Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters
This is the last chapter where I'll be answering reviews at the beginning of that chapter. Mostly I'll be replying by PM and publicly thanking guest reviewers.
Speaking of...to the last guest who reviewed, I was highly entertained by the review. My best friend says "why you no" all the time, so of course when I saw it, I needed to ask him if it was him and was shocked when he said surprisingly that wasn't. Gave us both a great laugh, so thank you for that :D
In other news…can you believe I wrote another chapter? Okay, I'll admit, I had this chapter planned out these last two years, but the problem was I didn't know how to execute it. I decided that I'm not going to keep the chapters DB canon, because that would just take too much time and energy. Basically, I have to go through the first Dragon Ball hunt and all that before I can fully diverge. Don't worry; I haven't given up on this story, and I won't eliminate villains based on just not wanting to re-watch the episodes. Some episodes I may re-watch, but not all, so don't expect it to fully follow canon.
In other other news, I also now have a masters degree and will have an internship starting in the fall. So, this past year alone was very hard and intense. I was very emotionally overwhelmed because of things that happen. If you read my one-shot, The One Left Behind, I'm sure you'll understand. I had also had an internship last summer and was without a computer for a while because my old laptop had been fried. That along with getting a masters in a year aided in the delay. Hopefully, things will calm down in this year to come so I can get through the chapters a bit quicker. I'm so sorry for the delay with this story, but I thank all of those who continued to support the story even though it's been a while since the last chapter was posted. Thank you to all who will continue to support me and this story in the future.
Bleach102: Great :D Thanks for the review.
Bob: Thanks for the review, and glad you are enjoying. I love giving Vegeta and Goku and brotherly bond too :) It's actually a lot of fun, especially since Goku is so oblivious to the world around him XD I haven't thought about their children yet. There's still a lot of ground to cover. As for the fights, I have plans to make them work out so that they're still very exciting and more evenly matched, but until then, yeah, they'd be very overpowered. I probably won't do a gag scene like that, but I do hope for some humor in the fights.
Guest: Well, first off, they're not true rivals in the sense of rivals. They are love rivals. I haven't planned an official rival for Vegeta. I haven't left it open for it yet. Kakarot is more of a little brother to him in this AU, and he's weaker than him for the moment. They're going to go through the same training. Now if you're worried about how that will affect fights with other characters, don't worry, because I have ideas to make them fair and action-packed fights. Also, Pilaf hasn't been brought it, but will be later. I don't plan on keeping those characters around.
Guest: Glad you enjoyed the chapter :) It was good to add a little BXV moment that wasn't full of drama. I like fluff more XD Thanks for the review!
KimiruMai: Kimi, you know me very well now, and you know I wouldn't do anything to make you come after me. You always assume the worst XD Need I remind you that I would have warned you ahead of time. I promise to try to add more BXV time, but right now they're on a mission, and you know how Vegeta is about a mission. But there will be plenty when the mission is over XD
nikki-michelle: I'm glad to have another fan. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I do hope to update more often than I have been :3
SaiyanPrincessBB: Yup, they are at Chi Chi's XD And Idk how I feel about Yamcha. I hated him in DBZ, loved him in DB, then I tried to give him another shot in DBZ and he made remarks that made me want to smack him silly, so Idk XD I'm indifferent I guess. Lol. And it's fun writing Vegeta not under Frieza's rule. Totally different X3
sofy2011: I'm glad you like the difference. Thanks for the reviews! :3
iluvveggie: It's been a while since I saw a review from you :D Good to see you again. Thanks for your support.
Pisceskat: I'm doing the best I can. Life has been really difficult lately…
Guest: Glad you've been enjoying. Sorry it took so long to get updated.
It was hot, so immensely hot, and Bulma couldn't even fan herself without the warmth clinging to her body. She tried to ignore the forming sweat as they walked, as well as the huffiness she felt. And, as usual, the Saiyans seemed perfectly fine in the heat.
Lucky, she thought bitterly until she noticed Vegeta's upturned lips. Though she hated their locale, it was clear he felt the most comfortable there.
"This place," Raditz remarked, "I believe it is a place called 'Fire Mountain.' I heard people mentioning it when we first arrived on the planet and were listening to inhabitants for information."
"It is," Oolong noted, but quickly became silent when the long-haired Saiyan shot him a glare.
"Appropriate name," Vegeta acknowledged. Somehow, the name seemed very familiar to him. He didn't remember seeing the place in his visions, so he couldn't understand the feeling of déjà vu.
