CHAPTER 33 – Get Yours
The low ceiling ended and Vegeta's head disappeared as he stood tall. "Uh? Hahaha, Unbelievable!," then the rest of his body followed and he was gone.
Slow to react, Sen took a few steps forward and reached for Vegeta but it was too late. Sen's reflexes seemed to turn to jelly. The journey had taken its toll on her, leaving her completely spent. The warrior fell to her knees and stared at the wooden floor. She was afraid to close her eyes for fear of losing consciousness. Then the floor began to move and instantly she was basking in the light that swallowed Vegeta.
"FRONT and CENTER onna! We haven't got all day."
Sen looked up and as her eyes adjusted, found a smug Vegeta with arms crossed hovering above her. Behind him to huge eyes were peering over him. Shakily, she rose to her feet. That's when she heard a familiar voice.
"Eek! What have you done to her?!" Baba and her ball came into Sen's sight to hover next to the Prince.
Vegeta continued to watch Sen as he spoke. "Feh, look old hag, I had nothing to do with her present state." Then he smirked at the warrior and added. "Otherwise, Sen would be non-existent. The woman should never have gone to HFIL." The old teller nose wrinkled and she raised an eye brow at Vegeta then backed away from him. She couldn't decide what was more offensive, his mouth or his body odor.
A boisterous King Yama ordered. "That's enough! Now move aside." As he spoke, his gigantic hand reached into the desk drawer and gently scooped Sen up. She was too exhausted to object. "Reese! Get over here! NOW!"
The subordinate came running around the desk leg to the left of Yama's chair. He called up to his boss, "I'm here, sire."
King Yama smiled down at the battered half-saiyan. "Well done Sen. You put aside your animosity towards Vegeta to bring him back for a greater cause. Your effort has not gone unnoticed."
Vegeta's eyes went wide and he let out an incredulous, "What! You can't be serious?!" It was Vegeta that got her out, not the other way around. Baba gave him a look of warning along with a headshake, signaling not to start an argument. Vegeta glared at Baba then at Sen. Then he growled to himself and turned his back on them all.
King Yama ignored the outburst and lowered Sen into Reese's arms. "Reese, take Sen and Vegeta to the facilities and attend to their needs."
Reese struggled with the weight and Sen smiled weakly at him and whispered, "I can walk with a little help." Nodding, he let go of her legs and pulled her arm over his shoulder and his other arm went around her waste. They slowly made their way towards the side exit.
"Humph. I don't need your pitiful ministrations, I am perfectly fine."
The King glared at the Prince. "Get cleaned up, Vegeta. No one is going back to save Earth smelling like HFIL."
The shocked Vegeta dropped his fisted hands stiffly to his side. "Uh!" Then he relaxed and called over his shoulder, "Fine. We will speak when I return." He turned around to glare at Baba then to the King. "Alone."
"I will grant your request. Vegeta. Now follow Reese before I change my mind and send you back to where you came from."
Smirking, the Prince quietly replied, "That is the plan." He floated to the ground, turning as he did so and went out the side door.
Baba watched them leave and said in a low voice, "What that boy needs is a good spanking."
King Yama sat back in his chair and a small grin graced his bearded face. "Hmm, I'm afraid that one has proven to be immune to physical punishment."
"I suppose he'll never learn then. Without Goku to keep him at bay, there's no telling what he'll do."
"Oh, I don't know about that. After Goku's death, there was nothing between him and Universal domination. Yet, the Prince remained content on Earth all these years. Oh, I suppose Gohan might have given him a run for his money, but I'm not convinced that stopped him."
Both continued to blankly stare at the side exit. King Yama heard Baba sigh and glanced her way when she spoke, "Well, you would think the ingrate would have least learn a little humility from his trip to HFIL."
"Ha! Those Saiyans are a rare breed indeed. They are born warriors. It's imbedded in there nature to fight. From what I gathered, Vegeta's visit to HFIL was more like recreation." Yama returned his gaze to the exit and he scratched his beard. However, his 'would be' tribulation was not without some merit. Yes, there is a lot more there than meets the eye." The king sat-up and hit his hands on the armrests startling the old woman. "Well Baba! Why don't you keep an eye on Sen, while I deal with his majesty." Then he yelled to the workers behind him. "Wheres my pay per view, I want to know what's happening on Earth!"
