Dragon Ball Z: An Empire Reborn
Chapter 2: Goku's Last-Ditch Effort
Hours passed. Chi Chi started to yawn and rub her eyes and Gohan fell asleep on the couch, face buried in a comic book. As for Bulma, she went to the lab and paced in front of the regeneration tank, unable to get the anxiety out of her head. She side glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 2:30 in the morning and Goku only needed one more hour. Bulma was getting impatient.
"Come on, Goku," she urged in a low voice, fidgeting and pacing some more.
The time seemed to pass so slowly. Finally, an hour later, the buzzer went off and got Bulma's attention while she was dozing. Goku appeared to be asleep as the tank started to drain. In reality, he was wide awake and in complete dread of facing the others. He considered pretending to be exhausted in hope they would let him rest. Then again, knowing Bulma, she probably would not.
Bulma ran to get Chi Chi and Gohan, who jumped up despite their sleepiness and followed her to the lab. By the time they got there, the tank was already half-emptied. Once finished, it opened automatically. "Goku honey?" Chi Chi murmured, the first to speak. "Are you okay, dear?"
Goku appeared to be very groggy indeed. He rubbed his eyes and started to climb out of the tank with his wife's careful assistance. "I think I'm okay, Chi," he returned, a bit wobbly.
"Goku, what happened?" asked Bulma. She was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
"Well," Goku murmured, reluctant.
"Where's my baby?" she squeaked, almost afraid to hear the truth.
"And where's Vegeta?" Chi Chi added, speaking the royal's name with a distinct tone of disgust.
"Hold on, guys. Can't I change into dry clothes first? I'm all wet and my hair is soaked," Goku pleaded. "It's really uncomfortable. Then I'll answer all of your questions. I promise."
"Here." Bulma tossed him some fresh clothes and he went into the restroom to change.
He came out in a pair of blue jeans and an orange polo shirt, hands in his pockets. "Alright, guys, you can probably guess that I don't have good news," he finally divulged. Bulma gulped audibly.
"You might want to sit down, Bulma," Chi Chi suggested with a hand on her friend's shoulder.
Predictably, Bulma burst into tears again and ran over to Goku, taking hold of his shirt collar and shaking him frantically. "Where's Trunks? Where's my baby, Goku? Tell me! Oh Kami, tell me where he is before I have an aneurysm! Please, Goku! If he's not okay, I'll just die!"
"I don't know where Trunks is!" Goku admitted, trying to gently pry her hands from his neck as he felt his air supply cut short. "Vegeta wouldn't tell me. He was very stubborn."
Gohan and Chi Chi tried to restrain Bulma. The young genius was on the edge of going totally ballistic. "Bulma sweetie, please calm down," Chi Chi pleaded in a calming voice.
"Dad, tell us more. What happened?" Gohan inquired, eyeing his father with curiosity.
Goku sat down and gestured for the others to do the same, which they did. "I almost feel like we should have the whole Z team together so I can tell them all what happened at once," Goku said, trying to stall. There was nothing he hated more than being the bearer of bad news.
"We're having a barbecue tomorrow and you can tell everyone then. But you've got to tell us three now!" Bulma charged. "I can't wait any longer. I've waited two weeks already!"
"Okay! Well, I did find Vegeta with my instant transmission. He's on a planet called Pellucid. It's maybe about one-and-a-half weeks away from Earth if you're travelling by space pod."
"Never heard of it," Bulma and Gohan replied in unison.
"I didn't know where I was until Vegeta told me," admitted the full-blooded saiyan, rubbing the nape of his neck. "So Vegeta is on this breathtaking planet," he continued with a sigh, "basically living like royalty." Goku paused. "Well… correction, he is considered royalty there."
"Royalty? Royalty my ass!" Chi Chi spat in indignation, brandishing a fist in the air. "That scumbag doesn't deserve the time of day, let alone a royal title!" she roared.
Goku put up a hand. "I mean it, Chi. He has servants and guards and fancy clothes and, and, and everything. When I used instant transmission to find him, I ended up in the middle of a giant throne room! It was kind of embarrassing, to be honest. All the guards were looking at me like I was there to kill their king or something. It was crazy, I'm telling you!" he retorted.
"Woah," Gohan uttered, fascinated.
"Don't tell me you couldn't handle those guards, Goku!" Chi Chi scolded.
Goku raised an eyebrow. "The guards weren't a problem, Chi. Vegeta took me away from the palace so we could settle our conflict man-to-man. I mean, I expected him to be willing to fight me himself… but… but I didn't expect him to go super saiyan!" he exclaimed.
"Super saiyan?" Chi Chi, Bulma, and Gohan shrieked all in unison.
"Yeah! I couldn't believe it either," Goku conceded.
"But I thought you had to be pure of heart to turn super saiyan, Dad," Gohan protested.
"I guess not," Goku replied with a shrug.
"That doesn't make any sense," Chi Chi uttered. "How could he go super saiyan? The thought of that… monster with so much power is frightening and sickening." She shuddered at the thought.
"He's not a monster, Chi Chi," Goku protested. "You ought to know that there's some good in everyone, whether they know it or not. And I'm pretty sure that includes Vegeta."
"Goku's right, Chi Chi. He's not a monster. He's just a big jerk!" Bulma confirmed. "And by the time I get done with him, he's going to be pork roast! Goku, where precisely is this so-called 'Planet Pellucid' anyway?" Bulma inquired, a look of determination befalling her features.
"You're not thinking about going there, are you, Bulma?" Goku inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"You are darn right I'm thinking about going there, Goku! That's probably where that muscled dork took my baby," charged the fiery blue-haired woman. "I'm going to get him back!"
"Don't even try it, Bulma! You'll get crushed!" Goku countered.
Bulma cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"I could tell the gravity there was at least five times Earth's normal gravity. You'd have to do a lot of training to even be able to survive the descent in a spacecraft," Goku warned.
