Chapter Eight

17 waited nervously in the parlor. Bulma had told him to wait there while she retrieved her husband from the gravity room.

When you can't beat them join them. 17 twisted his lips sardonically. Monkey see, monkey do.

"What the hell is your problem, Vegeta?" Bulma's voice rang down the hallway.

"You're the one who interrupted my training!" Vegeta's answered.

Great, get him all worked up! I'm sure he'll be wanting to talk to me about his sister now. 17 rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"You need to spend more time with your family!"

"I spend enough time as is necessary!"

"Go in the parlor, right now, Vegeta, or I am not going to feed you..."

17 shivered slightly at the low threatening tone that Bulma had emitted. His eyes widened at the sound of chuckling. Is that Vegeta? No way...

"Fighting dirty...I always liked that in a woman..."

Girlish giggling.

"Vegeta... stop it... go in the parlor."

"Humph, fine, we'll finish this later."

That almost sounded like a threat.

"We'll see," Bulma laughed.

Footsteps running away.

17 jumped as the door slammed open and cursed himself for it, he had been expecting Vegeta.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the sight of the android.

"Oh, this family." Vegeta let his lips quirk on one side. "I've been expecting you."

**

Ava was chanting to herself in her native language. She was grinding the bones of the fish and deer into a fine dust with her hands. The dust was then massaged into the meat for seasoning. The organs of the animals met a similar fate, they became the sauce.

Ava picked up a sharp rock and ran it over the skin of her arm. She never stopped chanting.

"I am yours body and mind," Ava cut into her forearm and let her blood drip into the meat.

The blood was a symbolic offering of her to him, that he would accept her as a strong mate. When he ate, it would affirm her small claim.

"Soon, you will own my soul," she closed her eyes as she absently wrapped her arm with a piece of cloth. "And if I have my way, I will own you as well. I will not share you with another, like you, I will own you body, mind, and soul."

She would let the meat marinate in it's juices in the stone bowl she had made, keeping a ki shield on it so nothing could enter to spoil the meat. When the time came she would simply heat the bowl, add the vegetation, and voila, stew.

She sighed contentedly, she was always happy when she could complete traditions from her planet.

Soon, she would have to prepare the other meat for consumption.

Soon, 17, we will be one and then we will be equal.

**

"What do you mean?" 17 looked at Vegeta warily as the saiyan at down opposite of him.

"Exactly what I said, Android, I was expecting you to come wondering looking for advise."

17 bit the inside of his cheek. "No, I meant what do you mean about 'this family'". 17 covered smoothly, "I am not related to you thus, I am not your family."

Vegeta just smirked.

"You are bonded to my sister, thus, we ARE family."

17 blinked.

"Bonded?"

Vegeta leaned back in his chair.

"Tell me, Android, what is my sister doing at this moment."

17 lifted a brow. "How should I know?"

Vegeta's smirk took an almost evil tint to it.

"Think about it."

17 rolled his eyes.

"I'm not psychic, Vegeta, as you point it out so frequently, I am an android. How am I to know she's cooking this moment, for all I know, she's preparing a feast..." Blink, blink, "That's what she's doing... but... This is illogical... There is no possible way I could know that..." 17 trailed off, he could almost see her, cutting meat, biting her lip...

The sound of laughter snapped 17 out of his trance.

"It is as I thought," Vegeta leaned forward and raised a lazy arm, pointing it at 17, "I have something for you..."

17 leaned away from Vegeta as the saiyan's fingertips almost brushed his forehead.

"What is it?"

"You will see soon enough," Vegeta shot forward grabbing 17's head with both hands, "We could have done this the easy way but now it's too late!"

17 flinched and went completely still as his eyes grew wide. His ability to see seemed to bleed away into nothing.

"Don't panic!" Vegeta's gruff voice penetrated the darkness.

17 swallowed and forced himself to relax. Vegeta wouldn't kill him, he's family, right?

A dim light appeared in the distance and grew brighter... it was a campfire, though it wasn't the fire that caught 17's attention.

Ava stood three feet away for the flames, and she was dressed like Vegeta when he goes into battle, gloves and all.

She gazed into his eyes piercingly while she slowly pealed off her gloves, revealing small delicate hands, you would never know that they had the ability to punch through steel. She toed off her gold tipped boots and pulled the chest plate over her head, inadvertently twisting, drawing 17's eyes to her curves as she set the chest plate on the ground. Her tail swished around her absently.

