Redeeming
By fallen-angel-b
Rated: M
Summary: Vegeta tries to save his people. Goku tries to save him. On the way they both discover redemption – and a few other unexpected things as well.
Disclaimer: I suck. If I didn't I would own DBZ
Pairings: Vegeta/Goku (minor others)
Note: So this is the last chapter before Goku travels to Vegeta-sei. Would just like to thank everyone for continuing to read this story...has made me very happy! I hope you enjoy the next chapter.
Chapter Three – Preparations
Goku flew slowly, almost lazily, towards his destination. He wasn't entirely sure whether he would be welcomed on his arrival – in fact, he was almost certain he wouldn't be – but he knew he had to make an effort.
That didn't mean he was going to try to get there any faster, though, or he would have IT'ed himself long ago.
When Yamcha and Bulma had walked into his house holding hands, surprised to learn he hadn't been told they had been back together for months, his immediate reaction had been one of both shock and anger. Shock, because he hadn't realised how distant he had been from his friends since Buu; and anger because he thought the way Bulma had left Vegeta and the little care she seemed to convey for him was too brash. When he'd asked her how Vegeta was handling it, Bulma had brushed it off airily, explaining that he'd been living on his own somewhere else and would come back when he inevitably wanted to see his children. Goku was not so convinced, and he couldn't believe Bulma would be so immature as to act as though her relationship of ten years meant nothing to her. He hadn't stopped until later to think that this might be her way of dealing with the separation...all he could think about was how much he hurt for the Saiyan prince.
He hadn't been able to stay for the whole visit. He spent an entire hour with them biting back bitter retorts, carefully masking his confusion at the amount of irritation and anger he was feeling. Finally unable to take it anymore, he searched and quickly located Vegeta's ki and left without so much of an explanation, leaving his highly put-out friends to converse with his then wife.
Now he was flying towards Vegeta, growing closer to him with every second that past, he felt wary. Vegeta had never exactly been pleased to see him, and considering the current circumstances he figured he would be less so than usual. But he felt such empathy for him...and he knew through experience that often the best way to help someone was to be near them. He was still with Chi-Chi then, living under the pretence that they were happy together: he didn't know what it was like then to feel the pain of separation, and he knew even less what it felt like to be abandoned for someone else. Nevertheless, he felt intense emotions of hurt and anger, and he knew it was probably worse for Vegeta. It was these musings that spurred him onwards, despite how deliberately slowly he was travelling.
Before he knew it, he had landed on a rocky cliff face, the same one he had seen Vegeta retreat to many times in the past in order to escape pressures, thoughts and feelings. The prince sat with his back to him, with a perfect posture, one leg thrown over the other, and arms folded regally across his chest. He stood quietly for a moment, not sure of how to approach him, and half expecting that the prince would have sensed his ki long ago and was ignoring him – or preparing to shout at him if he dared to get too close.
Deciding to risk it, he stepped cautiously closer until he was standing directly behind him. To his surprise and amusement, he noticed Vegeta's eyes were firmly closed, his expression reflecting that he had entered into a meditative state. Goku had smiled wanly to himself at the rare look of serenity that had spread across the other Saiyan's features. Did he dare disturb such a sight?
After deliberating with himself for a few moments, he opened his mouth to interrupt Vegeta, but was cut off abruptly by a sharp, dense voice.
"Kakarott," was all Vegeta stated to acknowledge his presence, not even bothering to open his eyes.
"Wow, you sure don't miss a beat, do you?" Goku replied, unable to hold back a breath of laughter.
"Hn," Vegeta made his trademark sound of contempt, his eyes springing open although they remained focused on the view in front of him. "A warrior should always be prepared for anything. Now why the hell are you here?"
"Good question, if that's the kind of reception I'm going to get. Sheesh," Goku lowered himself to the ground beside him, leaving a small gap between them as though he were afraid the other Saiyan might bite. Truthfully, he was not all that put out by Vegeta's curt tones; over the years he had grown to expect nothing less. He was only trying to avoid the real reason for his intrusion, which he felt would bring about even more anger.
"You're the one choosing to stay," Vegeta replied blandly, observing the way Goku came to sit beside him with a sidelong glance, "no one is forcing you."
"Well no, but in a way I don't think it's much of a choice. We've been stuck together all this time against our will – I think it's pretty safe to say we'll be stuck together for good."
