With a forced calmness, Bulma strode into the dining room in the Son House. She smiled slightly as she remembered the look on Chi-chi's face when Goku had turned up at the door with Bulma, supporting Vegeta between them. That had been yesterday. The smile quickly turned to a frown as she remembered the pain Vegeta had suffered the night before. Trunks, who had been sitting at the table, turned right around to face her and grinned. Goten, sitting on his other side, also grinned.
Goku immediately stopped eating and looked up at her. "How's Vegeta?"
"He's still asleep. Personally, I'm not surprised. He's been through a lot in the past couple of days."
"Otou-san still asleep? He never usually sleeps in past eight!" Trunks looked worriedly at Bulma, who sat down.
"Yeah! Is he alright?" Goten asked, upset because Trunks was worried.
"He's perfectly fine, he just needs to recover his strength." Bulma replied, half turning as Chi-chi set a bowl of rice in front of her. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Chi-chi-san."
Just then, Vegeta walked in, wearing some spare clothes and leaning heavily on the wall. "Otou-san! Trunks yelled, jumping up and grinning at Vegeta, who smiled weakly in return, then stumbled to a seat. Trunks hurried over, slipping an arm around Vegeta's waist, and helped him to sit down.
"Ari…gatou," Vegeta said as Chi-chi placed a bowl of rice in front of him. He worked his fingers around the chopsticks before struggling to lift food to his mouth. The food fell back into the bowl before it was halfway to Vegeta's lips.
Trunks's fingers gently slipped the chopsticks from Vegeta's hands, and carefully lifted some rice towards Vegeta's mouth. He pushed the rice past Vegeta's lips, one hand darting out to catch a few grains of rice before they hit the floor. Vegeta chewed slowly, and swallowed. Trunks tipped the rice from his hand back into the bowl, then picked up more with the chopsticks.
Tears welled up in Bulma's eyes, and she brushed them away irritably before picking up her own chopsticks. Vegeta would be okay: Trunks would look after him, even if she couldn't.
Vegeta looked at Bulma and smiled slightly, then grabbed Trunks's hand as it raised the chopsticks to his mouth again. "I can…do it…myself." He snapped, taking the chopsticks back and, falteringly, raised some rice to his mouth. It dropped into Trunks's waiting hand, and he put it back in the bowl. Vegeta reached again for the rice, and shoved a bit into his mouth.
The chopsticks dropped, Trunks catching them. He lifted some more rice to Vegeta's mouth, and pushed it in.
Then the chopsticks were slipped from his hands by Vegeta, who, forcing his body on, swallowed the rice, then ate another mouthful before reaching for a third. The chopsticks dropped from his hand onto the floor, and he slumped forward, strength gone.
Trunks reached forward and stopped Vegeta's fall before he landed face-first in his bowl of rice, and shook him gently, trying to get some response. Finding none, he looked at his mother, who had risen and was walking around the table.
"We'd best get him back to bed." Bulma said to Trunks, who put his arm under Vegeta's and rose into the air so that Vegeta's feet were off the ground. Then, he flew after his mother as she strode down the hall towards the room they'd been lent by the Son family.
Trunks paused at the door, but Bulma beckoned him in. "Will otou-san be alright?" he asked, setting Vegeta down gently on the bed.
"He'll be fine, he just strained himself." Bulma said with a calmness she didn't feel. "Go and finish your breakfast." Once Trunks had left, shutting the door behind him, she felt for a pulse. Finding one, she relaxed and went back to her own breakfast.
Vegeta shut his eyes. Something rustled, and he jerked his eyes open. Nothing. Fighting sleep, he scanned the room. Nothing so much as out of place. Then what was making him uneasy? He drifted off to sleep.
As soon as Vegeta's eyes closed, a shadow moved in the dark room. The shadow moved over to the bed, and injected something into Vegeta's bloodstream. Lifting the limp body, he pushed the curtains aside, opened the window and jumped out, carrying his inert 'passenger' to a pre-arranged location.
Near lunchtime, Bulma came in to check on Vegeta. On finding his bed empty, she sighed. 'He must have woken up and went for a walk, or to train,' she thought. 'Well, to train, anyway.' She went into the kitchen to ask Chi-chi if she could help with the cooking, sure that Vegeta would turn up for dinner, if not lunch.
