Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z. This is a nonprofit story.

'word' = thoughts

Chapter 4: Capsule Corp

Pink hints of dawn gleamed in the sky as Vegeta opened his eyes. He glanced at his side where the child was curled against him, gripping the edge of his armor for security. There had been no nightmares last night for either of them.

Vegeta laid his hand carefully on the boy's head, being sure not to wake him. A half smile formed on the Prince's face. 'Such amazing potential.' He looked back up at the sky. 'It's rather nice to be with another Saiyan again. I almost miss Raditz. We went through all sorts of shit together from the time we were kids. Where ever he is in hell, he should be glad that his nephew will never know the horror of living under Frieza.'

Extracting himself from the child's grip, Vegeta stood and stretched. Dark clouds gathering on the western horizon promised rain. He frowned. They'd been camping in the open the last few days while he'd began evaluating the Saiyan child. It looked like that was about to come to an end. He looked down at the sleeping boy and snorted. 'Feh. I'm getting soft. It's just nice to be out from Frieza's shackles finally.' He stared intently at the child for a while. 'So this is the future of our race. Reduced to half breeds or less, even if the mix with humans creates such powerful hybrids. I guess Nappa was right and it needs to be taken advantage of. It's just amazing Saiyans are genetically compatible with humans. There must be some common lineage somewhere in ancient history.'

With a sigh the Prince reached down and shook the boy's shoulder. "Get up. Time for training."

A groan answered him, but the child sat up rubbing his eyes.

Looking away, Vegeta stared out over the trees. "Come on. Let's fill our stomachs and get started."

Gohan stood and stretched sore muscles before taking to the air with the Saiyan.

o-o-o-o-o

A leg slamming into his back sent Gohan tumbling through the sky. They'd been at battle for a few hours now. He'd been trying to keep up with Vegeta, but he was reaching his limit.

The Saiyan sneered at the exhausted child. "Defend yourself whelp. Whomever taught you how to dodge did a really poor job of it."

Gohan blushed hotly and redoubled his efforts to avoid blows from the Prince. 'I'm letting Mr Piccolo down. He'd be ashamed of me.'

A well placed blast of chi sent Gohan crashing into the ground. Weary, he struggled to lift his head and pull himself from the crater that had formed with his impact. His tormentor scowled down at him. "Get up brat. We aren't done yet."

Panting, Gohan staggered to his feet and pulled himself into a defensive stance. He didn't know how much more he could take. 'Mr Piccolo never was this bad. He only pushed me as far as I could take. Vegeta is trying to kill me slowly.'

Taking a deep breath, he tensed and charged the Saiyan Prince. Fists flailing wildly and missed their target completely. Gohan knew he was getting sloppy with his fatigue. 'He's going to make me pay for this good. Probably finish me off for good this time.'

The return attack slid easily past Gohan's defenses to land squarely in his gut. He doubled over with a grunt and fell from the sky. He curled up where he landed, cradling his aching stomach. Feet touched down nearby and stepped up to him. He stared at the pointed boots, bracing himself for whatever came next.

Vegeta stared down at the boy. 'It's taken a few days of careful attacks but we've found his physical limit. Now his real training can begin.' A wry grin slipped on to the Saiyan's face. "Well done boy. You've taken much more than I was expecting. I'll make an elite warrior out of you yet."

Gohan lay there stunned at the words. "Y-you mean you're not going to kill me?" He gasped out. "I thought that's what you were trying to do. Every day it's been getting worse."

Vegeta gave a snort of derision. "I told you I was going to train you. Where the hell did you get the idea I was trying to kill you?"

The child flushed red and curled into a tight ball to hide his face. A muffled reply came from near his knees. "You've been beating me senseless the last few day. I just thought..."

Another snort was the Prince's thoughts on that. "You should never make assumptions. I needed to know how much you could take. Remember, Gohan, you're a Saiyan. We get a Zenkai with each fight. That which does not kill us makes us even stronger."

Hidden eyes widened as realization flooded into Gohan's brain. 'He called me by my name. Not boy. Not brat. Not whelp. I guess maybe he likes me enough now for me to have a name.' The thought comforted the boy and his eyes became heavy as his fatigue pulled him into sleep.

"Unn...huh...zenkai..." came a tired voice. Vegeta looked down at the boy to see him drifting out of consciousness.