Vegeta scoffed at him, but Goku could detect a hint of amusement behind those perplexing dark eyes.
They remained silent for a long time, watching as the golden sunlight faded into a dense red dusk. All the while Goku contemplated exactly what he was doing there. Sure, he had wanted to make sure that this friend was okay, but Vegeta seemed nothing less than his usual self. Perhaps it was curiosity that had kept him there. He didn't know where Vegeta had been living these past few months, or what emotions might lurk beneath that cool exterior. Once again he felt ashamed of his neglect of the important people in his life. Although he might never acknowledge it out-rightly to him, he considered Vegeta to be a part of that group.
"You know why I often come here, Kakarott?" Vegeta asked, breaking the silence. "When the sun sets, it reminds me of the skies on my planet. They were blood red, just like this...only everywhere, and all the time."
Goku had blinked in surprise, mostly at the strange sadness reflected in Vegeta's voice when he mentioned his old home, but also at the fact that he'd never said much about it before.
"Really?" he asked, mildly interested. It was amazing how little he knew about where he came from, but it didn't fascinate him all that much. He'd grown up on Earth, and that was all he knew.
Vegeta nodded once quietly. "There were cities, bigger and more astounding than any human could dream of. And there were deserts, endless deserts that were red like the skies."
"Must have been quite a place," Goku had replied, eager to have a conversation to continue.
"It was home," Vegeta replied simply. "You wouldn't understand it. You were too young to remember..."
"Yeah well, I guess I don't really have that much to do with it. I got kicked out, didn't I? They didn't want me. I'm not all that Saiyan."
"'Not all that Saiyan?'" Vegeta had taunted in amusement. "The first Super Saiyan in a thousand years thinks he's 'not all that Saiyan'? That planet is more a part of you than you realise, you'll just never have the chance to see how."
Goku didn't really feel that he was missing out on much, but he decided to keep from saying anything. It would only anger Vegeta, and he was glad the prince was even talking to him at all. He just wished he understood what he meant. Of course, he knew that there were things about being Saiyan that only other Saiyans would understand, which was why he relied on Vegeta so much to explain things to him. But the planet itself? He didn't see what that had to do with him at all.
He shook these thoughts quickly from his mind. It didn't matter. He still hadn't found out what he really wanted to know...but was it worth the risk to ask? Vegeta was watching him now, obviously assuming him to be deep in thought about Saiyans and Vegeta-sei...he wondered how much longer he'd be willing to stick around. Finally, he made his decision.
"I know about you and Bulma..." he uttered quietly, although he met the other Saiyan's gaze directly as he spoke.
Vegeta sniffed, biceps tightening as he grew more uncomfortable. "What is there to know?"
Goku rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, it's...you know...her and Yamcha...I mean...aren't you...?"
"Quit your babbling, Kakarott," Vegeta responded in agitation. "Just ask whatever it is you obviously want to ask me."
"...I just wanted to know if you have a place to live."
"Idiot, of course I have a place to live. I hope you weren't planning on asking me to live with you, because to be honest I'd rather die."
Goku shook his head, trying to act as though these harsh words hadn't hurt him. Truthfully he was going to ask that very thing, and the fact that even after everything they had been through Vegeta still refused to receive help from him was infuriating. It completely diminished his acknowledgement of friendship during Buu.
"No, I wasn't going to ask," he finally replied, tone unusually rational, "I just wanted to make sure you weren't planning on going too far away. Trunks and Bura would miss you."
"Why should I care? This isn't my home, and nothing here belongs to me anymore."
"That's not true," Goku had replied earnestly, brushing the comment off as ridiculous. With or without Bulma, Earth was as much Vegeta's home as anyone else's. After all, he had fought for the planet...he'd had his children there.
It would take his departure to show Goku that Vegeta meant he no longer felt like Trunks and Bura needed him anymore.
"Vegeta?" he had dared to ask when they fell back into an awkward silence, "I was wondering...you and Bulma..."
Vegeta didn't wait for Goku to finish the sentence. "You want to know what happened. It's simple. She's a human. I am Saiyan. I have nothing more to say on the subject."
"And you're okay?"
"What a ridiculous question!" Vegeta turned to him, finally snapping. "Of course I'm 'okay'! Now if you don't mind, I think it's time I got back to that 'place I have to live.' And you should go home to your woman and your brats."
