The cold was bone chilling, and they felt it the second they excited the doors of the ship. Although their custom made Capsule Corporation uniforms were specially designed to keep the bite of cold out and their bodies insulated, the chill still crept through the closely knit fabric, deep into their skin. After the first initial shiver, most of them stood in shock, with disbelief of how incredibly freezing it was out in the snow. It was time to begin the mission, and everyone stood beside the ship, including the kids and Piccolo, who were going to stay there. Vejiita stood in the center of everyone, his arms tightly crossed against his chest, watching the events unfold before him.

“Bring Okaasan home, okay?” Goten asked his father, while wrapped up in a hug. Gokuu pulled back and ruffled Goten’s shaggy hair, and gazing at him fondly, nodded. Goten smiled and nodded back, with a barely noticeable glisten of tears in his eyes. “We’ll be waiting for you right here.”

Vejiita looked away from them, his eyes falling to the edges of the horizon, where a light snow was falling, snowflakes the size of rice balls, though lighter and softer by far. To everyone then, the sense of danger and excitement was building, much more so than it had ever before. Miles away their adversary waited for them, and ChiChi was waiting to be rescued as well. It all seemed so close now, compared to the vast distance that had been laid before them in the past. Vejiita could feel the enemies preparing, could feel their opposition from miles away, through the thickness of snow and the harshness of wind. They were waiting, and they were ready.

And more importantly, he thought with his heart growing cold, they were Saiya-jin.

Saiya-jin in part, although, for though the blood that ran through their veins was the same, they were not of the same creature. These were a different breed, one that he thought he would never have to encounter. He had spent his entire life knowing what a Saiya-jin was, breathing battle, living pride. What he knew was what he experienced, what he had seen with his own dark eyes, what he had touched with his own strong hands. He had seen many things through his life, things he knew of planet Vejiita and its honor. He had known his people like he had known himself. Of Saiya-jin nature, there were many secret chambers in the soul, many thoughts and urges locked beneath the strongest of muscles, curled and bound within a long tail and wrapped around the waist. There were surface differences of course, looks and strength and personality, but what lie deep within the core of a Saiya-jin, in the center of their soul, was identical.

The only Saiya-jin that had surprised him thus far was Kakarroto, though Kakarroto himself was something of a different breed. He turned back to him, watching the idiot playfully ruffle Goten’s hair one more time. Everything about Kakarroto surprised him, from the incredible strength in his heart, to the incredible weakness of his common sense. One thing Vejiita knew, though, inside of Kakarroto’s very soul, there was a true Saiya-jin. It had took him a while to see it there, to see it through Kakarroto’s sloppy grin and optimistic spirit. It was there though, there when he chose to show it.

These new Saiya-jins though, he didn’t feel. Whatever Saiya-jin spirit they had before had vanished through years of snow and cold. He hadn’t seen them yet, hadn’t even laid eyes on them, but he knew already. The inhabitants of this planet, the vandals who had stolen Kakarroto’s wife, were Saiya-jin, but they were also not. Saiya-jin in name, maybe, but Vejiita could never bring himself to call them that.

“Be careful, Okaasan.” Trunks said to Bulma, while placing a hand on the back of his neck. Vejiita slid out of his thoughts and moved his gaze to his son, who stared back at him with human eyes. “You aren’t as strong as Otousan and everyone else so….Just be careful.”

Bulma flashed him a weak smile. It wasn’t as brilliant as one of her usual grins, but there was still a slight sparkle of her there. Vejiita fought the urge to close his eyes and bury his head in his hands. A warning was creeping into his heart once more. He turned again, tearing his eyes away from the vulnerability in the eyes of his mate. There would be a time and a place to think of that, but this was not it.

The kids were all gathered in one group, Trunks and Goten standing tall and proud next to Piccolo, Marron behind Goten, tugging uncertainly at one of her pigtails. Vejiita thought that it was an intelligent decision to force them to stay at the ship with Piccolo and out of danger or any kind, especially Kuririn’s daughter, who looked as though she would be scared of a teddy bear. Besides, he didn’t want Tayhei getting in his way. He stared at her as she hugged Bulma tightly, then pulled back with a syrupy sweet smile on her face.

“Watch her.” Vejiita warned Piccolo simply, and the Namek gave a faint smile as Tayhei glared.

Gohan cleared his throat, gathering everyone’s attention. He squinted through the snow into the distance, his brows drawing together. “I don’t think it would be a good idea to fly and show our ki to the entire planet. If we are going for surprise, we should probably try to hide our ki until the appropriate time. Are we going to run?”

“Run?” Bulma asked, laughing. “I don’t think so. I can barely walk, Gohan, let alone run a few miles.” She dug through the small pouch on the side of her belt and withdrew several capsules. “I’ve got a few of Capsule Corporation’s finest snow vehicles here, quiet as the air and fast as the wind. And also as an added bonus, they just happen to be completely snow camouflaged.”

