Dragon Ball Z: A New Beginning
Chapter 1: Little White Lies
Author's Note: This fic takes place after Goku defeats Frieza on Namek and disappears in space.
DECEMBER 24, 762
Cheers echoed through the trees. King Kai had just told Bulma the news on Namek and she had immediately relayed it to all the others present. At first, she felt great joy from the tyrant's downfall, but then Yamcha, through King Kai, delivered the devastating news that Goku had not escaped the planet's explosion. Bulma's happiness wrested in her heart as she lowered her head and sank down to the ground. "Oh… oh, no…" she uttered despairingly below her breath.
Gohan walked over to Bulma and pulled on her sleeve to get her attention. "What is it, Bulma?"
A tear ran down her cheek. "It's your dad, Gohan. He couldn't escape the planet in time. But it's worse than that. King Kai says he and Krillin can't be wished back with any of the dragon balls because they both died on Namek. If we wish them back, they would materialize in the empty space where Namek used to be and then die all over again!" she said, bursting into tears.
Gohan gasped and jerked backward as tears welled up in his eyes. "What? Oh, no! Daddy!"
Before anything more could be said, a deep rasping voice suddenly startled them both. "Stupid humans!" Vegeta taunted them from his seated perch against a tree. He soon gained the attention of all present. "Not only are you weak and emotional, but you're also blithering idiots!"
Gohan wiped his tears away, seething inwardly that Vegeta had returned to provoke them yet again. He stepped forward to face Vegeta, hiding his fear behind an expression of anger. "You leave us alone, Vegeta! We haven't done anything to you, you big bully!" he charged.
Vegeta scoffed and bitterly said, "Don't get me started on that, brat." The pure-blooded saiyan rose and Gohan jumped back in fear, running to hide behind Bulma. The boy still had a black eye from their fight earlier and he was not keen on a second beating. The prince sneered at him. "Too bad you're half human, shrimp. Otherwise, you might not be such a coward."
"Don't call him names, Vegeta. He'll grow up to be bigger than you someday!" Bulma snapped at him, taking a precautionary step back. "And we humans may be weaker than saiyans, but we are not stupid! Unlike you barbaric dolts, we know better than to shun our feelings and we take care of our own. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that you'd killed your own mother!"
Vegeta shot forward at blinding speed, halting with his nose a fraction of an inch from Bulma's. Bulma shrieked and jumped back. "You…" he hissed, snatching her by the vest. "You know absolutely nothing of my parents' death. Hold your tongue, wench!" He threw her at Gohan, who caught her before she could hit the ground. The boy examined her to ensure she was uninjured and turned back to Vegeta to tell him off. "Shut up, brat!" the prince snapped before turning his attention back to the female. "One more thing, woman. If you humans possess such an immense number of brain cells, then how is it even remotely possible not one of them has discovered that Kakarott and his cueball pal can simply be wished to Earth's check-in station with the Namekian dragon balls first to avoid materializing them in outer space?" he snapped. After he had finished throwing his weight around and glaring daggers at the blue-haired woman for insulting him, the saiyan prince snorted and turned away from them to angrily stomp off into the forest again.
"Wait!" Bulma cried. Vegeta froze solid in his tracks. "That's… that's brilliant! Vegeta, you're a genius!" She jumped to her feet and started skipping around. "Woohoo! Goku's coming home!" Vegeta turned his head to examine Bulma's lunacy, which he deemed worrisome. He saw fit to get away from her annoying cheers as Gohan and the others joined in. They all danced around in the grass. Vegeta rolled his eyes, cursing himself for bringing them any degree of happiness. The spiky-haired saiyan shrugged off the concern and sprinted at light speed into the forest.
Meanwhile, Bulma, Gohan, and the others continued to dance in glee. Most were unaware of the saiyan prince's departure, though Gohan did stop for a moment to raise a brow in surprise at the random act of (apparently unintentional) kindness coming from someone who had beaten him up no more than an hour ago and laughed at Goku's expected demise. The young half-saiyan scratched his head. "Hm," he thought aloud, shrugging his shoulders at the puzzling behavior.
"Come on, guys! We had better get to Capsule Corp so we can get settled," Bulma announced. "I'll go call my dad and tell him where to pick us up!" The young genius retreated behind a few trees to make the phone call as Gohan and the Namekians continued to celebrate in her absence. Figuring out coordinates, Bulma and her father discovered that West City was a good distance south from where Porunga had dropped them all off. Though they had to wait a while, the time went by fast with excited conversation as young Namekians played in the background. Within a few hours, Bulma looked up and spotted her father's airship approaching on the horizon.
…
DECEMBER 27, 762
Everything settled down about three days after Frieza's defeat. Once the Briefs family had helped the Nameks get comfortable in their new temporary home at Capsule Corp, all they had left to do was wait for the dragon balls to glow again. That would only take a little over four months since a Namekian year was shorter than an Earth year. Bulma soon found she had the time and energy to ponder on other matters. I wonder what happened to His Royal Assness, she thought as she tinkered with a new invention of hers called the Psychotron. If only she could get it to work, it would revolutionize treatments for PTSD worldwide. She reconnected a few wires and ran another test, only then realizing that the mind readings of her simian subjects were even more off than they had been before. "Damn it!" she bellowed, kicking the heavy metal device. She cried out in pain and hopped around as she held onto her throbbing foot. The monkeys went nuts in their cages, but the dishwasher-sized machine itself appeared to be perfectly fine.
