Family Reunion
Goku watched as Vegeta started walking toward his palace. He quickly formed a plan in his head, not sure how it would actually pan out, but not caring to consider the consequences or drawbacks. He raised his fingers to his forehead and searched for an old, familiar ki. As soon as he locked on to it he disappeared, leaving Vegeta behind, alone to watch over his planet.
The first thing he heard when he rematerialized was a startled shout followed by the excited chattering of a monkey. He smiled when he saw his former sensei and waved in greeting. "Hey, King Kai! I'm on my way to Earth. Do you know what direction it is?"
King Kai considered chiding Goku for dropping in without warning, but decided it was pointless anyway. The saiyan would never learn. Instead, he pointed to his right. "It's that way. And hello to you too, Goku."
"Thanks, King Kai!" Goku tuned his senses in the direction the blue god indicated and searched for the ki signatures of someone he might recognize. He frowned when he couldn't find any of them, not even his granddaughter Pan. They weren't there. Sometimes he forgot how long it had actually been since he'd visited Earth. Well, he could still find someone whose ki he recognized, it would just be harder to find since it was comparatively low.
'There you are.' Goku honed in on the weak ki and teleported from Otherworld to Earth.
"Goku? Is that really you?"
The immortal saiyan spun around when he heard the old man's voice behind him. He grinned and scratched the back of his head. "Hey there, Dende, how's it going?"
Dende, who was now old, yellowed, and wrinkled, looked more like the former guardian of Earth than the young Namekian Goku remembered. He leaned heavily on his staff with each step he took toward the father of his closest friend. "Everything is good here. We've enjoyed many years of peace."
"Glad to hear it. Do you know where I can find Vegeta's family?"
"Vegeta's family?" Dende raised a brow. "Don't you want to see your own?"
Goku rubbed his neck. "Well, yeah, of course. But I need to find Vegeta's family first. I want him to be able to meet them."
"What are you talking about? Vegeta died over a hundred years ago."
"Yeah, well, he's not dead. He's actually immortal, too."
"Vegeta's immortal?" Dende shouted.
Goku laughed at the Guardian of Earth's reaction. He was as surprised as he had been when he first learned that Vegeta had become a god. He nodded. "Yup! He's the guardian of his own planet now. Wild, huh?"
"That's an understatement," Dende mumbled. He shook his head. "Anyway, if you want to find his family you just have to go to Capsule Corporation. It's still there. It's a lot bigger now, but it's in the same place."
"Thanks, Dende! It was good seeing you again!" Goku called as he leaped off the edge of the Lookout and took off toward West City. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, reacquainting himself with the only place he would ever call home. He missed it, really, but that was never enough to make him come back. He had too much exploring to do. Once he'd seen the whole universe then maybe, maybe he would return to Earth and settle down for good. Maybe. He descended when he saw West City below. He wondered if the Briefs would know who he was. He shrugged and refused to worry about it.
Goku landed on the sidewalk outside the main gate to the Capsule Corporation compound. He whistled when he saw how much it had grown. The same yellow domed building was still in the middle of it all, but there were many more buildings constructed around it, most of them much larger than the original structure. The gates were open and a multitude of people were meandering throughout the corporation grounds, most of them wearing white lab coats with the Capsule Corp emblem on the left breast. Goku walked in, though he had no idea where to look for Vegeta's descendants. He figured the best place to begin his search was at the main building.
The gardens were much smaller now. He wondered what Mrs. Brief would have thought about that had she seen it. Likely she would have been rather upset. It took her years to get them just right and she was constantly tending them lest a weed sprout up or a flower not get enough water. Goku chuckled at the memory as he reached the front door of the original compound.
As he raised his hand to knock on the door, it swung open and he was nearly plowed over as two children ran outside followed by a young woman with blue, spiky hair. "Hey you two!" she screeched. Goku covered his ears with his hands. She gave him an apologetic look before marching after the two little ruffians. "Get back here this instant!"
The woman growled in frustration when she was ignored. Goku burst into laughter and came up behind her. "Excuse me, but would you like me to get them for you?"
She looked him up and down and snorted. "Go for it. But I'm warning you, they're not easy to catch."
"I guess that's probably true. They are part saiyan, right?" Goku smiled and phased out of sight, leaving the blue-haired woman gaping. She didn't know who he was, but somehow he knew about her saiyan heritage.
A few seconds later he reappeared with her kids tucked under his arms. She stared at him a moment, unable to find words. Finally, her shock wore off and she was able to communicate again. "Who are you?"
"My name is Goku."
"Goku? As in Uncle Goku's great-great grandfather? That's impossible."
"Uncle Goku? I don't know if he was named after me, but it's possible. I haven't been to Earth for a couple centuries."
