Eight: A Meeting and a Pool Party?

- 8 -

A Meeting & A Pool Party?

Goku led the way to Bulma's house, somewhat nervous as to what she would do with them showing up. Sometimes his friend had a rage that rivaled his wife's... But for the most part she was easygoing even when things went wrong. It was hit or miss what would set her off. He swallowed, hoping this would be one of those times where her lax nature would dominate. He glanced back at his father, Piccolo, and Krillin. The latter showed up after feeling the massive energy at his house, worried about him, only to find Piccolo with a man that looked like him. Yet, his friend took it in stride... somewhat excited even. He gave Bardock a little more detail about the crash of this... Prince Vegeta guy he was looking for. It certainly didn't sound good... but Bulma and her father were amazing. If anyone could save and help him, they could.

"Can you tell me more about this... Bulma?" Bardock asked, hiding his curiosity... wondering if it was the woman from his visions.

He scratched his head. "Um... she was my first friend... she's really smart... and..."

Krillin chuckled rolling his eyes at Goku, "Bulma's more than really smart, she's a genius... with her father they run the world's biggest technological company, Capsule Corporation, and invent things for the militaries and stuff..." He paused, "Never really thought about it since I live on an island, but her family is really famous, they have revolutionized Earth's tech. We see her sometimes on the TV with world leaders."

Goku added as an afterthought, "She's pretty too. ChiChi brought home a magazine once with her on it."

"Oh yeah! That Styles one..." He reddened. "Master Roshi has it among his collection..."

Goku eyed his friend, not sure he wanted to know that, but feigned confusion for his benefit, acting like he was too naïve to know what he meant. If Bulma knew this she would freak! And he wasn't about to be the one to let that one slip. Looking ahead once more they fell into a more or less comfortable silence while Bardock mulled over what he just learned. As he had neared Earth he had caught the huge amounts of information that the Earthlings unknowingly and knowingly sending into space, learning their written language, which while they spoke common... their written forms were completely different... and lastly, he also learned their political structure. Imagine his surprise when he found the blue-haired girl in a news blip... he didn't get all of the audio sometimes, so he hadn't known her name, but clearly she was someone of importance. It must have been the one Krillin had mentioned... her and her father meeting world leaders. The shorter man mentioning Capsule Corporation also took the Saiyan warrior by surprise. He had heard a lot of that company from the information. It was everywhere! He found himself extremely curious, wondering what this girl was like...

.~-~.

Bulma sat in the pod, one foot propped up high against the shell as she typed, humming to the music that lingered in the background and into the kitchen window. Vegeta's gaze lingered on the tan flesh of her leg before his gaze continued over the rest of her body to her face, the beads of sweat the glistened her brow. His gut tightened as a mix of foreign emotions he wasn't sure where to place came over him. He wasn't blind. The woman was exotically beautiful with her blue hair and slim, fit body. She was also everything -at least physically- a Saiyan woman wasn't. She was so fragile. And yet that flame in her eyes. This wasn't the first time he had felt this cocktail of feelings stirring under the surface when being near her (actually he had been feeling it all day if he was being honest with himself). He had only ignored it. But that was growing increasingly difficult. What was wrong with him? His father would be rolling in his grave. Well, his father didn't have one, but still.

Vegeta bowed his head, rubbing his forehead. The drugs the woman had given him were still making him somewhat uncomfortable, having only woken up a few minutes ago. Putting his hands on each side of the sink, he rested against it. Only faintly did he remember what he had told her. Letting himself tell her about Freeza.How pathetic am I? He had even told her about the fate of his home planet. He sneered at himself for allowing such a slip up. It was unforgivable. She was an outsider... a feeble woman who didn't belong in this war. Didn't need to know this shit. His fist tightened as he gritted his teeth. He kept telling her more and more... dragging her further into this nightmare. Why was he being so weak? For so long he had held against the lizard. At least that was what he thought... and he wasn't about to examine the cracks in that logic anytime soon. He was the prince of a strong warrior race known throughout the universe for their strength and pride... even before Freeza enslaved them.

