This story is a little longer than the average, 15 chapters.

Sleep Deprived

Life has proven time and time again that to survive, you must adapt and, above all, evolve. Being too specialized is an awaiting death sentence as the smallest change can spell disaster. Thus the ability to adapt to any sort of change, whether in the climate, the environment or in the heat of battle, can mean the very difference between life and death.

Another day at Mount Paozu. Goku was busy plowing the fields with a tractor. The great saiyan yawned, bored by the peaceful days. Apparently the wife of the strongest saiyan ever was not content until he started earning money by working. So Goku was now a farmer... kinda sad.

Goten: "Daaad!"

Goku: "Ohh, Goten. Is school already over?"

Goten: "Today's Sunday. I brought you lunch!"

Goku: (Stops the tractor and climbs off) "Ohh, good. I could use a break... Would you mind driving this thing for me while I eat?"

Goten: "Sure."

And Goku sat down to have lunch. While he ate, Goten continued plowing the fields. After eating, Goku decided to do a little training, knowing Goten had his back with the farm work. The saiyan mentally imagined all of his most challenging enemies from the past. First Frieza, the evil tyrant that nearly wiped the saiyan race off the face of the universe. Goten watched his father while continuing to plow with the tractor. Next Goku imagined Cell, the bio-android that nearly defeated them. Goten continued to watch. The next enemy Goku 'faced' was the evil Kid Buu, one of their most challenging adversaries to date. But before he imagined himself defeating Buu, Goku heard a crash and a scream! Goten stopped paying attention to what he was doing and drove off the side of the hill!

Goten: "WAAAH!"

Goku: "Goten!"

Catch. Goten was safe and sound under Levi's arm.

Levi: "I gotcha, Goten."

Goten: "Heh-heh! Levi!"

And Levi wasn't alone. A huge pair of wings suddenly appeared. Levi had caught Goten while Vegeta had caught the heavier tractor.

Goku: (Relieved) "Ohh... Thank you, guys."

Crash! Vegeta just dropped the tractor onto the ground and rather roughly at that. The moment he landed, Levi hopped off and set Goten down.

Goten: "Thanks, Levi."

Goku: "Thanks a lot, Levi. You too, Vegeta."

Vegeta just huffed and groaned exhaustedly. Only now did Goku notice that the prince looked very tired.

Goku: "Whoa... What's wrong with him?"

Levi: "For future reference, this is what Vegeta is like with only a grand total of 4 hours worth of sleep within five days."

Goku: (Gawking in shock) "Are you serious?!"

Levi: "Very much. Alright, Vegeta. That's it. Take a few hours."

And Vegeta just collapsed where he was and dozed off.

Goku: "What the hell has he been doing?!"

Levi: "What hasn't he? Truly the downside to being the strongest being in the Soul Society... Everybody wants something done."

Goku: "Vegeta just willingly did all that?"

Levi: "At first as a favor. Then a polite "why not". Theeeen it started getting out of hand."

Goku: "Five days with only 4 hours of sleep total? The ship called "Out of Hand" sailed long ago, Levi."

Levi: "Tell me about it. It finally got to the point where Toushiro was forced to put a lockdown on the use of his Second Lieutenant for anything, something of which Yamamoto is strongly siding with him on. Thank god."

Goku: "No kidding. So Vegeta's overworked and now needs a place to rest, huh? Is that why you're here?"

Levi: "Actually yes, that's why I'm here. Toushiro asked me to take Vegeta somewhere far away so he can get some rest while he stayed back to make sure no one tried to follow. Hope you don't mind, Goku."

Goku: "Not at all. In fact..."

Goku got closer to Levi and, with an evil grin, said-

Goku: "You actually couldn't've picked a better place to bring him. Cuz, normally, my place isn't exactly Vegeta's first listing of locale when seeking some peace."

And Levi just nodded with a sly smirk before saying-

Levi: "Yeah that's why I brought him here."

Goku just laughed quietly out loud while patting Levi's shoulder.

Goku: "Ah, Levi, you are the type of cynical and sly that I actually like."

Levi: "Takes one to know one, I believe the old saying goes."

And Goku just hummed a laugh while making a rather mischievous grin. Goten just looked at Vegeta and had a question.

Goten: "How long is he going to be out like that?"

Levi: "That's actually a good question. Goku?"

Goku: "Uh..."

Goku glanced at Vegeta just as the prince let out an all mighty snore. That was a tell-tale sign.

Goku: "Yeeeaahhhh... you might wanna get comfortable, Levi."

Levi just glanced at Vegeta in somewhat of surprise. The prince dozed off literally only a minute ago and he was already in that deep of sleep? Now that is tired.

Levi: "Guess I don't have a choice."

They just left Vegeta where he was. He was fine in the grass under a tree, or rather more truthfully none of them had the balls to move him somewhere better. History has proven, and quite gruesomely for that matter, that disturbing a sleep deprived Vegeta is a type of fury Hell doesn't have and doesn't want!

They've offered! Hell turned them down!

Levi followed Goku and Goten back to the tractor where Goku tried to do a little tuning to get it fixed up again. Levi just looked over the field in confusion. The only man who was stronger than Vegeta was farming?

Goku: "I know that face, Levi. Yes I am plowing some of my land to use as fields for vegetables and such."

Levi: "Why?"

Goku: "Apparently Chi-Chi is dead set on me working to earn some real money."

Levi: "... ... Goku, you're stronger than Vegeta by just enough. And yet being henpecked by your human wife?"

Goku: (With a screwdriver in his mouth) "Ah-huh."

