One day!
Just one more day...then Vegeta would be able to reclaim his race and his crown. Tonight would mark the last night he'd face as a human.
Tonight also marked Capsule Corporation's anniversary, and so Bulma was holding a large dinner to commemorate it. There'd be a few speeches, and lots of good food. He only wished he was a Saiyan already so that he could appreciate all of the food even more.
But still...he'd be restored tommorrow! He was in such a good mood that he didn't even argue when Bulma told him he'd have to wear a tuxedo.
***
"Hello? Is this thing working?" Dr. Briefs tapped the microphone a few times, and caused a surge of feedback that made everyone in the large room grimace.
"Yes, Dad, it's working!" Bulma hissed to him. The Briefs family was seated on a raised dais at the front of the hall, with the doctor currently standing up at a podium. The rest of the room was filled with Capsule Corp. employees, reporters, guests from other companies, government officials, and a few "friends of the family." They'd just finished eating, and now it was time for the speeches. Dr. Briefs got to go first, as founder of the company; nowadays he was simply chairman emeritus, allowing Bulma to become CEO a few years ago.
"Thank you all for coming tonight, it's good to see you all here. I remember when I decided to..."
As his granddad continued to speak, Trunks (like any twelve-year old) grew restless. Just sitting here was boring.
He began to plot his escape. He was seated at one end of the table, next to his brother, so he might be able to slip away. The crowd was all watching his granddad, so even though he was facing them, he might be able to leave unnoticed. But if he went alone, that wouldn't be fun. Goten, also bored, was looking apathetically around the room. When he glanced at Trunks, the older boy nodded a few times to catch his attention.
Over the years, the two had developed a silent mode of communication that was based exclusively on body language. They began to 'talk' in it now, Trunks indicating that Goten should join him in fleeing this boring reception.
Goten glanced around quickly. He also was at the end of the table next to his brother. He nodded at Trunks, who in response held up three fingers. Then two. Then one.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gohan saw his little brother sneak off, back into the main portion of Capsule Corp. He supposed he should stop him, or at least tell his mother, who was sitting across from him (Videl had beaten her to the other seat beside Gohan).
What the heck. He'd only be young once.
Mirai nudged Vegeta, who looked in the direction he was looking and nudged Bulma. She turned to see Trunks jump off the end of the dais and run to meet Goten in the back.
"Want one of us to go get the brat?" Vegeta mumbled to her.
"Nah. May as well let him have his fun."
***
"Yeah! We did it!" shouted Trunks as he and Goten left the large room and entered a long hallway.
"Whaddya wanna do?" Goten asked after giving him a high five.
"Wanna spar?"
"Sure!"
"Ok. Where?"
"Hmm..."
***
Dr. Briefs finally finished his speech and resumed his seat after introducing Bulma, who was walking to the podium to heavy applause.
Vegeta breathed out a sigh. He supposed he'd have to actually listen to this part.
"It's amazing," Bulma began, "How quickly the world has adapted to the amazing revolutions Capsules have brought..."
He sighed again.
***
The two boys had found the perfect place to fight. It was a large room in one of Capsule Corp.'s basements, filled with all sorts of machines and equipment. They'd raised their ki just enough to fight at superspeed, but not enough that any of the others could easily detect it.
They dodged to and fro, using less martial arts than usual and instead mainly resorting to the unsubtle, rather brutal style many children use when fighting. But they held no anger for each other. It was all great fun.
Up until the point when the boys, wrestling on the ground, rolled straight into and through a large electrical generator.
As they disentangled themselves from their embrace and from the mess of wires, they saw a message appear on a nearby monitor.
ALL POWER TO CAPSULE CORPORATION WILL SHUTDOWN IN: 30 MINUTES.
They stared at it. After a moment, it changed to--
ALL POWER TO CAPSULE CORPORATION WILL SHUTDOWN IN: 29 MINUTES.
Goten and Trunks exchanged glances.
"I think we should get out of here," Goten whispered.
"Yeah. Let's go hide somewhere."
***
Bulma came to the conclusion of her speech. "The theme of tonight's celebration is, as you all know, Capsule Corporation: Past, Present and Future. My father spoke for the Past. I speak for the Present. And now, I present the man who will speak for the Future, the next CEO of Capsule Corporation, as well as my beloved oldest son, Mirai Briefs!"
As she sat down and he approached the podium, the audience clapped heartily. Bulma noticed that several of the reporters suddenly seemed much more alert than they had been. She recognized them as the ones from the tabloids.
She wasn't surprised in the least. Being the handsome young (and rich) man that he was, the tabloids loved to publish gossip about Mirai, and true or false didn't matter. Getting readers was important, and that they did. After Capsule Corp. had confirmed that he was dating Jennifer (published in one tabloid under the headline CAPSULES AND COURTROOMS), many young women were known to have tried to boycott her legal firm.
Of course, that same tabloid had only the previous day published a story claiming that Mirai had at his beck and call a virtual harem of ladies, available to him anytime, anywhere.
They refused to retract the previous story, even after publishing the latter one.
Glancing briefly through his notes, Mirai detached the microphone from the podium and began to walk about the dais as he began his speech...
