Vegeta paced his chambers. He was agitated, restless, and in a very bad mood. Lema was avoiding everyone, spending most of her time in the training facilities. She refused to acknowledge Bardock, and despite his faceless expressions, Vegeta knew she was affecting him. Bardock would never admit it, truly believing he had been right. He would not fight Lema and this confused Vegeta. Twenty-five years Bardock had been a part of his life and in all that time he had never known Bardock to back down. Vegeta had learned everything from Bardock; so why was his guard acting out of character?

At first he thought Bardock was considering her for a mate, but Bardock showed her the same type of attention he paid to every female. He simply didn't care for her in that manner. Lema slept in the training facility, barely eating or resting before she started over. He knew of the student she sparred with and it took all his will power not to kill the idiot! The only thing that stopped him was knowing that she considered him more like an older brother than as a mate.

She didn't talk about her past, or what drove her to train herself into the ground. Vegeta left her alone most of the time, understanding the obsession to prove to everyone that she wasn't as weak as they made her out to be. Cowli often got her to smile, but they were forced, more for his benefit than that she was truly happy or in good spirits.

He counted the days in his head, shocked that she had been in the palace for over a month. Vegeta had given up on his matches with Bardock, his guard having lost his normal spark. Bardock just didn't care to put up a fight anymore. There was a weariness about the older Saiya-jin and Bardock didn't have the will to hide it. He knew Bardock was in the other room, always close in the event someone should try to attack.

Bardock was standing near a window, his mind on other things than on the red sand. Vegeta knew better than to think Bardock was unaware of his presence. Bardock knew everything that went on around him with perfect clarity and he was even more famous in battle. He knew every move the enemy would make before it happened and this was why he was so hard to defeat.

"Train her," Bardock finally spoke, breaking the silence between them. Vegeta never thought Bardock could get any quiter, but the past several weeks, the man didn't speak unless spoken to and usually answered in five words or less.

Vegeta raised a brow. Slowly, Bardock moved away from the window, stretching his muscles. "I cannot fight her, not unless it's during an official challenge. Lema knows very little about Saiya-jin customs or why I refused that day."

"You said it was an unfair fight," Vegeta said, watching Bardock closely.

"It would have destroyed her." Bardock looked very tired, as if everything was finally taking its toll on him. "Her father truly believes a female has no place on the battlefield, and for now she believes other wise. My son taught her everything he knew, mostly from what I taught him. He could care less if I'm stronger than him or not, but to Lema, who had been beaten time and time again by field masters, lives solely to be the best."

"She'll never say it, but her one wish is to challenge her father and win. Knowing that I'm the stronger, if I were to defeat her, it would crush her completely. I cannot allow that to happen. If she dies, events will unfold that not even I can prevent. She is the only chance this planet has; you know this from your talks with the ancients over the past several weeks."

"They never said why?" Vegeta snapped, angry to be left in the dark, and it was apparent that Bardock knew the secrets the ancients refused to reveal.

"It was the ancients that stopped Turles and I from destroying your father years ago. If it weren't for things that needed to happen, nothing in this universe would have stopped either of us!" Vegeta stepped back, startled by the intensity of Bardock's cold hate, a hint of green at the edges of his dark eyes."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"You were the reason I held back, and in doing so caused a rift that I thought impossible with my twin. Unlike Turles, I have the ability to see in the now and tomorrow. I'm almost certain Lema possesses the same ability, only she can also see things of yesterday. You will know the signs; she mustn't be left alone once her powers begin to awaken. The more she trains the closer she reaches that barrier."

"She's the daughter of Turles?"

"Despite the legends; he still lives. After the death of Leana, he took his twins and hid them in the northern mountains. However, unable to deal with the pain of his mate's death, he eventually handed his daughter over to myself. Every year she looked more and more like her mother, and it only reminded him that much more to never allow her to fight. Everything else is completely him though. Her temper, her stubborn desire to never give up... Lema's twin is an excellent fighter, but with the right training, everything he learned up to this point will pale in comparison."

"What does this have to do with refusing to fight her?"

Bardock swore, remembering that Vegeta was in the dark as much as Lema was. "If I fight her and win, then she no longer has any control of her own destiny. If she were a male, that would not matter so much. Being a female, she would never be allowed to do anything without my support and any respect she would receive would only be out of fear of myself, not of her."

"Then I take her from you," Vegeta growled.

Bardock dropped all acts of pretense, standing to his full height. "Vegeta, I remain at your side because I have chosen to do so. However, if you think I would hold back simply because I have sworn to guard and give my life to protect you; I will not simply hand her over to you. The laws are quite clear, unless she defeats me, you cannot have her without challenging her guardian."

