A cloud of sand rose from the beach as the two space pods landed with a thud. With a loud hiss the seal on the pods cracked open. Burori and Krinis stepped out of their vessels, breathing in the crisp ocean air of the new planet.

" Why did you pick this one?" Krinis asked as she looked out into the water, seeing the light play across its surface like golden fingers.

" It reminded me of the place where I was born," Burori replied as he gazed at the red-soiled mountains behind them.

" You mean Vegeta?" she asked as she turned to him, gripping his powerful hand in her own.

" Yes," he whispered, the name stabbing through his mind like a heated dagger. He had seen this place in the readouts far away, and had felt drawn to it like a moth to a flame. It made sense to him to come here now, to start again trying to build a new life, with the hate inside him finally conquered.

" I never learned much about the Saiya-jins," Krinis said as she squeezed his hand. " My mother told me stories about the Earth when I was a little girl, and it always seemed to magical to me then, like a beautiful fairy tale. But when she died�" Krinis looked down to the sand at her feet. " When she died, I had to find a way to remember her. I always thought of her stories, and imagined what it would like to be a full human. I didn't want to be a Saiya-jin, because it felt to me that if I denied the human part of me, I was killing her again."

" We both have had difficult lives," Burori said as he lifted up her chin, looking into her warm brown eyes with a smile. " But we are here now, and we have a chance to start again."

She looked at him, and his hopeful vigor. She could not help but feel herself being swept away in his confidence and enthusiasm. He was so happy here, in this strange place. She wondered how long it would last.

" The scanners showed that there was some sort of settlement up there in the mountains," he said as he pointed a finger out to the horizon. He looked over to her with a smile. " I'll carry you this time, but you are going to have to learn to fly. I'm certainly not going to haul you all over this planet for the rest of our stay."

" Hey, what's wrong with carrying me around?" she asked, her hands on her hips. " You're too heavy," he joked with a wide grin.

Krinis gave him a playful punch in the arm, only to be snatched up by Burori's powerful hands and lifted into the air. She could feel his ki wrapping around hers as the two of them rocketed into the sky. She had never felt so powerful as she did then, her ki flowing freely off of her body, Burori's mighty hands cupping her waist.

Burori set down on a rocky shelf, gently letting his companion slip through his fingers to the ground. Nestled in the mountains was a small chain of white washed stone buildings, all cut in fluid, natural shapes.

" Houses," he said.

" But the pod's computer didn't show any readout of life other than plants and some small animals," Krinis whispered as she looked at the buildings with a sense of unease.

" They're abandoned," he replied as he pointed to the burn marks marring the side of the white stone. " It looks like there must have been some sort of war here, and everyone was destroyed."

" It's always fighting," Krinis sighed as she walked up to one of the old houses, feeling the smooth rock with the palm of her hand. " This is why I never fight Burori. It's just not worth it."

Burori thought of Azlan and his foolish stand against Zaros far off in space. He shook his head in disgust.

" I suppose you're right," he said as he walked through the doorway of the nearest house, peering inside. " At least we have shelter for the night."

" Don't you think it's a bit creepy to sleep in the same place where all of these people died?" Krinis asked with a shudder. " What are you looking for?" she asked warily.

" Pants," he replied.

She looked at his naked buttocks and laughed.

" Hey, you look fine without them," she chuckled as she stepped into the house.

" There we go," he muttered as he pulled a set of long, white silk pants out of the dresser. He held them in front of his waist, making sure that they would fit around his muscled body. " These are nice and loose, perfect for fighting," he explained as he slipped them on.

" They look like they'd be better for dancing," she commented as she noticed how exotic he looked with his dark hair, dark eyes, and stark white pants.

" Perhaps, but I don't know how to dance," he stated as he knelt down and stretched out his legs, feeling the comfort of the smooth material around him.

" Now that's just sad," she lectured as she walked in a half-circle around him, admiring his body. " Like you said, I've been in a cell all of my life, but even I know how to dance."

" But you don't know how to fly," he said with a grin as he looked up at her from the floor.

