DBX2: The Black Rose

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Chapter 7: The Foundation[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]===================[/font]
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Age 780, Afternoon of Future Gohan's Death[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The sun shining in the cloudless blue sky painted a picture of tranquilty wildly contrasting the ruined skyline covering the terrain below. In between both, two white auras of energy casually cut through the win in their flight forward. Genn's head moved from side to side, taking in the ruined skyscrapers and lifeless city streets below before turning his head towards Trunks, who flew with his eyes focused on the path in front of him.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"So this is your original timeline then?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks nodded.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Yeah, it's my home. The planet has suffered under the terror of two cyborgs that have spent more than my entire life ruining the planet. My mom developed a time machine, despite all of the chaos those two were causing, and I originally planned to travel back in time and give Goku the medicine that would save his life from a heart attack he was supposed to die from."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]His lips rose into a smile.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Only, the Supreme Kai of Time came and visited me before I could travel back. She told me about how the future was saved, but she needed to stop the spiral of timelines being created from my trip. So she offered me the position of Time Patroller, and I moved on to preventing bigger threats."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn kept a small frown, glancing back towards the ruins.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Surely it can't be easy though, being back here for the first time in...well-"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"This is the first time I've ever come back."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn blinked, glancing back at Trunks who bowed his head slightly.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"And you're right...it's not easy seeing all of this again. The world reduced to what it is now...all of these destroyed buildings. Offices that people used to work at, providing for their families. Houses that people lived in...and the parks children used to play in."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn furrowed his brow in response, sighing lightly.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Yeah...I know what you mean."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks lifted his head, his eyes narrowing.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"But I know what's at stake here, and I can't waver from my goal. I've already seen what our power can do to history if we don't control ourselves, and the catastrophes that can occur from that reckless destruction."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]He suddenly broke out into a smirk, turning his head towards Genn.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"You know, Vegetto was the one who showed me why I need to keep control. His second mission as a Time Patroller nearly broke reality as we know it; he had a meltdown against Frieza."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn blinked.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Really?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks nodded, keeping his smirk.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Yeah, it was a sensitive moment. He was still trying to figure out who he was after Shenron revived him as his own being, and he ended up letting his more than overbearing hatred for Frieza get to him. He nearly ripped apart the timeline beating Frieza within an inch of his life, but we managed to calm him down."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn kept wide eyes during the revelation, staring back at Trunks while he shrugged his shoulders.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"It wasn't unfixable though. The Supreme Kai managed to repair the timeline after the whole ordeal, but she could only mend so much. Because of that, history changed a little and Vegetto left an unintentional mark on Goku, who witnessed the whole thing. Goku saw the power of the Super Saiyan for the first time, witnessing that rage that broke Vegetto so heavily. Albeit, he didn't fully remember it; the Supreme Kai was able to modify it down to merely subconscious memory."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks turned his head back towards Genn.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"But she also couldn't remove the hope it put into Goku's heart. He hated what my father had done during their first few years together, the evil that my father would never atone for even after joining the Z-Fighters on Earth. Yet Goku still continued to believe in Vegeta, that he would change someday after discovering who Vegetto really was on Namek. Even if he could never recall a specific memory or image of Vegetto, the hope in his heart was there because of that irreversible imprint that Vegetto left during his mission on Namek."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn turned his head forward, blinking hard.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Wow...that's incredible."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks nodded.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"He really is something else...growing into his own even when we put him through so much, so quickly. That's why I know he'll come around eventually; there's nothing you could have done that will truly earn his hate."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn glanced to the side uneasily, his voice meager.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"I'm still not sure about that. I...did something pretty bad."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks raised an eyebrow.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Yeah, you did mention that earlier. What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn flew in silence for a few moments, breathing in deeply.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Well....to sum it all up, Vegetto and my sister were training, where we were trying to push her to become a Super Saiyan for the first time. But she wasn't responding to anything Vegetto tried; she was even ready to die when Vegetto was threatening her life. So, when he ran out of ideas to push her past that limit...I...uh....suggested pretending to..."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]He pulled his head closer to his chest in anxious anticipation for Trunks' response.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"....rape...her."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks kept his narrowed eyes locked on Genn through the whole explanation, flying in silence for a few seconds much to Genn's dismay. The Saiyan hybrid suddenly let out a deep sigh, turning his head back to the skyline.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"That is pretty bad. Did he do it?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn shook his head quickly, his words rapidly spilling out.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Oh no no no! He didn't even remotely consider it...just...got mad at me for suggesting it."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks nodded.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Well, let me ask you this then."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn glanced up, turning towards Trunks and meeting his eyes.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Why did you really suggest it?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn twitched a little, frowning.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Because...I know Kass. She needed something to really push her over the edge; something worse than death. Her mind is in a delicate spot right now, where she's starting to really get out of her comfort zone in working towards a real goal again, but also still has those same habits of running away and trying to ignore her problems whenever things get a little more than she can handle. So...I just wanted it to happen because she needs the push."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks nodded in response, turning his head away.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"I agree."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn blinked, watching on as Trunks continued.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"She does need the push, but don't get me wrong. I don't think your method was the only way, or even a good plan in the long run. But you made a decision that you thought would benefit the greater good, and you were willing to make a sacrifice to see her improve. It is a quality that we must learn to embrace everyday, with the fate of reality itself sometimes hanging in the balance. You had the spine to commit to a sacrifice, and you made that commitment for what you believed would benefit everyone. For that, I know I can trust you care about what matters most."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn nodded once, a warm smile forming across his face.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Thank you, Trunks. That's all I really want here...to make a positive difference."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks nodded.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Of course, but I can tell you're still not telling me the whole truth."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn blinked hard once again, listening on as Trunks turned his head once more.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"I've seen a lot of people throughout history, fought a lot of battles with Vegetto and dealt with many types of faces over the years. But yours is intriguing: you have the look of a man who wants to change the world and do good for others. Yet his reasoning is not just blind selflessness, because I can see it matters to you for more reasons than just simple charity towards others."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]His eyes narrowed.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"I know it because I saw the same look on my father once, when he sacrificed himself to save the Earth from Majin Buu. You're not doing this only because you want to be the hero of the day, or to finally make a real benefit for the good of all."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks locked eyes with Genn once more, his tone flat.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"You're doing this because you also want to atone for something, don't you?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn lowered his head, focusing his attention on the passing rubble without a response. Trunks' smile lifted at the unspoken admittance, turning his head back forward.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Don't worry, you don't need to tell me what it is if it makes you uncomfortable. To me, it doesn't matter anyway. So long as you do your best, I'll make sure you get your chance to make that difference you're after."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn kept his head bowed, his voice soon returning weaker than normal.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Thank you, Trunks. I...uh...wasn't expecting you to be this...accepting."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks chuckled.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"I've seen a lot happen over the years, and one thing I've always noticed is that some of Earth's greatest defenders started off with a dark past. Having put their selfish desires and evil hearts as their motivations, never once faltering in their beliefs until they had a fateful encounter with Goku himself."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]His eyes turned towards Genn, while his head remained forward.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"You, at least, want to atone for that past when they were only forced to. So if warriors who murdered entire cities and even worlds of innocent people were given the chance to change, I don't see there being any reason we don't give you the same shot."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks' eyebrows perked, his attention landing on the bright golden spec of light suddenly catching his attention. He instantly came to a halt in his dash, Genn stopping at his side.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"What the..."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks narrowed his eyes, trying to take in the image. The golden aura illuminated the surrounding rubble with its massive shine, the figure barely visible from the distance the two were floating at. The orange and blue gi prompted Trunks to widen his eyes.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"That's Gohan."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]He furrowed his brow at the sight of the warrior standing with one arm bent and his legs spread in an offensive fighting stance, his eyes soon turning to the second figure standing across from him. The other warrior towered over Gohan with his immense size, a bright green aura shooting up from underneath the warrior's feet causing Trunks' to let out a small gasp.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Oh no."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks rapidly reached up, pressing on the small device lodged in his left ear.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Supreme Kai, tell me it's not him."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn blinked.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Who are you talking abo-"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::It is Trunks. I'm taking a closer look...but there's no denying it. Gohan is definitely fighting against Broly.::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks grunted.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"But how is this possible? We've checked the timelines repeatedly in the past few hours: there's no way Towa could've stolen him from the Scroll's events again."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::She must've been saving him. You tried to stop her last couple of attacks on history a few months ago, and one of them was her tampering with Broly's attack on Earth. I had to write him back into the Scroll once he went missing. This must be the one we've been looking for.::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks narrowed his eyes back into a glare, staring down as the two auras suddenly bolted forward and collided head on.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Gohan doesn't even have both of his arms at this point in history; there's no way he can take on Broly. Supreme Kai, I have to help him."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::Trunks...you know Vegetto's orders. You are not to engage anyone in this timeline, especially if Gohan is involved. I can contain the butterfly effect until Vegetto wraps up his business in the fourth timeline with Zamasu, but you need to wait until he's finished so he can take care of Broly.::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks scoffed.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Then why did you send Genn and I into the timeline in the first place?! Just so we can watch Gohan die?!"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn frowned at the outburst, glancing down while the Supreme Kai's calming tone filled his left ear.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::You're there to make sure Towa and Mira don't show up and siphon the energy from the distortion in history. Please...just stay calm Trunks. You knew this would be hard...don't make it worse for yourself and watch this unfold. Just hold out for a little while longer; Vegetto should be finished in the other timeline shortly.::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn floated up slowly to Trunks, resting a hand on the other Saiyan's right shoulder. Trunks turned his head slightly towards Genn, his strong glare softening slowly and letting out a small sigh.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"How long until Vegetto is finished?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::Not long, he just finished entering the history and secured the Time Ring from Zamasu before he could steal Goku's body. We haven't seen Towa or the missing Zamasu yet in the Scroll, so Vegetto should be returning to the Time Vault shortly.::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks nodded once.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Alright, we'll wait for him. I just hope Gohan can hold out long enough for him to arrive."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::You know that doesn't matter, Trunks. Gohan dying here can be fixed, as long as Broly is dispatched efficently. What we don't need is a certain someone going rogue and doing more than just eliminating Broly from the timeline.::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks narrowed his eyes in response, but sighed in relief.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Fine, we will wait. But he better not take too long."[/font]




[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Age 796, Fourth Timeline of Universe 10, Goku Black's History[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Vegetto's pupils studied the small silver ring intently as he held it in between his pointer finger and thumb of his right gloved hand, soon lowering his arm and pocketing the small metal piece.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Alright, that's taken care of. We can wrap up this timeline and seal it off for good now, and make sure this fake Kakarot never comes into existence again."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The relieved sigh of the Supreme Kai of Time filled Vegetto's ear, her warmer tone speaking shortly after.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::Great, then you can come back to the Time Nest and help with Trunks' timeline. We've got a situation there that needs your attention.::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Vegetto's eyes remained narrowed.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Not yet, Supreme Kai. There's something else I need to look into first, something more pressing than whatever is happening there."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::What? Surely it can wait: Towa placed Broly into the timeline, and Trunks is there right now. I don't know if he'll sit by as Broly kills Gohan, so I need you to stop it now.::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Vegetto raised an eyebrow, turning his head towards the open vastness of space. The stars were the only source of light, the Super Dragon Balls having shot towards each corner of the entire multiverse shortly after Vegetto pocketed the Time Ring.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Is Towa there now?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::Well...no, but-::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Then it can wait. You can contain the changes until I finish my task, and Trunks won't do anything rash. He saw what happened when I had my tantrum back on Namek: he knows what's at stake here."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Vegetto didn't wait for a response, tapping once again onto the ear piece.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Whis, did you get that wish taken care of?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::Hello, hello! Yes, I managed to communicate it to Super Shenron while you were eliminating Zamasu. He's arriving at Beerus' palace as we speak, no more than five minutes from now I'd say.::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Vegetto nodded, smirking.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Good, very good."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The Supreme Kai's voice soon returned into the ear piece, her tone shifting heavily in her questionining.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::What are you two planning this time?!::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Vegetto's smirk rose slightly.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"A small...contingency plan. Don't worry about it, it's a long term project. Whis will need to train him anyway before he'll be ready to fight; let's just forget about it for now."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]His eyes narrowed sharply, his tone more serious than before.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Now, what about the history I asked you for Whis? Have you managed to find Genn's past?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::Oh yes...the time period you specified made it easier for me to locate him. I assume he and the lovely Kassava both share the same age of thirty seven years?::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Vegetto kept his narrowed eyes.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"I don't know...they're siblings. Why does it matter?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::Well, I assumed you also wanted to look into her history as well. Her unnatural talent at combat is almost as alarming as Genn's problematic character, wouldn't you agree?::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Vegetto scoffed.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Fine, but I want to see Genn's history first. Take me there now, I'm done here."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::As you wish. Give me one moment to reallocate the Scroll and...there! Sending you into the first memory I found that should give you insight into who he is...although I must warn you: it's not for the feint of heart.::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Vegetto's eyebrow raised in anticipation as the bright white glow slowly overtook his entire body, the warrior disappearing into thin air shortly afterwards.[/font]




[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Age 780, Trunks' timeline[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The two Saiyans continued to float in silence, watching the battle beneath them rage on. Trunks had kept his arms tensed, having folded them across his chest while Genn fidgetted uneasily with his fingers, his mind racing heavily.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]I should try to talk to him and help him calm down. If he just keeps watching like this, he'll snap for sure.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks perked his head up at the sound of Genn's voice, turning slightly towards him.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Hey...I don't mean to distract you from the fight. But Gohan was your mentor, right?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks paused, blinking for a moment at the sudden question that caught him offguard, before nodding once.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Yeah...he was the first to really train me as a fighter. He was the only one left to teach me anything: everyone else had already died in the fight against the androids. Even my own father."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn turned his head towards the two glowing energies exploding off of each other with a grim stare.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"I read about him before, about how he sacrificed himself to give you the push to become a Super Saiyan. He seems like a good man...dying like that to give you the power to defeat them."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks bowed his head slightly, prompting Genn to furrow his brow uneasily.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Maybe I shouldn't have said that...[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn blinked at the sight of Trunks lifting his head back up, chuckling to himself lightly.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"It's funny. Even after everything I told myself coming here, even after witnessing Vegetto's destructive tantrum first hand and talking him down from it, I find myself in the same shoes and feeling helpless to stop these emotions that wash over me. No matter how strong I think I can be...all it takes is seeing Gohan like this and I can't help but feel like that little boy who let his hero die in vain."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn frowned.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Hey...that's not true. You may not have stopped the androids in this timeline, but you've saved all of existence from certain destruction. He gave his life so that you could have the chance to save everyone."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks sighed.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"But what good is it if there's no one here left to save? Maybe I've given the people in the other timelines the chance to live, but all I've done for my own is prolong their suffering at the hands of those two monsters. And now Broly is here, doing even more damage. While I sit here, watching Gohan die another death he doesn't deserve."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn began to sweat heavily, his eyes growing wide at the sight of Trunks balling up his hands into tightly clenched fists.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"He never deserved any of this, Genn. He was a good man, doing what was best for everyone and giving it his all to stop those two evil monstrosities whose only reason for existing is to satisfy a petty hatred for the one who put their creator in his place. Why must he be doomed to an eternity of suffering, of never seeing his work fulfilled, while I get to be the one who goes on to make sure these people exist in a world where their only purpose is to die? To see the other timelines thrive from my sacrifices, but know these people here will only experience despair?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn kept his frown, his voice soft.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"You want him to see how strong you've become, don't you?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks floated in silence for a few seconds, before slowly nodding his head once.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"He deserves to see what he's done for me, and how far I've come. He deserves to know that he didn't just die for nothing, that he gave me the chance to bring peace to someone else's life. Even if they're not from this timeline, he should know that made a difference for someone else."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks head lifted slightly, the sound of the Supreme Kai's worried voice filling his ear.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::Trunks...I need you to come back to the Time Nest. It doesn't look like Towa is going to show up, so you don't need to hang around there anymore.::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks eyes narrowed at the request.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"What about Vegetto? Is he coming to get rid of Broly?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::...I...no, he's not. Something has come up...I don't know what he's doing. But he is currently busy with something else...and I don't want you to have to endure that history any longer.::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks scoffed in response, his tone rapidly darkening.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Figures, he never has time for my people. No one ever has the time to stop the suffering here."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]:: Please Trunks. This isn't you; this is the anger speaking out. You need to calm down and let it go, don't let it control you and make you do something you'll regret.::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks shook his head slowly, his eyes narrowing sharply into a glare.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"No, Supreme Kai, you don't get it. This isn't just pure anger or hatred anymore, this is justice. My timeline deserves more than just perpetuating a world of misery and death; they deserve to have hope. To be free of their nightmares once and for all."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]He turned his head slowly towards Genn, a small smile forming across his face. The warmth and sincerity of the smile caught Genn off guard, who blinked in confusion as Trunks spoke.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Don't you agree, Genn?"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn paused for a moment in response, before slowly lowering his head.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"....yes."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks' eyes narrowed slightly at the sight.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"I know the Kai and Vegetto don't want this, but you shouldn't be ashamed. We may fight for the greater good...but this...this has been a long time coming."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn narrowed his eyes, raising his head back up to meet Trunks' eyes.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"I know...I just...I wanted to do what was best for you and them, Trunks. I made them a promise to help you control your emotions...and I've failed. Now Vegetto's going to hate me even more than he already does."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks kept his smile, shaking his head once.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Then let him hate you for it. You've helped me come to terms with what has to be done, and this is something I can no longer push aside. I was like them once...afraid of what would happen. Of what kind of disaster may come of it. But Vegetto grew from the experience into his own man...and if I ever want to become more than that scared little child who wasn't strong enough to save his mentor...then I must do the same."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]::No! Trunks, if you do this...you will be distorting history to a level I can't control! Everything could die there...even you and Genn! Don't do this...let me just pull you out and you can do something for Gohan later!::[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Trunks' eyes widened, the sight of the bright white light slowly covering his body sending the Saiyan into an uncontrolled rage. Letting out a thunderous roar, a massive explosion of blue ki suddenly forced the white light outward, tearing into the energy and dispersing it out into the open sky. Trunks snarled in frustration, the bundles of his purple hair beginning to spike upwards.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"No more! I won't sit by and let Gohan die again while you two just plot and scheme with his life like this! He deserves better, and he will finally get to live the life he deserves!"[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn's eyes widened, instinctively floating back at the sight of the blue ki rapidly surging upward and covering him in its blinding glow. The other Saiyan covered his eyes with his left arm, the brutal winds nearly knocking him off balance before suddenly dying down. Genn lowered his arm slowly as the brightness faded, quickly turning back to where Trunks was floating with wide eyes. The blue ki flowed majestically around the Saiyan, small gliterring lights illuminating inside of the aura. Trunks' hair had risen into bundled spikes, his formerly purple locks now shining as a bright turquoise blue to match his eyebrows and pupils.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn blinked hard at the sight of the transformed Trunks, who spoke with a calmer tone.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"Have you read about this form? I trained with Vegetto to achieve it after we saw Goku and Vegeta ascend during their training with Whis. It's the power of godly ki, combined with the Super Saiyan form. We call it Super Saiyan Blue."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Genn's eyes remained wide, stunned into silence which prompted a small chuckle from Trunks, the energy distorting around the wind from his laughter.[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]"I'll take that as a no. Thank you, for being a good friend to me Genn. You're more than welcome to meet Gohan after I take care of Broly, I think you should get to meet the man who changed my life for the better. I'm sure you two will get along very well."[/font]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Without waiting for a response, Trunks suddenly bolted down towards the ground, heading for the colliding two energies and leaving Genn floating in stunned silence.
[/font]
 
Chapter 8: Fate

=============================
Age 780, Xeno Trunk's Timeline

The smoke billowed up from the fresh crater left in the wake of Broly's green energy blast, dispersing as Future Gohan dashed forward past it. Seconds later, a massive wall of muscle and green energy surged after him in the form of Broly, who held a monsterous smirk and grin as he extended out his right arm.

"What's wrong, Gohan?! Don't you care if I destroy your planet?"

Future Gohan suddenly disappeared into thin air a few feet ahead of Broly, causing the Legendary Super Saiyan to come to a halt in mid air. He lifted his chin, just in time to see Future Gohan suddenly bolting downward from the sky above with his one arm slamming into his head in a powerful power driver. Broly chuckled, completely still in mid air as the blow made contact. Future Gohan, however, yelped in pain and instinctively floating backward, pulling his arm into his chest in an awkward attempt to nurse it.

He coughed heavily, his throat constricted in Broly's hand encasing it within seconds, holding the dangling half Saiyan out in front of him. Future Gohan grimaced heavily, the fingers from his hand digging into Broly's exposed forearm while the Legendary Super Saiyan spoke with a dark tone.

"Keep running if you wish. But if you don't fight back...I'll just destroy this planet! You're father would be so ashamed, when I reunite you with him in death."

Future Gohan glared back in response, scrunching up his nose in frustration as he struggled to breathe. His arm shook heavily, slowly rising up to the side of his head with his fingers extended outward in a fanned out position while Broly watched the whole display in confusion.

"Solar...Flare!"

The Legendary Super Saiyan let out a small scream, tightly shutting his eyes and releasing his grip on Future Gohan's throat. The one armed Super Saiyan landed flat on his backside, taking a second to recollecting himself before bolting forward into an offensive flurry of punches and kicks. The sight of Broly being completely unfazed from the strikes caused Future Gohan to stop with a shocked expression of awe, completely offguard from Broly angrily swatting at him blindly with a powerful swing of his left arm. Flipping backwards into the ground, Future Gohan blasted through the cracked cement of the road and slowly sliding to a halt on his stomach.