Fat splashes of rain began to fall and the Prince scowled at the clouds. He was not in the mood to spend any time out in the weather. Swiftly he reached down and slid an arm under the chest of the sleeping boy, pulling him up to hang in his grip. 'Hn. That blue haired woman said she had a place for me to stay. I'll go there. Now just where IS there?'

Searching out with his mind, Vegeta felt for the chi of a certain Namekian warrior. 'There. He is either at the woman's place, or will know where it is.'

With that thought, Vegeta took to the sky.

o-o-o-o-o

As Vegeta drew near Piccolo's strong chi, a large complex of domed structures came into view. Soon he could see many green humanoids wandering around the grounds. 'Looks like I'm here.'

Vegeta dropped out of the sky near the largest domed building startling the Nameks who had been mingling in the yard. He sneered at their stares and looks of distrust.

A startled shriek made him jerk his head to the right to find the source. It was the blue haired woman that he was looking for. He turned and started moving towards her.

Rushing up, Bulma had a look of fear and fury on her face. She reached out to grab the unconscious boy from where he hung limp from Vegeta's arm. "Oh, no! Gohan!"

She cradled the child to her then turned her wrath on the Saiyan. "What kind of monster are you! He's just a little boy!"

Vegeta stiffened and glared at her in annoyance. "What the hell woman. The boy's fine. How your screeching hasn't woken him is a wonder."

Bulma paused in her tirade to look down in confusion at the child she held. He was stirring a little against her chest and mumbling. "...tired...no more...yum...food.."

Bulma looked back up at the Prince with an embarrassed look. "Um. I'm sorry, I jumped to conclusions." She turned towards the house. She gave a sniff. "But it's not like you've given me any reason to assume different."

Vegeta let out a low growl. "You make to many assumptions about me earth woman."

Looking over her shoulder, Bulma gave him a glare. "I said I was sorry. Get over yourself. Now come on and I'll show you to a shower. You stink. Then we can find a room for you."

As she stormed off into the building, Vegeta crossed his arms and, giving a last glare at the gawking Namekians, followed.

Stepping through the doorway after Bulma, the Prince found himself in a small hall that branched opened to a kitchen on the right hand side. Ignoring that opening, Bulma led him down the corridor and stopped at the far end. She nodded her head at the door on the left. "These are a few guest bedrooms. You can have this one. The bathroom is right across the hall here. Just leave your clothes in there. I'll find something for you to wear and leave it in the room."

"Now I'm going to put poor Gohan to bed. He looks like you've put him through the wringer." She turned and started back down the hall, leaving the Saiyan Prince to stare after her.

o-o-o-o-o

Vegeta stepped into the room now marked as his, gripping a towel tightly around his waist. The shower had done much to relax him and wash off the grime of two planets that he'd accumulated over the last few weeks. 'I could get used to regular bathing. Water was always restricted on the ships and most of the planets, but this mudball is one of those rare ones with a ton of it.'

Closing the door he glanced around the sparsely decorated room. Bed, desk and chair to one wall. Dresser and door to what he assumed was a closet on two others. A large window covered most of the fourth. 'Not bad. Much more space than I'm used to.'

On the bed sat folded garments of some sort and his boots lay on the floor with socks spread across the tops. Picking up the clothing he found it to be thick loose pants and a shirt of some sort. Grimacing at the unfamiliar fabrics, he dressed quickly.

Slipping out of the room, Vegeta shut the door behind him. The scent of food being prepared drifted down the hall, drawing his attention and his stomach growled in anticipation. He followed his nose down and into the kitchen.

Entering the kitchen he was greeted with the sight of an older blonde woman, cheerfully humming to herself as she cooked. After a moment she seemed to notice her audience. "Hello there dear! You must be the nice man who was taking care of our Gohan."

Adjusting the stove, she stepped away from her cooking for a moment and circled around the now wary Prince. "Oh my, aren't you a handsome one."

She patted him on the arm in a friendly manner and he stiffened. "Oh where are my manners? I'm Mrs Briefs, but you can call me Panchy. Go sit at the table and I'll have some food ready in a few moments. I hear you eat like our Goku, so I made sure to fix plenty. I know our little Gohan will want some when he wakes up, too."