***
The boys dashed frantically through the empty corrdiors of Capsule Corp., looking desperately for someplace, anyplace to hide. But everywhere that looked at first as if it would hide them was disqualified for one reason or another. This room was too well-lit by the outside lights, that room has a glass ceiling...
"We're not gonna be able to hide, Trunks!" Goten said, tears beginning to form in his eyes.
"Of course we can!" his friend snapped back. "We just need to find the right place." Suddenly he stopped in his tracks, and Goten had to halt and back up.
"What's wrong, Trunks?"
"I just thought of the perfect place! We can hide in the attic!"
The two half-Saiyans raced all the way to the other side of the building and ran up the stairs located there (so that, Trunks said, they could fool any pursuers who'd expect them to pick the nearest set). They soon arrived in the attic, closing and locking the door behind them, as well as pushing several large boxes in front of it. It wouldn't keep their family or friends out for long, but it'd give them enough time to flee through the solitary window if necessary.
This done, they looked around. The attic was filled with stacks of large boxes like those they'd just pushed. They cast eerie shadows all through the large room, throwing some of the distant parts of the room into darkness. The boys sat down in a corner, hoping like hell they could get away with this.
***
"...And to conclude my speech, I'll give examples of ways that Capsule Corporation is improving its technology, to serve the public even better in the future." He hopped off the dais and moved towards some of the "friends of the family" seated in the audience.
"You all know this man," he continued. "This is Son Gohan and his wife Videl, better known as the Great Saiyaman One and Great Saiyaman Two, respectively, and they're two of the best crimefighters in Satan City. Give them a hand." Once the resulting applause died down, he kept speaking. "Gohan, Videl, do you use Capsule technology in your war against crime?"
"Yes," Videl said, "Every day."
"It's a variant on Capsule technology that powers our costume summoners," explained Gohan to the crowd.
"Well, in the future, we'll help you even more, with specially treated Capsules that can release knockout gas when activated. A safe way to capture lawbreakers without injuring them or yourselves." They nodded, intrigued, and the crowd murmured its appreciation. Mirai moved to the other side of the table.
"This is Gohan's mother, Son Chi-Chi. I can personally vouch for her reputation as a cook of the highest caliber, one who could serve as head chef at any restaurant in the world." Chi-Chi blushed.
"It's not an easy job, but we want to try to make it a bit easier. To that end, we've almost completed research on Capsules that can not only keep food fresh, but actually *restore* freshness to stale foods."
"Now that'd come in handy," Chi-Chi said as Mirai held the microphone down to her, "And I think my husband agrees." Goku was almost drooling at the idea. As a smatter of applause died down, the heir moved on several seats.
"And this is Jennifer Bengoshi, known to some of you," and here he nodded at the tabloid reporters, "As my girlfriend, who I love more than anything else in *any* universe." He laid a hand on her shoulder, and she shot a nasty grin at a few female attendees who were glaring death bolts at her.
Mirai reached into his pocket and pulled out a Capsule. "This is a special Capsule. You can only open it once; after that, the Capsule is gone forever, leaving behind only the contents. I'll admit, I can't guarantee that what's in here will make your life better in the future..." He hesitated for a moment. "But if you take it, I'd say there's a 99% chance that it will. And after you see what's inside, I'll ask you. Go ahead, just toss it into the air."
She depressed the activation button and tossed it straight up. The Capsule disappeared in mid-air with a cloud of smoke and a small "Hoi-Poi!" sound, and a small object fell to Earth. She extended a hand to snatch it out of the air, and gasped when she saw what it was.
"So, will you take it?"
The guests nearest her gasped as well, or uttered a small laugh. Those slightly farther away leaned in to see what it was. Those farther away still turned to look at the monitors on the wall, all of which were now focused on what now lay in her hand.
A golden ring. With a diamond.
Mirai sank to one knee and took her free hand.
"Jennifer...will you marry me?"
For a moment, she said and did nothing, simply stared at the ring. Then she flung herself onto him; both now were on the floor.
"Of course I will! I was hoping you'd ask soon!" She slipped the ring on her finger, and gave Mirai a kiss. Everytime their relationship moved a new level--from friends, to official boyfriend and girlfriend, to 'comfortable with spending nights over at each other's houses, though not sharing a bed'--they'd cemented it with a passionate kiss. Everytime it happened, Mirai thought that a kiss couldn't get more passionate.
He was once again proved wrong.
As they kneeled there on the floor, locking lips and tongues, a huge wave of sound rose around them. All of the males and most of the females in attendance were standing and applauding, some even cheering; the "friends of the family" in particular were cheering very loud. A portion of the females were grinding their teeth. It would have been audible, but was drowned out. Flashbulbs popped all over the room as the reporters, as well as Capsule Corp. publicists, captured the moment.
"I didn't know he could play a crowd that well," Bulma muttered to Vegeta as they and her parents joined in the applause. "He's a natural."
***
Goten and Trunks tried to slink further back in the corner. They didn't like that rumbling sound.