"I'll get it working," she told herself out loud after the pain had eased. Her project did little to suppress her thoughts about the missing saiyan. Soon enough, Bulma found herself unable to rid such thoughts from her mind. They distracted her from her work, so she backed away from the Psychotron and sighed. She looked up through a window and snorted. "Regardless of his motivations, he did save my friends on Namek, as well as Goku and Krillin by thinking up that check-in station idea. He's a human bein… well… he's a person and I suppose he deserves a civilized place to live. Ooh, I know! I'll go find him. I'm sure I can backtrack and find the coordinates where Dad picked us up three days back. If I use that old saiyan scouter, it should not take too long to come upon that spike-haired dork. Now, where did I put that thing…?"
…
DECEMBER 28, 763
The next morning, Bulma filled one of her pockets with a pack of supply capsules. She packed a gun in the other pocket as a precaution against wild beasts and bandits. Wearing the scouter, she set off on a hovercycle and headed back to the forest clearing where the Namekian dragon had deposited everyone a week before. It turned out to be much farther away than she remembered as it took her three-and-a-half hours to get there. The climate was much warmer at the location, which lay nearer to the Earth's equator. She glanced at her watch. It was just past noon, eight or so hours before nightfall. She encapsulated her hovercycle and glanced around. In her mind, she re-created the scene from a week back. Using that information, she was able to come up with a rough estimate of the direction Vegeta had disappeared in. She faced in that direction with the scouter and pressed the button on the side. Indeed, there did appear to be a very high power level off in the distance. Unfortunately, due to the thickness of the forest, she knew she would have to go on foot to find him. A few broken twigs and boot prints here and there provided evidence of where the destructive male had likely gone. Bulma followed the trail deep into the forest.
Five hours later, Bulma crawled miserably through the woods on hands and knees, panting like a dog with heatstroke. He seemed to be moving farther away. Either that or the scouter itself was malfunctioning. She had no one else around to use to re-calibrate the damn thing and she had long since lost the visible trail in the forest. Pushing aside the thick green foliage, Bulma grunted in frustration. Once she reached a small clearing, she stopped and glanced around. The patch was unexpected as the forest had been incredibly dense up until then. Bulma felt her stomach growl, which reminded her that she had brought food capsules with her. She was about to take one out when she caught a whiff of something that could only be described as raw and totally putrid. Her appetite vanished in an instant. Something had to have died nearby. "Yuck! What in the hell is that?" Bulma exclaimed, waving a hand around in the humid air to repel the offensive odor.
Her curiosity won out, so she decided to follow the smell. True to her suspicion, a dead animal did appear shortly through the thicket. It was a very large dinosaur, its rotting innards exposed and spewed across the forest floor. Flies buzzed around the unfortunate creature's lifeless eyes. Holding a bandana to her nose, Bulma neared the creature to try and assess the cause of its death. It looked like it had been attacked, partially eaten, and then left to die in the wilderness. The situation was puzzling given that the tyrannosaurus rex topped the food chain in these parts. What could have attacked and eaten such a mighty beast? Leaning forward to examine it, Bulma suddenly heard a highly-menacing voice from behind her. "Get your own, puny human!"
Bulma jumped around and yelped in surprise. Vegeta had his right hand extended over his head. The palm of his hand was gathering energy to destroy what he thought was just a greedy little thief. But the moment he beheld her face, a look of surprise flashed across his own and the ball of energy dissipated. "You?" Vegeta blurted, raising a thick eyebrow. He slowly lowered his hand and powered down, curious to find out why the blue-haired woman was present. "What do you want, woman? And why are you trying to steal my food?" the saiyan spat angrily.
Bulma noted the enormous bloody rib he was holding in his left hand. It could only belong to the T-Rex. She saw the blood on his face and felt herself gag. She looked back at the dead dinosaur and then at Vegeta again. "Are you serious? You would have to be either crazy or stupid to think I would ever eat something like that!" she roared, pointing with disgust at the carcass. Vegeta's eyes widened again at the bold insult delivered him by one weak and pathetic Earthling. Bulma grinned in satisfaction at the prince's shocked expression. She had not even gotten started yet. "You saiyans are disgusting barbarians!" she screamed loud enough to make him wince.
To her displeasure, though, the accusation only seemed to amuse the saiyan once his ears had recovered from the shrill noise. He smirked at her and tore off a huge chunk of bloody meat from the rib with his razor-sharp teeth. Bulma gulped, suppressing another gag reflex, and stepped back. Vegeta's actions reminded her of Goku's boyish antics back when they were kids. He had sometimes eaten worms just to gross her out. Yamcha joined in later and ate crickets to make her run away screaming. The memories gave Bulma the overwhelming urge to throttle the rude saiyan male, but she realized such an action would not benefit her health wise. "Answer my first question, wench," Vegeta commanded all of a sudden, startling her out of her thoughts.
"Not before you answer mine!" Bulma retorted, glaring at him. Vegeta raised an eyebrow again, so Bulma placed her hands squarely on her hips and looked smugly at him. "I want to know why you haven't destroyed my planet yet. I know you're planning to! Don't think you can get away with it either, you asshole! Goku will come back. If he finds that his world has been destroyed, he'll hunt you down and spank you in battle. Guaranteed!" Bulma shrieked at him.
Vegeta ground his teeth at her loud voice. "Damn it, woman! It's too bad wenches like you don't come with built-in volume dials," the prince snapped back, rubbing his ears. When he was done, he glanced at her with a curious look. "So… what was the question again?" he casually inquired.
"What are you planning?" Bulma yelled. Again, Vegeta winced.
"Enough! I will not have my eardrums abused in such an outrageous manner!" Vegeta shouted back at her. He had to admit he liked her spirit, but he could not tolerate her yelling at him. He decided it was time for him to split, so he spun around and stomped off through the trees.