Levi: "Do you know how wrong that sounds?"

Goku: (Taking the tool out to use) "You aren't married to her."

Levi: "True. So why farming?"

Goku: "Well one I've got a vast quantity of land that's rich for farming. And the other reason is with this job I can just ditch it to train whenever."

Levi: "(Blinks a few times) ... You're crazy."

Goku: "Don't judge me, Levi."

Levi: "I'm not judging you, Goku. Except maybe your sanity. Is Chi-Chi really ok with that?"

Goku: "Not to be offensive, Levi, but it is oh so obvious that you've never been married."

Levi: "Comeback- it is oh so obvious that you've never done what Chi-Chi has asked of you without her putting her foot down on the subject."

Goku: "Touché."

Chi-Chi: "Goookuuuuu! Goooteeen!"

Goten: "Speaking of Mom."

Chi-Chi had come to see how her man and young son were doing, and also to make sure that Goku was actually working. When she got up the small hill, she noticed they weren't alone.

Chi-Chi: "Oh! Levi, how nice. Haven't seen you in a little while. How are you?"

Levi: "I'm fine, thanks."

Chi-Chi: "What're you doing here? You need something?"

Goku: (Still trying to fix the tractor) "Someone needs a break from the Soul Society to catch up on five days worth of missed sleep."

Chi-Chi glance at Levi, at first thinking Goku was talking about him. Levi just pointed over to the shade of the closest tree and Chi-Chi instantly saw Vegeta lying there dead asleep. She didn't have to guess after that.

Chi-Chi: "Oh poor Vegeta. It must be so hard being the strongest in the Soul Society, everyone looking to you for help, for strength. Poor thing. At least he's working."

Chi-Chi had said that on purpose and purposely loud enough for Goku to hear.

Goku: "Hey I'm working! Levi, aren't I working?!"

Levi: "Oh please, Goku, keep me out of this."

Chi-Chi: "Don't think I'm not watching you, Goku."

Goku: "Ok, ok. I get it."

Goku tried again to get the tractor working but he just couldn't.

Goku: "*Sigh* Well I guess it's a good thing Vegeta's here after all. I know he can get this thing running again. I'll ask him once he wakes up."

Chi-Chi: "In that case... Levi, would you like to stay for dinner?"

Levi glanced at Vegeta and then back at Chi-Chi again.

Levi: "Don't exactly have another choice right now."

Chi-Chi: "Wonderful! I'll prep a place for you then."

And Chi-Chi headed back to prep a spot for Levi at the table. When she was gone, the soldier had an interesting question for Goku as he's heard some stories about what this family sometimes eats.

Levi: "What is she cooking for dinner anyway?"

Realizing that Levi has heard some things from the others, Goku just put his hand on his shoulder.

Goku: "If I told you, you'd probably be tempted in waking Vegeta up to leave."

Levi: "... ... Please tell me none of it is alive."

Goku: "Don't worry. Even I have limits on what I'll eat. Let's go in, c'mon, Goten!"

Goten: "Coming!"

Everyone headed inside, content that Vegeta wasn't going anywhere any time soon. A few minutes later and the lid of a cooking pot was removed. Chi-Chi showed Levi the boiling eels she was cooking for one of the many dishes. Needless to say, the soldier wasn't used to such a... 'exotic' variety.

Chi-Chi: "Looks good, doesn't it?"

Levi: "Um... ... Yeah... uh..."

Chi-Chi: "What's the matter, Levi? Don't you like eel?"

Levi: "Um... Well... (Scratches the back of his head) To be honest... I don't know... I've never had anything this... exotic..."

Chi-Chi: "Well then you are in for a treat! Admirably it'll be a bit of an acquired taste. But I'm sure you'll like it none the less."

Grimmjow: "Acquired is an understatement."

Levi huffed a polite laugh at the arrancar's remark. He wasn't going to say it, but some of the dishes didn't look all that good to him. If he was going to eat any of these, he was gonna have to work up a bit of a bigger appetite first. Luckily he knew how to get himself hungrier.

Levi: "Riiight... If you don't mind, I'm gonna take a little walk. Work up an appetite."

Chi-Chi: "That's fine. Dinner won't be ready for a while anyway. I'll give a shout when it's ready."

Levi: (Almost out the door) "Ok, I'll keep my ears open."

Goku: "Hey, Levi, do me a favor and stay within sight of the house, please. It's easy to get lost around here if you don't know the area."

Grimmjow: "That and Vegeta will chew your neck-"

Goku: "And Vegeta will chew my neck if I can't find you... (Slightly under his breath) Assuming he wakes up to do so... (Back to normal) Please, just... stay within sight of my house, ok?"

Levi: (A bit amused) "Heh, ok, Goku. I will."

And Levi went outside to take a little walk before dinner. Before he started down the path behind Goku's house, he took one last look at Vegeta, who was still dead asleep in the shade. The soldier just huffed and shook his head before going off. For the rest of the day, Levi explored the area around Goku's place, making sure not to stray too far from sight of the house. As evening started to approach, Levi knew that dinner would be ready shortly. He had just enough time to go up one last trail before it got dark and dinner was ready. It was a little up the mountain and into some of the thicker woods. The soldier went up about less than 10% of the mountain before he sensed that he was getting too far from Goku's house. It was also almost dark, so by the time he got back it would be just about right. Levi turned around to head back. But the moment he did, he was suddenly grabbed from behind and had a cloth forced over his mouth and nose! Levi tried to fight back but quickly lost function over his own body as a drug soaked in the cloth started sedating him. He heard hazy voices before falling unconscious.