Then why was this woman getting to him? He looked up just as she wiped the back of her neck before sitting up to stretch, showing him the soft flesh of her stomach. She glanced up at the afternoon sun with a small hand shielding her shinning blue eyes. Carefully she set the computer down and stood, reaching behind to pull the two strings of her half-shirt top as she walked out of the shell of the crashed pod. Tossing the shirt next to a pile of tools, she unbuttoned her shorts. And while he knew there were bottoms underneath, but he still found himself swallowing slowly, his imagination getting the best of him as she slid the shorts off. He wasn't a stranger to the female body... Freeza had used his female slaves against the Prince many times, and then... Shaking his head, he forced himself not to think about the horrible memories as he watched her go to the pool and dive in.

Bulma sighed, letting herself float on the surface, loving the chilling effect on her overheated body. It was a late hot summer's afternoon and while she hadn't been in the direct sunlight due to the pod's shell, it was still stuffy inside. Dunking her head under she started another lap around the pool, unsure whether she wanted to get out just yet... She still hadn't figured out how to stop the signal she found... but would it really matter? For the past few weeks it had been going off, so her doing anything now seemed pointless. But...Frustrated, she let herself sink to the bottom, blowing bubbles as she crossed her arm and legs. She looked up at the silvery surface where the air met the water. She always loved the view, it was so different...

An idea struck her then how to jam it as she watched the ripples on the surface. It was simple physics! If she just countered the signal with its own wavelength but slightly off so that a max peak met a low one, then she could easily make it look like it wasn't there as the two wavelengths canceled each other out. Then she had all the time in the world to figure out how to permanently stop it. Feeling somewhat foolish that it had taken her that long to come up with that solution, she pushed towards the shiny surface and exchanged the air in her lungs. Swiftly going to the pool stairs, she exited and grabbed her towel on the chair.

She was bent over rubbing her hair dry when Goku's cheerful voice came to her, "Bulma." Pausing she looked up as he sheepishly continued to walk forward from where he had landed on her back lawn. "Um... I know you said not to come over until a week but..."

Smiling, she tossed the towel back onto the chair. "It's okay, Goku. I didn't think you would have lasted this long anyway." She gave him a hug, knowing full well she was still wet... call it his punishment.

He hugged her back, somewhat amazed at how well she had taken it. "Geez, B... You're getting me wet."

She gave him a small, shy look. "Oh, I'm sorry..." Her gaze then fell onto the three other with Goku, taken aback finding Piccolo, Krillin, and a man who could have been Goku's twin... She stepped away from her friend as she took the last one in. He was studying the reconstructed pod as he gave a few fleeting glances over at her. "Er... well this is interesting. When did Piccolo start not wanting to kill us?"

The Namek grunted, "After this situation I will go back to that."

Her brow rose as she glanced at Goku who shrugged happily. "He's offered to help us with the betrayer."

Perplexed she crossed her arms. "Okay... Wait a second. What the hell are you talking about?"

Goku's twin with the gash on his cheek stepped closer and bowed his head slightly. "The name's Bardock. I'm..."

"Goku's father..." She nodded holding out her hand for him to shake it. "Bulma Briefs." He glanced at her hand, remembering what he learned from the information his ship got. This was a greeting of sorts for these humans.

He reached out and took it. "How did you know?"

With a small squeeze of his hand and a pump of her harm, she replied, "Well... clearly you are related. The way you carry yourself and the look in your eyes tells me you've been around the block too many times to just be a brother..." He had to admit for a human she was rather observant. "Though I must say you Saiyans sure don't age much." She walked over to the pod and patted it. "You like my work?"

Bardock cleared his throat, managing to hide his amazement. "It is truly amazing how someone from a planet that has no knowledge of space flight can piece such a jumbled mess together..." He studied it again. "Let alone in under three weeks..." Glancing sideways at her he added, "I should know because even though I know how it works I would have problems putting it back together."

Goku had moved to her side and a sly smile crossed her face as she slugged him in the arm. "How in the world did a man of your caliber ever produce this dimwit here..."

Her best friend cried out, pouting, "Hey!"

