The Prince and the Traitor
"I know you twisted your ankle, but I'm sure it wouldn't get in the way of helping to pitch the tent, Vegeta," Goku hinted.
"My ankle feels fine, and I don't do a lot of tent-pitching," Vegeta shrugged from the rock he was settled on.
"Didn't you have army tents when you worked for Freeza?"
Vegeta's face became florid.
"Do you think I had to set up my own tent?"
"It seems that if a prince can destroy a planet he can pitch a tent."
"There's a difference between what a prince can do and what he has to do. That's what Nappa and your brother were for," Vegeta growled. "Anyway, it's your fault that we're stuck out here while our women are in the cabin. I'd be in bed with my mate right now if you had just let me explain why we were training so late!"
"We'd still be stuck in the rain in a tent because nothing on Earth can stop our wives when they're angry."br
Before Vegeta could reply, fat drops of rain surprised both of them and they scurried into the newly- pitched tent.br
Bulma stood by the window, watching the dark silhouette of her muscular husband though the light blue nylon tent as he pulled off his shirt.br
"Don't get any ideas," a voice said behind her.
Bulma smirked.
"He looks just as good as he did over twenty years ago," she told Chi-Chi, "but don't worry. He wasted a whole day of our vacation sparring with Son-kun. I'm not letting him in tonight."br
Goku turned off the flashlight and the two Saiyans pulled their blankets around themselves.br
"They could have at least given us mattresses," mumbled Vegeta.
"Quit complaining. Camping's fun," insisted Goku.
Lightening flashed, briefly illuminating the forest. Rain pounded down on the thin tent and wind shook its frail sides.br
"Some fun," grumbled Vegeta.
Vegeta was trapped under icy water. He could see Bulma's figure floating motionlessly in front of him. She was unconscious, and would die if Vegeta didn't reach her soon. He tried to swim to her, but his foot was painfully trapped beneath a large rock. Something grabbed him and began to shake him. He fought back, flailing his arms and legs in all directions, but escape seemed impossible./ibr
"BULMA! BULMA!"
"Easy, Vegeta, easy. You're just fine. Wake up," Goku said soothingly.
Vegeta awoke to find himself sitting straight up with Goku holding him by the wrists. The tent had collapsed from his thrashing. He and his blanket were throughly soaked with rainwater from a leak in the tent's roof.br
"Are you okay?" asked Goku, peering concernedly into his friend's face.
Vegeta realized it had been a nightmare and reddened with embarrassment. He tried to shake himself free from the other Saiyan, but Goku tightened his grip.br
"Vegeta?"
"I'm fine, really."
Goku let his hands drop.
Bulma crouched behind a tree, watching the men crawl out of the fallen tent. She had awaken to Vegeta's heart wrenching sobbing and screaming of her name and had come running. Her husband was limping, soaked, and pale, but Goku was calming him.br
"I must have turned in my sleep and rolled onto your foot," Goku was saying, "sorry about that. Does your ankle feel worse?"
"No," Vegeta muttered as he eased himself down on a wet tree stump, wishing he was in Bulma's arms and not perched on the remains of a decaying tree carcass. The rain had temporarily lessened.
"Keep your foot elevated," Goku advised Vegeta, who, to Bulma's amazement, did as the other man suggested.
Goku set the tent up again, found the leak that had soaked Vegeta to the bone, patched it up with tape from the first-aid kit, and tossed out the soggy blanket. Meanwhile, Bulma watched Vegeta. He was shivering violently and looked so pathetic in his rain-soaked Capsule Corp. tank top and boxers that she almost thought about letting him inside. He raised his ki and the dampness evaporated, but he continued to shake.
"All done," announced Goku, opening the tent's zipper entrance.
Vegeta started towards the tent, then paused, glanced over his shoulder at Bulma's tree, and smirked before going inside.
"I'll wrap your ankle," offered Goku, when they were inside.
Vegeta shrugged and extended his foot. Goku located the flashlight and turned it on. He was no doctor, but after so many years of fighting and training, he could accurately assess most injuries.
"It's a sprain," he concluded after an examination. "Wrapping it will ease the pain and swelling. You'll probably be fine by tomorrow."
From the first-aid kit he selected an elastic, comfortable bandage and began to treat the slight injury. While he worked, he coaxed Vegeta into narrating his nightmare. They shared snickers over the "surrounded in icy water" and "a boulder crushing my foot" parts of the dream.
After the doctoring was over, Vegeta was still quivering from the cold. Goku was concerned.
"Do you want me to go to the cabin and get you a new blanket?" he asked.
"I doubt the women will let us. After all, they said, 'and don't come back here for anything'."
"That's true," sighed Goku. "Well, I guess you can have my blanket. After all, you're the Prince."
Vegeta smirked and took the blanket. He was freezing. Deafening thunder rumbled far above and sheets of rain battered the small tent again. Goku glanced to the right, just able to make out Vegeta's streamlined form in the dark. He recalled his first battle with the murderous prince. During that fight, the thought that the evil, powerful being would become his best friend would have offended him.
"Goodnight, Vegeta-kun," he whispered.
"'Night, third-class traitor,"replied Vegeta in a fairly good-natured tone.
The traitor and prince slept soundly.
