Once Upon a Dream

Vegeta made a flourishing bow and smiled. "All in a days work. But now, I must bid you people farewell." And, just like that, he was gone.

Bra and Gavin both crouched by the fallen prince to see if he was still alive.

"He doesn't have a pulse," Gavin said softly, his head bowed. "This is a truly sad day in history."

Bra just stayed there, silent tears falling onto his still body. "This shouldn't have happened to him. He didn't do anything." She turned teary eyes toward her father even as she clutched at the pendant around her neck. "Papa? Why did it happen this way?"

He shook his head. "I don't know."

"Bra-chan," Kat spoke softly. "I don't know if I'm supposed to tell you this but..."

"Nani? If you can't help this situation then be quiet!"

Kat barely flinched. "I can actually."

The girl looked up. "What did you just say?"

Kat walked over and placed a hand over his heart. "I said I can save him."

"Then he's still alive?" Bra asked, hope brightening her blue eyes.

Kat sighed. "Barely. But there's a small problem." She looked troubled. "I can give him part of my life energy to bring his back up to full power. Unfortunately it will weaken me and I think there's going to be a major battle coming up. I don't know if I can save him *and* have enough ki left to protect the rest of the saiyans."

"Can I help you? If I take a part of everyone's ki and give it to you, could you bring him back?" Goku asked. "That way everyone has enough left to fight."

"I have no idea how to turn that a ball of *everyone's* life energy into a single, unified thing. But if I don't do something soon, he will die." She nodded to Goku, her face tense. "We can at least try."

He nodded and began to take a small part of their ki. Bulma and Lord Cosmos chose to enter the room at that time.

"What happened?" She gasped as she saw the two bodies. Cosmos covered his mouth with his hand as he looked back and forth between everyone. His eyes narrowed suddenly and he pointed a finger at Vegeta.

"Did you do this?!" He shouted, his voice filled with both rage and grief. "I will have you hanged for this!"

"Calm down," Vegeta growled back. "Your prince murdered both your king and your second prince."

Cosmos' anger immediately evaporated and he sank to his knees. "I had a bad feeling that something like this was going to happen." He bowed his head and clasped his hands together. "O Great Kami of the Planet, O Great Spirits of our ancestors, was this to be? Why did you take away two very kind people?" He sighed. "I guess it was just their time."

Kat's brows drew together, her mind all made up. "Hurry up, Goku. I need to revive His Highness. I can't bring back the king, but I can at least save one of his sons."

"We can save *both* of them," Cosmos said firmly. "We *will* save both of them."

She nodded. "Hai. Both."

Goku handed his ball of energy to Kat gently, careful not to waste any. "I added a lot from myself and Vegeta. It should be enough."

"You took more of my ki than you said that you were without asking?" Vegeta asked.

Goku nodded. "You'll still have enough to fight with, Veggie. More than enough."

Vegeta looked down at the still form of Camell. "I just don't want to see either of them turn out like I did."

"Vegeta-ouji is *way* past you, Papa," Trunks snorted. "He's Satan's Little Helper."

Kat held her hand's over the prince's heart and began to slowly transfer the ki into his body. "Not necessarily. I don't think he really understands what he's doing."

"What do you mean Kat?" Bulma asked.

"When he attacked Camell here," She stopped momentarily to check on her 'patient', "he was using the skills of someone who had received years and years of practice and formal training. It was someone else’s knowledge, not his own. He was too good."

"So someone else is controlling him?" Vegeta asked.

She nodded. "It's a definite possibility."

"I don't care *who* is really behind this!" Bra growled. "I just need to find the person responsible for all of this so I can kill them!" Then she frowned. "But it can't be Vegeta because Camell would be sad."

"His own damn twin tried to murder him!" Vegeta said. "He should be the one trying to get revenge, not you."

"He told me before, Papa, that no matter what Vegeta did. He would always love him."

Vegeta snorted. "And it's always love that gets you killed. Would love save you when you come face-to-face with your worst nightmare?"

"Vegeta, don't start this debate again," Goku told him. "Not now anyway."

"I wasn't insulting it, just merely stating a fact. An ironic fact, but a fact nonetheless."

"That's a first," Trunks muttered.