17 swallowed as she started peeling off her skin-tight body suit, revealing a black tube top with matching shorts, his heartbeat became unnaturally loud in his ears.

17 couldn't swallow anymore, his throat was dry. Her head dropped and her hips started to move in time with his heat, which had started to pound.

She simply increased her tempo, her tail swirled around her hips almost tauntingly. The moonlight danced on her skin though the fire light managed to steal snatches, as if suggesting the deadly temper behind the beautiful facade that was soft and hard at the same time. The dance was meant to seduce and 17 found he was only a too willing victim.

All too soon it was over and the would faded in.

17 rubbed his eyes, somewhat dazed, as he looked up to see Vegeta nod in satisfaction.

"What happened? Where's Ava?" 17 demanded shakily.

"Calm yourself, she isn't here," Vegeta held 17 in his seat, "She danced that dance years ago."

17 shook his head slightly to clear it.

"If she danced it years ago then how did I see it just now?"

"Just a bit a revenge on her, Android, but seeing your reaction has changed my mind about what I'm going to do with you."

17 looked at him wearily.

"Is that so? What are you going to do with me?"

"I'm going to help you." Vegeta frowned at him. "You have three days to prepare."

"Three? But I don't have three days! The full moon is tonight! I need help now!"

Vegeta lifted a brow.

"The full moon is in three days."

"It is?" 17 slumped when Vegeta nodded. "Damn it, 18! How dare you play with me!"

"The blond one lied to you?" Vegeta inquired, though he already know the answer, as he shook his head. "Sisters are evil things."

**

Ava lifted her head in alarm, the forest was quiet. She used her ki to sterilize her hands from the animal matter as she inched slowly to the entrance of her home and into her ninja outfit that she had took a few years back.

The animals had long accepted her presence as the silence could only mean one thing; an intruder.

She eased silently out of her cave and scented the air. Odd, she could smell the sea. She let a feral grin cross her face, she was going hunting. Ava had no way of knowing that she wasn't the only one who was hunting someone.

**

"Yours too?" 17 gave Vegeta a tired smile.

"Hn," was Vegeta's only reply.

"She had me going," 17 allowed himself to collapse back into his chair. "What do I have to do?"

Vegeta smirked suddenly. "You have to beat me."

**

There you are... Ava smiled in delight as she spotted a hooded figure walking through her forest. This person was no taller than she and appeared to be looking for something...

Ava tightened her mask before silently dropping on the figure, intending to give the meddling human the scare of it's life. She gasped as the person retaliated bringing her to the ground as well. They fought and rolled, both trying to gain dominance in a tangle of arms and legs. The simple scare tactic and turned into a desperate struggle for life.

Ava managed to regain control, fisting her hand in her opponents hair, and smashing it into a rock. Once, twice... Ava sighed as the person stopped struggling. She moved the hood to see the person who was either dead or unconscious, only to reveal blond hair...

**

"Excuse me?" 17 shifted uncomfortably.

"Do not misunderstand me, Android, you have already proven your physical ability when you defeated Ava, now, you must prove your wits."

17 stood up defensively.

"Why, must I? I don't have to do anything."

Vegeta calmly raised a brow.

"You must do this, if you want to receive the prize."

"Ava?" 17 frowned.

"No," Vegeta hid his smile as 17 barely restrained himself from stomping in frustration, "her heart."

**

Ava studied the female curiously. She seemed to be alive, a worthy adversary for a saiyan, and strong as well. Ava cocked her head to the side, the female was familiar, and carried the scent of 17...

Ava frowned. Who is this?

Flashback. "I only saw him briefly, it was his sister that I fought." End Flashback.

Sister? Ava studied the yellow female with interest. Yes, I can see the resemblance... but why is she wandering around my home?

Ava shrugged indifferently, she would find out soon enough. She hoisted the yellow female onto her shoulders and started home.

At least I gave her a proper saiyan welcome. Ava laughed.

**

"Her heart?!" 17 looked at him with astonishment, "I can get that on my own."

"Not in the way I mean," Vegeta chuckled as 17 shot him a dirt look.

"Look Vegeta, I am tired of your saiyan double talk..." 17 trailed off uncertainly as a look of pure horror crossed Vegeta's face before the saiyan could control it.

17 felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as he turned slowly to see what could scare the steely saiyan and was met with a pair of eyes as blue as his own.

"Oh my, who is this handsome young man?" A high pitched giggle. "I'm Mrs. Briefs."