[Mature] Blood Ties: Endgame

[Sage]

OOC: Okay, so like, since the Vita Novum saga sort of... collapsed, I’m uh, gonna fudge some things here. Set the stage, Kirano/Bra just received an ‘all clear’ message on their way to the emergency. It was over before they even got there (Kirano, if that don’t work PM me and I can change it or whatever, it’s all good). Posted in the Workshop as per the rules.

CONTINUED FROM 'Blood Ties'

- - - - -

“So... that’s it?” the princess blinked, bewildered. “All that for nothing...?”

“I don’t sense anything anymore,” Kirano replied. “Yeah... it’s over. How ‘bout that.”

“Well then, that leaves...” Bra sighed. “You ready to go confront my father?”

“If you are,”

A pause. “I am,”

“Then take my hand,” the blond warrior smiled. “We’re going to Vegeta-Sei.”

The cyan haired hybrid nodded, and did as she was told. In an instant, she was standing at the foot of the royal palace. Her father’s palace. Her breath quickened. “I, uh... well,”

“Remember the fire, Bra. Don’t give in to your hesitation. He might be strong, but don’t forget how angry you were with him. If you really mean to fight your father, then you have to do this for real,” Kirano instructed. “Your fear will kill you otherwise.”

“I know,” the demi saiyan replied, setting her jaw. “Believe me, I haven’t forgotten about what he’s done. About the sins my dad has to answer to. I’d rather die than be a part of that legacy... let’s go!!”

With the princess leading the way, the two were easily able to circumnavigate the security along the way. Despite being on alert for the girl, it didn’t make the royal guard any less uneasy about attempting to take down a member of the noble family.

Unfortunately, the pathetically easy incursion came to a halt as Bra rounded the final corner and found Gehr along with another soldier guarding the entrance to Vegeta’s throne room. Already the doorway had been repaired, and Gehr obviously hadn’t forgotten about her or his orders, as he ascended to a super saiyan almost immediately. The other guard powered up as well, but it quickly became clear he was insignificant at best.

“You take the golden monkey. I’m going after my dad,” the girl ordered, bursting into her ascended form in an instant. She hurdled forth, blasting her fist straight through the weaker guard’s torso. Remarkably, he survived the brutal impact, and began seizing while coughing ribbons of blood.

Bra withdrew her arm from his chest and he collapsed almost immediately. Already, Kirano had powered up and laid into Gehr, leaving Bra to step over the dying guard and once again obliterate the entrance to the throne room, this time with a mighty energy flare.

Vegeta was waiting for her. He was alone, in the direct center of his throne room. His jet black hair fluttered in the swift breeze created by Bra’s energy currents. The emerald eyed girl stepped further into the room and came to a halt, facing off against her enemy.

“You’ve come back,” he mockingly observed.

“As if you expected any different,” the empress retorted.

“So, what is it, then? Do you challenge me?” Vegeta demanded.

“I formally challenge you, as Princess of the Sovereign Planet of Vegeta, in a contest of power for control of the throne. Unless you release all of the slaves under this empire’s control, then I’ll kill you and do it myself!” the hybrid declared.

“Enough,” growled the saiyan king. “First, you’ll pay for this insult. If you’re lucky, you’ll live to learn that you’re still just a child; you’re too naive to understand the way the universe works.”

“You’re just dancing around the fact you’re a hypocrite!!” retorted Bra. “You’re a slaver! A criminal!” the girl let the building waves of anger and frustration wash over her. “This was a long time coming, dad!”

The princess stalked toward her target. “You abandoned me, ignored me. That was bad enough, but I made my way. You took power here, and then you completely forgot about me. That was fine. But now... now you’ve become nothing more than a... a despot. A tyrant. I’ve killed tyrants before. I’ll kill another before I’m through.”

“This again? Your drivel is getting old!” Vegeta growled, hurling a ki wave at the princess, who easily deflected it before returning the thought with a vicious, lunging elbow to the chin, sending the king sprawling across the floor.

“Your poor palace,” Bra mused as she heard a thunderous crash from somewhere behind her. It seemed Kirano and Gehr were getting along nicely. “Your lapdog is being used as a wrecking ball. And here you are, bleeding on the floor of your own throne room.”

“Has nobody taught you common sense!?” Vegeta thundered, pushing himself to his feet, ignoring the blood trailing from his mouth. “It’s good to see my child is determined, but it’s unfortunate to see she grew up a fool. Sometimes,” he paused, and instantaneously he became a super saiyan, his strength suddenly engulfing her own. “Fear separates the intelligent from the stupid!”

The diminutive super saiyan rushed at Bra, mimicking the elbow she’d given him. The princess narrowly managed to block the attack, but the immense strength of the blow sent her reeling backward, leaving her open for a savage, two-kick combo which launched the girl across the room and left her tumbling across the marble floor.

The heiress kicked off the expensive stone and rocketed in close, exchanging blows with her father. Vicious punches and kicks were doled out from both warriors, who in turn did their best to dodge or deflect the other’s attacks. Bra managed to just barely avoid one of Vegeta’s punches, leaving him overextended as he hit nothing but air.

Taking advantage of the situation, the red clothed girl wrapped her arm around his outstretched limb, and with her free fist, she landed punch after punch, brutally cracking her knuckles across his face, over and over again. A sharp knee to the gut doubled the proud ruler over, and a ruthless elbow to the spine brought him to his knees.

“You arrogant prick,” she smirked contemptuously, bending over to look him in the eye. With a whirling blur of motion, she landed a mighty roundhouse kick to his temple, catapulting her father straight through the wall of the throne room, across an adjoining hallway, where he bounced off the opposite wall of the corridor, and collapsed in a heap.

Not willing to take any chances with her father, Bra floated just an inch off the ground, her arms outstretched at her sides. Energy rapidly pooled in her hands, bright blue, crackling and hissing with the same hatred that burned in her core. A wild grin predominantly plastered across her face, Bra licked her lips.

Vegeta sat up, putting a hand on his head. That was a cue, as far as his daughter was concerned, so she unleashed all the fury her final flash could muster, and the powerful wave of ki cascaded over him, detonating and obliterating a large chunk of the royal palace, while hurling the king through the exterior wall, high into the fading light of the evening sky.

Bra gave chase, tackling the disoriented Vegeta in mid-air, throwing a trio of barbaric punches into his face, before planting both feet into his chest and propelling him across the sky. “Is that all!?” she roared, forming a pair of kienzan daggers.

The mighty king back-flipped through the air, regaining his composure, just as the girl attacked. He leaned back, narrowly evading a buzzing blade that raked across the air only millimeters from his nose.

The princess lunged forth with the second blade, and to her shock, it plunged deep into Vegeta’s gut. With so much force behind the attack, the dagger easily sank in all the way to the hilt, and blood gushed over the girl’s gloved hand. Her eyes went wide and immediately her blades vanished, leaving the king with a mortal wound.

