A/N: Once again, thank-u very much for the kind reviews & I sincerely apologise for the lack of updates. I really am enjoying writing this fic, the problem is I can't seem to get into writing anything lately. I assure u all it will be a Romance/Fantasy/Adventure based fic, but only after I get finished with 'Dark Day'. I know I said 'Dark Day' would only have two parts to it, however, I never realised this chapter would be so long, so there will be a 3rd part ^^;
Now on with the fic! ^.~

Z Warriors A.E
Dark Day ~ Part Two

Ominous purple storm-clouds drummed with hollow thunder in the dark sky, the deathly cold wind whipping at the Namek's long cape which fluttered and flapped irritably. Piccolo's sharp onyx eyes gazed down in shear terror at what was left of Son Goku's cherished homeland. The once green and lush valley was now charred and bare. It was nothing but a vast, barren graveyard, littered with uprooted trees and the corpses of unfortunate creatures, impossible to identify because of the blisters and burnt flesh which covered their motionless bodies.

But one terrible sight in particular made even the hardened Namekian warrior want to tear himself apart for his earlier reluctance towards Kami-Sama's words.

Stood on the top of what was once a fresh, grassy hill, were the ruins of the Son House. And lying before the wreckage in the dank and dreary afternoon, were two smoking, charred bodies.

In a flash, Piccolo had sped towards the lifeless creatures, praying that they were some poor beasts and not that of Gohan or his family, all of whom had become very dear to him. He had even grown fond of the spiteful, sharp-tongued ChiChi.

Taking a few deep breaths, Piccolo forced himself to examine the two bodies. Never before in his entire life had he felt the need to fight back against the burning bile which had begun to rise up in the back of his throat. But then again, he had never seen a sight as stomach churning as this.

The flesh which once covered the first body had been burned to a crisp, the white bone marrow of the skull and jaw peeking through the remains. Its companion lay only a few inches to the right, rolled up in a tight ball as if the poor creature had made some last desperate attempt to protect both itself and its partner. At a quick glance at this creature, the large ribcage poking out beneath its many black tinged scales, Piccolo had his answer.

Upon this inspection, he found the sizzling, inanimate creatures before him to be that of Son ChiChi herself and Gohan's adored pet, Hiiya dragon.

Although a great sadness welled up in his chest, the feeling was mixed with that of relief. Gohan, his student and closest friend, was no where to be seen. Perhaps he had been training with Goku in the white-tipped purple mountains at the time of the initial attack on their valley.

Piccolo grimaced. Not that those mountains were a safe haven from what was coming; or rather, what had arrived.

~*~*~*~

Gohan's grip tightened on his father's hand as they sped through the sky at the speed of light, Goku's old friend, Kinto'en, (A/N: Nimbus cloud) struggling to match his speed behind. Nevertheless, the magnificent fiery beast appeared relentless in its chase upon the two Saiyans, travelling across the land at outrageous speeds.

As Gohan chanced another glance behind him, he felt a cold clammy hand claw around his innocent heart. In the past few minutes the beast, beady yellow eyes deep-set in its slimy crocodile head and staring directly at him, had closed another mile between them. With every flap of its leathery, bat-like wings, great gusts of wind ravaged the land, tearing it to pieces.

"Dad! Fly faster!!" Gohan cried, dry tears stinging his eyes as the wind whipped through his unruly mass of black hair. Goku kept his stern, narrowed eyes ahead as they continued to flee from the mysterious creature on their tails.

If only I could get to Vegeta or Piccolo…No sooner had these thoughts past through Goku's confused, clouded mind, did he remember the favoured 'trick' he had learnt on the far off planet of Yardrat. How on Chikyuu could he have forgotten?!

Chuckling deviously, Goku lifted his hand towards his forehead. But before the Saiyan could even outstretch his two fingers, an ear-piercing shriek filled his every sense, throwing him entirely of course.

The inhumane scream was filled with agony, hatred and rage and sent powerful tremors tearing across the land. Gohan clung to his father's arm as he watched the scene unfold from the sky. Great strips of the land were ripped from its threshold and tossed into the air as the tremors tore across the country for miles on end.

The beast continued its intense scream of torment, showing no decrease in speed as it glided through the air. Although the mythical creature was by no means pleasing to the eye, it held a certain air of splendour as it graced the skies with its grand and impressive semblance.

Meanwhile Goku, who had collected his thoughts and assembled a loose plan inside his head, tore forwards into the sky again. "Don't worry Gohan, we'll get out of here!" he quickly reassured his frightened son who was still clinging desperately to his arm.

"We have to find Piccolo-san!" Gohan pleaded, his hoarse voice fighting against the deafening winds which beat against them.

