HUGE THANK YOU: I wanna thank all of you who have gotten up to this point in the story. Things are about to get serious! I know this is a long story and we still have a ways to go, but thank you for being a fan. I love DBZ and I always will. I'm glad I got to share this with so many of you and I'm just so flattered by so many of your kind words.

Bardock vs Kakarot's Role: Right now, Bardock is the main character. If you read the summary of this story, it's about him. It'll be more about Kakarot, especially coming up in chapters ahead, but I don't think I ever gave the impression that Bardock wasn't the focus. But if I have an idea for a character in this story and I find it interesting, I write it. I'm not mapping out favorites or who is supposed to be priority or whatever. That's why Bulma gets a lot of face time, because I'm very interested in writing her story. If I come up with an awesome Basila story, she would be around more too. But Kakarot is about to get a lot more time. Just you wait! I'm excited.

Kakarot's Techniques: Bardock hasn't taught Kakarot a lot of his signature techniques…but Goku didn't really make up anything except for plowing straight through his victims and that's not really an impressive thing to come up with. Kakarot is twelve. He might be an impressive kid, but he's still a kid. Plus, he's kind of difficult. He will know what he needs to know in due time.

Q: If Kakarot and Vegeta fused, what would their name be?

A: I doubt they will ever fuse in my story for reasons you have yet to read about, but two character MAY fuse. I'm still deciding.

Q: How long do you plan on going with this?

A: Oh...there's still quite a bit left...Let's just say that...

Q: How many times will Krillin die?

A: I don't know, but death will have consequences in my story. Not everyone is always coming back!

Q: How do you determine who is next in line to the throne?

A: It really depends on what Vegeta and Cellena wanna do. Tarble is banished, so he's out. Vegeta is the oldest, so he has been the only choice. He'd have to really screw up for his parents to consider different, but King Vegeta built this empire. It all depends on what he decides. He has no rules before him.

Q: Are Kakarot and Krillin gonna be friends?

A: Kind of...It's gonna be a weird relationship. That's about all I can say.

Chapter 25

I do not own DBZ

"Father, Kakarot is a powerful warrior and he does not have a tail."

"I'm aware." King Vegeta smiled, but he resisted the full urge to laugh at the memory of Kakarot's eyes bulging from his head. "I'm the one who pulled it out and nearly choked him to death."

Cerina was not pleased with being reminded of that. "I know, Father, but that's something I feel can ultimately help me. In case our suits should fail us, he could still remain calm and fight."

"Are you asking for permission for Kakarot to be a part of your task force?"

"Yes." She was so nervous! "You are giving Bulma the chance to let him be a scientist. Why can't we let him choose?"

"Letting him study where Baga left off is your mother's idea. Granted, it's not a terrible idea, but I do hate this boy. I'm no fool, Cerina. I know you're smitten with him." He wished he could order his daughter not to like Kakarot, but he was aware of teenagers and their rebellion. She would only like him more. "It displeases me."

Cerina began to blush and shied her eyes from her father. 'I didn't mean to make it so obvious, but how can I hide something like this?'

"He is a disrespectful low level and you are a princess. Do you believe this is a good combination?"

"He's only a boy, Father. He may grow up to have manners. I think his immaturity, blatant disrespect, and constant need to prove himself will be a major problem, but that doesn't mean I can't use him. Making troops fall in line is a sign of a great leader and I need to prove that I am."

"You are making a compelling argument…" Vegeta usually had to say no to Cerina's puppy eyes and he really could. But her fire was much more inspiring. His daughter had a lot of fight in her after all. "I give you permission to seek him out for this task, but I don't think he'll concede."

She smiled happily. "Leave that to me, Father."

Bulma looked at herself in the mirror. She was usually so calm and collected, but her entire world was falling apart and she wasn't sure why she was suddenly so incapable of holding things together. She was a master manipulator and now she suddenly couldn't control her emotions.

She fought herself so hard, but the tears prevailed again and her makeup was ruined for a third time. 'I've gotta get a hold of myself! I can probably talk Cellena out of punishing me. Maybe I can convince Vegeta to get her to back off. So what if he's upset about the baby plan? He's in love with me!'

Bulma was very worried about what Cellena would do. She usually trusted that her adopted mother had her best interest at heart, but she knew that Cellena just didn't want her to be with her son at just about any cost. The entire planet could be denied love because she didn't trust Bulma. 'What is so wrong with me?' She began to sob and she collapsed onto the floor in her stunning silver dress. She didn't feel like being so sexy and glamorous. She just wanted someone to make it right.

"This isn't necessary," Kakarot moaned after trying on another outfit. He liked the first pair of black pants and white button down shirt. He didn't need to try on the exact same thing twenty times! "I'm just going to see what the royals want and then I'm leaving."

"What!" Summer raised her voice appalled. "Kakarot, it's a royal party. I know your dad wanted to kill Frieza, but this whole party thing is good for the city. A lot of humans are getting good advertisement and money invested into their businesses by participating. The food industry has taken a huge turn for the better since you Saiyans got here. Chefs are in such high demand. It's pretty crazy."

"Yeah, I guess I'll eat some food and stuff, but I'm not interested in those festivities." Kakarot was more interested to get to Chi-Chi's place so he could start working on his human. 'He's gonna need all the help he can get!'

Raditz was also getting bored, but he wanted to pick up a few things so he agreed to come to the city. But he did notice that he kept getting stares and there seemed to be a lot of gossip. At first he accepted it. He was the son of Bardock who had mated with a human. Everyone knew that, but he was beginning to think there was something else. "What's going on?" he finally asked one of the workers.

"It's probably Summer's article," the young girl said. "She has a lot of courage. It's so inspiring!"

Raditz had no idea what she was talking about, but it was already beginning to piss him off. "What article?" Within two minutes, he found his woman in the store and pulled on her arm infuriated. "What is wrong with you, Woman? You told the whole world that you softened me up? Do you want me to be the laughingstock of my race?"

"What?" Summer was a bit frightened. She had endured a lot of yelling and screaming from her kids and Colleen, but Raditz usually stayed so calm. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"This!" He pointed to the article and witnessed her mouth drop. "Is this fake?"

"No, it's not fake…" She looked at her words and what she had said. Some of it was taken out of context, but it was her words. "I was talking to an art dealer—I thought she was an art dealer. I didn't know she would put this out! I had no idea. She played me!"

Raditz grunted. "This is terrible! If Cellena sees this, then she'll be furious."

"It's so inspiring," said a teenage girl walking by. "I really like a Saiyan boy, but I was scared to tell him. Now I hope we can be like the two of you."

Summer was upset about the article, but she was suddenly overtaken by a sense of pride. 'It's really not fair that I got to be with the one I love, but so many other girls can't have that. Should I tell people to follow their heart or should I encourage them to stay in line in order to keep everything that they have?'

Summer flipped through the pages and realized that the entire issue was pleading for the Saiyan's intolerance of humans to end. The humans talked about Princess Cerina and how they trusted her and appreciated her new task force. There was also a big chunk in it about Pea and Joey Richards. There were testimonials from Joey's friends and family telling how much they loved each other. She saw him dance at an event and she was instantly attracted to him. There were pictures of them that his family had. Pea's family didn't contribute anything, but Joey's family said enough. It wasn't really hate speech for Queen Cellena. It was more like a plea to let Joey's death be the last and to let others live in love like he did. It was very classy, but everyone a part of it was probably going to die.