She swiftly maneuvered him into a chair and brought him a drink. "Here you go, dear. So what is your name again sweetie?"

"Vegeta." The Prince stared at the strange woman who scurried back to her cooking, all the while chatting up a storm.

Panchy slid a plate in front of the Saiyan. "Well Vegeta dear, here's something to start with. I'll have more for you in a moment."

Vegeta cautiously poked the food in front of him. The smell was making his mouth water. He looked up at the blonde woman again. 'I don't think they would poison me.'

He took a small bite and his hunger over took him with the delicious taste. "Woman. I need more."

With a smile she brought over several dishes to the table. "So did you like it?"

Digging into the next plate, Vegeta let out a grunt. "Hn. It is adequate. I shall require much more than this though." He gestured to the plates in front of him.

Smiling even brighter, Panchy went to get more. "I can always tell when my food is appreciated and you have such a healthy appetite."

As he ate, Vegeta watched the blonde woman scurry about on her kitchen duties, constantly chattering about anything and everything that came to her mind. 'This earth woman is a strange one. Her food is good, though. I'll make sure to keep her alive if I need to destroy this planet. Cooks of her caliber are rare.'

The sound of shuffling feet and a yawn drew attention to the main entrance to the kitchen. Gohan stood there with dripping hair, dressed in sweats. He'd obviously come from a rushed bath. "I smelled food. Can I have some?"

Mrs Briefs grinned at the boy. "Of course, Gohan dear. Just sit down and I'll get you some."

Gohan slid into a seat at the table opposite of Vegeta. His belly rumbled at the sight of the food before the Prince. He reached out to grab a roll from one of the plates, only to have his hand grabbed. He looked up into Vegeta's narrowed eyes. "What do you think you're doing brat?"

Gohan let out a sigh and pulled his hand back. 'Well guess I'm back to no name.'

His stomach rumbled again just as plates were slid in front of him by the blonde haired woman. "Now Gohan, where are your manners. There is no need to steal Mr Vegeta's food. I have plenty for you to eat," she chided him.

The boy looked down embarrassed, then hunger got the best of him and he dove into the food in front of him.

After finishing eating, Vegeta sat watching Gohan eat for a moment then turned to Mrs Briefs. "Blonde woman. You look nothing like the boy's harpy mother. How can she be your daughter?"

Turning, Panchy had a confused look on her face. "His mother? I'm not related to his mother."

Vegeta huffed and gestured to the boy. "He said you were his grandmother. His mother was an earthling."

Comprehension flashed across the older woman's face. "OH! No dear. You don't understand. We adopted cute little Goku when he was 12. Bulma found him up in the mountains all alone after his grandfather died. The orphanage people were going to try and take him away and we couldn't have that. So we made him part of our family. That boy would go off on adventures the same as our daughter, but they always come back home."

She gave a depressed sigh. "Only I don't know what happened. After Goku got married at the tournament, he didn't come back. We didn't even know we had a grandson until a year ago."

A new voice spoke from the doorway. "I'll tell you what happened. Chi-Chi got her claws in Goku and wanted nothing to do with his family. That woman tricked him into agreeing to marry her when he was a kid and you know how Goku is. He keeps his word. Even though he thought marriage was food."

Bulma walked fully into the kitchen, stopped behind Gohan and ruffled his hair. "This little squirt is the only good thing to come out of that. I got to know him pretty well on our way to Namek and he's a good kid."

Gohan blushed at the praise. "Aww, Bulma."

She smiled down at him. "Now hurry up and finish eating. We need to go clothes shopping for you."

All happiness vanished from the child to be replaced with dread. "Um, I umm...can't. Yeah, that's it. Umm. Vegeta is training me this afternoon."

Bulma scowled at Vegeta who had a confused look on his face. "Can't you leave the poor boy alone for one after afternoon? You've had him for the last several days and brought him back to us half dead. He needs a break."

Vegeta crossed his arms and narrowed his gaze at the woman across from him. Opening his mouth to speak he was interrupted by Mrs Briefs cheerful voice. "Nonsense dear! Let the boys go play. I'll just get their measurements and go get them some clothes myself."

"Are you insane?" Bulma glared at her mother.

The woman just gave her ever present smile. "Of course not dear."