"I get that you guys are super tough, freaky aliens and such," Bulma complained, "but seriously, how can you not even be sweating."
"Feh, humans," Nappa muttered, though both Vegeta and Raditz flashed him looks of disapproval.
"Hey, guys," little Goku called out while flying next to everyone on a little, orange cloud he had been given by the turtle's master, "the radar thingy is blinking."
"Let me see that," Bulma said, the heat momentarily forgotten. The little Saiyan handed it over and she started messing with some of the buttons. "Hey, awesome. It looks like we're almost there. We just need to head…" She turned and pointed up towards a blazing mountain. "Um…maybe we should wait until that dies down."
"Don't worry about it," Vegeta ordered while smirking. "This just makes things more entertaining."
"Yeah, entertaining," Bulma muttered sarcastically, "sure."
As they continued towards the spot on the radar they did so in silence. It was starting to get a little awkward, so Oolong spoke up again. "So…" he murmured and looked at the youngest Saiyan. "Goku, if you had this cloud thing, why didn't you use that to fly?"
Goku blankly looked at the shapeshifter and said, "Nimbus wouldn't have been able to keep up with my brothers and Nappa," as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Speaking of not being able to keep up, Bulma was struggling herself and feeling the effects of the heat more and more. She was about ready to pass out from the heat, but she seemed to manage. Well, that's what she thought. Seconds later, she felt like she wasn't moving and also felt arms around her. She hadn't even realized that she had stumbled.
Looking up, she saw Vegeta staring down at her with concerned and questioning eyes. "Are you all right?" he asked her.
"Mm?" she murmured. "Oh, yeah, I guess I am. The heat is just getting to me. I'll be okay."
Still, concerned, Vegeta managed to glance at her locator. "It's not much further," he stated. "Think you can hold on until we reach the top?"
Bulma nodded and so he helped her to stand up. She smiled at him and placed her free hand on his shoulder. He looked between her hand and face nervously. "Thank you," she whispered quietly. She then walked ahead of him which he was thankful for so that she couldn't see him blush.
Oolong noticed though and looked to Goku. "Looks like she's not the only one affected by the heat," he chuckled.
"Huh?" Goku remarked.
The shapeshifter just frowned at the boy. "Humor is lost on you, isn't it?"
"Pig," Raditz growled out having heard Oolong's remarks, "if you know what's good for you, you'll remain silent."
"Hmph," Oolong grumbled before crossing his arms. Humor is lost on that guy too, he thought to himself.
They eventually made it to the top and were met with a sight they didn't expect…namely out of control flames. "Oh my gosh!" Bulma exclaimed. "What's-"
"Who are you?" a stranger shouted, jumping down in front of the group. The Saiyans instantly were on the defensive save for Goku who just seemed confused. "You are trespassing in my territory!"
Instantly, Bulma felt herself being pushed back and looked in front after catching herself to find that Vegeta had put himself between her and the stranger. Nappa and Raditz were also in front of her as if providing a protective barrier in case the giant man was hostile. He already seemed it.
"We had no intention of trespassing," Vegeta stated calmly with his arms crossed. "We are only looking for an object that we need in our journey."
"Lies!" the man growled. "I know how thieves like you operate. Just because we are dealing with a crisis does not mean that you can-"
"I know him."
Everyone was stunned into silence when Goku spoke up so confidently. The Saiyans cast their disbelieving glances, but noticed how deep in concentration Goku was as if trying to remember where he had seen the man before. Realization finally struck him and his eyes grew wide before he smiled. "I know! You're the Ox King!"
"I am," the king replied, though confused as to who the boy was. "How is it that you know me?"
"You trained with my grandpa," Goku stated matter-of-factly. "I saw pictures in his book."
Ox King's expression softened, but he still wasn't sure if he believed the kid. He had only trained with one other person before and that was Gohan. They had trained with Master Roshi and had become fast friends. It had been a long time since Ox King had seen or heard from his friend, and he had no idea that he even had a grandson. "Who was your grandfather?"
At the question, Goku's expression brightened up so much that the king knew the child was not lying as he said, "Son Gohan."
The words lingered in between the group and the king before the king smiled at the boy. The Saiyans immediately relaxed, their battle readiness disappearing. Now, it all made sense, especially since the child was sitting on the Flying Nimbus, something that his old master had in his possession. "I didn't know Gohan had a grandson."
Goku was still smiling as he said, "He found me and adopted me."
