PART TWELVE: REGROUP

"On a cosmic scale, our life is insignificant, yet this brief period when we appear in the world

is the same time in which all meaningful questions arise." - Paul Ricoeur

I know exactly where he took her, Vegeta thought as he flew through the air. He was headed in the direction of the Lookout, the place where Goku had taken the girl. I hope she's alright. I need to figure out who she is.

A few minutes later, he landed on top of the Lookout. The girl, Goku, and Dende were all standing around talking.

"Hey, Vegeta!" Goku yelled as soon as he saw him. The others turned around to face him.

"Where have you been? We were gonna come help you, but I couldn't find your energy," Goku explained.

"It's a long story," Vegeta replied. Wow, he thought as he looked at the girl he had spent the last week trying to rescue. She's…gorgeous. There's something really familiar about her.

The girl walked up to Vegeta and grabbed his hands. "I wanted to say thank you," she said, "I'm pretty sure that I would have died if it hadn't been for you. I need to know though; why were you so obsessed with finding me? Goku told me how determined you were."

"I wish I knew the answer. I've felt uneasy ever since this whole thing started; since the moment you crashed here."

"Right," she said as she let go of his hands, "so, you don't know who I am?"

Vegeta shook his head. "No, I don't. Do you remember anything?"

Dende cut in at this point to answer Vegeta's question. "I healed her physical wounds completely as you can tell. Any amnesia should have been healed as well," he said.

"I think I can explain everything to you," Vegeta replied.

"Wait," Goku said, "you know what's going on with her memory?"

He stared at Goku. "According to the man who was behind this whole thing, Dr. Uling, there was a medicine called "The Fox" that was created. At first it was meant to erase certain memories from people who took it, but when he was forcibly injected with it, it made him remember everything about the whole Buu situation, and it sparked a hatred for aliens. Soon after, he had his colleagues take it," Vegeta explained. "They then took The Fox, fixed what was wrong with it, and then did a trial run on our friend here," he said pointing at the girl, "and it appears to have worked."

"The Fox?" The girl questioned.

"I don't remember the technical name for it. It's a red liquid. It can either be absorbed through the skin, injected with a syringe, or flavored to taste like juice and absorbed by drinking it."

The juice. The syringe. The red container, the girl thought.

"It all make sense now," she said quietly.

"Hmm?" Vegeta said as he perked his head up.

"In the hospital, Dr. Uling gave me pills with juice to drink with it. When I first got to that torture room, the woman there injected me with a syringe with a red liquid in it, then when I woke up after passing out, I was being sprayed by a red liquid from a large container."

"Dr. Uling was the one behind it all," Vegeta said, "everything was his doing."

"So," Goku said, "where is he now?"

"Hopefully in hell now," Vegeta said as he turned his back and faced towards the edge of the Lookout.

"What did you do to him, Vegeta?" Goku asked.

"Nothing. He took his own life."

"What other information were you able to get? Is there a way to reverse the effects?" The girl questioned.

"He pulled the trigger before I could," Vegeta said.

"Well, if he was able to figure out how to reverse it to make it take away memories, do you think it would be possible to reverse it again? You know, like back to how it was in the first place when it made him remember?" The girl asked optimistically.

"Hey! That just might work!" Goku exclaimed.

"Yeah, I don't see why not," Dende added on.

"It won't," Vegeta said.

"What makes you say that?" The girl asked. The girl, Dende, and Goku lost their optimistic outlook faster than they got it.

"Because," Vegeta explained, "I'm at odds with the one person who could possibly do it."

Damn, Bulma. Why do you have to be like this? Perhaps I could bribe her, Vegeta thought.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot," Goku said as he dropped his head.

The girl got a confused look on her face. "His wife. Bulma," Goku answered before she could even ask, "she's a little…stubborn."

"Oh, I see. Well, maybe if I explain to her what happened, she'll be more than willing to help!" The girl said.

"Don't count on it," Vegeta said, "we're at odds because she didn't want me helping you."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Long story short, we lost all our income because of this," Vegeta said bluntly.

The girl dropped her optimistic expression and her eyes began to fill with tears. Her heart sank to her feet and her stomach dropped just like someone had knocked the breath out of her.

"Well," she said quietly, "I'm sorry that I'm such a bother. I didn't ask you to save me. I didn't ask anyone to save me."

She turned and walked away toward the other side of the Lookout, away from everyone. As she turned to walk, Vegeta turned around as if he was about to say something, but decided that it would be best if he didn't.