When Vegeta came out on to the platform, he barely glanced at the others. Sen and Reese were in front of the first of the three doors. The ogre was looking for a way to remove her chest plate without causing further injury. The Prince walked past them a few meters and stood studying his surroundings. The platform they were on was smaller then the others floating near by. Unlike the others, it was furnished with benches and accented with various details. Obviously, a place for elites.
Sen glared at the Prince who seemed to be waiting for something. "It's no use Reese, I will just have to pull it up over my head. You better take care of his highness first."
"Oh, fiddle-faddle." Reese glanced over at Vegeta, then did a slight double take when he noticed the Prince tense up. "Well, alright Sen." He smiled and winked at her, "Don't go anywhere, ok?" She half smiled with a slight nod. Walking over to the Prince, Reese half bowed and swept his arm towards the last door on the left. "Right this way, sir." Vegeta recognized the universal symbol for male on the door and began to walk towards it. "Inside you'll find a sink, a lavatory, and a shower. Allow the water to bathe what ever ails you. If you need anything just holler. I will be just outside."
Both stopped and turned towards Sen when they heard things fall to the floor. Sen was trying to pull in one of her arms behind the chest plate to stretch it. Her belongings that she stored within, fell to the ground. The shiny grooming orb rolled away and to her dismay, was stopped by Vegeta's foot. Instead of crushing it, he bent down and picked it up. Standing again, he curiously rolled the orb over in his hand, examining it for life. Then it was concealed within his fist and Sen saw a corner of his mouth curve upwards.
Ignoring the pain it caused, Sen righted her armor and managed to walk over and face him with her hand out. "Thank you for returning it to me."
Vegeta ignored her for a moment then slowly reached his closed fist out to her open hand. Before letting it go he raised an eyebrow and his black eyes bore into hers. "I trust I will not look upon this device again." Sen answered with a short nod and he dropped the ball into her hand. Then Vegeta grabbed her wrist guard preventing her from retreating. His brow narrowed as his eyes swept over her chest. Sen refrained from slapping him. He felt her ki rising and his eyes returned to hers. "Your armor. What model number is it?"
"I don't know. It was my mother's."
"She served my father. Correct?"
"Yes."
Vegeta let go of Sen and removed one of his gloves; handing it to Reese. His eyes scanned her chest plate again and when he found what he was looking for, he reached over. Instinctively, Sen stepped back. "Onna. The first models were made by the weak for the weak. There is a hidden release button to allow medical personnel to remove the armor from injured soldiers." At first she hesitated, but then she allowed the Prince to proceed. Surprisingly gentle, he wedged two fingers behind the base of the right strap and pressed forward. Sen thought she heard a click but nothing happened.
Vegeta removed his fingers then brought them down to the rim of the plate on her right side and frowned. He hesitated and Sen looked to see what he was doing and realized her tail was in the way. "Oh, sorry." Blushing, she unwound her tail and Vegeta proceeded to worked his fingers up the side of the armor. Pressing again, another slight click was heard and instantly the front base of the right strap released and the right side plate retracted. Then guiding her left arm up, he gently pulled the plate away and handed it to Reese. Absently, Reese took the plate but his alarmed eyes remained fixed on Sen's chest. The Prince frowned at the ogre, grabbed his glove from him and emitted a low growl as he put his glove back on.
Baba came up behind Sen and gasped, "My Gods!" Startled, Vegeta glared at the old woman who wore the same look as Yama's lackey. It was then, his eyes returned to Sen to see what they were gawking at. Sen's left side was covered with a large circle of sticky coagulated blood. There were three rips in her jersey with what look like rib bone punched through. Removing the chest plate that had stabilized the injury caused a fresh dose of blood to stream down her side.
Sen began to sway, her eyes rolling up into her head. Vegeta caught her before she fell and swept her up into his arms. He jerked around to face Reese. "GET HELP you FOOL!"
Jarred from shock, Reese ran to the nearest door and swung it opened, "Quickly, in here! Take her into the shower stall."
"Fool! She doesn't need bathing, she needs medical attention!"
"The sacred water will heal her if she still breaths. Hurry!" Vegeta ran through the door with Reese trailing. "That's it, all the way in the back! Stopping, Vegeta scanned for a place to put her down and hesitated. He didn't want to just lie her down on the shower floor. Suddenly, he was shoved from behind and water began to shower down upon them.