His eyelids fluttered heavily, struggling to push himself off the ground while Broly broke out into a full sprint towards the collapsed Gohan. Future Gohan tensed his arms, preparing himself to take the full force of Broly's punt that was assured in his stride forward, but ducked his head from the small blast of blue energy striking the ground in between the two shortly.

Broly's eyes widened, the force of the blast catching him off guard with the wind nearly pushing him back alone. He turned his head to the left, his eyes locking onto the sight of the newly transformed Trunks slowly floating down to the ground. Future Gohan blinked heavily, raising an eyebrow.

"Trunks? Is....is that you?"

Trunks kept his narrowed, blue eyes trained on Broly, remaining silent at Gohan's question. Broly's narrowed eyes remained as he broke out into a smirk, turning his massive body to face towards Trunks.

"Ah...I remember you. That wizard told me I would only have to deal with Kakarot's worthless son...but it's only fitting that I end Prince Vegeta's legacy at the same time."

Trunks' strong glare remained unchanged, his tone flat.

"Are you really so blinded by your hate that you can't see just how outclassed you are, Broly? You should have never left your timeline; whatever Towa wanted you to accomplish stops here."

He raised his clenched fists, the glittering blue energy surging outwards in a violent surge.

"You will die."

Broly's eyes went wide, watching the blue aura suddenly shoot forward, Trunks having unsheathed his sword. With a thunderous roar, Trunks swung both of his arms up into the air before bringing the blade down, starting at Broly's massive right shoulder. The hatred in Trunks' blue eyes deepened once the blade had cleanly sliced through Broly's entire upper torso.

The Legendary Super Saiyan let out a strained hack, a small trail of blood flowing down the left side of his mouth. However, before he could make another sound, Trunks rapidly surged in a flurry of slashes, small white streaks shooting out from the force of his blows. The wind surged dramatically behind Broly, each slash resonating with a powerful blast of godly ki as Trunks continued to dice Broly into small pieces. The chunks of Saiyan flesh began to crumble down towards the ground as the green aura slowly faded away, before Trunks launched his free hand forward with an open palm that fired a massive wave of blue energy that barrelled forward towards an abandoned skyscraper, erupting into a small explosion shortly afterwards.

The calm winds of atmosphere caused Trunks' godly energy to billow forward from his body, the half Saiyan soon sliding his sword back into his sheath with a loud metal clang. He barely turned his head at the sound of Genn lightly landing on the ground a few feet away from him, Genn speaking up with a frown across his face.

"Are you really sure you have to do this?"

Trunks turned his eyes towards Future Gohan, who still struggled to sit upright in the crater. The blue aura slowly disappeared as he descended back down into his normal state, ignoring Genn and quickly kneeling down near the crater to help Future Gohan back up to his feet.

"Hey...it's alright. I've got you."

Future Gohan's own golden hair dropped back down into its normal appearance, fading to black while he smiled back at Trunks warmly.

"Thanks Trunks, I owe you one."

Trunks returned the smile, helping Gohan stand upright before taking a small step back.

"No...you don't. I'm returning the favor...you could never owe me for saving you."

Future Gohan chuckled back in response, shaking his head.

"Nah, Trunks, I don't know who that was. But that fighter was way stronger than 17 and 18 ever could be combined, and if you hadn't come when you did, I probably would've died from that next attack."

His smile grew into a wide grind, looking Trunks over from head to toe.

"But just look at you! You've gotten so much stronger; you beat that guy like it was nothing! And that transformation....what was that? I couldn't sense your energy at all; it's almost like you died!"

Trunks broke out into a small blush, glancing down.

"It's...umm...well, it's called Super Saiyan Blue. I got it from training with the Time Patrol, and I work with them to protect the timestream using that power."

Future Gohan blinked hard in response, but kept his smile.

"I see. So Bulma was able to finish her time machine after all, huh? You must've come from the future then?"

Trunks slowly nodded, still avoiding Gohan's stare as best he could.

"Yeah...we did. That fighter...wasn't supposed to be apart of this history. So we had to destroy him...to let history flow like it should."

Trunks blinked, however, the sudden weight of Gohan's hand landing on his shoulder causing him to immediately lift his chin.

"You're not that same little kid I found in the ruins a year ago, are you? It's great that you've really come into your own and doing so much good for everyone, I'm so proud of you!"

Trunks kept wide eyes for a moment, before his lips rose in a small, warm smile.

"Thanks."

Future Gohan nodded curtly, turning on his heel.

"Great...now that that's done, there's still the matter of dealing with 17 and 18 attacking the city."

Trunks' smile immediately morphed into a frown, watching Future Gohan glanced over his shoulder at the pair with an uncharacteristic grin.

"It probably won't be as big of a challenge for you with that power now...but I'm sure it'll be entertaining to see them try and stop you."

Trunks chuckled slightly in response, nodding once.

"Yeah...it would be. Don't worry Gohan, I'll take care of them for you."

Genn gasped, his eyes going wide as the Supreme Kai of Time's voice nearly screeched into his air.

::Genn! Please...you're our last hope. You need to stop him...if he goes through with this...the entire timeline could fall apart from the butterfly effect! I can barely contain the one Broly has left in his wake....but if Trunks kills the androids....then there's no telling how much history will change!::

Genn's panicked eyes frantically danced between Trunks and Gohan, the sweat running down from the top of his head.

"I...Trunks! You can't do that...you know what will happen if you do!"

Trunks narrowed eyes instantly turned to Genn, Future Gohan also blinking in confusion.

"Maybe it should happen! I don't care if it's not how it's supposed to be; Gohan doesn't deserve this future!"

Future Gohan's confused stare quickly vanished, his narrowed eyes staying locked onto Genn for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

Genn swallowed hard, meeting Future Gohan's eyes for a moment before turning his gaze to Trunks.

"If...if Trunks helps you kill the androids now...then he will be changing the course of history."

Trunks' angry glare intensified, the rage clear in his expression as he spoke.

"Why did you tell him?! I thought you were on my side Genn!!"

Genn kept a strong frown, bowing his head in his avoidance of Trunks' stare.

"I just...I just don't want everything to be destroyed, Trunks. Please...stop this."

Trunks kept his angry stare strong for a few moments, but turned his head at the feeling of Gohan's hand resting on his shoulder again. His softened expression met Future Gohan's narrowed eyes.

"Trunks...is there something you want to tell me?"

Trunks frowned immediately in response, glancing down.

"I...I just..."

He tightly shut his eyes, tears beginning to swell at the edges.

"I just wanted to go with you, Gohan. I wanted to fight with you...and for once in my life....I didn't want to hold you back."

Future Gohan broke out into a frown, standing still silently for a few moments as Trunks sobbed into his left arm. He turned his eyes to Genn, staring into them for a few seconds while Genn blinked in confusion. Future Gohan soon turned his head back to Trunks, a small smile rising across his face.

"Hey...it's alright Trunks. You never held me back, not once."

He glanced over his shoulder for a moment, before turning his attention back down to Trunks.

"Look...I can tell it's been a long time since you've last seen me...and I think I know where this is going. I don't like letting those two getting away with destroying more of the city...but let's just take a little step back and calm down. Catch up on lost time."

Trunks lifted his head slowly from his arm, his eyes still red from the tears while Future Gohan grinned back at him.

"Why don't you tell me more about your adventures in the Time Patrol? I'd love to hear more about them."

==================

Age 762, Unknown World in the Present Timeline

Vegetto glanced around in confusion, the white light slowly dissipating away. Standing inside a dark hallway, he began to slowly walk forward with a perplexed expression. He reached up slowly, tapping onto the small earpiece.

"Whis...where am I?"

::Just a little further please. I found this point in history that you need to see...Genn will be in the other room so do try to keep your voice down. If he discovers your presence, you might have to kill a few of his guards or even worse, him.::

Vegetto blinked, coming to a halt at the edge of a single door at the end of the hallway. He held his voice at a whisper, resting his back against the wall with his eyebrow still raised.

"Guards?"

The fusion instantly fell silent, the muffled sound of a woman's giggling catching him guard. His eyes turned towards the door, leaning his ear towards the wall to try and listen to the feminine voice a little better.

"Hey...don't tickle me like that!"

Vegetto's wide eyes soon narrowed, recognize the sound of Genn's voice following after.

"Mmm...I can't help it. Your little stomach just begs for attention."

Cringing slightly, Vegetto shook his head slightly and tapped on the earpiece again, whispering softly.

"Whis...is this history really necessary? I asked you to show me what his background is...not...whatever this is supposed to be."

::This is important, Vegetto. Trust me...you need to witness this.::

The fusion's eyes turned back to the door, the sound of the woman's voice returning.

"Seriously though...I really appreciate what you did for me back there. If you hadn't come when you did...that mugger probably would've stolen much worse than me."

Vegetto's eyes lifted slightly, growing a bit wider at Genn's response.

"Don't worry about it, I always try to help those in need. But I could use a little reward, if you don't mind."

The woman's voice lifted slightly, the tension rising in Vegetto's forehead in anticipation.

"Oh? What did you have in mind?"

The fusion's eyes went fully wide, Genn's tone darkening heavily as his voice dropped a few octaves.

"Why don't you go ahead and slip out of those heavy clothes there. I'm sure you'd feel better without all that cloth covering you."

Vegetto instantly narrowed his eyes into a sharp glare, the uneasy chuckle of the woman cementing his fears.

"Heh...well...I don't know about that. We just met...maybe if I knew you a little bett-"

"Perhaps I wasn't clear with my words."

Vegetto's scowl grew stronger, the shock growing in his expression as Genn's tone became sinister.

"I said take off those clothes."

"And I told you I'm not ready for that....hey!"

Vegetto's hand immediately lurched forward, grasping onto the knob at the sound of the furniture suddenly toppling inside of the room, the woman letting out a small scream.

"Hey! You're hurting me!"

Swinging the door wide open, Vegetto blinked in confusion as a sudden bright light overtook his entire body, blinding his vision. It soon faded, however, leaving the confused warrior standing in the what appeared to be in the living room alone. The mess of the toppled couch and tables littered the floor of the room, small portions of the walls indented with the frame of what appeared to be a human body. The fusion moved a little further into the room, his wide eyes immediately locking onto the red liquid pooling at the edge of the kitchen. The horror was clear in his expression, instinctively taking a step back at the battered appearance of a human woman, face down in the red pool with scratches littering her body.

Vegetto turned his head away, Whis' voice filling his ear.

::It seems your intuition was right; Genn was hiding something all along. Her death was not a quick one. But I'm not finished showing you what you need to see: you need to keep your voice down. Move to the edge of the door, and do not make a sound. He is outside of the room right now...talking to one of his commanders.::

The fusion moved towards the center of the room again, quickly pressing up against the wall. The door he attempted to charge through now hung open completely, Vegetto leaning up against the wall near the open frame. His eyes dropped however, the sound of Genn's voice ringing out and prompting a scowl from the fusion.

"I never like it when they scream, to be honest. If they were just silent and took it, they would live through the ordeal."

The small chuckle from an unfamiliar male voice unnerved Vegetto, his own tone as dark as Genn's but a few octaves lower.

"The rush of knowing they're powerless to stop you though...the added thrill of seeing them squirm just makes it so much more...fulfilling. "

Vegetto grit his teeth together, his muscles tensing heavily despite Whis' calm voice in his ear.

:: Don't do anything rash, now. You said you wanted to learn more about him...this is crucial.::

"I suppose you're right, although I prefer seeing their shocked faces when they see their beloved hero was nothing more than a well crafted lie. It's always those damsels in distress, hoping for someone to save them and fix everything wrong with their lives. Even in the face of reality showing them what really exists from this world, they still hope for something better. Might as well pleasure myself before ending their pathetic lives, hmm?"

The fusion twitched heavily in frustration, Genn's tone shifting gears.

"But that discussion can wait, I assume you have an update about that troublesome pest that destroyed our last three caravans into the city?"

"Yes sir, she attacked one of our outposts a few hours ago. We have her pinned down in an old warehouse at the south end of town, but she's proving more...resilient than we anticipated. We need your help."

Genn's scoffed prompted a small shake in Vegetto's body, unnerved at his despicable laughter.

"Quite the warrior she's proving to be. A great conquest for sure, hopefully we won't have to do too much damage to her body before she submits."

His tone darkened.

"But what of the rumors you've gathered from those news outlets? Have you looked into this claim that she is my sister?"

"We have sir, but the reports seem to be more speculative than factual. I wouldn't take them too seriously."

"Ha, it matters little anyway. The little upstart thinks she can bring down my whole empire over night, she has another thing coming. Whether or not she is related to me is irrelevant."

Vegetto's eyes widened in shock, Genn's venomous voice oozing with confidence.

"She will suffer for what she has done, and I intend to take my time giving her all the...affection she deserves."

The fusion blinked, the white light glowing around him rapidly.

::Alright, that's enough. I'm pulling you out of there before you do something dangerous!::

Vegetto yelped suddenly, disappearing into the glow shortly afterwards.

========================================

The glow of the light faded, have transported Vegetto back into the Time Nest. The fusion's narrowed eyes immediately turned to Whis as the light faded, moving up to him with a heavy frown.

"What did you just show me back there?"

Whis kept an emotionless expression.

"Was it not obvious? Genn's history."

Vegetto shook his head once.

"No...I mean why didn't you tell me what I was about to see?! You could've at least warned me!"

Whis broke out into a small chuckle, Vegetto grunting in annoyance.

"You asked to see his history, and I showed it to you. Perhaps I could've told you what was going on, but this way, you have your own conclusion about the events, not mine."

Vegetto kept narrowed eyes, his gaze shifting slightly.

"Oh, I have my own conclusion alright. And it starts with what I should've done the minute he tried to put that ridiculous idea into my head."

The Supreme Kai of Time gasped, watching Vegetto rapidly move towards the Scroll of Eternity containing Xeno Trunks' history.

"No wait! You can't go in there now; He's helping Trunks with a mission!"

Vegetto scoffed in response, shrugging off the smaller Kai with his right shoulder and grasping tightly onto the Scroll. The white glow began to illuminate around him once more.

"I don't care what he's doing. He's a menace to not only the Patrol, but to anyone who seeks peace. It ends now!"

Both the Supreme Kai of Time and the Elder Kai watched on with shocked expressions as Vegetto began to disappear into a bright white light, Whis shaking his head once with a heavy sigh.

"I was afraid this would happen. But I suppose there's no avoiding this outcome now."

=======================================

Age 780, Xeno Trunks' Timeline

The three warriors stood together in the street, the sun beginning to set overhead as they shared a laugh. Future Gohan stifled his first, shaking his head.

"That does sound like my dad; only he would spend that much zeni to have a strong opponent try and kill him."

A small frown replaced his smile shortly after.

"I...almost forgot what he was like, you know. It would be nice, to see him again."

Trunks frowned as well, glancing away. The three fell into a silence at the final comment, Future Gohan meeting Genn's eyes shortly afterwards. Genn swallowed hard at the determined expression meeting his panicked stare, the sight of Future Gohan winking with his left eye at him causing him to blink in confusion.

"So, Genn was it? You're the recruit Trunks is training in the Time Patrol, right?"

Genn blinked once again, caught off guard by the question.

"Uh...yeah. You could say that."

Future Gohan broke out into a warm smile.

"Well, I do appreciate you telling me about what would happen if Trunks intervened earlier. But I have to ask...this fight with 17 and 18 coming up..."

Trunks slowly lifted his head with wide eyes, staring at Future Gohan who still locked with Genn's.

"It sounds like the outcome of this fight is pretty important, and Trunks obviously really cares about intervening now, more than ever. Tell me..."

Genn twitched uneasily, Future Gohan's flat tone unnerving him.

"I die in that fight, don't I?"

Genn's sweat began to pour heavily down his head, his eyes instinctively shifting to Trunks, who shook his head from side to side rapidly. Before Genn could reply, however, Future Gohan's scolding voice spoke out.

"Trunks, you don't need to lie to me. I'm not afraid to face my fate, you know."

Trunks quickly turned his head back to Future Gohan.

"But you don't have to die here Gohan! Let me help you; we can take them together!"

Future Gohan shut his eyes tightly, exhaling deeply before slowly opening them again and facing towards Trunks.

"No, Trunks, you said it yourself. Your job is to make sure history flows the way it should, and not interfere."

Trunks rapidly shook his head.

"Gohan...don't! You don't have to die like this!"

Future Gohan broke out into a warm smile, turning on his heel.

"Trunks...I know it isn't easy. But this is what my purpose in life is...because if you're here, all grown up, then that must mean the future is safe."

He raised an eyebrow, watching Trunks bow his head.

"Isn't it?"

Trunks did not offer a response, Future Gohan turning his attention back to the ruined city skyline.

"If so...then this fight has a real purpose. That's good enough for me."

Trunks shook his head violently once more.

"No! Gohan...you can't!"

Future Gohan turned his head to the side, gesturing with his one arm to Genn.

"Trunks...your student needs you. You've made a good friend...you can't just abandon a good friend, can you?"

Trunks eyes began to well up with tears once more, still shaking his head in response.

"Gohan...please."

Future Gohan then blinked, a sudden white glow at the edge of his eyes catching his attention. Turning around slightly, his eyes grew wide at the sight of the new arrival clad in blue and orange gi. Vegetto's narrowed eyes held strong for a few seconds, but softened at the sight of the sobbing Trunks, the rage completely leaving his expression for a moment.

"Trunks..."

Trunks lifted his head, the confusion clear in his expression too at the sight of Vegetto. However, his eyes quickly sharpened into a glare.

"Come to force me out of the timeline, huh? I wasn't going to fight those androids anyway; Gohan and Genn saw to that."

Vegetto's scowl immediately returned at the final name mentioned, clenching his fists together tightly.

"No. I'm here for another reason."

Trunks and Future Gohan both blinked, watching Vegetto rapidly raise his right arm with an outstretched palm, forming a large blue energy blast at the end. His arm shifted towards Genn, the blast point towards the stunned warrior.

"I've come to squash this little bug!"

With a small roar, the ball of energy rapidly shot forward, tearing into the cement as it quickly spiraled towards Genn.
 
Chapter 9: Battle of Gods

============
Vegetto's glare sharpened heavily at the sight of his energy attack suddenly splitting into two halves, each one veering off in opposite directions and exploding on contact with the skyscraper rubble a few meters away from the group. Genn's arms remained tense, his eyes trained on Trunks who now stood in between him and Vegetto with his sword drawn.

"So instead of working with me or asking for my opinion, you just decide you're going to show up and make an important decision all on your own?"

Vegetto's strong glare remained, slowly lowering his arm.

"Your opinion doesn't matter, Trunks. This little insect has been playing you for a fool, just as he's played everyone else."

Trunks raised an eyebrow, letting Vegetto continue with his raised dual voice.

"I thought maybe he was a little too stupid or careless in his attempt to help everyone, that he made an honest mistake looking to do what he thought was right. But I thought it was rather strange how he was so eager to just let his sister suffer so heavily for a cause that meant nothing to him. So I thought I'd learn more about who this misguided hero truly was, and you wouldn't imagine the horrors I saw when Whis and I looked deeper, finding an innocent woman he 'saved' years ago."

The venom dripped from Vegetto's dual voice as his glare sharply turned to Genn.

"It wasn't enough to take her life, was it you coward?! You had to teach her a lesson, and bring her down to your level of depravity, didn't you?! I thought it was a little strange that you knew how to break a mind as effectively as you suggested back at the Time Nest, but it all makes sense now. You've had plenty of practice, raping and destroying lives yourself!"

Trunks' eyes widened at the accusation, his own head turning towards Genn. Future Gohan glanced down in shock as well, before turning his own attention slowly to Genn. With all three warriors staring at him, Genn lowered his head slightly in shame, hiding his expression and remaining silent.

Trunks' arms lowered slightly, the sword pointing down towards the ground instead of defense.

"Genn...what is he talking about?"

Genn kept his head bowed, his voice timid.

"I'm...not a good person..."

Vegetto scoffed in response, the jabbing tone bordering near sarcastic spite.

"Obviously. Hunting for that thrill of ending someone's life in fear, wanting to see them suffer for their optimistic hope so their view on the world becomes as hopeless as your own. But now that I know what you really are, your little dream of doing the same for the Time Patrol ends here."

Trunks' eyes narrowed in response, his attention locked on Genn who still kept his head bowed and spoke with a timid voice.

"I wasn't trying to ruin the-"

"Quiet!"

Vegetto's arm rapidly shot back up, another massive ball of bright blue energy forming at the end of his palm. The wind surging around the warrior's body kicked up rubble at his feet heavily, Trunks' eyes widening at the sight.

"You're not going to weasel your way out of this one. You may have lived your life in shame and cowardice, but you will face your death with some honor. Trunks...stand aside!"

Trunks frowned in response, straightening himself out in and remaining still. His own eyes fell down to the sword he held pointed to the ground, his grip lax.

"Trunks! I said move!"

Trunks' eyes immediately lifted at the dark tone from Vegetto's voice, his own raising as he suddenly brought his sword back into a defensive position.

"No! There has to be more to this story...Genn isn't that person anymore!"

Vegetto let out a small roar in frustration, the bright blue light suddenly engulfing his entire form. Future Gohan gasped at the sudden display of energy, taking a step back at the newly transformed Vegetto still holding his energy blast out in front of him as a Super Saiyan Blue. The particles of light and blue energy began to swirl around his entire body, the ball of energy sucking in a little his aura as it grew in size.

"Insubordinate brat. When I tell you to put down your toy sword and stand aside, you do it! Get out of my way, or else!"

Trunks' eyes widened, caught offguard by Vegetto's sudden change in tone.

"Or else what?"

Vegetto's eyes widened, his glare still strong in his immense rage.

"Or else I blast you too!"