***
"There you have it, folks! The future of Capsule Corporation!" Bulma was back at the podium, having activated another microphone. She was beaming proudly and gesturing at Mirai and Jennifer, who still hadn't risen, or even stopped kissing. He was obviously overcome by the moment, Bulma thought; normally he wouldn't kiss so long and deep in public.
"Now," she continued, "Time for the last event of the night, the Ball!"
At that exact moment, all the lights went out, plunging the room into darkness save for the light which filtered in through several small windows near the top of the room.
"I'm gonna kill those kids," she muttered to herself.
***
For a moment or two, there was silence in the attic, except for the cars on the road below that could be heard through the window. Then Goten began to whimper. Trunks was just able to make out his face; it was pale.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, concerned.
"Mmhmm."
"What is it?"
"I'm 'fraid."
The older boy sighed in relief. "You're eleven years old and still afraid of the dark?"
"Uhhuh."
"Goten, nothing's going to get you."
"Yes they will. Monsters in the dark."
"There aren't any monsters."
"Yes there are."
There was silence for a moment. Then:
"Trunks?"
"Yes?"
"Will you hold on to me?"
"WHAT?!"
"That's what Gohan did whenever I was scared..."
"Oh, OK...if it'll shut you up. Scoot on over."
Goten slid over and wrapped his arms around the older boy's chest, while Trunks (rolling his eyes) draped an arm over the younger boy's shoulder.
"Thanks Trunks."
"No problem. You just relax, Goten, and I'll keep an eye out for 'monsters'..."
***
They managed to find a backup generator and restored power to the large room. After the delay, the Ball was on.
The center of attention was obviously Mirai and Jennifer. As has been noted previously, they were quite good dancers, and tonight they hardly seemed fazed by all the notice they were getting. Every couple they passed was watching them, and most were whispering to each other.
As she and Vegeta danced (or attempted to; there were a few steps he hadn't yet mastered), Bulma wondered what the tabloids would say tomorrow. One thing was for sure: they'd all need new front pages. Jennifer would probably get some death threats.
Once the ball had ended, most of the guests left, either wishing them the best or not saying a word. The "friends of the family," though, stayed a bit longer, talking with each other and congratulating the happy couple.
"You can turn it into a race," suggested Turles. "See if it'll be you two or Gohan and his wife who produce the universe's first quarter-Saiyan."
"I'll bet on my grandson," said Bardock, standing nearby.
"I'll take that bet," replied Broli. "Put my wager down for Prince Mirai."
"All right, what do you wanna bet?"
"If you win, I will engage in physical combat with you every day for two fortnights."
"Sparring for a month," translated Bardock. "Sounds fine. And if you win?"
Broli grinned. "You have to read a book."
Mirai turned to his mother. "Hey Mom, where's Dad?"
"He's off looking for Trunks and Goten." Right on cue, one of the Capsule Corp. internal phones rang right next to her. "Hello?"
"I've found the brats," said Vegeta's voice. "They're in the attic."
"I'll be right there."
"Bring Gohan. And bring your camera, I want to capture the looks on their faces."
Explaining to the "Great Saiyacouple," Bulma took Gohan up to the attic where Vegeta was waiting for them outside the door.
"How do you know they're in there?"
"The door was locked. I've never known this door to be locked. Plus, after I unlocked it, there's some heavy boxes on the other side of the door that I can't get out of the way."
"Which is why you wanted me here," said Gohan.
"Exactly." Gohan leaned against the door and, tapping into a small portion of his vast power, opened it, pushing the boxes out of the way. The light from the doorway fell on Trunks and Goten. They were sitting in a corner, sleeping and leaning into each other. Bulma simply said "Aww," Gohan smiled, and Vegeta grimaced. Bulma snapped a quick picture.
"Let's take them downstairs to Trunks's room," she said afterwards. "I'll ask Chi-Chi if Goten can stay over tonight."
***
When they returned to the celebration, Vegeta yelled out to Mirai. "Boy! About this engagement thing!" The crowd fell silent as he stalked over to his eldest son, who had been wondering how his father would react. When he reached him, for a moment Vegeta just stared.
What happened next would be the source of debates among those attending for years to come. Some claimed that he only did what he did because he was human, while others claimed that even if he was king of the Saiyans he still would have done it. Vegeta himself never said.
He grabbed his son around the waist and gave him a large hug. "Congratulations, boy. If anyone deserves this, it's you." He detached himself from a stunned Mirai and faced Jennifer. "Congratulations to you as well, though I have a word of warning. If you ever make him unhappy, I'll make your life hell; he's had far too much tragedy in his life already." Without another word, he walked away and began to pick at what was left of the fish.
"Who was that," Kuririn muttered, "And what did he do with Vegeta?"
Not long after, the guests began to leave. No one was surprised that Piccolo was the first; indeed, the only surprising thing was that he had stayed as long as he had. Next were Tenshinhan and Chaozu, then Kuririn, Juuhachigou, Marron, and Kamesen'nin.
Juunanagou also left. The good wood to rebuild his house (which had been destroyed by an evil Vegeta from another timeline) was ready to be cut, and he wanted to get a jump on it. He thanked the Briefs for their hospitality, then departed.
When Chi-Chi, Bardock, and Gyu-Mao left, Goku stayed behind. He'd be spending the night so that he could take Vegeta to New Namek tomorrow.
