PART FOURTEEN: BELONGING

"Half the time I don't know what they're talking about; their jokes seem to

relate to a past that everyone but me has shared. I'm a foreigner in the world,

and I don't understand the language." - Jean Webster

As the twins finished shaking hands, reality hit Clara like a train, and the smile she had left her face. As they let go of each other's hand, she turned her back to Vegeta, crossed her arms, and stared in the direction where the pictures were hanging.

This is all so…scary, she thought, this man that I just met the other night turned out to be my twin brother. What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to just trust him? I know absolutely nothing about him.

"What's wrong?" Vegeta asked, finally breaking the silence. Clara looked back to look at him, but then turned her head back around a few seconds later.

"It's nothing," she said.

"We're twins," Vegeta said, "do you really think I can't tell when you're lying?"

"That's the problem," she said, quietly.

"Huh?"

Clara turned her body completely around to look at her brother. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Yes. We're twins," she said as she opened her eyes, "but don't you think that it's just a little bit strange that we're able to tell when something is wrong with the other, or when one of us is lying?"

"No. You heard what Doctor Sosa said," Vegeta said, as he looked up at his sister.

"I don't mean that it's strange in a biological way," Clara said, "it makes complete sense that we're able to do that. We were once the same egg."

"Then what are you talking about?" Vegeta asked, sounding annoyed.

"I mean it's strange in a general sense. We've never met before, yet, when I crashed here, you felt that something was wrong about the situation and did everything you could to find me," she said. "Then, just now, you caught me lying. You said, 'We're twins. Do you really think I can't tell when you're lying?'."

A few seconds of silence went by and the twins just stared at each other.

"Somehow," Clara continued, now sounding aggravated, "I ended up on this ridiculous planet, lost all memory of who I am, and then, as if the universe was trying to say, 'Here! Here's something else to try to figure out!', I just so happen to get rescued by my twin brother who is somehow twenty years older than I am!" She yelled. Tears began to roll down her face, and she continued to talk through her tears. "It feels like you know so much more than me. It seems like you know more about our past, our family, and me in general. And here I am, knowing only you, Goku, and my new name." As she finished, Vegeta quietly got up from where he was sitting, and walked over to his visibly upset sister. With tears rolling down her face and her hands trembling, he wrapped his arms around her, laid his cheek on top of her head, and looked towards the wall that the pictures were hanging on.

"You're wrong," he said as he looked at the pictures hanging on the wall. "I know nothing of our past, because we don't have one. I never knew or heard about you. As far as our family goes, I can tell you what I know, which to be honest with you, isn't much. Our home planet was blown up when I was five. And you actually know more about me than I know about you. All I know is that we're twins, and your new name is Clara."

Clara moved her head out from under Vegeta's and separated herself from him. "I guess you're right," she said as she rubbed her face. "God, I feel like such a whiny little child," she said as she looked down and balled her fists, "Goku told me all about Saiyan strength and power, so if I'm a Saiyan, then I must be strong like you two."

Vegeta let out a small chuckle. "I know I'm right," he said. "And yes, you are acting like a whiny child, but I can't imagine what it must be like to know nothing about yourself, so I've been trying to play the brother role and help you."

She let out a small chuckle and had a smirk come across her face. "Thanks," she said as she looked up to her brother, "but I don't need to be babied anymore. After all, I'm the Princess of all Saiyans."

The same smirk that had come across Clara's face was now on Vegeta's as well. "Yes. You are." He said. "What do you say we get out of here and go figure out who you are?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," she replied, "shouldn't we find Goku first?"

"Fine," Vegeta said with a sigh, "let's go find him. If I know him, he's probably still across the street, eating."

Clara laughed and they both headed out the door, but not before grabbing the pictures of the DNA that were hanging on the wall.

"You're keeping those?" Vegeta asked.

"Yeah. As a reminder."

Vegeta closed the door behind them and they began to walk back out into the waiting room. When they got back to the waiting room, they looked around and saw that Goku still wasn't there. Clara walked up to the front door and looked out of it, and as Vegeta had theorized, Goku was still sitting across the street eating.

"Can…can he really eat THAT much?" Clara asked Vegeta, shocked.

"Saiyans have a big appetite, but Kakarot overdoes it," Vegeta explained.

Clara turned away from the door to face her brother. "Alright. That's it," she said aggravated, "what the hell is with this whole 'Kakarot' thing? When I first met you two, you introduced him as Goku, and he said his name was Goku."

"I'm guessing when he told you about Saiyan power and strength, he forgot to mention that he was sent here as a baby from our home planet," Vegeta replied.

"No. He told me that."

Vegeta let out a sigh. "His Saiyan name is Kakarot. He was named 'Goku' by the earthlings. I call him by his Saiyan name."

"Oh. Well, since I'm a Saiyan, should I call him by his Saiyan name?" She questioned.

"That's up to you."

"Hmm," she said as she turned back towards the door, "I don't think I will."