Goku's attention, however, had turned to Kinto'en who had been following them all this time. To his horror he realised the little cloud had been lagging behind, no longer holding its superior speed over the powerful Saiyan. "Kinto'en, hurry! You can catch up!"

But his words of encouragement were to no avail, for no sooner had they left Goku's lips had the tremendous, demonic chimera opened its fiery maw and discharged yet another wave of vibrant, orange, volcanic magma. The little Kinto'en was mercilessly lapped up by the fury of these snake-like flames.

Before the second wave of molten liquid engulfed them, Goku had scooped his son into his arms and disappeared, leaving the demonic beast to continue its assault on the land.

~*~*~*~

Another flash of white lightening highlighted Usagi's pretty features as she crouched on the dirt, knees tucked tightly against her chest. The tears on her red, puffy face, glistened with every colourful explosion erupting around her safe haven. Her expression was one of pure sorrow and hopelessness. Once again she had successfully managed to abandon her mission. However, this time she had not only managed to fail the Scouts, she had failed her entire family and Mamoru too.

And Chibi Usa. What was to happen to her? She remembered the brute of a Saiyan, the mass of golden, unruly hair cascading down his back and his narrow beady eyes, which held the unmistakable look of a man turned insane from jealousy, staring directly into her soul. She couldn't understand who he was or why he had kidnapped Chibi Usa…but she had a feeling he was part of a much bigger picture.

Usagi choked on the hard, hot, lump caught in her throat.

She had forseen this! Why hadn't she prepared herself sooner?! Luna was always reminding her to listen to her instincts.

Usagi pulled her knees closer to her chest and reserved herself to wait in the shadows until death claimed her. Until that time, she would pack herself away in her own sorrows. There was no use for her now.

All of a sudden, a slight whimper sounded somewhere off to her far right. In an instant, Usagi was up and racing towards the shadowy trees and shrubbery where the body of young Ami Mizuno lay scratched and beaten.

"Ami! You're alright!" Usagi cried in delight. Ami was lying on her stomach, quivering with fear and severe pain from the many bloody gashes covering her arms and legs.

"Ami, it's okay. Don't worry. I'm here for you now." Usagi whispered in a soft and soothing tone. Before, when she was all alone, everything appeared so dark and hopeless. But now that she had Ami back, Usagi could already feel the bond the Sailor Scouts shared clearer than ever. And it strengthened her.

Slowly and carefully, Usagi gently shifted Ami onto her back. The young blue-haired princess of Mercury did not appear to be as damaged as Usagi had originally thought. However, Ami was still shaking with fear, her incoherent speech utterly lost on the pigtailed Sailor Senshi. Her hands were covering her face as she continued her irrational chatter.

Finally Usagi slowly managed to pry one of Ami's scratched, bloody hands away from her face, and looked into her one uncovered azure eye with a small smile.

"See. It's only me. Remember, Usa-chan?" She prodded gently. Ami simply stared at her passively. Usagi dabbed at Ami's head to feel for any injuries. "Hmm, you've got a big bump there, but nothing I can't take care of!" Usagi grinned cheerily, but behind the cheerful mask she was extremely concerned about her battered friend's health.

Another tremendous crash sounded not too far from where the couple was hiding out in the gloomy, shadowy park.

How on Earth was she going to get Ami to a hospital? Usagi felt fresh tears sting her dull blue eyes. "Ami, please look at me. I need help, your help!" She whimpered. Suddenly, a little trickle of blood streaming down Ami's cheek, caught her attention. Usagi reached towards her friend's face to pry her other hand away from her right eye. Ami flinched away.

Usagi furrowed her smooth brow. "What are you hiding?"

Ami shook her head violently. "Don't touch me!" She wailed, edging further away from Usagi and curling into a feral position by the trunk of a huge, rough oak tree. She looked like an abandoned animal, frightened and alone. She still kept her right eye protectively covered by one hand.

"I just want to help." Usagi took hold of Ami's free hand and stroked it soothingly. "Please, let me see."

After a few moments of silence, Ami let out a small whimper and slowly uncovered her hand from her pretty azure left eye; or what would have been her left eye.

Usagi gasped out loud, her pale hand falling over her mouth as she gaped in sheer horror. Ami's pretty blue left eye was gone; simply gone. Radditz' attack had taken a greater toll on Ami than she had originally thought.

"Oh Ami…" Usagi was at a loss for words. She watched, utterly helpless as her friend covered her face again and sobbed into her hands. Suddenly, a plan struck her like lightning. Usagi quickly tore a thin strip of material from her skirt and crawled towards her friend, offering the material as if it were Frankincense or Myrrh.

