"Thank you so much for coming to help us, Tsuki," Nashi said. "I'm amazed that you got here so quickly."

Tsuki placed a classic saiyan smirk on her face. "Just something Kakarotto 'taught' to me. I think he called it Shunkan Ido." Her expression became serious. "So, who's our new opponent?"

"We do not know who he is, or even what he wants," replied Nashi.

"Well, we know he doesn't want us living," Zarbon quipped from the background.

"That's what I meant - that we didn't know why he wants us dead," Nashi responded.

"How strong is he?" Tsuki asked.

"Nearly twice as strong as Frieza, and Frieza's power had increased since you fought him on Namek." Nashi thought for a moment. "There was something strange about his ki, I mean, I sensed it, but it was... empty."

"Empty?" Tsuki's face scrunched up in confusion. Zarbon walked up to the women.

"I thought I was the only one who felt that," he said to Nashi. "It was," he said, turning to Tsuki, "like a shell about him. It... seemed almost," Zarbon paused, searching for the right word. "Almost fake."

"Hmm, fake..." Tsuki said thoughtfully.

"I'd never felt anything like it before," Nashi offered.

"I think this new guy is the one that killed King Cold and Cooler," came a voice from behind Tsuki. "We found their bodies in the room we were fighting in earlier." Kori walked up to the group. "This new being took care of them both, probably easily."

Tsuki faced Kori, shocked. Before her stood Frieza, or so it seemed to her. Nashi turned to Tsuki.

"Tsuki, this is Kori, my son," she said. Tsuki's eyes traveled to Nashi.

"Son?"

Nashi smiled. "It's a long story."

Tsuki looked back at Kori. "Yeah, I bet..."

The last few remaining hours had passed. Tsuki, Nashi, Zarbon, and Kori were standing on a island that was located relatively in the middle of nowhere. Any inhabitants that were near the area were moved to what would hopefully be a safer place. Tsuki looked around impatiently.

"Well, where is this guy?" she grumbled. She let out a small laugh. "He's probably too frightened to come out now that a saiya-jin's here to do battle!"

"This... child," Tsuki began, pointing to the pallid being, "is what has you so alarmed?" She continued smiling. She suddenly froze as she felt an icy chill behind her.

"It is not wise to call me a child, saiya-jin."

The next thing Tsuki was doing was pulling herself up off of the ground. She growled as she faced her enemy, fuming. "Now how about you tell me your name so I know what to call your worthless soul when you're dead?"

The being smiled.

"Ja'aku is the name you will soon be cursing, saiya-jin."

Tsuki growled again and yelled as she flew towards Ja'aku.

Vegeta demonstrated this by appearing behind her and seizing her tail. She growled and spun a fist at him. He ducked below the attack. "You need to learn to protect your tail!" He pulled Tsuki's tail roughly. She cried out and fell to her knees onto the ground, glaring at Vegeta. "That's why you keep your tail wrapped around your waist!"

"Kuso!" Tsuki cursed under her breath. She quickly spun her right elbow around, cracking Ja'aku in the chin. He released her tail and staggered back, holding his bruised jaw. Tsuki stepped up and swung her fist at Ja'aku's face, forcing him to retreat further. Ja'aku stood up straight and swung a fist towards Tsuki's face which she caught with both hands. Ja'aku cursed, but quickly recovered by snaking one of his spike-adorned tails around her neck. Tsuki gasped and release his fist. She reached up to grasp his tail, but then hastily moved her hand away. Ja'aku chuckled softly as he moved behind her and away from any possible attacks.

"You can sense it, can't you, saiya-jin?" he asked.

Tsuki growled and struggled slightly, stopping as he brought his other spiked tail to her face. She frowned. "Those spikes of yours are poisoned."

Ja'aku grinned. "That's right. Now how are you going to get out of this, saiya-jin?"

Tsuki chuckled as it was her time to smile. "I'll show you how..."

"Tsuki!" Nashi exclaimed as she saw her friend being restrained by Ja'aku. She began to move to help when Zarbon held his hand out to stop her.

"She's a saiya-jin Nashi, you should know more than anyone that she won't let you help."