Trunks blinked in shock at the threat, falling silent for a few seconds. His head turned back slowly towards Genn, who had lifted his head once Vegetto had transformed. Their eyes met for a moment, Genn frowning heavily and shaking his head.

"Just...move out of the way, Trunks. It was nice to think I had a chance to atone for what I've done...but maybe it's supposed to be this way. Maybe I don't deserve a second chance."

Trunks' eyes immediately narrowed in response, his own bright blue aura suddenly flaring up from underneath his boots. Vegetto's eyes widened slightly, staring at the now matching Super Saiyan Blue Trunks who turned back to face towards the fusion with his sword firmly held out in front of him. The black jacket the swordsman wore shined brilliantly in the godly aura, the silver steel of his sword radiating from the energy lacing its form while Trunks kept his eyes on Genn.

"I made you a promise, Genn. You helped me feel at peace about my timeline, and gave me the chance to say goodbye to Gohan when no one else did. You've been a good friend to me."

His glare soon returned, turning his eyes to Vegetto.

"Unlike others, who are ready to throw away their loved ones just to satisfy their pride."

Vegetto kept a strong glare trained on the opposing Saiyan clad in the glow of godly ki, the whir of the attack at the end of his palm growing.

"This is your last warning, Trunks! Either step aside, or be swept aside. Choose!"

Trunks let out a small roar, his aura rapidly surging outward at the sudden spike in his energy. 

"Try it!"

Vegetto grunted, rapidly launching the massive ball of bright blue energy forward.

"Big Bang Attack!"

Trunks pulled his blade back slightly, tensing at the oncoming approaching blast. However, his eyes widened at the disappearance of Vegetto on the opposite side of the street. He turned in time to see the transformed fusion having already made his way a few feet away from Genn, who stood with wide eyes and a defenseless stance. Vegetto immediately pulled his fist back, launching his right gloved fist forward with a confident smirk.

"No one to save you now!"

The gloved fist struck with a thunderous shockwave, the ripple of energy shattering a few skyscrapers along the street corner nearby. Vegetto's eyes widened, however, at the sight of his fist being held in a bare hand, coated in the golden glow of a familiar Super Saiyan aura. Future Gohan winced heavily in pain, his arm twitching heavily as he held Vegetto's right fist and stood directly in between the fusion and Genn.

Vegetto pulled his arm back immediately taking a step back while Future Gohan's arm immediately slumped down to his side, indicating its broken state.

"Gohan?!"

Trunks gasped at the sight, quickly turning his attention back to the massive ball of bright blue energy. He carefully lunged forward, slowly stabbing his blade forward towards the ball that immediately caused a torrent of wind to surge outwards in every direction. His arms wobbled heavily in pushing his blade forward slowly, the tip of his sword penetrating into the ball a few inches forward before he rapidly swung the sword around in a near full swing, launching the massive energy attack back at the distracted Vegetto. Vegetto turned his head in time for the blast to rapidly strike his back, erupting into a massive explosion while Vegetto bolted out of the developing smoke cloud into a nearby ruined building from the force of the blow.

Trunks panted heavily, breaking out into a small dash and quickly running up to Future Gohan's side as the warrior collapsed onto his right knee.

"Gohan! Are you alright?!"

Future Gohan grunted, letting his arm dangle heavily in front of him.

"I'm...I'm fine. I think I shattered every bone in my arm, blocking that punch of his, but at least I'm still breathing."

Trunks nodded once, before turning his attention to Genn who spoke next.

"Please...don't fight him. I don't want any of you to suffer because of me...I've already caused enough as it is. Just let me die."

Trunks grunted, quickly moving away from Future Gohan and snagging Genn's shirt collar in both hands.

"You're not dying here, not today. You are going to have the chance to make amends for what you've done, you deserve that for what you've done so far for the Patrol. You've already helped me, and you're going to do it again. Right now, starting by getting yourself together and staying focused on making it through this!"

Genn kept a small frown, but nodded once in compliance. Trunks then turned his head towards Future Gohan, who continued to pant in pain.

"Gohan, stay with Genn and make sure he doesn't get rushed like that again. I'll try to end this fight quickly."

Future Gohan nodded in response.

"Right...be careful, Trunks."

Trunks turned on his heel, bolting into a small dash and quickly closing in on the rubble of the building he saw Vegetto disappear into. The glowing blue aura illuminated the dark rubble around him, the sun having nearly set completely and night beginning to sit in. Trunks narrowed eyes scanned the rubble for a moment, before letting out a deep sigh and closing his eyes.

"You can come out now. I know you're hiding around here somewhere."

Trunks' eyes opened however, turning his head towards the sound of Vegetto's voice. His tense muscles, having anticipated a sneak attack from Vegetto, relaxed at the sight of the transformed fusion standing on the adjacent street corner with his arms crossed, his own blue aura brightly illuminating his body.

"I don't need to hide. You and I both know how this is going to play out, Trunks. You're too weak to challenge my power, even with that form I trained you into."

Trunks kept a strong glare, his arms dropping to his sides.

"So you really are ready to kill me over this? Over some perceived threat you conjured up on your own?"

Vegetto scoffed.

"You didn't see what I saw, Trunks. He is just like Frost, playing on the good will of the innocent to further his selfish goals. He used her, just like he is using you. Can't you see that he wants us to fight? To weaken ourselves?"

The fusion blinked, rapidly throwing up his right arm as Trunks' fist slammed into his forearm. The cement cracked beneath their boots, Trunks quickly slinging out his right foot towards Vegetto's ribs, only meeting Vegetto's open ended palm as he slapped Trunks' leg away. Stepping back, Vegetto broke the hold and grunted once more while Trunks spoke.

"Funny, how you didn't even bother trying to convince me until after you tried to murder him without my approval. You try to reason with me, as if I would be soft enough just to give in to your demands if you have some logical basis behind it. But not this time: I'm tired of you constantly treating me like a pawn instead of a partner!"

Vegetto nearly snarled in response, lunging forward and throwing out his own right fist towards Trunks' face, the latter catching the blow within inches from his nose. Trunks then hacked heavily, gasping for air from the impact of Vegetto's left fist slamming into his stomach, the warrior nearly dropping to his knees as he stumbled forward.

"You chose to be a pawn the second you sided with that rapist and murderer." 

Trunks panted heavily, stepping back while clutching his stomach.

"I chose to believe in the good in people. I see the good in his heart, the will he has to make amends just as my father did."

His eyes narrowed sharply, straightening his back to stand upright fully.

"While you follow the path of the very enemy we fight, watching something horrible play out and suddenly believing you need to wipe it out for the greater good, thinking you are the only one who knows best. Constantly pushing forward, without a care who you hurt or the damage you inflict."

Vegetto frowned in response, Trunks spitting a small amount of spit at Vegetto's boot.

"You're just another Zamasu, fighting for your own misguided justice."

Vegetto's expression immediately contorted into rage, rapidly bolting forward and launching into a flurry of punches. Trunks blasted backwards across the cement, roaring in defense as he tried to keep pace. However, after blocking for a few seconds against multiple strikes, a punch slipped through and connected to his chest. Recovering rapidly, Trunks parried a few more strikes before three punches slipped through his guard, striking his neck and ribs respectively.  The Saiyan warrior started to crumple, Vegetto consistently striking at Trunks past his guard as he began to weaken. Trunks cried out in pain, ragdolling in Vegetto's unrelenting assault for a few moments before rapidly dropping towards the ground.

Collapsing to one knee, Trunks panted heavily in a bid to stay conscious, Vegetto pulling his arm back and looming over him.

"You're only wasting your breath. If you're going to sit here and cry because I didn't give you or your timeline the attention you wanted, then go right ahead."

The fusion began to casually stride away from the kneeling Trunks, who slowly attempted to collect himself.

"I, however, intend to destroy the threats our Patrol faces. No matter what sort of naive foolishness clouds your mind from the truth."

Vegetto's eyes then suddenly widened, his neck instinctively bending to the left as a small bright blue energy sphere rapidly shot past him. He whirled around in time to catch the steel blade inches away from his neck, his arm shaking slightly as Trunks continued to push down towards Vegetto. The fusion grunted angrily in response, his grip on the blunt of the blade itself tightening.

"You've really lost it, haven't you?!"

Trunks gasped, watching on as Vegetto suddenly snapped the metal blade from the tip, the top half of the blade shattering in his constricting gloved grip. His narrowed eyes remained strong, his left leg rapidly shooting forward and slamming square into Trunks' chest, sending the other Super Saiyan Blue flying in the opposite direction. Bolting into a blue dash after him, Vegetto rapidly closed the distance to Trunks, staying on the offensive with another barrage of punches and kicks. Trunks, however, quickly retaliated with a flurry of his own after quickly recovering from the first few strikes, the two trading blow after blow until Trunks suddenly dropped to the ground. Vegetto blinked, watching on before his legs suddenly flipped out from underneath him, Trunks' own sweeping leg having knocked him off balance.

The fusion wasted no time whirling around in mid air using his momentum, twisting into a heavy axe kick aimed for Trunks' shoulder. The blow only connected to Trunks' forearm, who quickly used his other hand to launch a small blue energy blast and striking Vegetto square in his chest. A small smoke cloud formed in front of him, Vegetto bouncing along the cement for a few seconds before recovering on the ground. Rising slowly to his feet, Vegetto cracked his neck to the side.

"You want to whine about your timeline, but you have no one to blame for it than yourself. I trained you, I gave you the power to make a difference here. Yet somehow, it took this weakling playing you for a fool to make you realize what they mean to you? Only now, did you care about helping them?"

Trunks huffed back in response, moving into a defensive stance.

"You know damn well this Patrol has never been about what I want. I gave everything to make it better, to create something greater than myself. But whenever there was time to satisfy my personal demons, you were the one who always put it off."

He grunted, his tone sarcastically mocking the fusion's dual voice.

"What were your words? 'Oh, it's a timeline that isn't being attacked, so it doesn't matter! Oh, I don't want you risking it until you're in better control of your emotions!'"

His glare sharpened even further.

"Or the worst one of them all, how even after I overcame those last excuses, you still wouldn't let me go because you wanted to get stronger. Because you needed a training partner. My home being destroyed didn't matter in comparison to your need to improve. You can twist your words and say you made me stronger for some good will for the Time Patrol. But in the end, we both know exactly why you pushed me to ascend."

Vegetto frowned in response, remaining silent while Trunks' tone began to darken heavily.

"Because you wanted someone strong enough to rival your own power. It didn't matter who it was or how it was done, you only cared about your own selfish desire for worthwhile combat. The Time Patrol, my home, Genn; none of that matters to you. You're only a hero when its convenient for you, whenever your own little wants or pride are at stake here."

Vegetto's eyes remained sharp in a glare, Trunks lowering his arms.

"What a scam, the mighty Time Patroller who saved us all. Erecting a statue of yourself in the middle of your own exorbitant city, deciding you need to step down and let another warrior take on the mantle of defending Earth's history. Fooling everyone here that it's about growing the Patrol, when we both know the only reason you did it was because you were disappointed in me as a warrior. Wasting both of our efforts trying to make me achieve a power I could not reach, always putting off my timeline while you grew impatient with my lack of progress. So you decide to make a big fuss about needing a new hero to defend Earth in your place, one that you could just dump on the Kaioshins to train and make her strong enough to be able to rival you."

The intensity of Vegetto's stare lightened slightly at the jabbing accusation, Trunks' own voice raising into a near shout.

"That's exactly why you picked her, wasn't it?! You didn't care about Earth or me, the one who gave you life in the first place. All you cared about was satisfying your own little need for a challenge, enough to the point where you threw away your own partner just for the chance at fighting someone stronger. You can talk about helping me ascend all you want, but don't you dare lie that it was for a good cause or that I'm the one who is selfish! This will never be about anything other than yourself, and if you keep letting your pride blind you like this, it's going to be the only thing you have left by today's end."

Trunks suddenly bolted forward, reeling both fists back for a moment in his dash towards Vegetto. The fusion quickly threw up his arms, parrying the first two punches from Trunks' offensive attack and quickly slipping in a jab at the Saiyan's right cheek. Trunks grimaced, stumbling back from being struck past his guard, only to flatten onto the floor from Vegetto's elbow suddenly dropping onto his back. Trunks hacked heavily, lifting his head from the broken cement to look into Vegetto's matching blue eyes, who loomed over him.

"Go on...do it then. You have her to push you...you don't need me anymore. All that talk of having no one on Namek...that speech to Demigra about defending your 'family'. You never cared about me...or anyone else..."

Vegetto's expression softened lightly, watching on as Trunks slowly dropped down to the rubble and passing out with a deep, heavy sigh. The godly blue aura faded from his body, descending back down to his normal state after he lost consciousness. The fusion stood still for a moment, staring down at Trunks for a few seconds before slowly turning on his heel with a heavy frown. His determined stare soon returned at the sight of Genn, however, the anger clear in his expression as he broke out into a dash towards the remaining two warriors. Landing a few feet in front of Future Gohan, Vegetto kept his arms at his sides while facing off with the two, his attention locked on Future Gohan.

"Stand aside, Gohan. I don't want to hurt you."

Future Gohan remained still.

"I won't let you kill this man."

Vegetto grunted in response.

"He is not a man. He is a monster."

Future Gohan slowly pulled his right foot forward, attempting to move into a defensive stance with his lifeless limb.

"The only monster I see is you."

Vegetto frowned heavily in response, his glare intensifying at the sight of Future Gohan struggling to charge towards him. Coated in the golden aura of a Super Saiyan, Future Gohan's right left shot forward towards Vegetto's chest, only for his boot to get caught into the fusion's right palm. Vegetto lightly swung his arm around, swinging Future Gohan into a nearby building with immense force.

Genn slumped forward slightly, now that both warriors on his behalf were incapacitated. Vegetto's angry glare focused in on the man who dodged his stare, his right hand shooting out and constricting Genn's throat. The other Saiyan coughed and wheezed heavily, his smaller frame being lifted off the ground as Vegetto help him in the air.

"Congratulations, you scum. You managed to turn my entire Patrol against me, and nearly complete this little destructive goal of yours. But it doesn't matter what you've taken from me; I'll just rebuild the Patrol and create a new family if I have to. So no matter how close you came, I want you to remember that all your work has been for nothing as I end your life."

Genn twitched heavily in Vegetto's grip, suddenly bursting into the cement below from Vegetto swinging the man around into the concrete. His short black hair was litered with rocks, his entire vision blurry while Vegetto stood over him with crossed arms.

"But just so the Kaioshins can't say I didn't give you a chance, I'll let you make a case for yourself. Go on, try to give me a good reason to let you live."

Genn kept both eyes shut, his voice weak.

"I..I don't have one."

The admission of defeat caught Vegetto offguard, who looked on with a perplexed stare while Genn continued to speak.

"I just wanted a second chance...to make things right."

Vegetto broke out into a dark smirk, scoffing heavily in response.

"Sure, and that little Time Vault break in you and Kassava pulled was to help with that cause. All for the good will of the people of the universe, the ones you condemned years ago for the very hope you try to con me with. So why would you try to tamper the Scroll if all you cared about was doing what's right?"

Genn kept his head bowed.

"I thought if I erased my past...then maybe I could atone for what I've done. All those lives that I ruined and took...maybe they would be fixed if I just didn't exist at all."

Vegetto's stare intensified at the explanation, watching Genn slowly sink towards the floor.

"But it didn't work...and with everything that's happened today, I'll always cause pain and misery no matter how hard I try to do what's right. So maybe I should die."

Vegetto let out a small grunt, his tone flat.

"And what of your sister? Don't tell me you're not planning on trying to play on my mercy using her."

Genn lifted his head slightly, turning to meet Vegetto's stare. The fusion furrowed his brow, the sight of Genn's warm smile unnerving him heavily as Genn spoke with a more optimistic tone.

"Well...she has you now. It was nice to fool myself and think I was helping her...but now, she's finally working with the best heroes in the entire universe. She's going to be so much stronger and better now, without me to hold her back."

Vegetto kept a glare, however, Genn resting on his back hands.

"Maybe...that's the change I was destined to make. I've dreamt about her becoming something amazing, and doing something that saves everyone. But maybe, instead of being the reason why she changes, maybe my destiny is to just put her where she needs to be to grow. That...well...I can die happy knowing that I made the difference for her there."

Vegetto paused at the comment, the earpiece ringing in his right ear at the end of the statement. However, the energy remained absent while two distinct voices argued within his mind.

Pfft, don't listen to any of that. He's a con artist: he knows how to play people. He's doing it now: it's his strategy to live.

But...what if he's telling the truth? He spoke with honor there....

No! He's faking it...he only wants you to lower your guard so he can strike!

Why though? What does he have to gain from all this? 

Vegetto's arm began to twitch heavily at the thoughts racing through his mind, the two familiar voices having devolved into incoherent dribble in their bid to outweigh the other. The two voices immediately went silent, however, as Vegetto's arm lowered back down to his side.

"Whis, pull us out."

Genn blinked, turning his head away from the ground at the sound of Vegetto's exhausted tone, the angel's voice ringing in both earpieces.

::Of course! Give me one moment...and...there!::

The three Time Patrollers spread out across the ruined city street all began to glow white, soon disappearing into and leaving the quiet rubble behind in the night.

==============================

The three new arrivals in the Time Nest all appeared within seconds of each other, one of the warriors lying flat on the stone floor. The Supreme Kai of Time and the Elder Kai both made their way to Trunks' side, moving past Vegetto and Genn with worried expressions.

"We'll get him to the medical ward right away. Just hang on Trunks...you're going to be ok."

Vegetto glanced to the side with serious expression, his arms crossed while the two hoisted Trunks and began to move towards the exit, departing the Time Vault shortly. Whis stood with a passive expression, watching Genn slowly perk his head up.

"What do you plan to do about me?"

Vegetto grunted.

"Just get out of my sight."

Genn frowned heavily, but quickly made his way past the others and leaving the Time Vault shortly afterwards, leaving Whis and Vegetto as the only occupants. The taller angel broke out into a small half smile.

"Well, that went better than expected."

Vegetto raised an eyebrow, turning his eyes towards Whis but remaining still.

"What are you talking about?"

Whis nodded towards the exit.

"About what happened there in Trunks' history. I was expecting you to kill him with your current personal problems being what they were."

The fusion's eyes narrowed, turning towards Whis fully at the jabbing comment.

"Don't tell me you're going to try justifying his past too."

Whis chuckled in response.

"Of course not. The only reason I showed you it in the first place was because I knew you would take it so harshly."

Vegetto glanced down, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Then why do I have this sinking feeling in my stomach that I'm making a mistake, killing him?"

Whis kept his smile.

"Because you would be. It doesn't matter what that past was, it was the potential of his deception that truly inspired your fear and rage to end him. Look at what you have wrought from chasing that fear."

Vegetto slowly crossed his arms, still glancing away as Whis continued.

"Just as you have let your own desire for combat blind you from Trunks' needs, so too did you let fear cloud your mind and drive you to nearly kill both of your sons when they only wanted to protect you and Genn. When I worked with Goku and Vegeta, I could tell that both of them had mirroring opposites with their weaknesses. Goku's pride in letting his overconfidence lead to his downfall, while Vegeta's fear of inferiority drives his extensive will to surpass everyone that challenges him."

Vegetto turned his head slightly, Whis having pointed at him with a flat one.

"While I know you despise being compared to them, you can not deny what traits have made you who you are. You are the combination of those flaws, and it was made clear today: you let your pride blind you from listening to your closest ally, and your fear drove you to nearly destroy everything you've worked so hard to create for yourself. You must learn to temper both your pride and your fear if you wish to truly find peace."

Vegetto kept a frown, glancing towards the Scroll.

"But how...Whis. I've come as far as I can go: I no longer fear being just a shell meant to hold those two together, nor do I need a purpose to live now that I have the Patrol. What else do I need to do to bring my mind peace?"

Whis bowed his head slightly with a small muse.

"Ah...well...you've already started a plan for that problem, haven't you?"

Vegetto raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

Whis' smile rose.

"Your whole reason for training Kassava in the first place, correct?"

Vegetto's eyebrow dropped, his dissatisfaction clear in his expression.

"I'm being serious, Whis. I'm not in the mood to entertain your attempt at playing match maker."

Whis broke out into another small chuckle.

"As interesting as that may be, I merely referred to your plan of increasing her power. Your pride continues to rise as it does because you have yet to meet a worthy opponent in battle that can defeat you, and give you the opportunity to grow as not only a fighter, but as a person. You may have those combined flaws, but the fear is only amplified because your pride has grown to heights that are out of control."

Whis' smile rose once again.

"Trunks may have said some good points about you back there, but making her stronger would no doubt allow you the opportunity to find peace. You have never lost a battle until meeting Lord Beerus, and even that one was a bit of a fluke. In all my time spent training warriors throughout time and space, you are, unquestionably, the most skilled when it comes to combat. While you power may be insignificant in comparison to some, your tactical mind and battle ingenuity alone would make you a threat in the eyes of any powerful opponent."

Vegetto let out a small grunt of content, his smirk rising before meeting Whis' eyes.

"Even you?"

Whis paused for a moment, before nodding his head once.

"If our powers were even, then yes. I would have trouble handling you in a fight; you probably could even best me. This superiority is the cause of your massive pride constantly rising, and like a wildfire, it will continue to destroy everything in its path if it continues to grow without a means to contain it."

Vegetto nodded once, his smirk fading quickly.

"Right, but fighting you at our power difference wouldn't solve that. Even if you could humiliate me in a fight, I need something more than that. A rival, who could push me to new heights and satisfy my need for combat; one that will train with me and constantly push me, that loves to fight as much as I do. It's the reason why I've hurt Trunks in more than just physical blows; if I don't find someone who can beat me soon, then I'm not sure how much longer it will be before I lose everyone. I can't keep tempering these...feelings without the help to bring them in check."