“I- I...” she couldn’t speak. This was what she wanted, but now that she had it... Vegeta groaned miserably, a hand over the wound, while the other clutched at his hair, as if scouring his locks for some hidden release from the sudden, excruciating pain. The girl did her best to compose herself. “You took me for a punk. You underestimated me, father. And now... now you’re dying. It’s over. We can still stop the bleeding and keep you alive if-”

“I underestimated your resolve, not your strength!!” Vegeta roared. “And you’ve underestimated mine!!” he lunged forth, landing a series of punches to Bra’s face and chest, before planting a massive kick to her throat, catapulting her up into the air.

Chasing up after her, he caught her by the thigh and drove his elbow into her back before hurling her downward, and sending a relentless stream of energy bolts after her. They crashed into her one after the other, pummeling her and sent her hurdling into the streets of the capital city below with a thunderous crash.

Vegeta floated overhead, one hand over his grievous wound. “Lucky... hit,” he grumbled. “...Careless,” he then admitted to himself. He gazed on below. He knew the battle was not yet over, but he also knew he had the upper hand by far, despite the stab wound.

Truth be told, as Bra lay in the rubble formed by her very own crater, the girl knew she didn’t stand a chance. Vegeta was far more powerful than she. The lucky stab was probably the best she could have hoped for. And even with that horrible injury, and her father’s energy locked in a constant decline as a result, he was far more powerful than she was, and he was withholding an entirely more powerful tier still!

“Can’t... let the fear kill me,” Bra groaned, paraphrasing what Kirano had said. “Gotta go and fight... Burter’s people...”

She was dizzy already. Her father could hit like nobody else, it surprised her. Pushing up to her feet, she stumbled about in the thick plume of dust, thankful for the obscurity it provided her in her moment of weakness.

A golden arc cut through the smoke as Bra returned to the fray. Using her dazzling speed as best as she could - her only known advantage over Vegeta - she managed to push him on the defensive, but it was for naught. He quickly reversed her snap-kick and pounded his fist into her kidney, halting her assault.

Grasping her shoulder, he spun her around and clasped a hand around her throat. He leaned far back, and then smirked. The two of them vanished.

Bra appeared in the middle of a wasteland, disoriented, and completely open to the sharp series of kicks that peppered her back and send her sprawling onto the dirt. From high in the sky plummeted Vegeta, planting both feet in his daughter’s lower back, eliciting a howl of agony from the cyan haired warrior.

“Instant teleportation can be used for more than travel,” boasted the king, stepping off of the fallen girl. With a growl, he wound up and punted Bra in the side, sending her skidding across the ground until she crashed into a boulder, covering it in a spider’s web of cracks as it absorbed her impact.

“Give up,” he ordered as the girl climbed to her feet. She stumbled, but weakly fell into a fighting stance. Vegeta just shook his head. “Then I suppose I’ll just have to make you.”

Throwing his head back, the mighty ruler of Vegeta-Sei was consumed in an effulgent blast of ki. His muscles expanded and his hair grew somewhat longer. Long, blue arcs of electricity snaked around his body and his energy skyrocketed.

“Super Saiyan Two,” Bra murmured. Winking out of existence, her father was upon her in a heartbeat. A knee to the gut, doubling her over. A knee to her head. A hammer blow to the back of her skull. He pushed her back upright, and grabbed the front of her shirt. A punch to the face. And another.

Letting go of her shirt, he delivered a remorseless backhand to her cheek, sending her through the boulder, shattering it like glass. Bra lifelessly rocketed across the sky, crashing into the ground, limbs crazily flailing about like a rag doll as the girl bounced off the dirt several times, before coming to a halt, a heap of bruised organs and bloody flesh. He held nothing back, she could feel that now. The searing pain had become numb. The adrenaline gave way to fatigue. So quickly the tables were turned, so quickly the fight seemed to crest to the inevitable conclusion.

She could feel Vegeta coming closer. He was moving slowly, probably walking. Taking his time. Reveling in the battlefield victory. Her LENS system, now recording his gargantuan energy, marked a still-constant decline in his power level. As if that meant anything. His power was continually tumbling, but it still completely dwarfed her own, which also had been significantly reduced from her maximum.

Fighting the pain, she stretched her arms over her head, closing her eyes. Use every advantage, Kirano had said. A portal tore open through the fabric of space and time, revealing the monstrous Snowball: Grimshaw’s Memento. The hideous, featureless, fang-toothed maw stood over the crumpled Bra, it’s twin tails lashing out at the air around it.

The translucent monstrosity immediately turned to Vegeta, and lunged on the offensive. Claws and teeth slashed across the immensely powerful saiyan, forcing him to pause his advance. Four vicious strikes was all it took, and the mighty monstrosity was tossed through the air, crashing limply onto the ground much as Bra had done.

Vegeta’s march continued, and he drew ever closer to his daughter. The girl opened her eyes to see his blurry figure approach. Suddenly, a kienzan dagger whirled through the air, straight for her father. He dodged, but it nicked his cheek, cutting the skin like paper. He bled freely from the new wound, but felt no pain.

Bra, however, took the opportunity to push herself to her feet. She was ragged, but not finished.

[Sage]

A flash, and he was upon her. She could hear the thumps and sickening cracks as his attacks landed, but no longer could she keep up with what was going around. All she could tell was that her body was being violently wrenched about, and suddenly she was tumbling through the air. Her vision blackened, but faded in just in time to see the ground come up to meet her.

Bra crashed against the ground, hard. Her lip was split, so was her forehead. She had deep cuts and gashes on her arms and legs, and her right eye was swelling shut. A far cry from the beautiful princess who’d started this fight. She pushed herself up onto all fours, spitting the crimson from her mouth, before climbing to her feet.

A shaky stance presented itself to the ascended super saiyan, who stood upright, arms folded across his chest. “Tenacious,” Vegeta smiled, but it didn’t last. “Bra... you’ve failed. Don’t make me kill you.”

The golden haired halfling muffled a yowl of pain before making her retort. “Aww,” she was interrupted by a sharp cough. “It’s almost like- you’re showing- compassion for your sweet- little-” she winced. “Daughter. It’s- heartwarming.”

Vegeta frowned. “If you want to die so badly, it won’t bother me to be the one to kill you,” he hissed, before phasing out of sight. He appeared right before Bra, who had hardly enough time to take a step back in surprise before the king hammered a punch into her abdomen, sending her onto her knees, doubled-over in agony.

“You’ve publicly insulted me!” he roared, grabbing a fistful of her hair with one hand and slapping her across the face with another, hard enough that she would have been hurled from the spot if not for him holding her in place by her aureate locks. “You challenged me when you had no place to do so!” another barbaric slap. “As far as I’m concerned, dear, sweet daughter, you’re nothing to me but an inconvenience.”

“Is that... what I’ve been to you?” the girl hung limply by her hair, still in Vegeta’s grip. Tears were now streaming down her cheeks, taking blood and dirt with it, and etching a pair of clean lines amidst the dirt and filth on her face. “My whole life... I... I always tried to make you proud of me. I pushed myself so hard...”

The king merely scoffed, hauling the girl up to her feet by her hair. “You’re an embarrassment, Bra.”

The girl’s face screwed up into a look of sheer hatred, and a sudden burst of vitality she found within. Her arms, suddenly animate again, took aim, and one after another, her fists charged into Vegeta’s face, forcing him to release his grip on her locks. She wiped the tears from her eyes and then lashed out, wrapping both hands around her father’s throat.

