Hello everyone! Really sorry about the sudden drop in activity for this story, I was really having a difficult time with finishing this specific chapter. It's pretty long in comparison to the others though, so I hope that at least makes up for some of the lack of responses here!
Enjoy the story guys!
Chapter 11: The Journey Inwards
"This is by far, the worst kind of training I have ever done."
Vegetto sat legs crossed on top of one another with a scowl, having delicately placed all ten of his unbent fingers on top of his head, forming two circles with his arms. He kept his head bent at the command of Leiji, who paced in front of him for a moment with a genuine smile.
The five warriors had no trouble in convincing Kami to allow access into the lookout, and having proceeded into the chamber, the four Saiyans eagerly asked for the knowledge to ascend to the new transformation, the most vocal being Vegetto himself. Now in the empty space within the different dimension, Vegetto sat grumbling, tensing under the smirks and grins from Vegeta, Goku, and Gogeta as Leiji spoke.
"That's because you haven't seen the result yet."
Leiji stopped her pacing, crossing her arms.
"Now, are you ready to begin? Or are you going to keep whining about the meditation pose?"
Vegetto grunted, remaining silent. He then glanced to his side, his glare landing on Vegeta at the sound of his barely audible chuckle.
"Something funny to you?"
Vegeta kept his confident smirk, his expression unchanged yet the humor clear in his tone.
"You look ridiculous."
Vegetto scoffed in retaliation.
"At least I don't look as bad as you when you and Kakarot do that cute little dance to make Gogeta over there."
Vegeta's smirk vanished, prepared to continue the battle but stopped as Leiji spoke.
"Focus, Vegetto. If it makes you feel better, they'll have to do whenever they try to ascend."
Vegetto sat silently in response, staring back at Leiji as her expression changed into an intense stare.
"Up until now, you've always reached new plateaus by increasing your energy levels and then looking within yourself to power up, effectively digging deep within yourself to find the most powerful utilization of the energy as possible."
Leiji then gestured towards Goku, before slightly frowning.
"Unfortunately, the limit of our power as Saiyans ends at the form Goku discovered years ago during your fight with Buu, the Super Saiyan 3 transformation. As well with the Super Saiyan 4 transformation, both are the pinnacles of Saiyan power."
Vegetto remained silent, keeping his attention locked on Leiji while she continued.
"The transformation you saw me use against Buu when we fought him Hell was not a Super Saiyan 5. It is a new understanding of energy and life itself, a new understanding of power."
She uncrossed her arms, letting them fall to her sides.
"In the form of great anger, desire, and sadness you have managed to obtain power in the form of transformations. However, like you discovered in sating the primal rage of the beast to ascend to a Super Saiyan 4, the real path to power comes within mastering yourself. Mastering your own mind."
Vegetto raised an eyebrow, smirking in amusement.
"Mastering myself?"
Leiji nodded her head in response, glancing down.
"You and Gogeta most of all."
Gogeta studied Leiji, his interest peaked at the comment. He continued to watch, turning his eyes to Goku and Vegeta once she gestured to them.
"What is it that you know of them, Vegetto?"
Goku blinked, staring down at Vegetto who narrowed his eyes at the pair of Saiyans.
"I...well...I'm not sure what you're asking."
Leiji lowered her arm, turning her gaze back to Vegetto.
"Think a little deeper. What is it that you see, from these two?"
Vegetto frowned, scoffing as he nearly stood back up to his feet.
"Can we skip these ridiculous philosophy lessons?"
Leiji frowned back in response, glancing down.
"Philosophy is the key to transforming here, especially in the case of the enemy Vegetto."
Vegetto glanced back over to the pair, frowning heavily while she spoke.
"How do you plan to face ancient deities that pride themselves as masters of terror and dread if you don't even consider the aspect they will challenge the most: the mind?"
Vegetto grunted in response.
"Because only weaklings can be controlled and beaten from mind games. Vegeta proved that well enough when he used Babidi to further his own means."
Vegeta remained silent in response, still staring back at Vegetto while Leiji retorted, the frustration in her tone becoming more apparent.
"You defeated a self taught practitioner and know how to shield yourself from falling prey to taunting in fights, and you think that means you have complete control over your mind? That no force can attack you there?"