"That sounds like Gohan," Ox King murmured fondly before his eyes cut over to the Saiyans, still distrusting. "Alright, let's start over. I know the kid is the grandson of my friend, Gohan, and I trust his word since he can sit on the Nimbus cloud, but who are all of you and what have you come for? You mentioned an object."
"Why don't you explain that first?" Vegeta suggested, nudging his head towards the flames.
"That's being taken care of," Ox King replied, still unsure if he trusted the people who accompanied his friend's grandson. "You first."
Vegeta shrugged and then proceeded with telling the man his story. He kept his eye on the flames which seemed to be staying in place, but also kept eyeing Bulma who looked like she was about ready to succumb to heat exhaustion. He managed to tell the story quickly without leaving the important parts out. Vegeta could tell that the king was skeptical, so he allowed his tail to unwind from around his waist hoping that would clear the doubt.
Ox King was skeptical, but not because he didn't believe their story. It was just hard to believe that the people in front of him were aliens from a destroyed world. He couldn't fathom how another being could have that sort of power or malevolence to target another race in the manner that this tyrant had. As he reflected on their story and mission, Ox King realized that his daughter had not yet returned from the errand he sent her to run. She should have been back with the solution to their problems by now.
When Ox King voiced his concern, Bulma saw it as an opening to discuss taking the man's Dragon Ball. "We can help you," she offered.
Nappa was about to contradict her statement. Though he was better with her being around seeing as she was the prince's intended mate, he still didn't like her offering up their services in exchange for objects that they could just take. Vegeta's words cut him off, though. "Raditz and Kakarot can go find your daughter," he offered. "Where did you send her?"
"She was supposed to go to Master Roshi's to get the Bansho Fan. It's the only thing that can extinguish the flames on Fire Mountain," the king explained, his voice heavy with both concern for his daughter and his lands.
"She probably got held up on the way," Raditz stated. "Kakarot and I will find her."
"And while they're doing that, we'll go to get the Bansho Fan," Bulma added. "If we bring both your daughter and the fan back, would you consider..?"
Ox King nodded, knowing what she was going to ask. "If you bring my daughter back safely and a way to put out these flames, I will happily hand my Dragon Ball over to you so that you can complete your own quest and stop that monster."
Vegeta nodded his thanks and moved to take Bulma. Raditz and Goku were looking at a picture Ox King had of his daughter so they would know who to find while Vegeta picked the human up. His action has startled Bulma and she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck before questioning him with her eyes. He didn't answer her unspoken question. Instead, he turned to Nappa. "You met the man so surely you would be able to recognize his energy and lead us there," the prince remarked.
Nappa's expression soured, but he nodded. "Yeah, I can get us there."
"Then let's hurry," Vegeta ordered as he and Nappa took off to the skies.
Raditz memorized the photograph and then took off with his brother using the Nimbus cloud. "So, a daughter is a girl, right?" Goku asked making his older brother shake his head.
"Yes, Kakarot," the Saiyan replied.
Ox King was watching as their silhouettes disappeared from view before he returned to see what he could do to help his people. In the rush to find the Ox King's daughter and retrieve the Bansho Fan, no one knew that a desert bandit was listening in or that he recognized the girl in the picture for he had already encountered the child. He was concerned that he had harmed her and took off on foot with his sidekick to return to the spot where he left the unconscious child.
Raditz was flying only as fast as Nimbus so that Goku could keep up and also because he was scanning for the girl on the ground below. He spotted a small, human body lying down on the ground causing his expression to darken. He really hoped that the child was fine, just taking a nap, but seeing her flat on her back and her arms spread out left a sour feeling in the pit of Raditz's stomach. "Kakarot," he stated almost robotically, "we need to touch down."
"Okay!" the little boy chimed, not knowing what was going on in his brother's mind.
The older Saiyan was immensely relieved when they landed and he saw the girl's chest rise and fall with life. It would have been terrible if she had been seriously injured or worse. He would not want to be the one to tell a father that he lost his child. Goku ran over to the child that was no taller than he was and gently smacked her awake…which, for being a Saiyan, wasn't all that gentle.
"Ouch!" the girl snapped as she woke up from her nap. She looked around to see her attacker, but was highly surprised when she saw a smiling boy who looked to be around her age right in front of her. Her astonishment dissipated behind her rage. "Hey!" she shouted at him. "What did you that for?"
"You're Chi Chi, right?" Goku asked causing Raditz to face-palm. Of course she was Chi Chi. She was identical to the girl in the picture. Raditz was strangely happy that he never hit his head as a child. This was just too ridiculous.
