Misconstrued

Summary: Her world had turned upside down since the day Vega, Princess of all Saiyans finally up rose against Frieza and escaped to Earth. Though now her child is six years old, growing stronger day by day, she wonders if she'll ever be able to defeat the evil tyrant. Unbeknownst to her Nappa has betrayed her and the Saiyan race to save his own life and now makes his way to lure the Saiyan Princess out into the open for Frieza to grab hold once again.

Chapter 37: Sixteen Awakens / Bond Strengthens

Zee tapped her fingers across the keyboard, downloading the last few bits of information that she needed to put into Sixteen's circuitries. Bulma walked in with a stretch and a sigh. "Well it's all set up. Tomorrow when Vega gets back she and Goku will have a private ceremony right here at Capsule Corp.

"I'm still scratching my head on how you got her to agree so easily." Zee commented on a yawn and rubbed her tired eyes as words began to blur together.

"Don't sweat the small stuff. I just appealed to he better nature." Bulma looked at sixteen with folded arms. "Wow he looks near perfect. You sure worked fast."

"Yes, the analysis process took a lot less than I expected to decipher So I was able to get to work right away. I'm in the last stages right now."

"Want me to take over? You look like you're about to sleep on the job."

"I could use a nap… alright just pick it up from the fighting data, and finish up with memory and he'll be done." Zee wandered to a nearby couch and laid out on it. "Wake me if you need anything."

"Sure." Bulma tapped the keys swiftly. By the time she finished the second string of data Zee was out cold. Bulma's head popped up when Goku suddenly appeared with a crying Tarble. "Well that's a sight what's got you so flustered Goku?"

"Is it really only 10 o clock?" Goku asked with a fearful expression bouncing Tarble up and down trying to soothe him. "I thought maybe the clock at my house was wrong, or broken, I mean it was all dusty and stuff for a long time… ah man it really is." He said looking at the digital clock on the wall.

"Goku take a breath, she'll be back soon."

"I can't help it… I don't understand how she can take it, the worrying, the jumpiness, the dreams… i keep seeing here everywhere I look…. GAH!" Goku jolted seeing Zee asleep on the couch.

"Chill, it's just Zee… look Goku if you're that anxious why don't you go to the lookout and go inside."

"I tried that already, she locked the door tight. Apparently she doesn't want to be disturbed. It's already been nearly 12 hours… that's six months…"

"It's your own stupid fault for letting her watch you two train. If you knew your power was higher than hers you should have known it would have grinded her gears. If there's one thing that's probably just as strong if not more powerful than love, it's her ego and pride."

"I guess you're right," Goku sighed heavily and when Bulma gently took Tarble from his arms to quiet him he pouted. "What was I doing wrong… Gohan never cried like that when I held him."

"He's probably sensing your distress Goku. I can't believe I'm actually saying this to you of all people, but you need to be more happy." Bulma pat Tarble's back gently. "Kids, even babies, can sense when things are wrong. If you don't put up a brave face it'll scare them and make them unhappy too. So try to be strong, and just remember it's only a day, and it'll be worse for Vega since she's having to be separated far longer than that. Just be ready to comfort and coddle when she gets out. She won't ask for it, but I get the feeling she'll need it."

"Yeah, alright," Goku smiled and pulled Tarble back in his arms tossing him up. "I'm sorry Tarble, i didn't mean to scare you. Come on let's go find your brother and sister and play okay? Thanks, Bulma!" Goku waved a hand and put fingers to his forehead before disappearing.

"That Goku," Bulma sighed and shook her head. She felt movement behind her and glanced back. She saw Sixteen's hand twitched and smiled. "Ah well look who's awake. Hey there big guy," Bulma walked to his side, watched as his blue eyes slowly opened and stare at the ceiling. "Slowly now, make sure everything is functioning properly."

Sixteen glanced at her, then slowly rose on the table in a sit up position. He looked to his hands flexing them in and out with a slight nod. "It appears I am fully functional again." He turned his head towards her. "Thank you, for repairing me."

"Your welcome, though I can't take all the credit. Zee did most of the work." When he gave a blank stare Bulma pointed behind him at the sleeping figure on the couch. "She spent days working on your programming and repairs. She finally decided to crash so I helped her finish up."

"I do not recognize this woman. I have no data on her."

