- 18 -
Trust & One-ups
Sighing, she went back to looking into the mirror and leaned in; brushing the cover-up under her eye to make sure it was smooth. It was then that she thought she saw something behind her out of the corner of her eye. She paused, finger still hovering close to her face as she looked at the reflection of what was behind her and found nothing. That's odd... I could have sworn... She shook the thought from her head. Look at me jumping at shadows. Shrugging it off, she went to her bed and sat down as she put on the black stiletto boots she had been wearing that morning.
Her thoughts swiftly went to work and all that she had to do. There was so much she had to get done that her head spun just thinking about it, but she wasn't about to cancel on her mother and ChiChi. She really did want to hang out with her best friend's wife... and she really did need a break from being responsible. Besides, soon she was going to have to start getting ready for the C-tech, which was almost a week away. Who knew how many hours she would be overloaded with that. She was going to have to go to nightly rehearsals, do taste testing, and the lot of it. Oh Kami, she was not looking forward to that. Maybe I should get ChiChi to help me... It was certainly something Bulma was going to ask during their little outing. From what she knew about Chi Chi, she was a woman who loved to organize and be the head boss of things. It would be a good girl bonding time for them.
A soft breeze brushed against her skin and her arms prickled with goose bumps. "Hmm, I thought I closed my balco-" Turning she looked to find that indeed the balcony door was closed. "Okay, that's a little creepy." She then chuckled at herself for being unnerved even in the slightest. There was clearly no one in her room and it wasn't like there could be a ghost; her parents built this place and no one had died. Knowing this didn't stop her from teasingly calling out as she headed for the door, "Okay, Mr. Ghost. You be good now, you hear?" She stepped over the piles of clothes on her way and continued speaking to her empty room, "My room is already a mess. I don't need you throwing shit around trying to communicate with me... though now that I think about it that would be kind of cool..." Hand on the handle, she paused, contemplating the implications of a ghost and what possibilities that could mean.
Shrugging it off to think about later, she turned the handle. "Hey, you think you can clean my room for me? Though don't go looking through my underwear drawers... that would be my luck, a perverted ghost haunting me," she muttered the last bit to herself as she walked through the door.
.~-~.
.~-~.
"Cum enim vis est hoc?"
"Credo quod tu cum hoc comprehendat, sed debes interrogare Bulma."
"Hn."
Bulma hesitated at the top of the stairs, the voices of Vegeta and Bardock floating up to her. It was interesting hearing them speak in their native tongue... and did Bardock just say her name? It sounded strange mixed in with the Saiyan language, like he couldn't keep the flow of grunts from entering her name as well. Slowly she walked down the stairs, wanting to see what they were doing before noticing her. It was difficult with heels on, but she managed to not make a single sound... Lucky for her she had gotten so good at sneaking up on Goku when they were younger. Sure they could sense ki, but if they weren't actively looking for it, odds were they wouldn't know she was there due to how low her ki was. That was one good thing about being weak.
She stopped midway, finding the two Saiyans at the kitchen table, Vegeta sitting and leaning in, while Bardock stood leaning over the folder she had given Vegeta earlier. Bardock pointed as something then and said, "Sic puto esse faciendum."
Vegeta leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Hn, immo tum nimio plus quam putabam."
"Tunc ponenda est," Bardock sighed, standing straight. "Donec in ipsum at si me, puer." With that he left the room, leaving Vegeta alone.
Bulma blinked, having sworn she just heard Bardock say something she actually understood. Puer? Sure, it had sounded rough with the more grunting sounds, but she thought he just said something in ancient Latin or was it Spanish? For either language the word order was horribly wrong, but... What did she know about Latin or Spanish? Bulma didn't know much about the ancient Latin language except a few things and Spanish was even less; it was hard learning old world languages when there were so few records to go on. Especially in the case for Latin, a language that had been long dead by that time... She knew their science had a lot of words borrowed from it. Perhaps that was why the dead language had survived... Still, that couldn't be right... There couldn't be a way they were speaking some twisted or evolved version of Latin. Could there? No, she had to be hearing things. Wanting so badly to understand what they were saying. Then of course, there was the possibility that he had said it, but it meant a completely different word. But puer means boy... Bardock calls him that all the-
"What do you want, woman?" Vegeta's low rumbling voice broke her train of thought as a small shiver went down her back.
Blinking, she focused again, finding his dark eyes on her and she licked her lips, a little nervous. "Nothing, I was just thinking about something." She finished walking down the stairs and went to where he sat and leaned over to look at her equation. "So have you figured it out yet? If you need any questions ans-"
He closed the folder quickly and slid it out of her reach. "I don't need any more input and if I did I would not ask you."
"Wow." She pouted as she sat in the chair next to him, waiting for her mother and Chi Chi to come down from their respected rooms. "What did I do to you now to get your boxers in a twist?" With his subtle perplexed look, she realized he didn't understand what she was saying and sighed, "It's a phrase here on Earth, Vegeta. I'm asking you what I did to make you so cranky and that you should stop being so unreasonable."
"Hn... pathetic earthlings." He looked to the table scowling as he answered her question, "Your sheer presence, woman, is an annoyance I can't seem to rid myself of."
Somewhat hurt by what he said, she snapped back, "Well excuse me for living, Vegeta." Bulma stood, frustrated. Why couldn't he just be decent for once? Oh right, he's a murderer and a jerk, she snidely reminded herself. She let the rough sarcasm flow into her words, "Shall I go find the nearest cliff and jump off just so I won't be an annoyance to you anymore? Or should I acquire some other course that moreover incorporates you?" Continuing with her rant, she didn't notice him flinch slightly as she paced back and forth in the kitchen. "I have tried my best to be amicable, Vegeta. I've stilled my tongue multiple times today trying not to say anything that might antagonize you... and believe me there were many... I could simply ignore you and leave you alone, but guess what, I'm not going to. Do you know why?"