She threw 5 of the capsules on the ground and they exploded with a small boom, throwing up clouds of twilight blue smoke. As the smoke was swept away by the wind and snow, the vehicles were revealed. They were snowbikes, as Bulma affectionately called them, made of smooth pearly metal with soft leather seats. About the size of a small car, they looked more plane than bike, hovering above the snow in perfect silence, wings sticking out on each side about four feet. On the back of each of them, there was a tall fin, for the diversion of air, and the quietest jet engines in the universe for speed.

“Go ahead and grab a vehicle. Two on each should be sufficient. I have more, but I don’t think a whole convoy of vehicles is really appropriate. Besides, we may need them later, and I think it would be wise to save them.” Bulma explained.

Hesitantly, they headed towards the snowbikes. There was a bit of a squabble about the seating arrangements, which Vejiita thought was slightly petty as this moment in time. Gokuu and Kuririn ended up sitting next to each other, after a very frightening assault from Juuhachi-gou left Kuririn seat-less. Yamucha refused to sit with anyone, and ended up with the single bike, and Vejiita looked at him with obvious distaste. For someone who supposedly cared so much about ChiChi, he didn’t seem to be that agreeable with the team effort project. After the squabbling over seating arrangements was over, Vejiita found Bulma’s small arms wrapped around his waist, clinging to him tightly. He looked down at her hands, tiny and gloved white, locked together at his stomach, and felt his heart constrict slightly. There weren’t many things in his life that he cared for, or guarded closely, but she, his mate, was one of them. He didn’t know what would happen on this mission exactly, but he knew they were in for several surprises, and perhaps a greater loss than they expected.

“Kakarroto.” Sukuashi spat out suddenly, and angrily balled his hands into fists at his sides. He turned his head quickly, and a lock of dark hair fell into his eyes, shading the anger there. “Following his father’s legacy perfectly. Damn fools rushing out to save their mates. Bardoku was an idiot for trying to protect Koronu the way that he did. I won last time though, and Koronu was mine to keep, as will ChiChi be, once Bardoku’s brat son is out of the way. And then I will have stolen away his mate once more, punishment fit even for one that has already passed into another world.”

Pi, who stood leaning against the wall, looked out from under the hood she had placed over her head to protect her face from the snow. The whites of her eyes glowed in the darkness there, and shadows from nearby lights shaded her face. She glared, and her eyes flashed. “However much time you spend congratulating yourself on this demented, jealous ‘victory’, it wasn’t a very wise idea.”

Sukuashi rose an eyebrow, and tilted his head, his tail growing still around his waist, signaling his response to a challenge. “You dare to defy me, brat?”

“You're damn right I do!” Pi snapped back, and uncrossed her arms, facing him with no fear and no shame in arguing. “She is a human, and nothing like us. If you think you can cover that up with Saiya-jin injections, you’re wrong. She will never be one of us. And when you die, she will rightfully become leader of this planet; a human leading a planet full of Saiya-jins. We would surely end up in turmoil, with her gentle human ways and weaknesses. Your choice of mate this time is even worse than Koronu! You say Bardoku was the idiot, but I say it is you.”

Sukuashi’s eyes were on fire with anger. “You insolent little bitch!”

“I have a right to be insolent, I’d say.” She replied calmly, and nodded at the legions of soldier beside them, busy with their own tasks of war. “My rightful throne was stolen away from me by a lowly human, just because you couldn’t keep your anger over the past in check. You are truly a pathetic excuse for a Saiya-jin. Saiya-jins should be intelligent and calculating, not vengeful, awful barbarian fools. You are nothing more than one of the Saiya-jins from planet Vejiita. All this time you thought you were better than them, when you were really just always even keel. You are nothing better than them, none of you are!” She yelled, loudly enough for all nearby to hear.

There was a pause, and all turned to stare at the young girl, threatening the leader of their planet. She stood tall and proud, staring at him eye to eye, a dark cloak drawn around her, black as night. The sword glinted at her side, a reminder that perhaps Sukuashi’s law was not the only weapon to be used in destruction.

“All I can say is, you had better watch your back.” She threatened. “When the time comes, I will be in power, and there will be nothing that you or your pathetic mate can do about it.”

There was a tense moment, when Sukuashi blinked slightly, and Pi gained an edge of power. The small girl brushed the short black hair out of her face and snarled at her father, her face inches away from his. “I’m leaving. Try to stop me if you dare. I will find the Earthlings, and I will take no prisoners, no matter what your orders. And if you should happen to stand in my way….” She trailed off, leaving an unspoken threat.

She knew as well as he did that he would not forbid her to leave. Her power had exceeded his own, and though he still remained leader of the planet, they both knew that it would not last for long. Sukuashi was merely biding his time until Pi chose to rid herself of him. Her threats were not shallow, and they would be carried out as soon as she could possibly manage. With a toss of her head, she straightened her gloves and pulled her hood down low over her face. She turned and her cape trailed behind her in the wind, as she stepped away from him and disappeared into the snow.

Sukuashi stared after her with a blank look on his face, and to all those watching, there could be seen a moment of sadness, and perhaps fear as well. It was there for only a moment, then he was interrupted by a hesitant solider, who stepped into their presence holding a small spyglass, an unsure expression on his face.

“Sir, the Earthlings have arrived. They’re on the inner edges of the snowy fields.”

Chapter 51
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