Meanwhile, Vegeta was just waking up. He found himself in a metal box. Startled, he immediately tried to get out. Punches, however, had no effect whatsoever, and as soon as he tried to summon his ki for a blast, an electric shock ran through the box, and he fell to the floor. As he lay there, gasping for breath, he remembered something. 'Kakarotto?' he thought, trying to project it so the other saiya-jin heard it. Another shock ran through the metal, and he screamed, collapsing. Vegeta pushed himself to his feet, and then fell again as yet another shock pulsed through. As he lay on the floor, he felt a prick in his arm. Turning his head, he saw a hypodermic syringe filled with a clear fluid emptying itself into his body. As he passed out, he saw a dark figure standing over him.
"Goku, can you sense Vegeta's ki or not!"
"Well, I thought I could for a moment, but…"
"Yes or no, Goku!" Bulma was starting to get impatient.
"Umm…no."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, NO! HE CAN'T HAVE VANISHED INTO THIN AIR!"
Goku backed away hurriedly. "He probably doesn't want to be found. If he was in trouble or something he'd find some way to tell us…right?"
Bulma sighed, and nodded. "Yes, I suppose. I just can't ignore this feeling that he's in danger somewhere…"
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it, so let's eat dinner," Chi-chi suggested. Goku agreed instantly, and Bulma went to call Trunks and Goten in for dinner.
Vegeta opened blurry eyes, then reached up a hand to rub at them. Things slowly came into focus. He looked around his temporary prison. Metal walls, polished until they shone. Shone? Where was the light?
He finally found it: a fluorescent tube set in the ceiling. Half expecting to be shocked again, Vegeta summoned his ki and shot a small beam at the light. It shattered instantly. Yet no electricity surged through the metal. No needle appeared from the floor.
An electronically modified voice echoed around the box. "Very well, pet 'prince', if you want to be left in the dark, that's your choice. I suggest you save your energy."
"Why should I, omnipotent idiot!" Vegeta challenged.
A small shock rushed through the metal, just to remind Vegeta who was in charge. "You be good and I might just remember to feed you sometime this year," the computer voice boomed. "It isn't necessary, you know. I could just as easily starve you."
"But you won't do that," Vegeta responded confidently.
"Why not?"
"Because then all this," he waved one hand, contemptuously indicating the metal cage, "would be a waste, and you might as well kill me instead of wasting time making all this stuff."
"Very clever, pet prince. Yet you didn't take into account one small thing. Entertainment. That is the sole reason I have brought you here, instead of killing you straight off. I will find your pitiful struggles entertaining. In fact, I might just go prepare the popcorn now."
"What do you mean, entertaining!" Vegeta snarled. "My 'pitiful struggles', eh? You come in here and I'll show you! I bet this 'pitiful' being can beat you up with his hands tied behind his back!"
"And why should I? It would be a waste of my time. Not to mention boring."
"Yeah, whatever, Krillin."
"What makes you think my name's Krillin?" The voice was computer-generated, so it couldn't waver, but Vegeta thought he detected a hint of a pause.
"You're the only one shorter than me, if you don't include Trunks and Goten, but they're too stupid to think something like this up. And they don't have a motive."
"…okay, so I am Krillin. What's your point?"
"Ha! I could beat you with my eyes closed!"
"You want a challenge?" Now the computerized voice was off, and Krillin's voice echoed through the room.
"No trouble, if you're stupid enough to offer it!"
"Me?" Now the voice sounded surprised. "When did I say it would be ME you would be fighting?"
Vegeta spun around at the sound of a metal door screeching open. And, running through the door in a blur, came…
'It can't be Juu-hachi-gou! I killed her!' Shocked, Vegeta didn't move fast enough to dodge the kick, and was flung against the wall. He stumbled back to his feet, gathering his ki. A beam from Juu-hachi-gou 2 hit his arm, then another one singed his hair. He burst into Super Saiya-jin, lunging for the android. She ducked, scything his legs from under him, then flicked him to the floor. Vegeta struggled up, only to be punched in the stomach. He doubled over, dropping out of SSJ. Juu-hachi-gou 2 paused, half-turned, then spun around, kicking Vegeta's head. He fell to the floor.