She put her hands on the table across from him and leaned forward, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "It's because this pathetic, crazy human actually likes you as a friend... Even if you are an utter ass, you are nevertheless more genuine than the majority of the people I have to deal with. You state exactly what you think and don't hide anything. When I have to constantly accommodate people lying and telling half truths to get what they want from me, let me tell you, it is a breath of fresh air. Not to mention you can effectively stand toe to toe with me in a verbal spar, something no one, not even my father can do." She finally took a breath, calming a little as she straightened and put her hands on her hips. "So allow me ask you this, Vegeta. Is it sincerely so hard for you to comprehend that someone likes being around you? That someone wants to be your friend and help you just because they can? Because I do. Believe me, I may be nice and go out of my way to help people, but I would never yield this much effort if I did not truly like them."
Vegeta just stared at her with his indifferent look, though inside he was startled by this sudden explosion from her and her questions. The fact was he really did not think it was possible. That someone would actually want to be around him. It was a new concept to him that he had difficulties grasping. And the way she so passionately said it all... and how this time her words grew bigger with frustration. He really was more at a loss for words than purposely remaining silent simply to irritate her, which was how she unfortunately took it.
"You know what, disregard this." She sighed as she rubbed her forehead and backed into the counter to lean against. "You probably won't ever understand and I won't ever give up..." She crossed her arms again and glanced at him. "... which implies that we are at an impasse until only Kami knows when..." Her voice trailed off as she turned so that she was leaning with her hip so that she could look out the window and watch Goku teach Gohan some kata he learned as a child.
Vegeta watched her as the seconds and then minutes passed. Strange thoughts and feelings swirling around and around inside him. He didn't know which one to grasp and examine first there were so many. And then with all this there were the memories of that horrible dream or of that board meeting... Why was it that just when he felt like he was getting his world back on the right orientation she would do something or something in general about her would invert it again? What was it about this woman that kept doing this to him? These questions were swiftly replaced with others. What did it mean to actually have someone not obligated to wantto be around him? Never ever had anyone wanted to be with him simply because. At least not that he could remember and he wasn't about to start digging in his past any time soon. He was, however, startled that he was glad that she did. What did that mean?
Bulma sighed, "So do you have any requests clothes-wise, Vegeta?" He blinked, trying to dislodge the thoughts and emotions that were horribly confusing him and concentrate on just her and what she said, but they irritatingly didn't disappear completely. "Considering you have yet to pick out a shirt that was not a solid, I'm presuming anything with a pattern and multiple colors is out of the question."
"Hn..."
She smiled a little. "I could be cruel and buy you all bright flowery patterned shi-"
"You better not, woman." Vegeta's eyes narrowed a little, his tone looming as he cut her off.
Her little smile turned into a sly smirk as she pushed off from the counter and walked back over to his side of the table. "One of these days I will get you in some horridly pink shirt - you know since tough guys only wear pink." She sat down on the table next to him and looked out into the living room, swinging her legs a little. "Just like I'm going to hear you thank me one of these days..."
"You're crazy if you really believe that," he grunted back as he glanced sideways at her.
"Perhaps I am a little loopy, but I have my ways..." Her voice lingered a little in the silence that followed.
Vegeta didn't doubt that she did have her ways, and maybe he had to admit a little bit that they might even work on him. He wasn't sure how he should feel about that anymore. If you had talked to him the night before and asked him this, he would had actually laughed in your face at the absolute impossibility of him ever agreeing to anything like what the woman proposed at that very moment. But now?... Oh, how this woman confounded him like no other. It was like the gods created her for that sole purpose and now they were getting their jolly old kicks out of it. He could imagine them laughing at him as they sat in their seats of honor at the exalted warriors' table in the afterlife. The Legendary, was probably getting his fill as well. And yet, why was he not angry with this? He felt the smallest inkling that he should be, but instead there was this odd sense of absence. Then he realized dimly that the monster that he harbored was abnormally quiet. Like somehow it was being suppressed. And just as soon as he thought it, this realization left him as quickly as it came.
There was a notable lack of malice in his voice as he replied back, "Well, these ways better be considerably superior to what I've seen so far or else you don't have a hope in all the cosmos of getting me to do anything, woman."
"Oh, really?" Bulma's brow rose and she shifted her gaze sideways to see him. She was intrigued by this sudden change in him and also by the alien saying. She likened it to not having a chance in hell, but she rather liked his version.
"Hn," he grunted as he finally looked to her, meeting her blue eyes.
She rolled her eyes. "Don't presume I'm about to convey them to you. These ways will succeed, even if I elected to, but that would imply that I would have to exert myself more and bluntly, Vegeta, you are already a nuisance as it stands most times. I don't need to compound that with interest." Leaning back on her hands, she brought her legs up a little and looked at her boots as she tapped them together. "Particularly with everything that ensued this morning and in addition with the C-tech coming up... and where are those two? Here I reasoned that I was going to be the last one down."
Bulma let her legs drop as she glanced at the clock on the wall; it read well past one. If they were to get everything they had planned to do done, they need to leave ten minutes ago. She may have expected this out of her mother, but ChiChi? And why would they take so long anyway? It wasn't like they were doing anything extravagant... For Kami's sake, it was only shopping. Her thoughts rambled on until she noticed Vegeta's small smirk. For once it was a real one. Not some sort of mock amusement, or him getting some morbid satisfaction out of something. It was an honest-to-goodness half smile and boy did it look good on him. She could seriously hear her heart do a loud 'thud-dup'. Down girl, you so do don't need to go there, she berated herself and pushed it away quickly, instead musing on what it was that caused it.
"What is it, Vegeta?"