The woman's eyebrow raised. "A couple centuries? Look, bud, I don't know who you think you are, but you're crazy. Would you please put my kids down and leave?"
Goku set the kids down. He almost expected them to try running away again, but they were as bewildered as their mother and didn't move. They stared up at him. He was super fast. Faster than their mother, even. That was impressive. And scary. Definitely scary.
"I can't leave," he said, "I want to take you to see Vegeta."
The woman put her hands on her hips and glared at Goku. Aside from her hair being spiky and her features more angular, she was the spitting image of Bulma. Goku had to force himself not to laugh at the resemblance. "My father lives with us here. I don't have to go anywhere to see him. What are you talking about?"
Goku rubbed his neck and cocked his head. "Huh? But how can Vegeta be here? He's on Vegeta-sei."
"What the hell are you talking about?" the woman screamed, losing patience. Goku couldn't help but smile when he saw his rival's temper in her.
"I guess it's a different Vegeta. I'm talking about Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans. Well, he was the prince, but now –"
"How do you know about the saiyans?"
"Huh? Well, I am a saiyan."
"The saiyans are all dead."
"Not anymore. The Supreme Kai brought them back and now there's a bunch of them on Veget—"
"The Supreme Kai?"
"Yeah, Kibitoshin. Haven't you heard of him?"
"Only in stories." The woman crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't know what to make of the stranger. Here he was, digging up old stories passed down through the generations as if he knew them by heart. Hell, he talked about it as if he was part of the stories. Well, he did say he was Goku, but how could that be possible? Goku was about the same age as her great-great-great grandfather. He would have died long ago. This man standing in front of her was very much alive.
"So what's your name, anyway, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Garta."
"It's nice to meet you, Garta," Goku said, extending his hand to shake. "You said your father is still alive? And he's here?"
"Yes." For some reason Garta was having trouble finding reason not to trust Goku.
"Great! I know this is really sudden, but could you find him? I want to take you all to see Vegeta. The other Vegeta. I think he'd like to meet you all."
"Boxer," Garta said, eyes still fixed on her mysterious visitor, "Go find your grandfather."
The boy at Goku's side nodded and ran inside the compound. Goku was struck by how much he resembled Trunks. Aside from having black hair instead of lavender, he could have been a clone. He had the same piercing blue eyes and Vegeta's sharp features. It seemed the saiyan genes remained dominant no matter how diluted they were.
The remaining three waited in awkward silence for a few minutes before the door opened again and an old man with spiky, graying hair and a prominent widow's peak stepped outside followed closely by Boxer. The man raised an eyebrow when he saw Goku.
"Well," he said dryly, "He has the same hair as the other clown."
Goku laughed and scratched his head. "Really? Man, you sound just like Vegeta."
"How do you know him?" Vegeta Jr. asked.
"Oh, gosh," Goku said, "We go way back. We fought many battles together. Of course we met when he came to Earth and he was going to use the dragonballs to wish for immortality and I had to fight him to stop him, but we're friends now."
Vegeta Jr. was dumbstruck. "Is it true you want to take us to see him? How is that possible? He's dead."
Goku shook his head. "Nope, not dead. He's immortal, like me."
"Wait, wait, wait," Garta interjected, "You're immortal?"
"Yeah."
"I can't believe this," she muttered.
"Well, come on! Grab hold of me and we'll go visit him now."
Hesitantly, Vegeta Jr., Garta, and her kids laid their hands on him. He raised his fingers to his forehead and searched for Vegeta's ki signature. Now that he knew it was still there, somewhere in the universe, it was much easier to find. After a minute of searching he found it and transmitted himself and his passengers to the Lookout of Vegeta-sei.
"What?" Garta shrieked, "Where are we?"
"Vegeta-sei. I can't bring Vegeta to see you since he's the guardian here, but I can bring you to see him. Let me go find him. Wait here!" Goku ran to the center palace and disappeared inside. It was late evening and Vegeta was probably eating his daily meal.
Garta turned to her father and grabbed her children's hands. "Is this for real?"
Vegeta Jr. surveyed the area. The sky was dark red and they were standing on the grounds of a large palace unlike any he had ever seen before. It definitely wasn't Earth. He nodded. "I think so."
"Kakarrot, you fool, what do you think you're doing?"
The four hybrids whirled around when they heard someone shouting at the entrance of the palace. Whoever it was certainly didn't sound happy.
"Relax, 'Geta, I got some visitors here you might want to meet," they heard Goku's voice say calmly.
"Don't be ridiculous! Who could I possibly want to see? Damnit, I'm trying to eat!"
Goku gave Vegeta one last shove out the door to the platform. Vegeta stumbled forward before regaining his balance. He scowled at his friend over his shoulder before crossing his arms over his chest and walking out to see who he was supposed to meet. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the four people standing there.
"Kakarrot, what the hell is going on here?" he breathed.