"Well then I guess you'll just have to get to know her the old fashioned way." She pat his arm with a giggle. "Why don't you go over and thank her while I get the rest of your suit." She exited the room, but stayed within ear shot so she can hear and glance in the crack of the door. She wanted to see what he would do.

Sixteen stared long and hard at the sleeping form. He analyzed her, ran scans head to toe including her power level. She was strong… about as strong as himself now that he'd been repaired and upgraded. The face was similar to that of Xena, Vega's child, but there were differences, harsh scarring over the face which left her with one good eye, lines and shapes that created a real figured adult woman, athletically built, average in height, and still humanly attractive.

He knelt down touching her shoulder. "Excuse me, I am sorry to disturb your resting period, but I would like to speak with you."

Zee grumbled and slowly opened her eyes… she blinked and her good eye focused on the sharp blues that sent a little jolt in her. He instantly recognized the initial fear, and the spike of power showing she had been prepared to launch a fist… but she quickly realized her surroundings, and her company. "Sixteen… geez you gave me a start." She slowly sat up and ran a hand through her hair.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." He spoke, strangely honestly in his robotic voice. "I wanted to thank you."

His offhand comment caught her by surprise and she frowned thoughtfully at him. She'd been plagued by androids her entire life, hated them, feared them… and yet with sixteen she was calm… and strangely unconcerned for her own safety. "Your welcome."

"I can tell you've made some modifications inside me to increase my power level. May I ask why?" He sat down cross legged, and despite the difference in level he was still sitting taller than her by at least a foot.

"Because we need all the help we can get to fight Cell. I wasn't able to do much, I'm afraid. My knowledge is not nearly as advanced as Dr. Gero's in the workings of an android body… but going over his notes and such and doing my own diagnostics I did what I could." She pulled a leg up to casually lean onto.

"I should warn you…" She spoke seriously now her eyes narrowing. "I've taken measures to ensure you won't use this power against my friends. My suggestion to you is that you stay on our side, or the next time I won't be there to put you back together… got it?"

She saw the slight smile on Sixteen's face and was surprisingly pleased by it. "Of course… I expected as much and I can assure you my decision will not change. I will fight with you to the end."

Bulma watched the interaction between them and her brows raised. "Huh, well now that's a little… interesting."

"What is?" Tarble asked from behind her making her jolt and whirl around.

"Ah! Damn it Tarble don't you know it's rude sneaking up on other people?" Bulma lectured.

"Sorry!" Tarble held up his hands in defense. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to."

"Yeah well just be more careful next time. Geez," Bulma glanced back in and this time Tarble looked over her shoulder.

"Is that android sixteen? Why is my sister talking to that monster?"

"He's not a monster, Tarble. Cell is a monster, but Android sixteen is an ally. You'll have to get used to him." Bulma quickly corrected. "Your sister spent days fixing him up so he can help us fight Cell. She can see that we can use every advantage we can get."

"I still don't like it… I really don't like the fact they're talking so close together. He makes me nervous." Tarble grumbled. "I should go in and interject."

"Oh no you don't, kid!" Bulma grabbed him by the ear dragging him away from the door. "You're gonna go to the lookout and wait for your mother to come out of the chamber and then do your training like a good little boy. I'll send Zee up there when she's ready."

"Owowowowow! Alright, alright, I'm going!" Tarble rubbed his ear grumbling.

Hyperbolic Time Chamber~

God what in the name had she been thinking? She'd tortured herself for the sake of training before but this was downright maddening. She'd pushed and pushed and pushed herself to the limits and the pain was excruciating. She wasn't getting any sleep, she was fretful during the night, tossing and turning in a cold sweat.

"I can't do this…" Vega panted as she lay in the bed her fists squeezing into the sheets whimpering and trembling. "Blast it! Blast it I can't keep doing this… I feel like I'm dying!"

The ache in her chest was so great, it burned and pounded as if set aflame inside her chest. Any minute she felt it would stop and she would die alone and miserable inside this stupid empty void. Oh her power had increased exponentially but it wasn't enough.. .it wasn't NEARLY enough to surpass the tip of the iceberg she had felt when kakarott and his spawn had briefly encountered each other.

Damn him! Damn him and his son for making her feel so inferior. Was this the curse of being a female? Was she forever to be forced down into submission? Why had she let herself be tangled with him? Why had she let herself be forever held underneath him as his second?