" Sounds like a decent trade to me," she replied as she put her hands on her hips. " I'll teach you to dance if you teach me to fly."

" Now that's hardly fair. Flying is easy."

" Oh come on, you're being a wuss. I've seen you walking around naked all this time and you're embarrassed to dance with me?"

He blushed as he jumped to his feet.

" Well, all right, but let's save that for another time. It's getting late."

Burori walked out of the house onto the rocky ledge, looking out at the vast ocean in the distance. The red sun seemed to be melting into the water, making the ocean look like a pulsating ruby growing from the side of the planet.

Krinis walked up to his side, wrapping her arm around his. He looked down into her eyes, and he felt complete, like a true male Saiya-jin.

" I never thanked you for freeing me," she whispered to him as she explored his dark eyes. " Thank you Burori. You've done so much for me-"

" You don't need to thank me for anything," he whispered as he leaned his head towards hers, his face only a few inches away. " If anyone should be doing the thanking, it should be me thanking you. You saved me Krinis. You helped me get this far, to find real happiness for the first time in my life."

She smiled at him, basking in the warmth of his praise. He seemed so strong to her, the dying light painting his body like a piece of living marble. She put her hand on his chest, her fingers resting in the grooves of his many scars. She remembered how it had first felt to touch him, and how now he was so changed, so gentle.

He gently pulled away from her, turning to walk back into the small white house. With a contented sigh he collapsed onto the bed, the weight of his body stretching the frame. He looked up, and for a moment he thought he saw Krinis staring at him through the doorway, but in the blink of an eye the image was gone. He closed his eyes and let sleep wash over him, peace blanketing his thoughts.

His body rose from the flames below, the heat soaking into his muscles. His golden hair waved like the towers of fire around him, and his glowing white eyes saw everything in stunning clarity. The world around him was all on fire, being consumed by some internal hell that rotted away the core of existence. Within the flames he could see a lone figure, a Saiya-jin, rising up from the inferno. The other had eyes like slits of jade, and hair that looked like golden daggers. He knew the face, and he knew the name.

" Kakarotto," he growled as his muscles flexed, his ki growing into a storm of green energy.

" Burori," the enemy grunted in reply, his voice like the sound of a viper's hiss.

" I will not let you take away my happiness," He declared as he shook a massive fist at the hated one.

" You are a fool, Burori," the foe said to him, his lithe, muscled body floating effortlessly through the flame. " You ran from a fight because you were afraid."

" It was not my fight," Burori muttered, his deep voice rumbling in his barrel chest. " Let Azlan have his crusade. I have my happiness, and that is what matters."

" It is your fight Burori," the hated one said with ice in his voice. " You cannot run from your fate, no matter how far you go."

" I am not running, Kakarotto," he spat, his anger rising in his throat. " I have finally found my peace. I will not let anyone take away what I've found now."

" You cannot win, Burori," the enemy said in a mocking tone as he pointed an accusing finger. " When will you learn that your happiness is not worth the pain of others? When will you learn that the universe is a great circle, and that no crime goes unpunished, and no debt goes unpaid?"

" If you want to fight me, Kakarotto-" he growled, his ki covering his body like an armored shell.

" I never wanted to fight you, Burori," the enemy hissed as he crossed his arms in defiance. " I did not choose to be hated. You made that choice. You say that you have been enslaved all of these years, but the only chains you wore were the ones you forged. The only battle you still have left to fight is the one for your soul."

" Who are you to lecture me on the makings of my soul?" Burori shouted in anger as he flew towards his enemy. " Do you know what I have been through? Do you know the road I have walked? No one else knows me, know one else is me! I am Burori, and I alone am the master of my soul!"

" You cannot deny your fate," the foe stated as he sank back into the flames below. " Enjoy your happiness, but it will be fleeting. There is one more fight left in you."

He roared in anger as he saw his hated enemy fall into the raging fire, escaping his vengeance once more.

Burori awoke drenched in sweat, his heart racing. He rolled out of bed, feeling the soft light fall upon him from the skylight above. Breathing slowly he ran his fingers through his thick black hair, trying to remember why he had been so terrified. It had only been a dream. Dreams didn't matter anymore, now that the waking world was full of beauty.

