Well, it's been a while. Ironically, this idea came to me as I was preparing to go to sleep. Like this story, it bugged me to write it because it was not going away. First time I attempt a bit of suspense and mystery for this story, so I might still suck at it.

With my track record, I held off revealing the plot too much, so go ahead and read on if you want to know more.

#abusingpotaranerf

"Have the arrangements been made?"

"Yes, he should be on Earth right now."

"Good. I like to see if this goes according to his wishes."

"Pray tell it does brother or else you'll end up losing a valuable fighter."

"I suppose that would be a problem. Regardless, he did request it, so I suppose we have no choice but to wait for the results."

"And if he dies?"

"Well, I'm sure his friends will find a way to bring him back to life."

________

Vegito pressed his back against the tree, his breathing coming out in shallow gasps. He had not expected this in the slightest when merging back into existence less than five minutes ago. Even now, his mind was quickly trying to process where the enemy would strike, not wanting a repeat of what just happened to occur.

'Damn it Kakarrot, why of all times did you actually think to call him?' Vegito thought angrily, his ears pricking at the sound of soft footfalls approaching him. Even now, he could see Kakarrot's memories, the deal he made days earlier playing through their merged mind. His left arm hung limply. Fighting the urge to cry out, he grit his teeth while forcing his shoulder back into the socket.

________

"So, can you contact him?" Goku asked Whis who seemed to be enjoying the chocolate fudge brownie that seemed to be a bribe to the angel.

"Hm... the idea that you and Vegeta were using the potara earrings lately is a bit excessive, don't you think?" Whis pointedly questioned, his fork hovering over the dessert relatively uncertain. While he had enjoyed the treat, the fact that Goku was asking him to do a favor in exchange was not a new thing for either warrior to resort to when they are trying to improve themselves.

"Come on! It's more of a test to see who's stronger!" Goku attempted to encourage the stubborn overseer.

"Alright, I'll get in touch with him, though I won't be responsible for the repercussions of this deal if it doesn't go your way," Whis relented with some hesitation lingering in his voice.

"Thank you! You won't regret this!" Goku clapped his hands together and bowed slightly in respect. It was almost though he had been given a generous donation.

"Just remember, I am not responsible for how this all plays out, and there's a chance you could die..."

"And there's a chance I'll probably beat him like all the others!" Goku grinned eagerly. "When I do, I'll make sure to get the cherry parfait that I was telling you about the next time we meet..."

"Mmm... don't make promises you can't keep if this goes wrong..." Whis pouted. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin had secretly learned about the overseer's sweet tooth accidentally, and wanted nothing more than to capitalize on the angel's weakness every chance he could.

_________

Vegito's chest ached slightly from the blow that he barely managed to avoid. If he had taken it head-on, there was no doubt in his mind that he would have died right then and there—fusion be damned. Vegeta himself had wondered why Kakarrot had been eager to fuse.

Casting out his senses, he knew his enemy was closing in. He had mere seconds to react when the tree suddenly splintered behind him. Vegito was forced to find another hiding spot to reassess the situation he was haphazardly put in.

_________

"What's the point of fusing with you this time?" Vegeta questioned as he eyed Kakarrot wearing the earring on his left ear. The younger warrior seemed to be grinning with a bit of unease, his own energy seemed a bit off almost though he were concerned about something.

"Come on Vegeta," Kakarrot pleaded. "I wanted to test this on someone..."

"Someone?" This piqued the elder Saiya-jin's interest. What did the clown have in mind that he was urgently requesting this?

"Yeah, I think you'd like the idea of fighting him when we're joined together..." Kakarrot teased, not wanting to reveal more than he was letting on.

"Kakarrot, the last time we fused together, you technically abducted your son into a fight," Vegeta rolled his eyes at the thought. Gohan had severely became weaker due to the lack of interest in fighting, and it showed the day they fought last. Unless the other Saiya-jin happened to know of a real challenger, this would end up being a waste of time.

"This is different," Kakarrot scratched the back of his head nervously. "Come on! Please?"

"This better be worth the time I'm fused with you clown or I'll be sorely disappointed," Vegeta snarled and quickly pulled the earring from his pocket.

It only took a few moments, but when Vegito's consciousness once more emerged, he instantly knew why Kakarrot had wanted them to fuse.

_________

'Once again, I question the clown's mentality,' Vegito rubbed his left shoulder where a bruise was developing. He managed to suppress the god ki low enough that he did not revert to his base form. At the same time, he was also on edge in case he needed it to throw an energy blast.

If Vegito happened to have his own body separate from both fusees, he would have easily punched Kakarrot in the face for his stupidity—it would have been worth the pain he put him through.