“I’ve had it with you mocking me!!” she screamed, shaking the king violently. His hands grasped at her arms but Bra would not let go. Her stranglehold tightened and she bared her teeth at him. “All you’ve ever done was show just how disappointed you always were in me!!” her voice grew hoarse, and each word was becoming it’s own sentence in between sobs. “I! Am! Not! An Embarrass! Ment!”

Vegeta’s hands gripped tighter now, and slowly he forced Bra’s hands to loosen, but there they remained, wrapped around his throat. “I am not an embarrassment!!” she roared, and suddenly she overpowered him, her grip as tight as ever. Her eyes were both open now, albeit one only opened halfway. There was no fear on her visage anymore. Her delicate features were now consumed, twisted by nothing but her revulsion for the man in her grasp.

Blue blasts of electricity flickered around the girl’s lithe frame, and her aura flared out, inexplicably rejuvenated. The princess didn’t notice. All she was focused on was choking the life out of the monster in her hands, and she shook him as hard as he could to keep him as disoriented as possible.

Vegeta’s eyes went wide. While his daughter may not have known what was happening, he did. In a fit of urgency, he released a mighty cascade of energy and sharply smashed his forearms against hers, breaking her grip and pulling himself away, gasping and wheezing for breath, the lack of air preventing him from leading into a counter-attack.

A guttural roar erupted from the very bottom of Bra’s lungs, and her hair began to separate out into an even more numerous array of razor-like spikes as her arms and legs suddenly underwent a slight increase in musculature. The blue electricity snakes continued to make their rounds around her, and with a furious eruption, the princess’ roar suddenly changed to a shriek, and she was consumed in energy.

As the dust in the aftermath settled, Bra stepped forth, her aura batting away the hazy cloud. She was breathing heavily, but never before had she felt so empowered. Finally, after eight years of training, Bra had reached Super Saiyan Two. Her menacing smile did nothing to hide how she felt. It still left her outclassed by her father, but now the fight was much more even.

“Not so talkative all of a sudden, daddy. How come?” she taunted, before kicking off the ground. Even Bra was startled by her extraordinary speed, but she made do, and laid into Vegeta with her elbow. Stunning the arrogant king, she threw herself into a furious combination of punches and kicks, forcing the surprised regent to backpedal against his will under the force of the blows.

Ultimately, Bra raised her hands over her head, lacing her fingers together before bringing the axe handle crashing down over her father’s head, dropping him to the ground like a stone. A booted foot came up, and then smashed onto the top of Vegeta’s head. It came up again, and was thrust back down.

“Get up!!” she raged, grabbing his hair as he had done to her, and hauled the pure-bred saiyan to his feet. She pressed her hand against his chest “Give my regards to the kais, dad.” A big bang attack - an immensely powerful, concentrated sphere of energy - hurled Vegeta backwards through the air, and, when he was far enough from Bra, it exploded, consuming him in a massive dome of raw energy. It was enough to consume some of the most powerful warriors in the galaxy.

Still, it came as no surprise that the warrior’s energy continued to burn, like a stubborn candle in a strong wind. Vegeta was not going to die quite so easily. The heiress began walking toward him, taking her time, unwilling to run the risk of engaging him in the massive plume of dust.

Her father was an accomplished blind-fighter. Bra wasn’t bad herself, but Vegeta was something different. It would be idiotic to challenge him in there. Even she, losing herself in her new-found power, could see that.

The ground beneath her splintered and cracked under every step she took, as the immense level of pure energy resonated so jarringly with the earth beneath. The sound was deeply satisfying, like a constant, uninterrupted sound of bones breaking one after the other.

She did not, however, expect Vegeta to recover so quickly. The sight of him sailing around at her left side bewildered her. Bra threw up a block, but the king easily broke through it, and the two of them were locked in a blinding exchange of blows. As if mirroring one of the earlier exchanges, the girl threw a fist but overextended, leaving herself utterly at Vegeta’s mercy.

The king took her arm with both hands and drove his knee up into her elbow, shattering the joint with ease, and showing just how little the man cared for a concept as hollow as mercy. The princess screamed in pain, taking her crippled arm up in her hand, writhing about in pitiful agony.

“You broke my arm!!” she finally thundered, in total disbelief at the action. “You broke my fucking arm!!”

Bra rocketed forth, twisting herself sideways as her speedbreak technique manifested itself. She threw a kick out while simultaneously using her birthright to instantaneously draw an enormous charge of ki into her heel, and brought it down on Vegeta’s right knee, obliterating it as though it were porcelain. Now it was his turn to scream in pain.

“An eye for an eye, motherfucker,” the demi saiyan declared, slipping to her knees as the drain from her birthright technique took it’s toll on her. She took up her ruined arm with her good one, and smirked. Vegeta fell onto his backside, grasping at his horribly damaged leg. She would have time to shore up her reserves as the two of them dealt with the blinding pain they’d doled out to one another.

And so, the two wrecked fighters, one a life-long soldier, the other a warrior without a banner, each crackling with immense energy, sat only a few feet from one another, nursing their wounds instead of trying to kill each other, for the time being. Bra was the first to rise.

“It’s time to decide, dad,” she grimly announced. “Let’s end this.”

[Sage]

The fight hadn’t lasted very long. Only about ten minutes or so, but so intense was the desire of each to beat the other that both had rapidly used up a vast quantity of energy. The two of them sat across from one another, their enormous powers waning. Bra frowned as she fought to find her footing, taking delicate care of her arm, which hung loosely at her side.

Vegeta had a harder time getting to his feet, his crippled leg providing no help in his ascent. Ultimately, he had to float just off the ground to keep his weight off his shattered knee, his hand pressed against the ever-present stab wound in his abdomen.

Bra just watched, her breathing heavy and labored. Her father’s came out similarly, perhaps a touch more ragged thanks to the internal bleeding. The princess lunged forth in a mechanical, disjointed motion, haphazardly lashing out at Vegeta, who’s movements were equally deliberate.

The two of them threw a few punches, and in moments they loosened up, each regaining some semblance of rhythm. The pace of the battle quickened significantly, and the two exchanged blows with a renewed fervor, despite their respective crippled limbs.

Vegeta was stripped of his devastating kick combinations, and Bra was no longer able to put up much of a fistfight. Still, they didn’t seem to have much of a problem hurting one another. The king kneed his daughter in the gut with his good leg, and planted a powerful uppercut to her chin, propelling her up into the air.

As the princess hurtled up through the sky, Vegeta pooled a gargantuan amount of energy into his hands, and unleashed a behemoth ki wave up at Bra, who took the full brunt of the attack with her guard down. The explosion left her deaf and blind, and she spiraled out of the sky, crashing into the ground below.

The mighty warrior king collapsed, the sheer magnitude of his exertion felling him once more. After some time, he was upright again, and lamely shuffling toward the spot where Bra had crashed. He could feel her ki waning, but he knew his was doing the same. He cracked his neck. He would kill her now, before she got back up. This fight was finished.