Goku walked over to the earthlings and gestured for Vegeta to come closer. "Vegeta, meet Vegeta Jr., Garta, Boxer, and… what's your name?"
The girl who had yet to say a word through the whole ordeal frowned and stuck her tongue out at Goku. "My name is Corsetta, you dummy."
Ignoring the insult, Goku finished his introduction. "And Corsetta. Guys, this is Vegeta, your great-great… some number of greats grandpa."
Vegeta came closer to his visitors. He reached his hand out to Garta and stroked her cheek. "You look so much like Bulma," he whispered.
"Is it true, then?" Vegeta Jr. asked. "You're really him? My great-great grandfather?"
"So it would seem," Vegeta answered.
"Oh, wow! This is so cool!" Boxer exclaimed as he launched himself at Vegeta and wrapped his short arms around his neck. "So that means you're my great-great-great-great grandpa, right?"
Vegeta grabbed the back of the boy's shirt and yanked him off. He held him at eye level and quirked an eyebrow. "When did saiyans go so soft?"
"I want a hug too!" Corsetta pouted.
Vegeta looked down at her and laughed. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn she was Bra when she was four years old. The only difference was this girl had lavender hair and black eyes shaped like his own. "Definitely more human than saiyan," he concluded. Still, he knelt down and, after setting Boxer back on his feet, pulled Corsetta into an embrace with one arm.
"Are we really on another planet?" Boxer asked.
"We're not on Earth, if that's what you mean," Vegeta replied.
"Awesome!" Boxer ran to the edge of the Lookout and nearly fell off. He looked down and lost his ability to make coherent sentences. It wasn't long before Corsetta ran after him to see what he was looking at.
"So you're really immortal, huh?" Vegeta Jr. asked. "Then where's Bulma?"
The smile that had been tugging at Vegeta's lips fell. He sighed heavily and gazed up at the crimson sky. "She's dead. In heaven."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that—"
"It's fine, boy. You can come inside if you'd like. I'm going to finish my meal." Vegeta turned and went back inside. He resented his mate being asked about. Did it have to be automatically assumed that because he was immortal she was too? He wished that were so, but that's not the way it worked. He sat down at the table where his meal was laid out before him and resumed eating. Whether or not his descendants followed him was unimportant. Sure, he wanted to see them, but he was hungry and it was a bit of a shock to have them suddenly appear in his life.
"Nice going, Dad," Garta said, elbowing her father in the ribs. "Let's go."
"What did I do?" Vegeta Jr. grumbled. He went with his daughter into the palace. Neither of them knew which way to go to find their ancestor, but they found him soon enough by following the scent of food.
Vegeta saw them come in the kitchen, but he didn't stop eating to acknowledge them. He noticed their discomfort, but he didn't know how to put them at ease. Surely they were as bewildered as he was. 'Kakarrot is such an idiot,' he thought. 'Why did he think this would go over well? And speak of the devil…'
Goku appeared in the kitchen behind Garta and Vegeta Jr. and walked over to the table where he took a seat across from Vegeta. He reached for a bowl of rice, but he was stopped when the older saiyan grabbed his wrist and gave him a warning growl.
"Oh come on, Vegeta, I'm hungry!" he whined.
"Get your own damn food."
Goku pouted. "I don't know how to cook."
"Tough luck."
"Fine." Goku huffed and stood up to see what food was in the pantry. There was the sound of jars rattling around for a few minutes. Then he poked his head out and addressed Garta and Vegeta Jr. "Hey, are you guys hungry?"
"Uh, no, I'm fine, thanks," Garta answered.
"Oh, well ok then. You can sit down if you'd like."
"Thanks." Garta and her father walked over to the table and sat down. They still didn't feel entirely comfortable. They were in the house – palace, rather – of their ancestor who was not only immortal, but a god. That was a lot to take in. They stared wide-eyed at the amount of food Vegeta was consuming. They had large appetites, but that was in comparison to humans. They would never be able to eat as much as he was packing away in one sitting. At least there was no doubt about where their inhuman appetites originated anymore. No one ever really explained that it was their saiyan genes that made them so hungry all the time.
"So this is Vegeta-sei? I always thought it was destroyed centuries ago," Vegeta Jr. said. The least he could do was try to make conversation.
Vegeta nodded, though he didn't bother pausing in his eating to explain. They could talk after he was finished with his meal. Until then, they would have to wait to have their curiosity satisfied. He cracked open some sort of crustacean and pulled out the white meat, dipped it in some sort of sauce, and shoved it in his mouth. Garta and Vegeta Jr. grimaced at the display. He didn't have the best manners they had ever seen. Wasn't he supposed to be a prince? And a god? He acted more like a wild barbarian.