She winked at him. They both knew he really wasn't as airheaded as he let on. "I'm just messing, Goku..." Sighing, she turned towards Bardock. "Let me guess... You're here for Vegeta? The jerk who won't rest and is an overall pain in my ass?"

A familiar half chuckle, half grunt escaped his lips, "Sounds like the prince."

She blinked, mulling over the new information. "Mmmm, he didn't say he was a prince... That would explain his arrogant, demanding demeanor that's made me tell him to shove it a couple of times." She chuckled as she shook her head, "It almost as if no one has stood up to him before..." Stopping at his pale face she asked, "What's wrong?"

His onyx eyes met hers. "He didn't hurt you?"

Frowning, she studied him, wondering if all Saiyans would have dark hair and eyes. "Well... he can't really." Seeing the small hint of concern flash in his eyes she continued, "Oh, he sure did try once..." She noticed how Goku shot her a look. "But given his condition he's just about as strong as I am... which says a lot when compared to Goku."

"Condition? How bad is he?"

Other than the alarm in his eyes nothing on the older Saiyan's face gave anything away, he was nearly as walled off as Vegeta... Nearly. Just like the man in her care she caught hints from his eyes, and while getting any read on Vegeta was difficult, this man was considerably easier... that was if you were looking. She found herself liking the older intelligent version of Goku... Though, she also found herself wary. The way he stood screamed power along with the wisdom and the uneasy glances Piccolo was giving the guy told her he was more powerful than him... Maybe even Goku. But even so, she normally had a good instinct on people... and he didn't give her that run-for-the-hills vibe.

"Bardock, in all fairness he should have died two and half weeks ago, and if he hadn't almost crashed into me on his landing he would have..." she hesitated, "The wounds he had from before the crash were enough to kill him to begin with... and crashing only complicated it. Healing is slower as well, given the drug his captor used to suppress his ki... And there is a whole other problem with that, but that's too lengthy to discuss out here."

His eyes narrowed as his body tensed. "He told you about Freeza?"

"Yes and no..." She studied him, deciding to leave out what happened earlier that day. "He's mentioned Freeza, but his x-rays and own body were the only things I needed to make that conclusion, Bardock." Pausing, she eyed him, unsure. "Right now I'm only giving you the benefit that you are my best friend's father... but I do hope you're not the cause of that. I promised he would be safe here and I'm going to make sure of it."

Bardock's surprise managed to show on his face, amazed at how protective the girl was over his prince. "No, I did everything in my power to keep him from that, and you have my word that I would never harm him," he paused, seeing her relax a little, but the look in her eyes remained. It was the same storm he had seen from his vision. "He is very fortunate to have found someone like you, Bulma..."

She blushed slightly, unsure why his praise affected her like that. "Um... yeah..."

"Where is he? Can I see him?" he asked, glancing up at the spacious house.

Scratching her head, she thought about it. "I don't know... He should still be out for a couple more hours, I've given him enough drugs to sedate a whole village..."

Vegeta had been standing there leaning against the doorway since he saw the Bardock lookalike in a bright orange gi walk over to the woman. He didn't like at all the hug they exchanged, but he quickly put that away as he watched the conversation silently and studied Kakarot. It surprised him again by how he looked so much like his father. Especially now that he was grown. If it weren't for the two totally different personalities and the scar on the old man's face, someone could easily mistake one for the other. However, he was more interested and still surprised at how the woman protected him. After these past days Vegeta still couldn't believe that when it came down to it, she would risk anything to protect him... a murderer. And yet she had just threatened Bardock, knowing full well he could kill her in seconds. He kept coming back to the question: Why? He didn't believe what she had told him...

Grunting, he pushed himself off from the doorway, startling them all as he spoke, "Think again, woman."

Seeing him standing there with his arms crossed and that dangerous smirk of his, she huffed and rolled her eyes. "Macho man... your wounds are never going to heal if you keep walking around like this." Striding over, she slipped past him, putting her hands on his shoulders and started to push from behind. "At least go sit on the lawn chair or something..."

"I'm fine, woman," he growled lowly, baring his teeth, not liking them watching this as he tried to stay immobile... and failed horribly.

