Chapter Sixteen


"Liar?" Ava tilted her head to the side curiously, "I am not lying. Prince Vegeta is notorious for his short temper."

"Why should it matter if he has a temper?" Dikon threw up his hands in disgust, "He is the strongest of your race, surely, he would demand you as his partner!"

"He didn't," a smile appeared on her face, "The idea made him sick, actually . . ."

"So he just let his brother sweep you off your feet after he went through all the trouble to save you," Dikon remarked sarcastically.

Ava lowered her lashes and decided it was time.

"Who ever said Prince Vegeta had a brother?"

Dikon could have been a statue after those words were spoken.

"What are you saying?"

A puzzled look crossed her face.

"I am saying nothing."

Dikon swallowed. He had no knowledge of saiyans or customs and he had the strangest feeling that was going to be his undoing but one thing was for sure . . . If Prince Vegeta was Blue's uncle then he had to be related to someone and if it wasn't the blue-eyed male . . .

"Are you saying he has a sister?" He whispered more to himself than to her.

"Who said he had a sister?" Came an innocent reply.

Dikon frowned.

"Why would Blue call Prince Vegeta uncle if he has no siblings?"

Ava tilted her head to the side, pretending to consider his question.

"We . . . are all family," she shrugged.

Dikon examined her words and seemingly innocent face carefully. She was telling the truth and lying in the same breathe but which was which?

Oh well, he thought, best not to dwell on past lovers. We should move on to future lovers!

"So we are both survivors of the Kold family," Dikon drummed his fingers on the back a chair.

"Correct," Ava nodded.

Why the sudden change of subject? Ava pondered silently.

"We are the last of our kind," Dikon smiled.

"Correct."

"Our species is unique in the universe."

"Correct."

"It is written in the stars for us to be together."

"Incorrect."

I see, Ava shook her head at his rather pathetic attempt at word games, amateur.

"Damn, I almost had you," Dikon sighed, "What is so great about Kakarot anyway?"

Dikon almost pouted at her stubbornness.

"Kakarot?" Her eyebrows shot up.

"Yes, your partner," green eyes shifted.

"He is not my mate," amusement colored her voice.

He almost was, Ava hid her smile, but Vegeta wouldn't allow that . . .

"You said Mr. Blue-eyes was your partner and you said the name Kakarot in the corridor back on Splavish, so don't bother to deny he is your mate," Dikon barred his teeth at her.

"He is and he is not." Ava adopted a rather bland expression.

"How is that possible?" Dikon narrowed his eyes. "Either he is or he is not."

"Correct."

"Alright," Dikon rubbed his temples, "Just give me a straight answer. Who is your partner?"

"He is 17."

"Kakarot is seventeen?"

"My mate?"

"Yes."

"Yes," Ava had to hold back her laughter as he nearly tore his own hair out.

"You're giving me a headache," Dikon grumbled, "I can't believe a word you say."

"Why?" Ava frowned to give him the impression that she was insulted by his words.

"Because you're lying."

"I am not."

"All right, Spike," Dikon shoved a cart of food in her reach, "You win, eat!"

"Spike?" Ava glanced at him as she started to satisfy her hunger.

"If you won't tell me your name then I will have to give you one. Your hair is extremely spiky thus the name Spike." Dikon shrugged.

"Hn."

**

"1.5 super saiyans?" Bardock blinked at the girl.

Vegeta sighed as the words reached his ears.

"She means an almost ascended super saiyan," Vegeta remarked dryly as he retook his seat.

"Ascended super saiyan? But- I- How do know how powerful a super saiyan is?" Bardock frowned, unaware of Sasoli climbing into his lap.

"Is it even possible for a super saiyan to ascend?"

"Let's make a long story short," Vegeta flicked his internal switch in his mind that would trigger his transformation, he didn't notice the androids stop their bickering to watch as well as listen.

"My lord," Bardock bowed before his blond prince, "You are king."

"Get up," Vegeta rumbled as he switched back, "It is not a rare thing nowadays."

"You mean . . ." Bardock tailed off disbelievingly.

"Yes, all of your blood had made the ascension as well as my own," Vegeta informed leaving out Bra," and Bardock, I am Prince Vegeta not King."

"But . . ." Recognition lighted in Bardock's dark eyes as he realized what had happened.

"Yes," came the resigned answer from the Prince.

Sasoli's gaze flicked back and forth between the two saiyans curiously, "I don't understand, Uncle Vegeta, what do you mean?"

"Kakarot transformed before I did," Vegeta patted her head, "I am not King."

"I didn't know Goku became a super saiyan first," 18 remarked lightly, drawing the saiyans' attention.

"Well, it makes sense doesn't it," 17 replied, "No wonder he's held a grudge against Goku for so long. He made Vegeta forfeit the crown, I'd be royally pissed too."

Vegeta's eyes darted to Bardock as these words were spoken. He had hoped the older saiyan would remain unaware of this particular part of his past.

Bardock felt a wry smile slid onto his face.

"I had a vision of you and my son fighting . . ." the smile turned sad, "I guess I had hoped you two were sparring."

Silence enveloped the room giving it a tomb like atmosphere, even Sasoli was quiet.

"I refuse to sing Kakarot's praises," Vegeta got to his feet in one smooth movement, "but that time has passed and the saiyans are reunited as one power though there is no hierarchy. I am Vegeta and you are Bardock."

Vegeta bowed for the first time in his life to another under his own free will. There are no titles in war and there should not be titles between friends. Though short the meaning of the bow was abundantly clear to all in the room.

"Your son is a warrior. Different from us in thought and alike in action. I can only . . ." Vegeta trailed off abruptly and turned to leave.

"He is," Bardock announced making Vegeta pause, "He would be a fool not to . . ."

Vegeta nodded and continued out of the main room.

18 turned to 17 as soon as the bedroom door clicked shut.

"Not to what?"

"Be proud," 17 frowned, "I am not sure who they were referring to though."

17 was actually a little surprised that he could understand so much of their unspoken lingo, life with Ava certainly had advantages.

18 tapped Bardock's shoulder.

"Who were you talking about?"

Bardock glanced up at her, she must have gotten over her fear of me.

"His father."

**

"We have a traitor in our midst, Goten," Trunks frowned as he lay on his bed.

"Who Trunks?" Goten winced, spankings didn't condone the act of sitting.

"I am not sure," Trunks paused thoughtfully, "Gohan isn't the type of person to do this sort of thing."

"My brother would never," Goten agreed.

Trunks eyes glittered suddenly as he sat up.

"That only leaves two people who are capable of this."

"Who?"

"Zarah and Bra."

**

Krillin peeked in the guest bedroom of Capsule Corp. to check on his only daughter.

She wasn't asleep. She sat in the middle of the bed playing with her doll they had packed for her.

"Hey sweetheart," Krillin stepped into the room.

"Hi daddy," she returned his smile, "Where's Mommy?"

"She went to go rescue Sasoli, remember?" Krillin sat down next to her.

"I remember," her blond head lowered for a moment when she lifted tearful blue eyes to her father, "Daddy?"

"Yes?" Krillin's heart nearly broke as her next words reached his ears.

"Would you rescue me if I was taken?" She climbed into his lap.

"Yes, of course, we would. Aunt Ava and Uncle 17 would die before they let you be taken," Krillin rocked her.

"Really?" she lifted her tiny face to his.

"Really," Krillin kissed her forehead, "That's what daddies are for."

End of Chapter Sixteen

AN: Sorry. Sick. School sucks. Sick.