Vegeta almost snarled that he was stronger than Bardock, but stopped. In all the times they had sparred together, he couldn't recall Bardock ever putting that much effort into their fights. How much had Bardock been holding back and could he truly be as powerful as he claimed? Bardock smirked, confirming that he could truly read another's mind like an open book. "I refuse to allow the past to repeat itself, Vegeta. If you truly wish to claim her, then you will follow the laws of the ancients and court her."

"And if I don't?" Bardock didn't blink, his expression cold and indifferent. This was the Saiya-jin Vegeta knew, a man that would carry out a mission regardless of any protest.

"I'll kill her myself. She will not turn into an empty shell like your mother, always trapped in a world that should have never been."

"She hated my father!"

"It doesn't change the fact that he bound them together! That bond threatens to take her even now, and would be his ultimate victory over Turles, Zucca, and myself! I'll be damned if I let that bastard take her either!"

There was so much Vegeta didn't know and he felt like an idiot for neglecting his studies. Perhpas it wouldn't hurt to do a little reading. If Bardock thought he was giving up, he had another thing coming. Lema was his dammit and he would have her. Bardock carefully hid his smile, watching Vegeta walk out of the room to head towards the libraries. It was about time; he just hoped his plan worked. He forgot to mention that he could give Lema to Vegeta without challenging either of them, but it would mean less if Vegeta didn't have to work to gain her.

"When did you get so fast?" Cowli laughed, flipping over his best friend and scissoring his legs. His tall friend cried out, hitting the ground hard in a roll. He was quickly back on his feet, but Cowli was already landing several blows against his chest.

"Four weeks in the training rooms can do that."

"I forget you're a last year student. Is that all you do is train?"

"Not at first, but fighting her is addictive. God she's good, and in a few more days I won't be able to beat her anymore. I've taught her every trick we learned in the academy and she's incorporated them with some strange moves I've never seen before. The computers added the saber men."

"Are you insane!"

"Raditz, stop worrying. It takes at least twenty of them before they start to slow her down, and even that isn't enough."

"Twenty? Most Saiya-jins can't handle two at the same time."

"That girl is like no fighter I have ever seen in my life. I don't think she can beat your father or King Vegeta, but I bet all my money if she couldn't do it in the future."

"You've lost it! No one's stronger than my father!"

"Give her a few more months!" Cowli snapped back, quickly coming to his friend's defense. He didn't know why he was so intense about it, but deep down he knew Lema was truly special. In only four weeks she had reached levels that took fighters years to obtain. She was stronger than most of the first class fighters and he started to wonder if she couldn't hold her own with a few of the elites.

"You're on. I'll see you both in the trials in six months!"

"Yeah right. No student has ever entered the trials in their first year."

Raditz scowled. "I could have entered them in the beginning, but my father said no."

"Why?"

"He didn't say why; it was in my best interest not to argue."

Cowli called it a day, not sure why he was so upset about Raditz's defense of his father. He was so tired about hearing the legends of Bardock and Turles. Everyone automatically assumed they were the strongest Saiya-jins alive so didn't bother to try and surpass them. He had been the same, but sparring with Lema, he forgot about social class structures and focused on only maxmizing his best potential.

Lema never asked questions, she didn't judge him, and most importantly, she accepted him for the person that he was, not what he could or could not be. He worried about her. She seemed alright, but there was something not quite right about the way she pushed herself. Perhaps he should ask her to take a few days off, but quickly dismissed the idea.

Bardock watched her from the shadows, proud of her accomplishments in such a short time, but regretting the distance that had come between them. She used to tell him everything, trusting him completely. This was the curse of knowing what was to come and never being able to tell anyone what he saw. He almost hated Turles for dumping her on him; perhaps if Turles had been stronger mentally, Bardock wouldn't have to deal with her bitter anger. She refused to acknowledge him, even when they stood within arms reach. He said nothing, and it only deepened the gap until he thought there was no hope of repairing the damage.

He couldn't afford to become attached, but he was so damn tired of being the one to shoulder it all. Lema possessed his gifts and so much more, but her life was hell enough without adding more pressure. He just wish she didn't regard him with such animosity. Bardock had yet to tell his brother that she was here, but it was necessary that she find her own path without the interference of Turles.

"You're going to lose her." Bardock glared at her, but she knew he would never harm her. "Why do you push her away like this?"

"This is her battle, not mine."

"Does it have to be? Dammit Bardock! Tradition has never meant a thing to you; why now?"

Bardock felt it, but he viciously clamped down on his rising emotions. He didn't have a choice. At an early age he knew he was different from others. He was stronger, faster, and usually killed the person he was fighting against. Vegeta had no concept of how much Bardock had to hold his power back. "I don't dare fight her, Zucca. Not now, not ever!"

