A/N:

Aaaaaaaand I'm back with a new chapter! Again, it's not proof-read. I'm probably uploading a corrected version in the next couple of days. Not that I'm going to change much, the story line is pretty much as I want it to be.

Thank you all for your kind reviews! I'm glad you're still reading the story, enjoying this adventure together with me! :)

Oh, and another thing I haven't done in a while - DISCLAIMER! I don't own any of the mentioned characters!

Explanationes for a better understanding:

(1) locust: Term in Germany for private-equity associations. They're buying companies, impose debts on them and sell them with the highest rate of return afterwards.

(2) Shoji: Japanese sliding door, made of a wooden frame and paper

Chapter 17 Random view aka „Closing the loop around one's neck"

Vegeta had an evil grin on his face as soon as Mr. Sato entered the room. Not that he knowingly did so, this expression just came naturally to him now. The last weeks inside of his prison helped him learn to relax. He was rather calm considering the fact he was robbed of his freedom, all of his subordinates were gone, his closest murdered and he still had no idea about the whereabouts of his wife. But he had to get out eventually, he was sure of that.

Nobody could hold a Sai prisoner for all eternity.

The old man on the other hand looked nervous as he leaned with most of his weight on his cane. His limbs were shaking. Vegeta couldn't tell if that was because of the age or if the shiver had another reason. Not that it mattered anyway, but he still was curious.

"What's wrong, old fart?" he disrespectfully addressed the elder. "Having trouble with anything?"

It took Mr. Sato a moment to answer him. He ignored the nickname he had gotten from Vegeta just as he was supposed to do. Krillin, who was behind him, had to contain his anger the same way.

"Your cockiness will be your doom someday, Vegeta." Mr. Sato countered coldly. Vegeta only laughed loudly, not caring about the warning or the words at all. He was born with this arrogance, and he was proud of it. Nothing he did had been a mistake, not one single thing. Why should he feel remorseful? He only did what was wright in his eyes.

"Have you ever heard of the name Cell?" the old man spoke further, waiting for Vegeta to stop snickering and answering him again.

"I know he's one of your beloved partners. What's his company called? Ah, yes….GeroDoc Ltd, right? A fucked up private-equity association, nothing more than a freaking locust (1)." his voice dropped an octave with his last sentence. He had no interest in talking business with this old bastard.

"I became partners with him to have a certain control over him, yes. But….my power over him is fading. Things are getting out of hand, if they aren't already out of hand."

Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest as he left his current sitting position and stood right in front of Mr. Sato on the other side of the bullet-proof glass wall. His facial expression was dark. "And why should I fucking care about that? Go tell people who want to listen to your boring fairytales."

Mr. Sato smashed his cane one time on the ground. The sound of the impact lightly echoing around them. It didn't impress Vegeta in the least. "You should listen well, my boy! I'm here to quote you an offer. And you're doing good considering it!"

"You want to quote me an offer? Now you do? I don't remember asking for one. And nothing you offer is going to meet my terms, unless it includes to root your granddaughter right before your eyes and drive you into insanity, at least. Now be a good old geezer and leave. I was just about to jerk off." Vegeta turned around again, giving the two males the cold shoulder.

"Your wife." Was all Mr. Sato needed to say to make him spin around again, his hands fists on either side of his body. His face twisted in rage instantly. Gone the calm and relaxation he had had seconds ago. If anything had happened to Bulma, he would rip the heart out of this old man's chest!

"Where is she?" Vegeta pronounced every word very thoroughly. His possessiveness over her was insatiable and something he just couldn't control. And by that, Mr. Sato knew, he had him just where he wanted.

Every person had at least one weakness, even a Sai.

And Vegeta's biggest weakness was unmistakably a woman with unique blue hair.

A loud sneeze shook her little body as she made another sweep with the broom. Chichi sniffled cutely and rubbed her running nose with the back of her right hand. She never was sensitive to dust, but this abandoned hut was a whole new level of dust! It was covered by it! Swallowed by it! A universe made out of dust!

It would take forever to clean every corner…

She had to sneeze again as Goku let another box fall to the ground. A wave of dirt elegantly glided through the air, and her eyes followed the movement with mixed feelings. Could you become allergic to dust when you had to breathe in too much of it?