"Raditz," Summer asked, "is it wrong to do nothing?"

"You didn't do anything but embarrass me, Summer."

Her feelings were hurt, but there was a part of her that became really indignant, and she was sure she got that from her Saiyan family. "Telling people that I made you a little nicer is embarrassing you? What is wrong with you? Living with you guys has not been a picnic. It's been a sacrifice. My parents almost died!"

"My entire family almost died!"

"Yeah, and that was just as much your fault as it was mine. You were stubborn and you didn't wanna fight with your father!"

Raditz hesitated for a moment, and that was just enough time for her to finish the argument.

"Things got real messed up when I got pregnant and you basically lied to me about what was going to happen! Well, I had to get over it quickly. Your Mom flipped out when she met me, I'm still not sure if your dad likes me, and I work so hard every day when I train! You get to see your parents every day and seeing mine is basically a crime. I have no friends. I only have your kids to keep me company and that's alright, because I love them. I'd do anything for them."

"Then don't get them killed."

Summer shut her mouth. She didn't want to lose her babies, but she didn't want to be a coward either. "Saiyans fight for what they believe, right?"

"We fight for glory, for honor, and to be the best. We are not warriors of love and don't expect me to start."

"Well, maybe that's what I'm gonna be!" She crossed her arms and smirked. "I don't think you've got what it takes to pull it off."

Kakarot came out of the fitting room with clothes in his hand. "I'm done. I'm not trying on anymore clothes…" He noticed the tension between Raditz and Summer. "Trouble in paradise?"

Raditz grumbled and snatched the clothes out of his brother's hands. "I'm ready to go."

"I can pay for it!" Kakarot said defensively.

Raditz looked at the price tags and his eyes bucked. "No, you can't."

Kakarot kept his mouth shut because he really didn't have the money and it pissed him off. "I'll pay you back."

"With what?" he laughed. "You actually gonna stay home and pick up your chores?"

"Don't worry about it." Kakarot smirked to himself when his brother's back was turned. 'I'll have tons of money soon. All I gotta do is tough'n up that little whimp.'

"This is what you brother is upset about," Summer said while handing him the magazine.

Kakarot flipped through it and skimmed a couple of things. When he read the comment about his brother being nice, he started snickering. "Wow. He can never hang out with any Saiyans again!" 'Then again, this might make me look bad too…' He stopped laughing. 'Everyone will probably talk about me in the ring!' "Why did you give this interview anyway? You could have at least consulted everyone."

"This woman came to me talking about how she was in love with a Saiyan. She wanted some advice and I gave it to her. I didn't know she was a journalist. She said she wanted to buy some of my art."

"Well, you shouldn't get mixed up with these people then. You might believe in their sappy cause, but they played you, Summer. You can't trust them. There's an agenda behind it."

She frowned. "I guess you're right, Kakarot." She sighed. 'But that doesn't mean that I can always sit back and take this.'

"Let's just hurry up and get out of here. I wouldn't wanna be late for King Dick." Kakarot was less than enthused about seeing what the royals wanted, but he was at least a little interested.

Cerina knocked on Bulma's door. She had dozens of dresses sent to her by many human designers and she really didn't know which one to pick. There were a few that were weird, some were inappropriate, but most of them were very pretty. She chose a gold dress with a beautiful bodice and the bottom flowed. It looked very classic, but modern. Her mother told her she looked great, but she wanted Bulma's opinion.

Bulma did not want to be bothered with anyone, but she very well couldn't be mean to Cerina and risk making Cellena even angrier. She opened the door and faked a smile. "Oh, look at you!"

"You like it?" she yelled thrilled. "You really think I look nice?"

"Sure." She took her young sister by her hand and brought her inside and closed the door behind her. "I don't think I've ever seen you this beautiful."

Cerina started blushing and she was too bashful to even look her in the eye. "I have something to ask you."

Bulma could tell instantly. "Oh, I see. This is about a boy. Kakarot?"

"Yeah." Cerina was a little confused though. "I mean I really like him, but I'm not sure if I like Fenn or not."

She laughed. "Oh, you're so adorable!" 'If she was with a boy as smart, powerful, and obedient as Fenn, then she would be a great competitor for Queen. Kakarot will never get his act together.' "Kakarot is the one to choose, Cerina. You two would look so cute together."

"Really?" she squealed. She was getting so red that she covered her face. She hated looking so foolish. "I don't know how to make him like me!"

"Why wouldn't he like you?" She pulled Cerina's hands away so she could see her gorgeous face. "You are incredibly adorable." Then she started messing with her curly hair. It was so long and lovely. "I think you should cut your hair though."

Her eyes widened. "You want to cut my hair?" She backed away and held onto her hair. "You know this doesn't grow at all. Ever!"

"I know, but Kakarot is rebellious. You don't need to look like a frilly princess. He's going to want someone with a little bit of edge, Cerina."

Cerina thought about what Bulma had said and it made a lot of sense, but she just didn't know. The thought of having short hair scared her. She liked when her mother combed it. She liked to touch it and to do different things with it. She just wouldn't look like the same person. She was near tears. "But what if I don't like it? I can never change it."

"Trust me, Cerina." Bulma had to fight off the mischievousness to her smile as she walked over to her desk and pulled out a pair of silver scissors out of a drawer. Cutting Cerina's hair might not have guaranteed the little girl's downfall and it might have gotten Bulma in even more trouble, but she thought it would be worth the satisfaction. "I'm a queen of fashion. I know about hairstyles. I think long hair is what kind of makes you look weird all the time."

"What?" She touched her face. "I look weird all the time?"

"You just don't have the right face for long hair. It's not the right frame."

Cerina felt even worse for looking so foolish all the time and not even knowing. "If you think it'll make me look better…"

"Oh, it will!"

Cerina was trembling, but she closed her eyes and braced herself. 'What if this isn't the right call?'

It was so hard not to burst out into laughter. Bulma was breathing heavily through her nostrils as she tried to fight it off. 'She'll probably cry for the rest of her life!' She planned chopping it at an odd angle and claiming it was an accident. Then Bulma wouldn't have a choice but to cut it to her neck. "Stay still!"

Cerina could feel her drawing closer and she shook a little bit more. She tried to imagine herself with shorter hair and she knew there were tons of different hairstyles, but she wanted to make sure her mother could brush her hair and her mother would be so upset! "Stop!"

Bulma stopped an inch before she could get in one snip. 'Darn it!' "What's the matter?"

"I don't want you to do this!"

'Stupid little brat!' She grinned from ear to ear, because it was the only way not to start screaming at the child, though she was sure she looked creepy. "Don't you wanna be pretty enough for Kakarot?"

"Well…" She held her hair and thought about it and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. "I don't care, Bulma!" She was sick of looking so silly and being embarrassed or apologizing for who she was. "I like my hair, Bulma. I don't care what Kakarot or anyone else thinks."

'Why this spoiled little brat…' Bulma was dumbfounded. "I'm just trying to help you get Kakarot."

Cerina began to calm down. "I know, Bulma, but I'm keeping my hair."

'I should have known that wasn't going to work. She can be just as vain as everyone else. But just because she has a little bit of spine doesn't mean that I can't beat her.' "You're right. You can keep your long hair. I can think of a better way to help you win a Saiyan. After all, I've got a lot more experience than you."

