Burori marveled at the incredible scope of the space around him from the window on his pod. Everything was so incredibly silent, cloaking the heavens in a sense of eternal peace. He found himself hoping that death would be something like this, a sort of beautiful tranquility that stretched forever in all directions. He shook the thought from his mind. Death wasn't in his future anymore. Instead there was life, freedom, and finally a chance for happiness.

He watched the slow rotation of the planets, amazed at how everything seemed to work in a series of unending cycles. He had traveled through space before, and all he had seen then was pain, emptiness, and despair. Now there was hope lying amongst the far off stars, beckoning him onward.

He reach down to the pod console and flicked on the communications system, trying to understand the cryptic matrix of letters and numbers that appeared on the computer screen. He could see a layout of the fleet of pods floating through space, all headed towards some destination that Burori had no clue about. He wondered whether he was right to trust Azlan so much, and he remembered Yanorik's warning about trusting the Namek. Still, he had come this far, and Burori considered himself far better off here than rotting back in the cell.

The small speaker on the interior of the pod squawked, startling the large Saiya-jin. He listened closely and heard a faint voice coming through.

" Thank you for helping us," wheezed a tired old voice from the speaker. " I did not trust you, but it appears that you may have saved us after all."

" Yanorik?" Burori asked into the speaker, wondering if the old Saiya-jin could hear him.

" Yes, yes, it's me," the old man answered. " I used to have a craft like this one back when I served in the army of King Vegeta. The new models are different from the ones we used back then, but the basic setup is the same."

Burori paused thoughtfully, trying to imagine the old man as a warrior.

" Yanorik, what was it like serving in the Saiya-jin army?" he asked.

" Well," the old man replied as he gathered his thoughts, " it was a hard life. We traveled from planet to planet, and we fought more battles than I can ever hope to remember. But we were proud back then, proud of what we were and proud of King Vegeta. We knew back then that we wouldn't serve Freezer forever, and that one day we would rise up to reclaim our heritage again."

There was silence between the communication channels as both Saiya-jins tried to remember what it was like to live on the old homeland of the Saiya-jin race.

" We hoped that one day a Saiya-jin would rise up to cast down Freezer, and establish us as the greatest warriors in the universe once again." Yanorik's voice became weak with emotion as he tried to recall the old tales. " Even then we prayed for the return of the legendary Super Saiya-jin to restore pride and honor to our people."

Burori looked blankly out into the stars, amazed that people would actually pray for his coming into being. He pressed his hands to the fortified glass window, feeling the freezing cold of space through the material.

" But now I have lived to see the legendary Super Saiya-jin, and though you may not have been able to save planet Vegeta, you were able to save us, and for that I am grateful."

" There is no need to thank me, Yanorik," Burori replied wistfully. " I don't even know why I became a Super Saiya-jin. It is less like a blessing and more like a curse. There is a rage inside me that I cannot remember, and every time I use my powers I can't help but feel that hatred boiling inside me, ready to burst. I can't even really trust myself, since I don't know how long my control over it will last."

" Listen here Burori," the old Saiya-jin lectured. " You can learn to control any power through discipline. You must learn to control your power, or else you will be destroyed by it. You are probably the strongest being in the universe, but you must take care lest you become a monster."

" I'm not the strongest being in the universe," Burori sighed. " Voma almost killed me back there, and I have no idea how he suddenly became so strong. Zaros is unbelievably strong- I have no idea how Azlan really plans to stop him. And there are others who are stronger than I am."

" Others?" Yanorik asked. " What others?"

" Well, there were Saiya-jins," Burori began, but memories rose up from inside of him, strangling his voice. He remembered the others, with their sneering faces and terrible powers. He should have killed them. He should have been able to kill them but they simply wouldn't die. Gohan and Trunks, two half-Saiya-jins that he should have been able to crush utterly, but they wouldn't stay down. There was an even smaller one that he could remember, a little creature with incredible power that he couldn't seem to slay. There was Vegeta, that arrogant fool who should have been dead a hundred times over but somehow managed to survive the immense damage that he suffered. Then there was the hated one, the Saiya-jin who had haunted his dreams and waking hours since the beginning.