"Don't try to change the subject, monkey boy! And—Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Bulma yelled, brandishing a fist at him. She ran after him, stumbling over logs and debris.
"Away from you, as I can no longer tolerate your idiotic presence," Vegeta snapped back over his shoulder as he plodded off farther into the forest. "You make far too much noise!"
"Wait!" Bulma cried. She sprinted after him and tripped over a rock, face-planting on the ground. Fortunately, the earth was soft. "Mmph," she mumbled into the dirt. When she pushed herself up, she found that Vegeta was standing over her with a quizzical expression on his face. "What?"
"I seriously fail to comprehend how you humans have managed to survive on this planet," the saiyan stated simply, tearing another bite out of the tyrannosaur rib. He chewed and swallowed, chucking the bare bone over his shoulder. Then he wiped his face with a filthy glove.
Bulma knitted her brow. "We survive because we're smart," she retorted. Vegeta stood silent for an extended moment and burst into laughter. "Shut up, Vegeta!" she yelled at him as he mocked her. Embarrassed, she stood up and brushed herself off to regain her dignity. It did not work well. Her command had only fueled his amusement further. Finally, she gave up and just waited for him to finish laughing. When he eventually calmed down, she spoke up again. "Finished?"
"I guess," he chuckled.
Just be firm with him, Bulma, she told herself. If you show you're not afraid, he'll hopefully learn some respect. "Good!" Bulma spat. "Then follow me, jerkass." She reached out to grab Vegeta by the wrist and drag him along, but then she observed just how grungy he was from living in the wilderness and thought better of it. She withdrew her hand and walked past him.
"I beg your pardon?" Vegeta asked, glaring.
"You heard me," Bulma replied. "We're going to Capsule Corp." Her intuition told her he was not following. She stopped in her tracks, peering back at him with an expectant look. "Well? What do you want me to do? Roll out the red carpet for you?" she sarcastically snapped.
"What in the hell is Capsule Corp?" Vegeta retorted.
Bulma turned back to face him fully. "What do you think it is? It's where I live. Now, let's go already! I would prefer to get home before dark. So shake a leg, you stubborn ass!"
Vegeta peered at her like she had grown a second head. "What? How dare you! Do I look stupid? I'm not going anywhere with you!" the prince snapped. "You're not the boss of me!"
Bulma rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "Why? You scared?" She thought his eyes would bulge right out of their sockets when she said that. When he looked like he was about to make a vicious retort, she smirked. "Come on, Vegeta. I'm a small human female. What could I possibly do to you? Surely you don't see me as a threat of some kind," she suggested.
"Hmph!" Ignoring her teasing, Vegeta stomped back over to the dead tyrannosaur. He glared back at Bulma as she readily followed him like a duckling that had imprinted on the wrong animal. "What do you want to bring me home with you for?" Vegeta inquired, casually tearing another rib out of the animal's flank. He leaned against the carcass for comfort as he ate.
Bulma scratched her chin, pretending to consider his words for a minute. Then she dropped the act and glared at him. "A bath, for one! You're completely filthy from being out here for a week. Second, those teeth of yours need a thorough cleansing to rid them of the stench of rotting dino flesh. Third," she began, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out an elbow-length rubber glove and yanked it on, letting it snap into place. Bulma pinched her nose with her other hand and strutted right up to Vegeta. He looked at her in surprise until she unexpectedly slapped the raw dinosaur meat out of his hand. "You need to eat some real food!" she finished in a nasal voice.
Vegeta jolted in surprise briefly and looked at Bulma with a perturbed expression on his face. He glanced back at the dinosaur. "This… this food is not… real?" he asked, confused.
"No, it's not real!" Bulma snapped. "Now, come on. You've wasted enough of my time as it is." Using her gloved hand, she boldly grabbed his wrist and began marching back to the clearing. "I ought to hose you down in the yard first, you're so dirty!" The disoriented saiyan found himself dawdling along behind the human female, though he was still very confused about her intentions. When they arrived at the first clearing, Bulma clicked a capsule and threw it down on the sparse grass. It turned into a hovercycle and she got on, signaling him to mount the seat behind her.
"I can fly!" Vegeta charged. He crossed his arms, refusing to ride with her.
"Fine! Just keep up," Bulma retorted, launching the vehicle up into the sky. The clearing was so narrow that she almost failed to avoid the tree canopy. Her thigh brushed past some leaves and branches. Fortunately, though, she was wearing long leather leggings. Moments later, she found herself gliding above the forest. Bulma glanced back to see if Vegeta was following her, but he was nowhere to be found. "Hurry up, trollface!" she called back toward the clearing.
"Who are you calling trollface, you blue-haired bimbo?" came a voice from beside her. She yelped and then turned toward Vegeta, who was hovering just three feet to her right.
"There you are. Come on," Bulma said, ignoring him. She sped northwestward and he followed.
Hardly five minutes passed before he was complaining. "How freaking long is this going to take? Where is this Capsule Corp anyway? I'm hungry!" he declared in a demanding voice.
"You just ate!"
"Saiyan," he quickly retorted. "Besides, you didn't let me finish my meal!"
Bulma rolled her eyes. "Right. It's a few hours away, so hold your freaking horses. I promise you a meal fit for a king when we get there but not until after you've had a bath!" she charged.
Vegeta licked his lips at the thought. "Well, you better be sure this meal does not fall short of my expectations or you will have a very displeased killer on your hands," he said in warning.
Bulma gulped and snapped out her cell phone to call the house chef. She gave him very clear instructions on what and how much to prepare and when it was expected to be on the table. The man panicked over the phone. "How can I possibly prepare so much in so little time?"
