Vegeta had arrived.  There was no mere travel pod for the Prince of the Saiyajin - his spaceship was a far grander vessel, complete with crew and technicians, as well as a full complement of Saiyajin warriors.  The Prince's personal guard disembarked in two rows, lining up on either side of the ship's entrance, beneath the early morning sun.  An apparently high-ranking officer surveyed the scene before him from the open hatch, an unpleasant smirk appearing on his face as his eyes rested momentarily on Toro who, along with the rest of his troops, was kneeling  in homage for the Prince.  After a moment, the officer stood aside with a low bow, revealing the Saiyajin no Oji at last.

<He looks the same. He looks exactly the same!> Trunks stared at the man who in another world would have been his father.  The pointed hair, the immaculate suit and armor, and the sweeping cape that hung from his shoulders - it all screamed out the identity of the man, fitting perfectly with what Trunks remembered of his father.  <But then, how else would he look, I wonder?>  Even when he had been the only Saiyajin left alive in their universe, Vegeta had maintained his attitudes and appearance - his whole manner and style - as befitted a Saiyajin Prince, despite having to make do with whatever was available on the primitive planet he had ended up on...

<Looks like Otousan did a pretty good job of that...  I suppose he would have died of horror if he'd failed to live up to his own standards.  I just wish that I could have - >

Vegeta paced down the walkway, stopping before Toro, whose head was bowed low.  "Report," he ordered briefly.

Toro raised his eyes to meet those of his prince, and proceeded to give a succinct summary of the events that had taken place since his arrival on the planet.  Including the fact that Goten had been mistaken for him - and that he and Trunks were from a different universe.

<Good thing I didn't tell him who my parents were.  I don't think I could handle that at the moment.  It's bad enough standing right here in front of him.>  Trunks ducked his head as Vegeta glanced in his direction, not willing to meet his gaze.  He was standing slightly apart from the Saiyajins; his impromptu display of strength while attempting to defend Kami had made most of the warriors wary of him.  Only Toro had not appeared to be cautiously interested in him after that, and he had spent the rest of the night under constant surveillance.

He chewed his lip as he sensed the intensity of the gaze that Vegeta directed towards him.  <Damn it!  I just want to get out of here and look for Goten!>  The only problem with that was that he had no idea of where to start looking for his missing friend.  <Except that I'll need a spaceship to start - and the only ones here belong to the Saiyajins...>

Of course, it would be easy enough to take one of the ships by force.  It was highly doubtful that any of them had ever encountered anyone as powerful as a Super Saiyajin.  He probably wouldn't even need to power up that much...  <Which is most definitely a good thing - the last time I consciously turned Super Saiyajin was when I killed - > He shook his head, blinking back the tears that threatened to escape his eyes.  <But I've been Super Saiyajin since then.  I just can't remember how I became so...>

A hand grasped his chin firmly, lifting his head forcefully until his eyes met the Prince's...  Terror froze his limbs and locked his gaze.

"What have you to say for yourself, brat?"

He quivered beneath the attention he was given, his body trembling with the effort to suppress the emotions evoked by the touch of the familiar stranger.  Fear, anger, love, hate, hope, despair  - all blended together, drowning him in an overwhelming tide that caused his heart to pound, his breaths shallow and fast.

"Goten," he choked out at last.  "I - I want to find Goten..."

The black eyes narrowed, then released him from their compelling hold.  He staggered, dropping to his knees, hands buried in the soft, dark soil, head once again bowed low.  Through pale wisps of hair he carefully observed the booted feet as they turned away from him and stalked over to the pod containing the treacherous Saiyajin.

<I don't envy him.  He's going to be in a lot of pain, soon.  I don't really like the thought of that - but if he knows anything about how to find Goten, it'll be worth it...>

He snatched a brief glimpse over at the pod, before ducking his head once more.  Toro was standing impassively to one side of the pod, while two of the brawniest of Vegeta's guard had the traitor down on his knees before the Prince he had betrayed.  Vegeta looked a little disappointed; but his disappointment held no room for mercy, and his eyes were as hard as diamond.  He was exacting punishment for a failure, and failure was something that he would not tolerate.

He was starting to scream, already.