"Then train I shall!" Bulma declared.
Goku almost slapped his own forehead. "Even if you did manage to get to Planet Pellucid you'd never get past the royal guards at the palace gate! Plus, there is a law on Pellucid stating that biological fathers own all their children. Women have no rights to their kids. So you can't even try to sue the guy for child custody in their court system. They'd just laugh at you!"
Bulma suddenly looked psychotic. "Wh-wh-wh-whaaaaaaat? That's the most fucked up…" she screeched, unable to find the right words to express her anger before Chi Chi chimed in.
"How could they have such a terrible law?" Chi Chi derided, putting a hand to her heart.
"It's called patriarchy, Chi Chi," Bulma replied angrily, beginning to pace again. "Gosh, now what am I going to do? I have to think of a plan," she wondered aloud.
"Taking poor little children away from their loving mothers? How utterly awful!" Chi Chi said, grabbing hold of Gohan protectively. Gohan was visibly annoyed by the affection.
Chi Chi was about to ask what Goku planned to do next, but she was cut off by Bulma's further interrogation. "What happened after Vegeta went super saiyan, Goku?"
"We fought," Goku replied.
"And…?"
"For hours and hours."
"Yes, go on," Bulma encouraged, leaning forward.
Goku put his hand behind his head, feeling fidgety and uncomfortable. "Yeah, hey… look you guys, I admit I'm a little reluctant to tell you all about just how Vegeta licked me." Gohan, Chi Chi, and Bulma simultaneously fell on the floor. "Heh heh," Goku laughed, simpering at the group. "You see," he slowly continued, "for a while we were in a stalemate battle until we got into another verbal argument and then Vegeta threw an attack that almost killed me."
"Well, you're healed now, so you have to go back!" Bulma demanded.
"What good would that do?" Goku inquired, downbeat. "How will my chances of success be any better? Oh, and I forgot to mention that his tail grew back. Vegeta didn't even use it in the battle. If I go back, he'll get mad and probably use it to finish me off. He also said if he ever sees my face again, he'll blow up Earth. Judging from his history, he just might be serious."
"This is a problem," Chi Chi sighed, putting a hand over her face.
"Ya think?" Bulma snapped at her pregnant friend.
"No need to be rude, Bulma," Chi Chi replied. "I was just thinking out loud."
"No need to tell me how to act, Chi Chi," Bulma spat back, pointing accusingly at Chi Chi's swollen pregnant belly. "You don't even have a kidnapped newborn to worry about."
"Hey, now, Bulma! It's not Chi Chi's fault what happened. She just wants to think of a solution," Goku returned, playing the peacemaker as usual. "We all are! We're on your side."
"Well, I have got a solution for you, Goku. Let's send the entire Z squad!" Bulma declared, both fists thrust up into the air with enough determination to lead a whole army into battle.
"What about Earth?" Goku protested. "If we provoke Vegeta again, he might just destroy it."
"Fuck Earth!" Bulma shouted, unrelenting. "I want my baby back right now!"
"One baby isn't worth the entire planet, Bulma," Gohan retorted, earning himself a deadly glare.
"Well, guys, I don't know what to say," Goku uttered, scratching the back of his head.
"It looks hopeless," Gohan lamented, face cast downward.
"I'm sure sorry, Bulma," Goku said, trying to offer consolation to his friend.
"If you hadn't let Vegeta live all those times that you let him off scot-free, this never would have happened!" Chi Chi charged, glaring at her husband. "And now he's too powerful to control."
Bulma turned fiercely on Chi Chi. "If he'd killed Vegeta, Trunks never would've been born!"
"Well, I'm sorry, but I've had enough of this agitation! If only you had better taste in men. You could have had anyone you wanted on the whole planet with your wealth and looks, yet for some reason you chose Vegeta of all people!" Chi Chi blared. Gohan grabbed a hold of Bulma as she made to attack Chi Chi. She struggled to get at the black-haired woman screaming obscenities, but Gohan effectively held her back. Chi Chi just turned away from the enraged genius. "Hmph."
"Attacking Chi Chi won't help," Goku said. "It won't bring back Trunks. I wish things hadn't turned out this way, but life's not always fair. At times, we have to learn that the hard way."
Bulma's face went ghostly pale. "You… you're not… g-g-giving up on me… are you, G-Goku?" Her blue eyes filled with tears. Bulma gazed at Goku with her big, sad, puppy-dog orbs.
Goku shrugged dejectedly, feeling even worse than before. Seeing his pitiful response, Bulma again burst into tears. This led her to literally throwing a screaming, crying, kicking tantrum the likes of which the Sons had never seen. Chi Chi seized Goku by the ear and dragged him down the hall as he whined about having his ear pulled. He realized he was in for a serious discussion.
"You, Son Goku, will not enter my house, communicate with my child…" Chi Chi felt a kick in her lower abdomen, "err… children," she corrected herself, "nor eat my food until poor little Trunks is in his crib safe and sound and Bulma is back to her good old self. Do you understand me?" She instructed, staring him down. "I don't care what has to get done. Do it!"
Goku managed to gently pry his wife off his ear before replying. "But, Chi, I tried as hard as I could. I don't understand what you expect me to do." He stepped back and scrunched up against the wall as her displeased gaze bore down on him. "What about endangering the Earth?"
"How is it that you spend up to twelve hours a day training and yet you are unable to defeat that little hell-bound ass-troll who attempted to invade Earth not more than a few years ago?" Chi Chi yelled, baring her teeth. "I don't understand, Goku. How is that even possible?"
"I don't spend twelve hours every day, Chi Chi. Vegeta trains more than me these days since you won't let me train as much as I would otherwise. How can you expect me to keep up with him?"
"You are twice his size, Goku! You have no excuse! And if you're not going to make yourself useful otherwise by, say, getting a job, then you had damned well better excel at what you always waste your time doing anyway!" the woman hollered, nearly blowing out Goku's eardrums.