"You can order delivery from gourmet places. It has to be a feast fit for a king," she warned him.
"Gotcha," replied the chef. They hung up.
Despite her promise, Vegeta bitched and moaned the entire trip. She tried to distract him with the lush scenery, but he did not care for passing landscapes. By the time they arrived at the Capsule Corporation compound, it was past dark and Bulma was about ready to tear her hair out.
A man in a suit greeted him as he entered, obviously trying to suppress the urge to gawk at the saiyan's disheveled appearance. "Are you Prince Vegeta?" he inquired, gulping slightly. The warrior merely nodded. "Your bath is this way, sir," the man offered, turning to go down the hall. "I hope you like bubbles and the smell of mint. The feast will be ready shortly."
"Hey, Vegeta!" Bulma called after him. He glanced over his shoulder. "You better do a damn good job or I'll throw you back in the bathwater and scrub you myself!" she warned. "And don't forget to wash behind your ears! I mean it, I see one smudge after you're done and no dinner!"
In response, Vegeta spun around and growled, but the butler placed a hand on his shoulder. "She's just joking, sir. The young mistress has an aggressive sense of humor. Please, do come."
Londrice's words calmed the prince and he turned his back to Bulma with a "Hmph!" before following the butler inside. Bulma was about to follow as well, but her phone suddenly rang.
When Bulma was done with her phone call some minutes later, she went inside and found the house butler Londrice standing in the hall with a towel draped over his arm, waiting for Vegeta to finish his bath. "Mistress Bulma," he said, giving her a nod. "How has your evening been?"
Bulma sighed loudly. "Only just bearable, Lon. Where's Vegeta?"
"The bathroom. He was more docile than you led me to expect over the phone," he replied.
"Don't be surprised if it doesn't last."
Londrice hesitated and then nodded.
…
Five minutes later, Bulma was helping prepare the table when Vegeta stomped soaking wet into the dining room in the nude. His bits and pieces were luckily hidden behind the back of a fancy velvet chair. He shook himself off like a dog, causing water to splatter all over the room.
"Geez, Vegeta, are you some kind of animal?!" Bulma screamed in disbelief.
"Who stole my uniform?" the saiyan prince angrily demanded, glancing around at Bulma, Londrice, Mrs. Briefs, and the chef accusingly. "The thief had better pray for mercy!"
The chef looked to Mrs. Briefs, Mrs. Briefs looked to Bulma, and Bulma looked to Londrice. A sweat drop appeared on Londrice's forehead. "I—I was having it cleaned for you, sir. I didn't expect you to finish so quickly. The garments were rather tattered, though. P-perhaps you should shop for a new wardrobe? I can lend you something from my ow… then again," Londrice began, observing his own tall stick-thin figure as compared to the saiyan's short and stocky one. He turned worriedly to Bulma and whispered to her, "I don't think I have anything that'll fit him."
"I can hear you," Vegeta growled, arms crossed over his chest in a manner most petulant.
Bulma stepped in front, her face flushed as she gazed slightly to the side to avoid viewing the saiyan's unclothed form. "S-sorry, Vegeta. It's my fault. I forgot about it," she said, thinking fast. She looked over to Mrs. Briefs. "Mom, does Dad have anything that'll fit him?" she asked.
Mrs. Briefs came out of a trance and shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I-I'll check, dear." She scurried out of the room. Meanwhile, Londrice handed the fluffy white towel he had been carrying to Vegeta. Rather than covering himself with it, the saiyan used it to start squeezing the excess moisture out of his hair. Everyone waited where they stood in awkward silence until Mrs. Briefs reappeared four minutes later. Of course, standing in the room with a hot naked alien felt like an eternity to Bulma. Mrs. Briefs presented Vegeta with a pair of jeans and a white collared shirt. "Try these on, sweetie," she said cheerfully. The ditzy blonde did not even notice the glare she received from Vegeta as she went back to placing silverware on the table, humming a tune.
Vegeta rolled his eyes and stuffed his legs into the pants. They were so tight around his muscular thighs that he almost tore them as he pulled them up. "Mph," he said, struggling with the zipper.
Bulma had gone back to busying herself with the table, avoiding looking at the prince as he got dressed on the far side of the room. "Something wrong, Vegeta?" she inquired.
"I can hardly move in this thing."
Bulma glanced over at him and saw the problem. The jeans were too small. "I think I need to take you shopping," she remarked. Her eyes lit up. "Oh! How fun. I love shopping!"
Vegeta's eyes widened in horror. "You mean in public?" he replied.
"Yup!"
"No fucking way! I refuse to go out amongst the Earthlings!" Vegeta decreed, brandishing a fist.
Bulma rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Vegeta! Do you have to ruin my fun?" she replied, loving the idea of getting to play dress up with him as if he was some manner of toy doll. His only response was to glare at her. "Fine!" she snapped. "We'll take your measurements and then we'll order clothes online, stubborn ass. Satisfied? Pff, I don't see what you're so afraid of."
Vegeta's brows narrowed. "The Prince of All Saiyans fears nothing!"
"Then come shopping with me! Please, Vegeta! I'll let you pick anything you want," she cried.
Vegeta crossed his arms. "How am I to go out in the first place if I've nothing decent to wear?"
Bulma's shoulders slumped. He had made an excellent point. "I know!" she declared as an idea came to mind. "I'll order you some clothes online and then I can take you shopping after that. We can have the order sent overnight, but we'll need to take some measurements first."
Vegeta tried to walk across the room with stiff movements, grabbing the collared shirt. It was a lost cause, as the sleeves were far too small. "This is really uncomfortable." He got caught in the garment like a Chinese finger trap and could not get out without tearing the thing in two.