Turning to the two males, she spoke. "Gohan go watch the TV while I take Mr Vegeta here to the sewing room and measure him."

"OK!" Gohan let out a huge sigh for relief and dashed out of the kitchen.

Bulma just flung her hands in the air before storming off. "Fine. Whatever."

Panchy took ahold of Vegeta's arm and tugged, ignoring his growl. "Come on handsome. Let's get this done so we can get you better clothes."

Reluctantly, the Prince let her lead him away.

o-o-o-o-o

Vegeta stormed into the living room with an irritated scowl on his face. Gohan shrunk into his cushioned chair a bit more, hoping to avoid notice. He didn't know what he might have done to irritate the Prince this time, but he'd rather not find out. Vegeta tended to be extra rough and make training extra long when he was mad.

The Saiyan's dark eyes roamed over the boy. "Brat, it's your turn, get in there."

Gohan gave him a blank look. "What?"

A growl rumbled from Vegeta. "I've been poked, prodded, and measured everywhere by that babbling airhead. It's your turn now. I shouldn't be the only one to suffer such indignation."

Comprehension dawned on Gohan's face. "Oh. Is grandma going out to buy us clothes like she said?"

"According to her, yes. I don't know what the hell she needs all those numbers for." Vegeta gave a sneer of disgust.

With a grin, Gohan bounced up from his chair. "I'll go get measured. It's much better than Bulma dragging me to the store to try on clothes. That takes forever and there are tons of people and some of them smell really bad."

Gohan giggled at the horrified look on Vegeta's face as he went in search of his grandmother. No doubt the Prince would be very cooperative and quiet next time she wanted his measurements. The boy shuddered. He knew he would always be cooperative if it meant he didn't have to go through the horror that was shopping.

Staring off after the boy, Vegeta shook his head. 'The tortures these earthlings think up for themselves. Whatever. I might as well look around the grounds for a good training spot.'

Stepping outside into the early afternoon sun, Vegeta noticed that all present Nameks fell silent and turned to stare at him. He gave them a sneer and crossing his arms, proceeded to ignore them.

He'd been wandering around about 15 minutes when he came across a large round structure on sturdy legs. A sudden thrill went though him. 'Is that a spaceship? I didn't think these earthlings had that technology. That means I could get off this backwater planet.'

A smooth masculine voice behind him broke him out of his thoughts. "She's a beauty isn't she? Much better than the one Goku took to Namek. I've even managed to install the latest in cappuccino machines in her."

Turning, Vegeta met the gaze of an older lavender haired man. "Did you build this?"

The old man smiled. "Of course! I reverse engineered Goku's old space pod and just added in my own little tweaks. I even managed to double the power of the gravitron installed in case Goku comes back and wants to use it for training some more."

Now that really caught Vegeta's attention. "What is this gravitron, and how did Kakarot use it for training?"

The man frowned. "Who is this Kakarot?"

Vegeta just waved his hand. "The one you call Goku. His Saiyan name he was born with is Kakarot. Now how did he train?"

"Ah. Interesting on the name." The man twitched his mustache. "Oh, the gravitron increases the gravity in the ship. Goku's ship went up to 100 times Earth's gravity. This one here does up to 200. He said it was great for increasing his strength and speed."

The Saiyan stood there stunned for a moment. 'So that's how Kakarot improved so much. I've never heard of anything like this before. This could be a great advantage to my training.'

He turned to the scientist. "I wish to use this gravitron."

The old man frowned. "Well now, I'm not sure about that. I usually only work on experimental things for friends and family. I'm sorry lad, but I don't know you."

The Prince scowled at being denied. "I am Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans."

Now the old man seemed interested. "Ah, yes, Vegeta. I've heard about you. You're the one who took our Gohan."

Vegeta gave him a dark look. "I did not harm the boy, no matter what that blue haired woman says. He needs trained and I've been training him."

The lavender haired man stepped back and put his hands up in a placating fashion. "I never said you did. Actually, from the little I've heard, you saved him from some abuse. In thanks for that, I can help you out with the gravitron."

The man gestured towards the ship. "Let me show you how it works."

He stopped for a moment. "Oh, yes, how silly of me. I didn't introduce myself. I'm Dr Briefs. Gohan's grandfather."

Vegeta gave him a nod of acknowledgement and followed him into the ship.