"Hn..." he grunted as he grabbed the folder and opened it so only he could see. "Nothing, woman."
"Oh, no way, mister!" She went to snatch the folder from him, but he scooted his chair back until it was up against the half-wall behind him and out of her reach. His brow rose a little before he brought the folder up and hid behind it. "You better tell me why you are smiling like that."
And what's making your tail twitch like that? she added mentally as she noticed the furry appendage wiggle a little. It was somewhat unnerving actually. Never once did she think she would see something Goku did as a child when he was giddy about something and equate that to Vegeta. Vegeta and giddy... that was really a horrible thought.
"Vegeta..." she appealed to his ego, "Please, just divulge whatever you got in that brilliant, princely head of yours, oh magnificent one." She cringed a little, realizing that what she said could have been mistaken as an insult. Was it sad that she was really trying?
Ever so slowly Vegeta tilted the folder down to look at her, a look mixed between disgust and amusement on his face. "Woman."
"Yes?"
"You are terrible at flattery or being facetious... and if it wasn't so horrible I might have been angry that you were again mocking my birthright."
"I know, I know..." She looked away feeling really bad now. Sometimes she really put her foot in her mouth. "I'm sorry... I-"
Vegeta closed the folder and crossed his arms again as he interrupted her, "Just answer my question, woman, and I may answer yours."
Surprised that he was letting her go so easy, her eyes snapped back to him, surprised. "Okay..."
"Why is it you have started talking with bigger words, woman?" His finger tapped his bicep lightly. "Are you trying to one-up me, throwing them into your little speech?"
Her eyes widened. "No, I... I didn't realize..."Her voice trailed off as she looked away again. Where are those two? She really could use a save here, right-about-now.
"Woman, I'll have you know, you failed miserably at that as well."
He was wearing a smug look, that if she wasn't so flustered right then she might find a little irritating. "You... were not confused by some of the words. You didn't know what a prude was..."
"You didn't state it in a sentence where I could think it out." He snorted as he tilted his head up a little more. "Hn... with the way you go on it was fairly easy to get what you were trying to say.
"Oh..."
She looked up at the ceiling a little, thinking, wondering what this could possibly mean for her. It had been a long time since she had anyone she could really talk to other than her parents and a few other people here and there. Only problem with those people was in general they were normally stuck up snobs who really did think themselves better than everyone else. She didn't think she was superior, just different...
"That's... well, cool." She smiled, making his smug look dissipate somewhat, not expecting it. "I wasn't trying toone-up you, Vegeta." Meeting his dark gaze, she truly hoped he believed her. "I simply talk like that generally... It can be worse when I've been up for a few days and working hard on a project... to the point that only my dad can understand me because I'm like a fucking textbook. I don't know why I think like it, I merely do, and when I talk, usually I have to first think of words that are simpler before I actually say anything."
He frowned a little. "Why..." He wasn't sure how to ask it. He didn't want to sound like he cared or anything, but it did seem strange. Saiyans may have been a warrior race, but intelligence was just another side to it. The more intelligent you were, the easier it was for you to out-strategize your opponent and win, which meant someone who was intelligent, was respected.
She shrugged and crossed her arms. "Like you, they consider how I converse as me acting like I'm superior to them... and I discovered at a young age that I was evidently better off... well... dumb-ing myself down. Not make myself stand out... because frankly, even I know in human terms I'm atypical. What three and a half year-old takes apart the dishwasher and then puts it back together better than it was before?" Sighing, she began to worry her lip. "I would like to say humans wouldn't target out those who act different than the norm, but they do. Always have... Always will... There's something in our development that equates strange and abnormal with dangerous and threatening. My intelligence threatened them so they made me pay for it. Simple as that."
Vegeta studied her as she talked and how she stared at the wood flooring of the kitchen unable to look at him. He got the feeling this had something to do with her insecurities and was surprised that she was willingly revealing it to him. Before he had simply overheard, but this... she actually trusted him with this. She trusted him not to use it against her when just the night before he had been about to use what he overheard against her. Some other time Vegeta may have thought her insane for doing so and obviously a fool. But he simply couldn't get over the fact that someone faithfully trusted him with something that could be seen as a weakness. He had toyed with others knowing less than what he now had on her. Had broken them. All it took were a few well placed words and he would stand back and watch them unravel. And she was giving him more than enough fuel to bring about her own mental destruction...
But she trusts me... Like the concept of someone sincerely wanting to be with him. He purely couldn't wrap his head around that. No one trusted him. Well... no, that was not quite true. Bardock just the other night revealed something Vegeta could use against him. Before last night, the old man had been careful, knowing who Vegeta was and what he could do. Tash too, made sure his insecurities were never apparent to Vegeta. And here was this weak human woman... knowing what he could do. Know that he could use it against her and had been planning on it... and she was still telling him. She was again treating him no different than anyone else. She did not see a monster when she looked at him, did not see the wolf in disguise. He was simply Vegeta to her. The troubled, alien man who fell from the sky... quite literally.
No. It was more than that. She wasn't treating him like she would all humans. She was revealing to him something that she only shared with a handful of people she trusted... and now he was among them. It was a strange feeling... to be trusted. The only way he could think to describe it, if truth be told, was in terms of food. Before coming here and tasting Mrs. Briefs cooking, all he knew was bland and over all rather lifeless. And his years spent with Freeza had been worse... Whenever he ate he never had put much thought into it other than it was sustenance that kept him alive and in hindsight it generally made one feel fairly... empty really. There was never anything memorable about it. In fact, two hours later you would most likely be asking yourself if you had eaten anything at all that day. You just never felt different after consuming that gray mush that no one, not even the cooks knew what was in it. Sometimes, when one was lucky they might feel full, but even on the bases supply was limited and they couldn't eat to their fill.