She pushed the door opened and they both walked outside onto the sidewalk.

"What're we gonna tell him?" Clara asked as she and Vegeta waited for traffic to clear.

"The truth, I suppose," he replied.

The traffic cleared long enough for the two of them to run across the street.

"I really wish you could fly," Vegeta said as they were halfway across the street, "it would be a lot more convenient."

"Maybe I can," she said, "I wouldn't know."

As the approached the other side of the street, Goku was finishing up his last plate.

"Good God, Kakarot," Vegeta began, "your stomach is like a bottomless abyss."

"Hey guys!" Goku exclaimed with his mouth full. Clara turned away at the revolting sight of the food in his mouth.

"Kakarot! Chew your food before you speak!" Vegeta yelled.

Goku swallowed his food and apologized. "Sorry guys. I was just so hungry. I felt like I hadn't eaten in days," he said as he stood up from his seat, "so how did it go?!" He asked Clara excitedly, hoping to hear good news.

"Oh…well, uh…it uh…," she began, trying to find the words to tell him the news. She glanced at Vegeta as if she were asking him to answer the question for her.

He glanced back at her and seemingly understood what she wanted him to do. "She and I are related," he said.

Goku's jaw dropped to the floor, and he looked at looked at them back and forth.

"Yeah, that." Clara said.

"Woah, woah, woah. You guys are RELATED?! Man, I think I see it now."

"See what?" Vegeta asked curiously.

"The relation!" Goku said, excitedly as they all began walking down the sidewalk. "The tan skin tone, the jet black hair, the onyx eyes, and you guys even have the same nose and mouth!" Goku exclaimed. "But your ears are a little bigger, Vegeta, and she doesn't have that big widow's peak."

"UTTER ONE MORE WORD, AND I SWEAR TO GOD…!" Vegeta began to yell before being cut off by Clara.

"That's enough, brother," she said.

"B-B-BROTHER?!" Goku exclaimed. "What? How? How is that possible?!"

"We're what's called semi-identical twins," Clara said.

"TWINS?!"

"Kakarot, shut up and let her finish."

"It's complicated and rare," Clara continued, "we aren't like normal twins. Identical twins are made with one sperm and one egg, fraternal twins are made with two sperm and two eggs, but semi-identical twins are made from two sperm and one egg."

Goku rubbed the back of his head as if he was trying to understand what Clara was saying. "It's all so confusing, but I think I understand."

"We're called semi-identical because we were made from one egg like identical twins are, but fertilized by two sperm like fraternal twins are," Vegeta clarified.

"Hmm. I think I get it," Goku said, "So, how did you guys not know until now? Didn't you grow up together?"

Vegeta and Clara looked at each other. "No," Vegeta said, "I never knew about her. I'm guessing they kept her secret."

"Wow. This is all so weird," Goku said, "it's hard to believe that you two are not only related, but you're TWINS!"

Clara let out a chuckle. "That's not even the weirdest thing to me," she said. Goku looked at her with a curious face. "Somehow, according to my DNA, I'm twenty years younger than he is. According to my DNA, I'm only twenty-three."

Goku stopped in the middle of the sidewalk as the twin brother and sister continued to walk. After realizing that he had stopped they both stopped and looked back at him. When they turned back, they saw Goku standing still with an even more confused look on his face and his head cocked to the right.

"Are you alright?" Clara asked, sounding concerned.

"I just realized something," Goku said.

"What." Vegeta said.

"Not only do I have to listen to Vegeta brag about being the Prince of all Saiyans on a daily basis, but now I'll have to listen to her brag about being the PRINCESS of all Saiyans!" Goku exclaimed.

Vegeta and Clara looked at each other with unimpressed looks, turned back around, and continued to walk down the sidewalk.

"Hey guys! Wait up!" Goku yelled.

"I can see how he can get on your nerves," Clara said to Vegeta as Goku caught up to them.

"Mhmm."

"So how's the memory thing coming along?" Goku asked as he made his way back in between the twins, changing the subject.

"I still don't remember anything. Whatever it is in that drug that's causing my memory loss, must be something incredibly strong," Clara said.

"There is one thing that's been bothering me," Vegeta said.

"What's that?" Clara asked, raising one eyebrow to her brother.

"Why did they feel the need to give you it multiple times? Why wasn't one dose enough?"

"Woah," Goku said, "I didn't even think about that."

"Yeah. Me either," said Clara.

"There must be a reason behind it," Vegeta continued, "if it was really that expensive to make, they wouldn't have wasted it on useless doses."

That's it, Vegeta thought.

"Guys! What if it has an expiration time! What if it only stays active for so long?!" Clara exclaimed, sounding hopeful.

Damn. She beat me to it, Vegeta thought.

"That would make sense," Vegeta said.

"But how long does it take to wear off?" Goku asked as he crossed his arms and looked up to the sky as if he were searching for an answer written in the clouds.

"That's something we need to figure out," Clara said.

"I really wish you at least knew your name," Goku started, "it would be helpful to know what to call you."