"Now, hold on, Chi! I'm not that much bigger than he is. In a battle, it isn't just si… it isn't just… size that… that cou…" Goku's response tapered under the pressure of her icy stare. His wife just stood there regarding him with her brows furrowed, arms crossed, and her foot tapping at a timely pace on the floor. "What?" Goku asked, putting a hand behind his head.
She remained staring at him, quite overtly galled, for a few long moments. Then she turned to go, but she stopped and looked back once she arrived at the door. "Tomorrow the entire crew is getting together at Bulma's for a barbecue. I'd like to see you tell them the same thing you just told us without putting forth a plan to set things right. And it had better be a good one!"
Goku gulped audibly and simpered. The expression was not received well, so he dropped it. Chi Chi turned and paced back towards the lab. Goku's shoulders slumped. Man… he thought. I'm in a tight spot. He sighed inwardly and followed her back to the lab with his head down.
"Come on, Gohan. We're going home now," she said, picking up her purse with her needlework and heading for the exit. She sounded calmer than before, yet still agitated. When Goku tried to follow, Chi Chi stopped dead in her tracks. This caused father and son to stop awkwardly too and look at each other, confused. "Goku," Chi Chi spoke without turning around to face him.
"Yeah, Chi?" Goku answered, unsure of what was going on.
"What did I just say?"
Goku started to get scared. "You s-said that I have to come up with a plan to fix things before tomorrow's get-together," he reiterated. "I'm on it, I swear!" he added defensively.
"And what else did I say? I said before Trunks is back in his crib safe and sound, what three things will not be happening?" she inquired very directly, barely glancing back at him.
"Uh…" Goku peered at the back of her head, confused.
After an awkward silence while waiting for an answer that never came, Chi Chi abruptly turned and strolled right up into Goku's face so that their noses were hardly a fraction of an inch apart. "One, you will not enter my house. Two, you will not speak to my children." She counted each one off on the fingers of her left hand, keeping her eyes locked with her husband's.
"Hey!" Gohan whined, not liking the sound of that in the least.
Chi Chi continued, "Three, you will not eat my food." She paused. "Any questions?"
"Yeah, how am I supposed to come up with a plan if I have nowhere to sleep and nothing to eat? My brain needs fuel and rest to function, you know," Goku retorted, suppressing a tone of anger.
"Yeah," Gohan added, "and until Dad's back in the house, you can forget about me studying!" The boy grabbed a hold of his father's hand. "You can't kick my daddy out of his own house."
"Gohan, this is between me and your father," Chi Chi scolded.
Gohan kept a determined look on his face and a good hold on Goku.
After another long pause, Chi Chi finally relented. "Alright, you can come home, Goku. But I swear to you here and now that you will be sleeping on the couch until further notice. Mark my words!" She locked eyes with him for an extended moment and then turned to leave.
"I th-think I can handle that," Goku replied, wiping away a bead of sweat from his forehead.
…
If you have ever been forced to sleep on a cheap old couch, you probably found it to be considerably uncomfortable. If you are a large person, your whole body may not have even fit properly and you may have woken up with cramps from sleeping in strange unnatural positions all night. That is exactly the fate suffered by Goku following Chi Chi's threats.
Our selfless hero tossed and turned the rest of the night, finding he was unable to attain an acceptable position no matter how hard he tried. Worse than that, his mind was plagued by the task he had to do. Even his dreams were invaded by the incessant urge to fix things.
The next morning he woke up to find his bright-eyed nine-year-old looming over him with a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice in one hand and a large plate of syrupy pancakes in the other. "Hey, Dad! Did you sleep okay?" Gohan inquired with a big grin.
"I guess," Goku murmured wearily, not moving. His eyelids were too heavy to stay open for more than a few seconds, so they slid shut again as he fell back into a state of unconsciousness.
"This is for you, Dad," Gohan said, snapping Goku out of his slumber.
"Oh," Goku mumbled. "Thanks, Son." He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. When he tried to stretch, he felt something pop in his back. It sent a sharp pain down his spine. He was quick to take note of the painful crick in his neck as well. Goku groaned in misery as Gohan set the plate down on his lap and the orange juice down on the glass coffee table.
His thoughtful son then returned to the kitchen and came back with his own plate and glass. "I'm excited about the barbecue today, Dad. There's gonna be ice cream, you know," Gohan remarked, plopping down on the recliner. "And I also heard a rumor about cake, but I can't confirm it."
"When is it again?" the elder inquired, rubbing his eyes with a fist.
"I think it's at noon," Gohan replied, picking up his utensils.
"And what time is it now?" Goku asked, looking around the room in hope of locating a clock.
"It's nine-thirty. I'm glad it's the weekend because I got to sleep in," the young boy expressed, cutting his pile of buttermilk pancakes right down the middle with a fork and knife.
"Oh boy," Goku grumbled, rubbing his face in an attempt to wake up. "That means I only have two and a half hours," he whispered to himself, leaning back and looking up at the ceiling.
Gohan heard. "Two and a half hours for what?" he asked, shoving in a mouthful of food.
"I, uh, I have a job to do," Goku revealed, taking a hold of his own knife and fork and digging in.
"Oh," Gohan uttered with a tone of concern. "You're… you aren't going to try to fight Vegeta again, are you, Dad?" Gohan stopped eating and looked worriedly at his father.
"Not exactly," Goku replied, unsure of how to explain.
"What are you going to do then?" asked Gohan, probing his father for answers.
"I'm going…. um… I'm going to go talk to Vegeta," Goku stuttered, feeling unsure of his plans and whether or not they would prove fruitful. "Maybe he can be reasoned with."
"Will that do any good?" Gohan had clearly picked up on his father's insecurity.
"I hope," came Goku's blunt reply.
Gohan recalled Vegeta's genocidal threat. "What if he gets mad that you showed up again?"