She lay on her back, naked and trembling, her black eyes sad and miserable and she felt herself beginning to float. She felt so light headed, heat everywhere, light blinding her. It was getting so hard to breathe… She reached out a hand to the sky her eyes starting to go blind and she whispered out the name she hadn't allowed herself to speak for the past seven months. "Kaka...rott…"

Oh god it felt so good to say it. It felt so good just to think of him… it took away the suffering, took away the pain of his absence. It was as if he was right here with her. "Kakarott… Kakarott…" she breathed, inhaling deeply and she swore she could smell him… feel his hands on her, taste his kiss.

She blacked out. The darkness swallowing up the light and she was left cold and alone once again.

She dreamed she was back in space, fighting against Frieza's followers as they attacked her in the name of their master. She was a wanted woman, the destroyer of the Ice-jin world.

"Mother, the entire army is out for our heads, we can't return to Earth like this, we'll be sending it into a pitfall!" Xena cried out as they blasted away another ten or twenty scouts.

"Don't you think I know that, stupid child. Ugh… this is getting redundant! " Vega snarled and held her shoulder leaning against the ship that they were protecting.

"Maybe we should call for help. I've been tracking Goku's and Piccolo's ship and they're not all that far… I can send a distress signal and-" Xena started but was quickly cut off by her mother snarl.

"No! Absolutely not! I will not subject myself to relying on that clown!" Vega stood up tall and straightened her shoulders. "It's his own damn fault for not listening to me. It's his fault that I decided to leave when I did, and I will NOT rely on him for any help." She clenched her fists her hair spiking up, her power flaring and pushing higher and higher. She looked at her opponents, Abo and Cado and their every growing army of Frieza's followers.

"I am the Princess of all Saiyans. Forever I have been looked down upon because I was born a woman. It didn't matter is I was the strongest saiyan in my class of elites, it didn't matter that I single handedly destroyed world after world with nothing but two knuckleheads flanking my sides. It didn't matter how many hurdles I leapt or dangers I crossed I was always under the thumb of some man who thought they could take advantage of me. Well no more! This time it will be different. I won't bow to Kakarott, I don't care how strong he gets I will always be stronger! Always… Always AHHHHH!"

The armies of Abo and Cado faltered and trembled under the severity of her power… the fumes that she spewed added to the spark of emotion that raged her in burst out into a roaring flame. A golden aura surrounded her, her eyes went white the pupils disappearing then changing to their glazed teal color, and her hair spiked up rich and thick in a shining yellow and gold. Vega, the proud princess, had become a Super Saiyan.

She awoke with a start, a cold cloth on her head and her surroundings different than before. This wasn't the time chamber… this was. "The lookout?" She glanced around, up and down and frowned at the sleeping figure against a wall. "Kakarott."

He snored loudly, and grumbled a bit here and there when he talked in his sleep. She gave a deep sigh and yanked off the covers from her legs. She was bandaged up and clothed in some sort of silky nightgown of a luxurious fabric. She couldn't help but want to touch it and run her fingers over it. Mr. Popo probably fetched it for her.

How had they taken her out of the chamber? She thought she'd locked it… did they break in? She didn't put it past Kakarott. She'd been tempted to knock the door down several times in her own heated moments.

She wasn't sure if she hated herself for being so glad to see his stupid face again. It made her conflicted, torn between her pride in herself and her love for the man that she was to marry. Hmph, marriage. A stupid human ritual, but one that was severely important to him, and yet just another way for him to tie her down to him… and vice versa she realized.

Something tight in her chest released. Yes, that was right, how could she have forgotten? A bond was always meant for two… two people, two hearts, two minds all blending together. Which meant if his power could be raised then so could hers.. .and if she was aching that meant he was too.

He didn't have to be superior to her just because she mated with him. He didn't have to be stronger, didn't have to be the more dominant one because he was just as fixated and caught up in his emotions as she was. The subject of marriage proved that.. and the fact that he was sitting here waiting for her worried for her proved all that.

So she would continue to train… continue to raise her power little by little. If Kakarott beat Cell then who cared? She would rise to meet him in the future…

She stood up, crept to him and squatted in front. She grabbed his hair and pulled his head up gently so his head tilted up to hers. She kissed him. One day she would challenge him, and one day… she thought with a smirk… she will beat him.