"It's because of Turles," Zucca hissed. She was pushing him, but at this point, she could care less if he struck her or not. Zucca was no stranger to pain. "She has so much potential; stop holding her back or she'll never be able to stop the future you see."

Bardock whirled on her, his eyes wide. "You know?" Zucca stood her ground, trembling as he closed the distance between them.

"Turles suspected it a long time ago, before he mated with Leana. You always knew when it was going to be bad and you would show up just as he was about to deliver the final blow. No matter how close I've come to falling over the edge, you've been there to stop me. Was I certain, no, but I had a good idea that you were one of the eight ancients.

"Go against tradition..." Bardock snarled. "Does that include yourself?"

Zucca paled, unable to move fast enough. He was that quick, trapping her against a wall and himself, his eyes glittering dangerously. "You can't..."

Bardock ignored her, his head lowering until his teeth grazed her throat. "Why? You just told me to throw away thousands of years of tradition; that includes mating with a female that has been marked by another."

"Stop," she protested, but instead of pushing him away, her fingers splayed across his royal armor. Zucca was horrified.

"Why?" His breath was feather light against her skin, his tongue gently stroking just below her ear. "Tell me this isn't what you want. Who the hell is strong enough to deny myself what I've longed to possess for several decades."

She needed to, but the words stopped at the tip of her tongue. "Bardock..." This wasn't like him. He was always so distant from everyone, so cold...

"Am I?" Bardock should have stopped; he was treading on dangerous grounds by messing with Zucca. Suddenly he didn't care. He was tired of doing the right thing all the time and for the first time in his life he wanted to do something for himself. Zucca was right, Lema was different and he could no longer allow Turles or himself to hold her back.

"Someone will..."

"I'll kill them." Bardock tried to stop, he even pulled slightly back. He half whimpered and half snarled, the fire in his blood nearly driving him to his knees. Was this how Turles had felt when he had met Leana? He had thought Turles a fool for allowing himself to fall for the female fighter, now he wasn't so sure. Turles had been furious that Bardock had Raditz through one of the breeder females, but at the time he had thought it the best decision.

He made quick work of her dress, using the material as a blanket to cushion her skin. There were several scars, but he delicately traced each line, making her feel cherished instead of broken. She bit her lip and with a cunning smile, he rested the palm of his hand on her hip. "You always kept a piece of yourself, no matter how hard that bastard tried to own you. Not today... Not ever again... Tonight I show you the way it was meant to be, the way a woman should be treated.

Zucca was afraid. She associated mating with intense pain, but his hands did nothing but soothe. He watched the color of her eyes cloud, the rise of her hips as she bucked and withered beneath him. Bardock could take her at any time, but not until she asked it of him. It started as a tiny spark, buidling into a raging inferno. "Ask me," he snapped, needing her to say the words. If she didn't say it soon he was terrified of breaking the iron control he had worked years to perfect.

She lifted her head, meeting his gaze. Sweat coated his muscular arms and broad shoulders. She had thought him immune to the call of a mate, but he proved her wrong when he impatiently shredded the rest of her clothing and tossed it aside. Zucca gave him a shy smile, shaking her head no. Bardock snapped, engulfed in a red haze. Thankfully both were in a section of the castle that no one ventured any longer, Zucca's cries echoing off the walls. Hours later, the entire castle vibrated as Bardock roared, his teeth swiftly clamping down on her shoulder. Startled, she bit his arm, driven by instincts that neither could fight against.

That night, she slept without nightmares or regret, wrapped in a golden haze that kept her safe. Bardock had broken so many laws by claiming Zucca, but he couldn't say that he was sorry. He would do it again and again, making the decision he had been battling against for several weeks. If Lema was truly set on becoming a fighter, and if Vegeta could prove that she would be safe with him, he would support them as he had in the past.

Ensuring Zucca was secure, he left her alone in her chambers, locking the door before he moved towards the training rooms. The technicians complained about her never wanting to leave, eating and sleeping in the room when it was absolutely necessary. He had to commend the kid that sparred with her, having improved in ways that would have been impossible otherwise. Bardock knew the secrets of their race that had been forgotten, including the ones on how to reach past the normal levels of a fighter.

Cowli would have been a powerful first class fighter, but watching the two spar, the young fighter had now surpassed most of the elites. To his surprise, Lema was keeping up, giving as many blows as she was receiving. He was an idiot! Bardock knew fully well that Lema could be the strongest fighter on the planet, but because of Turles he had always chosen not to interfere. That was about to change; he just hoped that she was ready for this.

Lema was bored. She enjoyed her sparring matches with Cowli, but both had reached the point that they weren't getting any faster or stronger. He had noticed it as well. She hated to admit it, but she was starting to miss the closeness she once had with Bardock. He never said anything, but she knew that he was hurting from her silence. Why was he refusing to fight her? It wasn't that he was against her becoming a fighter, but he never opposed her father either. Did he think she wasn't worthy enough?

