Burori opened his eyes, the soft rays of the sun coaxing him back into the realm of light. The Saiya-jin slowly sat upright, rubbing his eyes in amazement. He touched his chest, and all he felt beneath his fingers was smooth skin. There was no gaping hole, no mesh of battle scars. He looked up at the turquoise sky, wondering if perhaps he had been let into the heaven of warriors in spite of his sins.

" He has awoken."

Burori turned, seeing behind him wave after wave of alien creatures, all watching him intently. Standing before them was Azlan, the Namek's body still bent and twisted from battle. In front of the Namek was a small pile of glowing orange orbs, each with a different number of stars floating within.

" You brought me back," Burori whispered as he looked at the tattered Namek.

" You were not the only one," Azlan replied as he waved his bandaged hand off to the side, where a young woman slowly rose to her feet.

" Krinis!" Burori cried out as he leapt to his feet, running over to the woman who he had thought was lost. He grasped her in his powerful arms, feeling her body fall into his, embracing each other in longing and desperation. Burori buried his face in her hair, relishing the warmth of her body and the smoothness of her skin.

" Burori," she whispered as she looked up to him, tears glistening in her chocolate eyes. " I wanted to help you. I came because I couldn't bear living knowing that Zaros would kill you."

" I thought I'd lost you," Burori whispered back as he ran his hands down her back, holding her close to him.

The crowd watched as the two stood together, whispering into each other's ear. None dared speak to break the awed quiet of the moment. Two lovers had been brought back from the dead, and they had earned the privilege of embracing each other for one more moment.

Burori slowly let his grip relax; his dark eyes locked on Krinis's smooth brown ones. He turned to look at Azlan, studying the Namek's grim face. He knew that there was still something left to do.

" No crime goes unpunished," Azlan stated flatly as he looked at the Saiya-jin warrior with his one good eye.

" No debt goes unpaid," Burori said, his voice calm but cool. " I told you not to bring me back."

" I had to," Azlan shrugged, his body weary from ages spent in solitude. " There is a greater cycle which must be fulfilled."

" Burori, what is he talking about?" Krinis asked as she slipped her arm around his waist.

" I don't know," Burori whispered to her. " But I have a feeling in my gut of what he wants me to do."

" You have unlocked your true power," Azlan declared. " You have risen up from the ashes of your old self and now are ready to atone for what you have done."

" And what does that entail?" Burori asked, his voice laced with apprehension.

" You have killed many people, and laid waste to many worlds," Azlan began, his voice growing hollow and low. " You have done a great thing for this planet and my people, but your spirit cannot rest until you can find a true balance between the light and the dark within yourself."

" What does that mean?" Krinis asked, fear rising in her chest.

" Only Burori can know what it means," Azlan muttered.

" Kakarotto," Burori whispered. The name sliced through his conscience, burning within the depths of his heart. He could still see his old enemy in his mind's eyes, waiting for him.

" The dragon grants two wishes," Azlan whispered as he strode towards Burori, laying a hand on the Saiya-jin's shoulder. " I used one to bring you two back from the dead. The second wish is yours to make."

Azlan stepped back, and the dragonballs began to hum ominously. The sky darkened, clouds rolling over the horizon to block out the sun. With volts of energy crackling from them, the dragonballs flashed with white light as an enormous reptilian being arose from them. Burori gasped in awe as the eternal dragon, miles long twisting upon itself, looked down at him with its glowing red eyes.

" Make your wish," the dragon boomed, its voice rolling out of its mouth like a typhoon.

Burori hung his head and closed his eyes, his face wincing in pain. He knew what he had to do. With tears in his eyes he turned to Krinis and placed his hands on her waist. The two looked into each other's eyes, and they both knew what was to come, as much as they may try to fight it.

" Krinis, I love you," Burori whispered as he pulled her close to him. " But I am still a monster."

" I don't care," Krinis whispered as she looked up at him. " I love you all the same, whatever you are."

" I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you," Burori said as he squeezed her gently. " But I have to go. I have something important to do, to clean myself of all that I have done."

" I'm coming with you," Krinis declared, her eyes full of fierce determination. " I don't care how far we have to go or what it takes, but I'm staying by your side."