Trunks winced away from the noise, wishing desperately to be able to block his ears as easily as he could shut his eyes.  <I can remember that look on my father's face...  I can remember screaming like that...>

He clenched his fists, then relaxed them, concentrating on the feel of Goten's ki.  <If I can find where he is, I won't have to stay and listen...>  He stretched his senses to the limit, for perhaps the sixth time since he had awakened to see Toro instead of Goten by his side.  His unsuccessful attempts the night before had left him discouraged, with Goten being beyond his reach either due to distance or - <NO!  I'm not even going to think that!  Besides, he said that Bardock wanted Toro alive, and the universe is a very large place...>

He took  a deep breath, clearing his mind - and reached, ignoring the screaming and faint beeping around him.

<Like I thought - nothing.>  He started to pull back - but caught a faint trace of Goten's ki, far nearer than he had expected.  <What - ?>

He gasped, looking up to where a faint dot was descending into Earth's atmosphere.  A moment later a ki-blast was on its way to intercept it.  He surged into the air just in time to divert the blast that Toro had sent, in accompaniment to Vegeta's which had already passed him by.

He snarled at them, blue eyes flashing in anger.  <If that hurts Goten - >  "What happened to the pride of the Saiyajin?" He demanded.  "Are you so afraid of those pathetic weaklings that you must attack them in this cowardly manner?"  He spat out the words, ignoring desperately the icy touch of fear on his heart.

Vegeta's blast hit the ship, tearing a gaping hole in the side, sending it spinning.  <Goten...>

He eyed Vegeta who was frowning at him, arms folded across his chest, and Toro who was subconsciously mimicking his Prince's stance.

<Goten had better be all right - or they won't be!>

<Trunks had better be all right, down there...>

Goten glared at Bardock sourly.  The Saiyajin was still holding tightly onto the transporter.  <I almost wish he had activated it - it would have made this trip a lot more enjoyable...>

Bardock had spent most of the journey laboriously explaining exactly why Goten had to kill Vegeta.  <Or rather why he wants Toronipsu to kill Vegeta...  Heh, I'll probably be a lot better for the job than my 'uncle' - I doubt that he could go Super Saiyajin, and if he's been following Vegeta's orders for so long he might have been brainwashed into believing that the bastard doesn't deserve to die...  Which is probably why Bardock's been going on and on about it.  Not that he needs to convince me!>

They were just starting to enter Earth's skies; they would soon be in confrontation with the Saiyajin forces that Bardock and his men had detected on the planet's surface.  <But they don't know about Trunks being there, too.>

A sudden burst of power from the earth below them caught his attention.  <That's going to hit the ship!>  His eyes flicked across to the transporter in Bardock's hands.  <And if it does...>

He tracked the ki with his senses as it approached, and was thus far more prepared for when it hit the ship than any of the others were...

"NANI?!" Bardock grabbed at the walls as the ship rocked unexpectedly, dropping the transporter in the process.  Goten lunged for it, snatching it up before it was lost to the hole in the side of the vessel which was sucking the contents out of the cabins.

"I believe someone just hit us!"  Goten answered lightly, a grin on his face as he yelled to be heard above the rash of noise.  "Vegeta, most likely!  Now if you excuse me, I have other things to do - oh, and thanks for the ride.  I always wanted to fly in a spaceship!"

He laughed as Bardock cursed at him, and punched another hole in the wall.  <It's not like it matters much, now.>  He smirked as Bardock feebly attempted to hold him back, then shrugged him off as easily as he would a baby.  <You don't stand a chance, 'grandfather'.>

As soon as the hole was big enough, he slipped through, cushioned on all sides by the rushing air currents, as he emerged into the soft morning light.

He hovered motionless for a moment as the ship spun away from him, scattering its contents as it went.  <Bardock will probably be out of there in no time - and after me.>  He turned to look at the group of dots gathered together below him, a little way off.  <Trunks is down there, and he seems to be okay...  And now that I know where he is, and I finally have the transporter back, everything should be all right.  Hmmm, I wonder if Toronipsu is down there, too...>  He smiled.  <I wonder what Bardock's going to think when he sees him!>  He glanced briefly at the rapidly descending wreck of a spacecraft.  Several figures could be seen fleeing from it.

<Well, there's only one way to find out!>

Toro gritted his teeth as he watched Trunks bat his ki-blast away without appearing to exert himself.  <That was one of the most powerful blasts I can send without exhausting myself!  First that incident with the green guy, now this - he's far more than what he seems to be!  Just what is going on here?>

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the Saiyajin prince.  Vegeta's mouth had tightened, but that was the only reaction visible.