They turned when they heard Goku coming out of the pantry, arms loaded with more food than they had ever seen at one time. It was even more food than what Vegeta was eating. Their eyebrows raised.
"Is he really going to eat all that?" Garta whispered to her father.
Vegeta Jr. nodded dumbly.
Goku shoved Vegeta's dishes to one side of the table and dropped his food. He threw the pieces of meat in the air and blasted them with small balls of ki. He caught the roasted meat and set it on the table. He went to the stove to start a pot of rice, never noticing the incredulous expressions he was receiving from the hybrids.
The younger immortal was still eating when Vegeta finished his food. He gathered his dirty dishes and carried them to the sink to wash later. Normally he would wash them as soon as he was finished with them, but he had family visiting. His shock was ebbing and he was eager to find out more about them. He sat down at the table and, doing his best to ignore the disgusting eating habits of his old rival, turned his attention to his descendants. He figured the best way to start a conversation was to explain exactly how he was there, on Vegeta-sei.
"As you said, Vegeta-sei was destroyed centuries ago. More precisely, when I was five years old."
"Then how are we here?" Garta asked.
Vegeta frowned at her. His great-great-whatever granddaughter or not, he did not like being interrupted. He rarely tolerated interruptions from anyone aside from Bulma. "If you would shut up and let me explain you might learn something."
"Sorry. Go on."
Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest and continued, "Frieza completely obliterated the planet and the entire saiyan race aside from myself, Nappa, Raditz, and this clown." He nodded his head toward Goku. "When I died about a century ago, the Supreme Kai made me immortal and gave me the new position as guardian of this planet, which was recently created to be an exact replica of the old Vegeta-sei. He also went to hell and gave a few hundred saiyans new lives without any memories of their old lives. Essentially, he started the saiyan race anew."
"But why?" Garta asked. She covered her mouth with her hand when Vegeta gave her a stern look.
"Supposedly the saiyans are prophesied to save the universe or some shit like that in the future. I am their guardian because it is my penance. Eventually, I will supposedly be redeemed through the saiyans and I will be allowed to go to Otherworld and spend eternity in heaven. That's the only reason I accepted this stupid job."
"Why wouldn't you go to heaven?" Vegeta Jr. asked. "I thought you helped save the universe when you were alive."
Vegeta snorted. "I see some stories have been lost through the generations. I wasn't always a good guy."
"What do you mean?"
"I spent the first thirty years of my life killing people. As a soldier in Frieza's army I was forced to purge entire planets of civilization."
Goku set his bowl of rice down and looked between Vegeta and the mortals. He could see the unease creeping back. "Vegeta, maybe you shouldn't tell them…"
"They have a right to know," Vegeta snapped. He raked his hand through his hair. "Why should it be kept a secret?"
"How many people did you kill?" Garta asked. She was afraid to know, but her interest was piqued.
"Billions."
"B-billions?"
Vegeta sighed and nodded. He wasn't going to deny what he did. He wasn't proud of his actions, but he wasn't one to sugar coat things or omit the truth. Besides, if he didn't tell them what he did, how would they ever understand why he was there, serving as guardian of the saiyans? How would they understand why he had to be redeemed?
"Now you see why I'm here. I somehow have to make up for all my sins in my life. I already have some points stacked up on the good side from my actions while I was still alive, but there's still many debts to be repaid. I'm going to be a guardian for millennia at this rate. I would rather just die and be done with it, but I have been given the chance to go to heaven where I can be with my woman."
"You mean Bulma?" Vegeta Jr. asked.
"Yes."
Garta banged her fist against the table. "But that's not fair! You said you were a soldier. You had to do what you did, right? How can you be punished for that?"
"Don't be foolish, girl. I did what I did because I had to, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. And anyway, I also had the choice to kill myself rather than serve that lizard."
"But you helped save the universe!"
"For selfish reasons. I did it to save my family and my pride more than to help the universe."
"Oh."
"Yeah," Goku said, "But you still helped more than anyone else in the fight against Buu. If it weren't for you we never would have beat him."
Vegeta rolled his eyes. "If it weren't for me he never would have been revived in the first place."
"Maybe. We don't know that. And anyway, even if it was your fault he was released, you're still the one that came up with the plan that stopped him."
"You could have defeated him without my help if you hadn't held back to give me a chance to fight him."
"Possibly. It doesn't matter if I could have done it or not, the point is I didn't. You're really the one behind his defeat. I never would have thought of using the Namekian dragonballs and asking the people of Earth to contribute energy for a spirit bomb. That was pure genius."
"I appreciate the praise, Kakarrot," Vegeta grumbled, "but I don't deserve it. I was a selfish bastard back then."
Goku shrugged. "I don't know. I think that's when you really became a good guy."
"Whatever."
