Chapter five: Vegeta has a sister?!



The pod looked so small and seemed to disappear so fast, that the surfers thought for sure that it was only a little meteorite burning up in the atmosphere, after all, there was suppose to be a meteor shower in a few nights, no reason they won't start early, right? As the pod entered the atmosphere, the fire around it licked and played at the side protectors, the heat shield was holding out fairly well, seeing as how on the way it had to go through two stars, one which was a super giant. The heat shield normally wouldn't have even looked scorched, but since its resistence was lowered by the stars, now it looked charred.

The pod and its precious cargo continued down on a crash course to earth, all the while, it's cargo slept peacefully. Inside, curled up in the small blanket she always wore around her waist, the half-Saiyan clenched her little fists. During the journey, her hibernation triggered her to regress a little more than a few years, she was nearly back to infancy, probably would be if she had been given another month or so in deep space, but upon penetrating the atmosphere, the pod registered that there was not only breathable air to match the inside of the pod, but also recognized life forms that would suit to help support her after it had landed. She gave a small moan of discomfort as the temperature went up from the outside heat, and rolled to the side, the pod made quick adjustments to suit her comfort and to keep her asleep. She cooed softly and went back into her deep slumber.

The pod used a propulsion engine to quickly steer away from a huge oncoming mountain and made a quick survey of where to land. Unfortunately, the thunderstorm which had been raging since it entered the mountains had other plans for it. A quick bolt of lightning hit the pod head on, with no heat shield to protect it, the electricity flared out throughout the mainframe and took out the navigation computer. As the engines stopped and the pod began to drop, the only thing it could do was spit out a fresh mass of the sleep inducing oxygen and pull out the parachute.

Although these two did little to stop the crash. The parachute opened nearly three seconds too late, and only slightly slowed the decent. As the pod slammed down into the earth, the little half-Saiyan was jarred enough to open her sleepy eyes and than drift back to sleep. Just three miles behind, the storm slowly crept toward her, since the parachute forced them a little ahead of the storm. The sleeping child knew nothing of her peril, she knew only of a glimpse of a bad dream and than back to her peaceful sleep.

Outside the storm raged closer, the lightning flashed in sync with the crashing of the thunder as the wind picked up. The storm had arrived. There was little plant life around the pod so there was very little shelter from the storm. The rain was light at first, hitting the cracked and broken glass shield gently, but as the wind picked up and the thunder became louder, the rain too, began to come down in sheets!

The full wrath of the storm was just too much for the sweetened oxygen to keep the little half-Saiyan asleep. She woke from the sudden presence of wetness and the loud crashes of thunder. Terrified of what she had just awoken to and confused as to what was happening, she clenched her little paw-like fists and began to cry, it was small and shaky at first, but as the lightning grew more intense and the thunder more vicious, her cry became a wail of desperation.

The lightning and the darkness that fell in quick procession was too much for her little eyes, she was not co-ordinated for such contrasts. With all of her might, she took in a deep breath and screamed; her little lungs thought they would burst from the strength and volume of the cry, it was enough to bring her the help she so desperately needed.

From a distance, the sound of a motor was heard, at first, it blended in nearly perfectly with the sound of the rain and thunder. But after a minute, the motor was louder, and with this new sound, the little half-Saiyan was even more scared. Her terrified wailing brought the vehicle closer to her. In fear of what this new threat was, the little baby quickly curled herself into a small ball and wrapped her wings around herself. Sensing her fear, the wings instantly became metal and hardened, forming a small cocoon around her.

Meanwhile, in the vehicle, the driver steered carefully through the heavy rain and darkness searching for the 'energy source' that had caught everyone's attention. "It's gotta be around here somewhere! This is where I saw it land!" The woman said in a huff.

The man that was sitting beside her crossed his arms and looked out the window. "I don't see what the big deal is. We all know that we are the last of the Saiyans, and that it was probably nothing to worry about. We should let it come to us instead of trying to find it!" His voice was rough and tinged with aggravation, his face set in what seemed to be a continuous frown.