"I see that. Mom?" Bulma called.
"I'm on it, hun!" Mrs. Briefs danced out of the room and returned with a tape measure, whisking Vegeta off to the living room to measure his body for just the right fit in clothing.
…
Bulma found Vegeta a sufficiently stretchy pair of off-white sweatpants to wear for the evening. It kept him satisfied as he scarfed down the delicious meal the house chef, as well as numerous restaurants all around West City, had prepared for his consumption. Once he was done, Bulma saw fit to bring up an important concern. She paused to observe the warrior for a moment as he finished up the fried rice. The man had a very aggressive appearance and overall demeanor. A simple glance from Vegeta could strike fear in the heart of any Capsule Corp employee, even if the prince was actively trying to behave himself. Bulma thought for a moment. How am I going to prevent him from scaring away my employees? After another hesitation, she managed to think up a possibility. "Alright, Vegeta. While you're living at Capsule Corp, please try to behave yourself. I know it will be difficult for you, but I won't be able to convince my father to let you stay with us unless you swear not to harm anyone in the compound," Bulma asserted.
Vegeta glared at her briefly. Bulma frowned until the prince followed up with a declaration. "No one will be harmed as long as my needs are provided for and I am not bothered or harassed in any way, especially by any insignificant human scum," he replied. He wiped his face and stood up, pleased to find himself full and satisfied just as Bulma had promised. On top of that, the food at been the best he had eaten in a long time. It was a huge improvement over raw meat.
Bulma breathed a sigh of relief, but then something occurred to her. There were dozens of naïve young collegians working at Capsule Corp as interns. Any of them could quite easily make the mistake of crossing paths with Vegeta. A warning to stay away from the flame-haired man would probably just make them curious. "Oh, Bulma dear!" her mother chirped all of a sudden. "I have excellent news. Your father should be home in a few minutes. The group had unexpected success with the experiment in East City, so everyone's heading home early to celebrate!"
Bulma was drinking milk as her mother said this and the white liquid came spewing out of her nostrils. Suddenly, the front door slammed. Vegeta curled a lip in disgust, but he had no time to say anything before Bulma snatched him by the wrist and dragged him out of the compound to the spaceship in the backyard. She slammed the button to open the door and shoved him inside. "Surely you want to train like Goku did under gravity, so here! It's called a Gravitron, Vegeta."
Vegeta immediately forgot all his objections as his eyes turned to saucers. Bulma grinned to herself. "Now, I've scheduled you a dental cleaning tomorrow. If you behave and let the dentist clean your teeth without a fuss, then I'll show you how it works and it'll be all yours. Consider it a welcoming gift. There is even a bed and bathroom downstairs, so you won't need to come inside the house again tonight. Food's in the fridge and you can order delivery on the phone."
She jotted something on a sticky note and placed it by the phone. "That is my number if you need anything or experience a sudden urge to destroy something or someone. I'll see you tomorrow!" Bulma set the Gravitron on quiet mode and went back into the compound. Vegeta did not protest to her disappearance as he was too starstruck by the equipment. To Bulma's great relief, her father had gone straight to bed and not seen the remains of the saiyan-sized feast. Mrs. Briefs and the servants were cleaning up. Bulma called her mother over. "Mom, I was hoping you might not mention Vegeta to Dad. I would like to break the news myself," she pled. Mrs. Briefs did not understand, but she smiled and nodded her agreement anyway. Finally, Bulma was able to get to bed. When she got there, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
…
Vegeta was completely stunned when Bulma abruptly disappeared from the Gravitron for the night. He felt like his mind had been thrown for a loop since the moment he had met her again in the wilderness. For the last few days, he had been puzzling over how Goku had managed to attain the level of a super saiyan. Now, he felt that he had just been presented with one of the keys to the man's ascension. While thrilled to learn he would be able to train in the way Goku had, Vegeta was also worried. Why was Bulma doing all of this for him? He could not make any sense of her behavior, which he found very worrisome indeed. With the prince's unfortunate life history, he had come to be very distrustful of people overall. The blue-haired woman had to be up to something. Why else would she offer room and board to an enemy who had previously tried to destroy her planet? "Get a grip, Vegeta," he said to himself, shaking his head.
He walked around the Gravitron, examining all the buttons and dials. Some of it was similar to the design of a typical saiyan attack ball, but he knew it would be dangerous for him to try to turn on the gravity without knowing what he was doing. He shrugged to himself. It was too late to train anyway. He had been training in the wilderness since before the crack of dawn earlier that day. The saiyan prince yawned and rubbed his eyes, panning the room until he found the top of the ladder down to the lower level. As he climbed down the rungs, the lights automatically came on. When he was halfway down, he stopped and glanced around. There was a bed with white sheets and a closed door, which he could only assume led to the bathroom.
Once he had reached the floor, he looked back at the wall across from the bed and saw a series of strange devices. The largest one was a big black box with a glass side facing outwards. It had several buttons and dials on the lower right-hand side. Out of sheer curiosity, Vegeta pressed one of the buttons. Nothing happened. He pressed another. Again, nothing. When he pressed a button far to the left, the glass suddenly came to life and a moving image that was only two-dimensional in nature appeared. It was followed by a very sudden and very loud sound that caused Vegeta to nearly jump out of his sweatpants. His head impacted the ceiling, leaving a small dent. When he fell back down, he landed on his rear end in front of the screen and stared at it in fascination.