Vegetto glanced back to Leiji, who frowned heavily down at him.
"I thought you knew better, based on how quick you were to remind us all that we weren't ready. But it looks like your confidence and bravdo has returned, has it not?"
Vegetto's eyes narrowed in response to the jab, locking eyes with Leiji in silence. His attention then wandered back down to the ground, before suddenly letting out a small sigh and turning his attention back to Goku and Vegeta.
"Alright fine..."
Still holding his hands up and his fingers on his temple, Vegetto squinted lightly, his dual voice weak.
"I see...two Saiyans?"
"Think deeper than that."
Vegetto huffed, staring at the two before him. He opened his eyes, scanning Goku's and Vegeta's physical characteristics as best as he could.
"I...I see a tall man and then a short man. Their colors are orange and blue, and-"
"Deeper, Vegetto."
Vegetto sighed heavily in response, blinking hard as a mental reset. His eyes locked on the two, watching them fidget uncomfortably while his vision began to lose focus.
The Potara fusion paused, his eyes widening open. The two forms standing before him had blurred, memories of Goku's battle with Vegeta on Earth so many years ago filling his head. Blow for blow, damage for damage, neither one could have the advantage.
Yet despite the draw, his memories recalled Vegeta's overwhelming superiority with the intervention from Krillin and Gohan bringing Goku on par with the Saiyan prince. His mind continued to race, nearly split as he thought on the training Goku underwent on his way to Namek, while Vegeta reaped the benefits of his increased power level from recovering. Despite the overwhelming amount of training he had before the first encounter with Goku, Vegetto's memories called upon where Goku had first surpassed the Saiyan prince in power and how Goku became superior in maintaining the lead.
However, the thought felt uncomfortable in Vegetto's mind, and the fusion ultimately discarded it as his mind raced to the second time the two met on the battlefield. The gap that Goku had first developed had been erased with the magic of Babidi. Yet no matter how superior he felt Vegeta had been in the fight against Goku, something denied him the final blow.
In the end, even if he had the upper hand, he still would've lost...
Vegetto's eyes opened fully, his racing mind coming to a complete halt at the memory of Vegeta's frustration in being unable to conquer Goku.
"I've pushed myself the edge of my limits and beyond. But you've been born with a natural talent far beyond my own...no amount of training could close the gap between us!"
Vegetto's head dipped slightly before glancing back up to the two who waited in silence. His eyes narrowed, locking on Goku.
"I see...talent..."
Goku's eyes widened in response, while Vegetto's pupils traveled across his the whites of his eyes to Vegeta.
"and...hard work..."
Leiji slightly pursed her lips together, watching as Vegetto glanced to her.
"Yin...and yang..."
Leiji nodded her head once in response, smiling back.
"Good, very good. See, now how hard was that?"
Goku narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms together.
"Hey, I push myself just as hard as anyone else! You make it sound like I just slack off and don't do any work for my strength."
Vegetto shook his head once, his body twisting slightly in order for him to maintain the position.
"That's not what I meant, Kakarot. You may push yourself to your breaking point, but it is nothing compared to the levels Vegeta pushed himself to."
Goku kept his narrowed eyes, frowning down at Vegetto.
"I'm sure it's not as big of a difference as you think. Training with the gods of the Otherworld and sparring against the strongest fighters in history isn't exactly easy, you know."
Vegetto smirked back up at Goku in response, gesturing to Gogeta with one of his elbows.
"Trust me, I would know considering I am your combined psyches. Even Gogeta here can tell you the true difference in the levels you two experience in training."
Gogeta reached back over his head, chuckling lightly as he turned to Goku with an awkward smile.
"I'm going to have to side with Vegetto on this one. While you may have gone pretty far with the push to improve, Vegeta's complete obsession in beating you is why he managed to push himself so far. That's why he actually was stronger than you whenever you two were at the same transformation; he's just not as gifted with placing that dedication in the right areas as you are."
Leiji moved forward, stepping in between Goku and Vegeta before either one could comment, her attention on Vegetto.
"We can continue the argument later, let's get back to focusing on the task at hand. Now that you've had a more in depth look, the next step is simple: what does that make you?"
Vegetto paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow once more with a questioning tone.
"The completed circle?"
Leiji nodded back, yet kept her frown.