Her father never trained her, Bardock avoided the situation, and Raditz was too busy with school. Cyan probably would teach her, but she didn't need to make his life any harder than it already was. "We need to try something different," Lema finally said, deflecting another punch. He dodged a roundhouse, already striking at the opening to her chest. She side-stepped barely in time. Cowli was impressed. She was always coming up with new ways to beat him, applying various techniques she had seen from the other fighters and throwing out the ones that she had little use for.

"That can be arranged," Lema didn't have time to react, caught by surprise as she was flown back and slammed through the metal wall. Cowli quickly followed, landing directly on top. Lema didn't think she could hurt as much as she did the day she had pulled herself from the tunnels, but it wasn't the first time she had been wrong. Weakly she lifted her head, slightly shocked that it was Bardock standing above her.

Casually he knelt, shoving Cowli's unconscious form aside. "Vegeta has been the only person I've ever trained. What do you want; either of you?"

Lema struggled to think past the pain, but he was patient and seemed to be in no hurry for her answer. She must have been insane for wanting to challenge Bardock. He had barely tapped her and she was lying on the floor as if she had been beaten within an inch of her life. "That's easy," Cowli gasped, slowly regaining consciousness. "What's the point of being a fighter if you're not always striving to be the best? That's what pisses me off. Everyone walks around as if they're on egg shells around you or King Vegeta. It's a disgrace and frankly no fighter that calls himself a Saiya-jin would demand anything less than the best. I may work my entire life to reach that goal, but I'll never give up and I would give anything to be able to say I was able to fight the legend."

She staggered to her feet, trembling slightly as Cowli did the same. "I never want to feel like I did that day in the fields. I would do anything you asked; just don't send me back there."

Bardock studied her closely. Anyone else she could have fooled, but he knew her better. "I won't let you quit. And you," Bardock growled, snatching Cowli by the collar of his shirt. "I haven't quite figured out why I haven't killed you yet, but you're also right." Lema swallowed a laugh, watching Cowli open and close his mouth like a flopping fish. "From this moment, your sole responsibility is to Lema as her guard. Not only will you train with her, you will stop any and all attempts made on her life."

"Is that allowed," Lema asked. Bardock didn't answer, releasing Cowli and moving over to the control panels. She knew this was Bardock's way of apologizing and for the first time in several months, she felt a spark of hope. Was he truly giving her a chance?

"Lema," Bardock snarled, his eyes glowing, "I swear if you don't at least give Turles a good beating after this..."

"My father..."

"He's the one you need to convince! I already know you can't defeat him at your current level, but I've also never trained anyone to get that powerful, not even King Vegeta. It will take several years to match his strength and surpass it. That's not my objective. You have to convince him that your need to fight isn't a waste." After setting the controls, he grabbed Lema and Cowli and tossed them into the room. They were instantly crushed to the floor, not even able to move a finger. "When you can jump and run at normal speed, we'll talk. Until then..." Lema couldn't believe him; Bardock left them, leaving it to them to move or go hungry.

Bardock knew what he was about to do was on the border line of treason, but if it worked, the future would have a chance. It all depended on whether or not Vegeta was different than his father. He stormed into the throne room, snarling at the guards to leave. When they started to protest, two were dead before the others knew what had hit them. Turles would never accept King Vegeta, and at the moment, King Vegeta would stand a chance in hell of defeating the space pirate.

"Her father will never allow you to have her." King Vegeta snarled, but Bardock was already moving. In two moves, he was prone, a knee pressed against the base of his tail. "I could have done this years ago."

King Vegeta tried to throw Bardock off, but not without sharp stabs of pain racing up and down his spine. "I haven't even shown a tenth of my power!" Bardock hissed, applying more pressure. "If you can't defeat myself, then you cannot stop Turles!"

'Defeat the legend, a myth? Was Bardock truly the stronger of the two? No one had ever been able to find out.' "And yourself?"

"You'll find out in the Arena."

"She'll never survive those trials!" Vegeta snapped. Still he couldn't toss Bardock off. "Damn you!"

"If I wanted the throne, nothing would stop me. However, I'm not the one you need to convince that you're not your father. Turles has never forgotten..."

"Forgotten what?"

"Ask your mother? She has more right to tell that story than any of us."

"What do you want?"

"Defeat them both. This is the only warning I'll give. The rest will be on your own."

"You're going to train her!" Vegeta guessed. "You've never taken on a student in your life!"

"I did train someone; I just want to know if it was the right decision? Can you protect her? Prove that you can and even Turles will back down."

