The next day dawned bright and cheery. After a light breakfast of eggs, waffles, pancakes, sausage, bacon, and toast, Bulma and Trunks headed towards the lab and the Z warriors assembled in the outer courtyard to begin morning training. Goku wasn't too surprised to see Vegeta and company perched on the privacy wall, waiting for their arrival. The Prince was having a hard time keeping Nappa and Radditz in check, who were begging to be allowed to plunder Capsule Corp's refridgerator.
"So, Vegeta. Have second thoughts?" inquired Goku.
The short Saiyan snorted in response.
"We just thought we would watch. It's been a long time since we've had a good laugh," he replied.
Goku shrugged off the comment. Turning to the group, he split the warriors into sparring partners. For the first few hours, they trained relentlessly. From their outlook, the Saiyans kept up a steady flow of snide comments. Finally, tiring of their mind game since it seemed to have no effect on the group of earth fighters, Vegeta, Nappa and Radditz began their own training. An all out competition between the two groups began. The fighters pushed themselves to the limits, trying to out do their opponents. From the sidelines, Kami-sama shook his head.
"Gohan and Goten are acting more mature than the adults," he commented, turning towards his divine friend.
King Kai chuckled.
"Are you really surprised?"
"Not really."
Finally lunch time arrived. Yamcha, Tien, Choatzu, Gohan and Krillian slumped to the ground, completely exhausted. Goku was hunched over, wiping sweat from his brow. Piccolo and Goten seemed fairly unfazed by the rigorous routine. The other Saiyans were trying hard to conceal their exhaustion.
At that moment, Chi Chi marched out of the kitchen. Sending a nervous glance towards the aliens, she addressed the group.
"Lunch is ready. Come and get it."
She was practically trampled as the fighters made a mad dash for the banquet table. Vegeta and his minions flew off to find their meal elsewhere.
Bulma and Trunks were already sitting at the table, both covered with oil. Goten flopped down next to his life-long best friend.
"How's it going?"
"Good," replied Trunks cheerfully. "We found some equipment that can be salvaged and made into the parts we need. It will take a while, but it's possible."
"Alright! You're a genius, Trunks!" chirped Goten, throwing his arms around his companion and giving him a bear hug.
"He's not the only genius," stated Yamcha, leaning down and kissing Bulma on the cheek.
No one noticed Trunks glaring at him.
"You think you're going to stick around for when Freeza shows up?" asked Krillian. "We could really use the help, Goten."
"Absolutely not!" shrieked Chi Chi. "It's bad enough that Gohan-kun has to face that icky alien, let alone my other son who hasn't even been born yet."
"But Chi Chi, he's a Super Saiyan," commented Goku. "We don't have to worry about...."
"Not worry? Not worry? How can you tell me not to worry at a time like this? Don't you care about our children. They're your sons. Honestly, Goku, you take this fighting way too lightly....."
The group spent the rest of lunch quietly eating as they listened to Chi Chi rant and rave about the dangers of being a fighter. This provided an incentive for the men to hurriedly finish their meals and head back to training. Not long after they had come back outside, did Vegeta and the others show up once more.
The afternoon was spent mostly on Goten teaching Goku how to focus his energy and turn into a Super Saiyan. The youth found it difficult to explain to his father what to do; it had just come naturally to him. Vegeta's constant remarks also made the lesson difficult. He kept insisting that "the brat" didn't have a clue as to what he was talking about. The rest of the time, he bragged that he would be the first to reach Super Saiyan and "Kakkarot" might as well give up before he embarassed himself.
At about 4:00, Trunks wandered outside and joined the others sitting off to the side. The first time that the Saiyan Prince made a comment, the boy had to cover his mouth to keep himself from laughing. He had always found his father's obsession with out doing Goku as being humorous. His chuckling earned him an intense glare from Vegeta.
Trunks then forced himself to focus on Goten's "lesson." He found that he kept having to bite his tongue; there was a good deal of information that he wanted to add to his friend's commentary. But he knew that it would look incredibly suspicious if he acted as if he knew anything about being a Super Saiyan.
By the end of the day, Goku was able to raise his ki considerably, but he was still far away. Ignoring Vegeta's barage of demeaning comments about third-rate Saiyans, Goku smiled cheerfully.
"Well, there's always tomorrow."
The group of fighters returned indoors, leaving the Prince to fume that he had been ignored. Growling to his cohorts, the Saiyan set off, Nappa and Radditz following behind him.
That night, after sunset, Trunks pulled Goten off to the side.
"Let's sneak out and spar a little bit. I'm getting antsy. I can't take much more of this being inside all day."
"Sure," agreed Goten, looking forward to a "real" fight.