" So what exactly are we going to do for breakfast?" a soft feminine voice asked from the doorway.

Burori turned, and his mouth went agape as he saw Krinis in the morning light, her hair tied back with a scarlet ribbon, her body wrapped in a white silk suit that hugged at her curves. Her tail twitched playfully behind her, dangling around her ankles. She looked to him like one of the ancient Saiya-jin goddesses, a creature not meant for living mortals to behold.

" Do you like it?" she asked as she tried to smooth out some of the fabric with her hand. " I found it in the house next to this one. It fit, and I thought it would match those pants that you liked so much, so-"

" You're beautiful," he gasped, unable to take his eyes off of her.

" Thank you," she blushed, her tail bunching up nervously. They looked at each other for a moment in awkward silence before Burori frantically jumped out of bed.

" Right, breakfast," he mumbled, darting about the room. " I'll find something right away, I promise."

" Can't I come with?" she asked as she caught him rushing out the door.

" But you can't fly," he protested as he tried to find a way past her.

" There's no time like the present," she stated as she looked him in the eye.

Burori sighed, knowing that he was not going to win this battle. He gently moved past Krinis to walk out onto the rocky ledge of the mountainside. The cool morning breeze tussled his hair and the cold rock beneath his feet reminded him that eventually he would have to find some boots. He looked over at Krinis as his green ki began to seep out of his muscles.

" It's easy, really," he explained as he lifted himself off the ground. " You just push down with your ki, lifting yourself off of the ground. From there it's just a manner of channeling your energy to move where you want to."

" I've never had to control my ki before," she complained as blue light began to emanate from her body. " What exactly am I supposed to be doing?"

" Just what you're doing now," he said as he observed her ki growing around her like a colored mist. " Focus on that strength you feel inside of your guts, and push down."

He watched intently as Krinis's ki wrapped around her body, rising and falling like a series of waves. He had no idea how well she would be able to control herself, since she was part human. Zaros had told him that she was stronger than her father, but Burori didn't think that was a terribly impressive feat.

Krinis furrowed her brow, her face set in concentration as her blue ki pulsated around her. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and Burori could see her muscles shaking with tension.

" Relax," he coached as he hovered over to her. " You've got it out, now just push down."

She looked up at him with straining eyes and nodded, her ki rising up from her shoulders and crashing down into the rock below.

Burori shouted in surprise as he was flung backwards through the air, his body pounded by a blast of pure energy. He shielded his eyes from the intense blue glow, and when he dared to open them again he saw the entire rock ledge, along with the mountainside a thousand feet below it, had been shattered into gravel. Krinis floated above the crater, her face painted with a sheepish grin.

" You're a natural!" he laughed, amazed at the strength that the half-Saiya-jin had been able to hide for so long.

" Let's go, I'm starving!" she shouted as she slid through the air like a fish through water, her body reveling the new feeling of freedom and power.

Burori followed her, struggling to keep up and laughing all the while.

The two sat on the beach around the small fire that Burori had built, letting the heat cook through some of the fruits they had collected from the forest on the other side of the mountains. A small pile of seeds and pits lay off in the sand, and the warm water slid back and forth across the beach in lazy motion. The sun was low in the sky, giving the world a gentle red glow. It was warm, with only a light breeze to kick up the sand around the space pods. Clouds shifted overhead, telling of the storm to come.

" Now this has been a fabulous day," Krinis sighed as she bit into a juicy fruit, wiping the juice off of her chin with the back of her hand. " Flying, foods, warm weather- what could be better?"

" I don't know," Burori answered as he poked at the fire with a piece of wood. " I do think that my fire building skills need some work."

" Oh I don't know, you did manage to light it eventually," Krinis chuckled, remembered the Saiya-jin's frustration at rubbing two sticks together without breaking them.

" So how long are we going to live here?" she asked as she looked out onto the ocean. " It seems that we've got just about everything we need."

" How long would you like to stay here?" he asked in return as he looked over at her, his dark eyes seeming to take on their own light in the glow of the fire.