" Kakarotto-" he whispered.

" Who?" Yanorik asked, his ears straining to hear Burori's whisper.

Burori gripped the sides of his chair in the space pod, straining to fight back the demons crawling up his throat. He could feel it burning in his stomach, that old hot anger that fueled his fighting spirit. It was like a flame that could never be quenched, an ever-burning monument to hatred and vengeance. Vengeance for being born. He grit his teeth, trying to hold back the floodgates of rage that now threatened to consume him. He didn't want his hate back anymore. He was happy. He had friends who did not hate him, and he had a woman who cared about him. He had a woman he wanted to take as a mate. He could not let himself slip back now, to slide down into the darkness where his past lurked like a beast stalking in the darkness.

" I won't-" he grunted, feeling bile rise up in his throat. His mind burned, thousands images of pain and death dancing across his inner eye. He had caused countless numbers of people pain. He had destroyed entire planets with hardly a thought, reveling in his own insane power. He did not deserve happiness. He did not deserve a chance to walk in the sun, to know peace, to take a mate, to have a child, to love. He deserved nothing but the mantle of the warrior, the curse of his birth. He deserved to give in to the rage, to let the easy strength melt into his muscles and imbue his body with the killing spirit once again. There was no way he could escape the maze of his own mind, to break free of the chains he forged and step into the light.

" Burori, what's wrong?" the old Saiya-jin's voice rang through the speaker.

" I- I-" he croaked, trying to fight the transformation that he could feel within his mass of muscle and bone. It was impossible to fight the temptation, the seductive urge that gnawed on his mind.

He clenched his fists, blood pounding through his veins. He wanted to give in. He wanted to become the monster again, to have the people who walked in the light heap their hatred upon him so that he could destroy. He wanted nothing more than to rend something in his hands, to feel flesh fail and bone crack under his fists.

He bit his lip, drawing thin trickles of blood running down his chin. He did not want to change. He wanted to stay the way he was, as Burori the friend, Burori the companion, Burori the hero. He wanted to trust, and to be trusted in return, to be able to look upon the face of a woman and know in his heart that she cared for him. The temptation to give in stabbed into his chest like a dagger, sawing through his ribs. He wanted to scream, to let loose his ki in all directions and collapse the pod, crushing himself in the blackness of the void. He did not want Krinis to see him like this.

His fists shook as he remembered the hated name, as his eyes saw the hated face, as he remembered the feeling of having his chest torn apart by that impossibly strong fist. He remembered everything in stunning detail. He saw the old foe mocking him, smiling, laughing as he fought, his undying body refusing to go down. It was like reliving a nightmare, seeing that hated creature that could not be stopped. No matter how many times he hit it, no matter how many ki blasts he fired, he could not get the foe to stay down. No matter how many screams he heard, no matter how many cries filled the air, he could not get the echoes of the baby crying out of his ears.

" No!" he screamed as he forced his ki down, refusing to let himself succumb to the lure of rage. He pressed his fists against the sides of the pod, steadying himself as his chest heaved with exertion. It was useless to fight, but his mind set itself on the task of pushing back the waves of rage that threatened to drown him. His blood felt like acid running through his heart, tearing him apart from the inside. He knew that this would be the true battleground. If he could fight it now, if he could stop the rage, then he could control it. If he lost, then he would become the beast again, and all that he had worked so hard for, all that he had hoped for, would be washed away. He would not allow anyone to destroy his newfound happiness, not even himself.

He saw himself on that final battlefield, facing down the ghost of his hated foe. He reached deep down into his chest, feeling the twisting storm of rage crackling inside of him. It was comforting to feel the hate again, to relish in the power that the anger always brought. But it would not comfort him on this day. He knew that the demons inside of him would only be sated by his hatred, by him giving in to the urges within, and he could not allow that to happen. He would have to fight to hold on. There had to be a way to stop the old cycle from starting again. The beast would be denied.

" Burori, are you all right?" Yanorik asked again.

His concentration snapped, and Burori came crashing down once more into the conscious world. His ki danced like a swarm of angry bees, but it did not wash over him. He had fought it back. He had not become the monster. Gasping for air, he looked out at the peaceful stars, watching the ocean of light and darkness rolling by the window.