"I'll try really hard not to get him mad," Goku voiced with a shrug.
"How?" Gohan asked, fearful.
"Well, I won't threaten him or anything. That's what he was mad about before, I think. I'll just be polite," Goku explained, unable to come up with a better answer for the time being.
"Be careful, Dad," Gohan warned before he started stuffing his face again.
"I will, Son. So where's your mom?" Goku asserted, welcoming a change of subject.
"She went shopping to get a present for Bulma," Gohan divulged.
"I thought Bulma's birthday was in the summer?" Goku cocked a brow, wondering what his wife was really up to. It got him worried that she might be planning something against him.
"It's not a birthday gift. It's a 'feel better' gift. Like when you get sick, only in Bulma's case she's depressed. You know how people bring you presents to heighten your mood. Mom also feels bad about the fight they had yesterday and she wants to make peace," Gohan explained.
"Yeah," Goku returned, pausing. "Gee. Poor Bulma." He sighed.
"What is it, Dad?"
"I hate feeling so…" he paused, sighed again, and then finished, "unable to help."
"I know that feeling," Gohan replied.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I felt that way when the saiyans arrived and everybody was fighting so hard, but I just got scared," Gohan recounted, recalling the painful memory. He hated to think of it.
"You were young, Gohan. Don't blame yourself," Goku advised in all sincerity. Gohan had been five years old at the time and had been extremely sheltered by his overprotective mother.
"I'm just saying, I know it's a bad feeling, Dad." He paused. "But you're the best! You'll think of something. Not all problems can be solved with muscles. Sometimes we have to use our brains."
"That's exactly what I'm thinking, although I don't think I'm very well practiced," Goku admitted.
"That's probably why Mom calls all the Z fighters muscle-heads all the time. I don't think that she's right, Dad. I think you're a lot smarter than either of you realize," Gohan asserted.
"Thanks, Gohan."
"You're welcome, Dad."
After a few minutes of silent dining, Goku stood up with his empty plate. "Well, I had better get going. I'll want to be back in time for the barbecue," he expressed with a sigh.
"Where should I tell Mom you went?" Gohan asked, wiping his mouth.
"Err… I'm not sure my idea will work and I don't want to get everyone's hopes up. So tell her I went to meditate about the situation," Goku paused and added, "to try to think of a solution."
"Okay, Dad. If you say so."
"I said so alright."
Gohan laughed at that. "See ya at noon, then?"
"See ya, Gohan." Goku waved goodbye and went to the master bedroom to get dressed.
…
"I know, but I still feel like I've lost one of my best advisors," King Chrystal lamented.
"That kind of treachery is no different than a friend stabbing you in the back. You have my condolences. I can only imagine my father having experienced greater afflictions," Vegeta said.
"Certainly you must've gotten a taste of them," Bijou chimed, seated next to the king.
"I was young. My father taught me things I would need to know about leading the saiyan people, but I knew few of his personal struggles. He only shared with my mother. I am sure he would've lost his mind without her," Vegeta conceived, thinking back to a bygone time.
"Neither would I maintain reason without you, my jewel," the king crooned, intertwining his fingers with Bijou's. She was visibly charmed by the attention and compliment.
A tiny baby woke up in his cradle to Vegeta's immediate left. He had a few tufts of lavender hair atop his little head and a long tail of the same color. The child began to fuss, so Vegeta offered him a finger to hold onto for reassurance. The baby's violet appendage coiled around it tightly, refusing to let go. The physical contact soothed the infant and he went back to sleep.
"Your son becomes more alert each day," Bijou observed, peering at him from across the table.
"That he does," Vegeta replied. There was a period of silence as Vegeta toyed with his son's feet.
"Even without a mother, I can already tell he's going to grow into a great man," King Chrystal asserted, giving his consort's hand a quick squeeze. "And an even greater king."
"Thank you," Vegeta replied, attention still focused on the child. "I expect great things of him."
A servant poked his head in, looking for the king and queen. "Your Majesties?"
"Yes, Bauble?" Bijou acknowledged, raising her head.
"Princess Sapphire, your eldest daughter, has returned from her trip to the aquatic planet of Wasseria," Bauble informed them. Vegeta's eyes widened immensely.
"Well, do bring her in," the king chimed in merriment. He was undeniably pleased since their daughter had been gone for a full Pellucian calendar year on her travels to other worlds. The servant promptly obeyed and retreated from the verandah to do the king's bidding.
"You remember Sapphire, don't you, Vegeta?" Bijou suggested.
"Yes, of course. How could I forget the girl who put Tarzanium gum in my hair when I was five?" Vegeta replied, rolling his eyes lightly. "She certainly liked to get my attention."
Bijou giggled. "Oh, and Sapphire is going to be charmed by the new addition to your family," she alleged, gesturing to the baby. "She absolutely adores children—the younger, the better."
"Sounds like a typical woman to me," Vegeta conceived.
"I think that would describe her very well," Queen Bijou replied. "She's always primping herself and fawning over the strongest warriors in the arena. She loves to throw them her fancy scarves."
"Yes, just like her mother did once upon a time," the king added, taking his mate's hand.
Vegeta chuckled. "Well, Sapphire is more than welcome to fawn over my son."
"She'll undoubtedly be excited to see you again too after so many years," Chrystal added.
"I must ask her what Wasseria was like. I hear the aquatic kingdoms are breathtaking. I have forgotten how many there are, though," Vegeta replied, looking pensive for a second.
"Seven. And our daughter has likely visited them all," Queen Bijou boasted. "She'll love to show you her recorded memoirs. It's one of her favorite hobbies whenever she travels."
"My hope is to make allies of the Wasserian leaders," Vegeta admitted.
"If they are as wise as I believe, then they will seek you out first and befriend you," Chrystal mused. "It would be a diplomatic gesture and, if one comes, the rest are sure to follow."