" Forever," she sighed as she watched the sun slip into the water. " This place is so beautiful- and it's even better with a good companion."

" Well," he said as he sat down next to her, " when I find one for you, I'll be sure to tell him."

She laughed and elbowed him gently in the ribs. Krinis leaned into his muscled body, letting the feeling of warmth and strength comfort her.

" I still have to teach you how to dance-" she muttered.

" It's too late now," he explained, pointing up to the stars that were now emerging in the dark blanket of the sky. " I guess we'll have to wait another day."

" You're just going to keep putting this off forever, aren't you?" she asked as she leaned back her head and look up at his face, seeing the guilt in it.

" That was my plan," he said with a grin.

" Well, I am going to foil your plan," she declared as she stood up, grabbing his huge hands. " Come on, get up."

" But-" he began to protest, but he knew it was useless. With surprising strength she wrenched him from his seat, bringing his chest to hers in the soft firelight.

" Now dancing is easy," she whispered as she took his hand into hers. " My father was an awful dancer, because he had no sense of rhythm."

" Rhythm?" he asked.

" This is going to be difficult," she sighed. " Hear the waves coming from the ocean? Just use that to keep step. Get a pattern in your mind that you can use to move to."

" Ok, I think I understand," he mumbled as he began his first awkward steps.

" You're lucky you don't fight like you dance," she chuckled as he flung her along. " Now come on, stop acting so stiff. And don't try to toss me around; this isn't supposed to be wrestling. Just pretend that you're flying."

He began to ease into his movements, keeping time with the waves behind him. With a smile he took her hand above her head and twirled her in the sand, catching her in his arm as she was about to fall.

" You're a natural," she said with a laugh.

He smiled at her as rain began to fall gently over the beach, tiny drops of water covering everything in sight. Krinis stood up and sighed, realizing that her clothes would be soaked before she could get back to the house.

" Just our luck," she muttered as she looked up at the thick cover of storm clouds. " And we were having so much fun too."

" I like the rain," Burori whispered as he stepped into the surf, letting the waves wash over his feet as he looked up into the sky. He relished in the feeling of rain pelting his face, purifying him.

" What's there to like about rain?" she asked as she walked next to him, stepping into the water.

" In the old legends, rain was the tears of the ancient Saiya-jin gods," he whispered as he watched the sky roll overhead. " Every time the rains came, the people would ask the gods in prayer if they were crying because of sorrow or crying because of joy."

She looked at him in silence, awed at the quiet power of his spirituality. This gentle man had been hiding inside of the raging monster for so long, and now he was with her. She felt luckier than any woman who had ever lived, even as she cursed herself.

" Burori-" she began as she took his hand.

" We're getting soaked," he said as he turned to her. " Let's get back inside."

She nodded, and the two flew through the storm back to the mountain shelter. Burori touched down next to his house, stepping out of the rain. Krinis followed close behind him, still intent on telling him what she needed to.

Burori sat down in his bed with a groan, trying to massage the weariness out of his legs. He saw Krinis follow him in, and he smiled as he watched her sit down beside him.

" You know what the problem is with your clothes?" he asked as he put his hands on his knees.

" What?" she asked, suddenly feeling insulted.

" When white clothes get wet, you can see through them," he chuckled as he pointed to her. With a gasp she tried to cover herself, her face turning red. " You know it's only fair, considering how long you had to see me prance around naked."

" Well, I won't say I didn't enjoy it," she laughed along with him.

They looked at each other, feeling the pull of undeniable attraction. Burori felt himself being drawn into her seductive eyes, and he pulled back, trying to think of a way to put himself at ease.

" It's late," he said so softly that it was almost a whisper. " Maybe you should go back to your place-"

" I can't," she whispered back, moving closer to him. " I blew it up trying to fly."

Burori sat back, his eyes wide with surprise. He laughed, feeling the tension bleed out of his body. Krinis put her hands on his chest, and she leaned forward so that she was inches away from his face.