Mirai and Jennifer had snuck off to his bedroom, where they talked, embraced and kissed. After a while, he said, "I wish you didn't have to go home, I could talk with you all night long."
She smiled. "Who says I'm going home? I'm spending the night here."
"Oh! Well, um...I've got some old pajamas I guess you could use, though they might be a bit large..."
"Thanks."
"You have the bed, I'll sleep on the couch."
"I don't think so. We're both sleeping in this bed tonight."
Mirai immediately went a bright red. "Um, Jennifer, you know how I feel about--" She pressed a finger to his lips.
"Yes, I know. And I agree; we'll wait. But that doesn't mean we can't sleep together in the totally literal sense, does it?"
"Well...I guess not."
"And I can sense that you want to do this, mm?" He blushed some more, but also grinned. "I thought so. Now, toss me those old clothes of yours." He got up, rummaged around in his drawers, found some pajamas, and handed them to her.
"Let me know when you're done changing," he said, and moved towards the door, but she stopped him.
"Oh no. You're staying in here."
"But I thought we were going--"
"To wait, yes, we are." She licked her lips. "But that doesn't mean you can't have a sneak preview."
His eyes widened. "Are you joking?"
"Depends. Do you want me to be?"
***
Vegeta awoke bright and early the next morning. He put on his fighting outfit, then roused Kakarot, a task which took some effort. He wanted to eat breakfast first, but Vegeta (knowing how long a Saiyan breakfast could take) threatened him until he agreed to take them straight to New Namek. When they arrived, they split up, found the Dragon Balls, and asked the nearest Namekian to act as translator for Porunga. They owed an eternal debt to the Earth heroes, so the Namekian agreed, as they always did whenever they were on New Namek.
"What is your first wish?" roared Porunga. Vegeta told the Namekian, who translated.
"Please make Vegeta a Saiyan again, with his full power, as he was before his wife erroneously transformed him!"
"It shall be done!" The dragon's eyes glowed a deeper red than normal for a moment.
Something slammed into Vegeta like a tidal wave. Tiny arcs of something that resembled electricty snaked all over his body, rewriting his genetic code back into that of a Saiyan's. Power, a power he'd been missing for six months, returned to him. Without even meaning to, he snapped into the form of a Super Saiyan, then that of Super Saiyan 2, and finally Super Saiyan 3. Goku took several steps away from him.
"It is done," Porunga said. The electricity disappeared, and Vegeta returned to normal. "What is your second wish?" The Namekian turned expectantly to Vegeta.
"Re-establish the bond between myself and my wife." The Namekian relayed these instructions.
"That's not too hard...there, it is done." Vegeta smirked. He couldn't feel it, due to the oddness of a human/Saiyan pairing, but Bulma could. Right about now she had to be picking up on his glee. "Your third wish?"
The once-and-future-king mused for a second. Then he spoke.
"Can you change things so that you can understand our wishes no matter what language we speak them in? And that the same holds true when it comes to summoning you?"
Porunga made a sound that maybe, just maybe, was a chuckle. "It is done. Farewell!" He disappeared in a burst of light, the blackness disappeared from New Namek's skies, and the Dragon Balls, now stones, flew away.
"Kakarot, take us home."
***
When they returned to Capsule Corp., Goku stayed behind to have breakfast. The Saiyan hunger returned to Vegeta as well, but he had another task to perform.
Revelling in the joy of flight, a joy he had not truly experienced until today, he flew to Gohan's house. When he arrived, he banged on the door. After a moment, Gohan answered it, looking rather tired.
"Hey Vegeta. I bet I know what you're here for."
"I have come to reclaim my crown."
"Good. I'll be more than happy to end the reign of King Gohan. What do I need to do?"
"Place your hands on my temples. Yes, that's right," he said after Gohan had complied. "Now just concentrate..." A few seconds later, there was a flash of light. "It is done. I am the king of all Saiyans once again!" He laughed in a way that, if Vegeta hadn't reformed, would be described as evil. He then walked past Gohan, into the house. "Nappa! Come with me!"
As Vegeta and Nappa exited the house, the former turned to Gohan. "You did a fair job of holding the crown in trust. But only I can be the true king!" They then flew away, leaving Gohan to mumble something about arrogance before he went back to sleep.
***
Vegeta climbed back into bed, inadvertantly waking Bulma.
"Hey," she said. "You king?"
"That I am. And you are again my queen." He kissed her hand, and she blinked in surprise. For Vegeta, this was surprisingly romantic.
"So what was it like being human?" she asked as they both laid their heads on their pillows again.
"It certainly was a...what's the term...learning experience."
"I think being human for a while did you some good," Bulma said.
"I wouldn't go that far," were the last words he muttered before returning to sleep.
END
And so ends Human Blues. I hope you enjoyed it; please leave a review.
If you wish to do me a favor, then you can read my original story The Reformers, and review it as well. It's not done yet, but tell me what you think so far.
So what's next for The Royalty Series? In a couple of weeks, you'll find out. All I'll give away is the title: The New Student.
Until then, I remain, as always,
-Thanos6
Stay safe!