"That was the last one." Goku exclaimed with a smile as he sat down on a nearby chair, making another wave of dust glide through the air. Chichi sighed as she leaned her cheek on the upper end of the shaft of the broom. Who would have thought the first thing she had to do was playing housekeeper again. Sure, she had expected for Goku's old home to be dirty, but not like this.

"Your apartment was tidy in comparison to this…." She mumbled quietly what only made him grin apologetically at her. It had been some time since he had last set a foot inside his birthplace. He was astonished that the hut still was standing, and no wild animal had occupied the simple three-room house. He had to admit, the condition of the wood looked good, all walls were intact, some tiles of the roof had cracks but were not broken, even the Shoji (2) inside looked good after all these years. Naturally some papers were destroyed, but all in all, the sliding mechanism still worked.

Chichi sneezed again and rubbed her upper arm with her free hand out of instinct. Goku stood up and cupped her cheek with his palm, checking her temperature. It was cold outside and inside. The tip of her nose was red and probably just as cold.

"Are you freezing?" he questioned her while his thumb caressed the side of her face. She smiled up at him and shook her head no while placing her hand over his. "I'm moving around, so I don't feel cold. This broom is my partner in training!"

"Is it?" he smiled at her silly comment. "Well, but I'm trying to make a fire, if you don't mind." He explained as he stepped towards the fireplace. "I hope your newfound partner is not against some more warmth."

"I think he can handle it, right Mr. Broom?" Chichi talked to the object in her hands as if it actually could answer. "Either way, I can." She added before she shivered lightly and continued sweeping the main room.

Half an hour later the fire cracked and slowly but surely filled the space with warmth. Goku had thrown his black jacket into a nearby corner and had started scanning through the first boxes while Chichi finished roughly cleaning the floor and the little kitchen counter. Lucky for them, the gas stove was still working, although it was quite old. Now she knew why Goku had bought a couple of transportable gas containers and a portable power unit. They were very much in need of these things. Chichi hoped she could handle the oven without burning down the hut in the process.

"What time is it?" she wanted to know tiredly as she leaned Mr. Broom against a wall and sat down with a sigh.

"Don't know…half past five?" Goku answered without looking up, still rummaging through the box he was kneeling in front of.

"Urgh…and I only managed to finish the floor of this room? Look at that ceiling covered in webs…Oh god…" Chichi let her head fall back before she sat up again and sniffled her clothes. "I need a shower…"

Goku's head turned towards her, alarmed. "Uh…we don't have a shower."

Her sour expression made him feel even more guilty, but she answered. "I guessed that much…but…what do we have? There has to be something like a 'bathroom', right?"

"Uhm…" he scratched his cheek with his index finger and Chichi looked at him with a horrendous expression.

"Goku…do I have to pee into the woods?"

"Well…the thing is –"

"Oh no!" she interrupted him loudly stood up and started to repeatedly step two steps forth and back again while waving her hands in the air. "No, no, no, no, no!" Gone were her romantic thoughts of them both in a nice little hut, spending quality time as much as possible! This was no lovey-dovey hideout; it was a freaking survival camp!

"I forgot about that, I'm sorry." Goku apologized. As a man he had no trouble whatsoever to handle his private matters in the wilderness. He had lived like that for twelve years; he could manage. He had not thought about her though. Although having the luxury of a bathroom was indeed more to his liking as well.

"Urgh, I don't believe this…" Chichi loudly voiced her frustration before brushing her forehead with her hand, leaving a long black smudge of dirt on her pouting face. "How am I even going to wash myself? Is there a well anywhere? Do we have a basin? How are we –"

Chichi interrupted her verbal rampage as Goku suddenly stepped towards her and gently tried to clean her face with a soft cloth. His fingers barely touched her chin as he lifted her head up and concentrated on getting the dirt off. His touch involuntarily sent a shudder through her body as the gesture felt quite intimate. Would he be this gentle if she allowed him to clean all her body?

A rosy blush covered her cheeks, followed by a spark of fear. Thinking to stand fully naked in front of him and offering him her body, letting him explore her exposed self, reminded her of a scene she tried to ban into the deepest parts of her mind.

"Chi?"