Clara let out a small chuckle and a smirk came across her face. "You can just call me 'Princess'," she joked.

A smirk mirroring her's appeared on Vegeta's face when he looked over and saw the reaction on Goku's face. Goku stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and his jaw hit the ground.

"Ah, man! I knew it!" Goku exclaimed as he jumped back and waved his hands in the air. "I knew this would happen! I can't deal with TWO Vegetas!"

Vegeta and Clara both stopped in their tracks, looked at each other, and began to burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Goku asked, sounding offended.

In between her laughs, Clara was able to speak. "I was just joking," she said before she began to laugh again.

"Oh my God, Kakarot. You should have seen the look on your face!" Vegeta laughed.

Goku walked back up to the two with a look of annoyance on his face.

"So," he began, "what can I call you?"

"Vegeta came up with the name 'Clara'," she said, "it's short for the word 'clarity', and it's Saiyan for 'bright' and 'clear'."

"I like that name. Clara," Goku said as he looked towards her. "Alright. Then it's settled. Your name is Clara."

Clara had a huge smile come across her face as she looked towards her brother and friend. For the first time since she crashed on Earth, Clara felt like she was becoming a whole person again. She had not only made two friends, but she found her older twin brother, and she discovered that she was a member of the royal Saiyan blood line – the mightiest warrior race. Maybe this all happened for a reason, she thought as she looked at her brother and Goku bickering back and forth. Maybe this is the start of something brand new. New people. A new me. A new life. A new home. But they seem like they dedicate their lives to protecting this planet. What good am I as a Saiyan if I can't protect it? What is the point of -

"Hey," Goku said, interrupting her train of thought, "you alright?"

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine," she said honestly for the first time. Vegeta shot her a little smirk as if he knew she was telling the truth this time.

"What's on your mind?" Vegeta asked. "You looked like you were in deep thought."

Clara got ahead of Vegeta and Goku, turned around, and stopped – making them stop as well. "I want you guys to train me," she said bluntly.

"You want us to train you? Are you sure?" Goku asked to make sure what he was hearing was correct.

"Yes," she replied, "I'm not only a Saiyan. I'm a Saiyan with royal blood in my veins. I know I have what it takes to help you guys protect this planet alongside you guys!"

Vegeta and Goku looked at each other and then back to Clara, and Vegeta had a smirk come across his face. "It won't be easy," Vegeta warned.

"I know that," Clara said, "but who knows? Maybe I already know how to fight. Maybe training will help me recover some of my memory."

"If that's what you want," Vegeta began, "then we're more than happy to help!" Goku said, sounding excited.

Vegeta shot a glance at Goku. "I'll work on the basics with her first, then once she's learned them good enough, you can help," Vegeta said.

"Sweet!" Clara exclaimed. "When do we begin?!"

Vegeta looked up to the red orange sky. "It's almost dark. We'll start tomorrow. First thing in the morning."

"Hey Clara," Goku said, "do you have a place to stay? I might be able to talk Chi Chi into setting up the couch for you."

Clara was caught completely off guard. "Crap! No, I don't!" She said, sounding and looking worried.

"You can stay with me," Vegeta said. A sigh of relief came over Clara, but then the look of worry returned. "But what about your wife? I thought she didn't even want you saving me. Why would she want me in your house?"

"You're my little sister," Vegeta said, "if she won't let you stay with us, then she's not a wife I want."

"Well, if things don't work out, you can always bring her to my house. I know Chi Chi would be more than happy to help," Goku said, confidently.

"Thank you, Goku," Clara said as she looked over towards him.

After a few more minutes of walking and having small talk, Clara stopped in the middle of the road they were crossing to go from one side of the sidewalk to the other and stared down the road intersecting the sidewalk.

"Hey, what're you...," Vegeta began, "no, no, no, no!" He yelled as he looked down the road to see what she was looking at. "I know what you're thinking, and the answer is 'no'. You can't go down there," he said as he grabbed her arm and tried to pull her back in the direction that they were walking in. A little way down the road was a large blue tarp covering what seemed like a large circular shaped object that was wedged in the road.

"Is that…?" Clara started to question in pure shock.

"Yes. Now come on. We have to get out of here," Vegeta insisted as he continued to try to move his stubborn sister back in the direction they were walking in. "Kakarot, help me," he whispered loudly towards Goku. Goku grabbed her other arm and pulled her back with Vegeta.

"Holy crap she's got strong legs," Goku said as they struggled to pull her away.

Rian Street and 22nd Street, she made a mental note of as they dragged her away.

"Finally," Vegeta sighed as they got her away from the road and back onto the sidewalk.

"Whew," Goku said as he wiped his forehead. "Well guys, this have been an eventful day, but I have to get going. The boys and I are going fishing in the morning," Goku said as he held his index and middle finger up to his forehead. "See you guys later!"

"Why haven't they moved it?" Clara asked Vegeta as they kept walking.

