"Vegeta..." she gasped. She turned to look at him. "This place is beautiful!"
"Uh.... I thought you'd like it." Vegeta mumbled. Actually, Silvia had told him she'd like it. It was where they'd come earlier that day. Silvia had given the manager a bit of cash to "help" him forget Vegeta's face. Just so nobody would screw it up for him. Leela would never know about Vegeta's meeting with her sister.
"Good evening," a waiter greeted them. "May I take your names, please?"
"Yeah - uh - Mioka." Vegeta answered.
"My surname?" Leela said.
"Well, saiyans don't have surnames. So when I booked I used yours." Vegeta told her. Actually, he was only using it because if he said "Briefs" she'd figure out that he was already married.
"Oh yeah, I think I remember you telling me the last time we met..." Leela mumbled.
"Ah, here it is." the waiter found their names on the sheet of paper he carried with him. He smiled at them. "Right this way, please."
~~~~~
Bulma knocked on the gravity room door. There was no answer.
"Funny. He said he was going to train..." maybe he just hadn't heard. She opened the door a little, and looked inside. Huh? She opened the door all the way and entered the room. The gravity was off - and he wasn't there!
"Vegeta?" she left the room. "Vegeta!" she called.
"Mom?" Bulma turned her heard to see Bra standing there.
"Bra, have you seen your father?" Bulma asked.
"I thought he went to train. Isn't he in the gravity chamber?" Bra replied.
"No." Bulma shook her head. "That's what I thought..."
"Maybe he's just gone out." Bra shrugged.
"Yeah... maybe..." Bulma mumbled. "I'm gonna go look for him. Stay here."
~~~~~
Vegeta ate his food carefully, remembering everything Silvia had told him about table manners. Although he really didn't think he needed them. Leela didn't seem to mind either way.
"Vegeta," Vegeta looked at her instantly.
"Yeah - Yes?" he asked.
"What made you want to come out with me?" Leela questioned.
"Your sister." Vegeta muttered.
"Huh?"
"Um... I mean... I don't really know." Vegeta shrugged. "Just to catch up on things, I guess. And..." he tried to think of something nice to say. "Er... I heard you're kinda upset about Frieza. I suppose I wanted to cheer you up a little."
"Ah, Vegeta..." Leela smiled. "That's so thoughtful of you. I used to think you were just some proud prince that wouldn't even think of doing something like this for a girl like me. I guess I was wrong, right?"
"Yeah... sure... heh heh ^_^" Vegeta mumbled.
"VEGETA?!" a familiar voice almost made Vegeta's heart stop. He turned to look at her.
"Bulma?!"
~~~~~
Maple gazed at him.
"Piccolo..." she whispered. "I..."
"Huh?" Piccolo noticed the look of surprise on her face. He reddened with embarrassment. "Oh... you're not THAT serious? Geez.... I guess I misunderstood Silvia..." his face went redder with every word. Maple giggled.
"No, baka!" she smirked. "I'm just shocked, that's all. I was the one that didn't think you were serious about me."
"Hm?" Piccolo looked at her. "You mean...?"
"Hai, Piccolo!" Maple beamed. Piccolo jumped a little with surprise as she suddenly shot forward and hugged him. He stared at her. She leaned against him, her arms wrapped tightly around him and her eyes were closed.
".... Heh..." he gave a small smile, and wrapped his arms around her. He closed his eyes, and stayed like that.
"... Let's never be apart, okay?" Maple said.
"But..." Piccolo looked at her. Maple lifted her head up to address him.
"What?" she asked innocently.
"Won't you have to go back home someday? Soon?" Piccolo replied.
"... Yeah..." Maple mumbled, sitting up. She resumed her previous sitting position, with her legs hanging over the cliff edge. Piccolo did the same. Maple stared down at the beach as she spoke.
"But... it doesn't matter if I have to go home." she told him. "Because even if we live apart, I still want to see you." she turned her head and looked at him. "And if you can't visit me, then I'll come to Earth to visit you. We'll sort something out."
".... Yeah." Piccolo nodded. "Okay."