Goku sighed, defeated. He knew he shouldn't have expected anything else...Vegeta would never want help from him, no matter how small. Not even years of battling together and an admission of friendship had dismissed this impeccable pride.
"Whatever you say, Vegeta," Goku finally gave in, calling out after the prince as he flew away, "but you know where to find me."
Breaking himself from this morning revere, Goku stretched his arms to the sky and yawned before drifting back against the pillows. For the past four months, he had not been able to shake that memory from his mind. It floated just on the edge of his subconscious, teasing him...mocking him for not being able to read the signs he should have seen...making him feel ashamed that he had not done more.
That had been the last time he had seen Vegeta, just over two months before his disappearance. And hell, there had been some very strange months since then. He had gone from being married to being a divorcee before he barely even had time to register what was happening; from sleeping in his marital bed to finding himself on the floor of Capsule Corp. almost every night. Bulma had been hospitable towards him considering her circumstances, but with all his friends so focused on Vegeta's disappearance, none seemed to have much time to consider how he was coping. He didn't blame them – Vegeta's life could be in immediate danger, and as far as he was concerned that came before anything else.
In a way, it was his upcoming mission to Vegeta-sei that had kept Goku from dwelling too much on his personal situation. It spared him from having to think about what was going to happen next. He had never been one for looking into the past or future too much, preferring to live in the present, but recent events had made him wonder what life was going to be like from now on. He still owned the deeds to his grandfather's old house, but that was currently occupied by Chi-Chi and the boys. Chi-Chi had asked if it was okay for her to stay there while she found somewhere else to go, and he of course hadn't refused, but he didn't particularly feel comfortable living there as well. He had considered moving in with Krillin, his family and Master Roshi, but he hadn't wanted to intrude on the already overcrowded house. Besides, this way he could be much closer to Bura and Trunks, to whom he had somehow found himself playing the role of a surrogate father.
Gohan and Goten, meanwhile, had reacted to the divorce in separate ways. Goten had been much easier to handle. Having grown up so far with only one parent, the news that his mother and father would no longer be living together hadn't been that difficult for him to accept. But Gohan was a whole other story...he was old enough to understand what divorce meant, and despite his best efforts, it was obvious it bothered him more than he was willing to let on. The teenager spent most of his time between Piccolo and his girlfriend Videl, and had rarely spoken to his father since he had received the news. Goku hated it: just one more reason why he wasn't comfortable going home, and one more reason for his son to resent him.
Training Bura how to fight and use her ki had been one of the few things that had kept Goku from losing his mind due to boredom and loneliness. But he knew he was only a stand-in: the Briefs children needed their father back. He only wished there was a way to let Vegeta know how much...
He frowned to himself. Why was it so hard for Vegeta to always accept help when he needed it? Goku hadn't meant to offend him when he had come to find him that day. It was just that he felt a certain sense of obligation for the other Saiyan. They were the only two of their kind left, after all, so it could only be natural. And unlike Goku, Vegeta didn't exactly have friends to help him deal with these situations...none he would openly admit to having, at any rate.
He wondered if Vegeta might have treated him differently if he hadn't still been with Chi-Chi then. He might have thought Goku could relate to him better, having been separated as well. It was unlikely, or so he guessed. He was certain Vegeta wouldn't care...
Pushing these saddening thoughts from his mind, Goku decided it was time to get out of bed and focus on something else instead. It was school holidays: one of those rare occasions where the children would be home all week, and apparently Bulma had a special treat for them. He wasn't going to let anything ruin it.
"Man, this sucks," Trunks muttered to himself, picking up a cut-out gold star and lathering it with glue. "I wish my dad was here. He wouldn't let Mum get away with this!"
"I dunno, Trunks, this is actually kind of fun," Goten responded cheerfully, holding up a rather clumsy stencil of a dinosaur he'd just made. "Looky! Isn't he cute?"
Trunks glared at his best friend across the table and rolled his eyes. "You're such a baby sometimes."
"Quit being mean, Trunks," Gohan reprimanded him, taking the stencil from the now glum-looking Goten and holding it down for his younger brother to trace onto a card. "If you work quickly, then we'll let you go play video games after, right Dad?"
"Yep, that's right," Goku grinned, pleased that his eldest was addressing him directly. Gohan's expression remained solemn as he turned back to the work, but not even that was enough to dampen Goku's spirits. He was happy enough to be spending time with all four demi-Saiyans at once.