Just one more day...then Vegeta would be able to reclaim his race and his crown. Tonight would mark the last night he'd face as a human.
Tonight also marked Capsule Corporation's anniversary, and so Bulma was holding a large dinner to commemorate it. There'd be a few speeches, and lots of good food. He only wished he was a Saiyan already so that he could appreciate all of the food even more.
But still...he'd be restored tommorrow! He was in such a good mood that he didn't even argue when Bulma told him he'd have to wear a tuxedo.
***
"Hello? Is this thing working?" Dr. Briefs tapped the microphone a few times, and caused a surge of feedback that made everyone in the large room grimace.
"Yes, Dad, it's working!" Bulma hissed to him. The Briefs family was seated on a raised dais at the front of the hall, with the doctor currently standing up at a podium. The rest of the room was filled with Capsule Corp. employees, reporters, guests from other companies, government officials, and a few "friends of the family." They'd just finished eating, and now it was time for the speeches. Dr. Briefs got to go first, as founder of the company; nowadays he was simply chairman emeritus, allowing Bulma to become CEO a few years ago.
"Thank you all for coming tonight, it's good to see you all here. I remember when I decided to..."
As his granddad continued to speak, Trunks (like any twelve-year old) grew restless. Just sitting here was boring.
He began to plot his escape. He was seated at one end of the table, next to his brother, so he might be able to slip away. The crowd was all watching his granddad, so even though he was facing them, he might be able to leave unnoticed. But if he went alone, that wouldn't be fun. Goten, also bored, was looking apathetically around the room. When he glanced at Trunks, the older boy nodded a few times to catch his attention.
Over the years, the two had developed a silent mode of communication that was based exclusively on body language. They began to 'talk' in it now, Trunks indicating that Goten should join him in fleeing this boring reception.
Goten glanced around quickly. He also was at the end of the table next to his brother. He nodded at Trunks, who in response held up three fingers. Then two. Then one.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gohan saw his little brother sneak off, back into the main portion of Capsule Corp. He supposed he should stop him, or at least tell his mother, who was sitting across from him (Videl had beaten her to the other seat beside Gohan).
What the heck. He'd only be young once.
Mirai nudged Vegeta, who looked in the direction he was looking and nudged Bulma. She turned to see Trunks jump off the end of the dais and run to meet Goten in the back.
"Want one of us to go get the brat?" Vegeta mumbled to her.
"Nah. May as well let him have his fun."
***
"Yeah! We did it!" shouted Trunks as he and Goten left the large room and entered a long hallway.
"Whaddya wanna do?" Goten asked after giving him a high five.
"Wanna spar?"
"Sure!"
"Ok. Where?"
"Hmm..."
***
Dr. Briefs finally finished his speech and resumed his seat after introducing Bulma, who was walking to the podium to heavy applause.
Vegeta breathed out a sigh. He supposed he'd have to actually listen to this part.
"It's amazing," Bulma began, "How quickly the world has adapted to the amazing revolutions Capsules have brought..."
He sighed again.
***
The two boys had found the perfect place to fight. It was a large room in one of Capsule Corp.'s basements, filled with all sorts of machines and equipment. They'd raised their ki just enough to fight at superspeed, but not enough that any of the others could easily detect it.
They dodged to and fro, using less martial arts than usual and instead mainly resorting to the unsubtle, rather brutal style many children use when fighting. But they held no anger for each other. It was all great fun.
Up until the point when the boys, wrestling on the ground, rolled straight into and through a large electrical generator.
As they disentangled themselves from their embrace and from the mess of wires, they saw a message appear on a nearby monitor.
ALL POWER TO CAPSULE CORPORATION WILL SHUTDOWN IN: 30 MINUTES.
They stared at it. After a moment, it changed to--
ALL POWER TO CAPSULE CORPORATION WILL SHUTDOWN IN: 29 MINUTES.
Goten and Trunks exchanged glances.
"I think we should get out of here," Goten whispered.
"Yeah. Let's go hide somewhere."
***
Bulma came to the conclusion of her speech. "The theme of tonight's celebration is, as you all know, Capsule Corporation: Past, Present and Future. My father spoke for the Past. I speak for the Present. And now, I present the man who will speak for the Future, the next CEO of Capsule Corporation, as well as my beloved oldest son, Mirai Briefs!"
As she sat down and he approached the podium, the audience clapped heartily. Bulma noticed that several of the reporters suddenly seemed much more alert than they had been. She recognized them as the ones from the tabloids.
She wasn't surprised in the least. Being the handsome young (and rich) man that he was, the tabloids loved to publish gossip about Mirai, and true or false didn't matter. Getting readers was important, and that they did. After Capsule Corp. had confirmed that he was dating Jennifer (published in one tabloid under the headline CAPSULES AND COURTROOMS), many young women were known to have tried to boycott her legal firm.
Of course, that same tabloid had only the previous day published a story claiming that Mirai had at his beck and call a virtual harem of ladies, available to him anytime, anywhere.
They refused to retract the previous story, even after publishing the latter one.
Glancing briefly through his notes, Mirai detached the microphone from the podium and began to walk about the dais as he began his speech...