"Augh!" Vegeta reeled around, "You dare!"
Reese solemnly pointed to the injury, "Look."
Water droplets that fell upon Sen seemed to have a life of their own as they gathered over the wounds. The bleeding stopped and the injured area was being thoroughly cleaned. Then before their eyes the lesions began to heal. Finally, the tears in her jumper mended as well.
Vegeta relaxed and he raised his face to the soothing water raining down on them. Moments went by as he lost himself in the tranquil fluid. If only his mate could be here with him. He could here Bulma now and smirked. The Prince would have to silence her inquisitive chattering by gently covering her mouth with his fingers or better yet—with his lips. But she wasn't there and he snapped out of his illusion. His attention returned to his encumbrance. Sen had made no sign of recovering.
Vegeta murmured, "She's not moving."
"She still has internal injuries. You've got to get her to drink the water."
The Prince's brows furrowed at Reese and he hissed, "Then pinch her nose, you idiot!"
Reese did as instructed and Sen's mouth cracked open. Immediately, the droplets followed the contours of her face and streamed into her mouth. She stirred then began coughing, causing Vegeta to shift their weight to steady his stance. "Hold still, onna and take your medicine."
Reese reached over and brushed Sen's hair back out of her face. "That's it Sen, drink up. You'll be better in no time." Sen blinked at the reassuring Reese and then to the frowning Prince and did what she was told. She closed her eyes, titled her head back and let the sacred water do its job. Soon all of her pain disappeared and the warrior felt the rejuvenating qualities that she had experienced before-- this time from the inside out. A satisfying grin appeared on her face.
The Prince quietly soothed, "All recovered and refreshed?"
Sen's eyes remained shut and she nodded, "Uhm." Suddenly she dropped to the floor. Her grooming orb fell out of her hand causing an echoing clanging noise as it bounced about. She grabbed at the object before Vegeta could destroy it.
The glaring Prince stood unmoving with his hands on his hips and bellowed, "OUT!!!"
Scrambling, Reese and Sen rushed out, almost afraid to look back. Shaking her shock, Baba made her way over to the door, heard Vegeta yell, freaked and backed-up. When Reese and Sen crossed the threshold, Sen willed the door shut and fell back against it. Shaking, Reese slowly turned around, smiled weakly to Sen, and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Shooo."
Despite the dire situation of the Universe, Sen began to chuckle. Compared to this Majin Buu, she had come to believe that Vegeta wasn't such a big threat to the Cosmos after all. The warrior stood up and walked over to Reese who had gingerly picked up her chest plate and was examining it with distaste.
Without looking up, Reese exclaimed, "What a mess! I'll clean this up in a jiff." He walked past Sen towards the door they had just come out of. Absently, he reached for the knob then froze with a 'What the HFIL was I thinking' look and quickly slided over to the adjacent door and went inside.
Sen first examined her healed side then continued onto the rest of her body, looking to see if more care was needed. She sensed Baba floating up behind her. Without looking up Sen humored, "So, did you miss me Baba?"
"Are you ok? A minute ago, you looked like you were about to kick the bucket."
"What bucket?"
Baba's brow furrowed, "I mean you looked like you were about to die."
Sen started to punch at the air. "I feel fine now. Great! As a matter-of-fact. That sacred water is something else."
"And you're not feeling even a bit sluggish?"
Sen stopped her punching drill. Dropping her arms she slowly turned around to face Baba. Blushing slightly, and dropping her eyes, she tried to apologized, "I'm sorry Baba. I didn't know if you drank the stuff it would heal your insides as well."
Jumping to stand on her tip-toes and with clenched fists at her sides, Baba leaned to Sen as far as she could without falling over. "WHAT! I gave up my Sensu Bean for nothing?! What about my health?! What about my retirement?!" Then the old woman collapsed on her hovering ball and whispered, "They don't just grow on trees, you know. And I'm not getting any younger."
Sen placed a consoling hand on Baba's back and spoke quietly next to Baba's ear, "Hey, I bet you could bottle the stuff, Baba." Baba's mouth was open when she looked at Sen in astonishment. Sen didn't reply but with a gleam in her eye, winked at the old teller. Baba's mouth changed to a broad grin and she sat up, "I knew there was something I liked about you, Sen." Fishing for her flask, Baba continued, "You're alright. When all this is over, we'll have to get together some--" It was then that Baba noticed Sen's halo. "Oh-hmmm. Well, I'm sure we'll meet again, somehow."