With the older woman's food and just food in general on Earth, he could at least admit that it was memorable. It did more than just fill him up and sustain him. The first time he ate here, the flavors and spices hit his pallet and for once in his life he truly realized that something had been missing all these years. And with Mrs. Briefs it was even more amazing. With her food there was this spark, like a jolt of electricity would go through him, but in a good way. Kind of like ice cream and getting a brain freeze. It hurts so much and yet it taste so good you don't want to stop. Being trusted was like this. He never thought that someone trusting him would matter... Not until he finally got a taste of it for himself.
Again he dimly realized that the monster he carried within was quieted somehow. His roars distant, echoing from a far off place deep within the reservoirs of his mind. Barely able to make out, 'You're turning into a sentimental weak fool like the rest of them.' And, 'Don't believe this, it's a trap. She's only making you think she trusts you so that she can turn on you when you least expect it.' These were batted down swiftly by some strange force he could not name or place. It was there, but it wasn't. And boy was he confused as it all spun around and around. He felt the small tendrils of a headache forming, creeping further into his brain and found that he simply didn't want to think anymore with how much it was starting to hurt.
"Vegeta..."
He blinked as her voice snapped him from his thoughts and he looked to her worried that she had said something and that he hadn't heard a word but realized as she continued to stare at the floor that they had only been sitting in silence. Alone with their own thoughts.
"Hn?" he grunted softly, watching her and now that he was freed from the inner workings of his mind the headache seemingly disappeared.
Her blue eyes met his and rose in question. "Are you going to tell me now?"
Vegeta smirked, knowing immediately what she was asking. Opening the folder, he pretended to look at the equation. "I'll think about it."
She huffed, "Oh, come now, Vegeta. I told you what you wanted to know and then some... I think I deserve a hint of what it is that you're smiling about."
Vegeta felt two small ki he had faintly been keeping a lock on since Bulma mentioned that she was waiting for them. Fate seemed to be smiling down on him just then as the ki drew closer. "Fine." He closed the file and stood. "Your clue will be entering in about... five seconds."
"What?" Bulma was perplexed. "What are y-"
The living room door slammed open and ChiChi walked it, clearly perturbed. The younger, raven-haired woman set her frustrated gaze on Bulma whose mouth hung open, gaping like a fish. "Bulma, how long does it take for you to get ready? We have been waiting for you for over an hour now."
Mrs. Briefs peeked around the younger woman, taking in the scene and knowing almost instantly what had happened and managed not to smile. "Oh... you thought we were still getting ready, dear? Did Vegeta not tell you we decided to wait outside?"
Bulma closed her mouth, opened it and then closed it again. She was actually speechless. She looked to Vegeta, finding he had suspiciously moved out of reach to another chair and was sitting there, arms crossed, and had that damn smirk on his lips. Oh Kami, why did she not think of it? She had thought it strange that they were taking so long and it would be just like Vegeta to conveniently not tell her. He had just accused her of trying to get a one-up on him and here he was getting the one-up on her. She had completely fallen into that one...
"I'm sorry..." Bulma hopped down from the table and shot Vegeta a small 'I'm so going to get you back for this' glare. "Someone failed to mention anything for a rather long time."
Vegeta casually shrugged. "You did not ask me."
"But you were aware that I was waiting... you could have said something."
"And I seem to recall that we made a deal: you answer my question and I gave you a hint as to what I knew."
Bulma didn't really know what to say because he had her on that one. "Well, y-you know what... Nah." She stuck out her tongue at him and with as much dignity as she could muster walked into the living room and past her mother and ChiChi to the door. The two women shared amused knowing looks, no longer angry with Bulma.
As the door closed Vegeta could hear Mrs. Briefs say, "I think he finally got you on that one, Bulma."
"Shut up, Mom. He can still hear you," she hissed just before the door latched.
He gave a small grunting chuckle as he listened to them pull away in that car of hers, quite pleased with himself. Sure, in the scheme of things it was rather insignificant, but he was still able to take her completely by surprise, make her speechless and make her fail to come up with some witty comeback all in one sitting. He knew no one else could say the same; she practically said so herself. Not to mention, now that she was out of the room, his mind oddly seemed... freer and he realized again that she had given him a lot to work with as far as hitting her where it really hurt. Even with the monster's voice chanting in his head, telling him to crush her and shatter her. He found himself holding onto that spark that her trusting him made him feel. Did he really want to turn the only person who had ever wholly trusted him against him? Did he want to lose this thing he never realized he was missing?
So much had happened that day. So much had happened that week. Was life around this woman constantly like this? Vegeta opened the folder and looked once more at the equation, thinking it wouldn't be so bad, in a way, living here... with her. Something always happening.
Of course his darker side didn't like these thoughts too much, but he focused instead on solving the challenge that lay before him. He knew that if he found the solution to a problem she couldn't solve, that would also be another one up on her. Honestly it was the only reason he even considered looking at it. And he was going to find it. He wouldn't allow himself to fail. Not when he fully put himself into it. Even his more animalistic side wanted to do it, knowing that if he did he would prove himself to her. Though why he would have to prove his worth to her was a little baffling and frustrating. But the fact still remained that, whatever the reason, he still was going to get it done.
.~-~.
To distract itself from all the noise, it thought about what transpired at the Briefs house. It had been a surprising set up that it had selfishly used to its advantage. It had been difficult. Taking more power than the shadow ever thought it was capable of, but it had done it. It had successfully held back Vegeta's more dominate darker side, just so another, stronger seed could be planted in the prince's mind.
It could almost feel the second it happened, when time shifted around it and snapped, breaking the ties of the old. The shadow knew that its future was now impossible and now it only had to make sure one akin to its did not take place. It just hoped that nothing would happen in the next few days, drained as it was; even if itwanted and needed to interfere with anything it couldn't without revealing itself. That would horribly mess up this timeline and it would not, could not do it. No matter what.