A two-dimensional man with a stick figure body and balloon head appeared behind the glass. He seemed to be made out of cut paper or some other flat material. Then he started to sing, "There are times when you get suckered in by drugs and alcohol and sex with women, m'kay, but it's when you do these things too much that you've become an addict and must get back in touch…"
Before long, the funny character launched himself into a ridiculous song and dance routine involving a group of two-dimensional children. It was so absurd that, before long, Vegeta burst into laughter. These Earthlings are fucking hilarious! he thought. He watched the whole show to the end and then wished there was more. Unfortunately, something boring came on next and he turned off the screen. "It must be some kind of two-dimensional transmission device," the prince mused, examining the box. He was accustomed to such things in three-dimensional holographic images, but it seemed the technology on Earth lagged behind the rest of the universe.
He was too tired to look at the other devices, so he flopped down on the bed. The air temperature was somewhat cold like Bulma had said, so he crawled under the blankets and went to sleep.
…
DECEMBER 29, 763
Vegeta awoke early the next morning with a growling stomach. When he sat up in bed, he felt the cold and smelled the frosty scent in the air. Not knowing how to adjust the room temperature, he wrapped his blankets around himself and got out of bed. He went to inspect the other items in his living quarters, hoping to find the food that Bulma had said was in something called a 'fridge.' Not knowing what to look for, Vegeta figured it had to be large if it could hold enough food for a saiyan. The very largest appliance that he found was a huge white box. When he figured out how to open it up, he did indeed find a plentiful chilled food supply. His eyes widened at the sight just before he gathered as much as he could into his arms and brought it over to the table. After he had devoured everything, he tossed the blankets aside and started to do his morning exercises. It warmed him up enough that he no longer had to worry about the ambient temperature.
About two hours later, Vegeta had finished his morning routine and was starting to wonder what had happened to the blue-haired woman who had brought him here. He recalled her saying that she had a 'number' and went to investigate the piece of paper she had written it on. It was stuck next to a strange-looking device with numbers on it. Not wanting to bother with it, he decided to venture outside in search of the bossy female. She had to be inside the compound building by the Gravitron. When he opened his front door, he came face-to-face with the very individual he was seeking. Clad in a long stylish coat, Bulma jumped in surprise. Their breaths were visible in the external air. "Oh! Good morning, Vegeta. Your clothes arrived in the mail this morning, so I thought I would bring them over. I hope you haven't been too…" she continued, walking past him and into the Gravity Room. "Oh my goodness, it is freezing in here!" she exclaimed, cutting herself off. She shuffled over to a small dial by the control panel, adjusting it with her fingers. "I'm sorry, Vegeta. I must've forgotten to turn up the heat. Why didn't you call me?"
Vegeta raised a brow. "Call you?"
"Yes," Bulma replied. "On the phone. You know how to use a phone, don't you?"
Vegeta shook his head. He pointed toward the telephone. "Is that what that thing over there is?"
Bulma slapped her forehead at her own absentmindedness. Of course, Vegeta would be clueless about most of Earth's culture and technology. He had never experienced any of it before. "Yes, Vegeta. That's the phone. It's a communication device kind of like a scouter, except it does not read power levels. I'm so sorry, I should have known you wouldn't know how to use it. Were you at least able to find the fridge and get some breakfast?" she inquired, receiving a nod. "Oh, thank goodness! I feel so negligent. Anyway," she continued, putting the boxes down on the console, "I brought your new clothes." She opened the boxes and presented him with a pair of brown cargo pants, a dark blue flannel shirt, thick socks, winter boots, trunks, and a coat.
Vegeta walked over and examined everything as she laid it out for him to view. He picked up a pair of trunks, not knowing what it was. "What is this for?" he inquired, opening the waistband and looking inside through the leg holes. He tried to put it on his head, but then he took it off.
Again, Bulma slapped her forehead. "No, those are called trunks. You're supposed to wear them under your clothes. They're supposed to… um… well, these pants might be less comfortable without them. They are supposed to support your… Anyway, let me show you how to put them on," Bulma awkwardly said, taking the gray trunks from Vegeta. She opened the waistband. "You put your legs down through the holes and pull it up to your waist. The seams should be on the inside and the logo should be on the back," she explained, handing the trunks back to Vegeta. The saiyan blinked as he received the garment. Then he shrugged and dropped his sweatpants, ready to try on the new item. Bulma yelped and spun around just in time to avoid seeing his male parts. Her face flushed, but Vegeta did not seem to notice. "L-let me know when they're on."
A few moments later. "This is like a miniature bodysuit or something," Vegeta remarked. Bulma glanced shyly over her shoulder, observing that he had them on properly. She breathed a sigh of relief. Modesty was apparently a foreign concept in the saiyan world, she surmised.
She turned back around and presented him with the cargo pants. "These should keep your legs warm while we're out shopping," she indicated. He took the pants from her and put them on. "And just so you know… um, when we're at the mall, it's important that you change inside of something called a fitting room. If you change out in public, it will attract people's attention."
"I don't want to attract attention!" Vegeta blared.
Bulma appeared relieved by the outburst. "Oh, good!" she uttered, a sweat drop appearing on her forehead. "Then I'll show you where the fitting rooms are when we get there," she said, taking the button-down flannel shirt in hand. She unbuttoned it for him and showed him how to put it on. "This should keep you warm," she noted, helping him straighten the shirt up and re-button it once he had it on. Next, she showed him how to put on the socks. He was able to figure out the boots by himself because they used a zipper instead of a confusing bundle of laces. Bulma was relieved that everything appeared to fit just fine and Vegeta did not seem uncomfortable in what to him was bizarre new clothing. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Mrs. Briefs poked her head in. "Mom!" Bulma chimed, waving her inside. "He's ready. It's almost time to go."