Lifting her aching head away from her tear-soaked hands, Ami stared back at her pigtailed friend, a curious expression etched on her ghostly pale face. Usagi grinned sheepishly. "Look, y-you can wear this as an eye-patch…uhm, it matches the colour of your eyes pretty well." She muttered bashfully.

After a few seconds, Ami sniffled loudly and chuckled half-heartedly. Taking the shredded blue material from Usagi, Ami carefully tied it around her head.

Before the young Princess of Mercury could make any comment, she noticed Usagi's face suddenly turn deathly grave when the sounds of more agonised screams, toppled buildings and ear-splitting eruptions from the city drew nearer; too near for her liking.

"Come on. We have to move." Usagi ordered, hoisting Ami up and draping her arm over her shoulders for support. The pair staggered along the gravelly path, trying in vain to get away from the burning city of Tokyo.

~*~*~*~

Radditz watched the great bonfire from the smoky sky above, a satisfied smirk grazing his thin, cruel lips. It had been a full and interesting day for the Saiyan Warrior; much more than he had expected. His narrow eyes snapped to the little candy-pink haired brat strewn across his left shoulder and he absentmindedly wondered why she was so important to his Master.

Suddenly, a memory from long ago resurfaced in his mind. A picture of a young Demi-Saiyan boy, his nephew to be precise, presented itself to his mind's eye. His nephew --Kakarotto had called the brat Gohan-- proved to have an extraordinary amount of hidden power which only appeared to present itself when his emotions boiled over and took precedence of his conscious thought.

Radditz gazed at Chibi Usa curiously. She was just like his brat of a nephew, Gohan.

"Hmm, curious…" Radditz straightened up and shifted the little girl on his shoulder. "Feh, no matter. As long as I get this thing back to Master Muu, I'll get my promotion and that bastard Malachite won't be able to laugh in my face anymore." Radditz sneered at this thought and shot into the sky, soaring higher and higher into the icy cold air. Finally the beefy Saiyan mercenary came to an abrupt halt. Gazing downwards at the surface of the cerulean/green planet, the Saiyan snickered and raised his free hand into the air.

Slowly, a golden, swirling orb began to emerge from the palm of his hand; growing larger and stronger by the second.
"Just another goodbye to a pathetic planet of weaklings," Radditz jeered, the pin-prick pupils of his eyes gleaming menacingly in the golden glow of his immense ki bomb.

~*~*~*~

At first the bleary eyed monk could not make out one thing in the murky, pitch-black room. His memory was fuzzy and for the first few minutes Krillin could barely remember where he was. He sniffed the musty scented room, nearly sneezing on the dusty, ash filled air. Once his eyes finally became accustomed to the dark, Krillin took in his surroundings. Suddenly, a peculiar sound met with his enlarged ears and he spun towards the large pile of debris lying in the middle of the murky room. Light scratching filled his ears, getting louder and clearer by the second.

Immediately, Krillin's overactive imagination produced a picture of a giant, hungry hamster trying to dig its way out from under the debris and begin its hunt for lunch! With a high-pitched squeal of fear, the little monk gulped and nervously scrambled to his feet.

The scratching abruptly stopped.

Oh great goin'! Ham-zilla's heard you! Krillin rebuked himself.

"Krillin? Damnit, are you dead or not?!" A harsh voice whispered angrily.

Krillin's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. "Vegeta?! I-is that you!?" he cried out loud. What was left of the ceiling above, shuddered and groaned.

"Of course it's me. Now shut up or you'll bring the whole damn place down!" Vegeta snarled. He was tired of having this conversation.

Krillin sighed in relief. "Man, I thought you were a…uh, never mind."

"What the Hell happened to you? Were you attacked?" the Saiyan prince asked anxiously as the pair began work on digging and removing the rubble which separated them.

Krillin rubbed the back of his bruised head, his memory slowly coming back to him. "Gee, I dunno. Something just came at me from nowhere. It was like some kind of red-eyed, devilish monster, with sharp teeth and huge claws!" As Krillin told his story Vegeta found it harder and harder to buy. "First thing I heard was this bizarre croaking sound, like, "

Ribbit!

"Yeh, just like that! Gee, Vegeta, you're really good at that." Krillin chuckled.

"That wasn't me you imbecile." Vegeta snapped as he removed the last large, chunk of rock separating them.

Ribbit!

Krillin froze as the gravelly croaking sounded directly above him. Shaking like a leaf, the undersized warrior slowly lifted his hands to his head. He nearly let out a shriek as he felt the slick and slimy, green, skin of a very unusual frog which had chosen to perch upon his bald head.