"Does it? Are you the full circle?"
Vegetto remained silent, watching as she continued.
"Or are you nothing? You speak from their memories, you are an expert over how these two match and where they differ. You know their strengths, their power, their techniques and various lives as if they were your own."
Leiji then knelt down, matching the eye level with Vegetto's.
"But have you truly stopped and asked yourself who you are. Who Vegetto really is?"
Vegetto locked eyes with Leiji, still silent.
"You've never really grasped who you are, and what the fusion of their personalities made you into. You've only put on a façade to fool Buu into absorbing you, and in every other test of character, you've placed your personality as one of theirs based on memory when the situation called for their unique interpretation."
She then extended her arm, holding out her right pointer finger a few inches from Vegetto's face.
"But not once have you looked at a situation as 'Vegetto'. You have never seen the universe through your own eyes, only through the eyes of a combined Goku and Vegeta."
Vegetto frowned, his tone dark.
"Isn't that what I am?"
Leiji's frown quickly changed into a smile, shaking her head.
"Not at all. You, of all people, should know that fusion isn't two separate beings mixed together. You are your own living being, brought into this life by the power of the Potara. That's why your spirit traveled to Otherworld when you split inside of Buu; you truly died that day."
Leiji then rose back up to her feet, stepping back.
"And that is why you and Gogeta are the ones best suited to ascend. You must journey inwards, look deep within yourself just as Goku did when he first became a Super Saiyan 3. Only this time, don't search for power; search for who you really are."
Vegetto tilted his head back down towards the floor, closing his eyes as his vision became black. The complete darkness covered his vision, complete silence adding to the blank vision before him while he continued to dig deep. After a few short minutes, Vegetto felt his arms move, pumping up and down while he began to feel his legs and feet shooting across the ground. He immediately came to a halt, standing in darkness before powering up to a Super Saiyan immediately for more light.
The golden flare shown through the black atmosphere as he lifted his hands up, staring at his white gloves in confusion.
Was I running?
Vegetto then paused, letting his arms fall to his sides as he remembered the intricate placement of position he had done at Leiji's command, whirling around in the complete black darkness.
"Leiji? Gogeta?"
His dual voice echoed in the darkness, the silence as his only response. He tensed, his eyes darting around.
"Goku? Vegeta?"
A massive red energy blast suddenly whizzed over the Potara fusion's head, and Vegetto let out a yelp as he ducked from the blast. Vegetto quickly rose back up to his feet, his attention darting to where the blast had originated from. However, with a lack of a origin, he quickly dashed after the blast, deciding to follow the energy before it slammed into the ground, creating a powerful shockwave. Vegetto grunted, throwing up his arms in defense and covering his face as pebbles and dust blew past him.
He lowered his arms once the force of the blast had died down, blinking in confusion at the light green Namekian atmosphere, standing in a plan of short blue grass. He glanced around for a moment, before his eyes caught the sight of a severely beaten Goku about twenty meters away from him. His upper gi had been completely torn away, wearing only the blue undershirt and panted heavily in exhaustion.
Vegetto's eyes remained wide, darting to the all too familiar figure moving forward towards Goku, the condescending tone naturally inspiring Vegetto's rage to build.
"I realize all you Saiyans want to do is fight, but fighting is useless unless, of course, you are superior like me. And that is why I took the liberty of wiping out your kind."
Vegetto prepared to dash forward, his fists clenched together at the sound of Frieza's words. However, he stopped at the echo of Vegeta's words, pausing in place.
Kakarot! Listen to me! That's not all the power you have...where's your Saiyan pride?!
Vegetto blinked, stopping as Goku's lips moved across the way, nearly shaking his head in frustration.
"But...but I never was a Saiyan!"
The Potara fusion lowered his clenched fists, staring at Goku while Vegeta's voice once again echoed in the atmosphere.
Nonsense! What are you talking about?! You can't deny your heritage!
"Vegeta...right now it doesn't matter what I am! Forget about it!"
Vegetto's eyes widened with Goku's, the entire scene before him changing to a bright purple and Frieza's body disappearing from sight. The fusion glanced around, watching on at the scene developing before him as Vegeta stood in front of Goku.
You must listen to me. We both know you have Saiyan blood running through your veins.