It had been disappointing that Bulma's 'surprise' had turned out to be work: she thought it was a nice gesture to have the children make farewell cards for all the refugees that had been staying with them these past four months, and had assigned Goku, Gohan and Videl the less-than-enviable task of helping them. Nonetheless, Goku observed, at least they got to sit outside, and it gave them a chance to all be together...
He was torn from his thoughts by a high-pitched shriek at his side, and turned his gaze down to be confronted with a blubbering Bura.
"Gokkie!" the little girl whimpered the nickname she had bestowed on him, curling up next him and drawing away from her big brother, "Trunks is stealing all my gold stars!"
"It's not fair; she's got all the best ones!" Trunks defended himself fiercely, cheeks turning red from embarrassment at having been 'told on'.
Goku swallowed nervously. He wasn't used to being put in these situations. He'd had little to do with punishing Gohan and Goten, preferring to leave that up to Chi-Chi. He turned to Gohan now for support, but only received a shrug in response. He began to search his brain for an answer, eventually settling on asking himself one question. What would Vegeta say? These are his children, after all...maybe they'd listen...
"I thought you said this was stupid anyway, Trunks," he pointed out, only causing the boy's temper to rise.
"It is stupid! But what makes it worse is the fact that I have to do it with dumb little kids!" he shouted, snatching yet another gold star away from his sister. It was no wonder Bulma had been trying to pan Trunks off onto Goku lately as well as Bura. Ever since his father's disappearance, Trunks had become gradually more hostile and bitter.
"Gokkie!" Bura pleaded, as she reached for the star her angry brother held just out of her grasp.
"Don't ask me to help you, Bura. What are you going to do about it?" Goku asked her, expression serious.
Bura stopped crying almost instantly, realising she wasn't going to be able to coax her surrogate parent into fighting this battle for her. Large eyes flashed with fear as she considered what it was she was supposed to do. Trunks watched on curiously, lowering his guard when he saw his sister display behaviour he'd never witnessed before.
A tiny smile crept onto her face, and without warning Bura turned and landed a punch squarely in her brother's gut. Trunks doubled over, reacting more out of shock than pain, and Bura laughed gleefully as the gold star fell from his grasp and she collected it in her chubby hand.
"Hey! How did you learn to do that?" Trunks bellowed at her in humiliation as Goten howled with laughter behind him.
"Gokkie," Bura said proudly, pointing to her mentor.
Goku resisted the urge to smile or laugh. He knew Vegeta would probably ridicule him for this, demanding he train harder, but Goku wanted to spare Trunks further embarrassment. Nevertheless, he felt proud of his pupil. He hadn't been wrong when he guessed Bura had inherited Saiyan strength. Like her brother and Goku's own sons, she was advancing very quickly, and seemed to thrive on the thrill of raw fighting and training. Since she had discarded her red dress in favour of a training gi and had lost much of her baby fat, this was becoming more apparent. She was definitely Vegeta's daughter, and he knew they both were anticipating the day where they could show him all she had learnt.
"You've been training Bura, Daddy?" Goten asked, impressed. "Can she go Super Saiyan yet?"
"Not yet, Goten," Goku laughed, ruffling the girl's hair, "she's still a bit too young. But she should be ready to learn how to fly in a couple of months. You and Trunks should help her with her training! I know she needs good sparring partners."
"I don't want to waste my time on some dumb kid," Trunks said sourly, sounding more and more like his father by the second.
"Aw, but Trunks, she's your sister," Goku said pleadingly. "I guess it's normal for brothers and sisters to not get along so well, but you should really channel that emotion into your training. When Bura gets stronger it could make for some pretty spectacular show-downs..."
"You just want to see a good match, like when Trunks and Goten fought at the World Tournament," Gohan added as an aside, not without a hint of annoyance. "Or like when you made me fight Cell."
"Gohan..." Videl said warily, resting a hand on his arm as she cast Goku a sympathetic glance. Goku was glad his son had such a caring girlfriend to help him handle the divorce. She had been through the same thing with her own parents, and could probably offer Gohan more understanding than he ever could.
"It's okay, Videl. That was mostly because I knew you could do it, Gohan, and I wanted to see you get stronger," Goku tried to explain, although he knew it was futile. He turned back to the younger children. "I know Vegeta would like to see you three get stronger too. You don't want him to think you've just wasted all your time sitting around here, right?"