"You shouldn't have told her that," Goku said, "she's a really sweet girl, and she's been through a lot."

"I know she has, Kakarot," Vegeta replied.

On the other side of the Lookout, the girl with no memories sat down and dangled her newly healed legs over the edge.

All of this is so insane, she thought as she looked down to the planet below her. I don't remember this planet at all. Green people who heal injuries, people who can teleport from one place to another. All of it is so…different. Or is it normal? Who am I to judge what's normal nowadays.

As she swung her feet back and forth of the edge, much like a child, Goku walked up next to her and sat down beside her. He sat the same exact way with his feet swinging back and forth over the edge.

"We're all so insignificant," she said.

"Huh? What do ya mean?" Goku replied.

"Sitting up here, looking down at the planet below me has made me realize how insignificant I am as a person. As a singular being," she said, "all of the people down there who inhabit this planet have their own lives and their own problems. Mountains that are seen as enormous on the ground are nothing but tiny ant hills from up here. Down there, people view this planet as a small world, but up here it's easy to see that there's much more to it than meets the eye. It's all about the way you look at things, I guess. Down there, my problems may seem huge, but up here, compared to the size of this planet, they're minuscule. What may appear big, might actually not be that big once you think about it."

"Hmm," Goku said, "I've never thought about it like that."

"Yeah. Me either. I don't think. I wish I could get my memories back."

"Yeah, I wanted to apologize for Vegeta. He's a little rough around the edges, and he can say things that come out wrong sometimes, but he's a good guy in the end," Goku said apologetically.

"I understand how he feels. To tell you the truth, I would be a little pissed too if I lost my income due to someone else. I wish that hadn't happened, but I am thankful for his determination to save me," she said with a half-smile on her face. She looked over her shoulder to see if Vegeta was still standing in the same place, but it appeared that he had left.

"Huh? Where'd he go?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah. He went to try to convince Bulma to try to reverse The Fox. He said he might be able to bribe her," Goku explained.

"Bribe her?"

"Let's just say that Bulma's been a bit baby crazy lately."

Wow, she thought, he would actually have a smelly, loud, annoying child just to help me?

"Hah," she chuckled, "I feel sorry for him if that's what he has to do. I'd rather just not have my memories back."

"It sounds like you don't like kids," Goku said with a laugh.

"I feel like I'd rather lose my memory than have children any day."

"Well, Vegeta already has one. A son named Trunks. He's nine," Goku started, "and I have two sons. Gohan and Goten. Gohan is the oldest, he's eight teen; he'll be nineteen next month, and Goten is only eight."

There is no way this man is old enough to be a father of an eighteen-year-old. He barely looks twenty-five, she thought.

She looked at his with a suspicious look. "How old are you?" She questioned.

"Well," he laughed, "that's a little hard to answer. Techincially, I'm thirty-eight, but I've died a few times."

"I'm sorry. What?" She said, shocked as she shook her head in disbelief.

"On this planet, there are these things called "Dragon balls." There are seven of them, and once you collect all seven of them, a dragon named Shenron will come out and grant you any wish you want; including bringing people back to life."

She probably thinks I'm a lunatic, Goku thought as he rubbed the back of his head.

"So how many times have you been brought back?"

"Wait. You actually believe me? I didn't think you would," he said, shocked.

"I don't remember my own name, past, childhood, or family. Who am I to judge what's true or not?"

"I guess you have a point. But to answer your question, twice. Once, when I was killed fighting my brother, Raditz, and the other when I sacrificed myself to try to destroy a monster named Cell.

"Do you age when you're dead? You don't look old enough to have an eighteen-year-old."

"No," he said, "you don't age. I've actually been dead for a total of eight years. I was gone for a year when I died with my brother, and I was dead seven years when I sacrificed myself. I was just recently brought back when Majin Buu attacked."

"So, you're actually thirty?"

"I guess so," he chuckled.

"Who is this Majin Buu person? Vegeta made it sound like he was a big trigger for Dr. Uling."

Goku realized that it was best to go ahead and tell the whole story, so he did. After he was finished, the girl sat there with shock and amaze all over her face.

"I don't even know what to say," she said, "I mean, how does something like that happen?"

"I wish I knew the answer. At first, I thought it was me. That's why I stayed gone for so long after the whole Cell thing."

"Why would you think that they have something to do with you?" She asked curiously.