"No. You're not." While it was taking nearly all her strength to move him, she was at least getting him closer to the chair. Seeing his rage, she whispered in his ear between clenched teeth as she continued to push him, "You don't like weakness... Okay I get it, but I think sitting down conscious is way better than passing out in front of everyone."

Goku stiffened upon hearing the threatening growl that sent shivers down his back. "Er... Bulma..."

He really didn't like that look the man was giving her and yet she met the gaze head on. He went to get her away from him, afraid for her safety... At the same time unsure why, but Bardock stepped in front of him, shaking his head, their gaze meeting briefly before he continued to watch the two.

Frowning slightly, Bardock knew why his son was suddenly worried and confused. He wasn't raised around his people but his instinct sure knew what was happening. The low growl Vegeta was giving was a threat to the woman to cease or else he would kill her, but given she clearly didn't know the Prince usually did that before lopping someone's head off, she pushed on. The older Saiyan stiffened at the sound. Normally it hardly lasted a few seconds before anyone realized what it was or what was about to happen... but as the seconds, then minutes passed and nothing happened to the girl, he found his wonder growing.

She managed to force his prince to sit, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. "Oh, stop growling, Mr. Grumpy... You can be mad all you want, but you know what I say is right."

"Woman, don't touch me again or you'll regret it." He glared at her furiously, the tip of his tail starting to bush up.

She rolled her eyes. "Right... Whatever, Vegeta." Seeing something, she bent at the waist and looked at his eyes, somewhat concerned. "Your eyes aren't dilated right. Are you okay?"

Vegeta suddenly felt uncomfortable, able to see her chest and remembering how very little she was wearing while basically manhandling him. Unneeded thoughts filled his mind and he averted his gaze, somewhat flustered as he crossed his arms and stared at the ground. He could hear the soft almost-snickering of Bardock under his breath and gave his old mentor a glare that froze the sound in his throat. Vegeta's eyes holding his, he really hadn't wanted him so see them interact like this... Not to mention she was still treating him the same as before. He had thought that once she learned about his birthright she would act differently, even beg him to forgive her for the way she'd been treating him. If anything, she had only insulted him more. These insults were only serveing to infuriate him, and yet, at the same time made him all the more curious.

"Woman, put on some clothes," he growled, frustrated.

Confused she stood, looking at herself. "It just my swimsuit. It's not like you haven't seen it before..." she paused, seeing his weary glance, then chuckled, walking over to her shorts and half shirt and proceeded to put them on. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were a prude..."

"Prude... Funny one, Bulma," Krillin said before laughing sheepishly as Goku chuckled, putting his arm behind his head, hoping to lighten the mood.

Bardock glanced between them, confused, the term not part of the common language of the universe. Vegeta met his gaze just as unsure, but not liking how Kakarot and the bald guy were laughing at his expense. Another low, threatening growl swiftly stopped both, their eyes widening in surprise. An uncomfortable silence settled over them before Bulma finished the tie around her neck and snickered seeing how the two Saiyans didn't understand.

"You remember when I said that to you, Goku?" She smiled at the memories.

"Yeah..." he chuckled freely, "ChiChi told me the same thing..." He blushed a little, but quickly laughed it off. "Guess I got over that."

She shrugged with a smile. "As for the two of you... your cultural word for the day is 'prude,' which describes someone who is easily offended or embarrassed by matters regarding nudity, close to nudity, or... sex." Vegeta gave her another deadly glare, and she merely smirked back. "So yes, you are very prudish... I noticed you were uncomfortable before, though I didn't think you of all people would be."

Bardock stared, shocked that his prince had yet to hurt the girl. She had insulted him so many times already... It was like he was seeing someone totally different. Before if anyone ever talked to him like that with such blatant disregard... He shivered at the thought. Everyone knew of the prince's temper that always got the better of him. This change wasn't from his last bout with Freeza, if anything that should have made him worse. His gaze went to the girl who was matching Vegeta's glare with one of her own, comprehending that she was the cause of this change. She was proud just like his prince, coupled with her intelligence... it was clear she knew how much she was irritating him and yet she continued to push him. He glanced at his son who had shifted his stance, uneasy with how Vegeta stared at her. His Saiyan instinct was warning him, so maybe there was hope for him after all...