'Should I listen to her advice about getting Kakarot? He's not like any other boy I've ever met. But I've never had a boyfriend and my brother is in love with Bulma.' "Okay. How can I get him to like me?"

"To win the heart of a Saiyan," she smirked evilly, "you have to kill."

Cerina lost all of her breath until she could only mouth out: "What?"

Bulma was quite pleased with Cerina's response. "You should have done it before. Your father used to send little babies like Kakarot to planets like this to wipe them out. You're way behind schedule!"

"But I'm not that kind of person…" Cerina was no fool. She knew the kind of things that her father did and what he ordered the Saiyans to do. She also knew that her people enjoyed killing innocents across the universe. Even Fenn was a part of it. She knew the day would come when she would be required to prove herself to her father and she wasn't quite sure what she would do when that day arrived.

"Don't be weak, Cerina. Your brother didn't like me at all until I killed a rabbit for him. Then he didn't fall in love with me until I killed the humans. Saiyans are vicious. Kakarot is the same. You have to be the same too." She almost smirked. 'Cerina doesn't have it in her to kill anyone, but if she ends up doing it, I know it'll end up screwing with her mind. She' probably snap.' "Come on, Cerina. It's not that difficult. After your first kill, it all just starts to blend together."

"Well…" Cerina fumed up her face determined. "I don't care! If a boy can't accept you for who you are, then they don't deserve you!"

"Excuse me?" she asked infuriated. "Don't you want Kakarot?"

"I can make him like me myself. I don't need your help. Kakarot isn't like my brother and I'm certainly not like you, Bulma."

"No," she seethed, "you're just a weakling."

Cerina's feelings were hurt for a moment, but then she decided no more. "I'm strong enough to stand up for myself." She didn't know what had gotten into Bulma, but she was done listening to Bulma put her down. She thought she looked nice and she had to be confident if she was going to get Kakarot to like her. "Bye, Bulma. I'll see you tonight."

Bulma was angry enough to boil over, but instead of screaming and attacking Cerina, she had to fight off her tears once again. 'Who does she think she is? Is she talking down to me? Does she think she's better than me? I'm gonna take her down if it's the last thing I do!'

Cerina went to the throne room where her father was waiting. He was such a proud and cold man, but he had a special gleam in his eye when he laid eyes on his daughter. "You look well, my daughter."

Cerina knew that was about as much of a compliment he was bound to give. "Thank you, Father." She curtsied for him. "I'm honored to celebrate this night with you."

Cellena's mother was standing by her father's side and she looked ravishing as usual. "Are you ready to persuade Kakarot?"

Cerina made quick eye contact with her father and tried not to blush. "I am, Mother."

Cellena smirked. "I plan on trying to persuade him myself, my daughter, so please try your best." 'I know Cerina wants him to be on her team, but I need brilliant young minds to work in the lab. Bulma's head is in the wrong place. I don't think I'll always be able to trust her.'

Cerina took a deep breath and waited for Kakarot to arrive. She was getting nervous because she didn't know if he was going to be late and how much that would upset her father. When she knew it was six thirty, she began to panic to herself. 'Where are you, Kakarot?'

The doors opened and Cerina held her breathe. She imagined Kakarot looking so handsome in a suit! Maybe he wouldn't wear a suit though. Maybe he would be dressed in fine armor. Either way, she couldn't wait to lay eyes on him.

"My King, Queen, and Princess."

Cerina sighed and slumped her shoulders when she saw Basila enter. 'I hope Kakarot isn't refusing to come. That would be most foolish and my father would be so angry!'

"What is it?" King Vegeta asked.

"Kakarot is here."

Cerina began smiling uncontrollably.

King Vegeta noticed his daughter's expression and was pissed, but he also decided to control himself. "See him in."

Basila bowed again and went back through the doors and returned with Kakarot. When Kakarot saw Cerina, he was surprised. He thought she was a little hottie before, but she somehow found a way to be even better looking. He didn't even notice anyone else in the room for a while and he forgot to bow until he heard King Vegeta grunting with a very angry and not so subtle reminder. "You summoned me, Sire?"

King Vegeta noticed the redness in Kakarot's cheeks, but it paled in comparison to the redness in his daughter's. It was clear that they were smitten with each other. 'This is going to be a problem…' He deeply considered turning into a Super Saiyan and destroying the little punk right then and there. But Cellena had talked to him a little bit and it meant a lot to his young daughter and her wisdom wasn't exactly flawed about having Kakarot on her team. "My daughter is starting a new task force to police this planet and keep things in order. She has requested that you join her."

'Well, that's no surprise.' He was about to tell them all to go shove it, but then he made eye contact with Cerina. He wasn't sure what she was doing to him. Whatever she was doing, she seemed clueless in the matter, but something was for sure happening. "Is that your only request?" He was biding his time. He knew that he would rather do his illegal underground fighting, but there was something about her big, dark eyes.

"Not exactly," Cellena said. "Your mind is no secret, Kakarot. I heard about your exploits during Bulma's test. Your mother also speaks highly of you. I would like you to join our science team."

He instantly thought of his grandfather. "I'm not interested."

"Because you don't want to be like you grandfather?" she asked. "You want to be a fighter and not a scientist?"

"Well," King Vegeta interjected, "I wanted to make something clear, Boy. The only way to receive true honor and glory from your fellow Saiyans is to conquer and though I plan on sending out many Saiyans on many missions to claim this entire universe, I very well don't plan on sending you." He knew Kakarot was stubborn and could fight to the death, but he also remembered his nickname that he wasn't too fond of. "I don't trust you enough."

Kakarot clenched his fists. 'Then the only way to prove myself is to do it underground like I plan. I can't be working for the law. Cerina will always be too close and she might catch me.' "I don't think—"

"I think you would be a valuable asset!" Cerina blurted. "Just give this a chance, Kakarot! I know you're a great fighter."

Kakarot felt something in his chest brighten up and whatever the weird sensation was, it made him smile. 'What is wrong with me?' He forced himself to stop. 'Maybe it won't be so bad to work with Cerina, though. I'm assuming I would get paid and my family won't flip out on me.' "Will there be compensation?"

King Vegeta shrugged.

"Of course," Cellena said. "For both positions, Kakarot."

"Well…" Looking at Cerina's face was ruining everything! He didn't know what was wrong with his brain all of the sudden. "I guess I would like to join her task force."

Cerina gasped. "Really Kakarot?"

Kakarot swore her dark eyes sparkled like a starry sky. "Yeah…"

Cerina smiled and looked up at her mother and shook her shoulders a bit in a gloating manner. "Looks like I win this time, Mother."

Cellena was pleased. "It looks like you do, but I always have a backup plan." Cellena had a small clutch on her. She reached inside and pulled out a small capsule. "This is for you, Kakarot."

He reluctantly approached the throne while eyeing the King. He was still suspicious that it was all a plot to kill him, but he got the capsule safe and sound. "What is this, my queen?"

"You may not want to work for me and my science team, but I still think you would want to look at Baga's research and try to solve your mother's condition. You could help many other women who also carry the illness. Your sister and niece might also carry it and it's becoming progressively worse in girls who have inherited it."

"What do you mean?"

"The disease usually takes its form when a woman's body starts going through her pregnancy. Now we're seeing that the illness is starting to affect girls when they begin the stages of puberty."

