Vegeta was quite impressed with his Great Grandchildren, although he wasn't about to say so. They were both quite strong willed, and the boy definitely carried a touch of Vegeta's arrogance.
His Great Grandson, Hanes Briefs, was a bit sassy, but Vegeta liked that. The boy was not quite the spitting image of Vegeta in the face, but it was close. In many respects, Hanes reminded Vegeta of himself at that age.
Lindera Briefs, his Great Granddaughter seemed to be a bit shy, but she did like to spar, and she didn't take any guff from her brother. Vegeta liked that as well. She had a quieter, laid back manner about herself, seemed more secure and confident than Hanes. It was Lindera that got the first punch on Vegeta. Naturally Vegeta was powered down low to spar with the kids. She was a thinker while Hanes was a feeler. Not that fighting by your feelings is necessarily a bad thing, but the boy would have to develop more discipline in order to be a great warrior. Lindera, on the other hand, seemed to already possess all the tools she needed.
They had sparred for a bit when Vegeta remembered he had to talk to Tien.
"I got to go for a bit. You brats keep yourself busy for awhile." Vegeta smirked.
"You know, that brat thing is really getting on my nerves." Hanes said.
"Tough, brat." Vegeta smirked.
Hanes just smirked right back.
Vegeta stopped again as he felt Goku popping around the cosmos. "What the hell is he up to?" Vegeta thought. He dismissed it after a few seconds. "Probably looking for some mischief to get into." Vegeta smirked.
"Was that dad?" Goten asked.
"I think it was." Trunks answered.
"You'd think he'd at least pop in to say hello or something!" Goten said.
"You know your dad, he's probably trying to save the universe again or something." Trunks smiled. "He gets kind of obsessed."
Goten smiled as well. "True."
Vegeta felt Hanes's ki slip around behind him, then teleported away as the boy attacked with a kick.
"I AM NOT A BRAAATT! Huh? Where'd he go?" Hanes said perplexed frantically looking around.
Trunks, Trunks Jr., and Goten only smiled at the boy.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Roger landed in his parent's back yard. He had kept his promise to his mother to visit once a year with Yambia and Gerald, usually at Christmas time, so this should be a pleasant surprise to his parents. Gerald looked around at his favorite childhood play area and smiled. The old garage had been expanded and renovated, and it now bore a huge sign that said, "16's Workshop". Other than that, it was fundamentally unchanged since the day he was born.
His mother insisted that the swing-set, sandbox, and the monkey bars remain so her Grandson had something to play on when they came to visit. Roger didn't have the heart to tell her that Gerald has really never been interested in such things.
Roger suddenly sensed a huge ki appear. "That's Goku. What is he doing?" Roger thought.
No sooner than he finished the thought that Goku disappeared again. "What a wild man!" Roger thought.
"Son?" A voice came from behind him.
Gerald turned to see his father, or rather part of his father. 16 was standing between Roger and Gerald Sr. In what could only be described as a protective position.
"It's okay 16, it's just me." Roger smiled.
16 smiled back and stepped to the side. "Sorry Roger, my sensors allow me to detect the level of one's ki, but not the specific frequency like you can sense. We didn't know if it was a friend or not."
"Sure, I understand." Roger said. "I really appreciate you taking care of things around here."
"Me and the big guy here are good friends. You should see the people in town! They've pretty much adopted 16!" Gerald exclaimed as he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial tone. "He even has a girlfriend."
"16! You dog!" Roger chucked the android on the shoulder.
If it was possible for an android to be embarrassed, 16 certainly looked uncomfortable.
"Betty's not really my girlfriend, we went out dancing last Friday. We enjoyed each other's company." 16 said shifting uncomfortably from foot-to-foot.
"Where did you meet?" Roger asked genuinely curious.
"Your father entered me in what the humans call a "Bench Press" contest down at the gym." 16 said.
"16! We don't really need to go into all that. How are things on Vegetasei, Roger?" Gerald looked uncomfortable.