Whis smiled in response, nodding once.

"Well...as a wise warrior once said, 'Everyone meets their better sooner or later'."

Vegetto perked up at the comment, Whis having leaned forward slightly.

"Perhaps even, their better half sooner or later?"

Vegetto let out a heavy sigh in response, shaking his head.

"You were waiting to say that, weren't you?"

Whis chuckled once more.

"Why yes, it dawned on me just as I remembered that quote of yours. This 'love' you mortals have shown here on Earth has been quite the fascinating topic for me to explore, as I've never seen this sort of emotion develop outside of the need for reproduction in other species. It greatly amplified Prince Vegeta's power on Earth when Beerus first arrived and struck Lady Bulma, so perhaps this emotion would greatly improve fighting capability in the warriors it affects. However, I have noticed some of its more...tedious complications that hinder fighters in areas that I can't comprehend. Similar to how certain drugs grant extensive power to fighters but at a cost that we don't understand until it's already too late."

Vegetto shook his head.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Whis blinked, before covering his mouth with his free hand and clutching his scepter in the other.

"Oh goodness, my apologies. Back onto the topic at hand though, I do believe your best course of action is to continue training the lovely Kassava as a means to battle with you. She does have the love for combat that you value, and is potentially as intelligent as you are in battle."

Vegetto kept a small frown, glancing down.

"Yet she still has that problem in dealing with challenges far above her head. She quits whenever things get too tough, and doesn't care about anything."

Whis nodded once.

"A fair point, but that should not be too much of a problem for you. She is still growing and learning to form more attachments. And while she currently lacks one to her own life, she just needs to find a few more aspects of life to care about before she connects to it as a whole. Give her time, and play to her interest in fighting. Then, she may finally find a reason to overcome those fears that restrict her."

Vegetto raised an eyebrow.

"You seem to know a lot about her. What are you hiding from me, Whis?"

Whis smiled.

"The history you did not fully investigate. Perhaps we should take a look at her history, and then, you can finally know where these two come from?"

Vegetto stared down at the Scroll, before nodding slowly once with Whis turning to face towards the table.

"Very well, let's begin."
 
Chapter 10: Origins

=========================
Vegetto stood motionless with his arms crossed, his eyes turning upwards. Standing with Whis, the pair traveled through the open vastness of space with the stars shooting above and beneath the small green ball housing them. Whis glanced down, however, once the green ball came to a sudden halt in its travel. Beneath their feet, a similar planet designed like Earth floated in place. Vegetto's eyes narrowed, studying the world and the clouds slowly floating around the orb while he spoke.

"You couldn't have just put us here in the first place?"

Whis stifled a small chuckle.

"Forgive me, I had forgotten where exactly the planet was located. I might have mixed up a couple of memories here and there."

Vegetto grunted in response, his eyes still on the planet.

"I thought you said you knew the full history of these two."

Whis nodded once.

"In the time you spent nearly tearing apart your own family, I did manage to piece together the parts of history you have yet to see on them both but I can't be expected to full memorize small details such as the planet's location. In any case, welcome to the world known as Kryndyn. This is where their rather...long story begins."

Vegetto kept narrowed eyes, ignoring the pointed jab in Whis' response.

"I've never heard of this world. The Saiyans never sent pods to this sector of the galaxy, it's too far away from Planet Vegeta."

Whis turned his head to Vegetto.

"That's because these two were not apart of the Saiyan program Vegeta's father implemented towards the waning years of his rule under Frieza. Their story starts a few years before the Saiyans began the siege for what eventually became Planet Vegeta. The father, whose name escapes me at the moment, was killed in a grudge match against a stronger warrior, and the mother did not wish to join with that warrior. Branded a traitor and a coward, she escaped to this world of Kryndyn while pregant with Kassava and Genn to live a peaceful life."

Vegetto frowned.

"I take it this didn't end well for her."

Whis bowed his head slightly, his expression flat.

"No."

Vegetto sighed as the green ball slowly descended down towards the planet, soon entering into the atmosphere. The fusion twitched slightly at the breeze hitting his arms, caught off guard by the energy allowing the planet's summer atmosphere to flow through. Landing in between a pair of skyscrapers in the middle of an open plaza, the two stood side by side amidst the busy crowds of pedestrians hustling to and from their destinations.

"We're currently in the year 752, around a decade few before Vegeta landed on Earth for the first time. The pair you're interested in are currently in their teens, twelve and fifteen respectively. However, today, their lives separated when their mother was killed."

Vegetto raised an eyebrow.

"By who?"

Whis gestured towards the east with his head, nodding to a group of male warriors walking together. Clad in the signature battle armor of the Saiyans, the warriors walked side by side until coming to a halt in front of a nearby food stand. The apparent leader of the group smirked devishly, crossing his arms and leaning on the side of the stand with his eyes firmly locked on the shorter woman with long black hair studying the food, who let out a small gasp once she noticed the four new arrivals.

"You're a hard woman to find, Turmera."

The woman addressed as Turmera took a step back instinctively, quickly turning to the smaller teenage boy standing next to her. She lightly pushed him back, her wide eyes still locked on the man.

"Genn...go get your sister."

The younger Genn blinked, stumbling a bit from the pat.

"Huh? Why?"

The woman narrowed her eyes, turning her head to the boy.

"Just go get her and run honey. Mommy will be alright on her own."

The man chuckled darkly.

"We don't care for your children Turmera."

Turmera only glared at the man despite the reassurance.

"You always clung to the old ways, Suan. How do I know you won't kill them, like tradition demands?"

Suan shook his head.

"Haven't you heard the news? The Saiyans are no more, Turmera; Planet Vegeta was destroyed by Frieza sometime ago. No one is hunting you anymore."

Turmera twitched uneasily, watching Suan push off the wall he leaned on and slowly approach her in taking two small steps forward.

"My squad managed to survive the destruction, as I've spent the last decade wandering this universe in hopes of finding you. And here at last, seeing you've aged so gracefully, I feel a great deal of mercy towards the last few survivors of our race. So I've come to make a deal with you: I'll spare your children, who should've died with that weakling of a father I killed all those years ago..."

Turmera twitched slightly at the mention of the death, angrily watching Suan approach and lightly caress her right cheek with his hand.

"But only if you finally become the loyal pet that I deserve."

Turmera rapidly slapped Suan's hand away, the man chuckling at her agitated tone.

"Get away from me! It was a no back then and it's still a no now!"

Suan shook his head once.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, your defiance has always been your most appealing quality. But now, with no where to run or hide, it's time I finally broke you."

Turmera blinked, yelping at the sudden hand launching at her throat and slinging her rapidly down face first onto the food stand. She quickly turned her head to the younger Genn, her voice breaking in her shouts.

"Run Genn! Run!"

The sudden outburst generated the attention of the pedestrians in the market, a small crowd beginning to form. A few uniformed men quickly ran past Vegetto and Whis, drawing weapons and pointing them at the group.

"Cambrone Police! Let the woman go now!"

Suan kept his smirk, nodding to the three warriors all tensing at the sight of the police.

"Alright boys, you know what to do. Make sure the cameramen can film you in action, so they know their planet is now ours."

His attention turned back slowly to the pinned Turmera on the stand, his grin rising.

"Do try to struggle more; this won't be as fun if you don't plan on screaming."

The Saiyan warriors bolted forward at the policemen, the weapons discharging energy shots in the first few seconds until the entire scene before them froze suddenly. Vegetto narrowed his eyes, turning towards Whis.

"Did you freeze the play back?"

Whis nodded curtly.

"There's no need to see more. This Saiyan, Suan, and his warriors murdered the entire marketplace while their mother ended up dying during the apparent...well...I'm sure you're aware of what happened. The Saiyans had progressed far past most of their barbaric tendencies, but until King Vegeta implemented strict laws on the new Planet Vegeta, there were certain customs towards mating that were....problematic."

Vegetto frowned.

"I'm well aware of the conquer mentality, Whis. Vegeta was often taught at an early age to take what he wanted, and I can see how it played a role here."

Whis nodded.

"One of your more barbaric customs involved warriors who fought among themselves, in combat that led to one's death. The female would then be at the mercy of the winner, and it was customary for that winner to slaughter the offspring of the loser to prevent weakness from staining the Saiyan bloodline. As for the female, some Saiyans found wives through this practice. While others simply killed the female as well."

His head turned slightly towards Suan.

"Then you have Saiyans such as Suan, who would seek to satisfy their primal desires before killing the female. Their mother died during the whole ordeal, and Suan's outfit soon took over the planet to establish the first Empire."

Vegetto's eyes turned to the frozen image of the younger Genn, his tone darkening.

"And what of Genn? Did he join them?"

Whis nodded, the entire scene before them suddenly turning black.

"Yes, although Suan never trained him as a fighter. He kept their heritage a secret from him just as Turmera did, and often times, wanted to kill Genn for his weakness."

Vegetto narrowed his eyes into slits, turning back to Whis.

"But why? He watched them kill his own mother right in front of him. Why wouldn't he try and fight them?"

Whis turned his gaze towards the boy.

"Just look at him, how scared he is. Up until now, he had lived a quiet normal life and knew nothing about the Saiyans or where he came from. Then suddenly, one hour he's out helping his mother shop for supplies for the week and the next, she's dead. Most importantly, however, is seeing her in that compromising position firsthand. All of her attempts to teach him about hope, love, and goodwill: undone. Today was the day he witnessed those barbaric and evil tendencies win out above it all, and being an impressionable child with his world torn apart in front of him, it was easy for Suan to mold him in the mentality of a conqueror. Teaching him that power was the way to live, to take what he wanted and morality was a means to weaken him.

Vegetto sighed, turning his gaze away.

"So what happened to them after all this?"

Whis kept a flat tone.

"There's not much worth repeating at this point in Genn's story; he eventually grows up to take over the empire Suan builds here on Kryndyn by tactical power plays instead of defeating him in open combat. So, we turn our attention to Kassava, who was not present for this whole ordeal."

Vegetto blinked, watching the black dissipate into a rainy city line. The pair now stood on a nearly empty sidewalk, the grey clouds still bright from the sunlight hitting them from behind but covering the entire sky to create the gloomy atmosphere. The lettering of the sign above the smaller tower the two stood in front of was alien to Vegetto, who studied the lettering for a moment before giving up on attempting to decipher it. His eyes then turned to the nearby door opening, a young human looking woman emerging out into the street clad in only a navy blue sports bra and matching leggings for her outfit. She cringed slightly, her left hand shooting up and scratching the side of her longer black hair while she wrapped a small white towel around the back of her exposed neck. Vegetto stepped slightly to the side as she passed by him and Whis without a word, the fusion recognizing her face as a younger Kassava.

"After the murder, she ended up suffering the most for what happened. In her critical years of development, she lost her entire family without so much as a warning. Forced into an orphan home, she put the usual amenities of schooling aside to provide for herself. At around twenty five years old, she has learned to put the past behind her and focus solely on living in the present."

Vegetto rubbed his chin.

"That would explain why she's so apathetic to everything. She doesn't hate anyone or seek revenge?"

Whis shook his head.

"No, after spending the first few years in pain from the death of her mother and disappearance of her brother, she learned to focus on the attachment as the source of her suffering. Worrying about the future, stress about oncoming problems of being a single woman with no one in her life to call family, she soon discovered the best method of stopping the pain was to no longer care about them. Developing that habit you saw first hand in that sparring match with her."

The younger Kassava stopped a few feet away from the two, prompting both to turn and face towards her. She blinked, her eyes locked on a window sign and cocking an eyebrow.

"Learn martial arts from a different world? A whole year of classes for only three hundred suans? Huh...well this should be fun!"

Breaking out into a big grin, Kassava disappeared inside of the building as she entered, Whis turning back to Vegetto with a small smile.

"However, she inherently developed an interest in combat and pushing her physical capabilities, often spending hours at the gym before stumbling upon this martial arts studio. A rather interesting trait that flourished under her quick ability to disconnect from a situation too much for her to handle."

Vegetto frowned in response.

"How? She should've given up the second she faced a challenge too big for her."

Whis chuckled, turning his head forward.

"That is where your problem comes from: up until fighting against you, she naturally excelled in every class she studied and defeated every opponent she fought against without much effort. Her teacher from this small little academy was a staunch opponent to the planetary empire that now serves under an adult Genn, and introduced her to the notion of fighting that empire. Opposed to it at first, she was eventually convinced when that master offered to train her in the usage of ki if she would fight the battles he chose for her."

Vegetto's eyes turned back to the building, the rain having froze in place.

"This master...teaching foreign martial arts to this world and also knowing about ki. Was he from Earth?"

Whis mused quietly to himself, nodding in response.

"Yes, he was. Tell me, do you remember Goku's childhood memories?"

Vegetto stared back at Whis uneasily, his tone reflecting his skepticism.

"Yes...why?"

Whis' smile rose.

"Do you remember the promise Goku made to a certain rabbit after sending him to the moon?"

Vegetto raised an eyebrow.

"The Carrot Master?"

Whis nodded once.

"I'm sure you have completely forgotten about the details, but Goku promised to return that gangster back to Earth if he and his gang made treats for the world's children for an entire year. Of course, the rabbit had other plans, using the time his minions were allowed on Earth in delivering treats to follow Goku throughout his remaining adventures. Before it's destruction, his followers managed to steal a few scrolls from local stores on combat such as jujitsu and kendo after witnessing Goku training under Master Roshi. He decided to learn martial arts as well, in order to match Goku upon his return to Earth. However, Master Roshi destroyed the moon before he returned, killing his followers and sending him into the depths of space with only those scrolls to preoccupy his mind."

Vegetto let out a small scoff in amusement, shaking his head.

"So I take it he eventually entered this planet's atmosphere?"

Whis nodded.

"Precisely. He initially attempted to take over a small city, but was defeated by Genn's Saiyan forces fairly quickly in their usage of ki to strike him from range. He then moved to this capital city of Cambrone, opening up his martial arts studio in secret and training Kassava to fight against Genn's empire."

Vegetto cocked his right eyebrow.

"But why? Why did he want to fight against Genn's empire?"

Whis smiled.

"Kryndyn has a strict law forbidding the distribution and consumption of carrots across the planet. The Carrot Master sought to change that."

Vegetto blinked, deadpanning.

".....you can't be serious."

Whis nodded once.

"Why would I joke about history such as this? Is there something wrong with a planetary war for the right to consume and grow carrots freely?"

Vegetto sighed, bowing his head slightly and keeping his arms tightly crossed.

"I suppose not, considering you attend to a god that has destroyed planets for far less."

Whis stifled a small chuckle in response.

"Very true indeed. Back to the history, Kassava would eventually go on to destroy most of Genn's forces in key points that eventually led to the population seeing his weakness and organizing an army to fight against him. Backed into a corner, his poor decisions for countering Kassava led to his own commanders losing confidence in his ability to lead the empire."

The scene before them rapidly shifted to the top of a skyscraper, Vegetto glancing up at the changed scenary. The sun shined down on the platform, the time of day apparently being noon. His eyes soon found Genn panting heavily, on his backside and propping himself up with both arms while Kassava loomed over him a few feet away with clenched fists at her sides. Frozen in their stances shortly afterwards, Whis continued.

"After that night you witnessed, Genn attempted to attack Kassava directly, failing and retreating to his headquarters. Staging a coup, those commanders almost killed him upon his return, but were dispatched by Kassava, who had followed Genn in a bid to end the war once and for all. This is the point in history where the empire running the planet has been decimated of all its leadership, Genn being the last target on her list."

Vegetto turned his eys back to Kassava and Genn, the scene unfreezing with Genn spitting on the ground to his left before speaking.

"Stop looking at me like that. We both know how this has to end...just hurry up and do it already. You won't get any apologies out of me, no weeping for what might have been. I did what I did because no matter how hard you struggle against it, these people are meant to suffer. You can spend your life fighting to make this world a better place...but in the end, you can never remove the evil that is born into the hearts of all. And that is why you can never destroy what I truly am; someone even stronger will just rise up and take my place. Fight all you want...but you will always lose in the end." 

Kassava rolled her eyes with a small groan.

"Can you just shut up for five minutes? I don't want to kill you Genn."

Genn scoffed.

"Then you're still as stupid as I thought. You keep sparing me, and every time you do, someone dies. All you're doing is giving me another chance to kill you; you and I both know it's far too late for me."

Kassava grunted.

"Why?! All you have to do is just give up this life of crime and do good for these people. What's so hard about that?"

Genn narrowed his eyes.

"Didn't you just hear what I said? It's what we are meant for, I like seeing people hurt. I like seeing everyone suffer. It's what I am, and I won't pretend to be something else."

Kassava placed her hands on her hips, having unclenched her fists.

"Yeah, and how is that working out for you again? All of your trusted leaders tried to kill you, you have no friends, no empire, nothing left in this world. You talk so big about enjoying what you do, but after everything that's happened, I'm willing to bet you're not as happy with yourself as you think you are."

Genn's glare remained strong, watching on as Kassava shrugged her own shoulders and her voice weaken.

"And here I am on the other side, miserable in fighting for what's right and having nothing either even after giving these people hope again. No friends, a master that doesn't even care if I live or die, and no family. Now, when I finally figure out that my long lost brother is still alive and I have a chance to have something more than myself to rely on, I find out he's just some arrogant little punk that has some twisted view on the world."

Genn's expression softened slightly, Kassava angrily swinging her fist down.

"Your way got you nothing, my way got me nothing, we both have nothing Genn! Right or wrong, good and evil, why does any of that matter to you when all it's gotten you in life is misery and failure?! Why can't you just give something else a chance besides this evil crap and try being my brother?!"

Genn chuckled darkly.

"This again? What, you really like getting stabbed in the back so much that you want to go for a fourth time? I guess you really do like it from behind."

Kassava nearly snarled, Vegetto's eyebrows instinctively narrowing into a glare at the retort.

"And how many times has that actually worked, huh? You keep trying to kill or rape me, but it never works. Why can't you just give up this little charade and give me a chance?!"

Genn frowned.

"I already told you, I'll never pretend to be something I'm not."

Kassava scoffed.

"Right, because you've never done that before. Pretending to be something that you're not got you into bedrooms and hero worshipers, even if you ended up killing them shortly after earning their trust. You already know how this 'true' lifestyle of yours ends; why don't you actually try believing in the lie you put on for everyone else at times and see what happens?!"

Genn glanced down in response, Kassava having extended out her hand towards him before both froze again. Vegetto turned his eyes back to Whis, his tone flat.

"Did Genn take her offer?"

Whis nodded once.

"Eventually, he did. This was her fourth attempt to get him to give up his life of crime, where she almost made it work now that his empire was in shambles. But Genn was persistent, and absolutely hated her enough to the point where the only reason he actually gave into her request was because he was tired of having her stop him at each turn to rebuild his empire. So he started off, hiding his face with a mask, and performing small acts of heroism at her command. It ate away at his heart, seeing people happily expressing gratitude for saving them, enough to the point where he was about to commit another massacre in the city when Kassava wasn't watching over him."

Vegetto glanced forward, the scene having shifted once more. Back in the same marketplace from the start, his head turned up at to the sight of a stone statue now standing up in the center of the plaza. Simple robes clad the man as the focus of the statue itself, his face covered by a simple balaclava mask, and stood in a heroic posture with his fist raised to the sky. At the base, the subject of the statue was visible, his head turned up to the sight.

Whis began to stride forward, nodding to the masked man standing with a melancholy expression on the only visible portion of his face.

"Eventually, the new planetary government created a stone statue in the center of the market plaza in honor of Genn's little hero identity: the Masked Savior. Regarded as the most proficient hero that saved the world from the Saiyan Empire, Genn was given credit of stopping his former organization by Kassava, who decided to retreat from public image. Normally, Genn hated to experience these acts of gratitude."

Whis turned his stare back to the statue.

"Yet, with a monument being erected in his honor and seeing it in person, the benefits of being a hero finally broke past the wall of hate Genn had created in disdain for the innocent. For the first time in his life, he felt proud of himself for the work he had done in helping others, finding warmth in the affection the population showed to him in their appreciation. Along with the shame of the atrocities he committed in his past, leaving him conflicted as you see before you."

Vegetto frowned, glancing down slightly.

"So he was telling the truth after all."

Whis nodded, still tightly clutching onto his staff.

"He slowly committed to being a better person, wanting to make that difference in the universe that would atone for his past sins and be the brother Kassava desperately searched for in him. They discovered your recruitment for the Time Patrol a few years after, but I can not pull history up on those events as they are not apart of the Scroll. But you're already aware of the history from here on out."

The black void surrounding soon dissipated into the interior of the Time Vault, the pair having fully exited the Scroll. Whis smiled warmly down at Vegetto, who stared at the table with a frown.

"Now that you know a little more about who these two really are, what do you think of them?"

Vegetto closed his eyes, letting out a deep sigh.

"I...I'm not sure. This is a lot to take in at once, Whis."

Whis nodded once.

"I'm sure it is. But now you should be able to figure out how to handle the training with Kassava, along with Genn's questionable motivations."

He then strode forward past Vegetto, heading towards the exit.

"While you mull over these new revelations, I must attend to Lord Beerus for the time being. I shall return, should Zamasu show up and present a problem with history, but I leave the handling of your Patrol in capable hands. Good luck!"

Vegetto turned his head slightly, watching Whis depart to leave him alone to his thoughts inside the Time Vault.
 
Chapter 11: Dragon's Fire

============================
"This is getting out of hand."

The glare of the lights above the large healing pod centered inside the open room glinted off of the doctor's glasses, his eyes nearly hidden beneath the glare while he stood next to the Supreme Kai of Time and the Elder Kai. He kept a frown, nodding once towards Kassava who stood a few feet away with her arms crossed, bandages covering the skin along her forearms.