Stepping out into the cool night air, the two boys began to stretch.
"Remember, we can't raise our kis too much. We don't want to attract attention," stated Trunks, pointing towards the building.
"Gotcha."
The two faced off and began to fight.
Trunks enjoyed every minute of it. His muscles had been dying to be properly excercised ever since he had arrived. He had to fight. It was a part of his Saiyan blood. He was a warrior, just like his father.
Entranced, Trunks began to forget about controlling his power. All that mattered was the fight. And winning. His attacks became fiercer. Goten smiled in response. It felt good to not hinder his abilities for the fear of hurting someone.
The fighting escalated until Goten was forced to turn Super Saiyan in order to drive Trunks off. Instinctively, the purple-haired boy matched his ki to his comrade's. It was only when he saw the look of panic on Goten's face, did Trunks realized that he also had jumped into Super Saiyan mode. Quickly, he dropped his ki, returning to his energy to its ordinary level. He wasn't a minute too soon.
A moment later the earth fighters, along with Kami, King Kai, Bulma, and Chi Chi, burst out of the building. Vegeta, Nappa and Radditz appeared also. The two groups had been attracted by the enormous amount of ki that the two boys had released.
"Son Goten! What on earth do you think you're doing?" screeched Chi Chi. "Turning Super Saiyan in a fight against Trunks! You could have killed him!"
Forgetting that Trunks was actually the stronger of the two, tears filled Goten's blue eyes.
"I don't know Chi Chi. Trunks' ki was pretty high up there too," noted Krillian. "I think he was holding his own."
Trunks shifted nervously, silently praying that no one had been able to distinguish that Goten's wasn't the only ki which had reached Super Saiyan level. The boy noticed that Piccolo was eyeing him suspiciously.
"Goten, it's OK. Trunks is alright. You just have to remember to keep your powers in check," stated Goku soothingly, embracing his son.
"Stupid, dolt. Not much of a friend, are you?" sneered Vegeta, not wanting to miss the chance to inflict pain, even if it was only emotional.
Goten sniffled.
"I didn't mean to," he whimpered.
"Hey, yo! It's OK. I'm alright. No harm done," stated Trunks as he approached his young friend, wrapping his arms around Goten. "Don't cry, Chibi."
"How sweet," sneered Vegeta.
"Awwww. They're boyfriends," cracked Nappa.
"Grow up, freak," snarled Trunks.
"You little....."
Radditz grabbed Nappa's arm, refraining him.
"I think I'm going to be sick to my stomach," announced the Prince. "Come. We have training to do."
The three aliens set off for the city limits once more.
As the group headed back into the building, Bulma walked up to Trunks. The woman ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. The two had grown close during their time working on the machine together.
"You take care of Goten, don't you?" asked the scientist, studying the small boy intently.
Trunks shrugged.
"He's my best friend. I'm supposed to."
With that comment, Trunks headed off to join Goten who had already gone back inside. Bulma lingered outdoors, staring up at the glittering stars in the night sky. Somewhere in that cold vastness, an enemy was approaching. Yet, things seemed almost picture-perfect on earth. Even over the period of a single day, the scientist had grown very attached to Trunks. She couldn't imagine life without him greeting her with a bright smile every morning. Bulma found herself wishing that the machine would never be repaired and that Trunks and Goten wouldn't return to their homes and loved ones. Her heart twinged slightly; she technically wasn't Trunks' family, even though she so desperately wanted to be.
A voice shattered the solitude.
"Hey, babe. You OK?"
Tensing up, Bulma turned to find Yamcha standing behind her. Her anger melted away when she saw the concerned look on his face.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied.
The ex-bandit pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. She allowed him to kiss her gently even though her thoughts were still with the stars above.
******
Bulma stared in amazement as Goku and Vegeta sat side by side on the couch. She had never seen her husband be so tolerant of the younger Saiyan's presence. She knew that the disapperance of Trunks and Goten probably had a lot to do with the almighty Prince's subdued behavior.
Goku had been staring off into space absently, letting his mind wander. He found that by zoning out, he could control the urge to go hysterical over the situation. He left the theatrics to Chi Chi.
The friendly warrior was jolted out of his daze by Vegeta's deep voice.
"Did you know," the Prince stated slowly, "that when Goten first began talking, he called me 'Da da'?"
Goku blinked in surprise.
"No, Chi Chi never told me."
Vegeta smiled slightly.
"Your wife attacked me with a frying pan when she overheard him say it. He had heard Trunks refer to me as Daddy plenty of times, so he just assumed that he could call me the same thing."
The taller Saiyan chuckled.
"I bet it drove you crazy having a low-class brat calling you 'daddy'."
"I have never been more insulted in my life," stated Vegeta dryly.