"I wish I knew the answer, but I know that they have it under lock down so that nobody messes with it," he answered. He looked over to see his sister's head hanging down and her arms crossed. "Are you going to be alright?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe one day. Maybe never," she said truthfully. She knew there was no point in lying because Vegeta had proven himself to be able to tell when she was lying. He wrapped his arm around her right shoulder and pulled her into him, bringing her off balance. "You know, little sister," he said, "you're a lot stronger and tougher than you think you are, and with me by your side, there's nothing you can't overcome."

She pushed Vegeta away from her and quickly composed herself. "I thought I told you to quit babying me?" She said as she looked over at him.

"You can't stop me from being your big brother," he said as he looked over at her, "I'm not babying you. I'm trying to help and protect you – just like a brother should do. And trust me, once I begin your training, you won't feel like I'm babying you anymore."

"Fine," she responded, "I'm sorry. Thank you for being here. I mean that."

"I'm only doing what I'm supposed to," he said.

"So how much further do we have to walk?" She asked. She looked around and noticed that the sun had gone down more since earlier. There were almost no cars left on the road – maybe one or two here and there.

I need to get back to the crash site. There could be something there that could help me remember. I need to figure out a way to go back, she thought.

"It's right up here," Vegeta said as he pointed to a large circular building, "it's that big house on the right."

Clara was taken back at how close she crashed to her brother's house. What was that? Like a mile-in-a-half? Maybe two? She thought.

"Wow," she said in complete shock, "that's a huge house!"

"Yeah, my wife's family owns Capsule Corp," Vegeta told her.

"What exactly is Capsule Corp?" Clara asked curiously as they stood outside the enormous building.

"They make little capsules that contain cars, houses, and other things inside of them," Vegeta explained, "they also make the items that go in the capsules."

Holy shit, Clara thought, he married well.

"But I may not be living here much longer if this doesn't go over to well," he continued as they stared at the house, "stay here. I'll be right back."

Come on Bulma. Please don't be a pain in the ass, Vegeta thought as he walked up to the giant house. As he walked through the front door, he could see that the lights were still on in the main living room.

"Hey! Look, mom! Dad's back!" Trunks yelled as Vegeta walked into the room.

"Well, it's about time," Bulma said and she got up from the table. From what he could see, the two of them were sitting at the table working on Trunks' English homework.

"Where have you been, dad? You missed our training session," Trunks questioned as he walked towards Vegeta.

"Sorry, son," he replied, "I need you to go up to your room. Your mother and I need to talk."

Trunks did as he was told and scurried off to his room as Vegeta watched to make sure he was actually leaving. Once he was sure that his son was out of hearing range, he walked over to Bulma.

"Look," she began, "if this is about what I said earlier, I still stand by it."

"Bulma, I need you to-," Vegeta started before he was cut off by his wife.

"If you want my help, I told you want I want in return."

Vegeta closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "Will you stop for just one minute and listen to me?" He pleaded.

"Fine," she agreed.

"I'm not asking for your help in reversing the effects of the drug anymore," he began, "I'm asking for your help in a different way. Since we had no way of reversing the drug, we did the next best thing – I took her to have a DNA test to see if she had any family on this planet. I went to Doctor Sosa and had him do it on Capsule Corp's tab."

"You WHAT?" Bulma asked, shocked.

Vegeta ignored her and continued to tell the story of the day. "After Doctor Sosa ran multiple tests on the girl's DNA, he came to the conclusion that she does have family here. Long story short, her DNA and mine are 75% similar – making us semi-identical twins."

"T-T-Twins?" Bulma stuttered as she looked at Vegeta with wide eyes.

"Yes," he said bluntly, "feel free to talk to Doctor Sosa about it for the full explanation if you'd like."

Bulma stood still in her place, looking in shock at Vegeta. "So…so is that why…you-," she began.

"Why I was so determined to find her?" Vegeta finished the question. "Yes. According to Doctor Sosa, it's something called twin to twin syndrome."

Bulma started to walk back over to the table that she and Trunks were sitting at. "I-I don't believe this," she said as she sat down, "how could you not know you have a twin? And what is she doing on Earth?"

Vegeta walked over to the same table that his wife was sitting at and sat in the seat next to her. "I never knew about her," he stated, "I never heard about her or saw her. I had no idea she existed until she crashed here, and I had no idea that we were related, let alone twins until a few hours ago."

Bulma sat still in complete shock next to her husband. Vegeta's TWIN? She thought. This whole time…I've been trying to make him let his twin sister DIE?

"Where is she?" Bulma asked as she put her hands on the table and looked down at them. She felt like she didn't deserve to make eye contact with Vegeta.

"Outside," he replied, "she needs a place to sleep. Food to eat. Clothes to wear."

"What can I do to help?" She questioned.

This is weird, Vegeta thought. Earlier, she wouldn't help at all unless I gave her the divorce she wanted.

"What?" He questioned.

"To help. What can I do?" She retorted, this time looking up at him and making eye contact.