These worrying thoughts ceased as the smell of the food court floated up to it. It had been a while since ithad last eaten. It couldn't hurt to obtain some sustenance, could it? Smiling to itself, the shadow stood and jumped down to the second level silently before making its way to the food court. There would be a shortage that day for all food retailers.
.~-~.
Wiping his brow as he walked over to Gohan, he knelt down next to him and told him, "Hey bud, why don't you go get cleaned up and then get that worksheet you were supposed to work on."
"But-"
Goku added with a knowing smirk, "And you can work on it out here..." The little boy nodded a little happier but still a little bummed that he had to do it.
Standing once again as his son went inside, Goku's attention went back to Vegeta. This one is different than the one from yesterday... I don't think it's a Saiyan one either. He could tell this by how the few Saiyan kata and fighting stances he had seen had a notable style to them. What Vegeta was doing now had only the slightest trace of Saiyan style and was overall more efficient. Efficient and brutal. It made a cold shiver go down his back. If there was any doubt about what Vegeta had once been or whether his bold claims were true, this made it all painfully clear that all of it was true. He was a professional killer. More so than others of his own race. Bardock had an edge sometimes, but nothing like this. And from the few stories his father told him about his people -honesty, he still considered himself human and that would probably never change- there was bloodlust, and then there was bloodlust. From the pieces Goku had heard and seen, especially now watching Vegeta, it was clear the Saiyan prince fell into this latter category...
"What is it, Kakarot?" Vegeta commented darkly, not once pausing in his kata. "Are you going to stand there all day and watch me like a buffoon, or are you going to get back to training so Raditz doesn't crush you like the pathetic clown you are?"
One would never know that Goku was rather irritated by his words as he chuckled and put his hand behind his head. He may not be able to understand what Vegeta went through, but he still had difficulties grasping his extreme malevolent personality. "Sorry, I was just looking because the kata looks so different from the ones Bardock's shown me... and then it got me thinking, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to get pointers from someone other than him..." That got the Saiyan prince to stop.
A few seconds and then minutes passed, and Goku could see Vegeta mulling it over, only for him to abruptly reply back, "No." He started once again, cutting the air with his hand before pulling it into his body and tucking his arm close while he did another smooth motion with the other.
That should not have been much of a surprise, but still Goku couldn't believe he wouldn't want to help someone if it in return helped him. Was Goku not also saving Vegeta's ass if he faced up against his brother? "No?" Didn't matter, he would get him to see reason. He started to whine, jumping from foot. "No... b-but Bardock said you out of anyone would know Raditz's tricks... don't you think I should know all that I can before facing him?"
"No."
Seeing that this approach wasn't going to work, he changed it quickly, growing a little serious. "Then how about you do it just so you're not being inactive. You can't seriously tell me that doing simple kata cuts it for you."
Vegeta stopped, surprised, and looked back at him over his shoulder. He could see a flicker in his dark brown eyes, the dark brown that marked him as a Saiyan -so dark in fact that most believed them black. Maybe there was more to Goku after all. His stance and the look in his eyes now certainly spoke volumes. It was actually rather logical, if the clown couldn't appeal to his natural instinct to protect himself, then hitting his pride would do the trick. He also made a very good point. It showed that there was a brain there after all. Vegeta needed to keep an eye on him, something told him having dismissed him so casually before had been a mistake on his part.
He gritted his teeth and looked to the ground next to him, frustrated with Goku as he kept the younger Saiyan in his peripheral vision. "And do tell... how am I supposed to teach you anything as I am now?" He was not about to say weak or powerless. He couldn't.
Goku shrugged. "I don't need ki. Living or fighting without it is second nature since I basically grew up without it in the beginning until I met Master Roshi, and even then I only had one move that involved ki before I learned how to fly." Then added, more as another way to hit Vegeta's pride, "I can hold hits if you think your ribs wi-"
"Fine, clown." Vegeta turned, glaring at him. "I will spar with you and if you can figure any of the moves out on your own then good for you, but I'm warning you now... don't pull punches." Vegeta's tail flicked before wrapping snugly around his waist and he lowered into a stance that Goku again hadn't seen before and yet could see the small hints of Saiyan influence. "You are going to need every hit you can get... that is, of course, if you can even hit me."
The younger Saiyan lowered in his stance, smiling a little. "You are confident."
Vegeta snorted, "Confidence has nothing to do with it, Kakarot. You forget I have been watching you with Bardock and I already know your style whereas you don't know anything about mine. The few kata that I have done don't even begin to show what I am capable of... That, and the old man has been lax with you..."
Goku frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Why don't you attack me and find out for yourself," he taunted back with a smirk.
Returning the smirk, Goku taunted a little, "Okay, you ready, Vegeta?"
Seeing his eyes narrow, Goku took that as a yes and lunged forward, deciding to test the field a little with a simple jab, jab, punch combo. Vegeta moved so quickly, dodging him altogether that if the younger Saiyan didn't have the ability to sense ki, he would have sworn the prince was using it. Goku then felt Vegeta's elbow digging in between two of his ribs. As he stumbled to catch himself, somewhat dazed, Goku mused at how someone could heal so fast in two days with that lethal serum in his system. He gained his footing and looked to where he last saw the prince, only to realize that he was behind him as Vegeta kicked the back of his knees and forced him to the ground before wrapping his arm around his neck.
With his arm locked snuggly, there was an uncomfortable pressure on Goku's throat as the older Saiyan snarled in his ear, "I think I remember telling you not to hold back, Kakarot. You are not the only one who has had to fight without ki before and I will not coddle you like Bardock."