He was glad to see that his words must have affected Trunks, because the boy soon leapt to his feet.
"So why are we wasting time sitting around now, huh? Come on, Bura, let's see what you got!"
Goku grinned as the three youngest Saiyans began their training. Things were at last going well, or so he thought until...
"What the hell?" Bulma's shriek, no different to her daughter's, sounded throughout the large gardens.
Goku gulped and turned just in time to see her storming over to him, her blue-green hair a wild mass framing a pale, worn out face. She looked very tired, Goku noticed instantly, despite her tirade. There were bags beneath her green eyes, and she hadn't made her usual effort with her make-up or her clothes. It had been a hard couple of months for everyone, but especially for Vegeta's ex-lover, who had dedicated herself to building the time machine on little else but guilt.
"Goku! Gohan! Videl! I told you they were meant to be making cards for the refugees, not...not fighting!!"
"Don't look at us, Bulma," Gohan said quickly in defence of himself and his girlfriend.
"What's my mother going to say?" Bulma continued to wail as though he hadn't spoken. "She'll be so disappointed if the cards don't get finished! The refugees are supposed to be going home tomorrow!"
Goku privately thought that Mrs. Briefs wasn't going to mind all that much if he told her what happened. She'd probably just giggle, call him 'cute' and pinch his butt like she always did whenever he was around her. But this was not something he was going to let Bulma know about.
"Goku, do you have anything at all to say for yourself?" Bulma demanded just as these thoughts were crossing his mind, arms placed haughtily on her hips.
"Uh, no, they just sort of started on their own," he said honestly, holding his hands up in protest. He wasn't at all fazed: he was used to angry women shouting at him.
To his surprise, Bulma chose not to pursue it, and only folded her arms with a threatening growl. "Whatever, I don't have time for this. Gohan and Videl, would you deal with the kids, please? Goku, I need you to come with me. We have work to do."
Sensing that it would be pointless to refuse, Goku trailed after her unhappily, leaving his son to pull the three squabbling children apart. Their angry shouts and Videl's desperate attempts to calm the siblings down followed them down the long corridors of Capsule Corporation.
"Dad and I have completed the time machine," Bulma informed him once they were out of ear-shot. They were entering the part of the house from which the Briefs family ran their business, somewhere Goku hadn't been since he was a young boy.
"Really!?" Goku exclaimed in excitement, "Bulma, that's fantastic! I didn't know you'd finish it so fast! You're amazing!"
Bulma smiled at him in gratitude. Although she never revealed it, her old friend always had a special place in her heart. Any compliment from him meant more than words could describe.
"So when should I leave?" he went on to ask her eagerly, "right now?"
Bulma laughed and shook her head, coming to rest in front of a nearby door. "Not yet, there's still a few things that need to be taken care of. You can't just jump in a time machine and fly away. Time travel takes extensive preparation. Mirai Trunks was preparing himself for weeks before he came to us. Unfortunately, we don't have weeks, so you'll need to learn quickly."
Goku's brow furrowed and he nodded to show that he understood. "Just tell me what I need to do."
Bulma sighed, pressing the button that slid open the automatic door behind her. "I hope you're ready, Goku."
Goku barely heard her, gaping in awe at the sheer magnitude of the ship that took up almost all of the gigantic room before him. It was an exact replica of the ship Trunks had taken with him from the future, only it was...different somehow. Bulma had obviously made a few modifications, and it had definitely increased in size.
"Hello, Goku!" Dr Briefs waved cheerfully at him as he emerged from behind the machine.
"Hey Dr Briefs!" Goku replied just as enthusiastically. "Wow, this looks incredible."
"She's a beauty, alright. We have Bulma to thank for most of it, she's been working non stop since the project began. Only breaks to sleep and eat."
"The point is, it's finished now," Bulma brushed these comments off quickly. "I'm going to teach you how to work it, Goku. Fly me up into the control room so I can show you."
Goku did as he was told, dropping her in the machine's only chair and resting just outside.
"Behind this screen is the main computer," Bulma explained, indicating. "It controls everything, including where you want to go. Thanks to King Kai I've been able to program it so it will take you straight to Vegeta. Do not tamper with the coordinates, that's very important, okay? Otherwise who knows where you might end up. And you can't afford to make any mistakes; the time machine only has enough juice for two trips – that's one trip there, and one trip home, you understand? You should be able to carry Vegeta back with you, but the machine won't take the extra strain for long so you need to be really careful. It's only meant for one person, after all."