"What do you mean? Earlier you were reluctant to help unless I gave you the divorce you wanted," Vegeta reminded her and he placed his hands over hers.

She looked down to see his hands gently laying on top of hers. "I was testing you," she admitted, "I was trying to see if you cared more about your family or some stranger that came crashing to Earth."

Is she serious? Vegeta thought. How could she do such a thing? Why is she so willing now?

"Are you kidding me?" He questioned in utter shock and slight anger.

"I'm sorry, Vegeta," she cried, "if I had known that you were related to her, I would have jumped oceans to help save her from those horrible people. Oh my God. I was trying to make you let her die!" She cried out as she took her hands out from underneath Vegeta's and held them to her mouth so she wouldn't make any noise. "I was trying to see if you truly care about your family, but clearly, you do. You've been trying nonstop to save her before you even knew you were related," she said as tears rolled down her face. "I'm so sorry."

"She's fine, Bulma," Vegeta said as he reached over and pulled her into him. He put his right hand on the back of her head as she laid her head on his chest and began to rub the back of her head in order to try to get her to stop crying.

"Go get her," she said as she began to lift her head up from his chest and pull away from him, "bring her in here."

"Are you sure?" Vegeta asked. "What do you want in return?"

"Nothing. She's family. Family helps family."

Damn, Clara thought as she stood outside the house, it's so cold out here. She stood shivering with her arms crossed, trying to warm herself up. Moments later, the automatic doors opened and Vegeta walked through them.

"Shit," he said, "it got cold really fast."

"Y-Y-Y-Yeah," Clara stuttered, "you're t-t-telling me."

"Come on inside," he said.

Clara felt a wave of anxiety come over her as she looked inside the giant house. "Are you sure?" She asked. "What about-,"

"Bulma?" Vegeta interrupted. "She's fine with it. I told her everything," he assured her.

Feeling reassured, Clara followed Vegeta into the house. This is so strange, she thought. Their house. My brother's house. My sister-in-law. My nephew. They've built their lives here. I feel like such an intruder. As they walked into the living room where Bulma was, Clara looked around to see framed pictures of Trunks everywhere, as well as a miniscule amount of family pictures. Before she knew it, they were walking into the living room.

"Bulma," Vegeta said, "I'd like you to meet my twin sister, Clara."

Clara, who was trailing behind Vegeta, came out from behind him to stand next to him. She looked into the giant living room and saw a gorgeous blue-haired woman sitting at the main table. That must be Bulma, Vegeta's wife, she thought.

"Clara, this is my wife, Bulma," Vegeta introduced. Bulma stood up from the table and began to walk towards the brother and sister with her hands over her mouth as if she was trying not to make a sound.

"Oh my God," she said, trying to hold back tears, "I'm so sorry," she said as she took her right hand and held it against Clara's face, but to her shock, Clara jerked her head back almost instinctually. Man, she feels really bad, Clara thought.

"Please. Don't be upset," Clara pleaded, "I'm fine. Vegeta and Goku saved my life."

"I'm so happy you're alright," Bulma stressed. "You're more than welcome to stay here for as long as you want," Bulma offered.

"Thank you so much," Clara replied, accepting her offer.

"Here, follow me," Bulma said to Clara. The two of them walked through the living room as Vegeta stayed and into a large laundry room. "Here are some fresh clothes for you to sleep in," Bulma said as she reached into the dryer. She pulled out an oversized plain black t-shirt, fuzzy, warm red pants, and fresh underwear. Those looks so comfortable, Clara thought.

"Thank you," she said as Bulma handed them over.

"It's no problem. I'm sure you'd like to get out of those hospital scrubs," Bulma said. "You and I seem to be about the same size, would you like some clothes to wear for tomorrow?"

"That would be nice," Clara said as she folded the sleep clothes over her arm and Bulma went back to look in the dryer.

"What colors do you like?" She asked.

"I'm uh, I'm not sure," Clara said, sounding embarrassed. Bulma pulled out a plain dark red t-shirt, a royal blue tank top, a hot pink button up, a black zipper jacket, a pair of black jeans, a pair of blue jeans, a pair of light gray jeans, and some white shorts.

Hmm, Clara thought. That red reminds me of blood, pink is too girly, and I'm not feeling the shorts.

"I'll take the blue tank top, the black jacket, and the gray pants, if that's okay," she confirmed.

"Sure thing!" Bulma excitedly agreed. "Would you like some shoes to go with it?" She asked as she handed the outfit over to Clara along with some more fresh underwear.

"Uh, sure," Clara said, "I guess."

Clara followed Bulma over to the other side of the laundry room where an entire rack of shoes was.

"These are all mine," she said, showing off the rack of shoes.

"Wow. So many options," Clara laughed. Wow. Which ones would go best? Clara thought. The black sandals? No. How about the black boots? Yes. Those ones.

"Can I borrow the black boots right here?" Clara asked, pointing at the black boots that would go half way up her calf.