"Yes, it is a critical time for military alliances in the wake of Frieza's downfall," Bijou expressed, taking a sip of her authentic Pellucian wine from the rainforests of Luster Bay.
"And you know how saiyans enjoy seafood," Vegeta added, leaning back in his chair to stretch.
"Of course. Plus, if you're lucky, Queen Frigida of the Arctic Empire might offer to do ice sculpture work for you as a diplomatic gift for your coronation. Royals travel from all around the cosmos to obtain an icy monument of themselves from the arctic craftsmen. They are utterly stunning, but hard to keep cold if you happen to live in a warm climate," the queen explained.
"An ice palace would be stunning, wouldn't it?" Vegeta contrived, conjuring up a mental image.
"Stunning, yes, but also quite freezing I'm sure," the king judged.
Vegeta shrugged. "Sometimes I like the cold."
Bauble came back in and they all turned their attention to him. "Your Majesties, your daughter has declared that she is exhausted and she has gone to her chambers to take her siesta early."
"Was she told that Prince Vegeta is here?" Bijou inquired in disappointment.
"No, Your Majesties, we could hardly get a word in with her. She just went straight up to bed."
"It's no problem," Vegeta replied to the Pellucian royals. "I can talk to her later on. She must be very tired from the long trip. It would be best to just let her sleep for now."
"Yes, I agree," the queen replied. "Alright, Bauble, you are dismissed for now."
"Thank you, milady." He bowed to them and left.
"We can surprise Sapphire with you and your son at the next meal," the queen proposed.
Vegeta grinned. "Can't wait."
…
Goku, now fully dressed, paced back and forth in front of the queen-sized bed in the master suite. Every few minutes he would glance at the clock on the dresser and let out an agitated sigh.
Man. What am I going to say to Vegeta to keep him from strangling me to death? Goku mused in distress, stopping to stare at a patch of carpet for a while. And from destroying Earth?
This was his mental preparation. For the same reason coaches give encouraging speeches to their teams before a big game, Goku had to give himself a pep talk before carrying out the potentially suicidal idea he had. Too bad I don't have a coach, he thought. Other than myself, of course.
He plopped down on the bed and ran a hand through his hair, frowning at the situation. Then he heard a sound from outside. Goku shot up in a flash and sped to the window, peering out with caution. Chi Chi had just pulled up in her red hover car. She stumbled out with a shopping bag in hand, looking as ticked off and hormonal as ever, and then slammed the car door shut behind her. A large sweat drop trickled down Goku's forehead and his cheeks turned a slight tinge of blue.
I guess it's time to get going, he thought to himself, putting two fingers to his forehead for the sake of concentration. Vegeta, here I come. Please don't kill me! And he was gone in a flash.
Goku materialized on the private veranda outside of King Chrystal's and Queen Bijou's royal bedchambers. The two Pellucian royals and their saiyan guest were pleasantly exchanging words at a fine ruby table in the same eloquent language as before. It was full daylight.
Goku found that he was half-hidden by a red velvet drapery a few feet behind the king and queen. It was the curtain that marked the threshold between the bedroom inside and the veranda outside. Vegeta was so intent on his conversation with the royals that he did not even notice the other saiyan dressed in blue jeans and a pullover—a combination of alien clothes that would make any Pellucian with the faintest fashion sense cringe. Goku noted that it was much warmer here than on Earth, where winter was on its way. He started to sweat under his warm clothes.
Goku tried to discreetly get the prince's attention. "Psst! Vegeta," he whispered, waving.
For a few seconds, Goku remained unnoticed as Vegeta stayed attentive to the conversation between himself and the other royals. Slowly and haphazardly, Vegeta's eyes wandered from his friends to Goku's waving hand as he finally caught sight of the other saiyan. He jumped up from his seat, startling his friends, and stared daggers at the trespasser. "You again? What're you doing here? Get out!" Vegeta shouted, brandishing a fist in the air to ward off the perceived threat.
"Hey, Vegeta, I just wanted to…" Suddenly the young prince started crying, sensing his father's distress. Goku raised a brow in curiosity. "What's that?" he asked in puzzlement. He peeked over the table and spotted the cradle and small wriggling form swaddled within.
"Stay away from my son!" Vegeta barked, standing over the crib protectively. "If you come anywhere near him, then I will tear you limb from limb, you stupid fucking peasant!"
King Chrystal bolted up from his seat and shouted for the guards, whereas Queen Bijou ran around the table to help Vegeta defend the child. She picked up the crying baby and cradled him in her arms, holding him protectively and standing behind the elder Vegeta.
Goku held up his hands to calm everyone. "Vegeta, I'm really sorry to bother you, but I just want to talk, honest!" he announced loudly in the uproar. No one could hear him as the armored guards charged in. They surrounded the badly-dressed intruder with their weapons drawn and ordered him to surrender in Pelluci. He raised his hands all the way up in the air to show his compliance.
Vegeta snarled at him as the guards finished their shouting and quieted down until only the crying baby could be heard over the sound of a soft breeze. Finally, the prince spoke. "I thought you might have at least half a brain when you surrendered and returned to Earth the other day. I thought I made myself very clear when I said I would destroy you and that mudball you call a planet if you so much as came within a lightyear of my offspring. How was this not clear to you, you brainless cretin? Tell me how that wasn't clear to you, damn it!" Vegeta spat venomously.
Goku gulped. "Vegeta, I'm not here to fight you. Really, I just want to talk about something. Can we do that? Can we talk in private? Please, Vegeta!" Goku pleaded, clasping his hands together pitifully. "Please…" he squeaked again as Vegeta's infuriated gaze bore down on him.
The prince's mouth was shut and his brows furrowed. He crossed his arms over his chest angrily and huffed. Goku's eyes remained locked with Vegeta's as the prince's cape fluttered in the wind. Vegeta finally spoke up, clearly irritated. "Am I to take it that you again invaded the Pellucian royal palace with no invite, only this time simply because you want a free audience with one of the royals therein?" The prince stopped and waited for an answer, tapping his foot angrily.