'No way! I thought about the possibility of Kara and Fasha having the illness, but I thought that if it wasn't cured, all they had to do was not have any kids of their own.' "What kind of symptoms are you discovering?"

"Decrease in power, loss in appetite, vomiting, fever, dizzy spells, fainting, nausea, restlessness. The symptoms have been on and off for some and constant for other. One girl completely stopped producing eggs. Not many of the human born Saiyans have begun menstruation, so we don't have a lot of subjects. I assume it'll only get worse within a few years' time. There haven't been any fatalities, but I can only imagine the worst for Raditz's daughter who has her gene pool diluted."

'This is not good!' Kakarot hoped his younger sister and niece could hold on a little while longer. "Sure. I'll work on this."

"Good," Cellena said with a smile. "Your mother will be pleased."

"But I do warn you that I'm more of an engineer. Genetics isn't really my thing."

"I'm sure you can make it so. Besides, you're not the only brilliant Saiyan mind that we've discovered and she's very impressive."

'That's surprising.' Kakarot didn't like anyone showing him up, but he could let it slide if she helped him save his sister and niece. "Well, I guess that's a good thing."

"Father," Cerina said, "I would like to go over a few things for the press conference tonight at the party. May I speak with Kakarot alone?"

He glared. "As long as it's only speaking, you have my blessing."

She smiled picked up her the poofy part of her dress so she could properly rush out with Kakarot. "Come on. We've got lots of work to do."

"Right…" Kakarot still felt the weird feeling inside of his chest. 'It's stupid for me to like this girl if I really like this girl. I mean I don't even know her and what I do know, I don't really like. She's too nice. But then again, her being so nice is the reason why she stood up for Kara and that was pretty cool of her. She didn't really care what the rest of the Saiyans thought about her and she just acted. Does that make her weak or does that make her rebellious and a little cool? I'm not sure…' He began to blush.

"I need you to meet the rest of my team."

"Why did you even ask me? You could order anyone you wanted to help."

"Not really. My brother assembled some teams to go on missions for Father. I got the leftover and I didn't really want to order anyone."

Kakarot chuckled in disbelief. "Well, then I can't imagine that you got that many Saiyans to agree to this."

"Well, that's the thing…" She led Kakarot to a meeting room down the hall and not too far from the throne room. Inside, there were five Saiyans. "I didn't really find a whole lot of Saiyans…"

One was a young girl who couldn't have been more than two years older than Kakarot. He could sense that she wasn't elite status and she seemed kind of awkward from first impressions. She was shy and skinny and her hair was in a ponytail and wasn't permed like Cerina's. "Hi Kakarot."

"I take it you're the nerd Cellena was just talking about."

"That's Queen Cellena to you!" said a Saiyan boy who was probably a year younger than Kakarot. He looked like a tough kid and Kakarot was getting the vibe that he had a stick lodged up far into his rectum. He was probably acting a whole lot tougher than he actually was. Kakarot sensed that he wasn't at elite status either.

There was another girl in the room that had short hair that was straight and cut at an angle and got longer as it curved from the back of her head up to her face. She looked pretty tough and she didn't say a word. She was definitely stronger than the other two.

Then there was another Saiyan boy that slightly waved to Kakarot as he came in. He had a higher power level, but Kakarot knew he was timid.

"This is Bell, Pak, Soko, Arti, and you of course know Fenn."

Kakarot gave Fenn a quick nod of acknowledgement and he returned it so he could start raving. "My princess, you look wonderful."

"Really?" She thought she looked nice. She didn't know why Fenn saying it made it somehow more real. "You really think so, Fenn?"

"Of course! What fool would say otherwise or wouldn't acknowledge it at all?"

Kakarot noticed how much Cerina was beginning to blush and he really began to get irritated. He was sure he wasn't jealous. A kid as smart as him would know whether or not he was jealous and he was sure that he was not! Fenn just bugged him. He must have been putting on an act. No Saiyan was as nice as him…besides Cerina. 'This jerk is probably just coddling her niceness so he can be her prince one day and she's just falling for it. I bet this dope thinks he can be king and then he'll be over me. This is making me sick!'

"So I know we're a small group," Cerina said, "but I believe we can make a difference. And when everyone sees all of the good we've done and still how tough we are, I know we can get a lot more volunteers."

"It's good to have you on the team." Fenn smiled and patted Kakarot on the back and each pat was like a slap to Kakarot's ego and eventually, he just couldn't take it and slapped his hand away.

"You know what; I don't think this is going to work."

Cerina was horrified. "Why?"

Kakarot almost took it back when he saw her big eyes looking at him with such anguish, and yet a little bit of hope that he would change his mind. 'Pull yourself together!' "Because you've got a bunch of weaklings that probably haven't been in any real battles."

"How much action have you seen?" Pak asked.

"I've looked through your records," Bell said. "You've never been on any missions."

"No, but I stood toe to toe with King Vegeta!"

"Was that before or after he snapped your spine in half?" Pak asked almost laughing.

He grunted and began approaching the boy to pick him apart, but Fenn pushed him back. "Calm down."

"And who made you in charge?"

"Cerina. She of course gets lead position, but I'm her second in command and I'm gonna handle training Pak, Bell, Arti, and Soko."

"I don't need any training," Soko said offended. "I've been on a mission and I assure you that I'm very good at what I do."

"I thought I was primarily your tech support," Bell interrupted. "I mean I'm not afraid to fight, but Queen Cellena expects me to work in the lab…" She realized everyone was staring at her and she was beginning to feel uncomfortable. "Never mind! I could use some more training."

"This team is a mess!" Kakarot yelled. "You guys will never, ever get anywhere."

Fenn cocked his brow. "You doubt your abilities, Kakarot?"

"No. I just doubt my decision to be here. As a matter of fact, I've decided not to waste my time!" He rushed through the door and began stomping down the hall. He was just so pissed off! 'Stupid Fenn! Who does he think he is? He can't just expect to boss me around.'

"Kakarot!" Cerina called. It was difficult to run in her dress, so she flew to Kakarot and cut him off before he could get away. "What is wrong with you?"

"I just realized that this whole thing is stupid!"

"It's not stupid. Men and women with wiser minds think this is a brilliant idea, so don't say that this is stupid!" She was so sick of people putting her down. "This is important to me, Kakarot. Why are you running away?"

'Those stupid eyes!' He made sure not to stare into them. "I just don't think I'm a group person. I'm more of a solo act, so—"

"You're mad because you don't wanna take orders from Fenn?"

"Maybe," he mumbled.

"Kakarot, he's a great warrior who studies battles and strategies. You may be brilliant, but he has a lot more experience than you. And he's also been with me from the beginning of this task force's conception. It's only right that he's my number two."

"Well, why don't you just kick out everyone else so you can have your privacy?"

"What?" she yelled. "Why would I…" She covered her mouth and in shock. 'He's super jealous!'

"What?" Kakarot didn't mean to get nervous, but he was. "What are you going on about, Girl?"

"You're jealous!"

"I am not!" he barked furiously. "Why would I be jealous? It's not like he has anything that I don't already have or want?"

"Exactly. So why are you jealous? He's not my boyfriend, Kakarot."

"I don't want to be your boyfriend!" Even the term disgusted him. "You sound so much like a human, Cerina. That's why everyone thinks you're weak."

