Chapter Five

Vegeta almost dragged himself out of the gravity room. I must work harder, he thought as his body ached with protest. I will be the strongest warr- Vegeta suddenly straightened his posture. His nose scenting the air for the person who was waiting in the shadows. He relaxed slightly. "What do you want woman?"

"Ava said something that puzzled me." Bulma replied softly. Vegeta remained quiet so she continued. "Ava said that she respects me now."

Vegeta frowned. "What happened? Did you kill someone?"

"No I didn't kill anyone." Bulma looked at him exasperated. "At the party..." Bulma explained what happened at the party after he left. "Then she said that she respected me and that you were right about something."

"You stood up for yourself even though you were weaker and could have let Ava take care of him for you and in a way gave out a harsher punishment than death..." A sardonic eyebrow, "...very saiyan of you, oh and I am always right." Vegeta walked into the house then and left Bulma to think.

**

A week later.

"What's wrong dear? Did Vegeta say he was going to marry that pretty saiyan girl of his?" Mrs. Briefs inquired drawing an annoyed look from her daughter.

"That's his sister, Mom."

"Oh...Then why do you look so worried then?"

"No reason at all." Except that I am getting really weird vibes from Vegeta and every thing he or his twin does or says just confuses me more.

"Well then try these cakes I found at this new store."

"Mom...I swear-" The house shook with the force of an explosion! Bulma mentally went through all her and her dad's experiments dealing with explosives. None. Then that meant... Vegeta!

**

Pain. That means I am alive. Hurts... Someone is calling me. Must pull myself out of this. One step at a time. Where are my hands? Vegeta reached up pushing his hand through layers of broken machinery finding air. Someone grabbed his hand and pulled him the rest of the way.

"Vegeta if I didn't know any better I would say you did this on purpose to worry a certain 'someone'." Ava said dryly in his ear as she let go of his hand and Bulma rushed up to him.

"Are you alright?"

"Of course I am." But even as he spoke his legs gave out.

"Vegeta, you have to stop training for a while." Bulma scolded him gently while propping him up against her legs making Vegeta wince at her.

"I don't need help."

"O come on Vegeta--" Ava's fist struck Vegeta's face knocking him out, interrupting Bulma's words. "Ava?" Bulma looked at her with wide eyes as Ava almost casually picked up Vegeta and slung him across her shoulder.

"It'll be easier to this way..." She said simply as she walked toward Bulma's house lightly as if she wasn't holding anything at all. "Which way, human?" Ava asked bringing Bulma back to her senses.

"This way to the infirmary."

**

"Is he going to be ok, Dad?" Bulma asked her dad anxiously.

"He is strong, human. He will live."

Bulma whirled around to find Ava leaning against the wall and her parents no where in sight. After depositing her brother in the room Bulma had lost track of Ava. "Ava...How did your self purge go?" Bulma asked awkwardly, she didn't know how to talk to Ava.

Ava lifted an eyebrow noticing how Bulma hesitated, then lifted an shoulder in a shrug. "I went to find that I didn't have to go at all and decided to gather information about this planet. Why are you interested, human?"

"Well, I was curious and..." Bulma paused and then frowned at Ava. "Why do you saiyans insist on calling me something other than my name? First Vegeta calls me 'woman' all the time and now you call me 'human'."

"It keeps us from forming attachments." Since Bulma looked puzzled Ava continued. "Saiyans do not have friends or family. They have those who are strong enough not to die in battle to keep them company. If they can live long enough to form a bond then they are separated and the process begins again." Ava raised an eyebrow at Bulma's shocked expression.

"What do you expect human? We are a warrior race. We will not become attached to others so when they die in battle we can stand in amazement and then be killed as well. We do not acknowledge your name because you are not strong enough to kill us and make us do it. Thus if we are fighting a strong opponent, you will not be able to do a damn thing to help, so you are not worthy of being called a name other than what you are.

"Vegeta calls you by your sex and I call you by your species. We will NOT become weak. Our enemies could use you against us, if they were cowards and let's face it, human, most are cowards at heart. Plus calling a person by name is an show of affection between mates."

Bulma could only stare at Ava with amazement. "Only...mates...call each other by name?"

"Correct. Mates are another thing entirely. Your mate maybe the only other person that will know the real you, besides possible siblings."

"Children?"

"Offspring will be sent off planet once they are old enough, learning to fight sublimely on the way, to make the empire bigger."

"And after?"

"After what?" Ava became irritated by Bulma's questions.

"After they came back? Did they go back to their parents?"

"If they came back, no, they would be assigned in the data banks on empty positions in whatever battle we are having. If we are not in battle than they are put on a waiting list and are expected to train until battle."

Bulma looked at Ava sadly. What a way to grow up. No wonder Ava and Vegeta are the way they are. They were trained since birth to kill, not to care, not to need anybody...

"Are you done with your questions?" Ava snapped at her.

"Yes. If you go to the kitchen my mom will whip you up something to eat."

Ava narrowed her eyes at Bulma but turned and left. Bulma closed her eyes against the pain she felt. 'You are not worth a name. If in battle you would be useless. We will not care if you live or die.' Ava's unspoken words echoed in her mind. Bulma looked at Vegeta. If Ava was imprisoned for twenty years in that wall and thinks like this than what does Vegeta think about?

"Kakarot! I will defeat you!" Vegeta groaned in his sleep.

Her eyes filled with sadness. I guess the saying no rest for the wicked is true. Bulma watched Vegeta's face seeing no evil in it. Always fighting, even in his sleep. I thought he was so scary on Namek and now I wonder how I could have ever been afraid of you. Just a scared little boy hiding behind a stone mask of adulthood...