Vegeta's back remained in front of Goku, who watched on with wide eyes.
I feel your pain. But you must never forget one thing: it was Frieza who destroyed our birth place, the planet Vegeta! And now that you are the only one left, the only Saiyan left, it is up to you to avenge our race.
Goku stuttered, blinking once.
"The...the pride. Of my people?"
Vegetto reached up, gripping his head.
"Why...why am I seeing this?"
His attention turned back to Goku, who had leaned forward slightly at Vegeta's command.
Destroy him! Destroy him for the entire Saiyan race! Destroy him, for you have the power within you!"
A golden aura suddenly erupted up from underneath Goku's feet, the primal roar of the Saiyan filling the air at the command. Vegetto raised an arm, tensing up at the strange occurrence before him. He blinked hard once again, surprised to see the purple atmosphere persist despite the change of memory.
However, Vegetto soon found himself locking eyes with the newly transformed Super Saiyan Goku, who had turned his body to face towards the fusion. Their turquoise eyes meeting, Vegetto blinked hard with a blank expression.
"Kakarot?"
Vegetto's eyes widened, yelping at the sudden arrival of Goku's fist soaring over his right shoulder. The fusion dashed back, feinting with each fist sent flying his way and yelling out at the attacker.
"Kakarot! Stop! I'm you're friend!"
The fusion roared back in response, forcing Goku to a halt as he held both of the Saiyan's fists in his grasp. However, Vegetto winced in pain at the sudden shin slamming into the side of his head, flipping across the ground and kicking up rubble in his wake. The fusion lay still on the ground for a moment, grunting before rising up to his feet and turning his attention back to Goku.
His wide eyes remained, staring back at the crossed arm Saiyan prince standing next to Goku, who despite having maintained his Super Saiyan form, was gasping for air and struggling to rise to his feet. Vegetto blinked hard once more, his attention returning back to Vegeta at the sound of his voice.
"You'll spill no Saiyan blood today!"
Another golden aura suddenly erupted up from underneath Vegeta's boots this time, rapidly ascending to a Super Saiyan standing before Vegetto with his glare locked onto the fusion. Vegetto watched on while the two Super Saiyans squared off against him in with clenched fists, matching his own Super Saiyan form in appearance.
"What are you talking about? What's going on here?"
Vegetto cried out once more, his fore arms shooting up to the sides of his head as the two Saiyans suddenly appeared at his sides, fists flying into his arms to creating a powerful shockwave of energy exploding out around in reaction. The fusion lept back once more, blocking and parrying each fist launched towards him as Vegeta and Goku continued to push on the offensive, forcing him back with attack after attack. The fusion panted heavily, letting out a cry as Goku's fist slipped past his defenses into his stomach, Vegeta's leg landing on his back and forcing Vegetto to stumble forward.
The fusion collapsed to one knee, catching his breath before whirling around to face towards the two.
"Stop! Why are you doing this? Why are you fighting me!"
Goku grinned back in response, his happy expression bewildering Vegetto even further.
"I fight to save the world from those looking to harm the innocent. I fight so that all things may live in peace, without the threat of evil. Without the threat of those who harm others for no reason besides sick pleasure."
Vegetto blinked, glancing back to Vegeta, who chuckled at the fusion with clenched fists.
"I used to fight for the sheer pleasure of it! For the thrill of the hunt! Oh I had the strength unmeasurable, I spared no one!"
Vegetto hesitantly tensed up, watching the two stand together and smirk at the fusion.
"But most of all, I fight because of my passion! To face each challenge before me, to improve my strength, and to be as strong as I can possibly be..."
The two roared together, dashing forward with a single fist out towards the fusion. Vegetto held his arms up in an x-shaped fashion, gritting his teeth together tightly in anticipation of the blow. The fusion slid back at the powerful fist that slammed into his forearms, skidding along the ground for a few seconds before coming to a slow halt. He blinked, looking over his arms in surprise from feeling only one fist slamming into his defense.
The fusion's eyes widened, staring back into the smirking clone of himself floating slightly above him with a white gloved fists still planted on his fore arms. The dual voice rang out, his amusement clear in his tone.
"I fight because it's fun!"