Her eyes blinked nervously, and she realized she had pushed him away. Or at least it looked as if she had tried to do so, both of her palms lay firmly on his chest, and she stood one arm length away from him.

"Sorry!" she lifted her hands up. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize…I…I didn't mean to…"

"I've not hurt you, have I?" His concerned voice making her regret her actions even more.

"No!" she explained louder than she wanted as she met his eyes with her own. "No, you didn't. I was just surprised…" she lied.

Goku lifted one eyebrow up in wonder but let it slide. If there was something bothering her, apart from the bathroom issue, he wanted to wait until she was ready telling him. With an inaudible sigh he threw the cloth into the sink of the little kitchen counter and turned around, facing the front door.

Deciding to quickly change back to their main topic, he said "If I remember correctly, there should be a hand pump, just a few meters away. You should be able pumping groundwater up. And when I was a child, we used a small wooden barrel to bath. Unfortunately, we need to heat up the water on the oven, but if you want to, I can search for it now. It should be somewhere around the house."

"That would be great." Chichi offered him a smile, a genuine one, although she felt it was still half faked. Having the prospective of a bath was great news, but her disturbing thoughts were bothering her. Where had they popped up from? She never had once remembered the scene where Goku had seen all her body in a vulnerable state; she had successfully banned these images to the depths of her subconsciousness. Emphasis lies on "had".

Why did they come back now?

When Goku left the little hut, she exhaled the air she had kept in her lungs and slapped her cheeks lightly. She scolded herself. Where had that powerful feeling of the last days gone to? Had she not felt invincible hours ago when leaving the city? Had she not told herself that the past was the past and that was it? What mattered was here and now! Him and her and nothing else!

Grabbing the wooden bucket angrily, she went out of the hut, letting her eyes fall on the beautiful tranquil scenery before her. They weren't exactly in the middle of the forest but in a grassy clearing. The wind blew coldly around her but the feeling from inside her was even more freezing.

She heard Goku rummage somewhere behind the back of the hut, while her eyes quickly found the handpump he had been talking about. The handle emitted a rusty sound when she touched it and lightly tried to find out the mechanism; the metal felt rough under her fingertips, almost dusty. But it should work.

Half a minute later, Chichi had to admit, rural life was hard. Small droplets of sweat formed on her forehead after only four pushes. But maybe she could use it as a way of training her body and mind.

Especially her mind, she bitterly added in her head.

"I found it!" Goku suddenly exclaimed from behind happily and she saw him presenting her a flat wooden barrel. "And it looks as good as new!"

Chichi nodded shortly while brushing away the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. Her bucket was only half full.

Oh boy…

When she started to turn towards her new friend in training 2.0 (Mr. Broom was 1.0) while Goku entered the hut with the new object in his hands, she suddenly realized: They were going to bath inside, weren't they? Right in front of each other…? She couldn't tell if she was excited or nervous. Probably both. Did she even want such intimacy? Thinking about it before had made her act unconsciously. She bit her lower lip.

Yeah, she slept beside him, they shared kisses, she wanted to do more than that but bathing...?

Imaging seeing Goku in all his naked glory was…. Chichi gulped audibly, although her throat was as dry as the desert. Grabbing the handle of the pump again, she suddenly started to push it as if her life depended on it.

She wasn't so against it.

Urgh, her mind as a complete mess!

Bulma eyed her guest with unsure eyes. That man looked weird. His face was too long, his chin pointing downwards, giving him a strange facial form. All in all, his figure was rather slaggy, and not even his pinstripe suit could help him look attractive. He had no hair on his head. His bald scalp was almost jumping at her.

Bulma had to hold in a giggle as she had the feeling, she was looking at the face of a humanoid mantis. An ugly one at that. His nose was flat, almost nonexistent, and his lips were rosy and meaty. Nothing you wanted to kiss. She imagined kissing those red pool noodles, but her fantasy only made her snort out aloud, holding in the laughter that wanted to erupt from deep within.

She barely managed to.

His last words were ringing in her ears, while her father looked perplexed at the man who had introduced himself as Mr. Cell. He let his daughter handle it all.

"So, you're here to offer investment?" Bulma finally found her serious voice again.

"Indeed Mrs..."

"Briefs."

"Ah, I wasn't quite sure how to address you as you are still married to Mr. Sai, are you not?"