"Absolutely," Bulma said, "anything else you like?"

"No. I think this is good. Thank you though," she said with a smile.

Bulma and Clara began to walk out of the laundry room and walk back towards Vegeta who was still standing in the living room.

"Tell you what. I'll give you $5,000 tomorrow and you can go clothes shopping," Bulma offered.

What?! She would seriously do that? Clara thought.

"No, no," Clara said, "you don't have to do that. Really."

"What're you gonna do? Wear one outfit for your entire life?" Bulma joked. "Seriously $5,000 is nothing."

"There's no use in arguing with her," Vegeta butted in, "you might as well not even try."

Clara looked at her brother and then back at Bulma, "Fine," she sighed, "don't think I'm not gonna pay you back though!"

"Glad to hear it," Bulma said with a smile, "Oh, and Vegeta, since I don't have the cash on hand and I'm busy tomorrow, you're gonna have to go with her and use your credit card. They won't let her use mine because it has my name on it."

"What?! I have to go shopping? Are you serious? No way!" Vegeta expressed, sounding aggravated.

"Come on! It can be a brother and sister, bonding experience. And I promise, we'll train for as long as you want to afterwards," Clara pleaded, "are you really going to let your little sister go without clothes?" She questioned him in an attempt to guilt trip her older brother.

Women and shopping. They become completely different beings when they shop. They become vultures, Vegeta thought.

"Gah," Vegeta said, showing his reluctance, "Fine. I'll go. Only because you're my little sister."

"Thank you," Clara said with a smile to her brother.

"Hang on. Younger?" Bulma questioned. "How do you know she's younger?"

"My DNA is younger than his is," Clara answered, "strange. I know."

"There's no way to tell if there's an age difference in DNA unless it's months or years old. Twins are usually only hours apart at most," Bulma explained.

"When I say 'little sister', I mean that she's younger than me," Vegeta stated, "by twenty years. She's technically only twenty-three."

"TWENTY YEARS?!" Bulma yelled. "How is there a twenty-year age difference?!"

Clara and Vegeta looked at each other and then back to Bulma. "We have no idea," Clara said, "Doctor Sosa said he was going to research it some more."

"I have to arrange a meeting with him," Bulma insisted, "remind me call him first thing in the morning," she said to Vegeta.

Vegeta nodded his head in understanding. Hopefully they'll be able to figure out what's going on with this age thing, Vegeta thought.

Just then, Clara let out a long yawn, and almost fell over where she was standing out of exhaustion.

"Woah," Vegeta said as he stopped her from face planting on the floor, "are you alright?"

"Yeah," she said as she perked her head back up, "just sleepy." She let out another long yawn.

"Will you take her up to one of the spare rooms?" Bulma asked Vegeta.

"Yeah, of course," he agreed. He put his hand on Clara's back to make sure she walked straight and didn't fall over. "This way," he said as he headed into one of the elevators."

"Wow," Clara said, tiredly. "There's elevators in here?"

"There are three floors in total – not including the basement," Vegeta informed her. "The bedrooms are on the second floor. I'm gonna give you one of the spare rooms close to our room in case you need something."

Clara looked up at her brother from her tired slumped over state. "Again with the babying me thing," she managed to say right before another yawn.

"Alright fine. If that's what you want to call me being a good brother to you, then fine," Vegeta said, ultimately giving in, "but just remember, you won't feel that way when I begin your training tomorrow."

As they stepped off the elevator, the began walking through a long, curved hallway. After a few seconds, they came across a room. Vegeta opened the door and inside was a California King sized bed freshly made up, a balcony that overlooked the city lights, an enormous walk-in closet, and a huge bathroom suite.

"Holy shit!" Clara exclaimed, with her eyes wide open and all tiredness seemingly disappeared.

This room is absolutely gorgeous! She thought. It's like nothing I've ever seen before…or is it? Oh shut up, Clara. Now is not the time for your self-pity party.

"And this'll be your room," Vegeta stated with a chuckle, "I guess you like it, huh?"

"It's amazing! That bed looks so comfortable. I'll probably never get out of it," she joked.

"Do you want me to show you how to use the shower?" Vegeta asked. "Using other people's showers is always weird."

She let out a slight chuckle, "Sure."

They walked over to the bathroom and Vegeta showed her where the towels were and how to use the shower knobs. Once he was through showing her how to use the shower, they both walked back over to the door leading out into the hallway.

"Well," Clara said, "I guess this is it. My first actual night on a planet I know nothing about," she laughed.

A small smile came across Vegeta's face along with a slight chuckle, "you'll be fine," he said, "if you need anything, Bulma and I are right down there," he said as he pointed at the third door on the right from Clara's room. "I'm a light sleeper. Just knock on the door, and I'll wake up."

"Okay," she said, "thank you."

Vegeta could tell that there was something that was bothering her. He could tell by the way she responded that she was scared of something.

"Hey. Are you alright?" Vegeta quietly questioned his twin.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" She counter-questioned him, sounding suspicious.