Vegetto winced, toppling over as the clone's second fist slammed underneath his arms and into his stomach, before falling to the ground from the force of the clone's foot slamming down onto his exposed shoulder. Vegetto coughed heavily, stumbling up back to his feet in time to catching both of the clone's fists in each hand, holding him back while resting his weight onto one knee.
The clone glared down in contempt at Vegetto, attempting to power through his grasp and speaking with a venomous tone.
"Who do you think you are?! The complete circle, the full yin and yang. The perfect combination of talent and hard work, the savior of the universe."
Vegetto winced heavily, his knee beginning to collapse deeper into the ground at the increased pressure of the clone's attempt to power through his grasp, continuing.
"You've lived comfortably, pretending to be the perfect balance. But you have nothing, you are nothing. Everything you hold dear is just a memory, nothing for you to call your own."
Vegetto cried out, his left arm falling limp and allowing the clone's fist to shoot down into his cheek, forcing the fusion to nearly slam down into the groun. His right arm soon released its grip on the clone's right fist at the blow, his head whipping in the opposite direction as another fist slammed into his cheek.
The fusion sat on both knees, arms limp while he let his head hang down. However, a black hand gripped onto Vegetto's throat, denying him rest and lifting him up into the air with his limbs still limp. The air grew short in his lungs, and Vegetto shut his eyes tightly while Janembuu's voice spoke in place of his own.
"All that power, yet you still fail. No values and morals of your own, no reasons that belong to you."
Vegetto cringed, managing to reach up and grasp onto Janembuu's forearm while the monster continued.
"So tell me, Vegetto. If you are a man with nothing but power and copied morals, why bother living? Why exist in a world you can never be apart of?"
The fusion attempted to cough, his grip on Janembuu's forearm slipping. He felt his arms slip again, soon falling limp while his lungs began to fall still. His vision blurred again, the scene before him soon fading into a dark black scene once more, his will to continue nearly gone.
Vegetto felt his eyes twitch, the giggle of a feminine voice ringing out next in his head. His eyes followed Leiji as she shot down towards Janembuu, the monster's surprised expression sticking into Vegetto's mind while the arm suddenly disappeared. He collapsed to the floor, nearly falling limp and resting on all fours.
His arms shook heavily, weakly glancing up at the touch of Leiji's arm wrapping around his back and her hands on his sides, guiding him back up to his feet. Vegetto continued to pant heavily, glancing down at the smiling Leiji and resting in her grasp, one eye shut.
"Are you a figment of my imagination too?"
Leiji kept her smile, but pulled her arms out from underneath Vegetto's arms and stepped back. The fusion panted, stumbling forward and letting out a small yelp at the strain of moving without her support.
"We all have reasons for fighting. Some for power...others to satisfy a desire..."
Vegetto clutched his side, staring back at her while she began to move back.
"But only you can decide who you are inside. You are the only person who can decide the reasons, and only you can draw upon that true power within that not even the Masters can take from you."
Leiji smiled back at Vegetto, turning her back to him.
"Fight for the reason you believe in the most, Vegetto. And the power will come."
Vegetto glanced down, the woman disappearing from sight and leaving him alone to stand. He soon balled up his hands into fists, a growing sensation developing in his chest. A bright white light began to shine from within his body, and the fusion roared to the darkness, the black rapidly beginning to fall to the white light erasing everything in its path.
The four warriors gasped, shielding themselves at the sound of Vegetto's high pitched roar, a powerful shockwave erupting out from around the mediating fusion while his arms rapidly dropped down to his side. Nearly as quickly as it began, the powerful blast of wind and energy receded back to the source, allowing the on looking warriors to collect themselves.
Vegetto huffed, moving out of the position he had assumed to journey within himself and rising up to his feet. He glanced around with wide eyes, pockets of pure white lightning spiraling up around his matching white aura. His hair had remained in the normal style of his Super Saiyan form, yet it also had changed into a snow white with a prominent turquoise glow surrounding his entire body.
Leiji blinked, her eyes locking onto the pupil less whites of Vegetto's eyes, studying the form.
"What the?"
Goku's eyes went wide, matching the others' surprised stares of the other three.
"Wow, that wasn't the transformation Leiji used against Buu..."
Leiji continued to blink hard, her attention diverting to the various qualities of the newly transformed Vegetto.