"Are you telling me my fortune, Baba?"
The old woman tilted her head and said slyly, "And it didn't cost you a thing, friend." Baba found her flask and happily showed it to Sen. "Now if you will excuse me I must use the facilities."
As Baba headed for the female's lavatory, Reese came out of the middle one. Smiling and holding up the armor, "Look Sen, good as new." Then he frowned, "Accept, I wasn't able to put it back together."
Sen reached for it, "Here, let me have a go." She examined the loose ends a moment, "Hmm." She walked over to the end of the bench and floated up to sit on the back with her feet on the seat. Leaning forward she tentatively worked on the chest plate, trying to reattach the shoulder strap. Reese followed and stood near, ready to help.
The last door swung open and Vegeta stepped out. The regal Prince stood clean and neat with his gloves held in one hand. He waited for the door to shut behind him before he moved again. Then ignoring the others, he strutted toward the side entrance. Just before going through the archway, Vegeta heard Sen cursing to herself. He stopped and glanced over then went to take another step.
Sen threw down the chest plate, "Shimatta!" (Damn it!)
The warrior ignored Vegeta's snort and continued to stare at the armor that lay on the bench in between her feet. A set of royal blue covered legs with new looking white boots appeared in front of her. She peered up at the Prince as he picked up the chest plate. He had tucked his gloves under his arm for safe keeping. He ran his fingers along the bottom rim until he found two almost nonexistent impressions. "I'm surprised you don't know your father's work, onna." He pressed them and the side piece extended. He connected the side piece to the front and it snapped into place. "The plate reassembles in reverse order." Sen watched the Prince's surprisingly well-groomed hands work the shoulder strap into place until it clicked. After pressing the last two indentions on the upper part, he handed the armor back, and went to leave.
As Sen examined his handywork, checking to see if the links were secure, she called to Vegeta in Saiyan. "Go kuro." (Thanks for your time.) Then went back to study her father's invention.
Vegeta didn't look back, but gave an acknowledging grunt before going inside.
The low ceiling ended and Vegeta's head disappeared as he stood tall. "Uh? Hahaha, Unbelievable!," then the rest of his body followed and he was gone.
Slow to react, Sen took a few steps forward and reached for Vegeta but it was too late. Sen's reflexes seemed to turn to jelly. The journey had taken its toll on her, leaving her completely spent. The warrior fell to her knees and stared at the wooden floor. She was afraid to close her eyes for fear of losing consciousness. Then the floor began to move and instantly she was basking in the light that swallowed Vegeta.
"FRONT and CENTER onna! We haven't got all day."
Sen looked up and as her eyes adjusted, found a smug Vegeta with arms crossed hovering above her. Behind him to huge eyes were peering over him. Shakily, she rose to her feet. That's when she heard a familiar voice.
"Eek! What have you done to her?!" Baba and her ball came into Sen's sight to hover next to the Prince.
Vegeta continued to watch Sen as he spoke. "Feh, look old hag, I had nothing to do with her present state." Then he smirked at the warrior and added. "Otherwise, Sen would be non-existent. The woman should never have gone to HFIL." The old teller nose wrinkled and she raised an eye brow at Vegeta then backed away from him. She couldn't decide what was more offensive, his mouth or his body odor.
A boisterous King Yama ordered. "That's enough! Now move aside." As he spoke, his gigantic hand reached into the desk drawer and gently scooped Sen up. She was too exhausted to object. "Reese! Get over here! NOW!"
The subordinate came running around the desk leg to the left of Yama's chair. He called up to his boss, "I'm here, sire."
King Yama smiled down at the battered half-saiyan. "Well done Sen. You put aside your animosity towards Vegeta to bring him back for a greater cause. Your effort has not gone unnoticed."
Vegeta's eyes went wide and he let out an incredulous, "What! You can't be serious?!" It was Vegeta that got her out, not the other way around. Baba gave him a look of warning along with a headshake, signaling not to start an argument. Vegeta glared at Baba then at Sen. Then he growled to himself and turned his back on them all.
King Yama ignored the outburst and lowered Sen into Reese's arms. "Reese, take Sen and Vegeta to the facilities and attend to their needs."
