Finally posting. Sorry it's taken me so long. I've been really busy this summer. Plus, I was struggling with writer's block. But I'm better now! Quick note, I use an astronomical term in this chapter. "Arc Seconds" are used to measure a star's position in the sky. Anyway, read, enjoy, and review!
~ladymoonlight
Brolly tilted his head to the side and reached out with his ki. There had been a disturbance in the energy flow a moment ago. His father had just died. Shrugging indifferently, the Saiyan turned towards Dr. Gero. The scientist was busy fiddling with a series of gauges and dials on the panel in front of him. With each adjustment, a different fluid was injected into the two tanks attached to the equipment. One held a young, blonde woman; the other, a black-haired man. Both were naked, with wires running haphazardly in and out of their bodies. Brolly smirked as he appreciated the blonde's near perfect curves.
"Are these your little toys?" asked the Saiyan, his eyes not leaving the luscious woman's body.
Dr. Gero bristled slightly. He hovered protectively before Androids 17 and 18.
"They're not *toys*," he replied snottily. "They are advanced weapons of mass destruction."
Brolly snorted. "What do you need them for?"
"In case you fail," muttered Gero inaudibly.
The Saiyan did not pick up on the comment however. He had tired watching the blonde. Gazing at her had caused him to become restless. And when he was restless, he wanted to fight.
"I need another treatment," demanded Brolly, already exposing his arm for the shot.
Dr. Gero looked at him incredulously. "If you take too much too soon, you'll die fool!"
Brolly wrapped one thick hand around the elderly scientist's neck. "Do not oppose me, old man."
Released, Gero staggered backwards and hastily fumbled about for a syringe. Finding one, he slipped it carefully into his pocket then began gathering the ingredients for the serum. Dr. Gero hurriedly prepared the concoction; the entire time he could feel Brolly's black eyes boring into him. Thirty minutes later, the serum was complete.
"I will warn you one last time that you don't want to take this so often. Do you really want to face the consequences of your foolish decision?" sneered the scientist.
In answer, Brolly held out his arm. Dr. Gero shrugged in resignation and administered the thick serum into the Saiyan's blood stream. Brolly began to twitch as the potion burned through his veins. He screamed out loud as it began to sear the inside of his body. He collapsed to his knees, sweat dripping down his body. Dr. Gero simply clucked his tongue.
"Now I tried to warn you, didn't I?" he stated, sounding like a teacher chastising a stubborn student.
"Bastard," hissed Brolly, hardly able to say the word since his tongue was beginning to swell.
"Temper, temper," taunted the scientist.
Brolly rose to attack the man, but his feet gave out under him. His vision blurred and his head felt as if it were about to explode. He lay down on the cold tile floor and instinctively curled into fetal position.
"Don't worry, my boy," stated Gero. "When you wake tomorrow, you'll feel better than ever. Slight hangover, mind you, but better."
Those were the last words that Brolly heard before the pain became too much and he blacked out.
Dr. Gero looked down at the unconscious Saiyan with disgust. The alien was completely contemptible. He only tolerated him for his part in the "Master Plan," so to speak. But once Brolly was no longer needed, Dr. Gero would dispose of him.
Until then, the mad scientist was content to work on his precious androids while concurrently poisoning the Legendary Super Saiyan.
*****
Trunks watched as a shooting star zipped across the sky. He sighed heavily and leaned against the window frame, contemplating the twinkling stars above him. Goten look up from the puzzle that he and Chibi Gohan were working on.
"Are you OK, Trunks-kun?" asked the young Son, his voice slightly off-pitch from worry.
"Yeah, I'm fine," muttered the oldest boy in reply, waving his hand to dismiss the subject.
Goten and Gohan exchanged a look and then turned back towards their friend. Trunks was chewing on his lip as he sunk deeper in thought. Goten knew what that look meant; the Briefs child was either concocting some devious plan that would surely get them in trouble or he was deeply upset over something.
Goten abandoned the puzzle and went to join Trunks by the window. Chibi Gohan remained behind, not wanting to intrude between the two life long friends.
"It's about Bulma-san and Yamcha-san, isn't it?" stated the Son softly after a long stretch of silence.