***
The boys dashed frantically through the empty corrdiors of Capsule Corp., looking desperately for someplace, anyplace to hide. But everywhere that looked at first as if it would hide them was disqualified for one reason or another. This room was too well-lit by the outside lights, that room has a glass ceiling...
"We're not gonna be able to hide, Trunks!" Goten said, tears beginning to form in his eyes.
"Of course we can!" his friend snapped back. "We just need to find the right place." Suddenly he stopped in his tracks, and Goten had to halt and back up.
"What's wrong, Trunks?"
"I just thought of the perfect place! We can hide in the attic!"
The two half-Saiyans raced all the way to the other side of the building and ran up the stairs located there (so that, Trunks said, they could fool any pursuers who'd expect them to pick the nearest set). They soon arrived in the attic, closing and locking the door behind them, as well as pushing several large boxes in front of it. It wouldn't keep their family or friends out for long, but it'd give them enough time to flee through the solitary window if necessary.
This done, they looked around. The attic was filled with stacks of large boxes like those they'd just pushed. They cast eerie shadows all through the large room, throwing some of the distant parts of the room into darkness. The boys sat down in a corner, hoping like hell they could get away with this.
***
"...And to conclude my speech, I'll give examples of ways that Capsule Corporation is improving its technology, to serve the public even better in the future." He hopped off the dais and moved towards some of the "friends of the family" seated in the audience.
"You all know this man," he continued. "This is Son Gohan and his wife Videl, better known as the Great Saiyaman One and Great Saiyaman Two, respectively, and they're two of the best crimefighters in Satan City. Give them a hand." Once the resulting applause died down, he kept speaking. "Gohan, Videl, do you use Capsule technology in your war against crime?"
"Yes," Videl said, "Every day."
"It's a variant on Capsule technology that powers our costume summoners," explained Gohan to the crowd.
"Well, in the future, we'll help you even more, with specially treated Capsules that can release knockout gas when activated. A safe way to capture lawbreakers without injuring them or yourselves." They nodded, intrigued, and the crowd murmured its appreciation. Mirai moved to the other side of the table.
"This is Gohan's mother, Son Chi-Chi. I can personally vouch for her reputation as a cook of the highest caliber, one who could serve as head chef at any restaurant in the world." Chi-Chi blushed.
"It's not an easy job, but we want to try to make it a bit easier. To that end, we've almost completed research on Capsules that can not only keep food fresh, but actually *restore* freshness to stale foods."
"Now that'd come in handy," Chi-Chi said as Mirai held the microphone down to her, "And I think my husband agrees." Goku was almost drooling at the idea. As a smatter of applause died down, the heir moved on several seats.
"And this is Jennifer Bengoshi, known to some of you," and here he nodded at the tabloid reporters, "As my girlfriend, who I love more than anything else in *any* universe." He laid a hand on her shoulder, and she shot a nasty grin at a few female attendees who were glaring death bolts at her.
Mirai reached into his pocket and pulled out a Capsule. "This is a special Capsule. You can only open it once; after that, the Capsule is gone forever, leaving behind only the contents. I'll admit, I can't guarantee that what's in here will make your life better in the future..." He hesitated for a moment. "But if you take it, I'd say there's a 99% chance that it will. And after you see what's inside, I'll ask you. Go ahead, just toss it into the air."
She depressed the activation button and tossed it straight up. The Capsule disappeared in mid-air with a cloud of smoke and a small "Hoi-Poi!" sound, and a small object fell to Earth. She extended a hand to snatch it out of the air, and gasped when she saw what it was.
"So, will you take it?"
The guests nearest her gasped as well, or uttered a small laugh. Those slightly farther away leaned in to see what it was. Those farther away still turned to look at the monitors on the wall, all of which were now focused on what now lay in her hand.
A golden ring. With a diamond.
Mirai sank to one knee and took her free hand.
"Jennifer...will you marry me?"
For a moment, she said and did nothing, simply stared at the ring. Then she flung herself onto him; both now were on the floor.
"Of course I will! I was hoping you'd ask soon!" She slipped the ring on her finger, and gave Mirai a kiss. Everytime their relationship moved a new level--from friends, to official boyfriend and girlfriend, to 'comfortable with spending nights over at each other's houses, though not sharing a bed'--they'd cemented it with a passionate kiss. Everytime it happened, Mirai thought that a kiss couldn't get more passionate.
He was once again proved wrong.
As they kneeled there on the floor, locking lips and tongues, a huge wave of sound rose around them. All of the males and most of the females in attendance were standing and applauding, some even cheering; the "friends of the family" in particular were cheering very loud. A portion of the females were grinding their teeth. It would have been audible, but was drowned out. Flashbulbs popped all over the room as the reporters, as well as Capsule Corp. publicists, captured the moment.
"I didn't know he could play a crowd that well," Bulma muttered to Vegeta as they and her parents joined in the applause. "He's a natural."
***
Goten and Trunks tried to slink further back in the corner. They didn't like that rumbling sound.