"I won't get into fully questioning his teaching methods, but in what training regiment is it prudent to hospitalize students multiple times throughout the day? For Kami's sake, it's midnight and Kassava was in near critical condition when you brought her to me; now you're telling me he pummeled Trunks into a near coma too?"

His annoyance was clear in his expression, despite his calm and controlled voice while he gestured to the pod.

"These two may be Saiyans, but the effects of Zenkai are dulled after multiple near death experiences. You need to get that leader of yours under control; my staff can barely handle the rest of the Patrol's worrisome injuries, let alone him forcing us to save his students' lives every couple of hours."

The Supreme Kai of Time kept her head bowed slightly in response, frowning heavily.

"This wasn't a training exercise with Trunks. But you're right: Vegetto is starting to become a problem. If he continues down this reckless path, we'll have no choice but to remove him."

Kassava raised an eyebrow, moving closer towards the group.

"Wait what? Remove him? What the hell happened back there?"

The Elder Kai kept a straight face, his tone flat while he stared up at the pod.

"An argument, about what Vegetto saw after taking a deeper look at your brother's history. Trunks disagreed, and the two fought."

The Supreme Kai of Time shook her head.

"No, it wasn't just that. Those things he said, he didn't even care if Trunks died. That's why they fought: Trunks was upset about being treated like a child."

She rubbed her chin, bowing her head down.

"I hoped when Whis arrived here, he would have a plan to help us temper Vegetto's ego. But this is starting to unravel at the worst possible time: Zamasu is still out there and we only have one Patroller left who can actively fight against him."

Kassava frowned, her eyes narrowing.

"Hey...I'm right here you know. I can fight, the doc cleared me a few hours ago."

The Supreme Kai of Time only sighed in response, keeping her head forward.

"You're not nearly strong enough to face him, though. To be honest with you, Kassava, I'm still not sure what Vegetto sees in you: there's no hidden power or potential in you that we can see like with Gohan or Frieza. Unless he somehow accomplishes the impossible with you, I don't think you'll ever be up to the level those two are at, much less Zamasu at his full potential with Towa's magic at his disposal."

Kassava's right eyebrow twitched, her attention to the Elder Kai who chided the Saiyan woman after the Supreme Kai of Time, his tone flat.

"Don't forget about this copy Vegetto possibly growing stronger with them as we speak. If there is some potential to you, it will have to wait until Zamasu has been defeated. It would be better for you to stay home."

Kassava grunted in annoyance, turning on her heel.

"Alright then, fine, I'll do just that! As if I cared about helping you two pompous little pricks anyway!"

The two Kais both blinked, watching Kassava angrily storm out of the ward holding Trunks before staring back at each other.

"What was that about?"

==============================

Kassava stared down at the floor as she walked, using her right hand to forcefully push open the main entrance door leading into the open plaza of Canton City. The cool breeze of the night atmosphere forced a small gasp in shock from her lips, lifting her head and instinctively rubbing her bare arms exposed in her no sleeve white gi.

Stupid training...if it wasn't for those stupid Kais, I wouldn't have to be cold out here in the middle of the damn night.

Her glare softened though, walking in the open, empty city square in a random direction as her thoughts began to slow and her anger simmering.

I should be happy, getting to stay home and not having to deal with all this crap everyone's forcing on me. I can just sleep in all day again and do whatever I want, letting everyone else handle those bigger problems. I'll just get stronger another time, when we don't have to deal with this Zamasu freak and when nothing's riding on it.

Kassava turned her head up, stopping in her tracks. Her eyes locked onto the large tower a few hundred feet away, the apartment building where she and Genn lived. Her frown remained, staring at the lone light still on on the fifth floor, undoubtedly the living room light she had left on when the pair had left for lunch earlier in the day.

So why does it feel like I'm letting someone down? I can't handle it, and they know I can't handle it. They freed me from responsibility; it's not my problem anymore.

She kept her frown, glancing to the side.

Genn would be upset...but it's not something he isn't used to. He'd just shrug it off eventually and still have faith in me, no matter how many times I quit. There'd always be another way for me in his eyes, so I don't have to worry about him at all. There shouldn't be any other attachments left to bother me like this: there's no one else I care about.

Kassava's mind emptied, freezing in mid thought for a moment, before slowly turning her had back towards the south side of Canton City. Her eyes narrowed once she locked her attention on the Time Nest, perched on the mountain overlooking the city skyline. Her frown remained, her eyes turning down slightly towards the large statue of Vegetto looming over the city square. She could barely make out the stone statue's facial construction from where she stood, but after a few seconds of studying it, she began to slowly trek back towards the city square with a strong glare.

Damn you Genn.

=============================

The sound of paper flipping echoed in the empty chamber Vegetto found himself standing in, his eyes scanning the playback images on the pages he turned in a mark less black leather bound book he held in his left hand. He closed his eyes, exhaling deeply and closing the book in his hand.

"Looks like they haven't found a way to cross into the separate universes yet, much less the other timelines. I suppose I can leave the Scroll alone for a few hours while I get some rest."

He set the black book down lightly on the only empty stand within the Time Vault, his arms at his side while he casually walked towards the exit.

A big meal before bed should help me unwind a little better after the mess I've caused today. 

Vegetto's eyes shifted towards the Scroll of Eternity for a few seconds, stopping mid-walk and emptying his mind for a second. Narrowing his eyes, he broke out into a small frown, shook his head once, and then resumed his walk towards the exit of the Time Vault.

Oh right...I need to look more into her training patterns. I'll just watch them on my own little scroll back at the house while I eat then.

===============================

The cooler breeze billowing within Canton City didn't seem to phase the lone occupant in the city square, who stood with his hands buried in his pants pockets and his head turned up to the massive statue looming over him. He kept a frown, his short hair occasionally blowing to the side when the wind picked up, but he just stared up at the statue and barely noticed Kassava moving up to his side, rolling her eyes.

"How did I know you'd be out here again? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Genn remained silent, glancing to the side and avoiding her eyes at the question. Kassava frowned, her expression falling somber.

"Sorry...I uh...heard what happened from the Kais and thought maybe I might cheer you up with the picking on you routine I always do. You alright?"

Genn breathed in heavily, shaking his head once.

"He saw some of my history, Kass. The bad parts."

Kassava's frown deepened, her eyes turning down to the floor as well.

"Ah, I see."

The two sat in silence for a moment, Kassava slowly pulling her head back up.

"So does this mean I'll need to cancel the bridal shower for you next week?"

Genn's somber expression remained unaffected by the jest, his eyes still staring at the ground.

"That's not funny."

Kassava narrowed her eyes, shrugging her shoulders.

"Why not? I thought it was perfect satire."

Genn's own eyes narrowed, his stare lifting from the floor and meeting Kassava's eyes as her voice came out with a hint of agitation.

"You've come so far as a person, why are you just going to let this guy take all that away from you? Just let it go, forget his approval. If he thinks you deserve to die for what you've done in the past, then he's as stupid as he is arrogant."

Genn rolled his eyes, scoffing.

"C'mon Kass, you know it's more than that. Sure, it hurts that he doesn't approve of me, but people keep getting hurt because of me. It just feels like every time I try to do something helpful, all I end up doing is playing people and they end up getting into trouble or pain because I became their problem. You getting beat up like that because you wanted to impress me, Trunks getting beat up because I did something nice for him."

He turned his head back down.

"Maybe the intention's changed, but what good is it if there isn't any difference in the outcome? People trust me, they get hurt. It's the same thing, over and over again. Even if I'm not the one directly hurting them anymore."

Kassava glanced down as well, taking a minute to collect her thoughts. Her determined glare remained, still locking her eyes on Genn.

"Well, I hate to say I told you so, but we've talked about this before. You're always going to let someone down Genn, someone who puts their trust in you and you fail them. It's why I've always told you this little crusade of yours is so stupid: why do you care about making a huge difference? You're not an asshole anymore, who cares if history still remembers you as one?"

Genn glanced up to the statue.

"Because he's done it, Kass. He's saved everyone: this whole city reveres him! It's possible to make that change, and meet the expectations. To succeed in helping those who need you the most and live up to that trust."

Kassava scoffed, turning her eyes up to the statue.

"Right...a guy who nearly murdered his only partner and is constantly stressing the Kais out with his bloated ego."

Genn frowned, turning his head to Kassava as she placed her right hand on her hip.

"Your little 'hero' isn't as great as he seems, Genn. He makes mistakes just like the rest of us, and he's let people who trusted him down too. It's part of the reason why Trunks even fought on your behalf: because Vegetto doesn't give a damn about him. The only thing that guy cares about is his ego."

Genn furrowed his brow in response, his expression twitching heavily to show his in depth thought. He then suddenly let out a small sigh, raising his eyebrow at Kassava.

"I thought you liked him though? You seemed to get along with him fine when I first met him."

 Kassava grunted.

"Pfft, I only put up with him because of your little crush and how much being friends with him means to you. He might as well be dead to me beyond that."

Genn kept his eyebrow raised.

"Seems off to me. You came home pretty pissed after that 'dangerous mission' of yours, but I saw a little something in your eyes that's been missing for a long time. I figured whatever training you did with Vegetto must've given you at least some excitement. Since you always did love to win fights."

Kassava's eyes widened, her cheeks growing slightly red and the agitation clear on her expression.

"What the hell are you talking about?! I haven't enjoyed a single thing that man's done for me: he nearly killed me for crying out loud!"

Genn dropped his eyebrow, his expression falling flat along with his tone.

"Kass, you're blushing."

The two stared at each other silence for a few seconds, Kassava promptly spinning around to hide her face in response. She furrowed her brow in her embarrassment, Genn shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"I also thought it was a little weird, how you didn't even making it home before coming back out here to the statue."

"I was checking on you!"

Genn finally broke out into a small smirk, the confidence clear in his tone.

"Then why didn't you come here first? You walked right past me out of the hospital towards the apartment, and then turned back around right outside the apartment. If you were concerned about me, you would've checked the rooms first, I'm sure."

Kassava turned back around, but before she could give a response, the sound of energy whirring to life heavily rung out above them. Both Genn and Kassava turned their heads up, taking a few steps back to see what the source was. Emerging from the gate of glowing energy leading into the Time Nest, Vegetto walked out and took a sharp right, his arms at his sides as he strode down the large staircase.

Genn moved up to Kassava's side, nudging her on the ribs.

"We better get moving before he sees me and tries to murder me again. I mean, if you're really out here just to make sure I'm ok and all."

Genn walked a few feet, turning his head at the sight of Kassava having stayed completely still after he had walked a few feet. He kept his voice low to avoid catching Vegetto's attention across the way, but his smirk remained.

"Aren't you coming? You made it clear you didn't want to have anything to do with him awhile ago. Surely you don't need to talk to him."

Kassava's glare remained trained on Genn, her cheeks having turned beet red at the jest, while Genn continued.

"Admit it: you wanted to talk with him, didn't you?"

The two stood still for a few seconds, Kassava slowly nodding her head curtly once and turning her eyes to the floor in embarrassment. Genn's smirk and eyes quickly loosened into a warm expression of happiness, turning back on his heel.

"Ok, I'll leave you two alone then. I'll see you back at home Kass, have a good night!"

Kassava nearly growled in retaliation, her head almost entirely red from the blood flow, but her body went cold at the sound of the dual voice ringing out behind her.

"Kassava? What are you doing out here, this late at night?"

The Saiyan woman froze, her face turning pale in the shock from having no time to prepare. She remained silent and still, her eyes wide in her petrified expression while Vegetto looked on with a perplexed stare, slowly moving up to her right side and studying her expression.

"Is there something wrong?"

Kassava quickly whirled around to face Vegetto, a sheepish grin across her face with her eyes closed

"Oh no! Nothing at all! Everything's perfectly fine!"

Vegetto's narrowed eyes looked the Saiyan woman over, who scratched the back of her head uneasily. His dual voice was devoid of emotion when he spoke next, his eyes watching her every facial expression.

"If that's true, then why are you still out here? I saw you talking to your brother and you didn't leave with him before I got here."

Kassava turned her gaze back to the floor, twiddling her thumbs.

"I..well...wanted to talk to you. About...what happened tonight."

Vegetto's eyes widened slightly, his own expression as heavy as his words. Kassava turned her head up at the sound of the fusion's less than enthusiastic response

"It's been a long night...and I'd rather not think about the mistakes I've made in the past few hours. Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

Kassava blinked, the tired look in Vegetto's eyes catching her off guard.

"Oh..I meant something else. About...well...my training and all that."

Almost as if waking up from his tired mind, Vegetto's eyebrows perked at the comment, meeting her eyes as she continued.

"I'm sorry I gave up on you like that. I was wondering if we could try again sometime soon."

Vegetto's lips slowly rose into a warm smile, nodding curtly.

"Yeah, but you should take some more time to recover at least. As well as catching up on your studies."

He turned his head to the left, his eyes peering out into the open trail path tucked away near the large staircase.

"Why don't you come over to my house for the night? I have my own personal little Scroll of Eternity you can use to look over this universe's history. You won't be able to jump into the timeline with it, but it's good for watching old memories or keeping an eye on things when you're away from the Time Vault. You can use it to learn a bit more about Earth and the warriors who defend it."

Kassava's cheeks turned slightly red.

"Is that...all that you're asking for? Just...studying?"

Vegetto shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"I'll also be cooking some food for myself, but I don't know if I have enough at home to feed another Saiyan. Did you want something else?"

Kassava's shoulders dropped, her expression flat.

"You can't be that dense."

Vegetto raised an eyebrow.

"Dense?"

Kassava sighed heavily.

"You don't see anything wrong with asking a woman you barely know to spend the night at your house? What you're implying by asking that?"

Vegetto scratched the back of his head.

"That she needs to learn about her job and she can do that at my home?"

Kassava blinked hard a couple of times, slowly reaching up and pinching the bridge of her nose before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Ok yeah...that's fine. Lead the way."

(Part 1 of 2)
 
The crystal orb displayed the image of Trunks' struggling to sit upright, before collapsing onto the ground and fading out of his Super Saiyan Blue form. The image panned to the transformed Vegetto looming over the now unconscious warrior, Zamasu's voice forcing Towa's attention away from the ball.

"He has a weakness after all."

Towa nodded once.

"One that we must take care in amending for your alternate identity."

Zamasu raised an eyebrow.

"Surely you aren't suggesting he has the same problem? Our vision remains pure, above all other minor ambitions."

Towa only turned on her heel in response, moving towards the edge of the balcony the two now stood on. The lone structure jutted out of the tower in the midst of the barren wasteland of a planet, the dark atmosphere clouding the skies while a dusty breeze lightly ruffled the demon scientist's robes. Her eyes narrowed at the scene of the changed Vegetto sparring relentlessly with her creation, Mira, who faltered and blasted backwards from an agitated warrior's onslaught.

"Have you not been paying attention to their training?"

Zamasu narrowed his eyes, making his way to the edge of the balcony as well and peering down.

"Am I suppose to be seeing anything beyond your incompetence in providing him a stronger opponent to train against?"

Towa kept her frown strong.

"Power alone is not needed to improve the strength he now has, his focus should be in mastering the same godly energy that Vegetto wields. But instead, he bashes and berates Mira just because he can, when he should be prioritizing his ascension above the need to condescend."

Zamasu stared down, watching the two warriors come to a standstill as the Vegetto clone could be seen angrily berating the worn down Mira, despite being unable to hear the sound from their location.

"Your point?"

Towa turned to face towards Zamasu, her glare strong.

"That the same effect from history is happening again. When he originally stole Goku's body, he eventually became obsessed with fighting stronger opponents over doing what was necessary to guarantee your plan to dispense justice to all mortal kind. The bleeding effect is taking over; he's starting to care more about fighting someone stronger than him than the plan, and Mira is taking the damage from it. If he is not contained soon, he'll ruin everything."

Zamasu met her fierce glare with one of is own, his tone darkening.

"This is exactly what he had planned from the beginning and how it must be. This man...this Vegetto, is the very epitome of the failure of the gods themselves. His entire existence born from their magic, their power, and given the responsibility no mere mortal should ever possess. He has taken on the sins of the gods in that abomination of a body, to purge them with their own injustice."

He turned his own gaze back to the two below, scoffing slightly.

"You cannot hope to understand the burden he now experiences, mastering that form. He will not falter in his light when the time comes, and you would be wise to never question him again. Your own creation pales in comparison to the destiny that awaits us."

Towa kept her frown, but turned her stare towards the pair after Zamasu while her tone lightened from intensity.

"Then what happens now? He is taking much longer than I had planned for in this need to...master Vegetto's body, and he has yet to tap into the power of the gods."

Zamasu's eyes remained sharply narrowed, the two warriors below resuming their sparring.

"He will ascend, in time. The Time Patrol breaks and falters on their own, their foundation crumbles as we speak in their barbaric need for battle. This Vegetto will tear them apart on his own, and perhaps when we are ready to strike, there may not even be a Time Patrol anymore."

=============================

Kassava rubbed her arms lightly in her trek through the dirt path, walking alongside Vegetto until the pair came within a few feet of the small white hut. She blinked hard once, glancing around and taking in the large open plain of grass and dirt for miles while Vegetto reached for the rather simple metal door handle, turning it to the side and lightly pushing the front door open.

"Well, here we are. Home sweet home."

Kassava's eyes remained slightly wide, turning away from the open countryside view and meeting Vegetto's eyes.

"This is where you live?"

Vegetto raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah? Is there something wrong with it?"

Kassava shook her head once quickly.

"No no, it's just..."

Her eyes shifted past the fusion, taking in the sight of the small little white hut behind him. It couldn't have been more than a few feet taller than the edge of Vegetto's hair itself, attempting to determine if the structure took up more than around eight hundred square feet.

"I kind of expected someone like you to live....bigger."

Vegetto dropped his eyebrow, his expression blank.

"Ah...well I have enough of that back in the city. Aside from the patrols themselves, the news outlets and entertainment groups we have working around the city always want to put me on their shows or programs whenever I have a free moment. Which, I'll admit, a part of me enjoys."

He then turned his head back towards the hut, stifling a small chuckle.

"But sometimes, I'd rather just get away from it all and relax. I may not push myself as hard as I'd like to at times, but I still need to recover from the training I do manage to get in."

Stepping inside, Vegetto lightly flicked on the light switch on the right side of the wall next to the opening. The single lamp illuminated the room from its position at the center of the dome ceiling, the small fan also whirring to life and covering the entire space with a very light breeze. Kassava stepped in after him, shutting the door behind her before moving further into the room.

"Yeah, I'm sure you worked up a big sweat, beating up on me and-"

Yelping loudly, Kassava flailed her arms in an attempt to regain her balance in toppling face first over the couch armchair she had walked into. She laid chest first onto the small sofa, rolling around to sit upright on the cushioned padding and turned her head back to Vegetto.

"Why the hell did you put a sofa in front of the door?!"

Vegetto shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"There wasn't a lot of space for it."

Kassava huffed lightly, swinging her legs around to sit upright in the center of the sofa. She leaned back into the padded cushioning behind her, her eyes following Vegetto moving across the open space towards the opposite wall. Her eyes left him, however, taking in the scene of the quaint living space around her. Adorned in the singular room aside from the couch she sat on was a small coffee table in front of the couch, an armchair on the opposite side of the table, and a large king size bed at the north end of the room. She sat up a little, peering over the counter top she discovered a few feet behind her and looking into the open room holding a small refrigerator, an antique stove top, and brown sacks of various grains and vegetables littered around the tiled floor near the two machines.

Two rooms...no television or computer. Just a kitchen, some furniture, and air conditioning. Maybe it's because he's so busy in the city all day, he must barely live here.

Kassava scoffed lightly at the thought, deciding to use it as her next talking point.

"You got a lot of old looking stuff around the house. You must barely live here, with all the big media appearances and people you see in the city right?"

Vegetto's smirk raised slightly, his attention locked on the small cabinet he dove his right hand into.

"Sometimes I need to stay up for multiple days at the Time Nest if there's a big crisis going on, but I usually get to come home every night and unwind."

Kassava blinked at the response, Vegetto having pulled the small little scroll out from the drawer he dug into and pushed it closed.

"All I really want after a long day on patrol is to come home to the peace and quiet, and eat food before going to bed."

Vegetto lightly tossed the scroll over to Kassava, the woman yelping at the thud it made in her lap.

"Go ahead and look over that scroll, would you? I'll see if I can cook us up some food."

Kassava turned her eyes down, picking it up in her right hand and looking over the roll.

"Umm...where should I start?"

Vegetto shrugged his shoulders lightly, moving past the couch and disappearing into the kitchen.

"That's up to you. You need to learn a bit more about Super Saiyans, so I'd suggest looking at Namek."

Kassava rolled out the scroll, the blank screen buzzing to life after a few seconds of black and white static. She blinked a bit, watching the image shift into the scene of a normally sunny afternoon at Capsule Corp, despite the current standoff out in the lawn a few feet away. Her eyes followed Bulma slowly cascading down onto the ground with a light thud, Beerus' paw pulling back after the rather light slap. Vegeta's mouth hung open for a few seconds, the words soon billowing out in a furious roar

::"How...dare you!! That's my Bulma!!::

Within an instant, Kassava yelped at Vegetto suddenly bolting out of the kitchen at the sound of the Saiyan prince's thunderous roar, his gloved hands attempting to snatch at the scroll she instinctively pulled away from his grasp.

"Turn it off!"

"No!"

Vegetto grimaced, one hand gripping onto the scroll while his other attempt to pull Kassava's wrist away from the material, wrestling on top of her on the couch while the image of Vegeta attacking Beerus played out on the scroll.

"You don't need to see this!"

Kassava grunted, her own free hand slapping at Vegetto while she used her legs to kick at his abdomen. She eventually pulled them back, however, the two smothered too closely to build up enough momentum to kick him back and trying to push her knee into his stomach in an effort to peel him away.