Vegeta sat alone for hours after Bardock had left, thinking upon what his guard had told him. He couldn't deny the truth, and if he truly deserved Lema, he had to win her according to the laws before his father. He knew what needed to be done, but it would be the most brutal training he had ever under gone in his life. No one had ever survived it that he was aware of, but he had no choice, not if he wanted to gain the only thing that he ever craved.

Vegeta instantly felt the power around him, no longer afraid of what needed to be done. They had told him years ago the steps he needed to lead his people, but he had feared becoming like his father. "What is it you seek?"

There were four, the last of the eight that had guarded Vegeta-sai for so long. The priests were beside themselves, horrified that four of the ancients had simply vanished. Until a month ago, Vegeta had given it no thought, but as he had searched the libraries, he had come across several legends. "You know what I want?"

"What you want and what you need are rarely the same?" The four ancients surrounded him, feeling him with their minds before they retreated. "This is very rare, but not surprising considering what she will become."

"I don't understand..."

"To walk the pathways of the ancients, you will fully understand the tasks and powers that you were given. Your eyes will open and the barriers of who and what you are shall be revealed."

"Will it be enough to defeat..."

"Bardock is the strongest for a reason; you will not be the one to defeat him. However, Bardock is not the one you wish to surpass. Keep in mind, you will be given a choice. Your future with Lema will revolve around that decision."

A white light washed over him, and without hesitation, he walked through. Several weeks would pass before the temple of the ancients would re-open, not even the priests permitted to enter the sacred chambers.

She was the most stubborn individual he had ever met, and that was an accomplishment considering whom her father was. The word quit or impossible didn't seem to be in her vocabulary, Lema taking on any and every task he threw at her. Not one to be left behind was her assigned body guard, not Vegeta's first choice, but Bardock had chosen the kid because of his unshaking trust and loyalty to Lema.

Lema already had very few friends; she could not afford a protector that would run at the first sign of danger. Cowli, to Bardock, was the perfect choice. He never gave up, always striving to keep up with Lema. She was beyond anything the academy could have handled. The past several weeks had calmed her, but there were still signs of fear each time a field master appeared before the council.

King Vegeta had vanished into the temple of the ancients, leaving the kingdom in Bardock's control. Some feared the powerful Saiya-jin would take advantage of the situation, but Vegeta could not have chosen a better replacement. Bardock had no desire for the throne, only to protect its monarch. The royal body guard handled all matters of state, settling disputes, and carrying out sentences when it was necessary. He never stepped outside the limitations of his authority, leaving matters of diplomacy for Vegeta upon his return.

Bardock said nothing about the growing threat of the Ice-jins, knowing the time was quickly approaching that they would have to either join the space pirates or prepare for a galactical war. He knew their future threw Frieza's service; it was uncertain if they chose the other path. Lema had great potential, an untapped amount of energy that seemed to have no limitations or boundaries.

Every morning he would give her a task, and by the end of the day she would have completed it if not gone beyond what he would have expected. Cowli struggled to surpass thirty times normal gravity, but Lema had reached 150 before Bardock could start to slow her down. Both of them were fully capable of defeating the elite soldiers, but would it be enough to stop Turles?

It had been a long time since Turles had unleashed his full power, often keeping to space. Turles was not going to make life easy on them, nor did he think Lema anywhere close to defeating him. She never gave up and, despite his desire not to get involved, Bardock knew she couldn't go back. The ancients had made their choice; to defy their power was an act of insanity and would destroy their entire race.

Vegeta would never harm Lema, he was certain of this. If Lema could not defeat her father, it had to be Vegeta. Would Vegeta kill Turles? Bardock tried not to think about it, knowing the consequences of killing his twin. Not only would Lema lose her father, but the person that had raised her for a good portion of her life. Bardock would not continue his life without his twin; he was just too damn tired for it.

She was practicing some moves he had taught her, her legs buckling beneath the heavy gravity. With ease, he walked out to meet her, his fist caught in mid-air. She was getting incredibly fast. Bardock smirked, enjoying their little sessions. It was very rare for him to get a challenge anymore, and Lema was far from the average Saiya-jin.

Soon... It would be very soon and he would be able to go all out. In his entire existence, he had never been allowed to fight anyone with everything he had. He would give anything to free himself from decades of restraint, to know what it was trully like to fight to his highest potential. He threw a series of kicks, each one met and blocked. She wasn't even watching his hands nor feet, remaining focused on her opponent.

He paused, tossing her a bandana. This was a rare gift he had taught her, one that only Turles and himself knew. She wrapped the red cloth around her eyes, and he watched her shoulders relax. Everything seemed to fall into place when she sparred in this manner. "What do you see?" Bardock asked.

Lema frowned, trying to tune her mental abilities. This technique required concentration and skill. "Cowli is white and red energy. You're more red with bits of yellow and black and yet I feel that there is a great deal more that you're not showing. There's energy everywhere..."