Goku listened intently as Bulma continued to demonstrate what each button did, and how to ensure he used the controls properly. He had always been a fast learner, so he knew that once he had stored the information in his mind he wouldn't forget it. But at the same time Bulma's tone of urgency was making him nervous. Everything she said translated to 'you can't afford to screw this up.'
"Bulma, sweetheart," Dr Briefs called out from below as he busied himself with cleaning a spot of oil from his glasses, "have you told Goku how to store the time machine yet?"
"I'm telling him now, Dad! Thanks!" Bulma shouted back to him. The old man nodded and tossed the cloth he was holding aside before departing.
Bulma continued explaining as he left. "It's easy. There's a small hatch on the side which hides a button. You just have to press the button and the machine will be placed inside a capsule, just like any other Capsule Corp. product. After you arrive on Vegeta-sei you should put the machine away straight away. Otherwise you might attract a bit of unwanted attention from some curious Saiyans."
"Oh yeah," Goku answered solemnly. He kept forgetting he was actually going to be around other Saiyans. "I'm going to stand out though anyway, aren't I?"
"Well, that was the other thing I needed to talk to you about," said Bulma. "We don't know what Vegeta has done since he's been there, but the last thing we want is for you to draw attention to yourself. Chances are, if Vegeta has kept quiet about it, the Saiyans aren't going to know anything about Earth or its customs. Since you've been raised here, everything you say and do is going to seem very strange to them. But in order to get Vegeta back, you're going to have to try and blend in as well as you can, because if you draw too much attention to yourself, you're likely to draw in a whole lot of trouble as well. You're going to have to convince the entire population of a planet – and then some – that you are just an ordinary Saiyan. Which is exactly why you're the only one who can go on this mission; your full Saiyan blood will make it easier for you to be absorbed into the culture than Trunks or even Gohan could, since they're part human."
"I see what you mean," Goku replied thoughtfully, "but I'm not really all that Saiyan either. I don't know anything about being a Saiyan...except for the fact that they are a cruel and sadistic race."
"You're the best hope we have, Goku. I can teach you what I know, based on what I've learnt from Vegeta over the years. But that isn't much. Vegeta is such a secretive bastard, and truth be told I was never really that interested beyond research purposes," Bulma said regretfully. "But what I do know is that if you don't want to stand out like a beacon, you are going to need a tail."
"A tail?" he cried, automatically clasping his hands over the base of his spine protectively.
Bulma nodded, ignoring this response as she sunk into thought. "Dad and I have been talking...we think there might be a way to awaken the dormant gene in your anatomy which used to provide you with a tail. It would mean completely reversing the operation that was performed on you when you were a child, though, which could be potentially dangerous. Are you willing to take that risk?"
Goku swallowed. He hated the idea of an operation...of someone poking around at his insides. Still, he supposed, if it was for Vegeta...
His head snapped up as a revelation dawned upon him. "Vegeta didn't have a tail when he went back!"
"Actually, he did," Bulma said matter-of-factly. "King Kai told Piccolo it was his first wish. He asked for his tail to be brought back before he used the second wish to go back in time. This means, logically, he obviously didn't want to draw too much attention to himself when he got there. Therefore, logically, neither should you."
"Okay then," Goku sighed in defeat, "I'll let you guys do the operation."
"Thank you, Goku," Bulma beamed at him in relief, "there's just one other thing you'll need to do..."
Goku groaned. He knew there had to be more. "You may as well get it over with and tell me."
"Don't worry, it's not so bad this time," Bulma tried to reassure him. "You're just going to have to learn a few languages, is all. But King Kai has agreed to help you with that. Apparently it's one of his abilities...you'll be speaking fluent Saiyan, as well as some more universally recognised languages, in a heartbeat."
"That could be useful," Goku admitted. Vegeta had once told him that the scouters were often used as translation devices, which was why aliens in the past had always been able to communicate with him. This would be the first time he would make an effort to learn another language himself.
"It should help you to fit in, definitely. You can't have a Saiyan who doesn't speak any Saiyan, after all," Bulma replied with a wry grin. "The other thing you are going to need is an identity...an alias you can use if anyone starts to question you or give you any trouble. Again, King Kai will organise that, since he actually knows a thing or two about Saiyan culture. He'll give you a name, a rank and a hometown you can use while you're there. If you seem confident enough about these things, he doesn't think anyone will bother you too much. You'll be able to search for Vegeta while remaining virtually undetected."