"Ack! What the..?" Krillin wailed, denying the urge to gag.

Vegeta chuckled as he pulled Bulma, gently as he possibly could, from the tiny clearing they had made in the rubble. "That's your monster, ay?" The Saiyan Prince smirked as he lifted the unconscious woman into his strong arms. The frog's eyes instantly snapped towards Vegeta and glared menacingly, its two antennae twitching agitatedly.

At first the Saiyan no Ouji was a little shocked by his revelation, but when he realised the humour in this situation, he came close to bursting into peals of laughter. "Well, well!" he chuckled heartily, "Look what we have here! The Grand and illustrious Captain Ginyu." The Saiyan bent down towards the crimson-eyed frog's face with a delighted expression. "Tell me oh divine one, how does it feel to be a four legged, slimy amphibian? I'd say this outfit rather suits you!" The wicked gleam in Vegeta's eyes had returned. He was the cocky Prince of Saiyans once again.

The Ginyu Frog grit his teeth in fury and attempted to pounce at Vegeta, only to fall flat on his face in the crumbling rubble below. Vegeta snickered cruelly and turned towards the disgusted Krillin.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's get going." Vegeta commanded, but before his orders could be carried out there was a loud, ominous rumble and the ground jolted sharply beneath them. Ginyu leapt at Krillin in a flash, and scrambled up his body until he had reached his personal perch on top of the shaven monk's head.

Krillin growled furiously. "Hey! Get off of me you slimy-"

"There's no time! Move it!!" Vegeta quickly intervened, raising his hand to the ceiling and ki blasting an enormous hole through the very rooftop of the Capsule Corp. headquarters. Within a few moments the two warriors, plus one unconscious blue-haired beauty and a slimy frog, had escaped through the great gash in the ceiling mere seconds before the entire left hand side of Capsule Corp. had sunk into the ground, towing the rest of the domain building with it.

Bulma had finally awoken from her deep sleep, only to see the home in which she had grown up, sink to its untimely death and drag her beloved parents along with it. Shock clouded her mind and she gripped Vegeta's arm until her knuckles turned white as snow.

Krillin watched the scene unfold with a miserable expression. He had known Dr Briefs and his wife Bra for many years now. And just like that, they were gone along with thousands of residents in the great Western City. Forlorn cries and high-pitched sirens still filled the smoky night air.

Krillin turned towards Vegeta with his brow furrowed, although it was a hard task to look serious when you have a frog perched on top of your head. "We have to find the DragonBalls right away." The monk/warrior spoke in a determined tone.

However, Vegeta's eyes were no longer on the sinking headquarters of Capsule Corp. Nor were they on any of the other poor houses and skyscrapers which had fallen to their death in great clouds of ash and rock. No, the Saiyan no Ouji's eyes were locked on something far more terrifying.

A great, vast wall of blue was travelling at a tremendous speed towards the city, the white savage horses dancing on its fringe, bucking and braying as it neared the defenceless metropolitan.

"Fly." Vegeta spoke in a stunned whisper.

Krillin, who had since given up on trying to claim Vegeta's attention, was trying to soothe the weeping Bulma; the barriers of her shock and the dam which had held back her lake of salty tears now broken. The monk now turned back towards the Saiyan Prince incredulously. "Fly? Vegeta, can't you see we've gotta help-"

"I said fly you fool!" Vegeta barked furiously before turning 360º and swiftly disappearing beyond the purple, smoky clouds above with Bulma in tow. Krillin glanced around for an answer to Vegeta's odd behaviour. But it was the sound which first warned him of the danger nearing him. A great tsunami, or tidal wave if you will, was flying across the land, consuming everything in its chosen path.

The Ginyu frog crowning his shaven head let out a yelp of horror as he spotted the great wall of water a mile away. Krillin swung around, dead set on following Vegeta to find some safe sanctuary; if there was such a thing. But all of a sudden, he remembered his injured friend by the gates of Capsule Corp.

"Yammcha!" He called over the deafening turmoil of the tsunami as it drenched the land, concealing everything it ate in its massive watery body. Krillin saw his scar-faced friend drag himself to his feet, before stumbling and falling to the ground, sealing his fate. Krillin swept down towards him, but it was far too late.

The tidal wave crashed into the city with such a ferocious, merciless force, the little monk was forced to leave the premises, lucky to get away with his life…

~*~*~*~

Hope you enjoyed it. I think the next chapter will be up fairly soon ^_^ Criticism, good or bad, is highly appreciated. Can't think of anything interesting to say so I'll just leave u with, "Save a tree, eat a beaver!" ^.~
~Starkiller