<What does it take to shock him?> he wondered.  Seconds later he had his answer, as Trunks berated them for cowardly actions.  <Cowardly?!>  Vegeta stiffened beside him, his aura intensifying with anger at the pale haired boy.

But he waited.  <He does not like being called a coward - but why hasn't he taken any action against him?  If Trunks was a Saiyajin, he'd be dead by now!>

The descent of a familiar figure distracted him from his puzzlement.  <He - that's - >  He swallowed against the lump that had formed in his throat.  <He really does look just like me!  Except for the tail...>

Trunks spun around to face his previously lost friend, smiling as Goten touched his shoulder lightly.

"You okay?"  Goten asked, concerned.  Trunks nodded in reply.  "Good."  He turned to face Toro, looking deep into his eyes.  Toro could see an odd blend of wonder and amusement reflected in those dark eyes.

"So you're Toronipsu's counterpart," Vegeta stated, keeping his voice level.  "What happened to Bardock?  What do you want?"

Goten looked Toro up and down, examining him.  He smiled slowly.  "Your father will be happy to see that you've still got your tail," he noted wryly, ignoring Vegeta's questions much to the vexation of the Saiyajin Prince.  "However, I don't think he'd be happy about the company you're keeping."  His gaze flicked across to the Saiyajin no Oji.  "And on this subject, I agree with him!"

He was gone in a blur of colour.

<What - ?>

Trunks' eyes widened, then he, too, disappeared - only to reappear standing defensively before the Prince, with Goten's fist just millimetres from his face.

"Damn it, Trunks!  Get out of the way!"  Goten ordered.

"No!  He's not like him!  He hasn't done anything!"  Trunks protested, not moving an inch.

"Not yet!  Which makes this the perfect time to stop him!"

"You'll have to go through me to do it," Trunks told him quietly, maintaining his defensive stance.

<What the hell is going on here?  They're both so fast!>

Vegeta's guard were only just now starting to move to protect their Prince.  Toro stepped forward, placing himself between Goten and Vegeta  -and staggered back as he was hit by a huge gust of wind.

<Nani?!>  He blinked in surprise as he saw that Goten's hair was no longer the usual black of a Saiyajin, but a burning gold, lifted out of its normal stiff spikes by the aura of power which surrounded him.  <So strong!>  Behind him he could hear the hiss of Vegeta's sudden intake of breath.  Around them, the Saiyajins' scouters were beeping wildly - and shattering, unable to register the power level demonstrated by this boy who bore his face.  <This just isn't possible!  He can't be Saiyajin!>

"I've done far worse than he has, Goten,"  Trunks informed him evenly.  "If you won't kill me, then I won't let you kill him!"  Less than a heartbeat later he, too, had somehow altered his appearance, matching that of his sometime friend.

<I can't believe this!  I just can't believe it!>  Toro twisted his hands, preparing a ki-blast.  A touch on his shoulder made him hesitate, turning his head to see what Vegeta wanted.

Vegeta's eyes were fixed on the confrontation before them.  A single word passed his lips: "Wait."

<Wait?  For what?!  Either one of them could kill us all without even noticing!>  One of the guards evidently had the same thought as Toro, firing a powerful blast at Goten.

He flicked it away without even looking.

<He - !  Oh gods...>  Toro bit back a surge of fear.  <Saiyajin are not cowards!  I am not afraid!>

"He's not your father, Trunks!  You don't need to protect him!"

<Father?  What's he talking about?>  Toro frowned in confusion.

"Exactly!  He hasn't done anything wrong! You don't need to kill him!"

Trunks turned his head slightly, giving Toro a clear look at his profile.  Toro widened his eyes in surprise.  <His face - it's just like - >

"He's Saiyajin!"

"And so are we!"

"We're half human!"

"And humans are so much better than Saiyajin?!"

<They're only part Saiyajin?  They share blood with the weaklings on this planet?!>

"Trunks, I'm not going to hurt you," Goten spoke softly, his eyes never leaving Trunks'.  "I can maintain this level of power far longer than you can."

"Ah," Trunks acknowledged, hanging his head.  "So you can."  He raised his head, his blue eyes bright and determined.  "But for the moment - I'm still faster than you."