"Why not?! It's just a memory!"

Vegetto's narrowed eyes stared down at Kassava for a moment, his arms pulling back despite keeping his grip on the scroll strong. The struggle came to a standstill without his attempts to seize the scroll, the memory continuing to play off. Kassava smirked back in response, her sarcastic tone mocking his embarrassment.

"I wasn't going to make fun of you for spying on an old girlfriend or something, you know. Even if I don't really know why you'd want to watch a memory of her new boyfriend obviously defending her."

Vegetto's cheeks turned slightly red, releasing his grip on the scroll and moving back off the couch.

"You don't get it. That was Vegeta, the Saiyan who fused with Kakarot to create me. Bulma is his wife, not just some girlfriend of his."


Kassava's mocking expression suddenly shifted into a surprised stare, her eyes following Vegetto holding out his right hand.

"Can you give me the scroll now? So I can set it to the memory you need to see?"

Kassava glanced down at the scroll, the bright flashes from the explosions doing little to daunt her from her curiosity.

"So...you really are a fusion then? Did you leave her behind on Earth when you came here?"

Vegetto sighed lightly, still holding his hand out.

"I'm separate from those two, Kassava. Shenron saw to that. Now, can you please hand over the scroll?"

Kassava's eyes narrowed, rolling the scroll inward with her eyes trained on Vegetto.

"Don't try to change the subject. This whole Super Saiyan business can wait until later; I wanna hear more about why you were so afraid of me seeing that whole scene play out."

Vegetto's glare intensified.

"Why does that matter to you anyway?"

Kassava scoffed.

"Maybe it doesn't. Maybe I just want to know why the guy who has spent the last evening nearly tearing apart his own Patrol is so afraid of me seeing him act like a normal person for once. Instead of, you know, always trying to do things his way and not wanting to ever listen to anyone else."

Vegetto went silent at the response, his expression softening in his guilt. He looked over the poised Kassava for a moment, before letting out a deep sigh.

"Alright...fine. It wasn't about you seeing that memory play out: it already went past the part I was afraid you'd notice. About her...and Vegeta snapping."

Kassava furrowed her brow in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Vegetto shut his eyes in response, clenching his fists together as his face nearly turned entirely red.

"How he protected her because he loves her!"

Kassava blinked at the outburst, watching Vegetto glance around after regaining most of his composure before she broke out into a small giggle.

"See? Was that so hard?"

Vegetto grunted, glancing away.

"Of course it was. It was the same thing at the hospital when I came to visit: you just want to get under my skin, no matter what it takes."

Kassava scoffed in response.

"Well it is cute, seeing you squirm like that. But it's more than just me getting one up on you, you know."

Vegetto's eyes turned back to Kassava, who met his with a determined stare.

"You've obviously never opened up to anyone before, if admitting something personal like that irritates you so much."

Vegetto crossed his arms.

"There are some things people don't need to see. I don't need to show them everything."

His scowl returned at the sound of Kassava's laughter and higher pitched voice returning, the words jabbing at his confidence.

"Ha, I was like that once. Thinking you can be tough and always keep the walls up, and stuff."

Vegetto's intense stare faltered, however, watching Kassava's confident expression diminish a bit into melancholy.

"Then one day, you wake up and realize just how many people you've pushed away in your life that only wanted to see the real you. That when you want to confide your deepest feelings to someone close...no one is there to listen to them. Just you, trudging along another day, without anyone to really lift you up or make you better."

Vegetto's eyes looked over Kassava for a few moments, his dual voice heavy in his speech.

"Is that why you worked so hard to save your brother? Because you wanted someone to be close to?"

Kassava blinked, turning her head back to Vegetto. The two shared a silence for a few seconds, before Vegetto quickly stammered over his next words.

"I..saw..umm...your history growing up. It's part of the reason why I haven't killed him yet."

Kassava sat with a slightly stunned expression, before breaking out into a warm smile.

"Yeah...that was probably the big reason. Although..."

She glanced to the side, a frown returning.

"He hasn't really completely overcome how he was raised...so I couldn't be as close to him as I'd like. Hell, for the first few years, I'd have to sleep with one eye open because he'd try to do something whenever my guard was down."

Vegetto glanced away, unnerved heavily by the comment.

"I...didn't really need to know that."

Kassava turned her head back to him, her frown returning.

"Well sorry, it just felt a little nice to get things off my chest for once without holding back. I guess I shouldn't have just jumped on that assumption there."

Vegetto raised an eyebrow.

"What assumption?"

Kassava shrugged her shoulders, glancing down and the defeat clear in her voice.

"I don't know...that maybe...you wanted to open up to someone as badly as I do. Since well...I suppose neither of us really knows how to."

Vegetto's eyes remained locked on Kassava, looking her over a couple of times as she sat quietly on the couch. He broke out into a small smirk, unfolding his arms.

"Fine, let's make a deal."

Kassava turned her head up at the comment, Vegetto continuing with his right hand extending his pointer finger.

"If you promise to take the time to study the Super Saiyan forms tomorrow morning, then I'll listen to what you have to say. Deal?"

Kassava paused for a moment, before suddenly shaking her head once.

"No, this isn't just about me. This is about you too."

Vegetto blinked hard in confusion, watching Kassava break out into a large grin.

"You open up to me too, and I'll study whatever you want me to study. Ok?"

Vegetto grunted in response, his narrowed eyes returning.

"Why do I have to?"

Kassava crossed her arms.

"Because you need this as much as I do. Unless you think putting Trunks in a coma and nearly wiping out the rest of your Patrol is a warm thought."

Vegetto glanced to the side.

"You're reaching, trying to connect this to what happened there."

Kassava scoffed.

"Am I? If you were as close to Trunks as you think you are, then maybe you wouldn't have been capable of hurting him like that."

Her eyes narrowed, scanning Vegetto's face despite him dodging her eyes.

"Did you even think twice about attacking him? Or is your connection to your 'family' so surface level, you didn't really feel anything at all?"

Vegetto paused, the words hitting him hard. His eyes tightly shut, inhaling deeply in the moment of trying to collect his thoughts before speaking.

"I...I don't remember feeling anything."

Kassava let out a small satisfactory "hmph" at the admission, Vegetto's eyes opening and turning to her.

"Now, doesn't that thought frighten you a little?"

Vegetto observed her, watching the Saiyan woman pull her legs up onto the couch. Resting on her shins on top of the cushions, she lightly patted the seat next to her with her hand.

"C'mon, talk to me."

Vegetto stared at the couch for a few moments, before sighing heavily in defeat and moving back to the couch. He slowly sat down on the cushion signaled out by Kassava, relaxing into the soft material while Kassava smiled warmly back at him.

"Ok! Now...just relax for a second and..."

Vegetto yelped, twitching at the smaller arm suddenly wrapping around his lower back and lightly gripping onto the other side of his ribs. He blinked in confusion, glancing down as Kassava pressed her chest into his side, resting her head on the top of his chest and keeping her arm tightly wrapped around the small of his back.

"What are you doing?!"

Kassava kept her grin, beaming up at him.

"Cuddling! It'll help you feel more comfortable and all, opening up. Just relax."

Vegetto's eyebrow twitched, his cheeks red as she dropped her head back down onto his chest and letting out a content sigh.

"So...why don't you tell me a little more about why you were fighting with Trunks?"
 
Chapter 12: A New Adventure

================
 
Kassava's eyes slowly fluttered open, her dreamless sleep having been broken from the lack of oxygen flowing into her nose. She ruffled the bridge slightly, attempting to free it from the heavy cloth on top for a moment before noticing the small dull pain in her right cheek. She groaned silently to herself and hazily pushed herself up slightly.

What the hell did I sleep on? My neck and head are so stiff...

Her eyebrows attempted to narrow despite her still barely functioning eyes struggling to stare down at the navy cloth covering a portion of her face. She huffed a bit in struggling to free her right arm from the other side of the pillow that had it pinned to the couch, reaching onto the cloth covering her cheek and pulling the material to the right.

This damn pillow...what the hell does he use for the cushion? Stones or-

The cloth stopped suddenly, Kassava tugging on it a few times. Her glare intensified, grunting heavily before finally yanking the navy cloth out from the belt line it was trapped in.

Stupid cloth...must've been stuck underneath the pill-

Her eyes soon found the source of her pain, widening at the sight of a near perfectly chiseled set of tan abs in an eight pack. She blinked hard at the sight, still lifting up the navy cloth with her right arm and staring down.

Oh my god, you could grind meat on th-

Kassava yelped, the realization finally hitting her as she instinctively attempted to tuck the upper portion of Vegetto's gi back into his sash. Her hands hastily struggled to tuck the material back in, and stumbled forward a little too far to prod heavily into the fused Saiyan's lower regions. Kassava's cheeks immediately went red at the sensation of feeling a pair of medium sized and squishy orbs inside of a fleshy bag, her arms freezing in embarrassment and her head turning up to make sure she wasn't too rough in waking Vegetto. The color left her face at the sight of Vegetto's open and narrowed eyes glaring down at her, the intensity clear in his expression. The two sat in their respective positions for a moment in silence, Kassava soon speaking first with a nervous tone.

"It's..not what it looks like."

Vegetto's lips lifted to the left in a small smirk.

"I know. You woke me up when you were trying to move your arm out from underneath my back. I saw the whole thing."  

Kassava kept her nervous and embarrassed stare, still meeting Vegetto's eyes once his smirk disappeared and his tone went flat.

"But if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you stopped fondling my balls."

Kassava quickly pulled her arms, sitting upright fully on the side of the couch.

"Sorry."

Vegetto's smirk returned, the fused Saiyan rolling his eyes slightly in rising up off the sofa. He soon disappeared into the kitchen, his dual voice raising slightly to continue his conversation with Kassava.

"By the way, that talk we had last night was great and all, but I missed my late night dinner because you fell asleep on my lap."

Kassava reached up, her eyelids sagging slightly while she rubbed them for a few seconds with the back of her hand. She quickly dropped her arm, remembering where her hands had been only seconds ago, and peered over the open counter window above the couch she sat on. She crossed her arms on the hard and cold surface, resting her chin on her forearms with a lax expression.

"You could've moved me, you know."

Vegetto shrugged his shoulders, his back to her while he hovered over the small stove top. Stoking the small flames underneath a medium sized metal pot, he glanced over his shoulder with a small smile.

"I thought about it, but you looked comfortable and I didn't want to disturb your sleep."

Kassava snorted loudly in response, lazily rolling her cheek into her forearm in tilting her head.

"Gee, thanks. You're so thoughtful. Even though the only reason I fell asleep was because you never shut up about yourself."

Vegetto scoffed back in response.

"You were the one that asked me to open up, remember?"

Kassava narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, but you're not supposed to spend two hours just talking about your problems, you know. I know you're upset about this whole thing with Trunks, but you should've at least tried to ask me how I'm feeling somewhere in that massive monologue of yours. That's how talking to each other is supposed to work."

Vegetto turned his attention back to the stove, his narrowed eyes watching as the water began to simmer slightly. He turned on his heel suddenly, moving towards the counter.

"Alright, what's on your mind then?"

Kassava perked her head up slightly, watching Vegetto lean down onto the counter and resting both of his forearms onto the surface a few inches away from her. She nervously straightened herself out, Vegetto's intense stare and expression catching her offguard. She twiddled her pointer fingers, glancing down.

"Oh..umm...well I uh....I'm mostly ok. Just that whole rush of events yesterday was pretty tiring. I mean, I get that you believe in me and all that. But I don't know...I just don't think I'm cut out for fighting and saving the universe like you do with Trunks."

She glanced down, frowning.

"You were right about how I like to fight and all, but if it hurts too much, I just shut down and quit. I don't know, it just feels like everything is just lifted off my shoulders if I let go and-"

Kassava stopped mid sentence, the sound of a sharp object slicing into a soft substance drawing her attention. She blinked once, lifting her head up and staring at Vegetto. The fused Saiyan held a strong glare at a rather large brown potato he held in one hand, his tongue sticking out of the left edge of his mouth as he careful peeled the skin away from the top half of the potato. Kassava blinked hard once, before her expression sunk.

"...what are you doing."

Vegetto kept his eyes trained on the potato.

"Peeling this potato."

He turned his gaze to meet Kassava's eyes, raising an eyebrow.

"You like potatoes, don't you?"

Kassava's eyes widened in her explosive rage, nearly leaping over the counter in her attempt to strangle Vegetto.

"WHY WEREN'T YOU LISTENING TO ME?!?!"

 Vegetto hacked heavily in the chokehold, dropping the small slicer and potato onto the counter top. He quickly regained his composure, slapping away her arms and grunting.

"Damnit, calm down. I was listening, I just wanted to get the cooking done while you were talking...sheesh."

Kassava glared strongly at Vegetto, propping herself up on the counter while she stood upright on the couch.

"You're supposed to be giving me your full attention! So I can feel better about myself!"

Vegetto scoffed.

"Why? I remembered everything you said there and I almost got a potato completely peeled to boil. Shouldn't that be enough?"

Kassava groaned, pushing herself off the counter. She sunk back into the couch, and hid most of her face into her soft pants on her knees once she pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around her shins.

"Just forget it. I don't know why I even bothered coming here. I should've just been happy with having Genn to talk to...instead of hoping I could have something more."

Vegetto narrowed his eyes after watching Kassava disappear underneath the counter top, waiting for her to finish. He turned his attention to the floor, lost in his thought for a moment, before turning towards the small refrigerator and opening the door. Pulling out three large closed trays of assorted fruits, he lightly pushed the refrigerator door shut with his right leg and slowly made his way back out into the living room. Setting the large stack of food down onto the table first, Vegetto let out a heavy sigh as he sat down on the cushion next to Kassava, looking straight ahead.

"You do realize this is part of your problem, don't you?"

Kassava's expression remained unchanged, Vegetto turning his head towards her and staring at the sulking Saiyan woman in silence for a moment before continuing.

"Look, we've been over this. You knew that it wasn't going to be easy, getting me to open up. It's probably why I talked about my problems for so long last night: you're the first one I've ever talked to about them like that. I didn't realize that I need to give you the chance to talk too, since it felt nice letting all that pent up frustration out for a change."

Kassava's eyes darted to the side towards Vegetto, albeit her head stayed forward.

"I'm sorry that I'm not good enough to live up to your expectations right now, but I'd like to still try and get better at this. That won't happen though, if you're going to just give up on me like everything else in your life that's been difficult."

Kassava turned her eyes back forward, her tone depressed.

"I'm just tired of being a loser all the damn time. Why can't it just work out for once, without me screwing up and just getting hurt all the time?"

Vegetto glanced down.

"That's just how growing stronger works, Kassava. Anything worth fighting for is going to hurt you a little bit inside if you fail to live up to the expectations. The pain is only temporary: you'll make it to where you want to eventually as long as you keep pushing."

Kassava grunted.

"Right...that pep talk got old the first time you told me it. I haven't done anything right: no friends, no real close family to be open with completely. Hell, you were even ready to kill Genn, so I guess whatever reform I was trying to put him through obviously failed too. Where exactly have I won?"

Vegetto chuckled slightly.

"Well, you've gotten stronger since you first came here. And while you may have yet to fully reform him, your brother is obviously happier about what you're doing now than he was back in the past."

Kassava turned her head slightly towards Vegetto, watching the fused Saiyan shake his from side to side once.

"You know, I was so convinced that he was just playing all of us for fools. But when he brought up how much better off you'd be with the Patrol, I saw just how happy he was even in the face of death. How proud he was that you were really making a commitment towards something for a change, even if he wouldn't have been around to see it."

Kassava blinked, facing towards Vegetto fully.

"Really?"

Vegetto nodded.

"Yeah, he said that. You've come a lot farther than you think, and should give yourself a little more credit. Just like how you're really close to ascending, even if it felt like you were farther away than ever after that first sparring match we had."

Kassava dipped her head again at the mention of the Super Saiyan transformation, sighing.

"I don't think I'll ever have what it takes for that."

Vegetto stifled a small chuckle.

"I believe you do, and so does Genn. You just have to find the right motivation for it like we all had to."

His expression sunk a little at Kassava's lack of enthusiasm, glancing to the side for a moment. His eyes then widened in the idea that dawned on him soon after, however, and turned his head back to her.

"Well...if the power isn't enough of a reason to interest you into trying a little harder..."

Kassava raised an eyebrow, turning slightly to face towards Vegetto. She blinked hard, caught off guard by Vegetto's confident smirk while meeting her eyes.

"I think you'd look much more beautiful with blonde hair."

Kassava's cheeks went red, unwrapping her right arm from her legs and instinctively reaching up, twiddling a small lock of her short black hair in her fingers.

"You think so?"

Vegetto nodded once, rising back up to his feet.

"Of course. Now, I'm going to finish cooking up a big breakfast for the both of us so you can get ready for today. You're going to need that energy if you want to transform today, alright?"

Kassava lifted her head up fully, nodding once with a small smile.

"Ok!"
 
Beerus' Palace, Main Timeline

With a soft "fzzt", the tall angel suddenly appeared inside of the open dining room, holding tightly onto his staff. His eyes found Beerus casually leaning back in one of the chairs floating at the end of the table, an empty plate in front of him to match the emotionless expression on the god of destruction.

"I'm back!"

Beerus scoffed.

"Took you long enough. You said your little field trip was going to be a quick one."

Whis bowed his head slightly.

"Apologies, my lord. There seems to be a bit of...mismanagement currently hindering the Patrol. They required a little more guidance than usual this time."

Beerus shook his head once.

"It has to do with the lack of a true god to manage the timelines, doesn't it? You would think that Time Kaioshin would've elevated one of those Patrollers to the status of god at this point. Every other universe elected a god of time at the conception of the universes long ago: we are the only ones who are lacking."

Whis lifted his lips into a small smile.

"Did you already forget what happened nearly three centuries ago?"

Beerus paused, his expression blank in meeting Whis' eyes.

"I can't be expected to remember every interaction I've had, Whis. Explain."

Whis chuckled lightly.

"Why, it has to do with the Kai being so afraid of your visits. The last god of time for this universe was destroyed by your hand, over a disagreement involving the destruction of the South Galaxy. I believe he originated from that galaxy, and did not take kindly to your destruction of an entire system over spoiled cabbage."

Beerus grunted.

"A god can not kill another god without proper cause, Whis. I would've stopped myself."

Whis shook his head.

"Perhaps, had you been in control of your temper and actually knew that he was the Time Kaioshin's god. She has spent the last few centuries in hopes of finding a new warrior that can manage the position, and has come close to elevating another to that rank."

Beerus nodded once, leaning forward and resting his elbows onto the table.

"That's great for her. I don't see why I should be the one training this prospect, however."

Whis narrowed his eyes.

"It is only fair for you to assist in developing her selection of warriors to defend the timelines, my lord. I'm sure the angels would have a more unforgiving tone, if they discovered you were the one who killed the god of time in this universe."

Beerus' eyes widened, shaking his hands at Whis.

"There's no need for that, Whis!"

He dropped his arms, leaning back in his chair and smirking slightly.

"Besides, I have never trained a student before in combat and find it quite enjoyable. I'd say my teaching methods are more effective than even yours at times."

Whis raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so? I'll admit, I was a bit worried, sending Vegetto's prospect to you for training purposes. Is he progressing well?"

Beerus nodded.

"Of course he is, my teaching methods are elevating his power immensely. He is currently sleeping for the night, but will grow stronger within the next few hours easily. He will be the strongest god of time in the entire set of universes, should he progress as much as he has."

Whis smiled in response.

"That is wonderful news, my lord. But this prospect is merely meant to join the Patrol: Vegetto will become the god of time when this incident with Zamasu has concluded."

Beerus narrowed his eyes in response, scoffing.

"Why would she choose him. If I remember the incident with Demigra correctly, he was far from being able to manage the stress of being a god and ruling over the timestream as its particular defender. This new warrior would aptly serve better, and is more disciplined under my tutelage."

Whis kept his smile.

"Perhaps he needs some work, but I will see to it that he improves into the warrior the Time Kaioshin needs him to be. After all, it's the least I can do to make sure our universe does not collapse thanks to your explosive anger."

Beerus scoffed once again, crossing his arms.

"You're wasting your time: my pupil may not be as strong as him, but he is much better suited for the task. Perhaps, even guided by the superior mentor, if you truly think wasting your effort on this Vegetto is the best path."

Whis' smile rose slightly, yet his tone darkened.

"Is that a challenge, my lord?"

Beerus' smirk rose as well, confidently rocking in the floating chair.

"It is. Let us see who is the better teacher: your pupil versus mine. Once this Zamasu situation has been finished and wrapped up, we will present both to her as candidates to become the new God of Time. Whoever's student she selects as her champion is the winner."

Whis' expression remained flat.

"And the stipulations for losing?"

Beerus rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment. His eyes lit up in the idea that hit him, his smirk returning as he held up his hand with his pointer finger aimed at the ceiling.

"The loser must gather food supply from Earth and serve the winner for an entire solar cycle!"

Whis chuckled lightly, turning on his heel.

"Very well, I accept your terms. Let's begin immediately."

Beerus raised his eyebrow, watching the taller angel fumble with his hands inside the upper portion of his robe.

"While you're training your pupil, however, do try to make sure Goku does not catch wind of this bet. As well as keeping track of this."

Whis kept a large smile, handing Beerus a small slip of printer paper. The god of destruction blinked, studying the paper for a moment.

"Instant ramen...chocolate parfait...Whis! These are just the names of foods scrawled on a piece of paper!"

Whis nodded.

"I am aware. I wanted to make sure you had a list of my favorite meals, so you can be prepared to fetch them when you lose this contest."