Bra was flat on her back, spread-eagle, staring at the sky. The searing pain of burns all over her body greeted her numbing senses, but she couldn’t move to see how bad it was. Her head and her limbs all felt so heavy. Even as a super saiyan 2, she just couldn’t summon the strength she needed to move anymore.

It wasn’t all bad, though. Vegeta unleashed an enormous amount of energy very quickly. Surely that was having an effect on him, as well. Her contemplation was cut short, however, when she found him standing over her. Her eyes were heavy, too, and it was all she could do to keep them open as he came closer. He hovered right up to her, his feet right by her head, and his eyes found hers.

“Prepare yourself,” he warned, setting his jaw with a deep frown. He extended his hand at the prone girl, drawing his energy into it. Bra watched in helplessness as energy was fed into his palm. It was taking longer than it needed to, Vegeta seemed troubled. The halfling didn’t really have time to process what that meant, though.

The energy flared and Bra squeezed her eyes shut, only to hear a yelp of surprise and a loud thud. Opening her eyes, she found Snowball on top of the saiyan thoroughbred, it’s paws pinning his shoulders to the ground. “No way...”

Growling in rage, Vegeta swatted the shadow monster off of him and launched into the air, energy still in hand. He hurled it at the menacing creature - a move that completely surprised Bra - and utterly destroyed Grimshaw’s Memento.

Fueled by a sudden revelation, Bra found the will to push herself up to her feet once again, as Vegeta descended to meet her eye-to-eye. “You’re...” she began. “Do you even realize you just made a gigantic mistake?”

“Wha-?” the king seemed shocked.

“You’re getting rusty, aren’t you?” she prodded. “You’ve obviously been training, but it’s been a long time since you’ve been in a real fight, hasn’t it? You just did something any sensei would have criticized you for... for weeks!”

“What are you talking about, girl?”

“Haha,” Bra smiled, “You probably had enough energy in the palm of your hand to kill me, and you wasted it on my Snowball. He’s a projection of me. You let him distract you, but you could have killed me instead; it would have taken him with me.”

“What difference does it make? You’re completely drained. I can still kill you,” Vegeta countered.

“...I know. So... do it, already,” Bra conceded. The truth was, she wasn’t bluffing. There was no grand plan, no cunning scheme. Bra was too tired to even feel sorry for herself. All she could process was that she’d lost a fight she knew she couldn’t win, and now she was going to die. All she could do was wait. She raised her arms at her sides, giving herself up as a target.

“...You fought well. I’ll give you an honorable death,” Vegeta curtly replied. With that, he stood bolt upright, facing perpendicular to Bra, ignoring the pain shooting through his leg as he put weight on it. He leveled his palm at her and began to channel energy into it.

At first, the princess just figured he was going to incinerate her and be done with it, but more and more energy was being forced into his hand. Veins started appearing on his arm, and soon, his whole body was covered with them. He released a deep, feral roar and his pupils and irises seemed to dissolve into the whites of his eyes, leaving nothing but a look of absolute frenzy on his countenance.

He was going to put everything he had into this attack, and send Bra out with a bang. She smiled. He didn’t have to do that, at all. In some twisted way, this must have been a sign of respect. He was going out of his way to do this, after all. A normal opponent, he would have just unceremoniously broken and left the body where it fell.

Bra took a certain kind of pride in this. She straightened her back and raised her chin. She would take this with grace. May her atoms be scattered on the winds and may she die unafraid. How absurd. So long had she spent terrified of people like her father, and now that she knew she was going to die, it seemed so... so unimportant. The fear was gone.

The outrageously powerful column of energy lanced from Vegeta’s hand, rushing at the girl with every ounce of strength the king could muster. Bra stood stone stiff. She had finally become a super saiyan 2, after so many years, but even her new, overwhelming power was not enough. She knew that her condition made it totally impossible to dodge the attack, so she made no effort to try.

Her utter acceptance to her fate made what happened next so difficult to grasp. Something smashed into her, hard, knocking her down, but more importantly, throwing her out of harm’s way. The wave hit whatever had dislodged her and exploded. Unfortunately, Bra was still close enough to be hurled across the landscape, and was sent skidding painfully across the wasteland.

“Ugh... what...” she rubbed her head, forcing herself up. “How did...”

Her ki sense flared.

“No!”

There, amidst the aftermath of the explosion, lay a figure, writhing in pain. “No!!”

Racing over as fast as she could, Bra fell to her knees before even slowing down, sliding across the ground on them toward the fallen figure. The person who’d pushed her out of the deadly beam’s path.

“Kirano,” she breathed, putting her hand on his chest. He was horribly injured, but it looked like he wasn’t about to die. A sigh of relief escaped the girl, and she let the tears roll down her cheeks. “I... I can’t believe you would do that... for me...”

“Yeah, well... Gehr’s already dead so... I didn’t have anything else to do, you know?” replied the bloody, blond warrior. “I was in way better shape than you are, so I figured... why not?”

“You saved my life,” Bra managed, her eyes widening with realization. “You could have been killed.”

“I told you, you couldn’t do this alone,” Kirano flashed a grin despite the horrible pain he was in. “But, ah, I’m sorry. That’s all there is, I can’t move.”

“That’s-”

“Bra!” he interrupted, his eyes blazing. “There’s no time for this! Don’t waste the opportunity, finish this fight!!”

The princess glanced over at her father, and then back to Kirano. She nodded. Summoning every pitiful scrap of ki left in her, she sailed through the sky far slower than she would have liked, toward her father. He didn’t move. He couldn’t even raise his arms to defend himself. A kienzan dagger flashed into her hand, and she drove it deep into his abdomen, creating another wound only inches from the first one.

Vegeta gasped, stiffening against the horrible pain. Bra let the dagger fade out of existence, and caught her father before he could fall. His hair almost immediately faded to black, but he kept fighting to stay conscious.

Carefully, the princess set him down on his back, and knelt down at his side, a hand on her forehead. “Dad, I-”

“Why?”

“Wha-?”

“Why haven’t you killed me!?” the king hissed.

“What!?”

“You have to finish the fight! You have to kill me!!”

“The fight is finished-”

“NO!!” Vegeta boomed. “You made an official challenge for the throne! That’s a fight to the death! The victor must kill the loser!”

“But-”

“Bra... do you know how badly you would dishonor me if you didn’t go through with it? In order to retain my dignity, it must be known that I defended my throne to the death. If you... have any... compassion for me... in your heart... you would do as I ask,” Vegeta pleaded.

“I can’t, I can’t-” her breathing came in difficult gasps.

“Bra! This is what you wanted!! The throne is yours! You have to take it from me!” the fallen king demanded.

“Keep your throne!!” Bra shrieked, sobbing loudly now.

“I can’t!!” Vegeta thundered, hacking and coughing as a result.

“I... I... I want to hate you so much, but I can’t! You weren’t there for me but you’re still my dad! Even if the things you’re doing are cruel...”

“Bra... if you don’t take your victory, I’ll be disgraced. Rejected by my own council. Ridiculed. Exiled. The Vegeta Dynasty would be over, and I would... be forgotten. You have to understand, to kill me is to let me keep my dignity. I know you think sparing my life will be doing me a favor, but the truth is, I won’t have any life worth living left!”