Trunks shrugged his shoulders. "I shouldn't care, you know. All that matters is that *my* mom and dad are together. But still, it bothers me."
No more words were needed. Even though Goten didn't really understand the complications of being around one's mother when she was still with her ex-boyfriend, he still struggled to help Trunks in anyway possible. And at that moment, silence was what was needed. The pair stood side by side, staring blankly out the window. Each was lost in his own thoughts.
"Which one is Vegeta-sei's star?" asked Goten after a few minutes, gesturing to the black dome of the sky outside the window.
Trunks eyes expertly scanned the sky for the distant prick of light his father had taught him to pick out.
"There," replied the young crown prince, pointing to a flickering orange star that hung a few arc seconds over the city skyline.
"It's hard to believe that our fathers came from all the way out there," stated Chibi Gohan as he came to join the other two at the window.
All three demi-Saiyans stared at the dazzling orb that used to warm the surface of Vegeta-sei before Freeza had destroyed the planet.
"Just think Trunks-kun. You could have been a prince," said Goten in awe.
"What do you mean 'could have been'? I *am* a prince," replied the taller boy.
Within minutes Goten, Trunks, and Gohan were all wrestling and darting about the room, the puzzle and their troubles both long forgotten.
*****
Prince Vegeta touched down in the back courtyard of the complex and stalked down the path that led to the main structure of Capsule Corp. He had spent the entire afternoon training in the wastelands after the awkward run in with Yamcha. Now the prince was back and he wanted answers.
The door to the kitchen crashed open and in strode a very angry Vegeta. Mirai no Gohan, Radditz, and Nappa all looked up at him curiously.
"Where's the woman?" demanded Vegeta.
"Bulma-san is out back by the pool," replied the teenaged Saiyan.
The prince grunted and then spun around on his heels. "Don't even *think* about following me," he called over his shoulder as he stormed back outside.
The three mischief-makers sat clued to their seats in terror.
*****
Princess Bulma dipped her toes into the cold water. The action sent small ripples across the glassy surface of the Olympic-size pool. Night birds sang melodies to one another as the moon rose in the east. The pool reflected the moonlight, causing it to dance across Bulma's face. The young woman allowed her thoughts to drift as she watched the waves flicker across the pool's surface.
Behind her someone cleared their voice. Bulma turned to see Prince Vegeta standing there, arms crossed and glaring.
"Can I help you?" she asked coolly.
Vegeta's eyes narrowed dangerously. "We need to talk."
"Oh, we do, do we?" replied the scientist sarcastically. "By all means, your Majesty, talk."
Vegeta closed the distance between the two of them. Gracefully, he swooped down next to her and sat cross-legged. Turning towards her, he focused sharp, black eyes on the young woman.
"Do you have feelings for me?" he asked bluntly.
Bulma jumped slightly, taken aback by such a forward question. She glanced away, her eyes traveling over the glimmering water. "I'm not sure. I know I don't feel anything for Yamcha anymore. The love I have for him is like the love I have for Goku, or Kurilian, or Chichi. It's not that 'makes-your-head-spin-and-you-feel-like-you-can-fly' type. Just a deep, strong caring. But for you..."
The woman's voice trailed off. She hadn't had time to sort out the jumbled up mess of thoughts and feelings for her own, and now here he was demanding that she explain herself. For once, the boisterous woman found herself at a lost for words. She glanced out of the corner of her at the proud prince. "What about you?"
Vegeta sneered back at her. "Of course I don't 'love' you," he replied with disgust. "A true Saiyan warrior does not have such emotions."
"Does he not have them, or does he just refuse to show them because he's too much of a stubborn pain in the ass?" retorted Bulma.
The Saiyan blinked with shock. Slowly, a smirk spread across his lips. "You're a quick-tongued little nymph," he muttered.
Bulma smiled at him. "I could really learn to love you," she murmured under her breath.
She gasped as those words left her mouth. She turned away and shook her head fiercely, trying to rid her head of such foolish thoughts. It was just her longing for a child that made her think so things. She couldn't possibly *care* for this barbarian.