Goku did not answer. He just looked down, embarrassed, and gulped.
"You know, idiot, when Pellucian citizens want an audience with the king or queen, they must wait until a specific time of the day, on a specific day of the week, when commoners are at last permitted inside a specific wing of the palace and allowed to present their most significant problems and conflicts to the king's representatives. If they get exceedingly lucky, they might see the king himself." Vegeta paused, then suddenly bellowed, "You do not enter the palace at your leisure, peasant! That is a serious crime. That's what assassins do. And assassins are very much looked down upon on Planet Pellucid. Are you an assassin, Kakarott?" The prince tilted his head intimidatingly to the side as he waited for an answer. "Well, are you?!"
"N-n-no…" Goku answered nervously.
"Really?" Vegeta replied skeptically. "Then what were you thinking by coming here again?!"
Goku scrunched up. Vegeta's intention to publicly shame him was working. "Gee, I'm so sorry, Vegeta. I didn't know all those rules and this was the only way I could find you and I really need to talk to you and I didn't know how else to and I'm really sorry!" he squeaked, red-faced.
Vegeta slapped his forehead. "Fine, Kakarott. What do you want? And hurry it the hell up!"
"Um, I, um… I…" Goku stuttered, feeling awkward at trying to explain himself with a bunch of weapons pointing in his direction. "Err, you see… I… it's just…" Vegeta raised a hand to silence the other saiyan. He leaned over to whisper something covertly to the king and queen, both of whom gave a nod when he was done. Vegeta pushed aside one of the guards surrounding the intruder, grabbed the idiot by his hair, and dragged the fool away. "Owiieee, Vegeta, that hurts!"
"Shut up, Kakarott." He turned to two of the guards, both of whom Goku recognized. "Feldspar ibe Peridot. Shim shim." He stalked off pulling Goku behind him and the guards followed.
The two guards accompanied Vegeta and Goku all the way through the bedchambers of the king and queen, into the royal hall, down the royal hall, down the swirling emerald staircase, past the ivory double-doors of the grand ballroom, down another long hall, and finally to the elegant and gilded doorway that composed the entrance to Prince Vegeta's personal suite.
Peridot grabbed a hold of the door handles, both of which were adorned with a swirling combination of gold and onyx, and swung them open, revealing the interior of Vegeta's luxurious bedchambers. The prince's suite was smaller and more compact than the king and queen's but just as extravagant. The spacious bedroom was draped with sheer gold-threaded curtains. They surrounded a big round bed and marked the threshold leading to the prince's private veranda. The velvety bed, like the one in the king and queen's suite, was circular and not rectangular like Earth beds. It was hoisted four feet above the ground, taller than the beds Goku was used to seeing. The golden comforter was also round and it fit perfectly on top of the mattresses beneath.
Vegeta led Goku through the bedroom, past an onyx sculpture of himself in a regal pose, and past a large painting of him as a child with his parents and a few other young saiyans who appeared to be siblings. Finally, they were out on the veranda with a magnificent view of the city. There was a trendy golden table and a few well-cushioned veranda chairs that matched.
Prince Vegeta pulled out one of the chairs as the guards took their places by the entrance. "Sit, Kakarott." It was more of an order than an offer. "And don't you move a fucking muscle."
Goku settled himself down in the chair, finding it to be incredibly soft and supportive.
Vegeta sat down across from him. "Alright, Kakarott. What do you want?" he asked, quite curious. "I'm making an exception for you because you are the only other full-blooded saiyan still living. Please be aware, this is the first and last time I make such exceptions for anyone."
Goku cleared his throat and sat straight up in his seat. "Well, you see, it turns out that certain people are even more upset than I thought they would be about… you know, me not bringing the baby back. And, um, I was just kind of hoping that I might be able to, well, mend the situation?" Vegeta cocked an eyebrow skeptically. "Without doing anything that would upset you!"
"I thought I told you already you can't please everyone," Vegeta reiterated, rather annoyed that Goku had brought this up again. He clearly recalled the conversation at the end of their battle.
"I don't really have a choice," Goku uttered. Vegeta sat back with his arms crossed over his chest, ready to get this over with. "So, if it's okay with you, there are a few questions I'd like to ask. If they're too personal, you don't have to answer. But I need to ask just so I can try to come up with a… a resolution. Is that okay with you, Vegeta?" Goku asked, careful not to anger the prince.
Vegeta cleared his throat and said, "I can't guarantee an answer, but you are free to ask."
"Okay, thanks, Vegeta!" Goku replied, perking up and putting his hand behind his head.
Vegeta hated that gesture, but he suppressed his urge to get irritated at the other saiyan. Instead, the prince merely stated, "I have just one question, Kakarott, before you get started."
"Yes?"
"Why, oh why, are you so intent on sucking up to all of your earthly friends? Why worry yourself over something that is not your problem and that you would not be able to fix even if it was? Please, just walk me through your mode of thinking because this mindset of yours is completely foreign and alien to me. I don't understand it at all," Vegeta shortly explained.
"Well, you see, certain people are intentionally turning it into my problem," Goku replied.
"Like who?"
"Like Chi Chi," Goku explained with a nervous laugh.
Vegeta raised a brow. "How is your mate turning it into your problem?" He paused. "And why?"
"Well," Goku said, laughing again, "she made me sleep on the couch for one." All Goku got for that was a puzzled look from Vegeta. "You know," he explained, "because I failed to bring Baby Trunks home. I'm running on close to zero sleep, so excuse me if I don't make much sense."
"Baby Vegeta," corrected the prince.
"Right," Goku replied. "So she made me sleep on the couch and she almost kicked me out of the house, but Gohan protested so she decided not to do that. So you see… when I have to sleep on the couch, that's my problem. I didn't sleep well at all because of it. And my back hurts a lot. It's a horrible way to sleep. Horrible, Vegeta! And, well, you can see how that's my problem, can't you, Vegeta?" the Z fighter over-explained. "Like I said, running on close to zero sleep."