"Perhaps I should've had you transform into a Super Saiyan 4 first so that you could've matched my form-"
Her eyes widened even more, cut off at the sudden lips locking with hers, Vegetto's arm traveling around the small of her back and pulling her closer to him. Leiji's eyes still remained wide, her hands falling onto Vegetto's chest while the two remained locked in the kiss for a few seconds, the fusion eventually breaking away slowly.
Goku, Vegeta, and Gogeta each remained silent, their eyes wide and mouths agape at the sight while Leiji rested in Vegetto's grasp for a moment. She quickly shook her head a couple of times, pushing out Vegetto's grasp and turning her back to the fusion, her cheeks bright red.
Vegetto let his arms drop to his side, glancing down at the ground as well. He glanced to his side, scratching the back of his head in the silence for a moment.
"I...um...sorry, I don't know what got into me."
Leiji kept her head dipped, but shook it side to side and waved her hand up in dismissal, despite her refusal to look at Vegetto.
"No no, it's...uh..it's fine."
Vegetto let out a half hearted chuckle, letting his arm back down to his side. He paused for a moment, glancing back to the hut.
"I...I think I need to lie down for a bit. That...experience took a little more out of me than I thought..."
Gogeta grinned, nodding at Vegetto.
"I bet! Whatever happened, your energy level is beyond anything I've ever sensed before! Way beyond that of that Super Saiyan 5 transformation Leiji used!"
Vegeta kept a blank expression, glancing over to Vegetto with a nod as well.
"We could use some more answers as to what happened in that experience of yours to ascend. But I'm sure Leiji here can teach us, seeing your success means that Gogeta will find the same result."
Vegetto nodded back in response, glancing back to Leiji once the two had finished. He frowned, seeing her continue to glance away in embarrassment from his sudden move, and the fusion turned on his heel, leaving the four behind and making his way towards the hut.
Vegetto rested his head on his palms, lying on his back in the bed and staring at the ceiling in anticipation of the other warriors. Hours ticked by, and Vegetto had eventually descended back down into his normal state during the duration of the others' training.
His eyes darted down towards the door leading into his room, hearing the sound of Goku's happy tone.
"Well...I'd say that was a pretty productive day! I'd say we're even ready to fight those Dread Masters now, seeing how strong we've become!"
The fusion felt his heart jump at the sound of Leiji's voice, nearly sitting up right as she added onto the conversation.
"I'm sure we can benefit more from perfecting these transformations with the time left. I didn't expect all of you to make this kind of jump this soon, but it's definitely good to see!"
Gogeta's voice rang out next, Vegetto still perking up at the sound of doors opening.
"Still, I think it's rather strange that Vegetto was the only one to transform into something different than all of our forms. We should probably ask him more about it tomorrow."
Vegetto sat up in his bed, Vegeta's voice ringing out from the other side of the wall next.
"If he wakes up tomorrow."
Goku's laughter followed after Vegeta's joke, his tone still light.
"I'm sure with how long he spent in that state compared to all of us, and how much energy he must've used, he deserves a good couple of days of sleep."
The Saiyan let out a small chuckle, Vegetto's cheeks reddening a bit at his next teasing comment.
"Maybe you can even help him with a third night, eh Leiji?"
Vegetto involuntarily smiled at her raised voice, imagining her own embarrassed expression as well.
"Goku!"
Vegeta's chuckle soon followed.
"Don't be a pervert, Kakarot. I'm sure that little show we saw today was just a 'heat of the moment' type of reaction, right?"
Vegetto swung his legs out to the bedside, his eyes still on the door as his stomach filled with butterflies at her soft voice.
"I...I don't know what that was about. But whatever that was, it doesn't mean he wants to sleep with me or anything!"
Gogeta's giggle rung out next, the sound of his door opening followed shortly after his comment.
"But you want him to, is that it?"
Vegetto's smile nearly widened into a grin, hearing Leiji's exasperated groan and the door leading into her room across the hall clicking open.
"I'm going to bed, good night perverts!"
The Potara fusion sat up on his bed, hearing the door slam shortly after, and listening to the other three warriors burst out into laughter at the reaction. Goku's voice finished the conversation, still chuckling as he spoke.
"Good night guys, good work today! See you in the morning!"