***
"There you have it, folks! The future of Capsule Corporation!" Bulma was back at the podium, having activated another microphone. She was beaming proudly and gesturing at Mirai and Jennifer, who still hadn't risen, or even stopped kissing. He was obviously overcome by the moment, Bulma thought; normally he wouldn't kiss so long and deep in public.
"Now," she continued, "Time for the last event of the night, the Ball!"
At that exact moment, all the lights went out, plunging the room into darkness save for the light which filtered in through several small windows near the top of the room.
"I'm gonna kill those kids," she muttered to herself.
***
For a moment or two, there was silence in the attic, except for the cars on the road below that could be heard through the window. Then Goten began to whimper. Trunks was just able to make out his face; it was pale.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, concerned.
"Mmhmm."
"What is it?"
"I'm 'fraid."
The older boy sighed in relief. "You're eleven years old and still afraid of the dark?"
"Uhhuh."
"Goten, nothing's going to get you."
"Yes they will. Monsters in the dark."
"There aren't any monsters."
"Yes there are."
There was silence for a moment. Then:
"Trunks?"
"Yes?"
"Will you hold on to me?"
"WHAT?!"
"That's what Gohan did whenever I was scared..."
"Oh, OK...if it'll shut you up. Scoot on over."
Goten slid over and wrapped his arms around the older boy's chest, while Trunks (rolling his eyes) draped an arm over the younger boy's shoulder.
"Thanks Trunks."
"No problem. You just relax, Goten, and I'll keep an eye out for 'monsters'..."
***
They managed to find a backup generator and restored power to the large room. After the delay, the Ball was on.
The center of attention was obviously Mirai and Jennifer. As has been noted previously, they were quite good dancers, and tonight they hardly seemed fazed by all the notice they were getting. Every couple they passed was watching them, and most were whispering to each other.
As she and Vegeta danced (or attempted to; there were a few steps he hadn't yet mastered), Bulma wondered what the tabloids would say tomorrow. One thing was for sure: they'd all need new front pages. Jennifer would probably get some death threats.
Once the ball had ended, most of the guests left, either wishing them the best or not saying a word. The "friends of the family," though, stayed a bit longer, talking with each other and congratulating the happy couple.
"You can turn it into a race," suggested Turles. "See if it'll be you two or Gohan and his wife who produce the universe's first quarter-Saiyan."
"I'll bet on my grandson," said Bardock, standing nearby.
"I'll take that bet," replied Broli. "Put my wager down for Prince Mirai."
"All right, what do you wanna bet?"
"If you win, I will engage in physical combat with you every day for two fortnights."
"Sparring for a month," translated Bardock. "Sounds fine. And if you win?"
Broli grinned. "You have to read a book."
Mirai turned to his mother. "Hey Mom, where's Dad?"
"He's off looking for Trunks and Goten." Right on cue, one of the Capsule Corp. internal phones rang right next to her. "Hello?"
"I've found the brats," said Vegeta's voice. "They're in the attic."
"I'll be right there."
"Bring Gohan. And bring your camera, I want to capture the looks on their faces."
Explaining to the "Great Saiyacouple," Bulma took Gohan up to the attic where Vegeta was waiting for them outside the door.
"How do you know they're in there?"
"The door was locked. I've never known this door to be locked. Plus, after I unlocked it, there's some heavy boxes on the other side of the door that I can't get out of the way."
"Which is why you wanted me here," said Gohan.
"Exactly." Gohan leaned against the door and, tapping into a small portion of his vast power, opened it, pushing the boxes out of the way. The light from the doorway fell on Trunks and Goten. They were sitting in a corner, sleeping and leaning into each other. Bulma simply said "Aww," Gohan smiled, and Vegeta grimaced. Bulma snapped a quick picture.
"Let's take them downstairs to Trunks's room," she said afterwards. "I'll ask Chi-Chi if Goten can stay over tonight."
***
When they returned to the celebration, Vegeta yelled out to Mirai. "Boy! About this engagement thing!" The crowd fell silent as he stalked over to his eldest son, who had been wondering how his father would react. When he reached him, for a moment Vegeta just stared.
What happened next would be the source of debates among those attending for years to come. Some claimed that he only did what he did because he was human, while others claimed that even if he was king of the Saiyans he still would have done it. Vegeta himself never said.
He grabbed his son around the waist and gave him a large hug. "Congratulations, boy. If anyone deserves this, it's you." He detached himself from a stunned Mirai and faced Jennifer. "Congratulations to you as well, though I have a word of warning. If you ever make him unhappy, I'll make your life hell; he's had far too much tragedy in his life already." Without another word, he walked away and began to pick at what was left of the fish.
"Who was that," Kuririn muttered, "And what did he do with Vegeta?"
Not long after, the guests began to leave. No one was surprised that Piccolo was the first; indeed, the only surprising thing was that he had stayed as long as he had. Next were Tenshinhan and Chaozu, then Kuririn, Juuhachigou, Marron, and Kamesen'nin.
Juunanagou also left. The good wood to rebuild his house (which had been destroyed by an evil Vegeta from another timeline) was ready to be cut, and he wanted to get a jump on it. He thanked the Briefs for their hospitality, then departed.
When Chi-Chi, Bardock, and Gyu-Mao left, Goku stayed behind. He'd be spending the night so that he could take Vegeta to New Namek tomorrow.