"I am not weak!" She clenched up her fingers into a fist and she shook them. She was very upset and she thought about hitting Kakarot and proving to him how strong she really was, but she just didn't have it in her to do it. "I'm trying to do something good here, Kakarot. This will be good for the humans and the Saiyans. We need order."

"Maybe I like the chaos," he said with a naughty smile. "I'm not this good boy you've pegged me for, Princess."

She shook her head. She didn't care what he said. She could see right through him. "Kakarot, I know it's hard not knowing who you are. I'm confused myself, but I do think I've got you figured out."

"Oh really?" he mocked. "Then who am I?"

"You're…" She began to blush furiously. 'Should I just go for it? Should I tell him that I like him a lot or should I just plant one on him? I don't know!' "You're great, Kakarot, and you're good." She really knew that she should have done something to show Kakarot how much she liked him, but she had no clue how to do it the right way.

Kakarot crossed his arms and looked away. "Look, I know you like me. I get that's why you want me on your team. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna be your eye candy."

"What?!" she yelled. "You think you're my eye candy? Don't be such a jerk! I know you like me—"

"Ha!"

"Don't you dare pretend like you don't after you were just so jealous of me liking Fenn!"

"So you do like Fenn?" he yelled angrily.

She blushed intensely, but it might have mostly been from embarrassment. "I don't know! But that's none of your business if you're gonna deny liking me at all!"

"Well, I am denying you. I reject your stupid project; because it's not gonna work. Your father is still gonna think you're weak at the end of the day, because he doesn't want you to be yourself. He wants another psycho son like your brother and you're just soft!"

Cerina had a lot of emotions and she didn't know how they would come out and in what words, so she closed her mouth tight as tears welled up in her eyes. She was furious and hurt. If Kakarot left her team, it would have made her look terrible, but she couldn't plead with him. She just had to leave.

Kakarot smiled like he was pleased with himself, but he didn't feel so satisfied. 'Whatever! Chi-Chi is my partner and we've got a human to raise together. I'm swamped. I don't have time to resolve her daddy issues. I'm sure she'll be fine. Fenn can help her out…' Kakarot was suddenly annoyed. 'Well, I don't exactly want him to be alone with her all the time…'

He slapped his face and forced himself to snap out of it. "Screw this! I've got better things to do."

The celebration was there to greet the royal family once they arrived in the heart of Vegeta City. Just about every Saiyan from the empire was there. There were also many humans excited to serve the empire in any way, shape, or form. There were decorations with the royal family emblem plastered everywhere. There was live music and lots of food available for the Saiyan community. There was also a big fire show taking place in the middle of the city. Saiyans didn't really dance, but they were intrigued by the human's graceful movement and they liked the danger of the fire. Some of them were secretly hoping that the fire would drop so they could see how the humans reacted.

When the royal family got out of their limousine, they were flooded with the lights of the human press. Prince Vegeta hated it and wanted to blast them, but he knew how much his mother craved their adoration and he decided to let them live. Even King Vegeta enjoyed their attention and their praise, because he knew it was well deserved.

Cerina was always so overwhelmed by all of the attention and it flattered her.

"Princess Cerina!" Dozens of reporters flashed their cameras and struggled to get near her to ask questions. When Saiyan guards came on the scene, they knew to calm down and step back, but they stilled begged. "Cerina!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. 'Why they love her so much, I'll never know.'

Cassava had been waiting and watching for Vegeta to show up. It bothered her what Bulma said, so she was determined to leave her mark in the world and in Vegeta's heart. She quickly swooped in and planted a kiss on his lips while the cameras were still flashing. Vegeta was very private, so their kiss would probably be on more magazine covers than Cerina.

Vegeta was a bit surprised, but he did not deny the taste of Cassava. However, it did not last long. He really did hate public affection. "What are you doing?"

"I may not be your only woman, but I know I'm the favorite pick. I thought I'd be your appropriate date."

His eyes accidentally fell on his mother and she signaled him to accept.

"Fine. That sounds acceptable."

King Vegeta went off to a main stage where there was a throne waiting for him. He didn't care to speak to the press. Besides, the humans weren't really aware of the significance of destroying Frieza. He would address his people later.

Cellena didn't mind stopping for a few conversations. They asked her a few questions about the party and why they were throwing it. They asked her about what it meant for earth and what would happen next, but she said she would have to defer to her king for a lot of things. But then a human asked her a question they should have known better. "My Queen, today in Pride Magazine, it focused heavily on tolerance between the humans and the Saiyans. One article quoted Summer Everstien, who is mated with First Class Saiyan, Raditz. She spoke of wanting Saiyans and humans to both find love. What are your thoughts?"

All of the other reporters were amazed and they were completely quiet. Everyone who heard the question was quiet, because they were terrified of Cellena and what she would do. They could feel the tension, though she kept her smile. "I'm aware of the article. There were extreme special circumstances when it came to their union and why I decided to pardon them, but as it stands, there are reasons why Saiyans and humans do not make appropriate mates."

"Such as?"

Cellena didn't like that she was being challenged, but she decided to play ball. "When Saiyans mate, we bond with each other. If we do not bond, then our relationships are not seen as legitimate. That's because bonding to someone prohibits you from having strong feelings for someone else and you cannot go into heat. If a Saiyan goes into heat, then it's all over for them. They're pretty much as you humans say, 'sprung', over that Saiyan."

"Are humans incapable of bonding with a Saiyan?"

"There's a one in a billion chance, but I've been having scientists research this for a while and for most of you humans, it is impossible. If a Saiyan woman comes along and starts swinging their tail…" She shrugged. "It's futile. We may look similar, but we're hardwired a different way." Cellena laughed. "And let's not forget about the dangers!"

"And what dangers would that be, my queen?"

"I think the four million dead humans of Starcrest City can protest to the dangers. They hosted an unsanctioned party and it cost them all their lives. Humans are too weak compared to Saiyans. And even if a Saiyan doesn't transform, there's still the aggression to consider. A moment of passion could mean someone's death."

The reporter became terrified. "Are you saying we should fear the Saiyans?"

"Of course you should," she said with a smile. "Our power is too great. We've cooperated fine with humans. As a matter of fact, I like you humans. You fascinate me, but make no mistake about the difference in our power and who is and who isn't in charge.

"Why, not long ago, we were able to crush the Red Ribbon Army as they tried to launch a human rebellion while my king and I were away. They were trying to take advantage of the full moon and how we tried to shield ourselves, but I assure you that we won't be so gracious anymore. We will no longer have weaknesses."

The reporter didn't have any more questions after that. They did fear Cellena greatly, but for some reason, they were still so obsessed with her. It was like her evil was almost charming in a way. Maybe it was all a part of their addiction to her fame.

But Cerina was different. The humans weren't very afraid of Cerina because they believed she was there to protect them from the rest of her family. She was asked a bunch of questions about what she was wearing, who styled her hair, and if there was any truth to the rivalry between Fenn and Kakarot for her heart. She decided to be nice to the both of them and just avoid the question, but she feared she blushed too much. But she didn't want that night to be about her personal life.

"I know tonight is about my father and the great honor that he deserves, but I'm proud to announce that I have indeed formed my task force and we will begin patrolling the planet."

"What is the purpose of this task force?"