"I see he's all dressed now. Oh, Vegeta dear, you look so handsome," Mrs. Briefs said, either not noticing or entirely ignoring the glare that she received from the compliment. "I'm ready. Oh, sweetums, I just wanted to let you know that your dad's in the lab already, so the coast is clear."
"Thanks, Mom!" Bulma got Vegeta to put his coat on and then she zipped it up for him. She took him by the wrist and led him out of the Gravitron toward her yellow Ferrari. "First, Vegeta, we're going to get your teeth cleaned. Then we're going shopping for a bigger wardrobe. The dentist's office and the mall are all downtown, so let's get going," she decreed, walking past her mother.
Mrs. Briefs looked pleased as punch. "You're going to like Dr. Violet, Vegeta. She's so gentle."
Vegeta froze in his tracks. Bulma felt him resist and she glanced back at him. "Doctor?" he said. "I'm not sick! I don't need a doctor. I thought we were just getting my teeth cleaned."
Bulma knitted her brows. "She's not that kind of doctor, Vegeta. Yes, all she'll do is clean your teeth. No needles or anything. Geez, I would never have pegged you as being like Goku."
Vegeta furrowed his brows. "I'm nothing like Kakarott! I do not fear doctors or needles."
"Good!" Bulma retorted. "Then let's go."
Vegeta crossed his arms, but he followed her to the car and got in the back seat at her prompting nonetheless. He sat there in the car with a scowl on his face as Mrs. Briefs got in the passenger's seat and Bulma in the driver's. The prince glanced around before his eyes wandered to the back of Bulma's head. "What is your name, blue-haired woman? I still don't even know who you are," Vegeta blurted as Bulma turned on the ignition. The car came to life with a whirring sound.
Bulma's eyes popped open in surprise. She propped an arm on the back of her mother's seat and peered back at Vegeta. "It's Bulma. I can't believe I forgot to tell you," she replied, wanting to smack herself on the forehead yet again. "Sorry about that. I am the daughter of Dr. Briefs, the inventor of the famous DynoCap. I am a scientist and engineer just like my dad."
Vegeta raised both brows. "You're a scientist?"
Bulma smiled and nodded. "I helped my father build the Gravitron you're living in. It's based on the spaceship that Goku landed on Earth in as a baby. My dad took it apart and studied it."
Vegeta was speechless as Bulma pulled out of the driveway and glided down the street toward the inner city. How could a mere woman help to build such a complex contraption? He had met female scientists before, but none who were at that level of genius. Vegeta had a little difficulty accepting what Bulma told him, but he held his tongue in case she should prove him wrong later.
Instead, Vegeta looked out the window and watched as sidewalks, buildings, and people rushed by. Like every other foreign planet he had been to, everything was utterly mysterious to him at first glance. Most people were wearing coats. There were many street vendors trying to sell hats, scarves, and other cold weather garments, as well as food. The scent of sweet and sour mixed together in the brisk morning air. The saiyan flinched slightly when he heard Bulma's mother's voice. "So, Vegeta dear, you're from Planet Vegeta like Goku? Is it true that Frieza destroyed it?"
Vegeta raised a brow. "Yes, a long time ago."
"Oh, dear! How old were you? Were you even born yet?"
Vegeta scrunched up in his seat. "Yes, I was born. Why does it matter how old I was?"
Mrs. Briefs shrugged. "I'm just curious, dear. It all sounds awful!" Bulma was peeking over her shoulder, curious about the answer to her mother's question. Vegeta averted his gaze, pretending to be interested in a passing sculpture of an anthropomorphic dog-man. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to bring up a painful subject. I was just curious about your background. That's all." Vegeta immediately stiffened, but he bit his tongue to avoid saying anything. Mrs. Briefs turned to Bulma and redirected her attention to the traffic situation when the light changed to green.
Ten minutes later, they were parked in an underground lot. Bulma encapsulated the vehicle and Vegeta followed her and her mother to a strange metal door. Inside was a tiny empty room with no other doors. Vegeta stood back, catching the women's attention. "What is this? A trap of some kind?" the saiyan charged, moving around to get a better view of the interior without entering.
Bulma raised a brow. "No, Vegeta. This is just an elevator. It is going to bring us up to the tenth floor where Dr. Violet's office is. Most people on Earth can't fly, so we need these kinds of devices to get around," she explained, going inside with her mother. She beckoned Vegeta to enter with a full arm motion. "Come on, Vegeta. I promise it's not going to bite."
Mrs. Briefs giggled. "Rather fortunate that no one else is here, huh?" she uttered to her daughter.
Vegeta slunk over to the elevator and stuck his head inside. "What are those buttons?"
"They bring us to the floor we want to go to," Bulma replied, pressing one that had the number ten on it. Then she walked over to Vegeta and took him by the wrist, dragging him inside. The doors closed automatically behind them, causing Vegeta to jump slightly in bewilderment. He looked around and started touching the walls, examining every nook and cranny of the place.
"What's that?" Vegeta asked, pointing to a framed document on the wall.
Bulma examined it. "That's just the safety certificate. It means the elevator is safe to use."
Vegeta flinched slightly when the elevator started to move suddenly. "Just relax, dear," Mrs. Briefs gently told him. "There's nothing here that's dangerous. We're just going upwards."
"Hmph," Vegeta replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "I fear nothing!"
Mrs. Briefs giggled coquettishly and fluttered her eyelashes. "Oh, I do love a brave man."
"Yeah, yeah, Vegeta. We all know you're a tough guy," Bulma remarked, rolling her eyes. Nothing more was said until the elevator stopped and the door started to open. Vegeta moved to leave, but Bulma held him back. "This isn't our floor yet. Just eight more to go," she said.