Beerus opened his mouth to speak, but sat back in his chair once Whis suddenly erupted into another dash of light and exiting the large palace room. The top of Beerus' eyebrow twitched, the god quickly bolting out of his seat and disappearing into the next room.
 
Chapter 13: Challenging the Legend

=====================
The two Saiyans slowly lowered towards the ground, having flown side by side for a few minutes from Vegetto's hut. Landing with a soft thud first, Vegetto turned his head to Kassava after she landed next to him, walking towards the glowing portal leading to the Time Nest.

"Before I send you into the simulation, I'll need to cover the basics with you. Since you didn't get a chance to study Namek's history last night."

Kassava raised an eyebrow, following after Vegetto.

"What basics?"

The two soon entered through the glowing portal, emerging out from the other side into the open greenery of the Time Nest. Their boots clacked lightly on the stone pathway, Vegetto continuing.

"The Super Saiyan transformation is a unique power up of our race, normally only achieved by advanced warriors of our bloodline. Your power level is considerably higher than the first time we sparred, the effects of Zenkai boosting your capabilities close to Kakarot's strength when he first ascended on Namek."

Kassava lowered her eyebrow, pulling up both of her arms and relaxing the back of her head into her hands as she walked.

"Normally?"

Vegetto nodded once.

"We originally thought it was a form achieved only by raw emotion, but we've learned over time that the warrior's power plays a bigger role in the transformation. You will need to draw upon your desperation to ascend, but the stronger the fighter, the easier it is to ascend. Your fight with Raditz was the only exception, where the Supreme Kai of Time only modified his mental capacity to already know how to push for the transformation."

Kassava sighed lightly.

"Then why don't we just wait until I've recovered from more near death experiences? This Zenkai boost should put me to a level where I shouldn't have to try to transform eventually."

Vegetto scoffed.

"Aside from the cowardice behind that plan, your benefits from Zenkai become less prevalent the more you recover from near death experiences. Eventually, you'll gain nothing as a boost from recovering."

He suddenly stopped, turning towards Kassava.

"This is serious, Kassava. Don't try to tune out the danger: you have to dig deep to ascend. It's not enough in just 'wanting' to become a Super Saiyan."

Kassava frowned back at Vegetto, dropping her arms back to her sides.

"I'm trying, ok? It's just...things always seemed to work out better if I just take a step back and think of a plan."

Vegetto kept a flat stare, his dual voice matching the emotionless stare.

"There are some fights where that is a valuable strategy, and you've won the ones where it proved to be the best way of thinking. However, there are some where the only way to win is to push forward. To ascend, you will need to push forward against a power greater than your own, and manage to overcome it."

Kassava kept her frown, watching Vegetto turn back and slowly move towards the steps. She stared down at the floor, her thoughts racing while the two slowly climbed up the steps to the Time Vault, before lifting her head and speaking up at the entrance.

"What power?"

Vegetto stopped for a moment, his head turning slightly towards her with his face still hidden from her view.

"You'll see."

Without waiting for a response, Vegetto continued to casually stride into the Time Vault with Kassava in tow, quickly recollecting herself in her thought on the vague response and jogging after him.

==========================

As the two new arrivals entered the Time Vault, the Supreme Kai of Time perked her head up, turning towards Vegetto and Kassava with the Elder Kai mirroring her movements.

"Oh good, you're here. Vegetto, we need to talk."

Vegetto's expression remained flat along with his dual voice.

"What is it?"

The Supreme Kai of Time sighed lightly at his lack of empathy, frowning.

"It's about what you did to Trunks last night. I'm not saying you didn't have a right to be angry about what you saw, but you went way too far in attacking one of your own teammates."

Vegetto narrowed his eyes slightly. The rage began to boil in his expression clearly for a moment, only for the fused warrior to turn his gaze to the floor and his expression lightening.

"I know."

The Supreme Kai of Time kept a stern stare.

"I've watched you two train together for almost an entire year now, and every single time I thought you made progress, you only ended up taking another step back. No matter what solution you two came up with, no matter what limit you ended up passing, it was never enough. He's pushed you to new heights and helped you achieve greater power than any mortal currently living within Universe 7 can match in current history. Yet every time we think you're going to make good on your promise to give back and truly learn to cherish your 'family', you end up pushing us further and further away."

Kassava blinked, turning her eyes to Vegetto. Her eyes widened in shock, watching Vegetto attempt to dodge the Supreme Kai glaring up at him. With the shame clear in his expression, Vegetto finally lifted his eyes back to the Supreme Kai during her continuation.

"When will it be enough for you to realize that there's more to this job than just power? Are you so full of yourself that you are going to jeopardize this entire universe for your own pride?"

Vegetto's fire soon returned, the sharp glare returning in his newfound agitation.

"That's what you think this is about?! Pride?! I'm doing whatever it takes to build this Patrol into the force it needs to be to stop these threats! We can never stop improving, there will always be another that is stronger than us."

The Supreme Kai did not waver in her tone.

"Like Zamasu? Even with a stolen body from your own mistake that you refused to correct, he is no where near capable of overpowering you. If you truly cared about saving this universe, he still wouldn't be at large!"

Vegetto nearly snarled.

"Maybe I would stop him, but in case you forgot, we don't know where he even is!"

The Supreme Kai finally broke her composure, her voice rising into a near scream.

"Maybe we would, if you put as much effort into looking for them as you did training!"

Vegetto's agitated glare remained strong, locking eyes with the smaller being angrily staring back at him. However, the fused warrior broke the stare and turned his eyes back to the ground, his expression softening slightly. The Supreme Kai relaxed slightly as well, but still held a firm tone with a strong glare.

"You and Trunks both agreed to work on your ego problems, and to find a solution that would protect this Patrol from your own negative ambitions. However, because of your reckless need for combat and inability to ever own up to your failures, our second strongest fighter is now in the hospital with a state of mind I thought he would never have to experience. The man who he looks up to as a father, caring only about his own selfish needs for power and a validation for his pride."

Vegetto's eyebrow immediately twitched at the Supreme Kai of Time's following comment.

"You and I both know how much you hate being compared to familiar faces, but I'm not going to say you're just like 'you know who'. Oh no, it's much worse than that: you're starting to prove you're not even half the man he is." 

The Supreme Kai turned slightly.

"Not to mention..."

She quickly pointed to Kassava, who nearly squeaked at the recognition.

"Nearly putting this low level woman in a job she will never be ready for and jeopardizing Earth's history. Nearly killing her in a sparring match because you didn't want to admit you failed in pushing her correctly to ascend."

Vegetto kept his stare to the floor, avoiding the Supreme Kai's stare as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I know you tried to solve it Vegetto, but it's time to face the truth: you cannot fix this ego problem on your own, and you won't solve it in this dangerous quest of yours to find some sort of rival to humble you. Your job as a Time Patroller comes first: you will hunt down Zamasu and Towa, and finish them off before they cause any more damage to the time stream. Whatever training or missions you have planned for your failed protege here are now void: you are to resume your position as defender of Earth's history. You can't just dump your own job off onto someone else and decide who does what anymore: I am taking command of this Patrol once again. I won't let you destroy what we've worked so hard to achieve."

Kassava raised an eyebrow, her voice low.

"What about me?"

The Supreme Kai of Time kept her frown, but her eyebrows lifted.

"I'm sorry Kassava, but you're no longer needed here. You've definitely grown stronger, and can enroll in the elite divisions for missions at the check in station. But we have no further use for you here."

Kassava narrowed her eyes as well.

"You've wanted me gone from the very start, didn't you?"

The Supreme Kai frowned, her voice softer.

"No, I wanted you to be safe. I've thought about it more, I tried to believe in it. Yet no matter what way I look at it, the answer is obvious: there is only one thing special about you. You are the only one that knows the Kaioken technique in Canton City at the moment, and in his desperation, Vegetto halfheartedly believed you could somehow push yourself to a level that would challenge him. It's dangerous and nearly got you killed: you are best suited elsewhere than here."

She crossed her arms, the confusion on her expression clear.

"Isn't this what you want? You get to go back to your relaxed lifestyle. No more getting into things over your head: even the elite will have trouble keeping up with you if you use the Kaioken. You get to be one of the strongest Patrollers without having to try."

Kassava furrowed her brow, remaining still.

"They're not the most important missions, though."

The Supreme Kai dropped her eyebrows, the realization dawning on her.

"No, but they're important enough to make Genn proud of you. Isn't that what you want?"

Kassava kept her frown, staring at the floor for a moment. Her eyes lifted slightly, wandering to the wall in her train of thought.

It wouldn't make him proud enough...he'd want me to be more...but...

Her attention landed on Vegetto, who stared off to the side with a strong glare. The fused warrior had crossed his arms, and despite the strong expression across his face, his minor trembling indicated the rage underneath his near stone faced expression.

I didn't realize he was putting the whole time stream at risk just to push me. He's really desperate enough to put all of his remaining hope into a stranger he barely knows...for an outcome that probably won't happen. He's willing to trust me that easily...
 
She then sighed lightly in response, her eyes narrowing into a glare once more.

I have to do this. He can't just pull out of this now...and neither can I.

Her attention turned to the Supreme Kai of Time, pointing at Vegetto.

"He made a promise to me, that today would be the day I would ascend. I don't know what he had planned, but I believe it will work because he's a better teacher than you give him credit for."

Vegetto's own eyes shifted slightly, caught offguard from the random praise while Kassava lowered her arm, her eyes never once leaving the Supreme Kai of Time.

"Maybe I'm not strong enough to give him a challenge, but if I can become a Super Saiyan, then maybe we'll be one step closer to fixing his desire for someone strong enough to push him every day. It would be much better than treating him like a child and forcing him to ignore his own personal issues."

The Supreme Kai of Time glared into Kassava's eyes.

"And what if it fails?"

Kassava broke out into a small smirk.

"Then I die."

Vegetto blinked, turning his head towards Kassava. His eyes watched the Saiyan woman confidently raise her right fist up.

"He needs this more than you know, and believes in me. If I can't make it with all of this support, then perhaps I deserve to die. Then you won't have to worry about his focus wavering on me."

She lowered her arm.

"I'm the only one here that he sees potential in now. If I die, so does his hope. Making him a much more obedient Patroller and capable of repressing his ego. Just as you want."

The Supreme Kai of Time kept a strong glare, her frown deepening. She turned her head slightly towards the Elder Kai, who only shrugged his shoulders with pursed lips. She then let out a heavy sigh, turning back to the pair.

"You really want to go through with this?"

Kassava only nodded her head once, the Supreme Kai of Time sighing heavily.

"Fine, go ahead and throw your life away. I guess I can't really stop you anyway."

Vegetto slowly uncrossed his arms, turning slightly to the side and casually walking past the Supreme Kai of Time. The two shared a tense stare for a moment before Vegetto passed by, the Supreme Kai turning her head towards the floor once Vegetto came to a halt at the edge of a nearby pedestal, picking up a smaller scroll. He turned back towards Kassava, making his way up to her and holding the scroll out to the woman.

"The next training simulation I came up with is in this scroll. I'll give you some instructions before you begin, but you'll be thrown into the fight right away."

His eyes narrowed slightly, breaking out into a frown.

"It's not intended to kill you, but if you are going to risk your life for a stupid reason, then there will be nothing I can do to bring you back."

Kassava quickly lifted her right arm, snatching the scroll from Vegetto's gloved hand. He blinked once, caught off guard by the sudden movement while she spoke.

"Then let's get started."

Kassava quickly shut her eyes, breathing in deeply as the familiar white light enveloped her body, soon disappearing from the Time Vault to leave Vegetto alone with the two Kais. The Supreme Kai of Time audibly cleared her throat, Vegetto turning around to meet her heavy glare.

"You better know what you're doing. I won't have her death on my hands: if this goes south and I can do something about it, I'm pulling her out."

Vegetto turned her eyes back to where Kassava had stood seconds ago, his frown remaining.

"I don't have a problem with that. If she fails again, I'll be the one to call her back myself. This isn't supposed to be a suicide mission."

======================

Age 762

The dark green sky matched the furious waves of water cascading around the island Kassava found herself standing on. She glanced around with narrowed eyes, tapping into her earpiece once.

"I'm in."

Her head turned to the sound of apparently energy being fired, the sharp rise in volume prompting her to break out into a small jog. Quickly moving to the end of the small rock platuea she found herself next to, Kassava peered her head around the corner. Her eyes widened at the sight of the collapsed green body of Piccolo lying a few feet from where she stood. Moving her pupils up, she quickly took in the sight of a small bald man floating helplessly in mid air, flailing his arms and legs in an attempt to free himself. The raspy voice of Frieza caught her attention next, Kassava turning to stare up at the tyrant perched ontop of the main plateau with his right pointer finger extended.

"This time you won't come back!"

Kassava grimaced, the sound of Vegetto's dual voice soon flooding her ear.

::Listen carefully, we don't have much time here. Obviously, we planned for your transformation into a Super Saiyan to be the objective, but this is also an opportunity for you to learn a little more about what it means to be a Patroller. Up until now, you've run missions for the Patrol that never once questioned your morality or forced you to go against your conscious. The magic Towa specifically uses relies on a user's evil desires to enhance their power, where we must quickly subdue an enemy to avoid allowing their improved versions to impact history. Yet, there may come a time where she or another villain may learn the ability to manipulate the energy of pure hearted individuals, and you will have to put down some warriors who stand for good causes in order to protect history.::

Her head quickly turned, the loud explosion ringing out a few meters above her head. Kassava quickly turned her head back down, watching the stunned reactions of the onlookers while Frieza laughed manically.

::The year is 762, exactly one day before Christmas. Kakarot and his friends are on a mission to secure the Dragon Balls of a foreign world called Namek in hopes of reviving their friends that died in an attack on Earth. Only for them to find the evil galactic tyrant known as Frieza having already sought out the same objective, and the two sides eventually combat each other to this stage you see before you.::

The sound of Goku's enraged voice caught Kassava's attention, her eyes turned to the warrior slouched slightly forward and grunting heavily with tense muscles.

"I...won't..let you...get away...with this!"

Kassava's eyes remained firmly locked on Goku, staring wide eyed at the sight of small pebbles starting to rise from the ground into the air. The sound of Vegetto's voice continued in the woman's ear, but raised once the first strike of lightning struck the twitching warrior.

::In his ruthless murder of Kakarot's best friend, Krillin, Frieza unintentionally angered Kakarot to his breaking point. Utilizing his immense rage, Kakarot shattered the mental barrier to awaken the legendary power of our race to become the first Super Saiyan seen in thousands of years. However, despite this new found power, Kakarot was not the one to eventually kill Frieza. He merely fought Frieza to near death, and Frieza survived the battle on Namek to live another day.::

Kassava gasped, stepping back instinctively as large chunks of rocks rose from underneath her boots and past her face in a rapid surge. A sudden shift in energy prompted a gasp from the female Saiyan, her eyes turning back to Goku and watching his hair suddenly spike into a golden glow for a split second.

::You've seen the mastered power of a Super Saiyan, but what you just felt was its raw, purely untapped potential. The volatile energy breaking free from its cage for the first time, unrelenting in its desperate bid to escape. Boiling to the surface in its rising power until finally...::

Kassava instinctively gasped, trembling slightly at the piercing roar Goku emitted, the golden energy flooding up from underneath his boots to coat the warrior in a bright, glaring shine. Standing up in a fiery bundle of spikes, Goku's arms dropped back down to his sides while Vegetto's dual voice continued in Kassava's ears.

::It explodes. You can't sense it yet, but within a few seconds, Kakarot's body will be imbued with the added power of what we assume Towa is capable of. Spiking his energy and natural Saiyan ruthlessness into being able to easily outclass Frieza, and kill him.::

Kassava swallowed heavily, moving forward slowly and tensing at the sight of the newly transformed Super Saiyan Goku staring down an awe struck Frieza perched on top of a plateau, with Vegetto's dual voice darkening slightly.

::Your objective is simple: prevent Frieza's death at the hands of Kakarot's new found power. At 100% power, Frieza fares a better chance against him, but you will have to defeat Kakarot in order to fix this scenario. Do whatever it takes to keep yourself and Frieza alive, which you will not be able to do without becoming a Super Saiyan yourself.::
 
Chapter 14: Path to Ascension

=============================
Kassava swallowed hard, standing close to the edge of the rock formation with a stunned expression. The pulsing wind flowing outward from around the newly transformed Super Saiyan reached her in light gusts, the shine of the golden aura glinting off her black pupils. Her eyes remained locked on Goku, watching him turn slightly towards Gohan but never once taking his eyes off Frieza perched above him.

"Gohan, it's time! Piccolo is our only chance at bringing the others back to this dimension. Take him to the ship and go!"

Gohan perked his head up, turning away from Piccolo's unconscious body towards Goku.

"But what about you?"

Goku's eyes remained locked, standing forward.

"Don't worry about me now! I know I'm where I need to be."

Gohan blinked.

"But...if we take the ship, that means you'll be stranded here with no way home!"

Kassava gasped, watching on as Goku's glare broke from Frieza for the first time, the rage clear in his voice with his eyes on Gohan.

"I'm your father, now listen! Just do as I say!"

Kassava instinctively took a step back, retreating behind the rock as the two continued to speak.

That power...it's way too strong for me to take head on. But I can feel its limit...it's...beatable. At least I might be able to land a hit, unlike against the first time...

Her head perked at the sudden "fzzt" ringing out from nearby, moving out from behind her hiding spot. Kassava glanced around, the entire lower portion of the plateau now vacant. Turning her head up first, a small relief washed over her at the sight of Gohan flying high into the air with Piccolo on his back. The pained grunts caught her attention next, however, turning towards where Frieza perched on the plateau. Now standing inches in front of him, Goku's narrowed eyes glared down at Frieza, his hand balled into a fist and grasping onto Frieza's own hand tightly.

"You just don't know when to stop! Enough is enough!"

Kassava tensed, watching Goku's expression darken further while Frieza struggled heavily to pull his arm away.

"First Vegeta, then Piccolo, and now my best friend, Krillin! But you don't care: I can see that. Their lives meant nothing to you; you're not in the least bit sorry! Even now, all you can think about is how to destroy me!"

Goku's head snapped to the side, a small gasp escaping his lips. His grip around Frieza's instantly released, the transformed Saiyan rapidly throwing up the arm in defense at the sailing boot landing square into his outer forearm. Kassava roared, propelling herself off Goku's arm and landing lightly on the ground, bolting back forward into a dash and launching her right fist forward. Goku's glare remained strong, his outstretched arm from earlier easily swinging down and catching Kassava's fist in his hand. She blinked, standing still and shocked at the sight of her shaking arm.

Her eyes lifted up, meeting the glare of the Super Saiyan that held her fist in an almost casual manner. Goku snarled, his left leg shooting forward and slamming into Kassava's stomach. Kassava gasped for air, her eyes wide while she blasted backwards across the ground. Goku watched her descend into the ocean across the way, scoffing lightly before turning on his heel and launching into a flurry of punches with Frieza.

==================================================

Vegetto kept his arms crossed, his expression twitching slightly at the sight of Kassava blasting backwards into the ocean and disappearing into the water. The Supreme Kai of Time blinked, caught off guard at the sight of Vegetto's eyebrow twitching, but soon turned her head at the sound of Whis' voice ringing out inside the Time Vault.

"Hello! I have returned!"

Vegetto's eyes did not leave the screen, staring down while his dual voice remained flat.

"Welcome back."

Whis clutched his staff, a small half smile across his face as he joined the three onlookers. He glanced down at the scroll for a moment once he was near the table, but turned his eyes to Vegetto shortly after.

"I take it you're running a training program for your star pupil?"

Vegetto remained silent in response, Whis maneuvering past the two Kais that stared up at him.

"Or perhaps, something more? You seem more tense than usual."

Whis came to a halt on Vegetto's opposite side, his eyes studying the Potara warrior.

"In fact, if I'm not mistaken, this might be the first time I've ever seen you worried about an outcome."

Vegetto let out a small grunt before speaking.

"We're giving her another push to transform into a Super Saiyan. If she can't take it, then we'll pull her out."

Whis' smile disappeared, his expression falling flat. His eyes turned to the Supreme Kai of Time for a moment, studying her while she dodged his sight and glanced down. After a few seconds, he then turned back to face towards Vegetto.

"And what if you pull her out too soon? Surely you of all people know just what is needed to ascend."

His lips lowered into a small frown.

"I expected this from the Time Kaioshin, but I'm surprised you are being this cautious with her. Perhaps...you've grown a little too fond of her?"

Vegetto's eyes immediately raised from the scroll, turning to face towards Whis.

"Don't be ridiculous, Whis. You know how important it is for me to have a capable rival, and you know what will happen if she fails. If she dies, then there won't be anyone left to help me stay in check."

Whis' lips rose into a small smile.

"Perhaps. But there are other options available to you, one of them you put into motion yourself. Your so called, 'contingency plan' is going smoother than I had anticipated."

Vegetto glanced away, turning back towards the scroll while Whis chuckled.

"However, it is in my best interest to see your main goal here succeed too, as Lord Beerus and I have made a small bet between you and your backup plan. Molding Kassava into a powerful warrior would only improve your limits, if she is as capable as you believe she is."

Vegetto kept his eyes down, watching the screen below. His eyes followed a pained Kassava slowly pulling herself up onto a small mass of dirt and rock, drenched in water and struggling to catch her breath. Whis stared down as well, watching the scene play out.

"This social experiment of yours is important as well, but don't forget you true reason for picking her. After all..."

Vegetto's eyes turned slightly, unable to keep his focus on the scroll during Whis' intriguing train of words. His eyes remained narrowed, staring at the half smiling Whis.

"She is just a tool to make you stronger, correct? Tools can be replaced: you can always find a new one if this one continues to break."