Mirai and Jennifer had snuck off to his bedroom, where they talked, embraced and kissed. After a while, he said, "I wish you didn't have to go home, I could talk with you all night long."
She smiled. "Who says I'm going home? I'm spending the night here."
"Oh! Well, um...I've got some old pajamas I guess you could use, though they might be a bit large..."
"Thanks."
"You have the bed, I'll sleep on the couch."
"I don't think so. We're both sleeping in this bed tonight."
Mirai immediately went a bright red. "Um, Jennifer, you know how I feel about--" She pressed a finger to his lips.
"Yes, I know. And I agree; we'll wait. But that doesn't mean we can't sleep together in the totally literal sense, does it?"
"Well...I guess not."
"And I can sense that you want to do this, mm?" He blushed some more, but also grinned. "I thought so. Now, toss me those old clothes of yours." He got up, rummaged around in his drawers, found some pajamas, and handed them to her.
"Let me know when you're done changing," he said, and moved towards the door, but she stopped him.
"Oh no. You're staying in here."
"But I thought we were going--"
"To wait, yes, we are." She licked her lips. "But that doesn't mean you can't have a sneak preview."
His eyes widened. "Are you joking?"
"Depends. Do you want me to be?"
***
Vegeta awoke bright and early the next morning. He put on his fighting outfit, then roused Kakarot, a task which took some effort. He wanted to eat breakfast first, but Vegeta (knowing how long a Saiyan breakfast could take) threatened him until he agreed to take them straight to New Namek. When they arrived, they split up, found the Dragon Balls, and asked the nearest Namekian to act as translator for Porunga. They owed an eternal debt to the Earth heroes, so the Namekian agreed, as they always did whenever they were on New Namek.
"What is your first wish?" roared Porunga. Vegeta told the Namekian, who translated.
"Please make Vegeta a Saiyan again, with his full power, as he was before his wife erroneously transformed him!"
"It shall be done!" The dragon's eyes glowed a deeper red than normal for a moment.
Something slammed into Vegeta like a tidal wave. Tiny arcs of something that resembled electricty snaked all over his body, rewriting his genetic code back into that of a Saiyan's. Power, a power he'd been missing for six months, returned to him. Without even meaning to, he snapped into the form of a Super Saiyan, then that of Super Saiyan 2, and finally Super Saiyan 3. Goku took several steps away from him.
"It is done," Porunga said. The electricity disappeared, and Vegeta returned to normal. "What is your second wish?" The Namekian turned expectantly to Vegeta.
"Re-establish the bond between myself and my wife." The Namekian relayed these instructions.
"That's not too hard...there, it is done." Vegeta smirked. He couldn't feel it, due to the oddness of a human/Saiyan pairing, but Bulma could. Right about now she had to be picking up on his glee. "Your third wish?"
The once-and-future-king mused for a second. Then he spoke.
"Can you change things so that you can understand our wishes no matter what language we speak them in? And that the same holds true when it comes to summoning you?"
Porunga made a sound that maybe, just maybe, was a chuckle. "It is done. Farewell!" He disappeared in a burst of light, the blackness disappeared from New Namek's skies, and the Dragon Balls, now stones, flew away.
"Kakarot, take us home."
***
When they returned to Capsule Corp., Goku stayed behind to have breakfast. The Saiyan hunger returned to Vegeta as well, but he had another task to perform.
Revelling in the joy of flight, a joy he had not truly experienced until today, he flew to Gohan's house. When he arrived, he banged on the door. After a moment, Gohan answered it, looking rather tired.
"Hey Vegeta. I bet I know what you're here for."
"I have come to reclaim my crown."
"Good. I'll be more than happy to end the reign of King Gohan. What do I need to do?"
"Place your hands on my temples. Yes, that's right," he said after Gohan had complied. "Now just concentrate..." A few seconds later, there was a flash of light. "It is done. I am the king of all Saiyans once again!" He laughed in a way that, if Vegeta hadn't reformed, would be described as evil. He then walked past Gohan, into the house. "Nappa! Come with me!"
As Vegeta and Nappa exited the house, the former turned to Gohan. "You did a fair job of holding the crown in trust. But only I can be the true king!" They then flew away, leaving Gohan to mumble something about arrogance before he went back to sleep.
***
Vegeta climbed back into bed, inadvertantly waking Bulma.
"Hey," she said. "You king?"
"That I am. And you are again my queen." He kissed her hand, and she blinked in surprise. For Vegeta, this was surprisingly romantic.
"So what was it like being human?" she asked as they both laid their heads on their pillows again.
"It certainly was a...what's the term...learning experience."
"I think being human for a while did you some good," Bulma said.
"I wouldn't go that far," were the last words he muttered before returning to sleep.
END
And so ends Human Blues. I hope you enjoyed it; please leave a review.
If you wish to do me a favor, then you can read my original story The Reformers, and review it as well. It's not done yet, but tell me what you think so far.
So what's next for The Royalty Series? In a couple of weeks, you'll find out. All I'll give away is the title: The New Student.
Until then, I remain, as always,
-Thanos6
Stay safe!