"I saw the way you jerked away when Bulma reached her hand up to you earlier," Vegeta admitted.

Damn. He saw that? Who am I kidding? Of course he saw that, Clara thought.

She didn't answer him, rather, she just looked down to her feet, and Vegeta placed his left hand on her right shoulder. "And I noticed how now that I'm not going to be next to you, you seem frightened."

Being a twin sucks sometimes. I can't hide anything from him.

Vegeta bent down in order to make eye contact with her. "He's dead, Clara," he assured her, "they can't hurt you anymore. Not now, not ever again."

"Do you promise?" She whispered, barely loud enough for Vegeta to hear.

"I promise," he said, confidently. "As your brother, I would die before I let anyone or anything hurt you like that again. I have no problem sacrificing myself for my loved ones. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," she said quietly, "I understand. And the same thing goes for you."

"I'm glad to hear it," he said with a smile coming across his face. "Well, you should probably get a shower and get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."

"Right," she said as she nodded her head. Vegeta closed the door and began to walk down the hallway towards his and Bulma's room.

She'll be fine, he thought. She's a Saiyan. She's strong. Not only that, but she's-

Vegeta was pulled out of his train of thought by his nine-year-old son.

"Hey dad!" Trunks yelled as Vegeta walked by his room. Vegeta stopped, turned back, and walked to Trunks' doorway and saw his young son siting on his bed, holding a video game controller and wearing a headset. "Hey Goten, I have to go," he said into the microphone, "I'll talk to you later." He took off the headset and put down the controller. "Hey dad, what's up with that girl?" He questioned.

"How do you know about her?" Vegeta asked, sounding a little aggravated.

"I overheard you, mom, and her talking," Trunks confessed as he pointed to an air conditioning vent in the floor.

Damn, Vegeta thought, he must be able to listen to what goes on in the living room through that.

"So? Who is she? Why is she staying here?" He repeated.

"How much did you hear?" Vegeta asked as he began to walk into his son's room.

"All I heard is that she's going to be staying here," Trunks answered, "I got curious when Goten went to the bathroom, so I decided to try to listen. You see it in the movies, but it's much harder in person – everything's all muffled."

It would have been easier if he would have heard everything, Vegeta thought, then I wouldn't have to figure out how to explain it.

"Trunks," he began as he moved the controller aside, and sat on the edge of his son's bed, "there's a lot you should know, but not right now," Vegeta said as he looked over to his son.

"Oh, come on, dad!" Trunks exclaimed, sounding annoyed, "I know there's something going on! You can't keep it from me!" Trunks complained.

Even if I were to make him wait, what difference would it make? I'd still be telling him the exact same thing, Vegeta thought.

"Fine," Vegeta said as he looked away from his son, "she's the girl from before."

"Wait. What?!" Trunks exclaimed as he leaned forward towards his dad. "She's the girl from the crash?!"

"Yes," Vegeta confirmed, "but there's more to it. Some of which you won't understand."

"So then tell me what I will understand," Trunks replied.

Vegeta looked back towards his son again and tried to figure out how he could explain what he had found out in the simplest way.

"We're family," he finally said.

"F-F-Family?" Trunks stuttered, looking shocked. "That girl is – family?"

Vegeta nodded his head and looked back away from his son. "More than that – she and I are twins."

Trunks sat there in silence for a few seconds with his mouth ajar. That girl is my dad's TWIN? He thought. This has to be some sort of joke. There's no way.

Vegeta looked back at his son as if he were making sure he was still there. "Are…are you sure?" Trunks asked. "How do you know?"

"As I said. There's a lot you won't understand, but all you need to know is that I took her to Doctor Sosa to get a DNA test done to see if she had any family on this planet," Vegeta began. "Since I'm high in the chain of command at Capsule Corp, there was already a sample of my blood. When he ran it, it came back a match."

"Maybe there was a mistake or something," Trunks suggested, "come on, dad. She can't be your twin! You would have known. Doctor Sosa is nothing more than a normal doctor!"

Vegeta shook his head in disagreement with his son. "Doctor Sosa is a normal doctor. Yes. But he's also an expert in DNA and genetics," he admitted, "there's no mistake."

Trunks sat still and quiet for a few moments and let all the news sink in. "So," he started, "how did you not know you had a twin?"

"It's just as I said, Trunks. There's a lot you won't understand," Vegeta said as he looked back towards his son.

How could I possibly try to explain what even I don't know? Vegeta asked himself. "Go get ready for bed," he told his son, "It's almost nine o'clock and you have school tomorrow."

Without debate, Trunks got off his bed and walked over towards his bathroom to get a shower and brush his teeth. Before he entered the bathroom, he turned around to see his dad still sitting on his bed.

"I wanna meet her," he said.

"You will. Just not tonight."

As father and son stared at each other for a few seconds, Trunks turned and finished entering the bathroom. "Good night, dad," he said as he closed the door.