Nashi bit her lip knowing that Zarbon was right - she was helpless to do anything. Zarbon looked at the troubled expressions on his son and wife's face. He smiled softly.

"And, being that she's a saiya-jin," he whispered softly, "I'll bet she's got a slew of tricks up her sleeves."

Ja'aku frowned as the saiya-jin in his grasp began to shake gently in laughter. He started to move his one tail as to inject a portion of the lethal venom into his enemy's neck when he stopped. He gasped as Tsuki suddenly began powering up - rapidly and at a great amount. He was thrown back as a visible aura appeared around her. Tsuki screamed as she continued to power up. Ja'aku and the other onlookers watched as the aura shifted from whitish to gold and back to white again. Finally, the golden aura reigned supreme around her body, even conquering her hair and eyebrows. Her eyes had changed to a glowing teal. Her white-gold hair struggled to be lifted up by the intense power, but only her bangs succeeded in doing so since the rest of it was tied back. Tsuki grinned.

"Nani?" Ja'aku breathed. Angered again, he raced towards Tsuki and planted a fierce punch to her jaw. She took a step back. Ja'aku chuckled weakly. "Heh, not so tough..." He felt the blood leave his face as Tsuki looked up at him, grinning. She brought a gloved hand to her mouth and wiped away a trickle of blood. She chuckled again.

"That one was free," she said. She stood up. Ja'aku found himself backing away, but he then regained his composure, taking up a fighting stance. Suddenly, Tsuki dissapeared only to appear again, fist raised, directly in front of Ja'aku. Ja'aku inhaled sharply right as Tsuki's blow knocked him back. He stopped, slamming into the side of a butte. He fell to the ground and looked up only to see Tsuki standing before him. He charged at her again only to be pummeled down with another barrage of attacks. He finally jumped away, landing on top of the butte. Tsuki landed at the base of the butte and looked up.

"So what now, Ja'aku?" she asked mockingly.

Ja'aku frowned and ripped away the remaining scraps of his cloak to reveal his pendant upon his pale white chest. He began to power up. A black fire-like aura started forming about him. "Onyx gale!" he screamed suddenly. The churning energy around him burst out in numerous directions. Tsuki jumped back, dodging the inky blasts. Ja'aku leaped up and lifted his right hand. "Tempest orb!" he yelled. An ebony sphere of raw energy formed in his hand. He launched the ball at Tsuki. Tsuki cursed as she saw the sphere fly towards her. She held her hands out in front of her and caught the energy ball. Its force pushed her back, gouging a trail behind them. Tsuki was forced down to one knee before she finally gathered enough power to throw the ball into the atmosphere where it soon exploded in a fiery eruption.

She remained on one knee, panting heavily. She looked up in time to see Ja'aku's foot as he kicked her hatefully in the face. Tsuki was thrown back hitting and breaking through numerous trees before stopping. She stood, rubbing her chin. "That's it," she muttered. Ja'aku appeared in front of her and he started attacking once again. Tsuki lashed out with a knee and struck Ja'aku in the waist. She jumped back and crossed her arms in front of her. "Tsumujikaze attack!" On 'attack' she swung her arms away from her body releasing a swirling blast of energy at Ja'aku. Ja'aku looked at the oncoming blast in shock. He screamed. "Death fire!" Tendrils of blackness met up with the twirling gold energy - and were easily overpowered by it. Ja'aku choked down a yell as the blast struck him.

Tsuki landed on the ground and looked at the smoky cloud.

"Tsuki!" Nashi called, she and her family running up to her. Tsuki glared at the Kobitian.

"Nashi, get out of here!"

Nashi stopped in front of her friend. "But, Tsuki..."

"Deteiku!" Tsuki shouted at them. Nashi backed away as Tsuki suddenly looked back at the smoke. She felt a power growing. The smoke began to clear and reveal Ja'aku floating a few feet off of the ground. His head was tilted upwards and his arms hung limply at his sides. Ja'aku's pendant was floating gently above his chest. His appearance seemed to be of one who was possessed. Ja'aku began speaking softly, almost to himself. "It's not fair. You are wrong - you are the evil entity in this place..." Ja'aku suddenly opened his eyes and looked down at them. "It's not fair!" he screamed. He powered up to a new level, his aura screaming out from him and striking everyone in its path. Tsuki growled against its power. She finally stood and powered up again. She held her hand out in front of her and fired a powerful blast at the center of the writhing dark mass. She cursed to herself again as she saw that most of the energy was being deflected. Most of it. A single remaining ray flew towards the figure in the center of the cloud...