Bra closed her eyes, and released a long, dejected sigh. “Is there... any way to avoid me having to kill you? Any way at all you can stay king? Any way to let you live!?”

“No,” Vegeta replied. “Well... it would be seen as acceptable if you spared me in order to make me an advisor. Historically, some kings would be considered too knowledgeable to kill, and the victor would keep them around for political advice and the like. It’s not... as desirable as dying in battle, but...”

“Dad,” Bra sharply retorted. “Do you honestly think I could run a planet without your help?”

“Well...”

“And there’s no way to let you keep your title?”

“The rules of this challenge are strict, Bra. You shouldn’t have challenged me for the throne if you weren’t prepared to rule,”

“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be able to beat you,”

“You probably wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for...”

“Kirano,”

“Who?”

“He’s... well, it’s been a long time, dad,”

“What does that mean?”

“Look, if I promise to explain it all later, can we all go to a rejuvenation chamber first? I’m about to black out and both you guys can’t even walk,” Bra swiftly deflected.

“You had best explain yourself when I wake up, then,” Vegeta warned.

“I promise,” Bra agreed, and then set to the task of taking both her father and Kirano back to the palace with just one arm.

OOC: Hay Kirano. This post takes place after Gehr dies. If you want to fluid time fighting/killing him, go nuts. I needed to use Kirano to save Bra's ass so I apologize.

[Sage]

The trio of warriors - Bra, Kirano, and Vegeta - had spent two full days in their respective rejuvenation chambers before the fluid finally started to drain. For the princess, the time didn’t seem to matter; she was awake for only minutes at a time, and she slept dreamlessly otherwise.

Her eyes snapped open as the sticky, greenish fluid started to exit the tank, though she still felt so tired. As soon as her head was above the surface, she pulled off the breathing mask, much to the chagrin of the medical staff, which had told her time and again not to do so until the draining process was complete.

What could possibly happen anyway? she always wondered. It wasn’t like she couldn’t just blow the door off if, suddenly, the fluid poured back into the chamber, something they assured couldn’t possibly happen anyway.

Soon, she sat, cold and damp, as the drains beneath her gurgled with the last remnants of the disgusting chemicals. A sharp hiss sounded, and almost simultaneously, the doors of all three rejuvenation tanks opened upward. Bra sighed, pulling off the various monitors as a doctor came up to assist with removing the IV tube.

Vegeta was the first to pull himself out of his chamber. Kirano came second, then Bra. The three of them looked so pathetic, covered in the thick liquid, shivering in the cold of the sterilized medical room.

“Clean yourself off, Bra. First we eat, and discuss the situation. Then you’ve got a speech to deliver,” the king growled. “I intend to see you in half an hour,” he glanced over at Kirano. “Bring this... friend, if you want.” he trudged away, heading for his quarters, obviously still upset at the sting of defeat. That would stay with him for a long time, Bra figured.

The princess gazed at Kirano as the medical staff took their leave. Soon, they were alone. She smiled, and suddenly she wasn’t cold anymore. “You saved me life,” she breathed, pulling him close.

“You said that already,” he replied, putting his arms around her. “And I already told you that if you’re with me then we’re in it together. So stop acting so surprised just because I decided to help you,” Kirano frowned. Bra was shivering again. “We gotta wash up and get changed. You’re freezing.”

“Okay, fine. Look, just... follow me,” the heiress sighed, leading Kirano elsewhere into the palace.

- - - - -

Much to the blond youth’s surprise, he found himself in Bra’s room. However, any lofty goals were quickly shot down as the girl suggested she shower first, and would therefore have time to go find a set of replacement clothes for Kirano while he took his shower afterward. There wasn’t much to do besides dejectedly agree, so he waited, sitting on the edge of Bra’s bed as she disappeared into the attached bathroom, taking in the objects that filled her room.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t much in it. A dresser, a desk, and a really nice bed. Not much else. No TV, no books, no decorations. She had a shelf but it was bare. Curiosity got the better of him, so he went to her desk. A quick rifle through the drawers, though, gave him nothing of interest. A few pens and a blank notepad.

Empty.

He’d heard once that a person’s room was often a reflection of the person who the room belonged to. If that was the case, what did a big room full of nothing mean? It was clean, he noticed that right away, but it was spartan. It felt... desolate. Barren.

Before he pondered his discovery too deeply, the cyan haired girl emerged, clad in a towel. “All yours, Kirano. I’ll get dressed and go look for some clothes, okay?”

He just nodded. “Okay,” he agreed, and then it was his turn to disappear into the bathroom. Bra considered the uncharacteristic coldness for a second, but she shrugged it off. A lot had happened in a short time, maybe he was just thinking.

Toweling off her hair, she was quick to choose a set of clothing, but she paused, frowning at her trademark red garb. It hardly seemed fitting for someone who would have to make a royal address right away. She sighed. Stuck in formal-wear for the rest of her life.

She moved to her closet, pushing the door open. With a frown, she withdrew a black sleeveless, one-piece gown, which came with matching shoes and arm-length gloves. A little jewelry and she’d look the part. She hoped.

A few minutes later, she was hobbling down the halls in heels. How women ever got stuck with these horrible contraptions, she’d never figure out. And the fucking dress was so constricting! She could never run or kick in this thing if she had to, but she did have to admit, as she cracked a smirk. She looked dead-sexy in it.

Finally, she made it to the room in question. The King’s Quarters. She rapped gently on his door, and in a moment, Vegeta was there, in the entrance. He looked the girl over, obviously surprised at her attire, and then raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Look, I, uh... was hoping... do you have any earth-style clothes? Kirano needs-”

“Who?”

“The... blond guy I was with-”

“I know what he looks like. Who’s he to you?”

“A friend,”

“A friend?”

“Yeah. He’s my friend,” Bra retorted.

“Do you look at all your friends that way?” Vegeta shot back with a smirk.

“Wha-what do you mean?”

“Your ears turn red every time you look at him. I’m getting older, Bra. You can’t hide that sort of thing from me,” he grinned.

“You’re not mad?”

“Mad?”

“He’s... not a saiyan,”

“It’s your choice to make, girl. I chose a human once, myself, remember?” he snorted in amusement. Obviously Bra knew her mother. “Besides, I saw what he did for you in our fight. If he’s brave to put himself into the path of my anger, then he’s almost good enough to take care of you,”

“You... you mean you’re okay with it!?” Bra’s eyes shimmered, tears of joy welling up behind them. “I... don’t know what to say, dad. I came into this... I...”

“You hated me. I know. And I understand, too,” Vegeta replied. Bra embraced her father for the first time in years, and the king - wearing a frown - stiffly reciprocated, hesitantly putting a hand on her head.

“For so many years I resented you and mom...”

Bra looked up at her father, eyes shining with an innocence once thought lost forever. “Can you forgive me?”

“Only if you can forgive me,” came the reply.

“Deal,” Bra agreed. Vegeta held her for a moment, silenced by thought. His life was about to change forever, and it meant he had a lot to contemplate.

“Look, your... uh... Kirano... will be waiting for you. I suppose he’ll need some clothing...”

- - - - -

“A tux!?” Kirano angrily exclaimed, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s a formal event,” Bra replied.