Reese struggled with the weight and Sen smiled weakly at him and whispered, "I can walk with a little help." Nodding, he let go of her legs and pulled her arm over his shoulder and his other arm went around her waste. They slowly made their way towards the side exit.
"Humph. I don't need your pitiful ministrations, I am perfectly fine."
The King glared at the Prince. "Get cleaned up, Vegeta. No one is going back to save Earth smelling like HFIL."
The shocked Vegeta dropped his fisted hands stiffly to his side. "Uh!" Then he relaxed and called over his shoulder, "Fine. We will speak when I return." He turned around to glare at Baba then to the King. "Alone."
"I will grant your request. Vegeta. Now follow Reese before I change my mind and send you back to where you came from."
Smirking, the Prince quietly replied, "That is the plan." He floated to the ground, turning as he did so and went out the side door.
Baba watched them leave and said in a low voice, "What that boy needs is a good spanking."
King Yama sat back in his chair and a small grin graced his bearded face. "Hmm, I'm afraid that one has proven to be immune to physical punishment."
"I suppose he'll never learn then. Without Goku to keep him at bay, there's no telling what he'll do."
"Oh, I don't know about that. After Goku's death, there was nothing between him and Universal domination. Yet, the Prince remained content on Earth all these years. Oh, I suppose Gohan might have given him a run for his money, but I'm not convinced that stopped him."
Both continued to blankly stare at the side exit. King Yama heard Baba sigh and glanced her way when she spoke, "Well, you would think the ingrate would have least learn a little humility from his trip to HFIL."
"Ha! Those Saiyans are a rare breed indeed. They are born warriors. It's imbedded in there nature to fight. From what I gathered, Vegeta's visit to HFIL was more like recreation." Yama returned his gaze to the exit and he scratched his beard. However, his 'would be' tribulation was not without some merit. Yes, there is a lot more there than meets the eye." The king sat-up and hit his hands on the armrests startling the old woman. "Well Baba! Why don't you keep an eye on Sen, while I deal with his majesty." Then he yelled to the workers behind him. "Wheres my pay per view, I want to know what's happening on Earth!"
When Vegeta came out on to the platform, he barely glanced at the others. Sen and Reese were in front of the first of the three doors. The ogre was looking for a way to remove her chest plate without causing further injury. The Prince walked past them a few meters and stood studying his surroundings. The platform they were on was smaller then the others floating near by. Unlike the others, it was furnished with benches and accented with various details. Obviously, a place for elites.
Sen glared at the Prince who seemed to be waiting for something. "It's no use Reese, I will just have to pull it up over my head. You better take care of his highness first."
"Oh, fiddle-faddle." Reese glanced over at Vegeta, then did a slight double take when he noticed the Prince tense up. "Well, alright Sen." He smiled and winked at her, "Don't go anywhere, ok?" She half smiled with a slight nod. Walking over to the Prince, Reese half bowed and swept his arm towards the last door on the left. "Right this way, sir." Vegeta recognized the universal symbol for male on the door and began to walk towards it. "Inside you'll find a sink, a lavatory, and a shower. Allow the water to bathe what ever ails you. If you need anything just holler. I will be just outside."
Both stopped and turned towards Sen when they heard things fall to the floor. Sen was trying to pull in one of her arms behind the chest plate to stretch it. Her belongings that she stored within, fell to the ground. The shiny grooming orb rolled away and to her dismay, was stopped by Vegeta's foot. Instead of crushing it, he bent down and picked it up. Standing again, he curiously rolled the orb over in his hand, examining it for life. Then it was concealed within his fist and Sen saw a corner of his mouth curve upwards.
Ignoring the pain it caused, Sen righted her armor and managed to walk over and face him with her hand out. "Thank you for returning it to me."
Vegeta ignored her for a moment then slowly reached his closed fist out to her open hand. Before letting it go he raised an eyebrow and his black eyes bore into hers. "I trust I will not look upon this device again." Sen answered with a short nod and he dropped the ball into her hand. Then Vegeta grabbed her wrist guard preventing her from retreating. His brow narrowed as his eyes swept over her chest. Sen refrained from slapping him. He felt her ki rising and his eyes returned to hers. "Your armor. What model number is it?"
"I don't know. It was my mother's."
"She served my father. Correct?"
"Yes."