Juu-hachi-gou 2 tossed her hair back, then strode easily out of the room. The door clanged shut behind her.
"As you can see," Krillin chuckled, "You are weak."
Vegeta powered up to SSJ, then was hit by another electric shock.
Krillin laughed. "Tut tut. No powering up, remember?" He noticed that Vegeta was asleep. "Well, sweet dreams, prince." The sound cut out.
Goku sat up straight in bed.
"What is it, Goku?" Chi-chi asked sleepily.
"…I'm not sure…" Goku frowned, focussing. "I thought I felt Vegeta's ki…just for a moment…but I'm not sure…"
"Go back to sleep, Goku… We'll find out in the morning…"
Goku nodded. He lay down, wrapped his arms around Chi-chi, and fell asleep.
Chi-chi sighed. "I don't know what he's so worried about… Vegeta's perfectly able to take care of himself…" She sighed, snuggled up to Goku, and closed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Chibi Trunks had been trying to get Goten to wake up. "GOTEN!" he yelled for the twentieth time, hitting him over the head with a pillow. Again, Goten only yawned and rolled over. "GOTEN!"
"Huhmawhawhatayasay?" Goten sat up. "Trunks… Whattaya want? It's the middle of the night."
"Yeah, Goten. The perfect time to have some fun."
"What kinda fun, Trunks?" Goten groaned.
"How 'bout a midnight feast?"
Goten jumped out of bed, grinning. "YOU BET! …oops, I mean, you bet," he whispered.
Trunks nodded. "To the kitchen," he whispered. Goten followed him into the kitchen, and over to the fridge. Trunks opened it and started passing food back to Goten, who piled it up on the table. Finally, when there was barely anything left in the refrigerator, Goten and Trunks sat down at the table. The two were just about to start eating, when…
"What are you two doing!"
Goten and Trunks spun around to see Bulma standing in the doorway in her pyjamas. "Uh-oh, it's mom," Trunks hissed to Goten.
"AND DON'T YOU 'UH-OH' ME!" She switched to a whisper, remembering the other people trying to sleep. "Just what are you doing!"
"Umm…midnight feast?" Goten asked.
"What are you doing out of bed, mom?" Trunks asked.
"I was just coming in here for a snack…which is a good thing, as it enables me to stop you two from eating the Son's out of house and home!"
Trunks snickered. "You got a bit hungry, too, eh, o-kaa-san?"
"Put this food back in the fridge and get back to bed!" Bulma yelled, forgetting to whisper.
Trunks and Goten sighed. "Yes o-kaa-san," they chorused, then shoved all the food back into the fridge and trooped back into their bedroom.
"Ah, peace," Bulma said sarcastically, then cut a slice off a loaf of bread, munching on it. "Poor Vegeta…Oh well, I guess he's staying away for a reason. As soon as he gets back, I'm going to find out what that reason is!" She swallowed the rest of the bread and walked back to her room, snuggling back into her bed. "Oh Vegeta…" She sighed, then rolled over, trying to get back to sleep.
"Well, Goku? What was bothering you last night?"
"Something was bothering him?" Bulma frowned. "What?"
"…I have absolutely no idea!" Goku grinned, laughing. Bulma and Chi-chi sweat-dropped.
"But Goku, you must have some idea! What if it's Vegeta…!" Bulma covered her mouth. "Oh, something must be wrong, why isn't he here what happened to him where did he go!"
"Relax, mom," Trunks sighed, finishing his breakfast. "Dad can sort himself out."
"Yes, I know, it's just…I'M SO WORRIED!" Bulma wailed.
"You gonna eat that?" Goten asked, pointing at Bulma's bowl of cereal.
Bulma pushed the bowl over to him and continued. "He could be anywhere! He could have been KILLED! He could be hurt and trapped and unable to escape!"
Goku frowned. "I'll go find him if you want, Bulma."
"Yes please, Goku." She pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and blew her nose. "Poor Vegeta…"
Goku finished his 100th bowl of cereal, stood up and walked out. "I'm gonna find Vegeta," he said, and teleported away.