Seeing the glare between them, Goku grew concerned for his friend's welfare. "Er..." He stepped forward to the man and held out his hand, trying to get his attention off of her. "Name's Goku Son..."

He flinched when the hollow gaze fell on him after glancing at his outstretched hand. Yet, before Vegeta could make a snide comment, Bulma walked over between them once more. "Don't bother, Goku..." She gave him a sympathetic look before turning her head to glare at her irritating houseguest. "Vegeta's an arrogant ass who doesn't know the meaning of being civil or polite."

Once more a low growl followed and Goku frowned. "That wasn't really nice, Bulma..." Truthfully, he really could care less how she treated people, but he didn't like how this man was acting toward her. He knew his friend was a little hot-headed sometimes and some people... clearly this guy... didn't like it. A sly smile curled on Goku's lips as an idea popped into his head that would lighten the mood. With a slight playful twinkle in his eyes he broke the silence, "I think you need to cool off."


"You wouldn't..." She noticed his eyes flicker to the pool and nearly backpedaled into Vegeta, forgetting her slight frustration at the moment with his conceited image of himself. Seeing he wasn't joking, she hastily jumped over the lawn chair Vegeta was sitting on and hid behind him. "No... don't you dare, Goku! I'm wearing my clothes now."

His look darkened somewhat with his grin deepening, making Vegeta wonder if he was actually more Saiyan than he had originally thought. He certainly had the look down... his grin hinting at wicked mischievous intent... Not to mention the worried looks he kept giving him before, it was obvious he was merely trying to get his attention off the woman... even at a risk to himself.

Krillin burst into laughter as Goku stepped forward and Bulma continued to use the bewildered man who she had just been exchanging fierce looks and words with as her protector. Bardock actually let a smile cross his lips, watching the two circled Vegeta as the girl used him as her personal shield, all the while the look on his Prince's face, priceless. Neither of them had ever witnessed such interaction between two people before, let alone with him stuck in the middle.
"Should have thought of that, B, before you were rude to your houseguest..."

"Rude!" she screeched making all three Saiyans flinch with the high-pitched sound. "He's the one that keeps growling at people like a fucking feral mutt..." He snapped somewhat out of his befuddled mindset at her insult and growled again at her. How dare she call him a mutt! He was no mix classed cub... But he realized that maybe her mutt and his were different. He had never heard someone say feral mutt... Bulma threw her hands up in the air, huffing with frustration. "See... that's all I get. I save his fucking ass and all I get is growls... I take care of him... growls... eek..."

The sound escaped her as she noticed that he had gotten around the side of the chair. In her haste to get away she fell onto Vegeta's lap as her foot got caught in the slits of the chair. Both of them were startled as she looked up at him. Yet before she could be embarrassed, she was suddenly swept away by Goku so quickly that all the fighters present were taken by surprise. The numbers on Bardock's scouter had jumped with that swift movement only to disappear just as quickly before he could even comprehend what they were. Puzzled, the two Saiyans looked around, wondering where they went when Bulma caught her breath and her yells carried down to them.

"Damnit, Goku... give me warning when you do that! I'm not as young as I used to be." Their eyes shot up to the sky and thirty or so feet into the air above the pool was Goku holding Bulma like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder. "I'm going to have whiplash here..." Shifting her in his arms so that he could see her face, she continued ranting, "Now, Goku... I'm going to tell ChiChi you did this... put me on the ground."

They all noticed him pale a little, though Bardock, Krillin, and Piccolo couldn't blame him. "Ahh come on Bulms..." He pouted.

"Let me go this instant, Goku..." She glared, furious.

He smiled. "Okay..."

Her eyes widened, realizing her mistake as his hands let go. "Oh shit... Goku, you fucking..." A string of curse words that made all of them blink and Krillin blush left, her lips as she fell. The last words that left her mouth as she entered the water with a huge splash were, "Son of a..."
Goku floated down with his legs crossed, laughing hysterically as Bulma pushed off the bottom and broke the surface. "I give it a ten, B."

Her blue eyes were engulfed with rage as she tried to splash him with water, only for him to float away from the wave. "This is not funny, Goku!"