An eerie silence followed as the pendant fell to the ground, all the way absorbing the black energy. Ja'aku then fell to the ground, landing on his side, seemingly unconscious. Tsuki raised a single eyebrow, rather confused as to what exactly she had done. She tensed as she saw Ja'aku sit up.

He looked over and saw the pendant laying next to him. He immediately recoiled, backing up against the wall of the butte. Ja'aku looked around intensely and soon grabbed a rock. He scrambled up to the pendant and promptly smashed it with the stone. He then looked up and saw Tsuki standing above him. He let out an 'eep' and immediately dropped the rock and backed up against the cliff wall again. He curled up into a little shaking ball, his tails wrapped tightly about him. Tsuki scratched her head in thought and loosened her tail from around her waist. Nashi walked up to her friend and looked questionably at the saiya-jin. Tsuki shrugged her shoulders. She looked down at the shattered necklace and kicked it with the tip of her boot. Ja'aku sat up.

"Don't touch it!" he shrieked. Tsuki looked over at her fallen enemy. He seemed different to her... he had changed. The black spikes on his tail had shrunk and his hair looked lighter, more of a dark silver now compared to its original black. She knelt down and picked up the pendant only to jerk her hand away as it burned her even through her gloves. Tsuki smiled as she noticed Ja'aku's reaction of shrinking back in his little ball once again. She picked the pendant up by its cord and walked over to the cowering pale form.

"What is it that you are so afraid of, Ja'aku?" she taunted him. "Don't you want your pretty little necklace back?" Ja'aku kept backing away as Tsuki brought the pendant closer.

"No, stop it! Please!" he begged, terrified.

"Tsuki, knock it off," Nashi intervened. Tsuki looked up at Nashi and frowned. "You spoil all of my fun, Nashi," Tsuki complained quietly. Tsuki then complied and stood up. She tossed the pendant aside, a good hundred yards, and began to walk away. Zarbon and Kori soon joined up with Nashi. Zarbon looked at the fallen child and then back at Nashi.

"Well?" he asked softly. Nashi looked at the trembling form.

"What could have scared him so much?" Nashi began to walk towards Ja'aku.

"There's that maternal instinct going," Zarbon muttered softly under his breath. "Nashi, be careful!" He watched as Kori walked up with his mother. "Oh, not you, too..." Zarbon finally went up the to the small boy as well. Nashi reached out gently and grazed Ja'aku's shoulder with her hand. He jerked away only to bump into Kori. Ja'aku looked up and saw he was surrounded by either people or the cliff wall. Panic and terror were about to overtake him when Nashi spoke to him softly.

"Ja'aku, what was that pendant? What did it do to you?" She looked to Kori and Zarbon. They understood her silent message and backed away a bit, giving Ja'aku some room. Ja'aku regained some of his composure and sat, only shaking slightly.

"It's evil," he whispered. His eyes began to tear as he remembered all the evils that the pendant had done to him - and all the evils it had caused him to do. "It's evil," he repeated, now weeping openly. He pulled his knees up and rested his head upon them. He covered his head with his hands and wrapped his tails around his three-toed feet. Nashi and her family listened as Ja'aku spoke softly, his voice muffled by his body and tears. "Nozomi... What have I done? What have I done..." He breathed deeply. "Oh, gods... I am evil..."

Nashi put her hand on his hand. He looked up sharply through black eyes. "Do you know what you are, Ja'aku?" she asked. Ja'aku continued crying. "From what I can tell, I see a frightened, innocent child." Ja'aku began shaking his head in disagreement.

"I'm evil," he replied. Nashi shook her head.

"I don't believe someone who is as evil as you say you are could ever cry as much as you are now. I truly believe that you are not at fault for any of this."

Ja'aku looked in wonder at Nashi. He then began weeping again, except these tears were those of relief that a wicked evil now lay at rest...