Vegeta's mocking laughter caught her attention. She shot a withering glare at him. The prince smirked and leaned forward, their noses almost touching.
"Admit it, woman. You think I'm irresistible," he purred seductively.
"Only after you admit that you're a tail-less monkey freak," she replied, her mouth crooking into a challenging smirk.
"You did not just say that," hissed Vegeta.
"Oh, yes I did."
Without warning, the prince's hand darted out and shoved the surprised woman into the icy water. Bulma sputtered as she resurfaced, her blue hair plastered across her face. She pushed wet locks out of the way and glared up at the Saiyan. Her expression slowly changed to one of sly mischief.
"Don't you want to join me, Veggie?" she cooed, splashing water up at the prince. "Come on. The water's nice."
"Why don't you get out so I can see you dripping wet with that tight little dress clinging to your body?" he replied.
"Come and get me!" challenged Bulma.
Vegeta dove in and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her under. Remembering that she didn't have the lung capacity of a Saiyan, he released his victim and let her surface for air. He surfaced near her and watched her gasp for breath. He appreciatively watched her chest rise up and down.
"Oh! You're going to get it now, Monkey Boy!" cried Bulma, lunging at him and futilely trying to dunk him under.
*****
Queen Bulma sighed happily and leaned up against King Vegeta's shoulder. She snuggled closer to her husband as they watched from a distance as their younger counterparts flirted in the pool.
"Isn't that so romantic?" whispered Bulma. "I don't think you were ever that sweet."
"Watch it, woman," threatened Vegeta as he leaned down and playfully nipped at her ear.
She ignored his attempts to seduce her. "I'm surprised that Gohan, Radditz, and Nappa aren't anywhere around. They'll be disappointed when they find out about this."
"I 'encouraged' them to stay out of it tonight. And I made Kakkarot watch after them, just in case they didn't want to listen to my advice," stated the prince as he nuzzled her neck.
"So that's why all four of them are at the window with binoculars?" giggled Bulma.
"Kakkarot no baka," hissed Vegeta as he glared at the window where he could see all four Saiyans piled on a couch, peeking through the blinds.
"Don't worry about him," purred Bulma, running her finger across Vegeta's chin and down his neck. "Just worry about me."
The prince smirked. "As you wish, my Queen."
~ladymoonlight
Brolly tilted his head to the side and reached out with his ki. There had been a disturbance in the energy flow a moment ago. His father had just died. Shrugging indifferently, the Saiyan turned towards Dr. Gero. The scientist was busy fiddling with a series of gauges and dials on the panel in front of him. With each adjustment, a different fluid was injected into the two tanks attached to the equipment. One held a young, blonde woman; the other, a black-haired man. Both were naked, with wires running haphazardly in and out of their bodies. Brolly smirked as he appreciated the blonde's near perfect curves.
"Are these your little toys?" asked the Saiyan, his eyes not leaving the luscious woman's body.
Dr. Gero bristled slightly. He hovered protectively before Androids 17 and 18.
"They're not *toys*," he replied snottily. "They are advanced weapons of mass destruction."
Brolly snorted. "What do you need them for?"
"In case you fail," muttered Gero inaudibly.
The Saiyan did not pick up on the comment however. He had tired watching the blonde. Gazing at her had caused him to become restless. And when he was restless, he wanted to fight.
"I need another treatment," demanded Brolly, already exposing his arm for the shot.
Dr. Gero looked at him incredulously. "If you take too much too soon, you'll die fool!"
Brolly wrapped one thick hand around the elderly scientist's neck. "Do not oppose me, old man."
Released, Gero staggered backwards and hastily fumbled about for a syringe. Finding one, he slipped it carefully into his pocket then began gathering the ingredients for the serum. Dr. Gero hurriedly prepared the concoction; the entire time he could feel Brolly's black eyes boring into him. Thirty minutes later, the serum was complete.
"I will warn you one last time that you don't want to take this so often. Do you really want to face the consequences of your foolish decision?" sneered the scientist.
In answer, Brolly held out his arm. Dr. Gero shrugged in resignation and administered the thick serum into the Saiyan's blood stream. Brolly began to twitch as the potion burned through his veins. He screamed out loud as it began to sear the inside of his body. He collapsed to his knees, sweat dripping down his body. Dr. Gero simply clucked his tongue.