"It's to make sure that everyone is keeping in line with the law. This goes for Saiyans and humans. I hope to prevent events like what happened in Starcrest City and crimes that humans tried to commit in the Red Ribbon Army while many of our young were sleeping. I believe we can live in peace."

"Are you afraid you'll come up against any Saiyans too powerful to handle?"

Cerina might have been timid, but she felt her Saiyan pride bubble up inside of her. "I'm not afraid of anyone and I can handle myself! I'm a great fighter and I have great fighters on my side. No one is gonna get the best of me!" She genuinely meant that.

Bulma arrived late, but she was still met by a lot of reporters asking her questions about some of her work and what she was wearing and such. It was hard to get through the interview when she noticed Cassava and Vegeta eating together in restaurant known for its popularity by the Saiyans, but its fear from the humans. She pressed her way to the restaurant anyway in order to interrupt their seemingly happy meal.

"Hello, Prince Vegeta."

Vegeta did a double take. There were no words to express how fabulous Bulma looked in her silver dress. It was so tight and hugged her in such a flattering way, that he started having flashbacks of when the two of them were together during the full moon. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I would join you for this exotic cuisine."

Cassava busted out into laughter. "Oh, Bulma! You honestly want to die of food poisoning, don't you? Your human stomach can't take something like this."

"I can take whatever you can!"

The surrounding Saiyans were interested in their catfight and watched closely. Of course Bulma would be the one bleeding on the floor if it became a physical fight, but just because it would be an easy win didn't mean the beat down wouldn't be entertaining!

"Fine, Bulma." Cassava pushed an utterly disgusting looking plate of small tails near her direction. "Be my guest."

Bulma practically gulped. There were still scales on the tail and she didn't know if it was going to scratch up her throat on the way down. It did smell oddly pleasing though. 'I have to do this!' She picked up the slimy piece of meat with her fingers, closed her eyes, and put it in her mouth. The scaled shell was hard and added a crunch to it, but the meat of the tail was soft and swishy and it was seasoned pretty well. After she got over the grossness, it wasn't so bad.

"I can't believe she ate it," one Saiyan said.

"Wait for it…"

Bulma began to feel nauseous and she held her stomach. Everyone except for Vegeta immediately burst into laughter, but she tried to fight off the urge to throw up anyway. 'I have to stop myself!' But she couldn't fight it anymore. There was only one thing she could do to get a leg up on Cassava: to release her puke all over her pretty black dress!

"You wretched, human!" The Saiyans roared with approval as Cassava rose up to beat the snot out of Bulma, but right before her fingers could clasp tight enough around Bulma for a good squeeze, Vegeta pulled her back. "Let me go!"

"Calm down! It was an accident."

The rest of the Saiyans were disappointed that he broke up the bloodbath, but they were entertained either way!

"You had better go clean yourself up," Vegeta ordered Cassava. "You need to go back if you are to join me when my father makes his speech."

Cassava was angry enough to cry tears of rage, but she forced herself to be calm. She knew Bulma had done that on purpose, but she would not miss her glorious moment and not stand next to Vegeta on stage in front of the entire world. "I'll return as quickly as I can, my prince."

Bulma was embarrassed that she vomited and she wished that she hadn't, but the look on Cassava's face was priceless. Besides, she was feeling better all of the sudden. She wiped her mouth and she was good to go. "I think I want to try some more."

There was more laughter and Vegeta shook his head. "You are not throwing up on me, Woman."

"No, I can do this. I've got the will!" But she was more than that. She was hungry! And she did honestly like the taste and it smelled delicious. As a matter of fact, everything really smelled delicious. "I want some more." She quickly picked up another piece before Vegeta could stop her and then everyone stood back and waited for her to puke all over the place. But she was fine. "See!"

She actually got applause from the astonished Saiyans and she was quite pleased. "Let me try something else!"

Vegeta was concerned. He did know of some humans that had eaten there and had literally died! "Bulma—"

"No! I was challenged by Cassava and I'm gonna beat her!"

The Saiyans cheered and in rare fashion, they began sharing their food to watch the crazy human scarf it down. Most of them were waiting to see when she would finally die and some were even taking bets. She did look like she was going to lose it a few times, but she always pulled back and tried something else. By the time she was on her fifth plate, it hit her. "I'm stuffed! I can't do it anymore."

"Oh, come on human!" the Saiyan owner yelled. "This is entertaining!"

"I'm going to bust!"

"Only after five plates?" one Saiyan asked. "No wonder why humans are so weak."

"Just try this one last thing!" Someone handed her a plate of pink blobby mess that kind of looked like what would happen if you mashed up a raw fish. It looked disgusting to her eye, but she was very interested in trying it and she was not honestly full.

But she saw that Vegeta was looking concerned. "If I eat this, I'm gonna barf out everything I've eaten. I'm done!"

So many were disappointed, but they still gave her a good cheer. She was pleased and left out in a hurry.

Vegeta tried not to look like he was concerned, but he was and followed after her. "What's wrong?"

"I have to go vomit."

"I told you not to eat all of that!" he yelled. "We need to get your stomach pumped."

"I'm fine! I just need to throw this up. Please don't tell any of those Saiyans I vomited." She ran away into a bathroom and just stayed in there for a while so she could freak out to herself. 'What if I'm pregnant? It makes sense if I'm pregnant. Isn't it good that I'm pregnant? Will Vegeta hate me? What about Cellena? What will she do? Just because I have Vegeta's son doesn't make me the queen!' Bulma wasn't sure if she was or wasn't and the only way to be sure was to test herself, but she couldn't do that any time soon. She had to wait until after the party.

She calmed herself down and came out of the bathroom and saw that Vegeta was there waiting for her. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be waiting for Cassava?"

"Why are you so combative with her? You already won. I told you that you were going to be my queen, yet you're obsessed with my decoy whore. It's idiotic, Woman!"

She sighed. "I know, but…" She bit her lip as she fought off her tears. She knew there was a chance that it was hormonal, but she couldn't let that ruin her makeup! "But she told me that you like sex with her more."

"What?" he laughed. "No, you are better at it. You were alarmingly gifted during our first encounter."

"But…" She knew there was more. She could feel it!

He sighed. He just didn't know how she would react. "Bulma, you know more stuff. You're more experienced and we just know each other very well, and yet you always keep it interesting. The only problem with you is…I'm always afraid that I'm going to hurt you."

Bulma felt herself breaking down because she was weak, but there was one small glimmer of romance in there. "I thought you weren't afraid of anything."

He smirked. "Only of a woman."

Bulma knew that she didn't smell very good, unless the food completely masked the vomit from earlier. She couldn't tell because she could only smell the food and wanted more. But it must have been okay, because Vegeta was still leaning in closer to her lips. She didn't think he was foolish enough to kiss her, but if she just took the extra step, she was certain that there would be some paparazzi somewhere that would take the picture and have it out on the internet in a manner of minutes. Then it would all be over. Cellena couldn't stop humans and Saiyans from mating, especially if her own son took one for his bride.

But she would not risk Cellena's wrath quite yet. "Your father should be saying his speech soon."

"I know." Vegeta didn't care. He much rather would have ripped that dress off of Bulma.

"We should go. We can always make love tonight."

"Then tonight it is." He wasn't even angry with her anymore. He didn't care. He just wanted what he wanted.

As the royal family was approaching the stage, Colleen spotted Cerina and she stopped her. "Have you seen Kakarot?" She had been keeping an eye on Cerina and she had been hanging out with a young group of Saiyans, but none of them were her son.