Vegetto still sat on his bed, waiting for the room to fall silent. He sat on the edge of his bed for another few minutes, glancing around in a desperate attempt to pick up the various preparations each of the others made before bed.
After sitting upright on his bed for nearly an hour, Vegetto couldn't contain himself any longer and quietly sprung up from his bed, rapidly reaching his door and gripping the door knob. Twisting it ever so slowly, he pulled the wooden frame as quietly as possible towards him, peaking his head out into the dark hallway.
Deciding it was safe, Vegetto shut the door behind him and entered the hallway, lightly moving across the dark corridor past the others bedrooms. Sensing Leiji's energy signature in order to find her room, Vegetto soon came to a halt in front of the door leading into her room, letting out a deep breath in anxiety. He straightened his back up as straight as he could, reaching out and holding out his right fist onto the wooden door.
He kept it there for a few seconds, but quickly shook his head to overcome the fear and lightly knocked onto the wooden door twice. The fusion let out another deep breath, the butterflies intensifying in his stomach for a moment yet disappearing completely once the door leading into Leiji's room opened slowly.
Leiji blinked, standing in front of the small opening of the door in nothing but a purple bra and matching panties.
"Vegetto? What are you doing up this late?"
Vegetto opened his mouth to speak, yet no words came out. His eyes had left hers, unable to glance down and stared down at her cleavage in silence. She stared at him for a moment, before following his eyes and letting out a small gasp in surprise, quickly shutting the door in his face. Vegetto winced, stepping back and rubbing his nose from where the wood had struck him for a moment.
He quickly attempted to recollect himself, blinking hard as the door opened once more. Having covered herself up with a purple bathrobe, Leiji glanced down at the floor with red cheeks once again, keeping her voice down.
"So..why uh...why are you up this late?"
Vegetto hesitated, his words coming out weakly.
"I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn't-"
"No no, it's fine really."
Vegetto fell silent, watching Leiji turn her attention to side for a moment, before finally meeting his eyes with an eyebrow raised.
"I do want to know though, what exactly happened whenever you looked deep inside? The other three transformed and performed the meditation well, but not even Gogeta accessed the strange type of power you did."
Vegetto scratched the back of his head, shrugging his shoulders lightly.
"Well, I saw a flashback of when Vegeta first spoke to Goku about avenging the Saiyan race. Then...they both attacked me at once, explaining their different reasons and personalities to me before they somehow fused into a direct copy of me..."
Leiji nodded her head, watching Vegetto glance down with a darker tone.
"The copy of me talked about how I was nothing, just a living combination of two real people and how I never will have any reason to fight that I can call my own. For fun, to protect others, to feel superior, for pride...all reasons I can't say is from my personal goals and motivation. All are from Goku and Vegeta."
He then turned his head up back to Leiji, meeting her eyes.
"Except for one."
Leiji raised an eyebrow in response.
"What was the one reason?"
Vegetto paused, still locking his eyes with hers.
"...you."
Leiji's eyes widened, her cheeks immediately turning bright red as she glanced down once again, falling silent in response. The two stood for a moment, before Leiji finally managed to speak.
"I see..."
Vegetto narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing back down to her.
"After I made that decision, to fight and struggle for you, the transformation just kind of happened..."
The fusion paused for a moment, watching Leiji avoid his eyes and glance around the ground. He then reached out, forcing her chin up and locked eyes with her once more as he smiled down at her.
"Look, I know it's all a little forward and sudden. But...well...I was wondering if you shared the same interest."
Leiji smiled back in response, keeping her chin raised once Vegetto had let his arm drop back down to his side.
"Of course I do. I just...I'm sorry if it seems I don't. It's just I...I don't really know what to do. I mean, I don't really have much experience with feelings like this and...well..."
Vegetto grinned, his hand resting on the door.
"Can I come in and talk to you about it, then? I have memories from Vegeta and Kakarot on this sort of thing, but I'm not so sure myself."
Leiji peaked her head out past Vegetto at the question, looking around into the hallway. Vegetto watched as she pulled her head back into the room, the door widening open to allow him entrance.
Vegetto kept his happy grin, entering into Leiji's room and quickly shutting the door back behind him, the corridor and hut soon falling silent as the other warriors continued to sleep in the Time Chamber.