"And I'll write to you or something to tell you when I'm coming over."
"And I'll do the same." Piccolo agreed. Maple smiled, and leaned against him. Piccolo blushed, and put his arm around her. A small smile on his face.
"God, never let this night end..."
~~~~~
"Er... hi Bulma ^_^" Vegeta greeted her. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, SORRY!" Bulma yelled. "I guess I've ruined you evening!! What the HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!?!"
"Listen, just give me a minute to -"
"Vegeta, who's this?" Leela asked innocently.
"Oh, so I see he's been lying to BOTH of us!" Bulma snapped. "I guess he didn't happen to mention that I was his WIFE!!"
"No, he didn't..." Leela looked at Vegeta. "Is this true?"
"I -"
"Oh, it's true!" Bulma swore. "Not only have we been married for over twenty years, we also have two children! I guess he didn't tell you that, either!!"
"Vegeta! You - -" Leela stood up, glaring at him. "I can't believe you would do this to me - us!"
"Leela, will you just -"
"How can you cheat on your wife like this?!" Leela cut him off. "And not even tell the person you're cheating WITH!!"
"Dammit, woman, will you just LISTEN!!" Vegeta protested.
"Never!" Leela shouted. "You haven't changed at all!! Only now, you're WORSE! At least when you were a kid you dumped the old one before getting someone new!!"
"Oh, so he's done this before, as he?!" Bulma glared at Vegeta. "Why, you slimy -"
"Bulma, just -"
"DON'T come near me!!" Bulma threatened. "I NEVER want to see you again! You can forget about sleeping at Capsule Corps tonight!" she stormed out, followed by Leela.
"But - " Vegeta protested. He kicked the floor. "FUCK!"
"Er..." the waiter approached him. "This probably wouldn't be the best time to say this, but... here's the bill."
"...." Vegeta stared at him. "Get bent -_-" he stormed out.
"Yeesh! Temper!" the waiter remarked.
~~~~~
Leela slammed the door behind her when she entered the ship.
"Leela?" Silvia came out of the bathroom. "You're a little early, aren't you?"
"That TWO - TIMER!!" Leela yelled, sitting down angrily. She looked at Silvia. "D'you know what? He's only married!!"
"Uh - oh..." Silvia thought. She tried to look shocked. "No!" she gasped.
"Yep! And he's got TWO kids!"
"What is he playing at?!" Silvia both said and thought, each with different meanings.
There was a knock on the door.
"I'll get it." Silvia said.
"It's probably Maple." Leela guessed. Silvia answered the door.
"Silvia!" Vegeta growled.
"VEGETA?!" Leela stood up angrily. "You have SUCH a nerve coming here!"
"SILVIA!!" Vegeta snapped.
"Uh - one second, sis." Silvia said to Leela. She went outside, closing the door behind her. Leela's jaw dropped.
"Silvia!"
~
Vegeta glared at Silvia.
"YOU -"
"Wait, before you start blaming me, don't." Silvia held up her hand.
"Why the fuck not?!?! This is all your fault!!" Vegeta protested. "Thanks to you, my wife has THROWN ME OUT!!!"
"Well I don't know why you're blaming ME." Silvia replied calmly. "If you'd thought of a better excuse for going out, your wife would never have gone looking for you."
"Don't you DARE try to blame me for this!!" Vegeta yelled. "This was YOUR stupid idea! I only went along with it because you threatened to kill my family!!"
"Hey, I was just trying to help my sister!" Silvia frowned. She sighed. "I knew I should've gone with Goku... it's just like you to screw up..."
"YOU -"
"Okay, calm down." Silvia sighed. "Look, just take me home with you. I'll explain to your wife what happened."
"Well, duh! I'm not taking responsibility!! YOU go round there RIGHT NOW and tell her it was YOUR fault!!" Vegeta ordered.
"Okay, okay. Keep your temper." Silvia said. She gasped. "Oh, wait a minute!" she ran inside the ship. Vegeta waited impatiently. It only took a few seconds before he saw Silvia come back out with Leela.
"Silvia - where are you taking me?" Leela demanded.