"You're changing the topic." Bulma flared her nostrils. She hated to justify herself again and again and again.

"I apologize." He smiled businesslike and Bulma had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"In which invention do you want to invest?" she questioned further. "There are no official requests, we've not made any plans public."

"Mrs. Brief, let me clarify that…" Mr. Cell leaned back in his chair, a grin appeared on his face – one Bulma couldn't quite place – while his fingers intertwined leisurely. "I'm here to invest in all of them. In all your company, to be exact."

"Mr. Cell, we're honored you think us worthy enough to receive such attention, but I'm afraid we're not in need of an investor who basically just wants to buy the whole thing. We want unique job-assignments. Clients with special requests."

"And I can offer you those."

"How so?"

"Half of the businesses in this city are mine to command."

"So, I've heard." She clicked her tongue and narrowed her eyes. "And the other half went bankrupt in the process. You do realize that I don't want mine to be one of them."

"It pains me to hear, that you think the worse of me, indeed. But I don't plan to ruin your little business."

"What do you want then? I don't really get your way of thinking."

"Mrs. Briefs, I have not gained what I have by simply doing what others do. If you search for a unique partner, then here I am."

Bulma sighed. She hated talking business, she was the pragmatic type and not the negotiator. And this Mr. Cell did not bat his eye. As if he knew exactly, he was the most powerful and there was nothing for him to fear. Such charisma was…dangerous.

"If we agree – and I only speak hypothetically – what is it we gain from this partnership? You invest, and just to make one thing clear, I only offer you 10%, not more. You're not getting all of the company, we're not selling. The amount of the money you want to invest is yours to decide, we don't really need it. I told you what we need. But you've not told me what we gain at all."

"Independence, Mrs. Brief." Mr. Cell leaned forward again, an evil grin on his lips. "And the safety of your child."

And by the way the woman blinked at him, he knew, he had her exactly where he wanted.

Seven in the evening. It was raining heavily outside, and a cold autumn wind blew over the roof of the hut, whistling ominously. Chichi glanced up, hoping the roof tiles would hold. The warm water of the bath surrounded her soothingly and she glanced to her left. The Shoji was closed, there was no light coming from the other side. Only the fire was illuminating the inside of the hut, throwing shadows of dancing flames on the walls.

She sighed as she moved her arms, making the water splash around her.

"Are you okay over there?" Goku suddenly wanted to know, his voice coming from behind the Shoji.

"Hm." Chichi hummed, leaning her chin on her arms which now lay on the rim of the barrel. Her eyes focused on the shadow which could barely be seen behind sliding door. Somehow, she wondered why she had been so afraid hours ago. Goku had been so sweet to her when offering to wait outside while she bathed. But she managed to persuade him to remain inside.

He was not happy at all, they almost argued again, but he obediently agreed and then hid himself in the room next door. Chichi wondered why her subconsciousness had wanted to convince her to be frightened this afternoon. Goku was nothing like the others. And he repeatedly proved that with bravura.

"Goku…" she took his attention towards her. His body moved slightly; he probably was trying to find a better sitting position as he could not lean his back against the thin wooden frame. "You really don't have to hide over there. I'm okay with you being in here."

"Yeah, you think you are, but I'm not."

She pressed her lips together and tried to stay calm. "Aren't you cold?"

"My body temperature is naturally high, don't worry about me."

She couldn't stay calm for long and she mouthed "Could you stop pushing me away? I'm trying to tell you, that I'm feeling just fine!"

"Yeah, and I'm telling you, you're not. Period."

"Stubborn idiot." She muttered under her breath. "Could you stop constantly trying to wrap me up in bubble wrap?" Chichi pouted. She had no idea how often they had talked about this already. She knew that all previous events have been just as lifechanging for him as they've been for her. But she wished he would just treat her normally, without constantly fearing she could be gone again. Just like two days ago, the mood had been almost perfect!

"I'm not simply trying to, Chi. I'm doing in constantly."

"Goku, honestly! I'm trying to tell you it's alright to come back in! You've seen all of me already, and I'm okay with that! Why do I have to repeat myself so much?"

"Because I'm not okay with it! I'm still male, I still have my needs, and I don't want to scare you! I would never forgive myself if I hurt in any way."