"Can you all please shut up? This isn't helping!" She was concentrating on trying to get his body to accept their energy and it didn't seem to want to do it. Beads of sweat slid down her forehead to drip into her eyes, burning them. She brushed her bangs away, irritably, when the boy below finally took a deep, although ragged, breath. She fell back, almost completely exhausted, with a huge smile on her face.

"Well, I think he'll be okay."

Camell blinked tiredly at the two girls leaning over him, Bra in particular. He struggled to speak and at length his voice was heard, small and deeply sad. "I still love him Bra. I still love him."

She nodded. "I know. But will love be enough?"

He sighed as his eyes slowly closed in sleep. "Probably.... not."

Kat picked him up gently in her arms. "But I think he knows. Somewhere, deep inside his heart, he knows. And that small part is reaching out to you even now."

Bra agreed simply because she didn't know what else to do. "We will save him, Camell, or die trying."

The latter was more probable than the former.

***

He sat there, peering into the 'looking glass' he used to spy on the good people of Vegeta-sei; to see into their very souls. It was very clear that night, *very* clear. Vegeta-oui's death had seen to that. It seemed that somehow he had been protecting his people with an invisible shield, every single citizen under his care. But the man did not know how. It should have been beyond his ability but it wasn't. It was as if he were drawing energy from some unseen and unheard of source. The man thought that maybe he was taking it from the other saiyans themselves.

He dismissed that thought with a wave of his black gloved hand. Former Vegeta-ouji would not do a thing like that. He was too gentle, too kind, too pure. Completely unfit to the be the leader of the Saiyan Empire. But yet he was and a large majority of the people loved it.

He smiled then at Vegeta's kindness. He was a fool and had only received a punishment fitting a fool.

The Saiyan race was never meant to be 'civilized' or 'kind'. The destiny of the saiyans was simple, based on the basic rule of the jungle. Survival of the fittest.

You either were strong and survived or were weak and perished. There was no in-between.

***

"Vintri, I thought you said chaos would rein supreme in as little as an hour," Chieftess Raven said to him from the high seat of her throne. The man in question stood beside her with a patient smile on his face.

"Have faith, Raven, that's all that I ask."

Vintri, or The Lord of Darkness, was a short man and that alone had alienated him from his brethren. He was pudgy and rather ugly to look at but everyone knew that there were many things to admire once you got past his looks. Vintri was the most powerful man on that planet and that alone was enough to earn the Ningai's respect. No one knew where it came from but there was a rumor only whispered in the still of night that he had made some bargain with a dark spirit. As Raven sat there looking at him, she could believe it.

Scars and general disfiguration marred the whole entire right side of his body, from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. There was a rumor about that as well. Some priest or other pressed a blessed object into his flesh, hoping to drive to evil from his body. That man seemed to inspire all sorts of rumors.

Raven turned her head quickly from his body as she was sitting on his right side. Vintri didn't like people to stare at his bad half and the punishment tended to be rather long. The shrill screams from the victims were, in fact, the only thing short about the process. The chieftess made sure not to end up in the same position as the others. She had no doubt that he would do the same to her as well. But the strange thing was, the man didn't bother to hide them at all. It was like he was testing their will power. Looking at his scars was similar to looking at a bad murder scene. You don't want to look but you can't help yourself.

"Ah," Vintri whispered as the door slowly creaked open, "I told you it was possible. You see, he is finished."

Neo Vegeta-oui stepped through the heavy wooden doors and stepped immediately to the dais. He bowed low once ten feet from the dais.

"My job is complete, Lord of Darkness, I have finished."

"And you're sure he's dead?" Vintri asked even as he waved his hand. "Yes, yes. He is. Everyone must feel as if a part of them they never knew existed has just perished." He smiled bitterly. "Even I can feel it."

Vegeta nodded. "I felt it the moment my sword slid into his heart. Did you know it took me more strokes than normal?"

"Silly child. He is, or *was*, Kami. Of course it did." He turned to Raven. "And there you have it. You should have your warriors take over the Capital first. It will discourage the others from foolish actions once they know their king and Guardian are deceased."

Vegeta looked up. "Their old King. Don't forget that."

"Yes. Of course."

"What about Camell, your cousin, and their friends?" Raven asked him. Vegeta smiled.

"You do not have to worry about Camell at least."

She looked him in the eyes. "You didn't..." She smiled slowly. "You are so deliciously wicked!"

He mock bowed. "Thank you but it didn't require that much effort at all. He was poorly underskilled even using that blade the cat-girl gave to him."