“Yeah, but I don’t-”

“Look, I don’t exactly get dolled up all the time either,” the girl retorted, motioning to her own clothing.

“...Yeah, I guess,” he conceded, his eyes roving up and down her beautiful curves. “It looks good on you.”

“Can’t say you look so bad yourself,” Bra flashed a devilish smile. Kirano was wearing naught but a towel around his waist. “It’s almost too bad you’ll be stuffed into a suit like that.”

“I bet it drives you nuts,” the muscular blond declared, taking his formalwear into his arms and heading back to the bathroom.

“You’re so full of yourself!” Bra called after him.

“You know you like it,” came the reply as the door closed.

The princess sighed, and took a seat back on the bed. She dropped her head in her hand and smiled. Her fight with her father was finally over, which meant she could finally spend some real time with Kirano. Once she made her damn speech.

- - - - -

“Dun dun da daa!” Kirano announced as he burst out of the bathroom, sliding across the marble tile in a set of finely polished shoes. “Bet I’m the best looking guy at that dinner table. Your pops ain’t got nothin’ on me!”

Bra took in the sight. Kirano cleaned up very nicely in a suit. She bit her lip. “No, he doesn’t stand a chance,” she agreed, sliding her arms around him. She craned her neck up and leaned in for a kiss, closing her eyes. After a few moments, she pulled back, looking at him. “I’m so happy you’re here for me, Kirano.”

“Me too,” he replied, eliciting a smile from the lithe princess. “You’ve got a crown to take. Let’s go have dinner with the parents, huh?”

“Careful. His bite’s as bad as his bark,” Bra warned.

“I’m sure I’ll manage,” he grinned, and the two of them headed for the dining room.

[Sage]

The party assembled for dinner was very small. Just Vegeta, a couple of aristocrats or nobles or something - Bra could hardly care less - and a few distinguished soldiers given the huge privilege of sitting with the royal family.

Vegeta had taken his seat at the head of the table - he was still king for the time being, after all - and Bra took her seat alongside Kirano. “So,” began the ruler of Vegeta-Sei. “You not only managed to kill my personal bodyguard, but you saved my daughter’s life as well?” the question was obviously directed at Kirano, who cleared his throat to answer.

“Yes, uh...”

“Vegeta’s fine,”

Kirano nodded. “I promised Bra that I’d be there for her. The fight meant a lot to her. I wasn’t prepared to break that promise, Vegeta,” the blond remained totally unfazed by the interrogative tone the king was taking with him, which surprised even Bra.

The raven haired saiyan put his hand on his chin, considering the response. “And I guess you did this out of the goodness of your heart, huh?” came the sarcastic reply. “I don’t suppose there’s not an ulterior motive to getting in my daughter’s good graces?”

“Dad!” the cyan haired hybrid protested. Kirano just waved her off.

“Look, I’m sure it’s pretty obvious by now that we... uh...”

“Dad, I love him!” Bra finally mustered the courage to say those words. Somehow it was a bit easier, since she wasn’t saying it directly to Kirano, but he heard it nonetheless. “It’s not like I don’t have a choice in this, you know?”

“You’re Bra’s father, so I’m sure you care a great deal about her well-being,” Kirano began. “And the truth is, so do I. If hurting her is what you’re worried about, you can relax; that’s the last thing I want to do. She’s a beautiful girl, and I’m sure you’re concerned about people manipulating her... but that’s not who I am.”

A long silence permeated the room, and for a long time, nobody said anything. Finally, Vegeta swirled his brandy, a stronger, saiyan brew, and slammed the entire drink back, setting the glass carefully back on the table. “If I didn’t think you weren’t totally incompetent, I’d have killed you by now,” he growled. “But... not just anyone can kill my bodyguard and stand up to one of my most powerful attacks in the same day... just let it be known, I’ll be watching you.”

Soon, the others engaged in conversation, and Kirano leaned in close to Bra, whispering softly. “Wow, tough crowd.”

“He’s just testing you,” the princess replied. “You came as close to a compliment as most people are ever likely to get.”

Kirano nodded, and the two of them ate more or less in silence while the distinguished company chatted amongst each other, and with Vegeta, if they could actually get his attention. Bra didn’t have much, she was nervous as hell. Just a tiny serving of noodles.

“Dad... this speech... what the hell am I supposed to say?” she inquired.

“Anything you want. Announce that you’re ruling now. Don’t be timid; you can’t give them any reason to question you. They have to know you’re in charge now. Inform them of what happened to the previous king. In my case... tell them that you intend for me to be an advisor to the throne. Tell them about any major changes you intend to make, if you’ve decided on any. Other than that, you can say whatever you feel is appropriate,” Vegeta replied.

“That’s it?”

“Get used to it; you won’t have much time to prepare a lot of your speeches,” replied the girl’s father.

“If you’re done, I suggest you go. You’ll make your address from your throne room, where you’ll be inaugurated as King of Vegeta-Sei,” the king replied.

“Uh... she’s not gonna be the queen?” Kirano implied.

“The ruler is always ‘king,’” Vegeta explained. “It’s a saiyan tradition,” he looked up, noticing his daughter’s hesitation. “Bra, go!”

“You’re... you’re not going?”

“Only the ruler goes. Your supporting staff works behind the scenes. This includes the human, if you decide to take him as your mate,” Vegeta explained, petrifying Bra on the spot. She hadn’t even considered the idea of... she shook her head. There was time for that later.

“Okay, okay, I’ll... see you all later,” she turned to Kirano, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Please come see me when I’m done,” she turned back to the table. “Thank you all for coming. Please, stay, eat and drink. Let this day commemorate all the things my father has done for our empire up until now,”

“Indeed, a celebration for our King!” shouted one of the soldiers. He raised his glass for a toast, and the others all followed suit. Bra excused herself, to which came shouts of ‘good luck’ and ‘long live the new king!’

- - - - -

Bra took her seat in her father’s throne - her throne - and had an attendant assure her one last time that she looked fine. She rubbed her eyes with thumb and forefinger and then stared into the camera, as someone behind it began counting down. She took a deep breath as it reached ‘zero.’ Her broadcast was going out across the planet. It would be picked up, no doubt, by off-planet networks as well.

“Greetings, Vegeta-Sei. I am Princess Bra of the Vegeta Dynasty, Daughter of Vegeta II, King of Vegeta-Sei,” she began, doing her best to sound as authoritative as possible. The saiyan people had no use for weakness. She kept her back arrow-straight as she spoke. “Two days ago, I challenged my father to the throne. For the right to rule this mighty empire. I am pleased” that was a lie “to inform you that I have defeated King Vegeta II in formal combat. It may surprise you to learn that I did not kill my father, as is tradition. Instead, I have decided his knowledge and experience was far too valuable to throw away. As young a ruler as I will be, it is prudent for me to keep an informed council. As a result, my father will preside as my chief advisor, and will serve on my royal council,” she explained.