"Vegeta! Please! You felt it too, if you didn't want to come along, than you shouldn't have. You volunteered for this! You said that it felt familiar, but Goku also said that it felt a little like Freeza, won't you like to know what it really was?" The woman asked, her eyes focused and intent on Vegeta.

He scowled at her for a moment, than huffed and looked back out the window. "The only reason I went out on this 'expedition' of yours was to make sure you didn't mess anything up." He growled heartlessly as he let his gaze sweep around the area. Suddenly, his eyes stopped on a small object just a few yards ahead of them and a little off the dirt trail. "Stop the car." He said so suddenly that the woman just looked over at him in confusion.

"Why, what's wrong?" The woman asked him, still going slow, nearly on top of the broken pod now.

"I said: STOP THE CAR!!! So stop WOMAN!!!" Vegeta yelled as he looked about anxiously for the object that he saw. The woman put on the brakes, and looked at Vegeta oddly.

"Why?" But it was too late, he was already out of the car and outside. The woman gave him a sour look and squinted against the rage of the rain to see what he was looking for. She opened her door and yelled out into the storm. "What's going on? VEGETA! Would you answer me?!!" She demanded, than squinted again, he was bent down and doing something, she sighed. "Oh man! I was hoping I didn't have to get wet!" She muttered as she turned the high beams on and jumped out of the car. "What's going on. . .?" But she stopped as she saw what he was bent over. It was a very beaten and broken. . .pod?!

"Don't just stand there! Help me, WOMAN!!!" He shouted over the sound of the storm. She ran over and gasped at what she saw. Vegeta was bent over the shape of a baby, trying to shield it from the rain. She hurriedly took off her coat and handed it to Vegeta, he quickly placed it over top of the baby and started to work on the broken pod.

"Wow!! Is this like the pods that you and Goku used? If so, why did they put such a little baby in it?" Vegeta didn't answer her, he just continued to try and pry the pieces away from the hatch, he desperately needed to get her out of the pod. This rain would give her a deathly cold if she stayed much longer. Seeing as how he had no idea how long she'd actually been exposed to the storm.

"Please!" He said softly enough that the other didn't hear him, he closed his eyes and used all of his strength to pry the huge twisted pieces of ruin away from the hatch's escape. He could lift her through the glass of the pod's shield, but he could see that she was very delicate and didn't want to risk hurting her. Finally, after a few more agonizing minutes, and hearing her muffled protests, he managed to get the hatch to release. There was a soft hiss as it lifted and Vegeta had the little baby out and back in the car before the woman could say anything more.

She blinked and raced back into the car herself, shaking off the cold. "Is it alright?" The woman asked, but Vegeta gave her a stern look.

"Not 'it'. 'She'! She's going to be better as soon as we get her into a warm dry place where she can recover. She's terrified and you're appearance isn't helping her!" Vegeta glared at the other, she grimaced back and drove quickly back toward capsule corp.



It was a long drive back, and the whole way, Vegeta kept the coat closed and tight against him, for a while, she could hear the baby's muffled and weak cries, but now, they were soft sniffles and gentle coos. She sighed and focused back on the road. She was more than relieved when they drove out of the storm and into her drive way. A little boy played with his friend in the yard, dueling or practicing no doubt. The woman rolled down her window and stuck her head out. "Hey! Gohan! Krillin!" They stopped and turned, the boy, Gohan, waved and ran up to the car.

"Bulma! Did you find it?" He asked, his father walked up to them.

"Yeah, what was it?" Krillin asked, looking inside the car. Vegeta held the baby close to him, and glared at Krillin. "Is that it?" He asked, Vegeta growled and shifted the little baby, she peeked out of the coat and blinked at Krillin. "Wow! It's a baby!"

Vegeta growled a remark and got out of the car. Bulma rolled her window back up and continued on her way to park the car. She noted to herself that Vegeta had not yet let go of that little girl, he kept holding her tight as though someone might try to take her away. It just didn't seem very like him to be like that, she was a little worried. "Hey, Vegeta!" Bulma yelled as she walked out of the car garage and toward the scowling Saiyan.