" I knew you would say that," Burori said with a faint smile. " I love you, but I have to do this alone. I will never be able to truly care for you and keep you safe until I balance my soul."

" Don't leave me," Krinis whispered, tears running down her face.

" I'll come back for you someday," Burori whispered back as he ran his fingers across her cheek. He let go off her, the warmth of her body still tingling on his palms. He looked up at the dragon, his heart feeling like a lump of lead in his chest.

" You have a wish?" the dragon asked, its voice like thunder.

" I wish that Krinis forgot that I ever existed," Burori declared, the words coming out of his mouth burning his heart like acid.

" Burori, no!" Krinis cried out as she ran towards him.

" It is done," the dragon boomed as it disappeared in a flash of light, the dragonballs flying off into the horizon.

Krinis stopped in her stride, a light seeming to fade from within her eyes. She looked at Burori with her deep chocolate eyes, and a single tear ran down her cheek before the confusion set in.

" Where am I?" she asked softly as she looked out at the gathering of aliens around her. She looked at the huge Saiya-jin warrior with the strange dark eyes standing in front of her, his eyes full of sorrow. " Who are you?"

" Azlan," Burori groaned as he turned to the old Namek. " Please take her back to her space pod. Have the Turos program the computer to send her back to the coordinates she came from. She'll be happy there."

Azlan nodded, his gray eye glimmering in the light with the soft understanding of what it meant to make sacrifices in the name of good. The Turos gathered around Krinis slowly, taking her by the hand and leading her back to the crash site of her pod. Burori watched as the pod sped off into the heavens, destined for a far-off red planet.

" And now?" Azlan asked as he watched Burori's face.

" I have someone I need to see," Burori whispered as he climbed into his own space pod.

� � Vegeta quietly crept out of the bedroom, his fuzzy slippers aiding his stealthy approach as he walked down the hall. He snuck down the hall in silence until he saw a full-body mirror out of the corner of his eye. His face went sour as he spotted a gray streak in his hair.

" Curses," the Saiya-jin grumbled as he ran his fingers through the gray hair. "That shampoo said that it would blend the color naturally after only one shower! First thing in the morning, I am going to find that hair care company and destroy them!"

Vegeta heard Bulma stirring in the bedroom. He clapped his hands over his mouth, knowing that if she found out he was having another midnight snack that she would kick him out of the gravity chamber for a week. His constant late night hunger had kept her awake lately, and she couldn't afford to lose sleep for a week. Since he didn't actually have a job, he knew that she could kick him out of the house at will.

The Saiya-jin prince slipped past Trunks's room, his fuzzy slippers gathering static electricity from the carpet. Vegeta let out a sigh of relief as he stepped into the kitchen, then nearly came crashing down as his slippers slid on the tile floor. At that last minute he steadied himself, balancing precariously on one foot. He wondered sometimes if it was really worth it.

Rummaging through the kitchen Vegeta made a towering sandwich that involved several types of cheese and deli meat, along with bacon, lettuce and tomato. He reached for the milk, then realized that there was not nearly enough of it left. If he drained the milk, then Trunks wouldn't have any for his morning cereal, and Bulma would know that he had sneaked out to get a snack. The Saiya-jin prince nabbed the orange juice instead, chuckling to himself as he sat down at the counter. It had all worked perfectly. The turkey was a bit dry, but otherwise it was a late night delight fit for Saiya-jin royalty.

Vegeta dropped the sandwich as he felt the powerful ki off in the distance. He looked down at the tile floor, cursing quietly as he dusted off his sandwich and set it on the counter. The ki was incredibly strong, yet it was familiar. His heart sank as he remembered the last time he had felt such a powerful Saiya-jin ki.

Vegeta climbed out the window, his purple bathrobe flapping in the wind, revealing his pink boxers beneath. The Saiya-jin prince flew through the air, landing on top of his house to await the oncoming foe. He braced himself for battle, knowing that all of his training was in vain if the ki belonged to the creature that he suspected.

Vegeta saw him coming from off in the distance, the huge Saiya-jin warrior sailing through the air effortlessly. Burori stopped in mid-air, looking down at the strange fighter in the purple robe, pink shorts, and fuzzy slippers.