The cyan haired girl paused for a moment, ensuring she collected her composure before continuing. “As your new king, I have decided it is imperative we rise above our enemies. Our people fought long and hard for their sovereignty, for our freedom to live our lives as we chose! Therefore, it is unacceptable that this planet - that this government - condone the practice of slavery. Just as it was unjust for our people to suffer under someone else’s thumb, it is unjust to pass on that suffering to other peoples!” Bra’s voice was deadly serious, now, and she did her best to sound as commanding as possible. “Thus, my first decree as King of Vegeta-Sei is to abolish the practice of slavery, of any people, cultures, or races. Anyone found violating this decree will be punished by death,” she declared.

“Finally, I wish for peace for our people, but not weakness. I assure you, while I would prefer to resolve any conflicts that arise through diplomacy, I am not afraid to use force to defend our people. We will continue to train our armies, we will continue to fight any who threaten our way of life. Do not confuse my want for peace with a fear for combat. I, myself, will take to the front lines if ever the need should arise. Today marks the beginning of an age of glory for our people. An age of prosperity!” she declared, standing on her feet to finish the speech. She struck as proud a pose as she could, and then nodded to the chancellor who waited out of sight of the camera with the crown. He nodded back, and approached Bra, who turned to face him.

“As Chancellor of the people of Vegeta-Sei, I am proud to crown Bra!” he boomed. “Please take a knee,” he instructed to the demi saiyan, who did as she was told. “By placing this crown upon your head, I declare Bra no longer princess, but King of Vegeta-Sei!!”

Bra stood up again, nodding to the Chancellor as he directed for the cameraman to cut the feed. The speech was over, nothing more needed to be said. Bra smiled, returning the crown to the Chancellor, an elderly saiyan, who hobbled off to return the treasure to it’s rightful place. The crown was for the crowning ceremony only, it was otherwise closely guarded in the palace vault.

The newly crowned king heaved a sigh of relief. She couldn’t be more thankful that the speech was in front of a camera, and not actual people. Of course, this meant she couldn’t gauge their reaction. She shook her head. It didn’t matter.

Bra exited from the throne room, and was surprised to find not just Kirano, but Vegeta waiting for her just beyond the doors. “Thanks for waiting, you guys,” she smiled, before turning to her father. “Well, uh, I guess that’s it. The ceremony’s over.”

“Not as difficult as you’d imagined, right?” came the reply.

“You are going to help me run this government, right? I... I’ll be honest-”

“I know. You’ve never received any preparation for this. Yes, I’ll take care of the day-to-day until you’ve learned how to do it yourself. I can’t just stand by while the empire falls into ruin around us,” Vegeta smirked.

“Thanks, dad,”

“Alright... It’s been a long day...”

“Dad?”

“Hm?”

“You okay?”

“My daughter was just crowned king over my people. I may have lost my throne but... I think I still have a reason to keep my pride,” he flashed his smirk again. “I’m going to speak with your council. Make sure everything’s up to speed. As for you... you kids have fun,” Vegeta instructed, and then took his leave, stalking down the hall.

“King, huh? Just... sounds so weird. You’re too beautiful for ‘king,’” Kirano smiled.

“That is so brutally corny,”

“Tch, as if you don’t like hearing it,” the male retorted, pulling Bra into his arms. “I could say something a little more risque if you like.”

“I think I could one-up you... Kirano... I’d like... uh...”

“What?”

“I... was wondering... if...” Bra sighed, closing her eyes. She shook her head, and bit her lip before continuing. “...I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it scares me to death to ask this, and I hope I don’t sound too forward, but... I’d, well, I’d like for you... to spend the night... with... me.” she watched Kirano with great trepidation in her eyes, paralyzed with fear and anticipation at what he would do or say next.

[Sage]

The two found themselves facing each other in Bra’s room, standing in an uncomfortable silence for a long time. Kirano stood at ease, but the cyan haired girl was obviously frightened, shrinking away from him with her hands clasped over her chest. The blond youth would have laughed out loud at the absurdity of such a powerful warrior acting so timid, but he knew now wasn’t the time. As intrepid as Bra was, this was, after all, not something she’d done before.

“Take off your heels, they’re hurting you,” he finally stated, breaking the ice with a simple observation.

“What? No, it’s... fine,”

“You’ve been in pain all night. It’s pretty obvious,”

“...Yeah, I have,” she conceded, kicking off the shiny, blue shoes, and losing over an inch in height as a result. “Those stupid things are like a torture device. Fuck whipping people, just make them wear heels,” she declared with a giggle. Kirano smirked.

With a sudden movement, Kirano took her in close, and the two shared a kiss. Bra threw her arms around his neck, while he played his hands over her back, only just brushing her clothing with his fingertips. Her dress was decadent, a soft, floaty material. It shimmered ever so slightly under the lights.

For the briefest of moments, Kirano pulled away, forcing a gentle gasp of surprise from the newly crowned empress. She looked at him with expectation. “You’re... sure this is what you want?” he asked.

Bra pulled him tighter, leaning up to his ear. “Yes,”

Kirano leaned in and softly bit her neck, eliciting a loud croon of pleasure from the cyan haired girl, who recoiled under the intense sensation, bending back and away from him, but he gave chase, and with her in his arms, she didn’t have far to maneuver. Bra pressed her leg between Kirano’s and tensed up, pushing her nails into his back.

As if to counter her move, the tuxedo-clad youth slid one hand around Bra’s hip and onto her ass, and put his other behind her thigh and pulled her leg up, shifting her weight against his. The cyan haired girl pushed against Kirano’s chest, forcing him away from her neck, and kissed him passionately.

In response, he found her other thigh and pulled that one up, swinging on his heel and fell into bed with her beneath him. He leaned back, pulling off his dinner jacket, which he tossed nonchalantly to the floor, before working loose his bow-tie. That, too, fell to the wayside.

Bra pulled herself up, and literally tore his undershirt off while Kirano pulled his belt from it’s loops. Both articles were quickly discarded before Kirano pushed Bra onto her back. He kissed her, gently caressing her face with one hand while the other slid up and down her side, before venturing up the mound of her right breast. He squeezed softly, kneading it and taking pleasure in the soft moans it caused her to make.

Eventually, he backed off, and Bra gave him a confused look. She was turning red, and was already covered in a sheen of sweat, her hair starting to become matted. Kirano reached past her, taking hold of the zipper on the back of her dress. He pulled it down to where it terminated, just over the curve of her backside.

Bra suddenly looked a whole lot more confident, and shrugged the dress off her shoulders with ease, exposing her chest for the first time to Kirano, who stood up, both to pull his pants off, and then to pull Bra’s loosened dress down her legs and finally onto the floor.

Taking hold of the hem of her underwear, he pulled away the final layer of clothing, tossing hers into the ever increasing pile of clothes, his boxers already discarded. He climbed back onto the bed and leaned back for another kiss, caressing her delicate bosom, and set to work heightening Bra’s anticipation until he could tell it was practically unbearable.

That night, Kirano took Bra’s virginity.

- - - - -

A week had passed, and the two warriors were almost constantly beaming. Each of them were head over heels for the other, and they’d shared a great deal with one another. Word seemed to be getting around that they’d been sharing numerous sexual experiences, as well, despite their never speaking a word about that sort of thing in public. It turned out Bra wasn’t very quiet when Kirano accompanied her to bed.