"Well, I guess I'm gonna have to explain to you as well so I might as well kill two birds with one stone." Silvia replied. "Just come with us to Capsule Corps."
"With HIM?!" Leela glared at Vegeta. "No way!!"
"Leela, just COME!"
"Arrrrgh!!"
~~~~~
Bulma answered the door. She glared at Vegeta.
"Oh, it's you. What do YOU want?!" she growled.
"Bulma -"
"Hey, sugar." Silvia greeted her. Bulma looked at her.
"And just who are YOU? Another one of Vegeta's secret girlfriends?"
"I don't HAVE any secret girlfriends!!" Vegeta protested. "Bulma, just let her explain!"
"Why should I?" Bulma challenged.
"Bulma, let's just hear him out. If Silvia's involved then this must be more complicated than it seems." Leela said.
"She's right, honey." Silvia put it. "Come on, it won't kill you. Just give me five minutes. Hm?"
"....." Bulma sighed, and stepped to the side. "...Alright... come in... - but just five minutes!"
"You're too kind." Silvia stepped inside, followed by Leela and Vegeta.
~
"So," Bulma sat down on the armchair, opposite Silvia and Vegeta. Leela sat on the same side as Bulma.
"Are you gonna explain?" Bulma said.
"Listen, I am NOT seeing any of these women!" Vegeta told her. "I swear on my life I'm not!"
"It's true. He's not." Silvia confirmed.
"This is all Silvia's doing!" Vegeta protested.
"-_- Thanks, Vegeta. Why don't you let me handle it?" Silvia looked at him sideways.
"Hmph!" Vegeta frowned. Silvia looked at Leela.
"Listen, sis, I only did this for you -"
"- And I only did this for you, Bulma!!" Vegeta insisted.
"Vegeta!" Silvia scolded. "Will you just shut up?"
"Silvia, what's going on?" Leela asked.
"Okay," Silvia began. "Basically, Leela, I couldn't stand seeing you so upset. I thought you needed a little cheering up. So, I thought it'd be nice for you to go on a date with a prince."
"And you agreed?!" Bulma yelled at Vegeta.
"No!!" Vegeta protested.
"Calm down, it's not like I had him jumping through hoops." Silvia said. "Actually, he refused. I just threatened to kill him and his family if he didn't." she looked at Leela. "I agreed that we'd leave him alone if he went out with you."
"WHAT?!?!" Leela shouted. She stood up and advanced towards Silvia. "You set me up with a MARRIED MAN?!?!"
"H - Honestly, sis, I just wanted to cheer you up!!" Silvia stood up, leaning backwards with her hands up in a "don't shoot" sign. "I couldn't stand seeing you so upset! You have to believe that!"
"Silvia - - You - -" Leela choked out. "........ Ah, baka!!" she snapped. She sighed, and fell to her knees. "Why did you have to do that...? I know you only did it to cheer me up, but..."
"Okay, so maybe it was a dumb idea," Silvia admitted. "But hey, it was the best I could do ^_^"
".... Hm." Leela cracked a small smile. "Heh heh." she looked up at Silvia. "Oh, big sister, I guess I have to forgive you because you only did it because you care for me." she shook her head. "But you still shouldn't have."
"And I've learned my lesson, I promise." Silvia insisted. She held out her hand. "Friends?"
"... Heh. Yeah." Leela shook her hand. "Friends."
"Good. Now get up off the floor." Silvia smirked.
"Heh. I guess I'd better ^_^" Leela stood up.
"Great -_-" Vegeta said sarcastically. He looked at Bulma. "But what about us two?"
"Vegeta..."
"Come on! It's not like I WANTED to go out with her!! - Er..." he looked at Leela, afraid of how she'd react. "Not that there's anything wrong with you or anything..."
"I understand." Leela smirked.
"Bulma!!" Vegeta turned back to his wife. "She threatened to kill us!!"
"..... Vegeta..." Bulma sighed. "I guess you only did it to protect me and the kids..." she mumbled. "Okay, I forgive you - but you're still on the couch tonight!"
"Huh?!"
"^_^" Bulma smirked.