"What the fuck do you mean she made you sleep on the couch?" Vegeta retorted.
"Because I couldn't defeat you and bring home the baby, she didn't let me sleep in the bed. She said I had to sleep on the couch instead. And our couch is really smallish and cheapish and very much lacking in comfort," he admitted. "And I have to keep sleeping there until I get Trunks."
"Vegeta," the royal corrected again.
"Right. Sorry."
"So she forced you to sleep on the couch?" Vegeta puzzled over the notion.
"Yes."
"As some type of punishment?" Vegeta conceived, looking skeptical. Goku nodded. "Kakarott."
"Yeah?"
"How old are you?"
"Um, I'm twenty-nine," Goku replied, scratching his head.
"So you're not a child, are you?"
"No." Goku looked confused.
"You're an adult. A fully-grown man. Right? You sure as fuck look like one to me."
"Y-yeah…" Goku was not sure where this interrogation was heading.
"If you're an adult and a saiyan, then why is some weak pathetic human female trying to punish you like you're five? Answer me that! And, furthermore, why are you allowing her to do so?!"
"Um…"
"Kakarott."
"What?"
"You were right in saying that you have a problem to fix, but that problem has nothing to do with me or my offspring. Do you understand me, Kakarott? Your problem revolves around no one other than yourself and your bitch of a mate," Vegeta stated bluntly, praying for the message to get through to his brain-washed subject this time. "You need to man the fuck up." Goku frowned. "I'm sorry if the truth hurts, Kakarott, but it must be said. You might even thank me one of these days for being the only one who had the balls to break the news to you."
"Well," Goku hesitated. "Look, Vegeta. I do honestly feel bad for Bulma too. I want to help fix the problems between the two of you. It's not just for my sake, really it isn't."
Vegeta held up his hand. "Perhaps, but we have a greater problem at hand," the royal declared.
"Okay," Goku whined, exasperated with that subject. He slumped in his seat. "But that is my problem. Please, don't worry about it, Vegeta. I'll handle Chi Chi, I promise."
"No, it is not just your problem!" Vegeta raged. "The fact that you are allowing a weak human female to punish you as one would a child is degrading to the entire saiyan race as a whole. This is just as much my problem as it is yours," he pointed out, clearly married to his beliefs.
"Can we address that later?" Goku groaned, not in the mood to discuss his marital problems.
"Why not now?" Vegeta snapped in a demanding tone, banging a fist down on the reinforced table between them. "You brought this topic up and I'll bet you knew it would enrage me!"
"Because, to be honest, I care more about Bulma's problem than my own. Look, we'll go back to the Chi Chi problem before the day is out. Okay? You have my word," Goku promised, begging.
Vegeta hesitated and then relented. "Fine, Kakarott. I think you seriously need to straighten out your priorities. But whatever. Have it your way." Vegeta abruptly turned and gave an order to Feldspar in Pelluci. The guard promptly bowed to the prince and left to do his bidding.
"Thanks, 'Geta," Goku replied once the guard had left.
Vegeta looked slightly annoyed at the stupid nickname but decided to ignore it. "So what do you want to know?" he inquired, helping the discussion move along at a timely pace.
"Well," Goku leaned back in his seat and lowered his eyes, trying to remember where he was planning to begin. His attention was suddenly diverted when he caught a glance of Vegeta's tail wriggling under the table. He craned his neck downward to get a better look at it.
"How did you get your tail back?" Goku suddenly inquired.
Vegeta scoffed. "Please, Kakarott. As if I'd tell you the secret behind the greatest source of my power. Do I look like I was born yesterday? I'm not an idiot!" he charged.
"It's not that, Vegeta." Goku paused and whimpered. "I just want mine back too."
This revelation was news to Vegeta, so the royal cocked an eyebrow skeptically. "You… want your tail back? Then why did you get it removed in the first place?" he asked with a faint tone of outrage. "And why would you want it back knowing you can't control your transformation?"
"I didn't have it removed myself," Goku conceded. "Kami permanently removed it when I was just a kid so he could restore the moon. I told my friends it was my choice because I didn't want to sound ungrateful to Kami for all the training he gave me. And if you learned how to control your transformation, then couldn't I learn too? How did you do it?" he queried.
Vegeta's jaw dropped. "Wh-what?" he hissed. "Did he even bother to ask your permission?"
"Of course not. I would've said no. Obviously," Goku retorted. "It was my body part!"
"What the fu… Fucking cosmos, what is it with earthlings surgically removing other people's body parts? Damn it, Kami! They're obsessive about it," Vegeta griped, clenching his fists.
Goku shrugged. "There's even this weird practice called circumcision where a doctor…"
Vegeta held up his hand. "I know, Kakarott. And I think it's absolutely disgusting. Now, don't tell me you're not even pissed about it?" the prince derided, feeling as wrathful as ever.
"I don't know," Goku replied sheepishly, twiddling his thumbs.
"What do you mean 'I don't know'!" Vegeta spat. "That's the most pitiful response ever!" Goku shrugged. "Hmph," the prince huffed. "Well, maybe if you earn my trust in the future, I'll tell you how to get your tail back," he conceded. The prince was somewhat pleased to learn that Goku was not in total revile of his saiyan heritage as he had previously been led to believe.
Goku perked up. "Really? Gosh. Thanks, Vegeta!"
Vegeta waved him off as Feldspar returned with a servant who had a large mug. The cup was filled with a steaming beverage. Vegeta took the mug and dismissed the servant before taking the first sip. Feldspar retook his place at the side of the entrance, across from Peridot, his partner.
"So, anyway," Goku continued, "on to the Bulma issue."
"Indeed," agreed the smaller saiyan.
"If I may ask, and with all due respect, why did you take Trunks?"