"Now I tried to warn you, didn't I?" he stated, sounding like a teacher chastising a stubborn student.
"Bastard," hissed Brolly, hardly able to say the word since his tongue was beginning to swell.
"Temper, temper," taunted the scientist.
Brolly rose to attack the man, but his feet gave out under him. His vision blurred and his head felt as if it were about to explode. He lay down on the cold tile floor and instinctively curled into fetal position.
"Don't worry, my boy," stated Gero. "When you wake tomorrow, you'll feel better than ever. Slight hangover, mind you, but better."
Those were the last words that Brolly heard before the pain became too much and he blacked out.
Dr. Gero looked down at the unconscious Saiyan with disgust. The alien was completely contemptible. He only tolerated him for his part in the "Master Plan," so to speak. But once Brolly was no longer needed, Dr. Gero would dispose of him.
Until then, the mad scientist was content to work on his precious androids while concurrently poisoning the Legendary Super Saiyan.
*****
Trunks watched as a shooting star zipped across the sky. He sighed heavily and leaned against the window frame, contemplating the twinkling stars above him. Goten look up from the puzzle that he and Chibi Gohan were working on.
"Are you OK, Trunks-kun?" asked the young Son, his voice slightly off-pitch from worry.
"Yeah, I'm fine," muttered the oldest boy in reply, waving his hand to dismiss the subject.
Goten and Gohan exchanged a look and then turned back towards their friend. Trunks was chewing on his lip as he sunk deeper in thought. Goten knew what that look meant; the Briefs child was either concocting some devious plan that would surely get them in trouble or he was deeply upset over something.
Goten abandoned the puzzle and went to join Trunks by the window. Chibi Gohan remained behind, not wanting to intrude between the two life long friends.
"It's about Bulma-san and Yamcha-san, isn't it?" stated the Son softly after a long stretch of silence.
Trunks shrugged his shoulders. "I shouldn't care, you know. All that matters is that *my* mom and dad are together. But still, it bothers me."
No more words were needed. Even though Goten didn't really understand the complications of being around one's mother when she was still with her ex-boyfriend, he still struggled to help Trunks in anyway possible. And at that moment, silence was what was needed. The pair stood side by side, staring blankly out the window. Each was lost in his own thoughts.
"Which one is Vegeta-sei's star?" asked Goten after a few minutes, gesturing to the black dome of the sky outside the window.
Trunks eyes expertly scanned the sky for the distant prick of light his father had taught him to pick out.
"There," replied the young crown prince, pointing to a flickering orange star that hung a few arc seconds over the city skyline.
"It's hard to believe that our fathers came from all the way out there," stated Chibi Gohan as he came to join the other two at the window.
All three demi-Saiyans stared at the dazzling orb that used to warm the surface of Vegeta-sei before Freeza had destroyed the planet.
"Just think Trunks-kun. You could have been a prince," said Goten in awe.
"What do you mean 'could have been'? I *am* a prince," replied the taller boy.
Within minutes Goten, Trunks, and Gohan were all wrestling and darting about the room, the puzzle and their troubles both long forgotten.
*****
Prince Vegeta touched down in the back courtyard of the complex and stalked down the path that led to the main structure of Capsule Corp. He had spent the entire afternoon training in the wastelands after the awkward run in with Yamcha. Now the prince was back and he wanted answers.
The door to the kitchen crashed open and in strode a very angry Vegeta. Mirai no Gohan, Radditz, and Nappa all looked up at him curiously.
"Where's the woman?" demanded Vegeta.
"Bulma-san is out back by the pool," replied the teenaged Saiyan.
The prince grunted and then spun around on his heels. "Don't even *think* about following me," he called over his shoulder as he stormed back outside.
The three mischief-makers sat clued to their seats in terror.
*****
Princess Bulma dipped her toes into the cold water. The action sent small ripples across the glassy surface of the Olympic-size pool. Night birds sang melodies to one another as the moon rose in the east. The pool reflected the moonlight, causing it to dance across Bulma's face. The young woman allowed her thoughts to drift as she watched the waves flicker across the pool's surface.