Vegeta let go of Sen and removed one of his gloves; handing it to Reese. His eyes scanned her chest plate again and when he found what he was looking for, he reached over. Instinctively, Sen stepped back. "Onna. The first models were made by the weak for the weak. There is a hidden release button to allow medical personnel to remove the armor from injured soldiers." At first she hesitated, but then she allowed the Prince to proceed. Surprisingly gentle, he wedged two fingers behind the base of the right strap and pressed forward. Sen thought she heard a click but nothing happened.
Vegeta removed his fingers then brought them down to the rim of the plate on her right side and frowned. He hesitated and Sen looked to see what he was doing and realized her tail was in the way. "Oh, sorry." Blushing, she unwound her tail and Vegeta proceeded to worked his fingers up the side of the armor. Pressing again, another slight click was heard and instantly the front base of the right strap released and the right side plate retracted. Then guiding her left arm up, he gently pulled the plate away and handed it to Reese. Absently, Reese took the plate but his alarmed eyes remained fixed on Sen's chest. The Prince frowned at the ogre, grabbed his glove from him and emitted a low growl as he put his glove back on.
Baba came up behind Sen and gasped, "My Gods!" Startled, Vegeta glared at the old woman who wore the same look as Yama's lackey. It was then, his eyes returned to Sen to see what they were gawking at. Sen's left side was covered with a large circle of sticky coagulated blood. There were three rips in her jersey with what look like rib bone punched through. Removing the chest plate that had stabilized the injury caused a fresh dose of blood to stream down her side.
Sen began to sway, her eyes rolling up into her head. Vegeta caught her before she fell and swept her up into his arms. He jerked around to face Reese. "GET HELP you FOOL!"
Jarred from shock, Reese ran to the nearest door and swung it opened, "Quickly, in here! Take her into the shower stall."
"Fool! She doesn't need bathing, she needs medical attention!"
"The sacred water will heal her if she still breaths. Hurry!" Vegeta ran through the door with Reese trailing. "That's it, all the way in the back! Stopping, Vegeta scanned for a place to put her down and hesitated. He didn't want to just lie her down on the shower floor. Suddenly, he was shoved from behind and water began to shower down upon them.
"Augh!" Vegeta reeled around, "You dare!"
Reese solemnly pointed to the injury, "Look."
Water droplets that fell upon Sen seemed to have a life of their own as they gathered over the wounds. The bleeding stopped and the injured area was being thoroughly cleaned. Then before their eyes the lesions began to heal. Finally, the tears in her jumper mended as well.
Vegeta relaxed and he raised his face to the soothing water raining down on them. Moments went by as he lost himself in the tranquil fluid. If only his mate could be here with him. He could here Bulma now and smirked. The Prince would have to silence her inquisitive chattering by gently covering her mouth with his fingers or better yet—with his lips. But she wasn't there and he snapped out of his illusion. His attention returned to his encumbrance. Sen had made no sign of recovering.
Vegeta murmured, "She's not moving."
"She still has internal injuries. You've got to get her to drink the water."
The Prince's brows furrowed at Reese and he hissed, "Then pinch her nose, you idiot!"
Reese did as instructed and Sen's mouth cracked open. Immediately, the droplets followed the contours of her face and streamed into her mouth. She stirred then began coughing, causing Vegeta to shift their weight to steady his stance. "Hold still, onna and take your medicine."
Reese reached over and brushed Sen's hair back out of her face. "That's it Sen, drink up. You'll be better in no time." Sen blinked at the reassuring Reese and then to the frowning Prince and did what she was told. She closed her eyes, titled her head back and let the sacred water do its job. Soon all of her pain disappeared and the warrior felt the rejuvenating qualities that she had experienced before-- this time from the inside out. A satisfying grin appeared on her face.
The Prince quietly soothed, "All recovered and refreshed?"
Sen's eyes remained shut and she nodded, "Uhm." Suddenly she dropped to the floor. Her grooming orb fell out of her hand causing an echoing clanging noise as it bounced about. She grabbed at the object before Vegeta could destroy it.
The glaring Prince stood unmoving with his hands on his hips and bellowed, "OUT!!!"
Scrambling, Reese and Sen rushed out, almost afraid to look back. Shaking her shock, Baba made her way over to the door, heard Vegeta yell, freaked and backed-up. When Reese and Sen crossed the threshold, Sen willed the door shut and fell back against it. Shaking, Reese slowly turned around, smiled weakly to Sen, and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Shooo."