"Night, son," Vegeta replied as he stood up from his son's bed.

Down the hall, Clara stood in the unfamiliar bathroom and looked in the large mirror. "Damn, girl," she said to herself, "you're looking a little rough." In the mirror, looking back at her was a girl who had the potential to be beautiful, but right now that was not the case. In the mirror was a young, fit, tan skinned girl with jet black hair and onyx eyes; however, as she pulled her hair down from the hair tie Goku had given her earlier, she was forced to tear some of her hair out with it. Son of a bitch, she thought as she ripped a small chunk of her hair out. Once her hair was down, she saw the matted, dirty, rat's nest that laid on top of her head.

"Holy shit," she mumbled. As she began to examine her face in the mirror, she noticed a few more things. Hah, she thought, I guess I do kinda look like Vegeta. As she turned her head from one side to the other, she noticed tiny holes in her ears – one in each cartilage and two in each lobe. Are my ears…pierced? She asked herself. Why don't I have earrings in them? Why didn't Dende close them up when he healed me? She wondered. Oh well, now I'll just have to buy some.

As she walked away from the mirror and towards the shower, she remembered what Vegeta told her. "Turn the knob closest to the wall to the right, for the hot water, the other one to the left for cold water, and pull the lever up for the shower head," she remembered him saying to her. She reached over the shower and turned the knob closest to the wall all the way. As hot water came rushing out of the faucet, she reached for the other one and turned it halfway in order to mix the water and make it warm. As the water mixed, she undressed herself and threw the dirty, old scrubs she had been wearing into the hamper. If I ever wear something like that again, it'll be too soon, she thought. She pulled the lever up to get the shower head to come on and stepped into the warm shower. As the warm water rained down on her, she felt rejuvenated. It feels everything that happened to me is just being washed away down the drain, she thought. Now, something for my hair. She looked around the shower and noticed brand new, giant bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Perfect, she thought. As she opened up the bottles, she smelled them to see what they smelled like, "Mmm," she mumbled to herself, "that smells amazing." She looked at the labels on the bottles to see what the name of the scent was. The label read, "Peppermint." I think I have a favorite smell, she said. She put a good amount of the shampoo in her hand and began to rub it through her wet, knotted hair. I don't get it, she thought. How is that I know how to do things like eat, go to the bathroom, take a shower, get dressed, and all those other seemingly normal things, but I can't even remember my old name or anything of my past. I have to have learned all of those things from SOMEWHERE.

As she finished washing her body and washed her hair twice – two cycles of shampoo and conditioner, she turned off the water, grabbed the towel sitting on the counter, and stepped out of the shower. As she wrapped the towel around her, she stepped out of the shower and looked in the mirror again. "There she is," Clara said to herself with a smile, "that's much better."

Before, her hair was dirty, knotted and matted like a rat's nest, but now, thanks to the amazing smelling shampoo and conditioner, her hair was long, smooth, and amazing smelling. "I should do something about the eyebrows," she confessed to herself, "maybe Bulma will help me. That's one thing I can't remember how to do." Clara finished drying herself off and put the fresh pajamas that Bulma gave her on. Holy shit these are comfortable, she thought as she finished putting the fuzzy red pants on. As she stared into the mirror, she saw a brand new toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and mouth wash sitting on the sink. This is what I mean. How do I know what brushing my teeth means? She questioned herself. God, Clara. You're so strange. She picked up the toothbrush, wet it, put toothpaste on it, and began to brush her teeth. After a few minutes went by she rinsed her mouth out and began to floss her teeth. After getting all of the gunk in between her teeth out, she took a cup of the mouthwash and swished it around her mouth. "Oh my God that burns," she cried as the cold air hit her mouth. She looked at the label and saw that the flavor was "Cool Mint". "No more of that flavor," she told herself. After she finished brushing her teeth, she turned out the bathroom light, closed the door behind her, and walked over to the giant sized bed. As she laid down, she felt like she was laying on a cloud. I'm never going to get out of this bed. They'll have to drag me out, she thought as she wrapped herself up in the blankets. Even though she was comfortable for the first time since she crashed, she still wasn't able to fall asleep.

Rian and 22nd Street, she thought, I have to go see what's down there. As she tossed and turned for a little while, she kept thinking to herself if it was worth it to sneak out and wander around a world she knew nothing about. Perhaps I could convince Vegeta to go with me. Or maybe I should just go now. After a few seconds, she realized that it wouldn't be smart to sneak out of the house she had been invited to live in. It's my first night here, she thought, better not bite the hand that feeds. Vegeta seemed pretty adamant about not letting me go down there. A few minutes more of tossing and turning resulted in her finding a comfortable position to sleep in. As she laid there in the giant sized bed on her left side with her right arm under her pillow to support her head, she began to drift off to sleep. I shouldn't go down there alone. I've finally found a place where I feel like I belong…I'd hate to lose it, she finally thought to herself as her eyes became heavy and she drifted off into a deep sleep.