"Oh, good god, Goku! When have I ever been afraid of you? And when have you ever hurt me?"

"Well, you did push me away this afternoon!"

Urgh, yeah. Chichi made a sour expression. He was right, she might have been a little bit afraid then. But she was much too proud to tell him that.

"That was only once, and that was because I was embarrassed!"

"And seeing you bath is not going to be embarrassing? Really?"

She growled lightly. This man! "Well, duh…no! Stop turning my words around! You're interpreting them completely wrong!"

"No, I think I'm interpreting them just right." Goku closed his eyes. He was tired and aroused. He did not want to fight. As if it wasn't tempting enough to hear the water splash constantly. He vividly could imagine how she sat there, covered only by the thin steam of the hot water, droplets caressing the soft skin of her shoulders…

He groaned and held his head. The lower part of his body wanted some attention, but he could ignore it, as long as he stood in this darkened room, at a distance from her.

He had not thought his plan through, absolutely not. Maybe it would have been better to find another apartment in the city? Well, it was not too late…How should he concentrate on his work when she was distracting him like that? He had to prioritize his assignment, damn it!

Another loud splash took his attention back. By the way it sounded, he guessed she must have stood up. Almost immediately another image was created by his betraying mind. He exhaled the air audibly and questioned "Are you done?"

She did not answer him. Was she doing that on purpose now? Ignoring him, that is?

"Chi…?" he was really not in the mood for one of her fits, as cute as they sometimes were. "Could you answer me?"

"I am done." She suddenly announced right behind him, her voice sounded annoyed. He tilted his head and saw her figure through the Shoji. He could handle her bad mood; it didn't last long. She would realize sooner or later that he was doing the right things. He was the adult here, she just had to understand that.

"Okay. I'm coming out then."

"By all means, please." She almost exclaimed mockingly and Goku wondered why she was so sensitive today. Her shadow did not move from its spot when he stood up, his hand grabbing the notch of the sliding door. With one movement he slid the frame to the side, his breath stuck in his throat.

Chichi stood proudly – although with shaking legs – before him.

Naked.

Her eyes looked up at him challenging. And by the way his eyes widened she knew, she had him exactly where she wanted.

Before he could close the door again, she stopped him by grabbing his hand. He shut his eyes instead and Chichi could feel the outburst which was inevitably about to come. "Why are you not wearing anything?!"

Goku hardly got angry like that.

"For fuck's sake!"

And he never swore in her presence.

"Dress, now!"

Or commanded.

Chichi couldn't help but feel powerful. She would lie if she said she wasn't embarrassed right now. Hell, she was shivering like a baby chick! But his ears were red as probably her own were, his breathing had accelerated and the way he tried to not look at her made him look like a teenager who saw the naked body of the opposite sex for the first time.

The effect she had on him was giving her a good feeling. She had never felt like this before.

"Goku, could you look at me?"

"Chi, if you don't want me to go rampage in here you better dress."

She snorted displeased. "Is it that shocking to see me?"

"Of course it is!"

"Why? Because it makes you remember the ugly state I was in?"

He let his head fall back as he sighed loudly, his eyes were still closed. "Chi, you've never been ugly to begin with! You have no idea how beautiful you've been to me, even in that horrible state! Good god, I was so ashamed that even in such a dangerous moment all I could think of was…inappropriate!"

"Really…?"

"Why should I lie about that? Now please, please! Dress!"

Luckily, he couldn't see the happy grin that appeared on her face. So, he thought she was beautiful? Were his thoughts about her always inappropriate? She chewed her lower lip nervously. She didn't know if she was brave enough to question that. Standing before him like that had taken quite its toll on her courage.

When another shiver went through her body because of the cold she decided to postpone her next attack on him. She didn't want to get sick, and the longer she stood before him the more she realized what she just had done.

When she finally let go of his hand and he felt her move, Goku released the air he had started to keep in his lungs. The rustling sound of some fabrics told him she was finally putting something on.

"I'm done." She told him minutes later and when he finally allowed himself to open his eyes, she was neatly dressed, with her wet hair up in a messy bun. Her rosy cheeks clearly noticeable, as well as her shining eyes, radiating bliss.

"Don't you ever do that again…." Goku said but was met with a cheeky grin.

"I can't promise you that."