Despite the dire situation of the Universe, Sen began to chuckle. Compared to this Majin Buu, she had come to believe that Vegeta wasn't such a big threat to the Cosmos after all. The warrior stood up and walked over to Reese who had gingerly picked up her chest plate and was examining it with distaste.
Without looking up, Reese exclaimed, "What a mess! I'll clean this up in a jiff." He walked past Sen towards the door they had just come out of. Absently, he reached for the knob then froze with a 'What the HFIL was I thinking' look and quickly slided over to the adjacent door and went inside.
Sen first examined her healed side then continued onto the rest of her body, looking to see if more care was needed. She sensed Baba floating up behind her. Without looking up Sen humored, "So, did you miss me Baba?"
"Are you ok? A minute ago, you looked like you were about to kick the bucket."
"What bucket?"
Baba's brow furrowed, "I mean you looked like you were about to die."
Sen started to punch at the air. "I feel fine now. Great! As a matter-of-fact. That sacred water is something else."
"And you're not feeling even a bit sluggish?"
Sen stopped her punching drill. Dropping her arms she slowly turned around to face Baba. Blushing slightly, and dropping her eyes, she tried to apologized, "I'm sorry Baba. I didn't know if you drank the stuff it would heal your insides as well."
Jumping to stand on her tip-toes and with clenched fists at her sides, Baba leaned to Sen as far as she could without falling over. "WHAT! I gave up my Sensu Bean for nothing?! What about my health?! What about my retirement?!" Then the old woman collapsed on her hovering ball and whispered, "They don't just grow on trees, you know. And I'm not getting any younger."
Sen placed a consoling hand on Baba's back and spoke quietly next to Baba's ear, "Hey, I bet you could bottle the stuff, Baba." Baba's mouth was open when she looked at Sen in astonishment. Sen didn't reply but with a gleam in her eye, winked at the old teller. Baba's mouth changed to a broad grin and she sat up, "I knew there was something I liked about you, Sen." Fishing for her flask, Baba continued, "You're alright. When all this is over, we'll have to get together some--" It was then that Baba noticed Sen's halo. "Oh-hmmm. Well, I'm sure we'll meet again, somehow."
"Are you telling me my fortune, Baba?"
The old woman tilted her head and said slyly, "And it didn't cost you a thing, friend." Baba found her flask and happily showed it to Sen. "Now if you will excuse me I must use the facilities."
As Baba headed for the female's lavatory, Reese came out of the middle one. Smiling and holding up the armor, "Look Sen, good as new." Then he frowned, "Accept, I wasn't able to put it back together."
Sen reached for it, "Here, let me have a go." She examined the loose ends a moment, "Hmm." She walked over to the end of the bench and floated up to sit on the back with her feet on the seat. Leaning forward she tentatively worked on the chest plate, trying to reattach the shoulder strap. Reese followed and stood near, ready to help.
The last door swung open and Vegeta stepped out. The regal Prince stood clean and neat with his gloves held in one hand. He waited for the door to shut behind him before he moved again. Then ignoring the others, he strutted toward the side entrance. Just before going through the archway, Vegeta heard Sen cursing to herself. He stopped and glanced over then went to take another step.
Sen threw down the chest plate, "Shimatta!" (Damn it!)
The warrior ignored Vegeta's snort and continued to stare at the armor that lay on the bench in between her feet. A set of royal blue covered legs with new looking white boots appeared in front of her. She peered up at the Prince as he picked up the chest plate. He had tucked his gloves under his arm for safe keeping. He ran his fingers along the bottom rim until he found two almost nonexistent impressions. "I'm surprised you don't know your father's work, onna." He pressed them and the side piece extended. He connected the side piece to the front and it snapped into place. "The plate reassembles in reverse order." Sen watched the Prince's surprisingly well-groomed hands work the shoulder strap into place until it clicked. After pressing the last two indentions on the upper part, he handed the armor back, and went to leave.
As Sen examined his handywork, checking to see if the links were secure, she called to Vegeta in Saiyan. "Go kuro." (Thanks for your time.) Then went back to study her father's invention.
Vegeta didn't look back, but gave an acknowledging grunt before going inside.