Bardock fired a blast, watching her head snap in its directed path. "Good." The one thing Bardock never used against her was her tail. Lema never let her guard down for it to be grabbed, nor did he have the heart to try and break through it. He could see the points where it had been crushed. Lema never spoke of her days in the fields, nor did he ask. Bardock attacked, Lema catching more than half of his punches.

If he ever regretted anything, it was not training Lema sooner. He had taught Raditz, but the boy had only seemed half interested. Turles had refused to teach her. Bardock truly wished that Lema had been his; she would have never been unwanted, nor would she have this extreme desire to prove she wasn't inferior to males or the field masters.

Cowli was a unique Saiya-jin, forcing himself beyond normal limits. Bardock knew the male would have never reached elite status or higher without the constant sparring with Lema. King Vegeta would be the same. He was vicious before he had met Lema, and if he did what Bardock thought Vegeta was going to do, then it would be short of a miracle if Turles survived. It would be because Vegeta wished it, nothing more and nothing less.

"Bardock?" Lema had stopped in mid-fight, her expression sad. It was one of the few times he actually saw it, all her barriers left open. She pulled off the bandana, studying Bardock for a long time. She was the only person he could never quite know what she was thinking, not unless she left her guard down.

She was easier to understand as a child, but now, because of her father... Bardock snarled, trying to hold back the fury, but she had felt and seen it on his face. Suddenly she was hugging him, her tail uncoiling from her waste to wrap around his. It was a sign of trust, something she did not give lightly. Bardock knew the warrior thing to do was to push her away, but she was already far too closed off.

He felt her shoulders begin to shake, but the tears never fell. She had too much pride to cry and without another thought, he took his strong arms and held her. "He'll never accept me, will he?"

Bardock sighed; he couldn't stay out of this anymore. As much as Turles had ignored her, she was seeking his approval. She wanted him to be proud of her, as a Saiya-jin warrior. "Don't worry about it."

"What if he wins? Bardock, I meant what I said! I won't go back!"

He tensed, hearing a note of finality in her voice. It was a rare vision he saw with her, one that terrified him far more than the Ice-jins. If Turles won, she would respect his position and stand down, but she would also keep her promise and not return to the fields. "Turles will not be your concern," Bardock snarled.

Her head snapped up, her eyes locking with his. "You said..."

Bardock knew this fight had been coming for a long time, and it would have to be done publicly, but enough was enough. "Your only concern is the trial in a few weeks; that and to conquer your fears of the fields Lema. I have taught you everything, the rest is up to you. You have four weeks left, and in that time, the rest of your training has to be done alone. I will fight you in the Arena."

"And my father..."

"Everything will work out, little one."

She believed him. Bardock rarely called her little one, and in a way, him training her had helped them both. It had re-established their bond, making it stronger in ways that he didn't have with Raditz. Her cousin was still her best friend, but she understood the man before her. He tried to hide it, but she knew he was desparately fighting to exist. There was no one that could equal him, and the visions were getting gradually worse. She wanted to help him, but how?

He watched her leave the training area, his gaze moving towards Cowli. He had to give the kid credit; he knew when to keep his mouth shut. "If she chooses to return to the fields, you are to stay here."

Cowli started to protest, but wisely said nothing. He knew better than to argue with Bardock at this point. "And myself. I'm assuming I have to train alone as well."

Bardock nodded, letting Cowli figure things out on his own. "You are to go to Raditz, suggest the idea of becoming a royal guard. It will be his choice, and should he choose to accept he will be assigned to Lema as well."

"Lema isn't a royal guard..." Cowli stopped in mid-sentence. "He's never shown..."

"You weren't paying attention! Vegeta will come out of that temple and will slaughter anything and everything in his path to obtain her."

"Does Lema..."

"You will say nothing!"

"She's worried about Turles. He won't agree to the match."

"You're concern is not Turles, but to make it through every obstacle. As a royal guard you have to be willing to protect her from any and all threats, regardless of your own life. Nothing else matters; just the person you are assigned to protect."

"Even King Vegeta?"

"I alone protect King Vegeta. His order will be to guard Lema. His enemies will target her to get to him. They are not to succeed."

Cowli never imagined he would become a royal guard, but he would never regret the day he had met Lema. It was because of her that he would obtain a status equal to the elite's. Now he had to convince Raditz without getting his head knocked off. Bardock had told Cowli to say nothing about Lema to her cousin, and now he was going to go in and tell them he was to be a royal guard should he accept.

Lema looked out across the desert, her heart filled with fear. She knew what needed to be done, but... Bardock had known her decision; he would never let anything happen to her anymore than he would allow someone to kill King Vegeta. He was that dedicated. What drove Bardock? She knew he was terribly unhappy, just like her father. What were Bardock's demons? She needed to ask him, but it would have to wait.