The conversation died for a few minutes. Vegeta and Goku were tired of arguing. They had been going back and forth on that subject for years. Neither was willing to admit the other was right, and they probably never would. Garta and Vegeta Jr. had nothing to say. Even though they heard all the stories from their parents and grandparents, they were still awestruck to hear about the battle with Buu from the two saiyans who actually fought him.
"So answer me this. Do you fight?" Vegeta asked.
Vegeta Jr. laughed a little. "I used to, years ago. I stopped when I took over the company."
"And you?"
"I did a little. I was never very interested in it," Garta answered.
Vegeta scoffed. "So human."
"Well, excuse me," she snapped. "I happen to be much more human than saiyan. And anyway, you might be interested to know that Boxer and Corsetta both enjoy fighting. Though it seems to be the trend that us hybrids only enjoy fighting when we're young."
"So it would seem. That's how it was with Trunks and Bra. And Kakarrot's brats." Vegeta sighed. He was actually glad the saiyans were revived for a change. He couldn't count on his and Kakarrot's posterity to uphold the pride of the saiyan race. They were weaklings. They didn't care about fighting any more than any human.
"We're still stronger than the average human," Vegeta Jr. growled. He didn't train anymore, but he still didn't want to be grouped with the weakling full-blooded humans.
Vegeta smirked when he saw a streak of saiyan pride still running strong. "And that's supposed to impress me? Humans are pathetic creatures."
"Oh really?" Garta hissed. "Then why did you marry one?"
"She was more saiyan than human in some ways," Vegeta replied. "She was weak physically, but she could match me in a verbal spar any day."
Garta stood up and walked out of the kitchen. "I'm going to check up on Boxer and Corsetta."
Vegeta Jr. scowled at his ancestor. He didn't want anyone to upset his daughter, even if that person was his great-great grandfather. He crossed his arms over his chest, perfectly mirroring the man he never met before that day. His ki flared a little. "Your social skills could use some work."
Vegeta laughed. "So I've been told."
Goku laughed as well. He'd heard the same comment being made by all of Vegeta's family more times than he could count. And it wasn't as if he couldn't agree. Vegeta had a prickly personality. It took a long time to get used to him. Some people never did.
The younger Vegeta was not pleased. "You know you're like a legend in our family. But I can't see why. Sure, you might be incredibly powerful, but you don't care about your own family's feelings! Are you always like this?"
Vegeta stopped laughing abruptly and growled instead. He didn't care about his family's feelings? His eyes narrowed. "Listen, boy. I care about my family more than anything in the universe. It's not my fault you've all gone so soft you can't handle what I say."
"What about Garta? You're mocking us for acting like humans! Newsflash, old man, we're mostly human!"
"Hey, guys," Goku interrupted, standing and waving his hands in the air defensively. "Calm down. It's not a big deal. Vegeta didn't mean to insult anyone."
Vegeta Jr. also stood up and sneered at Goku. "Shut up, you clown! If he didn't mean to offend us then he could have kept his mouth shut!"
"Get over it, boy." Vegeta flicked his tongue over his canine when his great-great grandson's ki flared up around him.
"Stop calling me that," Vegeta. Jr. snarled.
"What? Boy? It's what you are. You're acting like a child so I'll treat you like one."
"I am not a child!"
"Then stop acting like one."
"Guys, seriously!" Goku shouted. "What is wrong with you?"
"Shut up!" the Vegetas shouted back.
Vegeta's tail uncoiled from his waist and twitched playfully behind him. When Goku saw it, he stepped back and smiled. He knew what Vegeta was doing. Purposely goading his descendant into a fight. Making him mad enough to have to defend his honor. It was a sneaky, nasty thing to do, but that was how Vegeta operated. It almost never failed. He'd seen him pull the same stunt with Trunks when he got older and gave up training. He saw him do it to his own sons, and even Bra a time or two. Vegeta understood saiyan pride better than anyone and knew exactly how to manipulate it. This was Vegeta's way of bonding with his family. Fighting. Beating each other up. Saiyans spoke better with their fists than their lips.
"You had better apologize to Garta," Vegeta Jr. growled.
Vegeta scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Apologize for what? Calling her weak? She is! You all are! Where is your pride?"
"I'll show you pride!" Vegeta Jr. clenched his hands into fists and hurled himself at his great-great grandfather.
Vegeta easily sidestepped the charging hybrid and laughed when he crashed into the wall behind him. "You call that an attack? Pathetic!"
Vegeta Jr. was done talking. He was not going to accept any more insults thrown his way. He powered up until his hair flashed gold and his black eyes turned teal. He charged Vegeta again and punched his jaw. He smirked when he got a solid hit, but it soon faded when the elder Vegeta showed no signs of pain. Actually, his head didn't even turn.