_________

Sensing the alien energy appear almost out of nowhere, he half-expected the mysterious figure to attempt to kill him while his guard was down. Instead, it seemed that he waited, almost though Death himself was waiting for the perfect opportunity to greet his guest in a nonchalant manner. This did not take the edge off Vegito as he analyzed the assassin that was truly preparing to take his life in a matter of moments.

"I've been hired to kill you," a familiar voice spoke in a reserved manner. It sent a chill down the Saiya-jin's spine.

"I can see that," Vegito answered, trying to be confident in his own power. Yet a part of him dreaded the figure's true combat skills.

"I'll say that I killed you if you just disappear," the figure sternly replied. "What would you do if I said that?"

"Kind of hard when we just fused together," Vegito shrugged. He transformed into his Super Saiya-jin Blue, the power surging through his being. 'I probably can stay like this for thirty-five minutes at this point, but not knowing what he's truly capable of is going to be problematic... I could die...'

"Now, time to get to work," the figure calmly noted, not moving in the slightest. "Turn around."

"You could have come at us earlier," Vegito pointedly questioned the assassin's unusual killing method.

"By having their backs taken easily, people accept that they're going to die," the figure countered heatedly. "That's why I stand behind them. My attack is a single strike from the front. That's my rule..."

'So, a frontal assault... he'll more than likely take aim at my heart...' Vegito quickly assessed the situation he was in. Would he have time to dodge the attack? If so, what would be his next course of action?

With little recourse left, Vegito turned to face his attacker, noting that it was indeed who Kakarrot had managed to convince to come to kill them.

Hit.

"This is goodbye," the assassin spoke.

"I doubt you'd hit me by giving away your strategy..." Vegito decided to call the assassin's bluff with his usual cocky attitude.

"Do I look charitable that I'd use Time-Skip on you again?" Hit questioned.

"Makes sense. I suppose using it might be a cheap tactic since I know how to counter it so I can avoid the pain." Vegito smirked. 'I really shouldn't be trying to call his bluff, but I need to shake his confidence... a thousand years old or not, there's bound to be a way to overcome this...'

Neither Kakarrot or Vegeta knew what the assassin was truly capable of. The fusion would be fighting blindly against the unknown—uncertain how to gage his enemy without truly reading him beforehand in a true battle of wits and survival.

"There will be no pain. It'll be over in one strike."

"I won't let you do it that easily!" Vegito shifted into a battle stance, preparing to stop what Hit planned to do. He lunged forward, throwing his fist; however, it did not connect, sliding through an afterimage that was illuminated by a thin purple aura. 'What? How did it not connect? This isn't like his Time-Skip...' In vain, the fused Saiya-jin attempted to continue to attack the assassin to no avail. It was almost though he were a hologram standing there letting the warrior tire himself out or perhaps slip up in the most horrible way imaginable.

Drawing back, Vegito hissed when he saw Hit pull his right hand from his pocket ominously, akin to that of a skilled gunslinger preparing to fire.

'I doubt energy blasts will work if I can't even hit him...' Vegito was nearly tempted to do so, but refrained. Within a single breath, Hit shifted forward, forcing the fused Saiya-jin to jump back in anticipation of an attack. Yet, his guard lowered just a fraction when he realized he had not been attacked. 'What? He didn't attack...' Hit's fist raised parallel to his shoulder before cocking back. 'If he plans to attack, then I better be ready...'

Thrusting his fist forward, Vegito remained on guard, a slight bit of pressure suddenly felt where his heart was positioned. At the very last second, the fused warrior managed to spin out of the way of Hit's attack, feeling the slight graze of the assassin's fist as the rest of the force struck his left shoulder, dislocating the limb out of the socket. Wincing, the fusion quickly teleported out of the way towards a nearby forest.

________

Another tree shattered into thousands of fragments as Vegito narrowly rolled away from the explosion and rose to his feet. The time for talk seemed far gone as he studied Hit, attempting to find any form of weakness in the assassin's stance. The fact that he could easily Time-Skip at any given moment was the only chance the Saiya-jin had at countering. However, he doubted with his skill that he could combine Super Saiya-jin Blue with Kakarrot's Kaio-ken without burning up their valuable fusion time.

'I need to lure him out into the open... he has too many places to hide here...' Vegito thought as he flew towards the shore. He felt the assassin follow him.

"Why did you bring me here? You're leaving yourself open..." Hit commented.

"That's because I don't like hiding from you when we fight," Vegito replied with an amused expression. 'I swear, I'm going to find a way to break through his Time-Skip...'

"I've never missed a target," Hit smirked with confidence. It was almost though he was boasting about his trade with eagerness to the client he was hired to kill.

"Oh really? I think you did earlier..."