With that he shoved the younger Saiyan forward while he backed up, smirking at him as he swiftly got up and shifted back to his stance. Goku took that time to look Vegeta over, really look, and he realized that he might have just gotten in over his head. Instead of that making him uneasy, he found that he was excited. Clearly there was more to Vegeta than what met the eye and perhaps he would get more out of this than he originally thought...
.~-~.
"I'm not so sure..." the raven-haired woman muttered back.
ChiChi frowned looking at herself in the skin tight dark maroon dress that hardly left anything to the imagination, trying hard not to notice the v-neck cut that was far too revealing for her liking. But she had to admit... she did look amazing. Bulma sure knew how to pick them. Giving one last fleeting look at the mirror, she grasped the handle and took a deep breath. Amazing or not, she couldn't believe she was doing this, shopping with Bulma and her mother. She always thought Bulma was a spoiled rich girl who got whatever, whenever she wanted. One of those things being Goku. Now she was starting to realize how wrong she had been. Oh so wrong...
She undid the latch and pushed the door open, stepping out to show the older woman who clapped a little. "You look just lovely, ChiChi. Why were you so worried?"
"I just feel so..." ChiChi glanced sideways to the full-length mirror. "... naked..."
"Oh, well y-"
Mrs. Briefs started only to be interrupted by Bulma as she came out of her own dressing room. "Chich you look fine, believe me, there are much more revealing gowns than that."
ChiChi's brow rose as she took in the blue-haired heiress. "You weren't joking..." She thought she had been risky, but Bulma topped the cake in the silver number she chose for herself. "How can you even wear something like that in public?"
Bulma chuckled as she checked herself out and straightened out the thin fabric around the back of her neck that kept the whole little number on. "Easy, it covers more than a swimsuit..." She looked at her bare back and then added as an afterthought, "Well, proportionally it covers more." Then she played with the edges of the slit in the side of the dress that went all the way to her hip.
"You two are so beautiful." Mrs. Briefs dabbed her eyes a little. "You're going to outshine a little old lady like me. Now I wish I hadn't hastily bought that other one..."
Bulma frowned a little and looked at her mother. "Mom, why don't you just get a new one and then donate both at the end? Actually why don't we just hold an auction or something at the end for all our dresses and then donate the money..."
Mrs. Briefs clasped her hands together. "That is a wonderful idea, Bulma."
ChiChi's merely nodded in agreement, unsure what to say and frankly a little surprised that Bulma would suggest something like that. She had been really wrong about her. But more importantly why had it taken so long for her to see that Bulma and Goku's relationship had only been that of siblings? It wasn't until seeing him with her the other day in the heiress's lab that it finally truly dawned on her. She had also realized that not being with his surrogate family had been painful for him these past five years. He had not said anything, nor would he probably ever. But she could see it and even hear it sometimes in his voice. The younger woman shook her head a little to clear it as Mrs. Briefs disappeared amongst the racks, muttering giddily to herself.
"Um..." ChiChi toyed with the fabric of her dress. She was finally alone with Bulma and could finally ask, but now she was not sure how to approach the subject.
The heiress stopped tugging on her gown and looked at her best friend's wife, noticing her discomfort. "What is it, ChiChi? Not going to chicken out on me with the dress are you?"
"What?" She looked up at her, and then shook her head quickly. "Oh no... it's not that. I just... wanted to ask you something... about Goku."
Forgetting her dress completely, she turned to the raven-haired woman and gave ChiChi her undivided attention. "About what?"
"Well... I saw him the other day with you in the lab." Seeing Bulma frown a little she added swiftly, "I won't tell anyone... but I wanted to know about when Goku is like that."
ChiChi was relieved when understanding crossed Bulma's features. "I'm surprised you don't know..." She sighed and looked away as she folded her arms before her and muttered to herself, "What are you doing, Goku?"
"What is it?" The younger woman couldn't help but feel a little concerned upon hearing this. What did she not know? She knew she should have been more worried about this.
"I just don't understand why he hasn't been... well I don't know what to call it." She shrugged. "Sometimes I think he is bipolar, but I think there is more to it..." Bulma looked to ChiChi again. "Obviously the Goku I know and the one you know are rather different... and this is why you are asking me." With the younger woman's uneasy nod, Bulma went to the chair her mother had been sitting in and patted the one next to her. "Sit. It's better that I tell you this than if you never know at all..." Seeing ChiChi's pale look as she sat down next to her, she continued, "Goku is not stupid. Nor is he as clueless as he pretends to be. Yes, when I first met him he was a little naive and unknowing, but he learned quickly."
"Why does he pretend? I-I don't get it..." Why does he hide this from me? While in a way he was right that she did like that he didn't make a big deal out of things, she didn't want him to keep himself from her.
Bulma shrugged again. "I only have theories really, ChiChi, but even with them I don't quite understand why either. One is that it's all he knows and he doesn't want it to change. But mostly I think it's because he is afraid to lead all us. Everyone already holds him in such high regard, what if he were to fail? And then..." Her voice trailed off, wondering if she should say it.
"What? What is it?" ChiChi stiffened, never thinking Goku cared so much about the pressure of protecting everyone. If anything she thought he enjoyed it. What could possibly be worse than her not knowing that her husband, in fact, feared it?
"He doesn't remember this, but when he was younger he used to have horrible nightmares."
ChiChi blinked, not expecting that. "N-Nightmares?"
"Yeah... I think subconsciously he remembers all the times he turned into an... Oozaru... because he often cried out begging that it would stop, especially the times he was talking about his Grandfather Gohan."
The younger woman frowned. "Wait... what about his grandfather? Didn't he die by a-" The realization hit her then. "The Oozaru..."
"Yup." Bulma nodded.