"I'm afraid that he retracted his offer to join my side and he left."

"He left?" Colleen asked angrily.

Cerina nodded. "I'm afraid so." Cerina was sad about that, and she also noticed that Colleen looked sad too, even though she looked so beautiful. "Have you not been having a good time?"

"The party is nice, but I'm having a hard time enjoying it without my family." Colleen's point was that she wished they were there, not that she'd rather be home, but alas, a mother had to make sacrifices. "Tell your mother that I'm sorry for leaving early and we'll talk later."

"Only if you tell Kakarot that my door is always open."

Colleeen was filled with so much hope. "I sure will, Princess Cerina."

Cerina then joined her mother, brother, and father on the stage. Bulma wished she could have been up there, but she knew it was all a matter of timing and then she would be queen. But nothing gave her quite as much satisfaction as spotting Cassava moving through the crowd to join Vegeta's side, but knowing it was a little too late once King Vegeta began to speak.

"My fellow Saiyans, it gives me great pleasure to celebrate this day with you. It is a day I have long worked for. After we exterminated the Tuffles, Planet Plant became Planet Vegeta. We lived as we wanted to live and did as we pleased. Then the tyrant, Frieza, came and we had to make certain sacrifices. These sacrifices served us well in some areas, but it also cost us greatly." King Vegeta thought of how rich the Planet Trade had made their race, but he also thought of how upset he and Cellena were when Frieza asked for their son.

"Frieza betrayed us and in order to preserve our lives, we scattered across the universe and eventually reassembled our lives here on earth. We waited patiently and we trained without the thought of giving up ever creeping into our minds.

"Frieza wanted us dead because he feared us achieving Super Saiyan. He wanted to believe that it was all just a legend," he smirked, "but legends exist for a reason. Sometimes, they are real." He outstretched his hands and his eyes flashed from black to greenish-blue and his hair flashed until it became a magnificent gold. When he finished his transformation, his aura grew bright enough to light up the entire city. When he powered down just a bit for their vision to return to them, he was met with thunderous applause.

"Frieza had a reason to fear me. When I met him in battle, I wasted no time on him. I left no time for his witty remarks or his smug and overly confident attitude. I killed him like the weakling that he is and now this universe will belong to me!"

The Saiyans were indeed pleased. The humans pretended to be excited as well, but they all began to wonder what it meant for them and their planet.

Cassava was just like anyone else and was proud and cheering for her king until she noticed that Vegeta wasn't even concentrating on his father. She followed his eyes and found them on Bulma. 'What?' And then she realized that the way he looked at Bulma was the way she had always wanted him to look at her. 'But why…?' She couldn't take what she saw and she ran through the crowd until she knew it was appropriate to fly away.

Basila was near the stage and saw her daughter's scene and she was not pleased. 'What's going on?'

Kakarot arrived at Chi-Chi's window and waited for her to come and answer. He was annoyed because she usually left it unlocked. When she opened it, he immediately started fussing. "What's the deal, Chi?"

"Summer said you'd be busy tonight." Her face tensed up. "She said something about you going to the palace."

He rolled his eyes and pushed passed her to get inside. "Oh please, Chi. Drop the Cerina jealousy. I had enough of that girl for one day."

"Why?" she asked incredibly interested.

"She just wanted me to join her task force."

"And you said no?" Chi-Chi was confused. It was a great opportunity.

"Yeah. You and I got this whole thing going on. I'm gonna work with Krillin and I'm gonna live my life my way."

She smiled satisfied. "Speaking of our arrangement, I looked over the contract that Krillin idiotically signed without looking. It turns out that if he quits without you giving your permission, the tournament leaders get to break every bone in his body until he dies painfully."

"That sucks," he said coldly. I guess he's not quitting anytime soon then." He was mildly suspicious. "You're not about to bother me with any of this slave talk are you?"

"No." Chi-Chi thought about everything long and hard. "I don't know what's come over me Kakarot, but I'm really interested in this. Maybe I can be your manager or something."

"And what about your dad?"

"I'll still work on cooking and maybe I'll have a catering business or a restaurant when I'm older. He'll never know what we're doing on the side, just like you can't let your dad know either."

"Don't worry. I won't talk to him about it. He'll never find out." 'He can't run my life anymore.'

"Cassava?" Basila entered her daughter's room and saw her sobbing on the floor. As a mother, she was concerned, but as a Saiyan, she was appalled. "Pull yourself together! You should be with Vegeta now!"

She was crying so hard that it was difficult to breathe. For a few seconds, all she could do was shake her head. "I can't, Mother. I've ruined everything!"

"What do you mean?" She knelt down beside her daughter. "You're with Prince Vegeta. Cellena wants it that way. Cerina is your friend. Even the king prefers you."

"But I saw how Vegeta looked at Bulma and I know how Bulma feels about him." She wiped her tears, but it was futile. "They're in love with each other."

Basila had observed the two of them. She did not doubt that they liked each other, but love? "Have the slept together?"

Cassava had no proof, but she recalled Bulma's earlier outburst. Bulma was very upset about the thought of Vegeta being with Cassava in bed. "I'm certain of it, but not enough to get her executed."

"I see…" 'I will not let this human disgrace my worthy daughter!' "I will have Bulma handled. Do not fret."

"But you have to do something for me too, Mother."

"Anything!" Cassava was all Basila had in the world. "Tell me what you want of me and I'll do it."

"I need to be on one of the teams being launched out tomorrow. I want to be on Team A."

"They have the most brutal and dangerous assignments—"

"And I want them!" Cassava knew Bulma was right about Vegeta and his thirst for blood. It was even an alarming amount for a Saiyan. "I need to prove myself."

"But you could be gone for years, Cassava. What if you lose your chance?"

"This is my best chance, Mother!" Cassava thought of all the times her mother warned her about Bulma and all the times she was suspicious of Bulma and all of the advice she had given. She was just her pawn! "I can't let her be queen."

Basila smirked. "That will never happen, my daughter."

Basila cared for her daughter too greatly to let Bulma get the last laugh. It was a very delicate situation, so she had to handle it with care and caution. She knew the party was still going on in the city, so she quickly returned. She saw the queen drinking mildly with her mate and they were enjoying each other's company. It was a celebration after all! King Vegeta might have been angry, but she approached their table and tapped on her queen's shoulder. "I need to speak with you urgently."

Cellena pouted. "It can't wait a little while?"

"It can," Vegeta ordered.

Basila had always obeyed without question and had never talked back, but she couldn't give up on her daughter. "It really can't wait."

Cellena became a little alarmed. "Alright. Let's talk."

Colleen landed in front of her house. There was no longer a hole in it and there was a door, so she walked inside. Bardock was sitting on the floor and dinning with Kara. She heard laughter as she walked in, so she hated to ruin their bonding moment, but Kara didn't care. She gasped when she saw her mother. "You look so pretty! Doesn't she look pretty, Papa?"

He was a little lost for words. "Yeah…"

Colleen hadn't seen him in a few days and she knew she wasn't going to apologize and she knew he certainly wasn't going to. "Kara, can you excuse us?"

"She can read our minds," Bardock said. "Whatever you wanna say, just say it." He also knew she wouldn't try to kill him in front of the child…or at least he hoped.