"What is it now, woman?" He asked, she folded her arms and glared at him.

"I have a name, you know. And I know you know my name!" She remarked back, but huffed and continued, knowing it was a futile battle she was trying to wage against him. "I just want to know something." She softened her tone and looked down at the little bundle he still had a tight grip on. Vegeta looked down and nodded for her to follow him before he walked away.

He walked into the house, straight to the den before closing the door behind Bulma. "What." He said with a pointed look.

"Well, I've never seen you like this. I just want to know what's going on with you? Ever since that pod came through the atmosphere, you've been acting really weird. Besides, I'd also like to look at the baby, you know, make sure she's alright and feed her? She's probably very hungry."

Vegeta scowled again, but sighed and opened up the coat a little for the small half-Saiyan's head to be revealed. She looked up at Vegeta and smiled, it was a very tense moment, however as Bulma leaned in too close and started talking with the little baby. "Don't scare her!" He demanded as he turned away from Bulma and walked farther away from her. The baby made a small sound of protest and Vegeta gave a small laugh.

Bulma looked at them again, through newer eyes. The laugh he had made was not evil or vicious. It was a very fatherly laugh. He's taking care of the baby. She thought with a start. She's always thought that he was nothing more than a heartless warrior that had grown bored with his current lifestyle and hungered for more battles. But now, she had to stop and look harder. "She's so sweet. Can I hold her?" Bulma tried, but he didn't seem to hear her. She moved in closer, but he just moved away.

Finally, after a long pause after Bulma's question, he answered her. "She doesn't want you. She's looking for her family. She's a very special little baby, Bulma." Vegeta told her gently, Bulma jumped at his sudden tone and casual kindness like Goku or one of the others would have for her.

"Oh?" She asked, sitting down beside him. "Why's that? She looks normal enough for me."

Vegeta laughed again and looked over at her. "I know this little baby, I recognized her from the start. I remember her from a long time ago, but back then I wasn't sure and had to ask my father, by then, she was already gone." There was a hint of sadness in his voice that made Bulma resist the urge to touch him in comfort. But before she could say anything, he suddenly moved her fully out of the coat.

"Aw! She's so cute!" Bulma said after a short silence. The little baby girl had two very large feather wings (large for such a small baby, but they were probably nearly two feet in length each), she was very white but not pale, and . . .to Bulma's surprise! She had a long white tail that ended at nearly four and a half foot length! Her eyes were deep and endless, she looked at Vegeta with such relief that Bulma thought about just leaving them alone. "But what makes her so special? She looks normal to me, for. . .whatever she is."

Vegeta looked over at Bulma and than down at the baby girl. "There is no one else out there like her. The closest things to her are myself and Freeza." He said softly, smiling at her as she started to explore the room with her eyes, her little tail swishing mischievously.

"Freeza?!! What does she have in common with him?! Are they related?!!!?" Bulma demanded, her eyes wide, looking at the baby again.

Vegeta shook his head and looked at Bulma, she wasn't looking at him. "No, she's a half breed between Saiyan and Ice Jin." Bulma looked up sharply.

"How's that possible!? There's no genetic possible way for that to happen!!!" She exclaimed, her voice raising a little too high, because the little girl started to cry loudly, Vegeta quickly glared at Bulma and quickly soothed the crying baby.

"It isn't possible, but somehow, it happened, m. . .her father was Saiyan and her mother was Ice Jin, it would figure that the forbidden love would create something just equally forbidden. She's the only half-blood there is like her, and she's probably very lonely. But since she is so young now, she needs to be loved all she can, or she'll end up dying like any other Ice Jin baby that is not cared for." Vegeta said, he was still flushed nearly dark red from the mistake about her heritage. He mentally cursed himself and looked over at Bulma.