She had four weeks left, and unless she conquered her fears, she could never truly call herself a warrior. Lema hesitated. What was holding her back? Then she knew; it was a promise she had made. 'Go,' Bardock whispered in her mind. 'Vegeta will not emerge for another four weeks.'

'But...'

'He will understand.' Lema took a deep breath, hoping Bardock was right, and jumped over the balcony. It felt strange to be outside the castle walls, but exciting at the same time. The wind blew in her hair and she felt truly free.

Raditz smashed his fist through several dummies, wishing he had a real target. Six months, and there had been so sign of her. Turles said she was alive, but Raditz would feel alot better if she were home. If only he had been there; perhaps the incident with the field masters would have been avoided.

He lifted his head, watching one of his best friends approach. Raditz frowned. Cowli had been absent for several weeks, but the instructors said nothing as he casually walked through the training yard. His friend was different, sharper, and calm. He used to shy from the elite group, now he simply spared them a glance of cold indifference and continued on his way. Cowli had always been the weaker of the two, now Raditz wasn't so certain that was true anymore.

He stopped a foot away, glancing over his shoulder at the other students. They quickly scattered. "Raditz," he greeted.

"Cowli."

"Will you enter the trials in four weeks time?" Raditz shrugged, not making up his mind one way or the other. There was something in the way Cowli guarded himself, and Raditz had a strong feeling he wasn't going to like what his friend had to say.

"The last time you were this tense, you were keeping a secret that got your entire class in trouble."

Cowli flinched; this was going to be bad. Raditz was going to be furious either at his father for keeping Lema's location a secret, or Cowli for lying to him. "It would be in your best interest to go through the trials and apply for the royal guard position."

"There's only one royal guard, and that's my father. King Vegeta has killed everyone else."

"You will not be guarding King Vegeta, but the one he will choose as a future Queen."

"King Vegeta... a mate..." If he hadn't known his friend better, he would have thought this statement a hilarious joke. Cowli didn't smile, nor laugh, keeping himself braced for the explosion. His insides were twisted in knots, praying his friendship would remain in tact afterwards.

"Do you remember the girl I told you about; six months ago?"

"Yes." Raditz went very still, starting to add things together. There were very few things that could make him angry and the subject of Lema was one of them.

"Bardock is protecting her, or at least he was until today. As is tradition, the last four weeks before the trial, she is on her own. If it weren't for Bardock, none of us would know who she is or where she was from. She doesn't talk about her past. King Vegeta has also taken her under royal protection."

Raditz gaped. King Vegeta cared for no one. To offer his protection spoke volumes, even if a public announcement had not been made about his interest in the mystery female. "What are you trying to say, Cowli?"

"Your cousin, the one that disappeared, she's been in the castle for the past six months." Cowli thanked every bit of training he had received from Lema and Bardock, barely catching the fist in time. It had happened so fast. Lema was a sensitive subject to Raditz, but to go into a Saiya-jin rage... Was everyone like this around Lema? Bardock was protective of her, Raditz had talked about her all the time before she had vanished, and the King had taken an instant liking to her.

Several of the elites came rushing up, but couldn't get in to break the two apart. Most of them associated Raditz as calm and clever, nothing like the brutual savage that slammed fist after fist into Cowli's side. Cowli had hoped to avoid a fight, but unless he started to defend himself, they would be looking for a new royal guard.

Raditz didn't feel the first punch against his jaw, but after about ten minutes of several round houses, he quickly found out he was losing. Cowli did a quick scissor to his friend's legs, knocking Raditz to the ground, rolled over and pressed an arm against his throat. "I didn't want this," he hissed. "You have two choices, and I suggest you listen!" Raditz had never seen Cowli this hostile or aggressive.

"Ever since I've met her, she's thought of everyone but herself! All Lema has ever wanted was to be given what you so easily have and take for granted! Because of Bardock, you are respected and given the status that you have yet to earn! We are friends, and I would hope that it could remain that way, but my duties and loyalty will always go to her first."

"You have no concept of what she deals with, nor the battles your father now has to fight because he has chosen to step in and interfere. Female warriors are very rare on Vegeta-sai, and they have to either have full support from their male guardian, or have beaten them in combat. Do you honestly thinks she's strong enough to defeat Turles?"

"Bardock would be the only one strong enough."

"Then we have to help Turles see that she's strong enough to become a fighter."

Raditz snorted. "Lema wouldn't hurt a fly." Cowli couldn't be talking about the same little girl that followed him around.

"Will you fight or not? Lema needs the support from her family, especially the one person she considered an older brother."

"He will if he doesn't want every bone in his body broken!" Both heads snapped up, gaping at the tall Saiya-jin in the door way. Raditz almost thought it was his father, but this male was too young. "You know damn well who I am, Raditz!