The girl grew silent, wondering why the boy was asking her name. Raditz could see the hesitation plastered on her face and explained, "We're doing a favor for your father, the Ox King. He asked us to find you while our other friends went to go find this Master Roshi. He's trying to help the people."
"How do I know you aren't lying?" the young girl responded with a scowl.
Goku's happiness instantly left as he eyed the girl, or what he assumed to be a girl. He knew Raditz told him he couldn't just check if someone was a girl, but it was just so hard to tell. The little Saiyan jumped down from Nimbus and quickly went to check if Chi Chi was a girl, and she responded by letting him have it and accidentally grabbing his tail to get him away from her.
Raditz was completely amused by the situation, though he pitied his brother for getting his tail grabbed. "Get away from me," Chi Chi cried, but Goku had lost all his power and ability to move and could not remove himself from the girl.
The older Saiyan walked over to the girl who was trying to smack Goku off of her. He put his hand on his brother's tail and his other on the girl's hand and gently pried them apart before placing Goku on the Flying Nimbus. "Sorry about that," Raditz said fondly. "Kid hit his head as a baby and really doesn't get boundaries. He meant nothing by it. Was only checking to, um, see if you were a girl."
Chi Chi blushed and then felt bad that she had hurt Goku in some way. The kid still seemed a little out of it, but slightly more relaxed when the older man had placed him on the cloud and released hold of his tail. She did see the guy rub the tail for a moment before he released. "W-What did I do to him?" she asked hesitantly. "And who are you?"
Raditz chuckled as he faced the girl with a small smile. "I'm Raditz, and this is my little brother, Kakarot, though he prefers to be called Goku." At Chi Chi's inquisitive expression, he added, "It's a long story. And you accidentally yanked his tail. That's a weak spot for us…well, if we haven't trained it out of us. Our tails are very sensitive and, if pulled, we can temporarily lose our power and energy…turning into a mess, though, is Kakarot's thing."
The human girl felt immensely guilty for causing the little boy pain, especially knowing that he wasn't trying to…well, he wasn't trying to be perverted. "So…" she said awkwardly, "my father really did send you to find me? And someone really is going to Roshi's to find the Bansho Fan?" Raditz nodded an affirmative. "Then, please take me back home. My father needs to know that I'm okay."
"You got it, princess," Raditz teased. He looked back over to his brother who was starting to come to. "Hey, Kakarot." His brother didn't respond making Raditz sigh. He didn't know if Nimbus would listen to him, but it became a moot point when Chi Chi climbed on Nimbus and tried to help wake his brother up. It didn't go unnoticed by Raditz that she, too, could sit on the cloud. Raditz grinned and then shook his head as Chi Chi told the cloud where to go. Children, he thought fondly as they all took for the skies, unaware that the desert bandit was listening closely, ascertaining the Saiyans' weaknesses.
Nappa was able to locate the turtle hermit's island. It was a small place in the middle of nowhere. Vegeta had never really seen islands before considering he lived on a desert planet. "So this is the place," Vegeta stated curtly as he looked at the small, pink house. He grimaced and added, "There's not much to it."
"Well, if it isn't some of the people I met with little Goku," Roshi said, making his presence known. Vegeta was surprised to see a short, old man standing in front of him. The man waved. "How's it going?"
"We need to talk to you about something," Bulma stated as Vegeta released her. "We were sent on an errand."
"An errand, eh?" the man questioned before laughing strangely. Vegeta's brow quirked as he was trying to figure out what was so funny. "Let's see if I can help you with it."
The old man was making his way closer to Bulma and Vegeta could see beneath his glasses the mischief in his eyes. He narrowed his eyes at the man as a sense of déjà vu hit him again and he knew not to let this lecherous old man anywhere near his mate. Vegeta instantly knocked the man away to stop him and snapped at him that Bulma was off limits.
Bulma's heart beat rapidly in her chest as Vegeta made his move. She had started to see Roshi's intent, but she was ready to defend herself if need be. The fact that Vegeta saw it, too, and moved to defend her honor made her feel both wonderful and a bit nervous. The nervousness came from the fact that Vegeta acted so possessive over her. It reminded her that he saw her as a "future mate" while to her he was just someone she had met a few days ago with a troubled past. Despite that fact, she really was trying to get to know him, but his protectiveness always seemed to panic her. Somehow Vegeta had wormed himself more into her heart, but she was at a loss of what to do.