"Cat-girl?" Raven asked.

Vintri nodded. "I have seen her in the Glass. She has hair the color of fire and her behavior is very much similar to a feline's. She isn't a native at all."

"She's from another world?" Raven's voice was filled with wonder.

"Yes. That much is clear. So are the other newcomers. Tell me about the blade, Vegeta."

The boy began to gesture with his hands to show everything. It was long, *incredibly* long. The blade itself had to be at least four spans (9 in. per span)."

"Was there anything on the hilt at all?" Vintri questioned. "Anything?"

He shook his head. "Nothing."

"Hmm. Vegeta? Did it have an aura?"

The boy was confused for a moment. "Define 'aura'."

"Did it put out any power? Could you see or feel it's power?"

He thought a bit then nodded. "It was a pale yellow light. Like the sun in early morning."

The man nodded at his responses and said, almost to himself. "Then it was the Soul Blade she had."

"And what is that?" Raven asked.

He pressed his lips together. "It would be best if I told you the legend behind the weapon." He cleared his throat.

"At the beginning of time there was a great evil that threatened the Balance of everything. Astor was his name and he sought to unravel the very fabric of order. The High God could not have that and he searched for a way to slay the demon.

"For many years they fought, Astor and the High God, and God could only repair the damage that Astor had done. Finally, after a long time, the High Priest approached the god with a plan.

" 'High God,' he said, 'I have a way for you to defeat Astor. The spirit of the people in your universe are very powerful and they would be glad to help out to save their worlds.'

"The High God thought about this and he nodded. 'Yes. Yes they are. But we cannot win on spirit alone.'

" 'Fire is a purifying element. Let's add it to the Solution.'

"So the High God did, mixing his people's spirits together and purifying them with the fire so that a beautiful blade made of pure energy emerged from His hands. They both knew that there were still things missing so the High Priest captured a small demon from the Nether Realm.

" 'High God,' the priest spoke, 'this demon's blood will represent all things Evil and will strengthen our weapon. Let us add it to our Solution.'

"The High God did that as well and a protective covering of metal enveloped their blade. Then the High God smiled and kissed the hilt.

" 'And it is done. I have added the spirits of my people as a base, the element of fire to represent their souls and purify them, the demon's life blood to strengthen the bonds, and my blessing to bind it all. Nothing shall destroy this sword and I name thee the Soul Blade in honor of my people.' "

"So that was how the Soul Blade came into existence!" Vegeta said in awe.

"Yes. And if he would have stabbed you with that weapon..." He trailed off, raising an eyebrow meaningfully.

He shuddered. "Would I just die? Or would something else happen?"

Vintri stepped from the dais and began to circle around Vegeta. "If you were an innocent you would just die. But then again, the Blade was not meant to kill innocents. Because you have given your soul over to evil the Blade will completely destroy your body in an attempt to purify your soul."

Vegeta looked up, his eyes wide with fear. "Are you serious?!" It came out as a squeak.

He nodded. "The most important thing, however, is to find out how it came to be in the girl's possession."

"Can't you use the Glass, Vintri?" Raven asked.

He shook his head. "Something is preventing me from seeing. I suspect it's the High God or his servant."

Vegeta sighed, still a little frightened at the prospect of the Blade entering his body. "Now what are we supposed to do? We've conquered both the king and the Kami."

"You go back to your palace, child, and rule over your people." Vintri said to him. "We will go ahead with the Change."

Vegeta-oui nodded as happy as the cat that had caught the canary. He didn't see anything wrong. But then again, he was only thirteen.

"I will provide you with transportation back and you will still retain my skills in combat. Those people are still there, you know."

"I know. They would not leave Camell."

Raven smiled and it was not pleasant. "Do I detect a hint of jealousy in your tone?"

He shrugged. "It's not unusual and I'm not ashamed of it. Our father did not treat me the way he treated my brother."

"He didn't in your opinion?" Vintri said more than asked. But no one even acknowledged that he had spoken. He suddenly waved his hand in an quick gesture causing Vegeta to be sent back to his new kingdom. The man turned to Raven.

"He honestly does not think he was being treated fairly." He said almost to himself. "Some people would have given anything to be in his place."

"I wouldn't have." The chieftess said with no little conviction.

He sighed and the sound was almost as if his heart were breaking. "There was a time when I would have agreed with you. Now I'm not so sure."