"So, this is what the legendary status of super saiyan has been reduced to? A little boy throwing weak punches that couldn't harm a fly?" Vegeta grabbed the fist that was still extended and spun around a few times, building momentum before letting go, sending his great-great grandson hurtling through the wall. He landed on the platform on his back and skidded to a halt near the edge of the Lookout.
Goku threw his head back and laughed until he doubled over and gasped for air. How many times had he been on the receiving end of that particular barb? It didn't matter because it never failed to make his blood boil. Seeing Vegeta using it on someone else was entertaining for him. He was definitely going to see a good fight. He followed Vegeta through the new hole in the wall and watched as Vegeta Jr. staggered to his feet and took his fighting stance. It was similar to Vegeta's, but it had some obvious influence from Goku's family. It was definitely flawed, too.
"You think you're ready for this, boy?" Vegeta taunted.
"What the hell is going on?" Garta shouted as she ran over to see what the ruckus was about. She nearly fell over when she saw her father powered up to super saiyan facing off against Vegeta. She was soon joined by Boxer and Corsetta at her side. They immediately broke into cheers for their great-great-great-great grandfather. They stuck their tongues out when their grandfather glowered at them.
"Stay out of this, Garta," Vegeta Jr. said. He shot forward to engage in more hand-to-hand combat with his ancestor. He was knocked aside in less than a second. Instead of giving up, he rose to his feet and tried again.
"Are you even trying?" Vegeta snorted.
"Shut up!" Vegeta Jr. got up and decided to take a different approach. He gathered energy in both hands and hurled it at Vegeta, only to have it batted into the sky where it exploded in a bright flash of light.
Vegeta phased behind him and swept his feet out from under him. "You could at least make me put a little effort into this fight."
He blocked a ki blast aimed at his chest and dodged a flurry of kicks and punches. He ducked under a roundhouse kick and caught the other leg as it swung forward toward his chin. He darted into the air, pulling his descendant along behind him, then threw him high above and shot him with a small beam of ki.
"Are you crazy?" Garta screamed. "You're going to kill him!"
Vegeta slowly lowered himself back down to the Lookout and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked up, searching for the super saiyan. He didn't see him anywhere. He whirled around and caught Vegeta Jr's arm when his fist was inches away from him.
"Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that to beat me. If you haven't noticed, I haven't even ascended to super saiyan yet."
"Why can't I beat you?" Vegeta Jr. snarled as he pulled his arm free.
"Your emotions are making you sloppy. Well, it could be that you're rusty since you don't train anymore. Or were you ever a decent fighter?" Vegeta smirked, knowing he struck a nerve when he felt another spike in his descendant's ki.
"Just because I don't train doesn't mean I'm weak!"
"You seem weak to me."
"Take that back!"
"Make me."
Vegeta Jr. hit Vegeta with a right hook that actually made him lose his balance. Seeing his opportunity, he phased behind him, clasped his hands together, and brought them down on Vegeta's head in a double ax handle. Seeing his ancestor floored, he extended his hands in front of him, palms out, and started gathering energy in his hands. Before Vegeta could get up he shot a strong beam of ki at him, making a direct hit.
Vegeta, rather than being angry, grinned when the beam of ki died out. He started chuckling, quietly at first, but it grew until he was laughing wholeheartedly. He pushed himself up to his hands and knees and his tail flicked behind him.
"Here we go," Goku whispered to himself. He held his arm in front of his face right as Vegeta powered up. His energy whipped around them, nearly knocking everyone off their feet. His aura blazed golden as he ascended to the first level of super saiyan.
"That's how you want to play, huh?" Vegeta asked his great-great grandson. "So be it. But I warn you, any chance you had of winning is gone."
Vegeta Jr. backpedaled a few steps before regaining his composure. He sank into his fighting stance, ready to start another round. He felt his rage burning in his chest and drew power from it. He would not be humiliated by anyone, especially not some arrogant bastard. He didn't care who he was. No one talked to him and his family like they were trash. He rushed forward and phased out of sight right before he reached Vegeta. He reappeared behind his ancestor, who had crossed his arms in front of himself to block the oncoming attack and threw a ki blast at his back. His eyes widened when the ki passed straight through him. It was an afterimage!
"Looking for someone?" Vegeta hooked his right arm around his great-great grandson's neck and gripped his right hand with his left. Holding him in a chokehold, he could feel his ki raising higher with his anger. "That's right, boy. Get mad. You want to hurt me, don't you? You hate that you can't hurt me. You can't beat me. It's tearing your pride apart, isn't it?"
Vegeta Jr. tried to free himself by elbowing his assailant, but his elbow was blocked by Vegeta's left hand. His neck was constricted as Vegeta's right arm tightened its hold around him. He gasped for air and struggled to break free, but the more he moved the tighter the hold on his neck became. His lungs were burning as he fought to fill them with oxygen.