"That has nothing to do with the errand in question!" Vegeta shouted at the old man, ready to attack him again. "Be decent!"
Roshi quickly stood up and held up his hands in defense. "Easy, easy," he ordered as he waved his hands slightly in a manner to say 'settle down.' "If that's not your errand, what exactly do you all need? I know I recognize the tall one and the girl over here, though the last time I saw her she seemed so sad."
"Back to the point," Nappa scoffed, "the Bansho Fan. We need it. Now."
"The Bansho Fan?" Roshi questioned in shock. "What in blazes do you need that for?"
"For exactly what you said," Vegeta remarked. "Blazes. There's a fire on Fire Mountain and the Ox King is in need of the fan to put out the flames."
"Ah, the Ox King," Roshi pondered, "one of my old students. Well, I don't have the Bansho Fan anymore, but I could still be of some use."
"Feh," Nappa laughed. "What use could you be, old man?"
Roshi's countenance seemed to change slightly, and Vegeta could sense that the man was wiser beyond his years and stronger than he looked. "I can put the flames out myself."
"What?" Nappa nearly yelled.
"I'm sorry, what?" Bulma asked at the same time Nappa snarled at the elder.
Vegeta was the only one who remained silent, sizing up the old man. Nothing regarding his demeanor suggested he was bragging or stretching the truth. He truly believed he could put out the flames of his old charge's land. Ox King clearly trusted his old master as well. "Then you will come with us."
Nappa looked at Vegeta, aghast. "You can't be serious. You actually believe this human? He's nothing but a letch!"
At hearing the term, "human," Master Roshi seemed curious. Not wanting to linger on the subject any longer. "We need to get back to Fire Mountain. Nappa, take him. I'll take Bulma." He looked over to the human fighter. "We'll get there faster is we fly."
Raditz and Goku had already gotten back with Chi Chi already, and Goku had already recovered from his tail experience. They glanced over at Vegeta and Nappa touching down on the ground with Bulma and Roshi. "Master Roshi!" Ox King exclaimed. "It's been too long."
"It has, Ox," his former master replied, taking in the amount of flames and the damages they were causing. "Now, I'll just-"
"Master Roshi, it's good to see you again," Goku said excitedly. "Did you bring the Baboon Fan?"
Raditz sighed in frustration and reiterated, "Ban-sho Fan, Kakarot."
"That's what I said!"
"He did not have the fan in his possession," Vegeta stated making the king's face fall, "but he assures us he can get the flames out himself."
"Heh," Nappa scoffed, disbelieving. "I'll believe it when I see it."
"Then prepare for a show," Roshi scolded. "Watch closely."
The human took his stance directly in front of the wake of the flames. He took in a deep breath before he pulled his hands back, his wrists joined. "Kame," he called out, blue ki flickering in his palms. "Hame," he said again, the ki growing and becoming more stable. "HA!" he shouted as his hands moved forth, a large beam of ki breaking the wave of fire in front of them whilst blowing the flames out with the force of the attack.
The Saiyans looked at the small, old man in shock, having not expected this huge ki attack. Yes, compared to them, the attack was much weaker, but it was still an impressive feat for an old, human man. The three gained a new respect for the idiosyncratic fighter and his masterful techniques.
But no one noticed what else the force of his attack could do.
With nowhere else for the beam to go, it hit directly into Fire Mountain and destroyed a part of it, in addition to putting the flames out. Nervously, Roshi chuckled, "Well…at least they're out."
Bulma flashed the old man a glare because now it was going to be much harder to find the Dragon Ball AND the Ox King's home was ruined. "How can you joke about something like that?"
"It's fine," Ox King assured the girl. "We can rebuilt. If the flames hadn't been put out, we wouldn't have been able to do anything."
"In any case, my work here is done," Roshi stated before looking at his former student. "So, Ox, how have you been doing?"
While Roshi was caught up in pleasantries with the Ox King, his daughter, and both Goku and Raditz, Vegeta looked to Bulma who was busy trying to get her Dragon Radar to sense the sphere they needed. He gently grabbed her, making her jump, before flying the two of them up to a pile of rubble. Bulma looked to him with thankfulness before she finally found the spot where they needed to dig.
Making her way over to the spot, Bulma tripped over some of the rubble and nearly fell. The impact, of course, never happened and Bulma felt a strong arm holding her steady. She glanced up at the Saiyan prince who had not yet moved to released her. "Well, that could have been pretty bad," she joked, but his serious expression remained. She teasingly added, "So that's the second time today you've had to 'rescue' me from falling."