"Cyan? How..."

"I've known for some time that she was here, but she asked that I wait a few weeks before defying my father."

"Are you insane?" Raditz roared, shoving Cowli off of him. "No one defies Turles; not if they want to live and tell about it!"

Cyan snarled, lifting and smashing Raditz into another wall. It started to crack, "I'm so tired of cowards! Saiya-jins aren't afraid to fight, regardless of the end result! My father is stronger; does it matter? Lema is fighting for her own survival and you left her alone! This Saiya-jin," Cyan jerked his head in the direction of Cowli, "Never knew her, but has chosen to protect her! He wasn't afraid to face your father, and he isn't afraid to fight Turles. King Vegeta, as we speak, has taken on a suicide mission in the hopes he becomes powerful enough to stake his claim! Bardock risks severing all ties with his twin as he goes to confront Turles, announcing a law far older than the ones that allow a male to claim a female."

"How do you know..."

"Everyone has to be an idiot if they think I can't see what she sees! I'm her damn twin! If she dies, I die! It's that simple. I felt her pain, each strike of the whip against her back, and the breaking of her tail. Towards the end, she blocked my father and I completely. However, I don't think he'll be as stubborn as everyone thinks."

"He said..."

"He wants to know she'll live without the aide of another male, that she won't end up like our mother."

"Cyan," Raditz growled, "I'll fight, but we better win!"

"We won't defeat our fathers, but that is not the objective. The point is to get them to see Lema as a warrior worthy of standing on her own."

Bardock found him in the fields, helping a few of the workers fortify a structure. It wasn't the first time Turles helped out one of the third class Saiya-jins, nor would it be the last. He didn't want to do this, but Lema had to come first. Turles wiped the sweat from his brow, having sensed Bardock thirty minutes prior to his entering the northern mountains.

He didn't often concern himself with his brother, but gazing at the quiet man, he noticed things that were not obvious to someone that didn't know him. Turles thought Bardock invincible, and perhaps it was true. There were dark circles beneath the warrior's eyes, worry lines around the corners of his mouth, and a solomn acceptance in his gaze that alerted Turles that they were about to clash. The last time was about the former King's son. "You know where she is..."

"I won't send her back here," Bardock promised.

"Can you keep her alive?" Bardock had expected alot of things from Turles, but a calm question was not one of them. He greatly under estimated his twin. "We've all done a lot of thinking in the past several months; besides, you wouldn't come out here for any other reason. You said before she was alive."

"Turles..."

"Bardock..." Turles sighed, his expression regretfull. "I'll never agree with her becoming a fighter, but to bring her back to these fields would be a fate worse than death. She isn't ready for a life in space and each time I see her, I'll only be reminded of... I will give you full rights as her male guardian, on the condition that she makes it to the final rounds in the trials."

"And Vegeta..."

"I have more rights to deny that match than anyone, but if either of us were to die as a result... I will not cause her further suffering."

"She still needs her father."

"Is that even possible, Bardock?"

"Stop running and find out! All she wants is your acceptance. That girl has so much potential."

"You're training her for more reasons than just to defy me, brother."

"Saiya-jins live to fight, Turles. What's the point when you've been the strongest fighter since the moment you could utter your first words? What's the point when everything you see ends in destruction and everything you do makes no change in the result? Lema is the first person that makes those visions blur, as if there is a possibility for something other than total annilihation."

"Is she that important?"

"To deny their match and her place as a fighter, will ensure the extinction of the Saiya-jins. I have seen our future. The planet will be destoyed, with less than ten Saiya-jins left alive. Those will all fade away, leaving only one that is forced to become one with a god and to never associate with mortals for the rest of his immortal life. In short, the extinction of a race that was known for it's strength, pride, and status as warriors. Is this what you want?"

"One way is death, another is uncertain. All I've wanted was to keep her safe... Answer my question! Can you do it or not?"

"It depends on you. Will you join the royal guard?" Turles froze in horror, starring at his brother as if he had grown a second head. "It's been a long time since we were one team; will you help me save this planet, Lema, and everything Leana stood for? This is not the way she wanted you to live, or for her daughter to question her place. You know what she is and once that power awakens, she needs to have been taught how to use it."

"You believe those legends?"

"We weren't born with the powers we have and the legends not be true. However, the strongest of the ancients has yet to be born. I came here thinking we would be forced to fight, but I would much prefer that Lema had the full support she needs in four weeks. Do not force her or Vegeta to challenge you. I won't be able to undo the damage."

"Fine." If Turles didn't know better, he thought he saw a huge burden lift from his twin's shoulders and a rare smile appear before it vanished. Bardock was gone as quickly as he appeared, nodding to Ringo in farewell. She looked at Turles with hopefull eyes.