Vegetto paused for a moment, locking eyes with Whis as the two shared an intense stare for a few seconds. Both expressions suddenly lightened, Vegetto letting out a small, agitated sigh as a retort before finally speaking.

"Just...shut up."

Vegetto kept his scowl, turning away from Whis, who stifled a small chuckle. His eyes locked onto the image of Kassava panting heavily and resting on one knee on the small land mass, his right two fingers reaching up to the small metal piece in his right ear.

"Kassava, come in."

========================================

Kassava's pupils moved to the edge towards the sound of the dual voice ringing out in her ear, still panting lightly.

"Huh...Vegetto?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly, sitting on the ground.

"He..he just caught me off guard. It's...nothing I can't handle."

Her eyebrows perked, however, at the sound of the dual voice having become softer. She blinked hard a couple of times, staring blankly at the ground.

::Yeah, I'm watching. Look, you need to be a little more careful, alright? You have the power advantage, but he's more skilled than you are in combat.::

Kassava scoffed.

"What are you talking about? I hit him head on and he just caught the blow like it was nothing. He's way stronger than me."

::Because he was expecting it? I told you from the start you two share the same power level; your own doubt is the only thing holding you back. You're going to have to outsmart him if you want to win.::

Kassava kept a small frown, rising slowly up to her feet. Her eyes stared at the explosion of golden energy a few miles away, making out a small speck rapidly pummeling another into a nearby hilltop. She cringed instinctively, glancing down.

"I can feel the power difference...there's no way I can fight that head on! That's not me going crazy or weakening myself: that difference is real, Vegetto!"

The growing pit in her stomach deepened, the silence on the other end seemingly to last for an eternity in her mind. Her breathing began to slow a few seconds after the dual voice spoke up in her ear next.

::Trust me on this, Kassava. You're used to having the advantage over weak opponents, but you've never felt the doubt of facing someone that you only think is stronger than you. You're only feeling that difference because you're just thinking of our fight. You see that golden aura, and it haunts you as if you were fighting me all over again.:: 

Kassava's eyes widened, her head lifting up again while Vegetto's voice continued in her ear.

::Just believe in yourself. You just have to pick your strikes carefully, and keep him focused on you. Land the right hits, and he won't be able to scratch you.::

Her head turned down for a moment, the frown remaining as her voice came out weaker.

"Do...do you really think I can do it?"

Kassava lifted her head, the trembling and panting from earlier having stopped at the sound of Vegetto's confident voice softly reassuring her.

::Of course I do. You're the best fighter I've ever trained...you just haven't proved it yet. Now, go show that Super Saiyan and the Kais back here what you're made of!"

Kassava nodded her head once, her lips rising into a small smile as a large red aura rapidly shot up from underneath her boots. She quickly bolted forward, the energy surging outward in her dash forward.

"Ok, let's give this a shot!"

=====================================

Vegetto sighed lightly, dropping his arm at the end of the conversation. Whis kept a small smile, his eyes half narrowing in studying the fused warrior.

"A bold tactic. Raising her confidence could backfire tremendously."

His smile dropped, the sight of Vegetto's expression remaining unchanged and lack of retort prompting the angel to continue.

"Surely you weren't serious when you claimed her power was equal to Goku's in his Super Saiyan transformation?"

Vegetto broke out into a small smirk, raising an eyebrow and turning slightly to Whis.

"Are you confused? You were quick to lecture me on my training methods earlier. Does it bother you now, not being able to figure out what I'm thinking?"

Whis blinked.

"Excuse me?"

Vegetto's eyebrows narrowed.

"I've had enough of everyone pestering me about how I build up my team. The Kais constantly berate me for being too hard on them, and now you are criticizing me for going too soft. I've only made one mistake in training another, and that was only because I didn't know who I was dealing with. But last night, I finally figured out who she really was, and how to get through to her."

The Supreme Kai of Time blinked, watching Vegetto turn to her next, his gloved right hand extended with his pointer finger trained squarely on her.

"You almost played me earlier, but I've changed my mind. She needs the push to ascend, and you won't coddle her if she makes a mistake. If she dies in there, then so be it. That's a risk she wanted to take, and one that I won't steal away from her."

Whis' smile disappeared shortly after watching Vegetto turn rapidly around to face towards him, the fusion's pointer finger now in Whis' face.

"And you might have been right about me lacking empathy earlier, but that's old news now. She means more to me than you know, and not in the way you keep pushing for. The attachment has given me clarity, one that you lack in your own trainings."

Whis frowned in response, his eyes narrowing.

"Is that so? Then what is your grand plan here? What does boosting her confidence do for her in this situation?"

Vegetto dropped his arm.

"Simple: it overcomes her fear. She's going to jump head first into the fight again, and figure out a way to get Kakarot to focus on her."

Whis raised an eyebrow.

"Is she strong enough to fight him head on like that?"

Vegetto scoffed.

"Of course not, she's pathetically weak by comparison. She'll realize just how outclassed she is, have her whole world and confidence uprooted from underneath her again, and be broken down to the point where her only remaining option is to ascend."

Whis' half smile slowly returned.

"Ah, I see now. But what about the trust you just asked for? Maybe she'll just give up when she figures out you lied to her."

Vegetto shook his head.

"Not this time. She's never felt someone betray her trust before, or at least, not on this large of a scale. It'll make her angry, and that hate will lead to her ascension."

Whis rubbed his chin slightly, stifling a small chuckle.

"Hmm, you make a strong case. For all the problems you've caused with your lack of empathy towards the Patrol, it's ironic that you've put so much thought into the emotional development of Kassava here. So tell me: do you have a plan for rebuilding your relationship with her when she comes to resent you for this?"

Vegetto's eyebrows twitched, the confidence leaving his expression immediately.

"Uh...what?"

Whis kept his composed expression, his voice soft.

"Your plan for rebuilding your relationship with her. Surely you anticipated that betraying her trust like this could lead to her hating you, even if she ascends, correct?"

Vegetto blinked hard, soon scoffing.

"What? No, she wouldn't hate me for more than a second. She'd figure out I only did what I did to push her to transform."

Whis chuckled in response.

"Perhaps, but you forgot that she may have a different reason for fighting here than you do. Did you make sure she got into this training exercise for the right reasons?"

Vegetto's expression whitened for a moment, Whis' eyes narrowing further.

"Did she want to do this because she's like you, and cares only about getting stronger and fighting? Or perhaps...you gave her an ulterior motive? If she's fighting for you, then this plan will more than likely lead to her resenting you."

Vegetto's eyes narrowed slightly, hastily firing back at Whis after the revelation.

"Of course she's doing this for herself! I...well..she..."

Whis kept his smile, watching the fused warrior uncharacteristically turn his head down and twiddle his thumbs together for a moment.

"Maybe it's a little bit of both..."

The Supreme Kai of Time's eyes widened, the anger building in her face.

"What did you do?!"

Vegetto reached back, scratching the back of his head nervously and speaking through awkward small laughs.

"I might...have said she'd look pretty with blonde hair..."

Whis sighed lightly in response, bowing his head.

"What's done is done, I'm afraid. We can do nothing at this point: the training path is now in motion."

His eyes turned down to Vegetto, still keeping his smile.

"You'll just need to come up with an idea after she's finished with the exercise. Perhaps, a romantic dinner at a high class restaurant?"

Vegetto grunted in response, turning his head back to the scroll while Whis broke out into a small chuckle.

"Oh forgive me, I forgot you asked for me to stop those jests."

==================================================

The golden aura billowing off Goku's body like a flame continued to radiate in the air, the transformed Saiyan angrily glaring down at the creature at his feet on all fours. Frieza hacked for a moment, his slim figure indicating he had yet to use his full power, and his head suddenly whipped up at the sound of Goku's voice.

"So, are you sorry yet?"

Frieza only snarled in response, lunging up after pushing himself off the ground. His right arm swiped at Goku, who casually feinted to the side and rapidly caught the tyrant's right arm. Letting out a small roar, Goku contorted his expression into near pure rage as he suddenly used free arm to slam his elbow up into the underside of Frieza's arm in a quick jab. Frieza let out a small screech in pain, his arm rapidly slinking down to his side after being broken from Goku's counter jab, and the tyrant stumbled forward heavily on the ground. He quickly spun around, meeting Goku's narrowed eyes as he spoke again.

"No more!"

Frieza's eyes widened, watching the golden aura suddenly surge outward.

"Now you will know the horror!!"

The wind blasted Frieza in the face shortly after the roar, his head whipping back from the force of Goku's right fast rapidly clocking the side of his check. His body rocketed from the strikes that followed, and soon fell limp in Goku's grasp around his throat. The Saiyan's hand constricted heavily around his neck, Frieza gasping for air meekly while Goku stared down with a piercing glare, the muscles in his arm bulging heavily in his chokehold.

"Die!!"

Goku's head perked up slightly, however, turning towards the sound of Kassava's voice ringing out.

"Let him go!"

The golden warrior slowly straightened himself out, his grip still strong on Frieza's throat and holding him off the ground with one hand. His narrowed eyes locked with Kassava's, his frown remaining as he spoke.

"Oh...you again."

Kassava's eyes narrowed further.

"My name is Kassava."

Goku grunted.

"I don't care what your name is."

Kassava felt her body shake a little from the crass retort, her arms tensing slightly.

"Maybe you should. I heard you were supposed to be a good guy or something. And here you are, choking the life out of..."

Her eyes turned to Frieza for a moment, her voice weak in her lack of a planned response.

"..uh...my friend."

Her arms lifted slightly, her mind racing.

Ok Kassava, all you have to do is get Frieza to 100% right now. Just find a way to get him to let go, and focused only on you.

Goku grunted, his eyebrow raising.

"This guy is your friend? If I were you, I'd find better friends than guys who kill people for fun. Even murdering other people's friends because he doesn't like it when he is losing."

Kassava's eyes perked at the response, a small smirk forming.

"Yeah...I saw him do that to yours. The bald one."

Goku blinked, watching Kassava giggle darkly.

"He looked like a little pig...floating up in the air like that. Kind of squealed like one too right before he blew up."

Goku's expression rapidly contorted in his rage, his voice somewhat low at first.

"Are you talking about Krillin?!"

The massive flare of golden energy rapidly blasting outwards caused Kassava's smirk to fade away immediately, Goku rapidly bolting forward.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT KRILLIN!!"

Kassava yelped, the force of Goku's fist nearly slamming into her entire stomach and sending her flying across the plain they stood on. She bounced along the hard rocky surface for a few miles, struggling to sit upright on the ground for a moment. Standing up on both feet, she quickly clenched her fists as the Super Saiyan closed in on her.

"Kaioken!"

The red aura rapidly shot up from underneath her feet, Goku's own eyes widening at the sight.

"Hey...that's one of my-"

Goku blinked hard, Kassava having shot her right first forward once Goku had come within striking range. His eyes remained wide for a second with her fist in his cheek, but quickly narrowed as he ignored the blow and shot his arm out at Kassava. His right hand soon found her throat, his left gripping tightly onto the arm that shot her fist into his cheek. Held tightly in place, Kassava desperately hacked for air as she used her only free arm to slap at the massive arm holding her throat, doing nothing to damage it. Her eyes began to flutter slightly, glancing down and pulling her free arm out of sight for a moment.

Watching her lower slightly in her form, Goku's narrowed eyes studied her for a second, trying to sense if she had passed out. They widened, however, at the sight of Kassava suddenly launching her one arm forward, a massive blast of red energy firing forward from point blank range in Goku's face and engulfing his entire body in its destructive power. Breaking free of the chokehold, Kassava rubbed her throat and lept back a few feet while panting heavily.

Damnit...I didn't want to kill him. Vegetto said I was supposed to transform from this...but I had no choice.

The sound of Vegetto's voice ringing out in her ear prompted Kassava to perk her head, the frantic dual voice nearly shouting.

::Run!!::

She blinked hard at the command, her head soon turning to the sight of Goku lunging forward out of the smoke cloud. His golden aura rapidly dispersed the smoke, shining brilliantly as he let out a thunderous roar that shook Kassava to the core. She barely threw her arms up in defense, Goku's left fist having quickly slammed into her chest and propelling her across the ground once more. She flipped along the dirt and slid along the ground for a moment, the black pants she was wearing rippling slightly on the edges as she came to a halt on the ground. Her eyes were wide at the sight of Goku charging once again, the terror in her expression as she quickly bolted into a red dash in the opposite direction, Goku's fist striking the ground seconds later. Dashing out across the sea, Kassava frantically tried to outrun the raging Super Saiyan behind her, flying around the side of a nearby plateau. She yelped, not from the feeling of a strike landing, but the thunderous explosive of rock that came from Goku having blitzed through the land mass itself in his pursuit. His thunderous voice rung out into the air.

"Get back here!!"

Kassava frantically glanced around, Goku rapidly closing in and shortening the gap between them. With no land masses to dash around and attempt to dodge with, she suddenly rocketed towards the west, back towards the original starting mesa the two had begun their fight at. The rocks and trees rapidly blasted outwards from the proximity of her dash bolting around the side of the mountain, Goku's golden aura singeing the grass itself as he barreled through every obstacle Kassava attempted to fly around. He grunted, blasting through the plateau itself out on the other side and came to a halt on the ground when he lost sight of Kassava. His eyes turned up, sending her energy above and watched her shoot upwards into the air for a moment before erupting into a golden dash after her.

Kassava soon came to a halt up high in the sky, watching Goku rapidly close in with his right fist stretched out. She tensed, floating in the air as he rapidly approached and rapidly bolted to the side once Goku shot his fist forward, the Super Saiyan barely missing the mark. In the millisecond following the strike's miss, Kassava rapidly shot her right arm arm forward, gripping tightly onto Goku's wrist and spinning towards her left and to the ground. Twisting Goku's arm behind his back, Kassava roared as she rolled her body up into an arc, her right leg shooting down and slamming into the back of Goku's head. The two sailed downward rapidly towards the ground in a red and golden energy covered dash, Kassava perched ontop of Goku's back like a surfboard in the descent while keeping his right arm restricted behind his back.

Goku roared fiercely in his frustration, using his energy to spin his body and rapidly throw off Kassava's footing, the Saiyan female's eyes wide as she lost her balance and her grip on Goku's arm. With his arms free, Goku quickly lashed out with his arms in his spiral, latching tightly onto Kassava's neck with both hands and throwing her in front of him as the two approached the ground. Kassava closed her eyes tightly, crying out as she was slammed into the ground heavily, the entire mesa nearly exploding upwards in the rubble and debris scattered from the impact. Goku quickly vaulted off her body locked in a crater, landing with a thud before rapidly using one arm to pull Kassava from the small crater left in their wake. With a thunderous roar, he chunked her like a baseball across the plain. Skidding to a halt, Kassava groaned meekly as Goku's aura rapidly surged outward, soon bolting after where he had tossed her.

Having barely even stood up in time to see Goku rapidly close in on her, Kassava's body rocketed back from Goku's following blows. She cried out heavily in pain, yelping and hacking from the well placed strikes smashing into her stomach, her face, and her arms seemingly all at once. She threw her arm up, attempting to stop the punch that had already struck her ribs, only to ragdoll to the side from Goku's following kick to her leg. She stumbled heavily, the relentless blows continuing from all angles until Goku rapidly shot his right arm down in a downwards punch to her chin. Kassava barely made a response, nearly falling entirely limp as she rapidly slammed into the ground with a loud thud from the force of the blow.

Goku's narrowed eyes watched her fall, his heavy panting and tense shoulders indicating the massive rage building within him. He kept his fist poised, aiming it down at Kassava while she struggled to even move her arms and legs, her back to the Super Saiyan as she laid nearly sprawled in the dirt. Goku's narrowed eyes lightened only slightly, the sound of Kassava's whimpering and wheezing catching him a little off guard, but the transformed Saiyan remained poised while he watched her twitch. He soon straightened himself out, however, his arms falling to his sides once he had watched her fail to even remotely push up a small portion of her body from the ground.

"So..that's all you got."

Kassava kept her face buried in the dirt, her expression hidden apart from the small whimperings she emitted. Goku's narrowed eyes scanned her for a moment, before scoffing lightly.

"I've seen that technique before, and I know no one on Earth besides me knows it. I got a little excited, hoping that you might be another Saiyan like me and could give me a better fight. But I can see now I was wrong about you."

Kassava kept her head low, the tears streaming from the sides of her eyes as she began to tense in anticipation for the finishing blow, curling her arms and legs into a fetal position as best she could. The sound of Goku's low voice continued, darkening heavily.

"You're nothing but a weakling."

=====================================================

The Supreme Kai of Time gasped, watching the scene unfold and rapidly turning to both Vegetto and Whis.

"You have to stop this now! He's going to kill her!"

Vegetto kept his frown, having tensed heavily at the scene unfolding. However, his dual voice came out calm.

"No, he isn't. Kakarot is angry, and the training program is amplifying his anger to heights beyond what happened in history. But he is still Kakarot: he won't just kill her randomly."

He kept his arms crossed, staring down.

C'mon, you know she's a Saiyan. You know what it takes to transform...and you want a good fight...

=======================================================

Goku turned on his heel, his narrowed eyes locking onto the other limp figure off in the distance. He then glanced down, his mind racing for a moment, before turning back towards the female Saiyan curled up slightly behind him. His lips slightly into a small smirk, turning back to where he saw Frieza before dashing off after him.

Kassava kept her head buried, sending Goku dashing away, and slowly tried to lift her hand towards her earpiece.

"Vegetto...Vegetto...."

Her expression contorted in the pain surging throughout her entire body, barely stifling her sobs in trying to speak.

"Please...help..."

=========================================================

Vegetto's eyes widened, the meek voice of Kassava ringing out in his ear and catching off guard as she pleaded for help. His eyes immediately turned to Whis, who only half smiled back at him.

"You know what you need to do. This is part of your plan, remember?"

Vegetto glared strongly in response.

"I'll figure something out. Something I can say to her that won't jeopardize the training."

Whis sighed lightly in response.

"I'm afraid there isn't anything you can say to reassure her. If you give her any comfort of your presence in this situation, she lose the momentum you have built up for her. She needs to feel alone in this, or else she might die in trying to face Goku again with your support. There is only one power she can turn to now, and if you want her to embrace it, you have to make sure you don't give her the option of yours."

He stifled a small chuckle.

"But you don't need me to tell you that: you already made it clear you don't like it when I meddle in your affairs, right?"

Vegetto kept his glare strong, glancing back down to the scroll. Kassava's voice continued to ring out in his ear, the fused warrior's face contorting heavily in frustration with each plea in his ear. After the second cry for help, Vegetto's arm suddenly whipped up, snatching the earpiece and crushing it in his gloved hand. The Elder Kai and the Supreme Kai of Time both blinked at the display, Vegetto grunting angrily as he suddenly turned on his heel, his aura flaring as he stormed out of the Time Vault shortly afterwards. They both soon turned their attention to Whis, who kept a small smile and stifled another chuckle.

"Fascinating, isn't it? You would think he was upset at me for what's happening, but in reality, he's just angry that he can't do anything to help her and that he doesn't want her to resent him for this. Love is such an interesting concept."

The Supreme Kai of Time rolled her eyes.

"At least one of us is enjoying this."

=========================================================

Kassava continued her whimpers, calling into her earpiece. The glaring sound of Goku's aura ringing out cut her off, her head still down as she made no effort to see the Super Saiyan now casually walking towards her. Goku's eyes remained locked on her, standing a few feet away from her sprawled out body with a nearly unconscious Frieza in his other outstretched hand.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but I brought your friend here. You haven't really done anything wrong today, but he's caused enough destruction on this planet for me to kill him."

Frieza's ears perked at the final portion of the last sentence, Goku's smirk returning as he continued to stare down at Kassava.

"He killed my friend, and pushed me to transform like this. So maybe, you can do the same, if I kill your friend."

His eyes narrowed.

"Then maybe, you might actually give me a good challenge."

Kassava kept her head bowed, retreating into her own thoughts while Goku spoke.

He..he isn't coming to help me. I'm going to die here...I failed...

Goku's eyes studied her over once more, his grip strengthening around Frieza's neck. He paused for a moment, before letting out a small grunt and flicking his wrist. The quick crunch of Frieza's neck snapping soon rung out, the tyrant's body going limp immediately after. Kassava's eyes shot open, her head positioned in the right spot to see Frieza's fresh corpse land in front of her with a thud in the dirt, having been tossed by the Super Saiyan.

"Ok, now get mad and transform. Then we can fight for real."

The limp corpse caught Kassava's attention more than Goku's words, nearly tuning out his voice at the sight of Frieza's still body. The haunting image of a body devoid of life stuck into her mind heavily, her own weak arms suddenly finding enough strength to push her back slightly. Her panting increased heavily, the anger soon welling within her.

No..no!! I don't wanna die!! Why can't I move my arms more...why can't I stand...

Her arms and knees trembled as she sat up on all fours, grinding her teeth together.

Why...am I so weak?! Damnit....damnit!!

Goku's eyes widened, instinctively taking a step back as a new golden energy began to billow up like steam off her arms and back. Her expression remained contorted in rage, her arms shaking before she suddenly pulled her right arm up and slammed her fist down into the ground. Goku's grin widened at the sight of the cracks formed from around the impact of her fist.

"Yeah that's it!"

Letting out a thunderous screech shortly afterward, the golden aura rapidly fired up from underneath Kassava's knees as she sat upright on them, her body soon being engulfed in the golden glow. Her bulky short black hair rapidly shot up into a few bundles of spikes, turning golden and flowing like a flame as two large bangs hung down to the outside of her right eye. She quickly rose to her feet, each step in rising denting the ground beneath her, and turned to face towards Goku as a newly transformed Super Saiyan. Both locked their turquoise eyes on each other, Kassava's expression contorted into pure rage while Goku grinned happily back at her.

"Alright, you did it!!"
 
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