~The Next Day~

The wedding had been beautiful, Vega was forced to admit. So there was a method to the madness that was human marriage. Though the ceremony had been small, and private, the decorations Bulma had managed to wrangle up in such a short time had left the place smelling sweet of flowers, and the vows they'd taken made her a bit sentimental… on the inside of course.

'For better or worse, for rich or poor, for sickness or health.' She would stand by her mate no matter what… and even death wouldn't be able to stop her.. and she had said so.

"Beyond even that, Kakarott. You're stuck with me, like it or not."

"Right back at you, Vega."

Their first kiss as husband and wife had left the priest blushing, and Mrs. Brief swooning and giggling like a little girl. Not many had shown up for the nuptials. Chichi had stayed away, which was for the better. There was no Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha, or even Puar and Oolong. However Krillin had played his part as Best Man standing beside his best friend with a goofy grin on his face, and Gohan played the role as ring bearer with his little brother tucked in his arm, both in nice black suits and Gohan's golden Super Saiyan hair sticking out like a sore thumb.

Xena wore a dress which she hated but stood beside her mother and Bulma smiling and cradling the flowers she had carried. She gave them an absent sniff and glanced up at Gohan with a slight blush when he caught her doing so.

Zee and Tarble sat in chairs with Bulma's parents and Sixteen who had taken a keen interest. Although he had been designed to kill Goku the android made the choice not to, and simply sat silent besides Zee taking in the happiness and celebration.

"Why are they holding this ceremony at such a time? Cell is still at large and there's only a few days left before we must fight him"

"Yes, that's true," Zee countered and watched. "However, none of us know if we'll live to see another day after the fight… so I guess they're taking every opportunity they can to make precious memories."

"Memories?" He questioned.

"Yes, they're the benefit of life, Sixteen." Zee explained. "It's the experiences and the memories that make your life what it is, and it's what you do with those experiences that give it meaning."

He turned his head all the way to her. Ever since he had awoke he had spent time with her, watching her work, listening to her speak of things, explaining situations and details… he found he liked the sound of her voice, and had recorded it in his memory banks so he could listen again at his leisure.

"I have much to learn about humankind and their ways." He gave the offhand comment, Zee glancing up and their gazes met. "However, I have already found much I enjoy, and I look forward to each new experience."

His comment made her smile and she touched his shoulder. "So do I, my friend. So do I."

~Later~

They had a party in the gardens of Capsule, not really a reception but more of a celebration of the events. For the first time in a long while no one even gave Cell a thought.. it was as if his presence had disappeared…

Until…

"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a special news bulletin!"

The music that had been playing on the radio had been cut off and all heads turned to the speakers as they listened in on the report.

"The royal military was distributed early this morning to invade Cell's location. A fierce attack was laid out on the enemy but the effort was fruitless as Cell somehow survived and destroyed everything in his path. There were no known survivors and the damage done was cataclysmic."

"No!" Goku shouted hearing this. He knew how many people were in that army… there were thousands of innocent lives just tossed away by this assault. Cell had murdered them all. "No Cell, how could you do it? They were helpless!"

"Kakarott…" Vega murmured to him placing a hand on his back and stroking it soothingly. She felt such heated tension… the man was pissed. "He won't stop, Kakarott. If he beats us on the day of the tournament he's going to level this planet. The lives of the people of this planet mean nothing to him."

His eyes met hers. Husband and wife stood face to face sharing looks of anger and forlorn. "There's nothing we can do, but wait, train and fight."

"No… there's something else I can do. I'm sorry Vega but I need to go. I have to go ask Piccolo something."

"Then go," Vega nodded. "Do what you can, Kakarott, I'll be here waiting."

He kissed her, letting the taste of her linger before he backed up and put his fingers to his head and vanished. Vega stood there, wedding dress and all looking like a sparkling gem among a room of worried party guests. She sighed and grunted looking around. "What's all those looks for? I thought we were having a celebration not a pity party! Put that blasted music back on!"

When things picked back up she let out a sigh of relief. She'd rather deal with the noise and the tom foolery, then be the center of all that grim and worry. "Damn you, Cell."

"Marwwiage, Marwwiage is what bwings us togedder, today!" Hehe I couldn't help myself. So Goku and Vega finally tie the knot, but Cell is still out there, he's made that painfully clear. Next time the fighting starts… but maybe not in the way everyone likes…

Next Chapter: It's the Cell Games, Mr. Satan!