She was wearing her speculative look. "Wait. What was that quick fix when you said her father? You were about to say something else, weren't you? You can tell me, I won't tell any one unless you want me to." He looked into her eyes and for a whole moment, she saw something inside break down and saw the sadness and hope that was inside his eyes.

"Fine. Come with me." He said as he went from the den toward the little side room where Bulma had made his room. She followed him and as she entered his room, she saw him rummaging through his dresser, as though searching for something. She shut the door softly behind her and walked over. He turned to her with a small box in hand. He held it up and pointed toward the bed. "Sit and look at these, they were taken when I was still very young and still lived under my father's supervision." Bulma opened the box as she sat down and looked through it.

It was filled with little framed pictures, only the frames had buttons on the side. They were like little video pictures. The first one was of King Vegeta holding a bundle and little Vegeta looking up at him curiously. The next was of the little baby sitting up with little Vegeta on the floor, she was looking up at King Vegeta with a mischievous smile, her tail gently crooked around his ankle, little Vegeta reaching out to warn his father. She nearly laughed at that one, there were several more with the three of them in it, or just little Vegeta and the little baby. Bulma looked back up at Vegeta. "These look just like her! Is she your sister's baby than?" She asked, but Vegeta smiled and shook his head, grabbing the photo with her on the floor and the tail crooked around King Vegeta's ankle.

"No, she's my half-sister." He pressed a few buttons on the picture and handed it back to Bulma.

"Your sister?! Wow. . .what? What's this?" She asked as she looked at the picture. He motioned for her to watch and shushed her quickly.

Begin Photo-flash Video

"Dada!!!!!" The little half-Saiyan yelled up at King Vegeta as she bounced down at his feet. Prince Vegeta looked up at his father and tried to get his attention.

King Vegeta looked down at his son and daughter, but just smiled. "Yes, that's a good girl, just keep playing with your brother." He said as he smiled down at Prince Vegeta.

The little half-Saiyan gave a huge frown and huffed, Prince Vegeta tried once more to give a warning to his father, but it was too late, her long tail crooked around his ankle tightened and pulled the tall huge Saiyan King off of his feet and down level with his daughter. His look was so shocked and surprised that the little half-Saiyan started into a fit of giggles. "Dada!!! Tiyra!!!!" She threw herself into her father's arms.

"I tried to warn you, father. I tried." Prince Vegeta said with a sigh. His father laughed and hugged them both.

End Photo-flash Video

Bulma laughed as she watched it, Vegeta was smiling also. "So, earlier when you said that her mother was Ice Jin and her father was Saiyan, you were talking about your father weren't you?" She asked, he nodded and she gave a little pause to think a little more. "Hmm, than why did your father and you have her? I mean, where was her mother? Did she die or something?" Bulma asked, but Vegeta shook his head.

"No, she probably still lives. All I really know is what my father told me. But it's too long of a story to bother you with." Bulma blinked in surprise. Vegeta didn't say 'to long of a story to bother with', he had said 'to bother you with'!!!

She shook her head and smiled reassuringly at Vegeta. "No, it's ok, I think I want to hear this story." Vegeta gave her a skeptic look, so she continued. "Well, she's obviously here now, and I think that if someone like her mother was to come looking for her, than I'd better know the story behind why."

Vegeta gave the baby girl a sad look and sighed. "Her mother isn't going to come looking for her, so you don't need to worry about that." Bulma looked confused so he fidgeted a little to find a good beginning point. "Alright, listen, this is how it happened, or how my father told me, and I know he won't lie. It all started during the peace time between the Saiyans and the Ice Jin, back then, there were more of both. My father was the King of planet Vegeta, he was visiting the Ice Jin Home World as the Ambassador of the Saiyans when he met her. . ."

Flashback



King Vegeta smiled as he looked up at the massive Embassy, inside were nearly five hundred inter-galactic Ambassadors, and finally, the Saiyan race was joining them. He sighed and brushed his hair away from his face, the wind was not very strong, but it was enough to be bothersome. With great courage and strength, he gathered himself back together from the beauty of the Embassy to enter its great hall.