"Hold on a minute dad, I want to hear more! Go ahead 16." Roger said, as his father looked sheepish.
"I was number six to compete. The guy ahead of me pressed 425 lbs., so I put 1,000 lbs. On my bar." 16 said. "I wasn't sure why, but everyone started passing money back and forth and whispering."
"They were betting." Roger said. "Please continue."
"I lay down on the bench and prepared to lift like I seen the others do. Gerald said I should act like I was straining. That's when Betty came up and asked me if I needed a spotter." 16 said.
Gerald smiled. "16 asked her what she intended to spot for him."
Roger chuckled. "Go on 16."
"She put her hand under the bar and her hand brushed mine. It felt... electric. I don't know how to describe it." 16 said.
"It was probably static electricity." Gerald smiled.
"Shut up dad! Go on 16." Roger chuckled.
"Anyway, I forgot to act like it was hard and lifted the weight, which seemed to elicit a response from Betty." 16 said.
"The woman squealed like a 14 year old." Gerald said.
"Yes, she squealed. After the competition, she asked me to a coffee shop and we talked. Then last Friday we went to what she called a dance." 16 said.
"How did you do? Can you dance?" Roger asked.
"Yes. Apparently Dr. Gero programmed numerous dance steps into my core memory banks." 16 said.
"Well, that sounds romantic." Roger said. "Tell me 16, was there any prize money involved in the bench press contest?"
"Yes, it was 1,000,000 Zeni. Your father and I split the money." 16 said.
Roger shot a quick scowl at his father. Gerald looked away and shuffled his foot.
Roger felt something behind him. Not ki exactly, but a sudden warmth, a feeling of security, and protection, and love.
"Hello mother." Roger said without turning around.
"I could never sneak up on you Roger, not even when you were a boy. You always knew where I was." Mimi said.
Roger smiled and embraced his mother. Roger wondered if his not being around was hard on his parents. Somehow, Mimi sensed what Roger was thinking.
"Roger, children have to make their own way in the world, or in your case the universe." Mimi smiled and motioned towards 16. "Besides, with this big lug hanging around, we really are well cared for."
"I know mom, but sometimes I wonder if I should be here for you." Roger smiled wanly.
"Pish-Posh boy. We are your parents, it was our job to show you the world, and when the time came, it was our job to step back and let you live in it." Gerald looked at his son hard for several seconds. "Why so glum, chum?"
"Am I so obvious?" Roger said.
"Clear as glass boy." Gerald smiled.
"Promise not to freak out, okay?" Roger said as he started telling his parents about recent events, and his terrible decision.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A bare instant after Vegeta teleported to see Tien, Gerald Jr. and Jessica blinked into existence in front of where Vegeta had just been. Gerald found himself with a chest full of five-year-old child that looked very familiar. Confused, Hanes punched an unprepared Gerald in the jaw knocking him back several yards.
Pissed off and in pain, Gerald Jr. started powering up.
"Whoa there, Gerald!" Trunks placed his body between the boys as Gerald Jr. passed Super Saiyan Level 2.
"Gerald! Power down! It was an accident!" Jessica screamed.
Lightening sparked all around Gerald's body. Super Saiyan Level 3. The Earth started to shake.
Hanes couldn't believe the power he was feeling from a boy not that much older than he was.
Suddenly Gerald's power level started to decrease. He returned to his normal form.
"Sorry." Gerald said sheepishly. "I really have this thing about being taken by surprise like that"
"Did you feel that?" Trunks telepathically spoke to Goten.
"Yes! It was Super Saiyan Three, but far deeper down it was like he was holding the bulk of his power back!" Goten responded.
"He was working harder holding his power back than he was working to go Super Saiyan 3!" Trunks exclaimed.
"Totally amazing!" Goten said.
"Fortunately he controlled his anger." Trunks sounded relieved.
Trunks Jr. was equally as shocked. He looked around to make sure the twins were all right only to find them in back of him.
"What are you rascals doing back there?" Trunks Jr. teased his children. "You're not scared are you?"