" Krinis, I wanted to tell you a while ago, but-" he started to mumble. He opened his mouth to speak, but her mouth closed on his, filling him with a sense of incredible softness that melted away his initial shock. He took her head in his wet hands, feeling her wet body press up against his.

The storm raged outside, completely unnoticed by the new lovers.

Krinis stood on the edge of the crater she had made, contemplating her own destructive power. She wore a few dry things she had managed to pull out of the dresser, her own wet clothes still crumpled in a pile next to the bed. She had to tell him. There was no way she could go on seeing him so happy knowing that it was all going to end.

Burori stepped out of the house, pulling up his still-wet pants. He walked over to where Krinis stood, looking down into the crater.

" I knew you were powerful, but not that powerful," he mumbled as he remembered the events of the night before, which still seemed like an exotic dream.

" Burori, what did you want to tell me last night?" she asked as she turned to him, putting her arms around his waist.

" I wanted to tell you that I love you," he whispered as he looked into her chocolate brown eyes, seeing nothing in them but a future filled with peace and happiness.

" Burori," she sighed, putting her head against his scarred chest.

" I know that it's sudden, and I don't know how it will work," he began, " but I'll try as hard as I can to build a new life for us here. I want you to be my mate, and I want to see our children together, and I want to spend the rest of my life here with you."

" Burori, we can't," she whispered as she gripped him tightly. He felt something inside his chest fail, and his dreams began to splinter like broken glass.

" Why?" he asked, looking down at her. " Is there something wrong with me? I can change, I can-"

" It's not you Burori," she said as she looked at him, tears glistening in her eyes. " Zaros put on a tracer inside me. He's going to come for us."

" What?" he asked, his mind reeling. " How?"

" When you first broke out," she said as she tried to fight back her own selfish urge to break down into tears. " He told me that you wouldn't kill me, and that he could use me to hunt you down if you ever escaped. He said that if I didn't, he would kill my father."

Burori looked at her, stunned. He felt like a dagger of ice was working its way through his heart. He had thought that Azlan had betrayed him, but it was nothing compared to this.

" I thought you were a monster," she sobbed. " I thought that it was the only way to save my father, and if it hurt you then I didn't care. But now my father is dead and all that I have is you."

Burori held her close to him, but the affection was quickly fleeing his heart. He felt the old, familiar rage mounting inside of him, filling him with pure hate that burned through his veins like molten steel.

Krinis felt his body tense against hers, and looking up into his eyes she knew that there was no way she could repair this betrayal.

" Burori, if you want to kill me, I understand," she whispered as she put her ear to his heart, feeling his thunderous, artificial heartbeat through his ribs. " I know how badly I've hurt you, and I forgive anything you do to me now."

He grit his teeth in agony. Kakarotto had been right. He could not run from the hate he had inherited. Instead it followed him wherever he went, like a terrible monster always threatening to consume him. He urged nothing more than to rend flesh with his hands, to break bone and hear screams. He wanted someone to hurt as much as he hurt now, to drown his pain in the pain of others. The power that surged up from him was overwhelming, like a hail of energy rising from his chest.

" No," he growled as he pushed her away from him. She looked up at him with a mixture of sorrow and fear; only vaguely aware of the battle he was fighting in his heart.

He would not let the demons ride him this time. He was not a puppet of hatred, destined to be pulled wherever the winds would take him. He was Burori, and he alone was the master of his soul.

" No," he repeated, looking at her. " I will not kill you. It is enough that I leave you here."

" Leave me?" she gasped, reaching out to touch him. " Burori, you're all I have left now!"

" I have to face my fate," he rumbled as he slapped away her outstretched hands. " You've hurt me enough for one lifetime. Never let me see you again."

" I'm sorry!" she sobbed, unable to hold back her tears. " Where are you going?"

" I'm going to help Azlan," he stated coldly as he hovered off of the ground. "I'm going to fight Zaros. I'm not running anymore."

" Burori, no!" she shouted. " You can't!"

He ignored her cries, flying down to the beach where the space pods lay in the sand. Krinis watched tearfully as a lone pod sped off into space, leaving the red planet's paradise forever.

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