When he only laughed harder, she muttered more curses under her breath as she went to the side and pushed herself up. Standing, her body shook with fury, her fists clenched at her sides as water dripped from her clothes and hair. She started for him, stomping as he rolled on the ground. Then, sensing her close proximity, he gave a small 'oh no...' before running, still laughing as he went. Giving into the chase she ran after him, threatening bodily harm as she went. It was obvious he wasn't running as fast he could go, and if he really wanted to get away he could just fly into the air...

But Vegeta wasn't sure why he was doing this at all anyway... it seemed so... pointless. And that screeching racket the woman was making was hurting his ears. Why toy with her playfully like this? On some level he understood making the woman angry was interesting... to see the light in her eyes blazing with such fury caught his own interest... but to make oneself look like a fool in the process defeated the purpose. Goku would even slow down every so often, letting her almost get him only to dodge at the last second. Vegeta's frown hardened as he stood, his old mentor growing closer.

"She's interesting," Bardock said, his eyes never leaving the two as they continued to run around the compound's back yard.

Vegeta glanced sideways at them. "Just watch."

Bardock got over his amazement, catching a glimpse of his serious look, and studied the two, wondering what it was his Prince saw. His eyes grew a minute later when he noticed that the woman had a method to her madness after all. Slowly but surely she was tricking his son into the position she wanted him. In his carelessness Goku didn't notice the pool chair she had maneuvered him to run into, with his head turned looking back at her, he tripped over it and flew head first into the pool. A large, wicked smile turned her lips up as she ran swiftly to the pool, knelt down, and lifted a cover of sorts over a panel before punching in a code. Right when Goku's head came above the surface the water instantaneously froze.

"Hey!" he cried out with chattering teeth as icicles formed in his hair.

"Stay right there, buddy..." she said as she swiftly ran for the back door, passing them with a devilish look on her face.

"Bulma! Don't leave me like this!" he whimpered, trying without success to free himself from the solid block of ice.

"What is she up to now?" Bardock asked, looking from Goku to Vegeta.

Vegeta shrugged. "Hell if I know." He had thought it was only getting him into the pool had been her plan.

Krillin chuckled, "Never with Bulma. She always has more to her plans."

They stood there in silence watching a very cold, blue-lipped Goku struggle unsuccessfully to break free, when the woman came back out through the back door of her lab not even five minutes later. She was wearing her white lab coat and had in her hand a chicken leg. With the sight and smell of food Goku's stomach started to rumble loudly, his whimpering increasing tenfold. She laughed as she stepped onto the ice and skidded to a halt before him, waving the food lazily in front of him with her other hand on her hip.

"Oh... come on, Bulma..." Goku pouted forgetting how cold he was as his eyes followed the chicken leg. He was missing dinner to be here now and she knew it. "Can... can you just give me a little, tiny piece..."

Shaking her head, she backed up to the side of the pool and sat down. "Nope..." she said before taking a bite out of the leg.

Bardock's hand was covering his face as he shook his head, feeling the embarrassment for his son. He had known there were a few things off... but... this? How he would be a laughingstock of his people if anyone saw this... At the same time Vegeta stood there, watching intently. Bardock let his hand fall, taking in the look on his prince's face... So far today he had seen more emotions coming from him since the boy had been five. Yet never had he thought to see this one. Curiosity... Sure, Saiyans were inquisitive by nature... but he never thought he would see such open interest from him. He glanced at the beauty as she finished the chicken leg. It wasn't that his prince was hurt; while that did help... it was his curiosity that kept her alive. If something intrigued a Saiyan enough it would consume his mind and could eventually lead to attachment to the object or person as they tried to figure it out... He frowned. This could be very problematic.


Finishing the chicken leg, she tossed the bone to the side. "Oh... sorry... It looks like I finished it all..." Goku's blue lower lip trembled as his eyes watered. Another devilish smile curled her lips up. "But, Goku..." His eyes widened with anticipation as she reached into her lab coat, hoping she had something else to eat. However, she pulled out a very long syringe and started to prep it as if to stick him with it. "Lookie what I found..."