"I know you twisted your ankle, but I'm sure it wouldn't get in the way of helping to pitch the tent, Vegeta," Goku hinted.
"My ankle feels fine, and I don't do a lot of tent-pitching," Vegeta shrugged from the rock he was settled on.
"Didn't you have army tents when you worked for Freeza?"
Vegeta's face became florid.
"Do you think I had to set up my own tent?"
"It seems that if a prince can destroy a planet he can pitch a tent."
"There's a difference between what a prince can do and what he has to do. That's what Nappa and your brother were for," Vegeta growled. "Anyway, it's your fault that we're stuck out here while our women are in the cabin. I'd be in bed with my mate right now if you had just let me explain why we were training so late!"
"We'd still be stuck in the rain in a tent because nothing on Earth can stop our wives when they're angry."br
Before Vegeta could reply, fat drops of rain surprised both of them and they scurried into the newly- pitched tent.br
Bulma stood by the window, watching the dark silhouette of her muscular husband though the light blue nylon tent as he pulled off his shirt.br
"Don't get any ideas," a voice said behind her.
Bulma smirked.
"He looks just as good as he did over twenty years ago," she told Chi-Chi, "but don't worry. He wasted a whole day of our vacation sparring with Son-kun. I'm not letting him in tonight."br
Goku turned off the flashlight and the two Saiyans pulled their blankets around themselves.br
"They could have at least given us mattresses," mumbled Vegeta.
"Quit complaining. Camping's fun," insisted Goku.
Lightening flashed, briefly illuminating the forest. Rain pounded down on the thin tent and wind shook its frail sides.br
"Some fun," grumbled Vegeta.
Vegeta was trapped under icy water. He could see Bulma's figure floating motionlessly in front of him. She was unconscious, and would die if Vegeta didn't reach her soon. He tried to swim to her, but his foot was painfully trapped beneath a large rock. Something grabbed him and began to shake him. He fought back, flailing his arms and legs in all directions, but escape seemed impossible./ibr
"BULMA! BULMA!"
"Easy, Vegeta, easy. You're just fine. Wake up," Goku said soothingly.
Vegeta awoke to find himself sitting straight up with Goku holding him by the wrists. The tent had collapsed from his thrashing. He and his blanket were throughly soaked with rainwater from a leak in the tent's roof.br
"Are you okay?" asked Goku, peering concernedly into his friend's face.
Vegeta realized it had been a nightmare and reddened with embarrassment. He tried to shake himself free from the other Saiyan, but Goku tightened his grip.br
"Vegeta?"
"I'm fine, really."
Goku let his hands drop.
Bulma crouched behind a tree, watching the men crawl out of the fallen tent. She had awaken to Vegeta's heart wrenching sobbing and screaming of her name and had come running. Her husband was limping, soaked, and pale, but Goku was calming him.br
"I must have turned in my sleep and rolled onto your foot," Goku was saying, "sorry about that. Does your ankle feel worse?"
"No," Vegeta muttered as he eased himself down on a wet tree stump, wishing he was in Bulma's arms and not perched on the remains of a decaying tree carcass. The rain had temporarily lessened.
"Keep your foot elevated," Goku advised Vegeta, who, to Bulma's amazement, did as the other man suggested.
Goku set the tent up again, found the leak that had soaked Vegeta to the bone, patched it up with tape from the first-aid kit, and tossed out the soggy blanket. Meanwhile, Bulma watched Vegeta. He was shivering violently and looked so pathetic in his rain-soaked Capsule Corp. tank top and boxers that she almost thought about letting him inside. He raised his ki and the dampness evaporated, but he continued to shake.
"All done," announced Goku, opening the tent's zipper entrance.
Vegeta started towards the tent, then paused, glanced over his shoulder at Bulma's tree, and smirked before going inside.
"I'll wrap your ankle," offered Goku, when they were inside.
Vegeta shrugged and extended his foot. Goku located the flashlight and turned it on. He was no doctor, but after so many years of fighting and training, he could accurately assess most injuries.
"It's a sprain," he concluded after an examination. "Wrapping it will ease the pain and swelling. You'll probably be fine by tomorrow."
From the first-aid kit he selected an elastic, comfortable bandage and began to treat the slight injury. While he worked, he coaxed Vegeta into narrating his nightmare. They shared snickers over the "surrounded in icy water" and "a boulder crushing my foot" parts of the dream.
After the doctoring was over, Vegeta was still quivering from the cold. Goku was concerned.
"Do you want me to go to the cabin and get you a new blanket?" he asked.
"I doubt the women will let us. After all, they said, 'and don't come back here for anything'."
"That's true," sighed Goku. "Well, I guess you can have my blanket. After all, you're the Prince."
Vegeta smirked and took the blanket. He was freezing. Deafening thunder rumbled far above and sheets of rain battered the small tent again. Goku glanced to the right, just able to make out Vegeta's streamlined form in the dark. He recalled his first battle with the murderous prince. During that fight, the thought that the evil, powerful being would become his best friend would have offended him.
"Goodnight, Vegeta-kun," he whispered.
"'Night, third-class traitor,"replied Vegeta in a fairly good-natured tone.
The traitor and prince slept soundly.