Vengeance of a Prince *COMPLETED*

Chapter 19:

Bura’s scream, muffled by Gohan’s palm, sounded in Piccolo’s head with all force of a Kamehameha blast and the Namek gasped, clenching his fists. Gohan didn’t seem to notice, or to care, and Piccolo watched as the demi-Saiyajin, his mate, his beautiful, terrible Gohan pounded into Bura, his teeth still locked on her throat.

Something snapped in Piccolo’s mind then and he rose quietly to his feet. His black eyes glazed with something like defeat, he gathered his ki, pulling it into a massive energy ball that blazed in his hand like purple flames. He knew Gohan would sense the spike in his ki and sure enough, the demi-Saiyajin spun around with a snarl, just as Piccolo attacked. On reflex, Gohan blocked the blast and sent one of his own, before he even consciously realized who he was attacking. With his defenses down, Piccolo let the attack hit him full force in the chest and Gohan’s black eyes widened in horror as it tore a hole through his mate. The stench of burning flesh rose into the air as Piccolo, a grotesque smile on his face, dropped to the ground.

Gohan screamed like a man dying as the pain of his mate’s death ripped through his head. Bura forgotten, he crawled to Piccolo’s side, clutching at his temples, his hands fisted in his hair as wave after wave of agony rolled through his mind. Gasping for breath, Bura scrambled to her feet and ran.

It felt like forever before she burst into the sunlight and the day seemed obscenely bright for the events that had just occurred. Fighting down panic as she realized she didn’t know where she was, Bura searched the area for ki and, surprisingly enough, found a flicker. It was weak, but it was Saiyajin and she took off toward it.

~*~

Goten felt the smaller ki coming toward him and paused, confused, exhaustion fogging his brain. Who in the world…? Bura came into view a moment later and Goten blinked. “What are you doing here? What happened?” he added, noting her torn, bloody form and scant clothing. “Your brother.” He flinched at her words, sharply reminded that it was his family, his brother, his blood that had killed Trunks and set this whole thing in motion. Without speaking, he stripped off his shirt and handed it to her. She took it gratefully and slipped it over her head. It hung to mid-thigh and she gave no further thought to her state of exposure as she noticed the bag in Goten’s hand. “The dragon balls. How many are left?”

“Three more to gather. These two are fairly close, but this last one is a lot further,” he said, showing her the radar. Bura bit her lip and nodded. “Lets get started then.”

Goten tamped down the irritation at her words. “No, you get back to Capsule Corp and make sure our fathers haven’t killed one another yet,” he said. She frowned, looking undecided. “Bura, go! If Vejita and Father aren’t around, Gohan is the most powerful being in the universe and we are all as good as dead,” Goten snapped. Bura’s eyes widened as that truth sank in and she nodded. “Okay. Just get the dragon balls and wish Trunks back. Hurry,” she added, before she bolted in the general direction of her home.

~*~