From the kitchen, Bulma and Chi Chi watched their husbands.
"Please say they aren't actually bonding in there?" stated the dark-haired housewife with a smile.
"I don't think hell has frozen over quite yet," replied Bulma.
"So, Vegeta. Have second thoughts?" inquired Goku.
The short Saiyan snorted in response.
"We just thought we would watch. It's been a long time since we've had a good laugh," he replied.
Goku shrugged off the comment. Turning to the group, he split the warriors into sparring partners. For the first few hours, they trained relentlessly. From their outlook, the Saiyans kept up a steady flow of snide comments. Finally, tiring of their mind game since it seemed to have no effect on the group of earth fighters, Vegeta, Nappa and Radditz began their own training. An all out competition between the two groups began. The fighters pushed themselves to the limits, trying to out do their opponents. From the sidelines, Kami-sama shook his head.
"Gohan and Goten are acting more mature than the adults," he commented, turning towards his divine friend.
King Kai chuckled.
"Are you really surprised?"
"Not really."
Finally lunch time arrived. Yamcha, Tien, Choatzu, Gohan and Krillian slumped to the ground, completely exhausted. Goku was hunched over, wiping sweat from his brow. Piccolo and Goten seemed fairly unfazed by the rigorous routine. The other Saiyans were trying hard to conceal their exhaustion.
At that moment, Chi Chi marched out of the kitchen. Sending a nervous glance towards the aliens, she addressed the group.
"Lunch is ready. Come and get it."
She was practically trampled as the fighters made a mad dash for the banquet table. Vegeta and his minions flew off to find their meal elsewhere.
Bulma and Trunks were already sitting at the table, both covered with oil. Goten flopped down next to his life-long best friend.
"How's it going?"
"Good," replied Trunks cheerfully. "We found some equipment that can be salvaged and made into the parts we need. It will take a while, but it's possible."
"Alright! You're a genius, Trunks!" chirped Goten, throwing his arms around his companion and giving him a bear hug.
"He's not the only genius," stated Yamcha, leaning down and kissing Bulma on the cheek.
No one noticed Trunks glaring at him.
"You think you're going to stick around for when Freeza shows up?" asked Krillian. "We could really use the help, Goten."
"Absolutely not!" shrieked Chi Chi. "It's bad enough that Gohan-kun has to face that icky alien, let alone my other son who hasn't even been born yet."
"But Chi Chi, he's a Super Saiyan," commented Goku. "We don't have to worry about...."
"Not worry? Not worry? How can you tell me not to worry at a time like this? Don't you care about our children. They're your sons. Honestly, Goku, you take this fighting way too lightly....."
The group spent the rest of lunch quietly eating as they listened to Chi Chi rant and rave about the dangers of being a fighter. This provided an incentive for the men to hurriedly finish their meals and head back to training. Not long after they had come back outside, did Vegeta and the others show up once more.
The afternoon was spent mostly on Goten teaching Goku how to focus his energy and turn into a Super Saiyan. The youth found it difficult to explain to his father what to do; it had just come naturally to him. Vegeta's constant remarks also made the lesson difficult. He kept insisting that "the brat" didn't have a clue as to what he was talking about. The rest of the time, he bragged that he would be the first to reach Super Saiyan and "Kakkarot" might as well give up before he embarassed himself.
At about 4:00, Trunks wandered outside and joined the others sitting off to the side. The first time that the Saiyan Prince made a comment, the boy had to cover his mouth to keep himself from laughing. He had always found his father's obsession with out doing Goku as being humorous. His chuckling earned him an intense glare from Vegeta.
Trunks then forced himself to focus on Goten's "lesson." He found that he kept having to bite his tongue; there was a good deal of information that he wanted to add to his friend's commentary. But he knew that it would look incredibly suspicious if he acted as if he knew anything about being a Super Saiyan.
By the end of the day, Goku was able to raise his ki considerably, but he was still far away. Ignoring Vegeta's barage of demeaning comments about third-rate Saiyans, Goku smiled cheerfully.
"Well, there's always tomorrow."
The group of fighters returned indoors, leaving the Prince to fume that he had been ignored. Growling to his cohorts, the Saiyan set off, Nappa and Radditz following behind him.
That night, after sunset, Trunks pulled Goten off to the side.
"Let's sneak out and spar a little bit. I'm getting antsy. I can't take much more of this being inside all day."
"Sure," agreed Goten, looking forward to a "real" fight.
Stepping out into the cool night air, the two boys began to stretch.
"Remember, we can't raise our kis too much. We don't want to attract attention," stated Trunks, pointing towards the building.
"Gotcha."
The two faced off and began to fight.