"You feel it, don't you?" Vegeta whispered in his ear, "You feel the rush. You're mostly human, boy, but you're still saiyan. You love this. You live for a good challenge."
Vegeta released his great-great grandson, who fell to the floor and rubbed his throat with one hand while he gulped in as much air as he could. He coughed a few times. He was definitely going to have a nasty bruise on his neck when this was all said and done. He slowly rose to his feet and turned around to face his ancestor. A smirk spread across his face. He could have been Vegeta's clone.
"You know, I think you're right, old man."
Each Vegeta disappeared an instant later. There was a shockwave that came from the sky as they resumed their fight. This time, though, it was for the pure enjoyment of the fight. Vegeta Jr. realized what Goku knew all along. He was being egged on for the sake of starting a fight. He was being shown what he never fully understood before. The restlessness he often felt, the reason he was always so bored. The reason he felt he was missing something significant in his life. He never knew what it meant to rise to a true challenge.
"Ok, what did I miss?" Garta mumbled to herself as she searched the sky for the two super saiyans.
Goku grinned. "I think Vegeta Jr. just rediscovered his love of fighting."
"What do you mean?"
The immortal saiyan shrugged, but the knowing smile never left his face. He looked up and followed the fight. His eyes moved with the fight, easily keeping up with their speed. He could see Vegeta was holding back, but he was more than able to hold his own against Vegeta Jr. It was a long time before Vegeta Jr. dropped out of his ascended state and returned to the Lookout, breathing hard. He was bloodied and bruised, but he was smiling.
Vegeta phased in next to him and was about to strike when Vegeta Jr. held up his hands in surrender. "Stop! I concede!"
Vegeta snorted. "Weakling."
"Hey, give me a break. I haven't fought in years."
"Oh my kami! Dad, are you alright?" Garta yelled as she ran over to him.
"I'm fine, Garta."
Boxer and Corsetta ignored their grandfather. Instead, they ran over to Vegeta and latched onto him before he could defend himself.
"That was the coolest fight ever!"
"Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"I can't believe you beat grandpa! You must be really super strong!"
"You're the best! Can I spar with you?"
Vegeta pulled the kids off and held them at arm's length. He was rather amused, but he didn't let it show – too much. "I don't have time for a spar tonight. Maybe another time."
He dropped them and stalked over to the edge of the Lookout and sat down on the edge. Corsetta and Boxer landed on their feet and ran to their grandfather, babbling excitedly about his fight with Vegeta.
"What's he doing?" Garta asked.
"Checking up on the saiyans," Goku answered. "It's best to leave him alone while he's doing that. So, are you guys hungry?"
Vegeta cleared his mind and opened his link to the minds of the saiyans down below. He sensed anxiety, fear, and anger from many of them. They were the tribe being attacked. He listened in on some of their thoughts and found that, more than anything, they were confused about why they were being attacked by the other tribe. They didn't think it was at all justified. Moving his attention to the attacking tribe, he found that they were quickly becoming overconfident. They had a major victory that day as the fight began. He doubted the battle would be over so easily. The other tribe wouldn't roll over and let them win without putting up some resistance.
'We have to be careful with our next attack. They know we're here now and they'll be ready for us. Don't forget they have Nappa on their side.'
Vegeta's eyebrow raised. So that was where the idiot muscle-head was.
'So what if he is? He's too old to be a threat anymore! He may have been the strongest in his prime, but he's weak now.'
'Don't underestimate him.'
'I could take him!'
'Shut up, you idiot. You're not half as strong as him.'
'Oh really?'
'Really.'
Vegeta rolled his eyes. They were drunk on the sweet taste of victory. Their blood was loaded with adrenaline and now they were going to start fighting amongst themselves. It wasn't surprising. It wasn't uncommon for brawls to break out in the saiyan army after a long, well-fought battle. He was feeling the same adrenaline rush as they were from his fight with Vegeta Jr. He turned his attention from the fighting tribes and checked up on the five other tribes. Some of them had heard about the starting dispute and were talking about getting involved. Others wanted to stay out of it. Let the idiots duke it out. When they were both weakened from fighting they could step in and steal away their territory.
"This could get interesting," he commented to himself. He closed his mental link and stretched his arms over his head. "Can't wait to see what happens tomorrow."
He stood up and walked into his palace. He heard talking in the kitchen and went to see what was going on. He found Vegeta Jr., Garta, Corsetta, and Boxer sitting around the table eating. Goku was sitting on the counter next to the sink watching them eat. A dribble of drool was oozing from the corner of his mouth.
Vegeta went over to the sink and started washing the dishes from his dinner. "Thank you, Kakarrot."
"Huh?"
"For bringing them here."
"Oh," Goku said, scratching the back of his head, "No problem, 'Geta."
"Hn."
Garta finished eating and sat back in her seat with a contented sigh. "We're going to have to go back to Earth soon, Goku."