At first, it looked just like every other building of importance, but as he exited the entrance corridor and into the main hall, his breath caught in his throat. There were tapestries of things beyond the common comprehension of beauty, he didn't know that the Ice Jin were capable of such works of art, but it truly was a thing of beauty.

"Your Majesty?" A soft voice roused him from his awe.

He turned and saw the young Ice Jin female that had accompanied her father and mother at the morning meetings just a few hours ago. "Your Highness, what brings you out and about to this place?" He asked her, she blushed a little and closed the distance between them.

"I saw you at the meeting earlier and thought I should speak with you." She said, her large red eyes blinked shyly at him.

He smiled and gave her a respectful bow. "Why, thank you, your Highness, I would be honored to have your company and conversation. What was it that you needed to speak with me of?" King Vegeta asked softly as he watched her glide across the floor closer. She had an absolutely glorious figure, she was a young adolescent, and very small for her age, having lost her mother at an early age, her growth was stunted by the shock. She was an absolute beauty, her eyes were large and liquid red, like those of an albino, her color was a soft, nearly ivory color, and her tail was gracefully long with a deceivingly delicate look to it.

She blushed as she realized how he was looking at her, and clasped her hands back behind her. "Well, quite frankly, I only wished to have conversation that was of a different nature. My father continuously speaks of politics and looks at nothing of beauty, he sees it as a trivial thing and a waste of good time and talent. I noticed that you were thoughtful and not afraid to say your opinions, so I thought perhaps I might buy a little of your time for a walk through the courtyards and some conversation." She said, her blush deepened as she looked at him. She admired his strong torso, his arms looked as though they were comfortable to lie in. She felt her heart beat harder and her face flush in excitement.

Vegeta noticed the way he was being looked at and held out his arm. "Shall I escort you to the courtyards than?" He asked, bowing slightly at the waist as she smiled and took it, placing her own delicate arm within his strong one.

She smiled and nodded. "I'd be honored, your majesty." He laughed as he looked at her again.

"So, your Highness, how did you know to find me?" She blushed heavily and felt her heart begin to pound.

"Well, it's an Ice Jin thing, you see, what I desire can be found with a thought. Plus I could hear you thinking, your majesty." She smiled shyly up at him as he gave a chuckle.

"Oh, well, I'd better learn to keep my thoughts a little more focused than, shouldn't I?" Vegeta asked, his eyes devouring her quietly.

She flushed again and tried to quell her excitement, but Vegeta noticed it. "Your thoughts are well shielded, your Majesty. . ."

King Vegeta interrupted her quickly with a raise of his hand and a gentle addition. "Please, call me Vegeta, if you must be formal, call me King Vegeta, but please. . .call me Vegeta."

"Thank you, your. . .Vegeta." She blushed, looking up at him in his eyes, than she quickly looked away.

"You were saying?" He offered, trying to comfort the awkward moment.

"Oh yes!" She beamed for a moment, than started anew. "It took me much effort, Vegeta, to get inside your mind. I had to ask around to discover you would be here. My father is still busy counting his profits from the recent alliances. He won't realize I'm gone for nearly three days." She said, than blushed again when her eyes met his.



Flashback interruption

"So, you say that your father met her at a meeting? Why would a father bring his daughter to some place like that?" Bulma asked, Vegeta gave her a soft glare and shook his head.

"There is much about Ice Jin you don't know or understand. For starters, a young Ice Jin must have attention, not because they want it, but because it's essential for their survival. This little one that I'm speaking of, lost her mother nearly seventy years before my father met her. . ."

Bulma interrupted again by sharply lifting her hand. "Wait. Seventy years? Seventy? Are you sure you have the number right? Because that sounds a little old to me!"

Vegeta laughed and shook his head. "No, I probably have several years missing from that age. She was at least two hundred and ninety-six, when my father met her. It had been seventy years or so since her mother had died." He looked down at his half-sister and smiled, she was still exploring the room with her wide eyes.