"Well, if you two are alright, I guess we'll be going ^_^" Silvia waved.
"No hard feelings. Okay, Vegeta?" Leela asked.
"Uh - yeah. Sure." Vegeta replied. Leela looked at his wife.
"Bulma?"
"I guess not." Bulma gave in.
"Nice to have met you ~*~" Leela smiled.
"Yeah... you too."
"Come alone, baby sister." Silvia took Leela's arm, and pulled her towards the doorway. She waved at Bulma and Vegeta. "Bye bye now!"
~~~~~
"Piccolo..." Maple smiled.
"Mm?" Piccolo purred.
"Nothing..." Maple said. She looked at him. "I just... like being here with you..."
".... Me too..." Piccolo replied. He lifted her chin up, and kissed her. Maple smiled as he did. Piccolo slowly pulled away, and stared into her eyes. So... this was what it was like? No wonder Goku and Vegeta had stuck with their wives for so long. If they felt like this, then.... they'd want to stay forever. There were so many more things he wanted to tell Maple right now. But decided not to. After all, tomorrow was always another day. He could always tell her some other time. For now, he'd just stay here with her.
"Come here..." he whispered. They kissed again. Maple wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him.
"Piccolo..." she said softly.
"Mm?" Piccolo looked at her. "What is it?"
".... Have you ever... wanted a family?" Maple asked.
"A family?" Piccolo repeated.
"Yeah. A child?" Maple said.
"... Well to be honest I haven't really given it much thought." Piccolo shrugged.
"Really?" Maple challenged. "Or are you just saying that? It's okay to want a kid, y'know." she told him. "So do you?"
"Well..."
"HEYA!!!"
"AAAAAAH!!" Maple and Piccolo both screamed in surprise as Silvia suddenly appeared next to them. She hovered in the air above the beach, with a big grin on her face.
"Awww, how sweet. A romantic talk under the moon. But hey, you missed out the candles." she said.
"SILVIA!!!" Maple yelled. "What are you DOING HERE?!?!"
"Sorry, Maple." Leela came up beside Silvia. "We were just passing when Silvia sensed you..."
"Hey, if you want to have a private talk with your boyfriend, you should hold back your ki." Silvia told Maple.
"Well I didn't think my big sister would come and spy on us!!" Maple protested.
"You make me sound like an ogre. I was just making sure you two were behaving yourselves." Silvia insisted. She looked at Maple. "Anyway, are you coming home soon?"
"Yes! In a minute!" Maple snapped.
"Geez, temper temper." Silvia said. She waved. "Later, sis - and Piccolo,"
"Huh?" Piccolo looked at her.
"Be careful with her." Silvia smirked. Piccolo went bright red.
"Silvia!!" Maple gasped in shock at what her sister had just said.
"Silvia, you're embarrassing them!" Leela scolded. "Come on!" she pulled at Silvia's arm.
"Ta - ta!" Silvia beamed at the nameks. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" she flew off.
"Er... see ya later, Maple." Leela said, and followed Silvia.
"See ya." Maple mumbled.
"Geez..." Piccolo's blush faded a little.
"Sorry about her. She's only joking." Maple told him. "She just likes to tease us."
"Ah, forget about it." Piccolo waved a hand.
He smirked. "Hey, she didn't mean it when she told me to be careful with you, did she?"
"I don't think so." Maple also smirked. She giggled as Piccolo kissed her neck. His lips made their way up to her lips and kissed them.
"Okay, stop it." Maple blushed, pushing him away.
"You're playing hard - to - get NOW?" Piccolo protested.
"Mm - hm." Maple nodded, still smirking. She stood up. "Just keeping you on your toes. I must get it off Silvia."
"Oh, whoopee. You're just like her." Piccolo said sarcastically. Maple chuckled.
"She's not that bad."
"Yeah, I know..." Piccolo admitted.
"Hm." Maple leaned over and kissed him. "Goodnight."
"'Night." Piccolo replied. Maple smiled, and flew off. Piccolo watched her leave, and lay down.
"Heh." he uttered, and smirked. "Goodnight, brat."