him for real!" one of his friends egged.

"I- I did!" hissed Chuck, "I hit him as hard as I could!"

Vegeta smirked.

Oh crap, Katima thought as Vegeta darted forward and punched Chuck in the gut. She could tell he was holding back. A lot. But it still made Chuck bend over double, his breath leaving him in a swift swoop. Vegeta took a step back and let Chuck fall to the ground, clutching himself, gasping in pain.

"Shit, Vegeta, did you break his internals?" Katima hissed, stepping forward, concern in her eyes.

Vegeta looked back at her, "Nothing fatal."

Katima rolled her eyes, "That somehow isn't comforting."

"He- he's a beast!" wailed one of Chuck's friends, "He downed Chuck in one hit!"

Vegeta looked back at them, "Let that show you to mess with other men's women," he snapped.

They nodded like children being scolded at school.

"Let's go," Katima whispered, "Before the authorities come."

"What can they do?" Vegeta asked bluntly.

"That's not the point!" Katima growled, pulling his hand, "We don't need trouble! Come on."

As they left, she heard someone hiss, "You know, they look familiar! Isn't that the girl that Cell scarred on TV?"

Katima touched her scar. It hadn't been healed like the rest of her when she had been wished back. She guessed it had something to do with the fact that it was an injury given to her before she died. She would have to be careful then. It did mark her as one of the people that were at the Cell Games.

As she and Vegeta flew back toward Capsule Corp though, Katima couldn't help but reach out and take his hand.

"Thanks for that."

"What?" he asked.

"Defending me like that."

"I thought you didn't want me to fight him," said Vegeta bluntly.

"I didn't. Doesn't mean I don't think it was sweet," Katima smiled.

Vegeta blushed a bit and looked away, "I can't just sit back and let those animals just gawk at you like a piece of meat…"

Katima smiled and drifted closer to him to hug him, but she kept them flying. She kissed his cheek and that won her a smile.

"I think things are going to be nice from now on," she said, "With the peace."

"I suppose it's something a warrior can get used to," said Vegeta grudgingly.

Katima laughed and kissed him again.

Peace…

Hopefully, it will last.

*scene change*

Sol looked up at the green sky, his senses suddenly perked. The new Namek wasn't much different from his old home, but the Namekian warrior still found that he missed it. However, curious things had been happening of late…

His dreams had been restless, and he had found himself waking from nightmares. Cell, the creature that had plagued Earth and had required Dende to leave and become it's Guardian, was dead. But still, he couldn't help but feel something was amiss in the universe… A darkness was growing…

He had paused in his farming, causing some of his brothers to look over at him in confusion.

"Something wrong, Sol?" asked one.

Sol slowly shook his head. He couldn't explain his feelings to them, they wouldn't understand. "It is nothing," he said to them, "I'm just… a bit ill."

"Perhaps you should see our leader," said another of his brothers.

Sol looked at them, a saddened feeling coming to him, "Yes… I think I will."

They nodded at him and he left his hoe against one of the buildings and began walking, but not toward the leader's home, no. but toward the plains.

He wasn't sure what this darkness was… But he intended to find out.

Along the lush blue fields he strode, his mind concentrating hard on the air around him, on the very feel of life. He sensed no one around him as he neared the ship. One of the ones that had been made for emergency, in case something like Frieza ever happened again. He boarded it, and felt a slight touch of sorrow. He wanted to tell his brethren where he was going, but found that this was something he had to do on his own.

As the ship took off, himself at the controls, he felt a heavy set of determination enthrall him. He wasn't going to sit back while this darkness grew. He was going to go out and find it, and strike it in the heart.

He refused to let something like Frieza ever happen again…