Trunks enjoyed every minute of it. His muscles had been dying to be properly excercised ever since he had arrived. He had to fight. It was a part of his Saiyan blood. He was a warrior, just like his father.
Entranced, Trunks began to forget about controlling his power. All that mattered was the fight. And winning. His attacks became fiercer. Goten smiled in response. It felt good to not hinder his abilities for the fear of hurting someone.
The fighting escalated until Goten was forced to turn Super Saiyan in order to drive Trunks off. Instinctively, the purple-haired boy matched his ki to his comrade's. It was only when he saw the look of panic on Goten's face, did Trunks realized that he also had jumped into Super Saiyan mode. Quickly, he dropped his ki, returning to his energy to its ordinary level. He wasn't a minute too soon.
A moment later the earth fighters, along with Kami, King Kai, Bulma, and Chi Chi, burst out of the building. Vegeta, Nappa and Radditz appeared also. The two groups had been attracted by the enormous amount of ki that the two boys had released.
"Son Goten! What on earth do you think you're doing?" screeched Chi Chi. "Turning Super Saiyan in a fight against Trunks! You could have killed him!"
Forgetting that Trunks was actually the stronger of the two, tears filled Goten's blue eyes.
"I don't know Chi Chi. Trunks' ki was pretty high up there too," noted Krillian. "I think he was holding his own."
Trunks shifted nervously, silently praying that no one had been able to distinguish that Goten's wasn't the only ki which had reached Super Saiyan level. The boy noticed that Piccolo was eyeing him suspiciously.
"Goten, it's OK. Trunks is alright. You just have to remember to keep your powers in check," stated Goku soothingly, embracing his son.
"Stupid, dolt. Not much of a friend, are you?" sneered Vegeta, not wanting to miss the chance to inflict pain, even if it was only emotional.
Goten sniffled.
"I didn't mean to," he whimpered.
"Hey, yo! It's OK. I'm alright. No harm done," stated Trunks as he approached his young friend, wrapping his arms around Goten. "Don't cry, Chibi."
"How sweet," sneered Vegeta.
"Awwww. They're boyfriends," cracked Nappa.
"Grow up, freak," snarled Trunks.
"You little....."
Radditz grabbed Nappa's arm, refraining him.
"I think I'm going to be sick to my stomach," announced the Prince. "Come. We have training to do."
The three aliens set off for the city limits once more.
As the group headed back into the building, Bulma walked up to Trunks. The woman ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. The two had grown close during their time working on the machine together.
"You take care of Goten, don't you?" asked the scientist, studying the small boy intently.
Trunks shrugged.
"He's my best friend. I'm supposed to."
With that comment, Trunks headed off to join Goten who had already gone back inside. Bulma lingered outdoors, staring up at the glittering stars in the night sky. Somewhere in that cold vastness, an enemy was approaching. Yet, things seemed almost picture-perfect on earth. Even over the period of a single day, the scientist had grown very attached to Trunks. She couldn't imagine life without him greeting her with a bright smile every morning. Bulma found herself wishing that the machine would never be repaired and that Trunks and Goten wouldn't return to their homes and loved ones. Her heart twinged slightly; she technically wasn't Trunks' family, even though she so desperately wanted to be.
A voice shattered the solitude.
"Hey, babe. You OK?"
Tensing up, Bulma turned to find Yamcha standing behind her. Her anger melted away when she saw the concerned look on his face.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied.
The ex-bandit pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. She allowed him to kiss her gently even though her thoughts were still with the stars above.
******
Bulma stared in amazement as Goku and Vegeta sat side by side on the couch. She had never seen her husband be so tolerant of the younger Saiyan's presence. She knew that the disapperance of Trunks and Goten probably had a lot to do with the almighty Prince's subdued behavior.
Goku had been staring off into space absently, letting his mind wander. He found that by zoning out, he could control the urge to go hysterical over the situation. He left the theatrics to Chi Chi.
The friendly warrior was jolted out of his daze by Vegeta's deep voice.
"Did you know," the Prince stated slowly, "that when Goten first began talking, he called me 'Da da'?"
Goku blinked in surprise.
"No, Chi Chi never told me."
Vegeta smiled slightly.
"Your wife attacked me with a frying pan when she overheard him say it. He had heard Trunks refer to me as Daddy plenty of times, so he just assumed that he could call me the same thing."
The taller Saiyan chuckled.
"I bet it drove you crazy having a low-class brat calling you 'daddy'."
"I have never been more insulted in my life," stated Vegeta dryly.
From the kitchen, Bulma and Chi Chi watched their husbands.
"Please say they aren't actually bonding in there?" stated the dark-haired housewife with a smile.
"I don't think hell has frozen over quite yet," replied Bulma.