"Oh. WOW!! Ice Jin must live for incredible amounts of time!" Bulma said with amazement, Vegeta rolled his eyes and smiled down again at the baby.

"Do you want to play down on the ground?" He asked the little Ice Jin, she beamed up at him and giggled, trying to wiggle her way out of his arms. He sat her down and she began to play instantly with everything. Than he turned his attention back to Bulma. "Yes, Ice Jin take centuries to mature, and even longer to grow old. The most surprising thing my father told me was that the female's took only two hundred and fifty years to become sexually mature, the problem is, they are not big enough for the act of intercourse. So, remember that as I go on with the story.

"Well, I'll skip all the rest of the boring parts, and go on to where they became much better friends. Now this is about two days later. . ."



Flashback Begins Again

The young Ice Jin laughed as she sat at the edge of the lake beside Vegeta. "You're so sweet!" She blushed as she delicately sniffed the rose. "In my race, any man who brings a woman a gift is interested in her."

Vegeta smiled and nodded. "Yes, it is the same with my people."

The young Ice Jin looked down at the flower and blushed more. "But with my people, it means something a little more. . .it's sorta like. . .well. . ." Her troubles and hesitation made her blush deeper. She looked up at his face, into his eyes"Like courting, it means they are intimately interested. . ." She stopped as she looked away and down at the rose and the lake.

He smiled at her and shook his head. "I once thought that the Ice Jin race were cold and heartless, I'm very pleased to discover they are the same heart-felt creatures as anyone else. She smiled and peered at him from the corner of her eye. "Yes, I only give things to those I am interested in. . .and I think I am very interested with you. You have such a kind heart and gentle soul, so much like myself. . .including my spirit and spunk!" She laughed at that, she shifted a little, feeling flushed again at his response.



Flashback Ends Again

"So, from there, I think you know what happened." Vegeta said as he patted his sister on the head. She frowned up at him and gave a protesting whine. "I'll play in a little while." He told her softly, she snorted and looked away.

"Oh. So your father and this Ice Jin girl ended up in bed. Ok. I think I can see the reasoning in that. But that still doesn't explain why she gave her up. I don't understand that. From what I've heard, a female would be extremely grateful to have a child, so why give hers away?"

Vegeta gave Bulma a cold look, but explained quickly. "First off, she had conceived out of wedlock, that was a huge mistake, since there would be no explanation of where the child came from, next, the baby would be a half-breed, so she could possibly look a lot different than normal Ice Jin infants. Than from what my father told me, she later regretted giving herself to him, and saw the child as a constant reminder of that mistake. And last, but not least, any Ice Jin that was caught having a child out of wedlock, or that did not belong to the husband, were punished, and the child would be taken away, usually killed if they weren't very powerful. Since there have been no records of a half-breed before, she was terrified that she would be killed also for betraying her race.

"In her fear, she gave the infant up instantly back to her belated lover, with orders to destroy her or to send her away where she would die without being recognized as a halfling. Only, Father didn't do such a thing, he said he wanted to at first, but when he saw her, he just fell in love. I remember that day all too well, I was so jealous of her that I nearly killed her myself. But just like my father, I learned to love her. She was adorable, and needed constant attention." Vegeta was saying as the little halfling on the floor looked up at him angrily. She thrashed her tail angrily, than wrapped the end of it around his ankle and gave him a light tug, to remind him she was there.

He smiled down at her and nodded. "Yes, you are very strong, little one. I'll play with you in a little while, right now, I need to finish talking to your auntie Bulma." Than looked back up at Bulma and shook his head. "She's a cute little thing, isn't she!!!!" The last was nearly a yelp as the little Ice Jin pulled as hard as she could, bringing her brother down off the bed and down at her level. She looked directly into his eyes with a large frown and snorted at him.

Bulma started to laugh. "Yes, she's very cute!"

Vegeta looked over at his little sister and smiled. "This is why she had to be given constant attention." He said with a finality that made Bulma smile. . .