Vegeta's shoulders tensed and the plate he was washing cracked. He wasn't foolish enough to believe they would stay. Of course they had to go home. They had their own lives. He hadn't even really expected them to stay the night. Time was different on Earth than Vegeta-sei. More time had passed there. It was going to be morning there soon, time to go to work running the biggest corporation on the planet.
"But Mom, I want to stay here!" Boxer whined.
She smiled at him and patted his head. "Now honey, you know you have school in the morning. We need to get you home."
"What about me? Can I stay? I don't have school," Corsetta said.
"Yes, Corsetta, you have to go home too."
Tears welled up in the girl's eyes. She jumped out of her seat and ran over to Vegeta. She threw her arms around his leg and shook her head. "But I love Great-Grandpa Vegeta!"
Vegeta looked down at the girl attached to his leg and was struck by her resemblance to Bra. Whenever Bulma told her something she didn't like she ran to him, crying, and grabbed his leg in the exact same way. His heart melted when he saw her tears. His tail unwound from his waist and wrapped around her.
"Don't be silly, girl," he said gently, "You don't want to stay here. It's actually rather boring."
"Nuh uh! You're here!"
Moved as he was that she had grown attached to him so easily, he wasn't going to let her stay with him. "You can visit me again someday."
"I don't want to leave."
Vegeta picked her up and cradled her in his arms. "I know you don't, but sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do. I don't want you to leave, but you would miss your family more than me if you stayed while they went home."
"Is that the same man you fought?" Garta whispered to her father.
"I think so."
Goku was not nearly as surprised at the others. He had seen the same tenderness when Bra was a little girl. She was Vegeta's princess. She could do no wrong in his eyes and he would show her affection regardless of who was around to see it. She had him wrapped around her little finger and could string him along wherever she wanted. Vegeta willingly complied to her demands. It seemed Corsetta was having the same effect on him. He was already treating her like the most precious thing he would ever lay eyes on.
Corsetta buried her face in Vegeta's shoulder and clung to him as if her life depended on it. "When will I see you again?"
"I don't know, princess. You would have to ask Kakarrot."
"Who?"
"The clown."
"Oh." Corsetta twisted around and glowered at Goku. "When will you bring me to see Great-Grandpa again?"
Goku laughed nervously and waved his hands in front of him. "Sometime real soon. I promise."
Vegeta looked at Goku pointedly. "You'd better not be lying to her."
"I'm not!"
He wasn't entirely convinced, but Vegeta turned his attention back to the girl in his arms. "There, see? Kakarrot will bring you to visit again soon. But right now you need to go back to Earth with your family."
Corsetta wiped her runny nose on the back of her hand and nodded sadly. "Alright. I'll miss you."
Vegeta smiled and stroked her lavender hair. "I'll miss you too. Promise you'll make as much trouble for your mother as you possibly can."
"I promise!"
"That's a good girl." Vegeta smirked and set her down on her feet. She ran over to Garta, who was not happy. She grabbed her mother's hand and grinned broadly.
"Alright, everyone ready to go?" Garta asked.
Vegeta Jr. and Boxer finished stuffing the last bit of food in their mouths, swallowed, and stood up. "We're ready."
"It was nice to meet you, Vegeta," Garta said.
"Yeah, you're totally cool!" Boxer exclaimed. He ran over to his ancestor and gave him a hug before returning to his mother's side.
Vegeta Jr. gave Vegeta a small salute, much like the one Vegeta gave his son from the future before he returned to his own timeline. Vegeta returned the salute, mildly disturbed that when he exchanged the same gesture with his son he never saw him again. Was that how it was going to be with them? Would Kakarrot forget and never bring them to visit again? He dismissed that thought. He wouldn't think about that, not now.
Goku hopped off the counter where he was sitting and walked over to the Briefs family. They put their hands on his shoulders or legs, respectively, and he raised his fingers to his forehead while he searched for the ki signature of the Guardian of Earth. Finding it, he teleported himself and Vegeta's relatives back to Earth.
Vegeta sighed when they disappeared. He knew Goku wouldn't be coming back anytime soon. He was surprised he'd come back at all, much less with his family. In a way he wished he hadn't. Now he was reminded of what he wanted so badly. His family. He wanted to be with his family more than anything, and that was why he had to be alone. He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest.
'If that fool breaks his promise, I swear I'll kill him when I see him again. I don't care if he's immortal.' Vegeta shook his head and walked out of the kitchen. It was late. He was going to go to bed. Tomorrow he would start his normal routine again. At least now the saiyans were doing something worth watching.
A/N: This is the same Vegeta Jr. as in DBGT, but I did stretch the generations because he probably would have known Vegeta since he was so old when he died in this story. Anyway, time is going to start skipping ahead again, so hold on.