"Humph!" Hanes grunted as he took the classic Vegeta stance.
"I've never felt anything like that!" Lindera exclaimed.
"Well, you've just never seen me go Super Saiyan 5, have you?" Trunks Jr. said.
"No, we haven't!" Lindera exclaimed.
Hanes was dying to see the transformation, but his hurt pride would not allow him to show that much interest. Although he would rather die than admit it, Gerald had just scared the hell out of him.
"By the way, why are you two here?" Trunks asked Gerald and Jessica.
"Oh! I almost forgot! We came to see Vegeta." Jessica said. "I was umm... well, I was kind of probing the minds of the people around here and one of the people that Vegeta arrived here with is totally insane."
"Really?" Goten said.
"Dangerously insane?" Trunks asked.
"Definitely. The mind I probed was a living, continual nightmare! I will know which one if I get close to them. I believe they are planning something very drastic." Jessica said.
"How drastic could it be? I sensed all of the Kladeshian's ki levels, and not a one of them could even offer us a meager fight. Why worry?" Trunks said.
"I don't know, I just have a bad feeling about it." Jessica said.
One thing that Trunks knew about Jessica, when she says she has a bad feeling about something, it usually spells trouble.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vegeta cursed under his breath. "That little brat is going to be in so much trouble after I've talked to old three eyes! What the hell was he trying to do? Tear the planet apart?"
Vegeta had materialized outside Tien's door just seconds before. He now stood there trying to think about what to say. He knew he wasn't exactly on Tien's list of all time best friends. People tend to hold a grudge when you kill them.
"Oh for Kami's sake Vegeta! Stop lurking outside my door and come in if you have something to say!" Tien yelled through the door.
Being able to sense ki levels in others is a great thing, but living among people that can also sense ki can be a real pain sometimes. Vegeta thrust the door open.
"The King of all the Saiyans doesn't 'lurk', baldy!" Vegeta yelled.
Tien looked at Vegeta and a slow smile appeared, then a soft chuckle, then a full out laugh.
What are you laughing at?" Vegeta asked.
Tien controlled his laughter. "You know, I hadn't realized it until just now, but I think I've actually missed you!"
Vegeta smirked. "Don't tell me you're going to get all mushy on me?"
"No, nothing like that. But I don't think I hate you anymore. Somewhere along the line, I actually started to respect you. I didn't realize it until just this moment." Tien said.
Vegeta bit back a bit of pride. "Well, for what it may be worth, the day we first met and you fought with Nappa I had a great deal of respect for you as a warrior. You fought Nappa head on and he beat the shit out of you, but you kept coming, he blasted your arm off and you still almost killed him. I was quite impressed."
Tien looked at Vegeta to see if he was serious. "Thanks Vegeta, coming from you that means a lot."
"Okay, that's enough of that. Let me say what I came here to say before we start hugging or something equally as disgusting. The people that we came here with want to talk to you. The one named Korlos is anxious to speak to you about being their king. He asked me to set up an audience with you." Vegeta blurted out.
"Okay, that's better than pacing the floor thinking about it." Tien said. "Set it up for whatever time and place is convenient. It's not like I have a full schedule at the moment."
"You got it." Vegeta turned to leave.
"Vegeta wait!" Tien blurted out.
"What is it?" Vegeta turned back.
"Being a king, what's it like?" Tien asked sincerely.
"Sometimes it's good, often it sucks." Vegeta said. "You're not your own person anymore. Much of your day is spent in mind numbing meetings. You watch as others go off to fight while you have to attend to the affairs of state. Then there's the occasional assassin trying to kill you. On the other hand, I've found that there is great satisfaction in watching my people grow and prosper and knowing that I had a hand in that. People respect you, and look to you for leadership. There's times you love it, and times you hate it beyond words."
"Assassin?" Tien looked curious.
"Long story. I'll tell you about it when this situation is taken care of." Vegeta said.
"Do you think I'm king material?" Tien asked.
"Truth?" Vegeta asked.
"Yes." Tien said.