" I'm fine," he said into the speaker, realizing that for the first time he really was.

" The computer says that we've got about another week of travel until we get to wherever the Namek is taking us," Yanorik's voice strained through the speaker. " You can activate a hibernation mode in your pod to put you to sleep until we get there."

" That's probably a good idea," Burori muttered as he searched the computer terminal for the proper buttons. Upon hitting several of them a faint his came through the walls of the pod as colorless, odorless gas filled the chamber, sending him to the most restful sleep he ever remembered having.

Burori was jarred awake by the pod's movement. He looked out the window to see the hundreds of pods all converging upon a large blue planet. His own pod began to shake as it crashed into the planet's atmosphere, the friction of the air rumbling the pod to the point where Burori thought it might shatter and leave him to fry to a crisp. But the ship held, and it slammed down into the planet's crust with all the force of a bolt from heaven.

The pod door swung open, and Burori crawled out of it, his head pounding in pain from the jostling he had been through. He looked up to see the other pods coming down, the aliens deftly piloting them to safe landings. He rubbed his head and reminded himself to learn how to operate one of those things as soon as he had the chance.

Azlan emerged from his pod, the Namek's eyes seeming to glow with intense energy. He breathed in deeply, relishing the sweet scent of the air around him.

" Home," he whispered.

" Where are we?" Burori asked.

" Turosa, the most beautiful planet in all of the Northern Quadrant," Azlan answered with a broad smile. " This is my planet."

" What do you mean it's your planet?" Krinis asked as she stepped out of her pod and walked over to the other two.

" I am its guardian," Azlan stated with a hint of pride in his voice. " I swore long ago that I would watch over Turosa and its people."

" So why were you with the rest of the slaves?" Burori asked, trying to cut through the fog of confusion.

" When Freezer came, I knew that I had not trained well enough to defeat him," Azlan said as his eyes grew dark. " He did not know about the dragonballs that I had created for this planet, so I hid them to avoid discovery. When Zaros took these people, the Turos, as slaves, I let myself be captured so that I could watch over my people. I trained for many long years in the cell on Zaros's ship, learning how to focus my ki so precisely that I could pierce into the thoughts of the guards to learn of their master's insane plan. I waited many long years for the perfect moment when I could foil Zaros's plans and bring my people home, and it seems that I have done it none too soon."

" Where is my father?" Krinis asked, worry descending upon her features.

" Azlan!" one of the Turo engineers cried out as she scrambled out of her pod. "Sensors report that one of the pods has crashed into the mountains south of here!"

" Father!" Krinis cried out.

" Come, let's get him," Burori said as he flew up into the air.

" I can't fly!" Krinis cried back to him as he floated above.

Burori looked down at her, realizing that she had spent her entire life inside a slaver's vessel, and he cursed Zaros for the fiend that he was. Without another word the Saiya-jin warrior flew off to the south, leaving only a faint trail of ki behind.

Burori saw the wreckage wedged into the mountainside, a grim picture of twisted metal and broken rocks. He landed next to the pod and saw the old Saiya-jin stirring within, his legs pinned by a collapsed side of the pod.

" Burori," Yanorik coughed, blood staining his beard.

" Hold still, I can lift you out," Burori said as he reached down towards the old man.

" No, I am slain," the old Saiya-jin wheezed. " I guess these pods weren't like the old models after all."

" Don't talk like that, Krinis needs you."

" No she doesn't," Yanorik gasped as he looked up at the young warrior. " She has you to protect her now."

" Yanorik, stop," Burori protested as he tried to help the dying Saiya-jin.

" You are a legend, Burori," Yanorik rasped, his life bleeding out of him into the seat of the pod. " You are destined for something greater than all of us. But please� take care of my daughter."

" Yanorik-"

" Enough!" the old man shouted. " I am a Saiya-jin, a loyal soldier of King Vegeta, and I die free. Leave me."

Burori nodded, knowing that there was no way to talk the old man out of the path he had chosen. As he flew back towards the landing site, he could here the eruption of energy behind him, and looking over his shoulder he could see a smoking crater was all that remained of the old Saiya-jin.