"Oh Kami," ChiChi's voice was breathless as she looked down at the ground. "He killed him. He doesn't kn-"
"No, I believe he does, just doesn't want to admit it aloud." Bulma put her hand on the other woman's shoulder for comfort. "Think about it, ChiChi. Would you want to admit that you turned into a huge bloodthirsty ape? That you killed the man who took you in and raised you as if you were his own? Or that you almost ate your best friend and then almost killed a crowd of bystanders?"
"He almost ate you?" ChiChi stared at her wide-eyed, startled.
Bulma chuckled a little. "Not the most pleasant of times, let me tell you."
The two remained silent for a few seconds before ChiChi shook her head. "That was why he removed his tail... After five years and I'm just now finding this out... I'm a horrible wife." She couldn't believe so much had slipped past her hawk like gaze. That and, she thought she knew Goku... really knew him. To find that she had missed so much...
She squeezed her shoulder. "No you aren't, ChiChi. Goku may have been raised here on Earth, but I for one can tell you that after meeting Vegeta and Bardock he is so very much like his people. Instead of being an emotionless wall though, he tries to make everyone around him happy by making them think nothing is wrong." Bulma went to stand and held out her hand for her. "Come, put such thoughts out of your mind and let's take these dresses off. Then we can talk more while we wait for my mother. She may even be able to explain things better..."
ChiChi gave Bulma a weak smile as she took her offered hand and rose to her feet, both comprehending that in that moment something had shifted between them, something that would change their lives.
.~-~.
She had just finished getting everything ready when she went to the drawer by the sink to get some serving utensils and happened to glance up to see the two women standing in the back yard watching something. Confused, she stared and tried to figure out why they were out there when Goku suddenly rolled in the grass into her line of sight. He popped up quickly to his feet and faced off against someone. Bulma didn't even get a chance to wonder who it was when Vegeta was suddenly there, keeping her best friend on the defensive. Her eyes winded as she watched the two move, flittering about in a way that reminded her of some sort of dance. A rather deadly, brutal dance...
She frowned, not sure she liked the idea of Vegeta sparring just yet, but judging by the layer of sweat both of them showed they must have been at it for a while. Her first thought was to go out there and chew both of them out... or at least Goku, knowing he had most likely goaded Vegeta into it. But she found that she couldn't really move, almost hypnotized by the way both of them moved. That, and, for the first time she was truly seeing evidence that Vegeta was as good of a fighter as he and Bardock claimed him to be. The way he moved was so different than what she was used to seeing from the rest of the z-gang. And even she could see that it was far different than how Bardock fought. He would trick Goku, make him think he was going to do one thing only to painfully remind him that seeing was not always believing. Her best friend, however, was no pushover either.
It had been a while since Bulma could actually see his moves; with ki everything was simply too fast for her to keep up with. That was another reason why she didn't get all huffy and storm out there yelling: they weren't using ki. Or rather Goku wasn't. It wasn't like Vegeta had much choice in the matter. That didn't make her worry lessen by much, unfortunately. Even though it had been years since she had been able to watch and follow any of his fights, Bulma could still see that he fought almost like she remembered only that it was far more advanced. She could also tell that her friend meant business. If Vegeta hadn't redirected the hits away from his chest, there was no doubt in her mind that Vegeta wouldn't only have countless broken ribs, but two collapsing lungs. What had gotten Goku so riled up? The last time she had seen him fight like this had been with the demon king Piccolo after Krillin and so many others had died (including her parents) by that monster's hand.
As she continued to watch, however, she realized why her friend was so frustrated. The spar was not an all out brawl, it was a battle of wits and skill, and Vegeta clearly had him beat. He was always one step ahead of Goku and while Goku did manage to get hits in, it seemed they were hits Vegeta had planned as he used them to punish Goku with another painful jab to the more sensitive areas on his body. Her friend was angry that someone who was as hurt as Vegeta was able to not only stand on par with him, but embarrass him. Goku, while he did not show it very often, did pride himself in being a good fighter. It was he who always outsmarted his opponents and to come up against someone who was ruthlessly putting him in his place was never something Goku had to deal with before. Almost every opponent her friend had faced had always been more powerful and it was only his will and smarts that in the end let him win the day.
What of his father? Sure, Bardock was a brilliant tactician and was more powerful than Goku. But if his father had limited his power to Goku's level as Goku was now doing for Vegeta, it would have been far more difficult for Bardock to win. If Bulma had to guess, they may have been evenly matched. While no one else might have realized this, Goku did. To suddenly find himself in the reverse position was a change in the norm, and Goku didn't like changes. There had been only one other time when Goku had felt like this. Realizing what was going on in her friend's mind, Bulma went quickly to the back door and went outside silently, not drawing anyone's attention.
Most would start getting reckless when they realized they had no hope of outmatching someone, throwing wild punches or using kicks that left them wide open in their haste. Goku was not like that. Bulma knew this very well; she had been the only one of the z-gang to see it as she hid, keeping watch over Tien and Yamcha's unconscious bodies while Goku faced off against the demon king. Her friend never gave up even when half the bones in his body were broken and he only had one arm. One arm was all that he needed to win because when Goku started getting desperate he started reverting to some strange power inside him. A brutal intuition that Bulma was starting to comprehend had to do with his Saiyan heritage. He didn't think clearly for a little while after that fight. It was like the kind, loving boy she knew was gone and replaced with an overconfident spiteful one. Finally Mr. Popo and Kami were able to knock some sense back into him... literally. But having been the only one healthy and awake at the time, she was the only one that knew out of the z-gang that Goku could be... well... bad.
"You think you can get me with my own move, clown?" Vegeta gave a dark chuckle as he punched Goku in the solar plexus and jumped back. "First, you try to trick me with Bardock's fake opening routine and now this? How pathetic." Goku's fists tightened as he straightened and ignored the stabbing ache. "I really expected more from you... guess I was wrong to anticipate so much from an Earth raised third-class bottom-feeder such as yourself."