"I think a person can do whatever it is that they put their mind to do. I think that if you really want it, you would be a great king. So the question becomes whether or not you really want it. My opinion is that you are not the type of person that would really want that sort of life." Vegeta said honestly.
"Did you really want it?" Tien asked.
Vegeta thought for a moment. "At one time I wanted it badly. I once believed that if I were powerful enough to rule the universe, all my problems would be gone. My every thought and action was to that end. Now I find that the one-day of the week I really look forward to is spent with a man who I once despised for standing in the way of that plan. Some people go fishing, I go fighting."
Tien knew right away who that man was.
"One more thing." Tien started. "If being a King is so time consuming, why are you here and not on Vegetasei?" Tien asked.
Vegeta paused for a moment. "Because my mate told me to go."
Vegeta smirked.
Tien waited until the door was closed before laughing.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Roger phased into Capsule Corporation's kitchen with his father and 16 in tow. Gerald Jr., Goten, Trunks, Trunks Jr., Jessica and the twins were busy pigging out
"Gerald!" Roger addressed his son. "What were you doing earlier?"
Roger had been talking to his mother when he felt Gerald's ki spike upwards rapidly. Roger gave a hasty explanation and started to use instant transmission to reach Gerald. His father stopped him and insisted on coming along. Once Roger's father was going, 16 insisted on accompanying them as well.
"Sorry dad, I lost my temper a bit I guess." Gerald said looking very contrite.
"Jessica, would you and Gerald take your dinner and go play video games or something?" Roger asked.
"Hanes and Lindera, you go with them." Trunks Jr. said.
"Sure Uncle Roger." Jessica said.
"Yes dad." The twins answered in unison.
"Oh, and Jessica, no reading minds, okay?" Roger winked.
Jessica got a sour look. "Oh... alright!"
Once the youths were safely out of earshot.
"Did everyone feel what I felt?" Roger asked.
"Yes. I've only felt power like that one other time." Trunks said. "That's when you and dad fused when you were already fused with Piccolo."
"The Ultimate Saiyan you called yourself." Goten said.
"Not even we, fused as Gotenks can generate that much energy." Trunks said. "Especially now."
"Especially now?" Roger asked.
"We aren't exactly spring chickens anymore Roger. Our power is starting to diminish." Trunks said.
"I see." Roger said. "What worries me the most is the temper. He lost it for a few minutes on the planet Felonious and went Super Saiyan 4."
"The brat has always been like that, since the day he was born." Vegeta said as he walked into the room.
"True." Roger said flatly as he recalls Yambia's telling him of the events of that day. "If it weren't for you and Goku, the hospital would have probably been blown to the ground."
"The boy went Super Saiyan 2 on the day he was born. You didn't expect him to get weaker after that, did you?" Vegeta queried.
"Truthfully, I didn't know what to expect." Roger said. "What is that latent power he is suppressing?"
"Kakkarot said it is the combined power of the two Mystic level Saiyans that spawned him." Vegeta smirked. "He's suppressing it because he's not sure if he can control it. Frankly, if he had not suppressed it earlier, I doubt we would be having this conversation."
"The mystic powers!" Roger mentally kicked himself in the rear for not thinking of that himself. "He's purposefully blocking them because he doesn't know how to control them!"
"Vegeta, what if you and I fused and took him to the nexus where you and Goku spar?" Roger asked.
"I hate to fuse!" Vegeta spit out between bites of sandwich.
"I know, but it might be the only way we can survive if he lets loose." Roger observed.
"Can you go Super Saiyan Five?" Vegeta asked.
"I think so, I went Super Saiyan Four on Felonious without tapping into my own mystic power, I think I can do it." Roger said.
Vegeta thought for a long moment. "All right, we'll do it. But I think it's extremely dangerous. At that power level, anything can happen"
"Isn't it better to find out in the nexus than to have it happen on Earth, or Vegetasei?" Roger said.
"That's the only reason I agreed. Let's go get this over with." Vegeta stood up and let Roger lead the way to his son.