"That means I've used any method to get my targets." Hit threw a punch forward. Vegito, who stared at the assassin with a grin on his face, quickly jumped over the blow that streamed towards him like a sonic wave. Hit threw several more that the fusion quickly deflected with a couple punches, a kick, and an energy blast.

The last one that Vegito barely managed to deflect from above his head forced the cliff that the fusion was standing on to crumble and fall beneath his feet. Rather than remaining idle, Vegito pressed his fingers against his forehead and vanished, reappearing before Hit. Briefly catching the assassin by surprise, he threw a punch that sadly did not connect.

'Damn! Thought I'd take him by surprise with that one! Then again, I'm surprised he managed to avoid when I used Instant Transmission...' Vegito thought silently to himself. 'Maybe if I time it right, I can take him down.'

Deciding to forgo the idea, Vegito lunged at Hit and missed again, making the fusion question the assassin's fighting tactics. Suddenly, Vegito was struck from behind and sent careening into the ground where it collapsed in on itself. Briefly stunned by that attack, the fusion was prepared to continue.

"What the hell is going on Whis?" Beerus questioned to his attendant. "I thought you said that Goku and Vegeta were both fighting Hit?"

"L-Lord Beerus?" Vegito gawked and saw that the God of destruction was not alone. His brother Champa, Vados, and even Beerus' own attendant Whis were standing nearby watching the spectacle almost though silently judging the fusion's existence. "W-what are you all doing here?"

"We were here to observe the battle, though I'm sorry to say that I am slightly disappointed in the fact that those two are not fighting..." Beerus casually rubbed salt into the wound with the scathing comment directed at the fusion.

"Hey! It's not my fault Kakarrot tricked me into fusing with Vegeta just to fight Hit!" Vegito snorted. He felt almost though he was a victim of this—almost, though a part of him was the simpleton who decided that this was a good idea to challenge the assassin to this battle.

"Fusing?" Beerus eyed the fusion rather quizzically, a stern expression crossing his face. "I thought only the kaioshin were permitted to do that with those earrings you're wearing..."

"Well, you weren't there to help us fight Zamasu when he merged with Black and..."

"You are wasting what time you have left," Whis interrupted, reminding Vegito of the obvious. "If you do not continue, then your fusion will end before a conclusion is reached."

"Oh come on! You guys were the reason the fight was interrupted!" Vegito complained. Turning and sliding back into a fighting stance, he decided to focus all his attention back on Hit, who seemed to stand there waiting patiently for his opponent to finish the discussion. "Let's just finish this already!"

Hit shifted into his own fighting stance. Vegito knew that his time was narrowing down to the last grains within the hour glass by this point. If he failed here, then pride be damned, he would not be satisfied with that cop-out of a conclusion if it ended like it did with Zamasu. He saw Hit vanish and yet, the fusion was not discouraged.

With a roar, the blue flame exploded around Vegito. Extending his hands in front of him, he focused—his last gambit charging up within the small space between his fingers.

Almost like shards of glass breaking from a snow globe, he fired the blast directly at Hit, overcoming his Time-Skip immediately. Just as the blast started to die, Vegito suddenly felt everything slip away with little warning...

_________

Water lapped at Vegeta's wrist as he laid completely spent. For a moment, he was completely disoriented until the faint memories of Vegito's battle with Hit came back full force. Glancing over at his side, he heard Kakarrot chuckling, almost though he was truly pleased with the outcome.

"The next time you want to involve me with a suicidal plan, then I'm out," Vegeta muttered bitterly towards his rival.

"Hey, at least it was successful..." Kakarrot confidently grinned. "And we finally beat Hit..."

"You could have defeated him a year ago, but you decided to be an idiot and step out of the ring..." Vegeta refuted.

"It seems you two are always like this," Hit shook his head at the bickering warriors and rose to his feet. Despite the battle, he knew that staying in one place was not his preference, and he felt the need to escape. "Before I go, does this mission have a time limit?"

"Nope," Kakarrot confirmed. Vegeta sat up and punched the third class in the head. "Ow! Why did you hit me?"

"Because I don't have a say in the matter of whether I want Hit hunting us when we're fused!" Vegeta countered angrily. He was prepared to destroy the earring—ending this contract before it progressed any further.

"Relax, I won't finish this today, though you should watch your back," Hit warned before vanishing.

"See, it all worked out in the end," Kakarrot reassured.

"For now," Vegeta snorted.

"So, will you two explain why you're wearing those earrings now?" Beerus spoke up. Both warriors looked up at the angry God of destruction who almost looked like he was preparing to challenge both warriors after a trying battle. At that moment, fusion seemed like it was becoming more of a nuisance than a benefit.