The younger Saiyan lowered back into his stance. "There was nothing wrong with who raised me, Vegeta. I'm just not used to how you fig-"
"Hn," he sneered, "that is the worse excuse I have ever heard and maybe for the first hour it would have worked, but even the weakest of Saiyans would have caught on by now, Kakarot."
Goku's frown deepened, and he had to keep reminding himself that Vegeta was hurt, that he couldn't use his ki. But he was getting oh-so tired of the older Saiyan always having the upper hand (and let's not forget the insults). For a few hours they had been at this Goku had to take the constant jeering the prince dished out. At first it had been easy to ignore it, but Vegeta was really good at finding hot points and poking at them. Then there was the fact that he really was trying to come up with new ways to get at the prince, but nothing seemed to work without playing into his hands. Goku could hit him, but Vegeta would answer in kind swiftly after. He also couldn't understand what was keeping Vegeta going; Goku could tell he was in pain and tired... but none of it was slowing the prince down, or rather it was slowing both of them down at the same rate with Vegeta still a little faster. So many times already he felt like a bumbling giant to the almost half a foot shorter man. It took all his concentration to keep this little distance in speed between them. He hardly even noticed when Mrs. Briefs and ChiChi came out the back door, his attention fully on the older Saiyan before him.
"What? Got nothing to say, Kakarot?" Vegeta smirked; for how calm the guy acted, he knew he was getting under the clown's skin. "That must mean you know what I say is true." It wasn't true, of course.
Vegeta was actually surprised that Kakarot was learning so much, so quickly. Already he saw his and Bardock's moves perfected and then twisted to Kakarot's own style and in ways Vegeta hadn't thought of. He had to pull deeper and deeper in the list of all the styles he had seen just to stay one step ahead of him. And if Kakarot would only realize that Vegeta had only planned a few things and then judged what he did on what the younger Saiyan did, then he would surely have him. The best defense was always a fake offense that got the opponent fumbling. If only he would open his eyes and see the pattern... but then not everyone saw things in patterns like Vegeta did, and he did have to admit it was a rather complex pattern. And even though he had the upper hand, he could see where he was slipping up... could see and frustratingly, that his body was giving out on him. It may not be the smartest thing to egg him on and push him, but Vegeta knew Kakarot was holding back... whether the younger Saiyan knew it or not did not matter, Vegeta wanted to see it. He had this feeling it had to do with the Saiyan heritage he so foolishly turned his back on and while he was good, good wasn't going to beat Raditz. The clown would need to embrace it if he was going to survive, let alone win.
When Goku sprang forward attacking, Vegeta blocked him a few times before releasing an uppercut that made the taller Saiyan backpedal as he caught his footing. "That can't be all you've got, clown. If so that is sad considering I'm not even at full capacity." He growled a little as he rubbed his chin, something flashing in his dark eyes as he looked up to Vegeta. There it is... The prince couldn't help but smirk more. Soon, only a few more words, and Kakarot would snap. "Raditz will grind you beneath his oversized foot and then Bardock will have to step in damning Earth to Freeza... and I will laugh at how useless and wretched you are, Kakarot, as he destroys everything you claim to protect. Oh how hilarious it will be to see when everyone realizes you can't s-"
"Vegeta!" Bulma's worried voice called out, trying to stop him, but the damage was done as Goku attacked him again.
Fool thinks to attack me head on? Vegeta feigned left out of his elbow's path, only to realize a little too late that Goku hadn't ever lunged at him like this before and that it might have been a set up. His suspicion was confirmed when the younger Saiyan suddenly used the closeness to his advantage and turned, using his momentum and the same arm to hit Vegeta in the side of his chest before following up with an uppercut of his own to the prince's face. His weary body knocked off balance, Vegeta barely managed to right himself and block the oncoming barrage of punches and kicks that followed. After a couple more hits to his chest, he could hear the snap of barely healed ribs breaking and again the thought that perhaps it hadn't been the smartest idea ridiculing the younger Saiyan like that crossed his mind. Instead he could have insisted that Bardock do it, but then he had known the old fool didn't have what it took to make his son snap like this.
Vegeta hastily tried to get to his feet after being knocked backwards and wiped the blood from his split lit as he looked to Kakarot. He blinked, surprised to find a dark look on the clown's normally calm or cheerful face, and he could hear the low rumble of a growl. So he has been holding out... "What is this, Kakarot?" He chuckled roughly, ignoring the pain that flared in his chest. "A second wind, what a la-"
The only warning Vegeta got before the onslaught of another attack was the increased growl that escaped Goku. After a few rounds back and forth he barely managed to block the kick to his midsection and completely missed the knee to his stomach. It was followed by a powerful punch that Vegeta was able to turn and instead hit his shoulder as an alternative to his chest. To dodge the next attack, Vegeta jumped and rolled out of the way, ending on his knees and breathing heavily as he spit up some blood. He looked up, realizing that Goku wasn't stopping... if anything he was getting stronger and more brutal with his hits. Maybe the younger Saiyan had what it took to beat Radtiz after all... But then he really shouldn't be worried about that just then, not when Goku could accidently kill him.
Vegeta went to stand, only for his body to have reached its limit and give out on him. He muttered a string of curses as he felt the clown's ki spike slightly as he moved to attack again. Had Bardock not warned him against picking fights? It was rather ironic really... But he pushed such thoughts away, not willing to let himself go down like this. He surged to his feet just in time to doge more hits, even landing a few before he found himself on his knees again. All he could think was how much this was going to hurt, his weakened body made everything feel ten times worse already...
"Vegeta, watch out!"
~~~~.~-~.~~~~
Beta'd by LPphreek
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