"I don't know if you'll believe me or not, but I'm not from this planet," he said.

"Like I said before, I don't have any room to judge what's real," she laughed.

"Right," he chuckled, "believe it or not, I'm what's called a Saiyan from Planet Vegeta."

"Planet Vegeta? As in that Vegeta who was just standing here? He has his own planet?"

"Well, he did. Sort of. He's the Prince of all Saiyans. His father was King Vegeta," Goku explained, "but it was blown up the day I was born, and only a handful of Saiyans who were on other planets survived."

"So how did you escape?"

"Right before the planet was blown up, I was sent here to Earth on a mission to destroy it, but when I landed here, I was found in the woods by an old man – Grandpa Gohan. I hit my head which made me forget why I had been sent here in the first place, and I guess, ultimately turned me good."

"Wait," she said, "so, Saiyans aren't good? You seem like nice people to me."

He chuckled. "When Vegeta first came here, he came here with the intent of killing me, stealing the dragon balls, and then destroying the planet. He's not a bad guy anymore. Still a little rough around the edges though."

"He's obviously different," she said. "That Vegeta wouldn't have sacrificed himself for anyone or tried to save me."

With that last sentence, Goku stomach started to growl. "Man, I'm hungry. Do you feel like eating?"

"Haha," she laughed, "I feel like I could eat a cow."

The two stood up from the edge of the lookout and Goku jumped off. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU -," she began to yell. She then noticed that he was floating in midair.

"Well," she said, "I'd be lying if I said I was surprised."

He laughed and rubbed the back of his head with his eyes closed. "Do you remember if you're afraid of flying?"

"I, uh. I don't think I am," she said as she looked down and out into the wide open sky.

"Well, then what are you waiting for? Let's go get something to eat." He said as he held his arms out, "jump. I gotcha."

Feeling assured that he was going to catch her, she leaped off the Lookout and he did as he promised and caught her. Moments later, they took off flying down to the vast world below them.

"You don't need a reason to help someone." - Unknown

I can't believe I'm going this far, Vegeta thought as he walked up to the front of Capsule Corporation. Whatever, it's for the best I suppose. It might not actually be that bad. He walked up to the automatic doors and they slid open. He walked inside and called out for Bulma.

"In here," she said from the living room to the left. Vegeta walked into the room and saw her sitting on the floor with design blueprints laid out.

"What's all this?" He questioned.

"Just some new products I'm trying to come up with. We're gonna need something to sell. You know, since you ruined us," she said as she glared up at him.

"I need your help with something," Vegeta said plainly.

"What is it? I'm extremely busy," she said, sounding annoyed. She continued to write out the blueprints.

Vegeta went on to tell her about everything that had happened in the previous hours.

"He…shot himself?" She questioned as she looked up at Vegeta.

"Mhmm. The Fox, Bulma. Do you think you'll be able to reverse it or not?"

She scoffed at his, what seemed like, simple request. "Are you joking right now?" She said as she stood up. "Why on Earth should I? I specifically told you to leave it alone."

"Her," Vegeta said harshly, "you told me to leave HER alone."

"Her, it, whatever."

"Bulma, she needs her memory back, and I need to find out who she is. Will you just try?"

"Why is it that no matter what I say to you, it seems to go through one ear and out the other? I don't understand, Vegeta. I told you to leave HER alone, and you continued to intervene."

"Bulma," he said as he grabbed her hands. She was clearly taken back seeing as how this was a rare gesture. "I will do anything. I will give you anything, whatever you want, if you do this for me," he said in a calm tone.

"You'll give me anything?" She questioned.

"Anything."

And here it comes. Maybe this time, it can be do-over. A second child, a second chance.

"I want a divorce," she said bluntly.

He dropped her hands slowly. "Are you…what?" He asked, shocked.

"I want a divorce," she repeated.

"I heard that part. Is this because of me not leaving this situation alone?"

"No," she said, "I've been considering it for months." He looked down to the floor and around the room. "You're never here, Vegeta. I don't want to be married to someone who is never here."

"What do you mean I'm never here? I LIVE here," he said.

"You're not emotionally here. That's what counts more than anything."

He scoffed. "And here I was about to give you another child."

"Why would you think that that's what I wanted? I have enough trouble raising Trunks by myself."

"You're not raising him by yourself," Vegeta insisted.

"It feels like it."

"What happened to you being baby crazy not too long ago?" Vegeta questioned.