"Nani?"  Goten did not have time to move before Trunks appeared at his side, appearing to teleport himself in an instant.  He clasped one of Goten's hands in one of his own, the other holding up a dark, cylindrical object with several buttons and dials visible between them.  Trunks' thumb was over one of the buttons.

"Trunks!  Wait!"  Goten cried out, his eyes widening - but it was too late.

A flash of green light blinded the Saiyajin for a moment; when the spots cleared from their eyes there was no sign of either of the pair.

"Well,"  Vegeta spoke into the sudden silence.  "That was quite interesting.  Definitely worth coming here to see."

Toro turned to him, frowning.  <What's he talking about?  Did he know something like this was going to happen?>

His concerned musings came to an abrupt halt as he glimpsed a brief flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye.

<What - ?>

A face.  His face, again.

<NO!>

His movements seemed ever so slow, his limbs leaden, in comparison with the lightning fast duo who had disappeared from the world just moments before.

<I may be slow, but he's slower!>  The thought brought a glint of harsh amusement to his eyes as he punched Bardock in the chest.

Through the chest, actually.

The older Saiyajn's bleeding and broken body slumped to the ground, the dark eyes glaring accusingly into his own, so similar...

"Why?"  Bardock choked out his question, coughing up spurts of blood.   "Does family loyalty mean nothing to you?"

"How can you of all people ask that?!" Toro spat out in disdain.  "My only allegiance is to my Prince!"

The dark eyes narrowed.  "And what about to your people?"

"My Prince represents my people," Toro answered.  "By serving him, I serve them best; and it is for them, as well as him that I do this!"

He struck once more, and watched emotionlessly as the dark eyes dulled to lifelessness.

A hand on his shoulder stirred him back to reality.  Vegeta's hand, again.  The Prince was smiling gently.

"Well said, Toro," he complimented his young lieutenant.  "Well said, and well done.  It seems that I was correct in giving this command to you.  I believe you will continue to do well with it.  You were about to subjugate the planet, I believe?"

Toro nodded.  "Hai, Vegeta-sama."

"It seems that this planet also has a more subtle value for our people,"  Vegeta continued, his steady gaze locked onto Toro's.  "I trust you will learn how to make good use of all that this planet and its people have to offer."

<What does he - ?>  His eyes widened in realization.  <Those boys.  They were half Saiyajin - and half human!  And both so powerful...  Could this be the future of our race?>

He looked deep into Vegeta's eyes, searching for the reason why he should sacrifice so much of his people's inheritance.  <For power alone it wouldn't be worth it - but is that what he wants?  Or does he want something else...>

The world seemed to grind to a halt as he quested for answers...

...and found them.

He raised his arm across his chest in salute.  "Hai, Vegeta-sama," he answered at last.

Vegeta nodded regally, gesturing for him to proceed.

Toro smiled, turning to his troops.

"Let's go!  We have a world to conquer!"

<And after that...the universe - or several universes!>

The quiet pool of silence that enveloped the alley was shattered in an instant; bright green light cleared away the murkiness before fading away to a dull yellow.  Two teenage boys were standing there, face to face, where before there had been no-one.  They glow which had surrounded them died away completely, leaving them shrouded in shadows.  The shorter boy hung his head, longs strands of hair obscuring his face even more in the dim light.  In his right hand, he loosely held a strange device.

The other boy raised his own hands to enfold his companion's .

"We can't go back."  It wasn't quite a question, yet more than a statement.  The long haired boy shook his head in wordless answer.  The other boy sighed and turned away, dropping his hands and moving into a patch of sunlight that had managed to find its way past the overhanging eaves and walls which darkened and deadened the alley.  He stood in silence, eyes shut in contemplation.  After several moments he opened his eyes revealing deep pools that rivaled the alleyway with their darkness.

"I can't understand why you stopped me.  Wouldn't it have been better - "

"You stopped your brother, for me," came the answer, interrupting him softly.  "Why?"

"Why?"  The dark eyed boy repeated, then shook his head slowly.  "Perhaps you're right.  I need to think about this."  He started to walk out of the alley, into the street.

"Matte!  Where are you going?"  The cry held a note of anxiety.

He paused, then continued on.  "I won't go far.  You'll be able to sense me.  I'll be back in an hour or so."

He headed out, into the sunlight, alone.
 

End Allegiance