When the doors opened, a black-haired woman and little girl with pigtails entered the elevator, making the space more cramped. Vegeta backed into a corner, feeling uncomfortable. Once the two were inside, the mother turned around to face the door as it closed behind them, but the little girl just stood there and looked up at the saiyan with curiosity in her big brown eyes. The prince felt a droplet of sweat trickle down his forehead as the child continued to stare. He averted his gaze quickly. When the elevator at last stopped and opened again, the woman took the little girl's hand. "Come on, honey," she said, trying to pull the child along. "Daddy's waiting."
The girl resisted and pointed straight at Vegeta. "Mommy, can I have the big twoll?"
Bulma could not help herself. She snorted and burst into laughter. Mrs. Briefs brought a hand up to her mouth. "Oh, my!" she uttered, sweat forming on her forehead at the awkward situation.
Vegeta turned to glare at Bulma and growled. He did not know what the girl had said exactly, but he got the sense that he was the butt of a joke of some kind. He did not like that in the least. The black-haired woman glanced back, raising a brow at him. She peered at Vegeta and then looked down at her daughter. "Sweetie, that's a man. Come on, we're going to be late. Sorry, sir," she said. Embarrassed, she picked the girl up and trod out of the elevator, disappearing down a hall.
Bulma clapped a hand over her mouth. "Sorry, Vegeta," she murmured, her eyes watering. "I think that she wanted to take you home with her. I just thought it was cute, that's all."
Mrs. Briefs brought a handkerchief to her forehead as the doors closed. Soon, they were moving again and Vegeta continued to glare daggers at Bulma as if daring her to make another peep. The prince turned away angrily and muttered, "Hmph. I hate brats," below his breath.
A minute later, the elevator stopped moving again and the doors opened. "Come on. This is our floor," Bulma announced, exiting. Mrs. Briefs followed her and Vegeta followed Mrs. Briefs. They walked down a long hall until they came to a nice door made of glass and wood. The prince peered through the glass and saw what looked like a window in a wall with a person on the other side of it. He raised a brow as they entered the waiting room, finding it filled with a series of chairs, a coffee table, and in one corner there were some brightly-colored toys and child-sized chairs. Fortunately for Vegeta, no one else was in the waiting room at the time. He glanced around at the walls, finding big posters with pictures of human teeth lining them. It grossed him out a little, but he did not say anything about it. Mrs. Briefs sat in one of the chairs.
Bulma strolled right up to the window and the woman on the other side slid the glass open. "We're here to see Dr. Violet," Bulma told her. "I made an eleven o'clock appointment."
The woman looked at a clipboard. "Ms. Briefs?" she asked. Bulma nodded. "We can take you back now," she said, glancing at Vegeta. "Is he the patient today?" Again, Bulma nodded. "Okay, Dr. Violet is working on another patient right now, but she'll be over shortly. Let's go get him set up." The woman, who was wearing a white coat, came around her desk and opened a door.
Once again, Vegeta felt Bulma's hand close around his wrist and he was whisked away down a short hall. When they passed by one open door, Vegeta spotted a man lying on a recliner with a white bib on his chest. A woman in a white coat and face mask had her fingers buried deep in his mouth. Vegeta stopped very suddenly and stared, causing Bulma to stop as well and glance back at him. "What in the hell is that woman doing to that man?" Vegeta blurted, pointing. It did not look comfortable at all. In fact, it looked like some kind of surgery from the prince's perspective.
The dentist and male patient stopped and stared at Vegeta and Bulma with confusion written all over their faces. Bulma flushed, snatched Vegeta's wrist again, and dragged him away. "It's okay, Vegeta. She's just cleaning his teeth. It's what you're here for, remember?" she reminded him.
Vegeta's face looked totally horrified. "That's how you clean teeth around here?!" he blared.
Bulma shushed him. "It's okay, Vegeta. It's not going to hurt," she said in a low voice. "If you feel any pain at all, the doctor will be more than pleased to give you a topical numbing agent."
"I'm not afraid of pain, Bumma! I thought she was going to give me a mouth slug to take home. Why does she have to put her hands in my mouth to clean my teeth? A mouth slug is much more efficient and less invasive than such primitive methods!" demanded the stumped saiyan.
Bulma slapped her forehead. "Okay. First of all, Vegeta, my name is B-U-L-M-A Bul-ma, not Bumma. Second of all, while I have no idea what a mouth slug is, I'm pretty sure we don't have those here. Sorry, but I guess we're more primitive than what you're accustomed to."
Vegeta growled in his throat. "Well, how long is this going to take? I don't want grubby hands in my mouth! That's just disgusting. No one has ever put their hands in my mouth before."
The young genius sighed. "Fifteen to twenty minutes tops. A simple cleaning doesn't take that long. And the doctor is very conscientious about germs. She will wash her hands thoroughly and wear gloves. Earth methods may be inefficient, but unclean they are not," she argued.
Vegeta groaned. "I thought this was going to be a quick in-and-out thing. A mouth slug takes seconds, not minutes!" he bellyached as Bulma took his hand and led him into the exam room.
"Well, you can have ice cream after this and anything you want from the mall," Bulma replied, pushing the reluctant prince down onto the patient chair. "I don't know about you, but I think that's a pretty good deal. Now, try not to make too much of a fuss when Dr. Violet comes in."
Vegeta folded his arms over his chest and averted his gaze from her, looking as grumpy as ever. "And you're going to show me how to operate your Gravitron invention, correct?" he added.
"Of course."
That answer seemed to satisfy Vegeta, so he sat there and waited, fidgeting every now and again.