"Look…you're an idiot."

"I'm an idiot?" he yelled.

"Yes. It's very infuriating, but it also kind of drives me wild sometimes."

"Well, you're stubborn and crazy!"

"Crazy?" she shrieked.

"Yes!" He smirked. "But it's also kind of a turn on."

The two of them smiled at each other and they forgot their anger. "I don't expect an apology and you better not either, but I need you to know why I did what I did and know that I would do it again if I needed to, and I need to know that you won't make your same stupid mistake again."

Bardock thought about it. Not being able to have sex for a few days gave him incredible clarity or it confused his brain enough to bend to her will. He wasn't sure. "You got it."

Kara got up and took her food with her. "I know when it's my cue to leave." Being a mind reader was not always awesome.

When the child had left, Bardock reached for his mate's hand and pulled her into him. "Come here, Woman."

Bulma was trying not to be suspicious as she walked to her lab. There was no reason for anyone to be suspicious, but she was very paranoid and jumpy. She looked down ever hall and practically hid in every corner. She wanted no one to see her. When she spotted the door, she knew she was home free.

"Bulma."

"Ah!" She screamed and jumped and turned around to see Cellena. She was terrified, but she laughed it off. "What is it, my Queen?"

Cellena was not in the mood for games. "Accompany me to my private chambers immediately."

'Oh no! My punishment…' Bulma wondered what it would be and she hoped it was nothing that would harm her child…if she was indeed pregnant. 'Maybe I should just tell her. Maybe Cellena wouldn't be that mad.' Each step felt like she was getting closer to death. And to make things worse, she was incredibly hungry.

When she entered inside of Cellena's chambers and the door shut behind her, she swore her heart stopped. Cellena seemed pretty calm and casual and she took a seat and made herself comfortable. Maybe Bulma wasn't going to die or be hurt.

"Are you in love with my son?"

"What?" That certainly wasn't what she expected.

"I know you two have been screwing around and I confronted him, Bulma." She clearly wasn't happy. "He's in love with you. He wants to mate with you."

"Really?" Bulma couldn't believe that Vegeta told his mother all of that and her joy exploded out of her and her eyes began to glisten. Was it possible to have a panic attack if you were too happy? "I do love him, Cellena. I do."

She eyed her carefully. "I wish I could believe you."

Bulma fell to her knees and grabbed her mother's hands and begged. "I do love him! I know we shouldn't have snuck around behind your back, but I was afraid. I want to be with him so badly, Cellena, and I'll do anything to prove it to you."

"Vegeta said the same thing."

Bulma was silenced. 'He did…?'

"I asked him to give up his birthright and pass it along to Cerina in order to take you as his bride. And do you know what he said, Bulma?"

'Of course I do...' "He said no," she said disappointed.

"No," Cellena said with an angry smile. "My son agreed to give up everything if I allowed him to be with you."

"He what?" Bulma knew that Vegeta loved her, but not like that! 'This has to be some kind of a trick.' "He really agreed to this? Vegeta agreed to never be king?"

"I know this is unbelievable. I thought he would change his mind after my constant screaming, but he would not budge. He is stubborn. Once my son is obsessed with something, he can't let go. He's like his father. Only satisfaction with subdue his crazed mind."

Bulma laughed hysterically. 'That means that I've won!'

"So it's up to you, Bulma. In order to be with my son, you can never be queen."

Then suddenly, Bulma felt the first nail being driven into her coffin. 'Never be queen…?' She had only been working toward the goal her whole entire life! How could Cellena just ask her to give that up? "I can't ask Vegeta to give up his birthright. It means too much to him."

"You apparently mean a whole lot more." Cellena began to smirk through her anger as she lured Bulma out successfully. She knew she had won. "Tell me now, Bulma, what's more important? Is it the throne or is it my son?"

"It's…" She should have just said Vegeta. It was obviously a test, but it could have been a trap. What if they were exiled and allowed to live together? That wasn't enough. She wanted everything!

Tears began to roll down her face. She was furious that Cellena had beaten her. She couldn't answer, so she didn't.

"I see…" Cellena was very disappointed. She knew Bulma was wrong for her son, but a small part of her wished that she was wrong. She did adore her and she hated what she had to do to her son. "You can come out now, Son."

Bulma gasped as she saw Vegeta emerge from a closet. He had masked his energy, but it began to rise as his anger did. She rushed over to him to try to reason with him. "Vegeta—"

He slapped her hand away. "Do not touch me, Woman!" He knew how ambitious she was but somewhere in between the games, he thought something was there. "Thank you, Mother. I should have known she was nothing but another whore aspiring to more than what she was worthy of."

Bulma's mouth dropped. She needed to think of something to convince him to stay, but she was angry that he spoke to her that way and humiliated that her entire plot was unraveling. She was powerless to stop him when he pushed past her and stormed out of the room.

"It pained me greatly to do that to my son."

"And what about to your daughter?" Bulma yelled.

"Children always get what they deserve. It's the only way to be a good parent."

Bulma couldn't do anything! She never thought she would find herself praying that she would live to see tomorrow. But she was also curious about something. "Did Vegeta really offer to give up everything for me?"

"Do you honestly believe that either of us will ever tell you that?" Cellena didn't want to do what she had to. "I think exiling you is the best course of action for betraying your king."

"But you need me!" she screamed desperately.

"I need no one!" she said offended. "Least of all a spoiled human who grew too arrogant to know her place!"

Bulma began going through her mind for some way to fix things. There had to be something she could use! "You owe me a favor, Cellena."

"I remember and it's the only reason why you are not dead!"

"I'm not dead because you can't bear to finish me off!"

Cellena yelled furiously and charged Bulma and slammed her into a wall. Her hand was gripped tightly around her neck. Bulma was asking to be killed. She was begging for it! But Bulma was also right. "You're right, Bulma." She dropped the girl and she landed on her hands and knees—a proper place for a human. "I gave you everything because I was fond of you."

"I know I screwed up with Vegeta, but that doesn't mean that I don't love you and respect you. I betrayed my own flesh and blood to be by your side, Cellena!"

"I know…" Cellena had never felt so betrayed before. It broke her heart to have to be so cruel to Bulma. She should have had everything stripped from her, but she always had a soft spot for children and Bulma was one of her own. "There's an expedition team meant to travel to the planets after we take them over. They're supposed research the planet's resources and document and develop ways to make them useful for us. I think I should send you with them."

Bulma was trembling, but she needed to know. "How…" She began to choke on her tears. "How long will I be gone?"

It even hurt Cellena to say it. "At least five years."

Bulma collapsed on the floor and just began to wail out all of her anguish. All of her hard work had gone to waste. Vegeta hated her and she would never have time to mend her relationship with him. He might have been mated by the time she returned. All she had was the hope that Vegeta's son was in her womb, but she was too frightened to tell Cellena about it.

Cellena bent down to Bulma and the girl rushed into her arms and sobbed. Cellena was still angry, but she held the girl anyway. "I'll miss you as well, but this is for the best. I have to punish you for the crime you committed against the king." She stroked Bulma's back to calm her down. "Everything will be fine. I promise."

Bulma wondered about the supposed child in her womb and questioned whether or not it was real. She thought Cellena was a good mother and she hoped she would be good to it as well. She wanted to give her baby a legacy though. She had to fight for it somehow. "Five years…"

To Be Continued…