"Good," Goku said decisively. "I don't care what I have to go through, Bulma. The main thing is that I bring Vegeta back safe."
He felt himself loosing some of his confidence when Bulma looked up at him strangely, coaxing her head to one side to study him, eyes wide as though she were seeing him properly for the first time in years.
"What is it?" he asked her, feeling himself growing in concern.
Bulma blinked at him and shook her head as if waking herself from a trance.
"Nothing," she gave a little laugh. "It's just...you really care about him, don't you?"
Goku only stared at her, surprised. Was it really that much of a shock to her? When had he given everyone the impression, in the last few years, that he didn't care about Vegeta?
"Of course I do," he said affirmatively, tone reflecting his confusion at her implied assumption.
"I'm sorry," the woman answered quickly. "But you have to admit, you two never really got along. I know it was always a little more one-sided, and Vegeta was the one with the grudge against you, but...I thought he pissed you off, too. Believe me, if it was me in your shoes I'd be pissed at him, what with the constant 'I'm going to defeat you' thing...it's got to get annoying. I mean, he was practically obsessed with you!"
Goku sighed. It was obvious now why the couple had split up. Bulma hadn't realised how much Vegeta was changing.
"It's true we always fight, and that Vegeta used to hate me. It's also true that he never used to be my favourite person, either. But I do respect him a lot. He's an amazing fighter, who has saved my life dozens of times. If it weren't for him I don't think I'd still be here today. Over time, I think he's come to respect me too...in his own way, at least."
Bulma sniggered. "If you say so, Goku. But I should warn you now, Vegeta doesn't care about anyone. That's why it never really worked between us."
"I think he cares about you just as much as you care about him," Goku said loyally, "he just has a different way of showing it to most people. And I know you still care about him, Bulma, even though you're with Yamcha now. Otherwise you wouldn't have worked so hard on the time machine these past few months."
"I feel guilty, Goku!" Bulma sighed, frustrated. "I blame myself for him leaving and putting his life in danger like this. It really is my fault, isn't it?"
"No," Goku said truthfully, "I reckon Vegeta has been thinking about this for a long time...you just gave him the excuse he needed to do it."
"You really think so?" she asked almost desperately, gazing into his eyes.
Her eyes brightened when he nodded sincerely, but she masked this quickly with a look of resentment.
"He still has no excuse to abandon his kids. Trunks has been impossible! I'm actually considering Chi-Chi's idea of sending him to live with her for a while. And as for poor little Bura...well, thank goodness for you, Goku, or I don't know how I would have coped!"
"I'm always happy to help," Goku grinned optimistically. "To be honest, I can't wait to tell Vegeta all about Bura and what she's learnt! You know I've been teaching her martial arts, right?"
"I had no idea. Vegeta won't like that you trained her," Bulma mused. "But I think it's great. Serves him right for paying her no attention since she was born. I hope you teach her the Kamehameha and she uses it to blow off his ugly, stinking face!"
"Bulma?" Goku interjected, worried. He could sense his friend's anger growing as she talked.
Bulma looked up at him with a new fury in her eyes. "Ungrateful bastard...all this time I've been feeling so guilty, when he's the one who has caused all this mess! Goku, when you find him, will you promise to give him something from me?"
"Uh, sure," Goku said nervously, although he had a feeling he was going to regret it.
In one graceless movement, Bulma got to her feet and pulled herself up so that she stood beside Goku. Before he had time to react, she stood on her tiptoe and slapped him in the face. Hard.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed, rubbing the place on his cheek where she had struck.
"Tell him that's for abandoning his children...and for making me worry about him...and for making me feel guilty...and for making me have to build the fucking time machine...and for – ah!!!"
She was cut short as she lost her footing and fell over the side, only to be instantly swept up in Goku's waiting arms.
"Don't worry, Bulma, I'll bring him back," Goku said soothingly as he set her on the ground, then added with a mischievous grin, "then you can hit him yourself."
Bulma scowled, brushing imaginary dirt from her clothes in an attempt to regain her dignity. "You better..."
Note: Had so much fun writing the scene with Bulma in this. So happy that people are continuing to read and find this interesting. Thanks for all the reviews and support! Suggestions for improvement are most welcome.