"I will always be there to rescue you, Bulma," Vegeta stated earnestly as he finally set her back down. He continued on his way to the spot indicated on her radar while Bulma pondered his words.
His words made her feel both comfortable and scared. On the one hand, it was nice to know that she had someone actually looking out for her. Vegeta didn't truly owe her anything, even if these visions showed them together. Still, his visions are what bothered her. Not necessarily the visions of them together, but the fact that he had them. He was not only haunted by visions that never came to fruition, but he still saw futuristic things including moments where he would save her. The fact that he admitted that he would always be there to save her indicated that there would be many more times where she needed to be saved. That did not sit well with her.
Vegeta drew Bulma's attention back when he casually dropped the orange sphere on her lap. The human glanced down to the seven-starred ball and then smiled. They now had another Dragon Ball, and soon Vegeta and the Saiyans could make their wish. "We should head back," the prince stated before Bulma nodded and placed the ball into her backpack.
Meanwhile, down below as the Saiyan prince and Bulma searched, Goku was asking Master Roshi about his Kamehameha Wave technique. The little boy wanted to know if he could perform that, too. "Well, Goku, it took me fifty years to master that technique, so I'm not sure if you could."
Goku looked a little deflated at the rejection, but Raditz knew his brother could use the technique if he wanted. He decided to egg his little brother on a bit. "Kakarot, try it out. Let's see what you can do."
Roshi casted the Saiyan brother an unamused glance, narrowing his eyes at him. Raditz responded by crossing his arms and smirking, motioning to his little brother who had already centered himself and gotten into Roshi's earlier stance. He mimicked everything perfect: the stance, the moves, the chant, and, yes, the blaring ki blast that he directed towards the sky. The old turtle hermit looked back at Raditz who was proudly watching his brother perform the old man's technique. Nappa seemed impressed, but he, too, looked like he expected the attack to work out. His impression was over the amount of power the boy's ki possessed. The two human men were stunned, but Chi Chi was colored impressed by Goku's actions.
Bulma and Vegeta touched down right after, and the prince didn't look too happy. "Kakarot, you need to aim next time," he admonished. "That blast was directed towards us."
"Oops," Goku replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, Veggie… I just didn't want to hit the mountain again. I thought you were still there."
Vegeta didn't really mind because he could sense the attack coming and was easily able to avoid it, but Bulma had been a little terrified of the beam that passed right by her face after Vegeta's evasion. "It's fine. We've gotten what we came for."
"Well, it's about time," Oolong finally spoke up having been left behind by the Saiyans that day and forced to endure the heat.
Vegeta, Raditz, and Nappa all glared at the pig, silencing him, though Oolong wasn't very happy about it. The prince looked over to the king. "Thank you for hearing us out," he stated diplomatically.
Ox King just smiled at him and said, "That was the easy part. Thank you for getting my daughter back safely and for getting the fire out."
"We wish we could stay and help you rebuild," Raditz interjected.
"You have your own journey to take," the king answered. "If you need anything, let me know. You Saiyans are always welcome here."
"Saiyans?" Roshi questioned, glancing over at the aliens. No one answered his wondering.
"So…" Bulma murmured. "We have to go flying in that direction."
Vegeta followed her line of sight and then took her form in. She still seemed a bit tense and shaky after nearly getting his by Goku's attack. This caused the prince to make a request that would weave his way even more into Bulma's heart. "Why don't we just drive?" he asked. Bulma's attention snapped to him, her expression astonished. "We can just talk some more."
"Sure," Bulma replied with a smile, blushing slightly. "I'd like that."
She decapsulized her car once more, and everyone piled in. She waved once more to the king, his daughter, and the hermit before she drove away, heading further west. Chi Chi waved back at little Goku who was waving to her before he sat himself down on his brother's lap.
"Oh, Goku," the doe-eyed, little princess sighed. "I'm going to marry him one day."
And still, no one noticed that the desert bandit and his partner were still hot on the Saiyans' trail.
A/N: Okay, so I spent days…DAYS trying to get this chapter written. I know I had it planned out, but man, writing it was a bit of a challenge. I hope no one minded the fact that I didn't go back to get the show dialogue, but that would have just delayed me more. I'm doing my best to keep the events as close as I need. I will work on planning the next chapter out soon, but when it will be written, I'm not sure. Definitely will be before 2 years. That is the hope at least…Again, sorry for the delay. It being the day before my birthday, I hope to be cut some slack. XD