Behind her someone cleared their voice. Bulma turned to see Prince Vegeta standing there, arms crossed and glaring.
"Can I help you?" she asked coolly.
Vegeta's eyes narrowed dangerously. "We need to talk."
"Oh, we do, do we?" replied the scientist sarcastically. "By all means, your Majesty, talk."
Vegeta closed the distance between the two of them. Gracefully, he swooped down next to her and sat cross-legged. Turning towards her, he focused sharp, black eyes on the young woman.
"Do you have feelings for me?" he asked bluntly.
Bulma jumped slightly, taken aback by such a forward question. She glanced away, her eyes traveling over the glimmering water. "I'm not sure. I know I don't feel anything for Yamcha anymore. The love I have for him is like the love I have for Goku, or Kurilian, or Chichi. It's not that 'makes-your-head-spin-and-you-feel-like-you-can-fly' type. Just a deep, strong caring. But for you..."
The woman's voice trailed off. She hadn't had time to sort out the jumbled up mess of thoughts and feelings for her own, and now here he was demanding that she explain herself. For once, the boisterous woman found herself at a lost for words. She glanced out of the corner of her at the proud prince. "What about you?"
Vegeta sneered back at her. "Of course I don't 'love' you," he replied with disgust. "A true Saiyan warrior does not have such emotions."
"Does he not have them, or does he just refuse to show them because he's too much of a stubborn pain in the ass?" retorted Bulma.
The Saiyan blinked with shock. Slowly, a smirk spread across his lips. "You're a quick-tongued little nymph," he muttered.
Bulma smiled at him. "I could really learn to love you," she murmured under her breath.
She gasped as those words left her mouth. She turned away and shook her head fiercely, trying to rid her head of such foolish thoughts. It was just her longing for a child that made her think so things. She couldn't possibly *care* for this barbarian.
Vegeta's mocking laughter caught her attention. She shot a withering glare at him. The prince smirked and leaned forward, their noses almost touching.
"Admit it, woman. You think I'm irresistible," he purred seductively.
"Only after you admit that you're a tail-less monkey freak," she replied, her mouth crooking into a challenging smirk.
"You did not just say that," hissed Vegeta.
"Oh, yes I did."
Without warning, the prince's hand darted out and shoved the surprised woman into the icy water. Bulma sputtered as she resurfaced, her blue hair plastered across her face. She pushed wet locks out of the way and glared up at the Saiyan. Her expression slowly changed to one of sly mischief.
"Don't you want to join me, Veggie?" she cooed, splashing water up at the prince. "Come on. The water's nice."
"Why don't you get out so I can see you dripping wet with that tight little dress clinging to your body?" he replied.
"Come and get me!" challenged Bulma.
Vegeta dove in and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her under. Remembering that she didn't have the lung capacity of a Saiyan, he released his victim and let her surface for air. He surfaced near her and watched her gasp for breath. He appreciatively watched her chest rise up and down.
"Oh! You're going to get it now, Monkey Boy!" cried Bulma, lunging at him and futilely trying to dunk him under.
*****
Queen Bulma sighed happily and leaned up against King Vegeta's shoulder. She snuggled closer to her husband as they watched from a distance as their younger counterparts flirted in the pool.
"Isn't that so romantic?" whispered Bulma. "I don't think you were ever that sweet."
"Watch it, woman," threatened Vegeta as he leaned down and playfully nipped at her ear.
She ignored his attempts to seduce her. "I'm surprised that Gohan, Radditz, and Nappa aren't anywhere around. They'll be disappointed when they find out about this."
"I 'encouraged' them to stay out of it tonight. And I made Kakkarot watch after them, just in case they didn't want to listen to my advice," stated the prince as he nuzzled her neck.
"So that's why all four of them are at the window with binoculars?" giggled Bulma.
"Kakkarot no baka," hissed Vegeta as he glared at the window where he could see all four Saiyans piled on a couch, peeking through the blinds.
"Don't worry about him," purred Bulma, running her finger across Vegeta's chin and down his neck. "Just worry about me."
The prince smirked. "As you wish, my Queen."