"That was months ago. After Buu was defeated, and you started acting like a husband and a father, I did want another one. Then you changed again. You became more obsessed with power than your family."

"You know that's not true."

"Yes, Vegeta, it is. You became more obsessed than ever to be stronger than Goku, and now, you're more obsessed with figuring out who this GIRL is instead of listening to me. I agreed to help you, and I told you what I wanted in return. The ball is in your court now," she said as she continued to sit back down and resume drawing out the blueprints.

A divorce? Have things really gotten that bad? Vegeta thought.

"I'll find another way," Vegeta said as he looked down at her only to find that she was not going to look back. Vegeta then walked back out of the living room and out of the front door, and took off into the sky back towards the others.

A divorce? He thought to himself again. How could she possibly ask for a divorce? I've got to find another way.

As Vegeta got closer and closer to the Lookout where Goku and the girl was, he tried to come up with some sort of plan, but alas, nothing sparked an idea.

"Hey Vegeta!" Goku said ecstatically with a mouth full of food as Vegeta landed on top of the Lookout, "you're back!"

Vegeta said nothing. He walked straight past Goku and went straight to Dende.

"Dende," Vegeta said.

"Um…hey Vegeta," Dende replied, "is everything alright?"

Vegeta completely ignored Dende's question, and instead changed the subject. "Are you sure that there's nothing you can do to restore her memories?"

"Normally, I would be able to, but for some reason, I can't. No matter how many times I try. I'm sorry, Vegeta," Dende said as he lowered his head.

"Did Bulma say that she won't be able to reverse The Fox?" Goku questioned as he walked up to Dende and Vegeta.

"It doesn't matter what she said," Vegeta replied, "all that matters is that we have to figure something else out."

Goku, Dende, and Vegeta all stood around and tried to come up with solutions as to how they were going to help the girl get her memories back, and then seemingly out of nowhere, the best idea of the day was thrown in.

"Hey guys?" The girl questioned as she stood up from her food and walked towards Vegeta and Dende, "what if we use that dragon thing? You know, the one you told me about," she said, pointing at Goku.

"Hey! That's a great idea!" Goku exclaimed.

"Aren't you forgetting?" Dende asked, almost trying to remind Goku. "The dragon balls can only be used once a year, and we used them four months ago when we made everyone forget Buu. We still have to wait eight months."

Eight months? The girl thought. There's no way I can live like this for eight months. I'd rather be dead. She unknowingly, and what seemed like instinctually, balled her fists up tightly, and her fists began to shake as she stared at the ground.

"Hey," Goku said as he held her hands to get them to stop shaking, "it's gonna be fine. We'll just have to figure something else out."

She let out a slight chuckle. "How many times am I going to have to hear that?" She said, still looking at the ground. "Maybe I should just go ahead and start all over," she said, sounding defeated, "come up with a new name, a new -."

"No," Vegeta interrupted, "you're somebody. We just have to figure out who."

"And how exactly do you think we're gonna do that?!" She yelled at Vegeta, "I don't even know if I have any family here on this stupid planet!"

That's it. Family. DNA. She has to be related to someone. Vegeta thought.

"I have a plan," Vegeta said, completely ignoring the girl yelling at him.

"Huh? What is it?" Goku questioned.

"She has to have some sort of family somewhere," Vegeta explained, pointing at the girl, "DNA test."

"A DNA test?" She questioned.

"Yes. It's test where they take your blood and run-," Vegeta began before being interrupted.

"I'm not stupid. I know what a DNA test is," the girl said offended, "I didn't forget basic knowledge, you know."

"Says the one who can't remember her own name," Vegeta replied in a snarky tone.

They both glared at each other for a few seconds until Goku intervened.

"Guys. Calm down," he said as he wedged his way in between them. "Where would we get her DNA tested? Dende, can you do it?!"

"Sorry, Goku. I can't," Dende said sadly.

"We take her to the hospital and get one done," Vegeta said.

"I'm sorry," the girl said in a bitter tone, "if this does somehow work, and I do find my family, how is that going to help me get my memories back? All it would do is make it harder to get through life."

"If we can figure out who your family is, sometimes, seeing the members of your family can help jog your memory," Vegeta said, "however, with your certain memories being affected by that drug, I don't know if it'll work."

"But -," Goku began

"It's worth a try," she interrupted.

"Now you're getting it!" Goku exclaimed.

"I'm starting to get how different you two are," she said with a slight chuckle.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Vegeta said. "Let's get a move on."