Vegeta woke to find that the light hadn't been fixed. He had no idea what time it was, but he was hungry. He powered up, using his aura as a light to look around. Everything was exactly as it had been when he went to sleep. He sighed, and sat down on the floor, bored. A hatch slid open by the door and two dog-bowls slid in, one full of water, the other containing meat-smelling mush. Vegeta ignored them. 'I refuse to eat dog food.'
'What dog food, Vegeta?'
"Kakarotto?" Vegeta asked, then realized that the voice came from his head. Well, it seemed like Krillin was still asleep, at least. 'Kakarotto, where are you! Get over here now!'
'Where are you anyway?'
'HERE, Kakarotto!'
'And where is "here"?'
'How should I know? Can't you sense me or something?'
'Too low ki, Veggie.'
'Fine,' Vegeta thought at Goku, then powered up. 'How's this?'
'Better, Vegeta.' Goku teleported into the cell. "Wow Vegeta, it's dark in here!"
"Second life-force detected. Identify or destruction is imminent. Krillin notified."
Goku spun around, and peered curiously at the grill where the voice was coming from. "Hi. I'm Son Goku. What's your name?"
"Voice print confirmed. Son Goku, state reason for entry."
"What?"
"That means you need to say why you're here, Kakarotto," Vegeta said helpfully.
"Well, I'm here to rescue Vegeta, of course." Goku tilted his head to one side. "You mean Krillin is in charge of all this stuff? Cool."
"Information denied. Reason not identified as viable. Life-force will be terminated in five seconds."
"Teleport us out of this at once, Kakarotto!" Vegeta yelled.
Goku grabbed Vegeta's shoulder, and teleported them out just before the blast hit them.
"He got away…" Krillin slammed his fist on the computer, which beeped warningly. "And I haven't even finished reprogramming Marron yet!"
Juu-hachi-gou 2 walked in. "Her programming will be finished in two weeks. One, if I could be permitted to work without these distractions," she said, smiling.
Krillin smiled back at her. "Well, you know, I couldn't go without seeing your face for an entire week."
Juu-hachi-gou smiled back at him. "Well, all you need to do is create another clone."
"I couldn't do that, I don't have the equipment. And the stuff I used, Bulma's, was destroyed in the fire." He gave a fake-sigh. "So tragic…"
"Yes, well…" She tweaked one of his ears. "If you want the programming finished…you have to let me work on it…"
"…okay, anything you say." Krillin sighed as she left the room. "What a woman. Or, in this case, android."
Goku and Vegeta landed in the kitchen of the Son house, where Chi-chi was finishing the washing-up from breakfast. She spun around, and frowned at Goku and Vegeta. "No, I don't have any more breakfast. Vegeta, Bulma was worried about you. She'll probably yell at you, so I suggest you get it over with. She's in the room you two were sharing. See you for lunch, if she lets you come." Chi-chi turned back to the washing-up.
Vegeta let Goku drag him into the room he shared with Bulma. "Hey Bulma, guess who's back!" Goku called, a huge grin plastered over his face.
"And about time too." Bulma turned and glared at Vegeta. "Just where have you been! I've been worried sick about you, and did you care! Of course not! You run around trying to prove you're the 'strongest' and that you 'can beat Kakarotto', but you never have a care for how I feel when you're gone, do you! And now I bet you just went to this other planet or something, just to train, and you never thought twice that someone might actually want to know where you're going-" Her breath caught in a sob.
"It's not Vegeta's fault, it was Krillin-"
"Kakarotto, get out."
Goku blinked, shrugged, and left.
Vegeta locked the door behind him and turned to Bulma. "Can't we skip this? You're really mad at me, you yell for a few hours, you threaten me with banishment and hatred forever and so on and so forth."
Bulma smiled slightly. "You want to just kiss and make up?" she asked softly.
Vegeta paused to check that everyone else was out of earshot, then nodded.
"Okay. But act like I've yelled at you for hours, hmm?" Bulma sighed softly as Vegeta rolled her onto the bed. 'My arrogant, self-centred, conceited, egotistical, possessive, stubborn, wonderful prince.'
Sorry this is so late: I had stuff to do over March Break, and I kept getting distracted, and I didn't have a plot summary for this one... Oh well, it's finally up.