He landed solemnly next to Krinis, and when she looked up at him she knew the answers to all of her questions. Weeping she fell against him, feebly holding her arms around him and soaking his chest in her tears. He ran his fingers through her hair, trying to think of words to calm her.

" I need to speak with you," Azlan rumbled, seemingly oblivious to the emotional scene.

" It can wait," Burori whispered as he consoled his female companion.

" No, it cannot wait," Azlan stated. " You have an important decision to make."

" And what is that?" he asked, still trying to find a way to comfort Krinis's sorrow.

" You have to decide whether you will stand and fight with us or make your escape into space."

" What do you mean?" Burori asked as he looked into Azlan's stone gray eyes, his stomach turning as he sensed betrayal.

" There are tracking systems on all of the space pods," Azlan explained, his eyes cold and calculating. " Zaros knows exactly where we are, and he will be here as soon as he can gather enough fuel to make the jump into the North Quadrant."

" You knew that he could follow us here?" Burori declared, incredulous at the Namek's statement.

" Of course I knew," Azlan replied, his face cold as stone. " I made sure that the Turos left the tracking systems intact so that he would come here looking for us. He needs the Turos to run his machines, so he will be here, and he will come fighting."

" You betrayed us!" Burori roared as he pushed Krinis away, stepping up to the cold Namek. " You led us into a trap!"

" You were not a part of the plan," Azlan replied. " Originally I was going to kill you to keep your power from being harnessed for evil, but you were too strong."

" The dream!" Burori gasped. " You tried to kill me?"

" It was the only way to save Namek," Azlan grunted, his eyes staring straight into Burori's face. " Since I could not kill you, I used you as bait. I knew that Zaros would come for the Turos eventually, but he would be forced to totally abandon his plan in order to find you."

" I should kill you where you stand," Burori said, his face grim.

" You could, but I am telling you the truth because I believe that what I did was right," Azlan flatly stated. " There was no other way to save my homeland."

" And these people are all going to die?" Burori asked as he pointed to the little lizard Turos gathered around the drop zone.

" They know the risks," Azlan replied. " They have lived with fear for too long. Now it is time for these people to fight."

" But you said that Zaros is invincible!"

" He is. But I have trained myself well. Though his body may be unbreakable, I have a chance to reach in and shatter his evil mind. But that requires me to draw him into a battleground of my choosing, where I have the mental advantage."

" So you did this all to set up some sort of final battle?" Burori asked. " You toyed with all of our lives, betrayed us all, for this?"

" It is the only way to save Namek," Azlan replied calmly, his gray eyes hard and final.

" So what's my decision then?" Burori asked as his ki rose around him. "Whether or not I kill you?"

" This is my fight, not yours. If you do not wish to stand beside us in the final battle, then the Turos will deactivate the tracking devices on two of the pods, and you and your companion can flee into the depths of space where Zaros will never find you."

" You actually think I'd want to stay around to fight a battle that you say I cannot win?"

" I thought that you might stay to put an end to this evil, and finally cleanse yourself of the demons that have haunted you all of these years."

" To hell with you and your crusade," Burori spat as he wrapped his arm around Krinis. " We're leaving."

She looked up at him, her eyes still glistening with soft tears. She knew there was no way to dissuade him, but her heart still sank in her chest. She wanted to tell him, wanted to let him know everything, but she just couldn't find the strength inside of her. She gave in, nestling up against him, feeding off of his confident strength.

" Very well," Azlan stated with a grim tone. " I understand your emotions."

" You understand nothing," Burori growled.

" Please, help these good people to leave,' Azlan said gently to the nearest of the Turos engineers. " They have helped us enough all ready."

The engineer nodded, and soon a swarm of little lizards descended upon two of the pods, hammering away at the machine until the tracking system was completely disabled. The Saiya-jin and the half-Saiya-jin climbed inside and sped off into the depths of space, disappearing from sight into the inky void.

Azlan did not care. He sat down and began to meditate deeply while the Turos began a desperate search for the dragonballs. The final battle was coming, and if he was not ready, Namek was doomed.

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