Fear surged through him as he cried out, "NEEDLE!"

Bardock blinked as his scouter suddenly beeped a number that almost reached 3,000 just as a blue flash surrounded Goku before he jetted out of the pool, disappearing into the trees. Breathless his eyes widened, not really noticing Bulma reach over and make all the ice turn back into water as she laughed. Vegeta took his eyes off of her for a second to see his old mentor's face, wondering what level it stated that would make him so flabbergasted.
Vegeta cleared his throat, drawing his attention, "What is it?"

"I first read him at 5..." He blinked, reining in his surprise. "But when he flies it goes up to 200ish... it's been up to 300 a few times too... but this..." He shook his head. "It was 2,875 when he burst out of the ice... only to drop down to roughly 300ish when he took off."
Vegeta's brow rose, wondering what could cause such changes in his power level. "He just barely missed a low level second-class ranking..."Raditz is a middle second-class ranking... Given the boy was born with a power level of two, it was an interesting turn of events.

"How is he hiding his power?" Bardock asked, pondering it over in his mind.

Krillin butted in, having been listening to the two of them. "That's easy..." They looked at him as he continued, "You just concentrate and pull it back in..." he paused, scratching his chin, "Though I've never felt him that powerful before... must have been the needle and him being stuck..."

Bardock stared at the short man. "You can sense his power too?"

Piccolo nodded, speaking up suddenly. "He's five miles south of here..."

Vegeta studied the two. "How?"

Krillin shrugged. "Well... it's kind of hard to explain. Everyone has their own ki signature... and at first it takes a lot of concentration but after awhile it just becomes second nature. "
He frowned with the poor explanation, but before he could snap at him for it Bulma walked up. "Hey, Vegeta. Catch!" She tossed the huge elephant needle at him. He jerked seizing it from the air easily and looked down at it. It wasn't even real... She had tricked the idiot with a fake. Looking up he stopped himself from saying something as he caught her sly smile. "Man... that never gets old..."

Piccolo sighed, clearly irritated. "I'm done here. Tell Goku I'll be here when the other Saiyan shows." With that, he took off without another word.

She blinked, confused. "That's right... What's going on anyway? This other Saiyan is a betrayer looking for you or something... cause you're the prince?"

"Hn," Vegeta grunted as he turned somewhat, knowing she would put it together on her own.
Bardock studied her again, amazed. "Yes... he's also my eldest son, which only complicates things more."

She looked between the two Saiyans. "Great... a family affair." Sighing, she started for the back door. "Come inside... I'll order some food and we can discuss this further. Krillin... can you get Goku for me, might as well feed him after traumatizing him like that."
"Okay..." He nodded before taking off.

As the door closed behind her, Vegeta stared at it. "This planet is very strange..."

He then glanced sideways at his old mentor. It had been five years since he had last seen Bardock and now they stood side by side once again, the older Saiyan was roughly five inches taller than him, still a painful reminder of how Freeza had affected his life in terms of growth, but then it could have been worse if Bardock hadn't saved him when he had. Who knew, maybe he would be as tall as the crazy blue-haired woman... or shorter... That was a horrible thought. He would never say it, nor really admit it, but he was glad to see the old man again.

Bardock chuckled, "That may be... but I think that girl enjoys herself too much..." He glanced sideways at him. "You better watch yourself, boy..."

Glaring, Vegeta snapped at him, "And what's that supposed to mean, old man?"

Bardock started for the door. "I'm saying that if you ever get on her bad side you're going to regret it..." Hesitating, he looked back at him. "She is very interesting, but you need to keep that curiosity of yours in check, boy."

The younger Saiyan's tail lashed back and forth as he growled, "Watch what you say, Bardock..."

He shrugged. "Fine, boy. Do as you do." With that he opened the door and went inside, leaving Vegeta there with his thoughts. Growling at himself, he followed them inside shortly after.

~~~~ .~-~. ~~~~

Sooo this is where we stand height wise. Vegeta was about 5'4 and Bulma was the same height.
So here is what it is now:
Bulma 5'4
Vegeta 5'8
Goku/Bardock 6'1


Beta'd by LPphreek