The palace’s staff had more sense than to talk about it around them, though, and were even more careful to keep it around Bra’s father. They were all very well-aware of his notorious temper, and none were stupid enough to give him any reason to be mad at anything, for fear he’d take it out on them.

For once, Bra was happy. She had a calling, now; duties that gave stability to her life, and she had, for the first time, love. She wasn’t embarrassed to say so, anymore, either. The two of them sat on a couch, watching TV, but the king - she hated that term, it just seemed so weird - wasn’t really interested in what was on.

The two of them were shocked when a door suddenly appeared, blocking their view of the television, and both of them sighed simultaneously as each realized what it meant. “Time to go see that crazy old man again?” Kirano grunted.

“He’s not crazy... just... well... eccentric. And yeah. I guess we have to go see him. Get the last of this nonsense over with, huh?” Bra hopped to her feet, stumbling somewhat. She just couldn’t get used to this damn formal wear. “Man, I’m a king and I have to wear a dress. How gay is that?”

Kirano just chuckled, “It’s not like I’ve worn anything super casual for the past week, either,”

“Yeah, but you get pants!” protested the hybrid. “You can at least move around without worrying about shredding your clothes!”

“That’s not necessarily a-”

“Shut up,” Bra retorted, already knowing where he was going with the comment. Kirano just laughed; he already got the point across. He glided over to the entrance to nowhere, opening the door to reveal Grimshaw’s bizarre pocket dimension. “You know, I like Grimshaw, I look up to him, but I really hope I don’t have to go back to this crazy acid-trip reality after this.”

“I hear you,” Kirano replied, following her through the door, which forcefully slammed itself shut and immediately disappeared.

The couple found themselves standing on an enormous... disgusting, sludgy... “Are we standing on a pirate ship!?” Bra shouted, bewildered.

“Yeah...” Kirano replied, bending down to take a swipe of the material with a forefinger. He carefully tasted it, raising an eyebrow. “It’s made of chili,” he declared. “...I hate this place.”

“Well... how do we... get out of here?” Bra looked down, screwing her face in disgust. “Dammit! I’m sinking in this fucking chili!!”

“Come on! There’s a bridge attached to the other side of the boat!” the blond shouted, and the two hurriedly slopped through the disgusting contraption, cursing their inability to fly in Grimshaw’s little world. Soon, they found themselves safely on the wooden planks of the bridge, no longer forced to endure the disturbing sensation of quicksand-like chili.

“You know, you guys are putting a ton of pressure on my planks, and you’re filthy! Who’s gonna clean me when you abandon me, huh?!”

“Who the hell said that?” Bra demanded, immediately flashing into a super saiyan. Kirano shrugged, flaring up his own aura, carefully scanning the horizon, but there was nothing in sight but a floating rock attached to the other side of the bridge, and the pirate ship they’d just came from.

“I did. The bridge,” replied the sullen voice. “You’re standing on me right now,”

“You can talk?” the girl inquired, bewildered. Still, she slipped out of her ascended state, scratching the side of her head.

“Yeah... I learned how to talk about two hundred years ago, you know, listening to people as they walked on me, tromping their feet without worrying about any pain I might have experienced because of it. I tried to tell them to be more careful, and some of them listened, but... nobody ever stays and talks with a bridge, you know? Just for a few days, get to know me, you know? I’m not a second-class citizen just because I’m a bridge,”

“No, I don’t think you’re a citizen at all, actually,” Kirano replied.

“That’s so typical. You think you’re better than me just-”

“Look, uh, bridge,” Bra interrupted. “We really have to go see Grimshaw, it’s important, okay? We can’t stay and talk just now, but maybe-”

“Oh, just keep walking on then. Just use me to get to the other side, and then leave me. Fine. Fuck you, too,” the bridge hissed. The cyan haired girl just rolled her eyes and made her way to the other side, all the while the bridge complained about how much of a jerk she was.

They were met with a very grim sight. There was Sage, huddled nervously over the archmage Grimshaw, who had been brutally injured. He looked up at Bra and Kirano as they approached, and immediately the king dropped to her knees to tend to her mentor.

“Wh-what happened here!?” she demanded, looking from the wizard to Sage, and back to the wizard. Bra glanced back over to her daughter, she showed an overwhelming sadness in her features, as if something impossible bad had just taken place.

“Your first-born... she... attacked me and returned to the present timeline... it seems she’s determined to stay here, rather than return to the future,” he explained. “Thankfully, Sage happens to be a proficient medical student, she’s kept me alive so far, but I fear it’s entirely too little, too late. You have to come with me to the tear in space and time and close it before I fade away,”

“Don’t think like that. I’ve got power on Vegeta-Sei now. We can take you-”

“Yes, I know... but the tear must be tended to first! Soon it will grow out of control and consume you and your children. You’ll cause horrific damage to the timeline,” insisted the warlock.

Bra simply nodded and hauled him up to his feet. Kirano was quick to help shoulder the load, and then asked the obvious question, “So, where to?”

“Just hold on to me,” answered Grimshaw, while Sage approached and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. In an instant, they all vanished, appearing on top of a wide, flat, featureless expanse, in front of a huge, crackling energy source. It looked like a spark of electricity, just gigantic, and it refused to wink out of existence.

“Back away!!” Grimshaw shouted, thrusting his hands out at the dimensional rift. An enormous current of jet-black energy leapt from his hands and arms, smashing into the tear, causing it to warp it’s shape and flare, as if in pain.

“Shadow magic!” Bra exclaimed, noticing the tell-tale signature and appearance of the wizard’s energy. He fell to his knees but kept feeding energy into the tear, and it soon became apparent to her that he couldn’t close it himself.

The king stepped forward, pointing her own palms at the tear in space and time, and unleashed her very own barrage of shadow energy, pelting the rift with another column of ebony magic. The tear flared wildly again, and then just like that, it collapsed in on itself, disappearing without any fanfare whatsoever.

Grimshaw collapsed, falling to the ground. “The timeline is safe. I’m sorry I can’t send you home, Sage...”

She just nodded bitterly.

“Grimshaw,”

“Bra, before I go... you realize that since we were able to repair time, that means... you...”

“I’m pregnant,” Bra finished.

“Yes,”

“What happens when they’re born and they meet their future selves?” Kirano inquired.

“People from the future have interacted with their past selves before... it should be fine...” and then he slipped away. Bra and Kirano could feel it instantly, the light of his ki vanished. Grimshaw was no more.

“We have to leave,” Sage quietly explained, wiping tears from her eyes. “The dimension will collapse soon,”

She knelt down to pick up Grimshaw’s wand, and pointed it in front of herself. “Portus Arrivaro,” she mimicked her sister, and an opening appeared out of thin air. Sage dropped the wand, and dejectedly stepped through the portal, and her parents followed. It shut behind them, sealing off Grimshaw’s pocket dimension forever.

“Sage, if you want-” Bra looked around. She was gone. “How did she-?”

“There might be a good reason for all of this,” Kirano offered.

“There better be,” she sighed, putting a hand to her head. “I guess... it’s finished...”

OOC: And that's it for Bra. While I can't speak for Kirano, Bra's storyline ends here. I hope you enjoyed it.