" I'm not letting you get past me," Vegeta growled as he drew forth his orange ki. " I am still the prince of all Saiya-jins."

" I am not here to fight you, Prince Vegeta," Burori stated as he floated lower in the air, coming level with the other Saiya-jin. Vegeta let out a sigh of relief, then readied himself in the fighting stance once more.

" Why have you come?" Vegeta demanded.

" I can't find Kakarotto," Burori stated, his voice a mixture of confusion and sorrow. " I thought that this was his planet, but there is no sign of his ki."

" Kakarotto is dead," Vegeta spat. " He was killed years ago, fighting a creature named Cell."

" I see," Burori muttered, his dark eyes standing out even in the black of night like great roiling storms. " Did he die like a warrior?"

" He saved the Earth," Vegeta replied, a foul taste in his mouth at the memory of that fated day. " His son is now grown. There is no one left to fight."

Burori looked at the Saiya-jin prince, his mind a storm of doubt and questions. His eyes flashed as a thought struck across his brain.

" May I serve you, Prince Vegeta?" Burori asked. Vegeta's eyes went wide. " I wish to atone for what I have done. Perhaps if we could rebuild the empire of the Saiya-jins-"

" No," Vegeta cut him off abruptly. " The Saiya-jin royalty dies with me. I married a woman not of the race, and my son is not of pure blood. Such are crimes that demand my exile from the throne."

" You too?" Burori asked as he studied the proud Saiya-jin's face. " Even you have broken the old laws?"

" I love my wife," Vegeta shouted back. " I love my son. Planet Vegeta was destroyed long ago. Now I just want to be with my family, and train so that one day, in the afterlife, I may meet Kakarotto and prove to him that I am his better."

" What kind of man was Kakarotto?" Burori asked, his voice soft.

" He was a fool," Vegeta snarled. His face then softened. " He couldn't kill anyone, and he hated hurting people, even if he did love to fight. He fought to protect people. He ate enough for thirty men, and he drove his wife crazy." Vegeta paused for a moment, his voice growing softer. " I miss him."

" I have to go," Burori stated as he floated high above the other Saiya-jin. " If Kakarotto is dead, then I take that as a sign that my hate of him must die too. I must find a way to pay for the pain I have caused elsewhere." Burori looked up to the night sky, gazing intently at a certain far off star. " I have a long journey, but there is a great light awaiting me at the end of the road."

" I wish you luck," Vegeta said. Burori nodded with a smile, then sped off into the distance.

Vegeta sighed as he slipped back in through the window, tiptoeing through the kitchen to retrieve his sandwich. He looked at the small clock on the kitchen wall, wishing that he could speed up time. He wanted to hug his son, and kiss his wife. Most of all, as he sat in the darkness eating his forbidden snack, he wondered if he had become a good man. Maybe that was the same question that the other Saiya-jin was desperately trying to answer.

� � Krinis looked up to the sky, watching the emerald streak across the clouds as she walked through the sand. She always wondered what that strange color was, or what caused it to come one every year since as long as she could remember. It was hard to remember, sometimes. Bits and pieces would come, but nothing more. It was like there was something very important on the tip of her tongue that she could never quite get out.

She sighed, shaking the thought from her head. She had a good life, and it was foolish to dream about stars and far off things. She had her mountain home, and the verdant forests, and the beautiful beach where she could watch the sun set with her little boy.

She looked over at where Duris was playing in the sand, chasing crabs with his chubby little legs. His straw-colored curls bounced as he giggled, splashing in the water. He looked at his mother with his dark, mysterious eyes. Krinis knew that those eyes reminded her of someone, but she couldn't remember who.

She picked up her little boy, setting him down in her lap as she watched the sun sink into the waves. It was a simple life, but she was happy. There were questions that she wanted answered, but they could wait. She watched as the emerald glow faded from the sunset, and she knew that everything would be answered in time.

Flying back to her house she laid down her son, smiling as he drifted off to sleep. She slid into the covers of the bed beside his, watching the last dying rays of light flee from the skylight. She closed her eyes, remembering the emerald glow, and began to dream of strong, dark-eyed man waiting for her amongst the stars.

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