"Vegeta."
Goku groaned at Vegeta's correcting him yet again. "Vegeta, how am I supposed to tell the difference between the two of you if you have the same name? Isn't that going to get really confusing?" the Z fighter pointed out. "I don't get why you named him that."
"You can call him Prince Vegeta," he recommended. "I'll be king soon so it should not be that confusing. I had the same name as my father and I was the spitting image of him, yet no one got confused. My offspring, on the other hand, only resembles me a little. It's been a family tradition for fifteen generations, Kakarott. If you get confused that easily, then you need help."
"Okay, so why did you take Prince Vegeta?" Goku reiterated, agreeing to use the compromise.
"For starters, I want to live with my son so I can raise him to be my heir. But I don't want to live on Earth cause Earth sucks. So I took him with me. I can't train him when we live on separate planets. Nothing personal, but I would think that obvious." Vegeta took another sip.
"Why don't you want to live on Earth?" Goku pried. "What sucks about it?"
"Is that a serious question?" Vegeta asked, staring Goku point blank in the face.
"Yes, it is," Goku freely admitted.
Vegeta rolled his eyes. "I hate that planet."
"Why?" Goku asked, curious.
"Because it sucks."
"How so?"
"It's full of weaklings. Duh."
"Is that all?"
"No. There's also the fact that you live there."
Goku frowned. "So what?"
"I don't like you."
"Why not?"
"Probably because you're a saiyan, yet you allow pitiful weaklings push you around. I find it hard to respect you for that reason," Vegeta admitted. "No offense."
Goku's face went blank. Vegeta said nothing in response to his demeanor. Suddenly, Goku jumped up. "I was abandoned on Earth as a child! How was I supposed to know how to be a saiyan? Huh, Vegeta? And why should I even care about being like the people who abandoned me?" Now, it was Vegeta's turn to have a blank face. "Well?" Goku spouted angrily.
Vegeta shook his head in disapproval. "Kakarott, can't you see that by rejecting your heritage, you're only hurting yourself? You don't have enough respect for your own person to stand up for yourself against your earthling mate. And instead of finding the courage to do so, you are making up excuses by blaming the rest of us saiyans for your own shortcomings," he returned.
Goku was speechless. He thought for a minute, then stopped. It was too much to think about. "We keep going off on tangents, Vegeta. I need to be back to Earth at noon."
"I don't know what time it is on Planet Earth, so I can't really help you out with that. Sorry," Vegeta replied, taking another sip from his mug as if nothing at all had happened.
"So we're clear on why you left the planet with, err… Prince Vegeta. Well, maybe there's some way we can make this separate planet thing work," he conceived. Vegeta cocked a brow, unsure what Goku was getting at. "How do you feel about giving Bulma visitation rights?"
"What's that?" Vegeta had clearly never heard the term before in his life.
"It means that she gets to see 'Prince Vegeta' on occasion. For visits."
Vegeta's eyes widened. He jumped up from his seat and pounded the table. "Absolutely not! That wench gets nowhere near my son! Do you understand me, Kakarott? If she gets within lightyears of him, I'll blast her into the next dimension!" Vegeta bellowed, startling his seated companion.
Goku fell backwards in his chair, but he quickly scrambled to straighten himself and the chair up. "Wh-why not, Vegeta?" he replied, puzzled by the prince's alarming outrage.
"That woman is unfit. Unfit, Kakarott!" Vegeta hissed. Goku shook his head, not understanding. Vegeta groaned, "This is not something I ever wanted to speak of. I wanted to put it in the past."
Goku frowned. "I'm sorry, Vegeta, but I can't help unless I know." Vegeta growled in annoyance. "Please!" Goku pleaded. "What do you think is wrong with Bulma? Why is she unfit?"
"This is going to take a long explanation. It goes back to when we were mates."
"Uh, huh. Go on," Goku encouraged. He was very curious as to how the two had come to be in a relationship in the first place. Truth be told, it was a mystery to the whole Z crew.
Vegeta stood up and rubbed his eyes, looking exasperated. "Follow me into my chambers, Kakarott," he instructed. The prince dismissed the guards and they had soon left. Goku obeyed and followed Vegeta into his room as soon as Feldspar and Peridot were gone. "Sit," Vegeta ordered, indicating a very cozy-looking golden-threaded recliner in the sitting room. The new setting was used primarily for more private conversations. Goku plopped down in the recliner.
"What I'm most worried about is that you won't believe a word of what I have to say, Kakarott. I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes!" Vegeta exclaimed.
"Try me." It sounded like a challenge.
Vegeta paused. "How long have you known this woman, Kakarott?" he asked, pacing back and forth in front of Goku. His behavior made him seem very anxious indeed.
"Since I was eleven years old," Goku recalled. "So eighteen years or so, I guess."
Vegeta whispered to himself, "That's a fucking long time." He rubbed his face with both hands.
"Yup," replied Goku. "We were childhood friends."
"Do you feel you know Bulma well?"
"Yeah, I do."
"What would you say if I were to tell you that this woman is the height of shameful hypocrisy on Planet Earth?" Vegeta crossed his arms and stared Goku down, waiting for an answer.
After a long pause, Goku finally replied, "I'd probably, um, ask why you thought that?"
"You know what, Kakarott? I do think that. I think exactly that for a number of reasons. For one, when the woman discovered her pregnancy, she didn't want the child. Now, she wants him."
"So what? She changed her mind." That was a bit of new information for Goku, but he was not overly surprised or by any means outraged at Bulma's apparent change of heart.
Vegeta sneered. "A change of heart means little in this context," he sighed, staring at the floor. Looking anguished, the prince put a hand to his head and whispered something unintelligible.
"Huh?" Goku asked, putting a hand to his ear.
"She tried to have the brat killed," he voiced again, speaking up even louder than necessary.
Goku jumped in surprise before a look of abject horror overtook his being. "Wh-wh-what?"